Meet the new Clarence Valley Council

Candidates in order of election to Clarence Valley Council from 16 September 2016:

Richie WILLIAMSON (incumbent), 
Andrew BAKER (incumbent), 
Karen TOMS (incumbent), 
Peter ELLEM, 
Jason KINGSLEY (incumbent), 
Debrah NOVAK, 
Jim SIMMONS  (incumbent),
 Arthur LYSAUGHT (incumbent), 
Greg CLANCY.

Clarence Valley Council - Party or Group and Candidates Result Report

Candidates to be Elected: 9

Counts Required: 19

Quota: 2,971

The margin between the last elected candidate CLANCY Greg and the last un-elected/excluded candidate TIBBETT Brett is 68.

Candidates in Ballot Order	Elected / Excluded	Position Elected / Excluded	Elected / Excluded at Count
NOVAK Debrah	ELECTED	6	14
SAUNDERS Ian	EXCLUDED	6	9
CLANCY Greg	ELECTED	9*	19
ROGERS Peta	EXCLUDED	7	10
TIBBETT Brett		**
TOMS Karen	ELECTED	3	10
TUNKS Ursula	EXCLUDED	2	5
KINGSLEY Jason	ELECTED	5	14
HAGGER John	EXCLUDED	8	12
ELLEM Peter	ELECTED	4	14
WILLIAMSON Richie	ELECTED	1	1
WELLS Marty	EXCLUDED	3	6
ELLEM Trevor	EXCLUDED	10	14
DE ROOS Joy	EXCLUDED	5	8
BATES Keith	EXCLUDED	1	3
HUGHES Sue	EXCLUDED	9	13
SIMMONS Jim	ELECTED	7	18
RIGGALL John	EXCLUDED	4	7
LYSAUGHT Arthur	ELECTED	8*	19
McKENNA Margaret	EXCLUDED	11	18
BAKER Andrew	ELECTED	2	2

* Candidates elected at final count without reaching quota.

** The distribution of the total votes of Candidates would not change the elected candidate(s), therefore their exclusion did not proceed.

Elders quitting Australian live export trade

Read full Live Export Update and Full Year Earnings Guidance at http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20160912/pdf/43b3gbnf4xt53g.pdf.

Not a good look for Australia's Deputy-Prime Minister

 Deputy-Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is probably the National Party’s own worst enemy.

ABC News, 11 September 2016:

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has refused to reveal the cost-benefit analysis of moving a Canberra-based agricultural agency to his electorate.

Mr Joyce has pushed ahead with plans to relocate the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority from the capital to Armidale, in northern NSW, despite concerns from farming groups and staff.

He has told the ABC's Insiders program a study revealed there were positives and negatives to the move.

"The cost-benefit analysis is complete and in some areas it's indeterminate some areas. It's saying yes, it's sort of a benefit here, other areas it's saying it's marginally not of benefit," Mr Joyce said.

Insiders' host Barrie Cassidy asked if the Deputy Prime Minister would release the analysis, to which he replied: "No, I don't think I will at this stage."

"Because the decision has been made, the decision's been made by the Australian people," he added.

Mr Joyce announced the decision in June, ahead of the federal election in July.

The Guardian, 11 September 2016:

During the election campaign Joyce had announced the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority would move from Canberra to Armidale, in northern New South Wales, in the middle of his New England electorate.

He made the announcement before a cost-benefit analysis of the move had been completed……

His promise was criticised by hundreds of public servants who will be forced to relocate their families, and by groups such as the National Farmers Federation, Animal Medicines Australia, CropLife Australia, the Australian Capital Territory government, and ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja.

Now he is refusing to release the analysis, saying there’s no need to because the decision has been made.

Last week Joyce had conceded the cost-benefit analysis did not support the forced relocation of the agency, telling Sky News: “If you’re going to premise it on the cost-benefit analysis, we wouldn’t do it.”

On Sunday, when asked what the point of the cost-benefit analysis was if he was not going to release it, Joyce attacked the ABC, saying an analysis of the national broadcaster would probably say to close it down.

Australia's 45th Parliament in action

https://youtu.be/Knob-rB35AI

“But before talking about what happened during the election campaign, I want to touch on something that is very close to my heart, and that is the national flag of Australia—our flag.” [Senator McGrath (Queensland) Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister]

“—particularly to you, Senator Cameron, who share my love of chocolates” [Senator Fierravanti-Wells (NSW)]

The New Daily, 12 September 2016:

The government began the second week of the new Parliament the same way it ended the first – amid high farce.

Little more than a week after being the first majority government in 50 years to lose a vote in the House of Representatives (it lost three) because Coalition MPs decided to go home early, it was the Senate’s turn to show the level of disorganisation within government ranks.

Soon after the Senate opened for business on Monday, the Coalition had no business to discuss.

And after another embarrassing session of Parliament ended, ABC’s Lateline revealed that Federal Cabinet had confidentially signed off on the mechanics of the same-sex marriage plebiscite, only for the details to leak almost immediately.

In the morning session of the Senate, a filibuster of Monty Python proportions ensued, leaving no one with any doubt the government was desperately trying to mark time until lunch.

With no legislation to debate, Coalition senators rose to talk for hours about their love of chocolates, love of the Australian flag, respect for roads, respect for a defeated candidate whose name they got wrong and other inane conversation.

It all led to Opposition Senate leader Penny Wong to chime in that the government had “no plans and no ideas”.

“They’ve got literally nothing to talk about,” Senator Wong said.

Meanwhile, manager of government business in the Senate Mitch Fifield put the word out that Labor was delaying passage of non-controversial bills in the House, therefore leaving the Senate with nothing to debate.

But the Senate scenes exposed further signs of chaos and weakness from the government, leaving Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing besieged from all sides…..

No Plebiscite, You Cowards in Canberra!

In August 2004 the Australian Parliament changed the federal Marriage Act 1961 to deliberately exclude LGBTIQ couples from legally marrying, so it’s up to the Australian Parliament to rectify its own mistake.

“Two thirds of the Australian people, a majority of the parliament and leaders of all major parties support every Australian being treated fairly and equally through the Marriage Act. It is time for the Parliament to deliver marriage equality. We call on our parliamentary supporters to start working together on a pathway that delivers marriage equality in this parliament without delay.” [Australian Marriage Equality (AME) Chair, Alex Greenwich in media release, 14 September 2016]

Click on image to enlarge

The unashamed public vitriol begins....

While misguided attempts to entrench discrimination in legislation continue in the federal parliament:

Senator Leyonhjelm says he has been actively lobbying Senator Brandis to consider and adopt aspects of the Liberal Democrats bill on the matter. 

“I am pleased the Liberal Party has adopted exemptions for civil celebrants, along the lines of legislation my 2014 bill,” Senator Leyonhjelm said. “I have also shown Senator Brandis my 2016 bill exempting people who supply goods and services for weddings from breaching the Sex Discrimination Act. I believe that these kinds of tweaks help to make the legislation more acceptable to politicians in the Coalition and thus more likely to succeed.”

And even though its plebiscite question simply states “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?”, the Turnbull Government seriously contemplates creating two separate forms of legal marriage - one of which fails to allow the full protection of federal anti-discrimination law to LGBTIQ couples.

The Guardian, 14 September 2016:

The government will propose new protections for “conscientious objectors” to same-sex marriage which marriage equality advocates fear could allow civil celebrants, registrars and even bakers and florists to refuse to serve same-sex weddings.

According to briefing notes on the plebiscite prepared for the Coalition party room, seen by Guardian Australia, the legislation would allow “conscientious objectors” to reject same-sex weddings, an exemption more extensive than merely allowing religious leaders to refuse to conduct them…..

The note said the government will introduce proposed amendments to the Marriage Act and other relevant legislation to give effect to the decision of the plebiscite “well in advance” of the popular vote.

“Those amendments will also include appropriate protections for religious freedom and conscientious objections,” it said.

Clarence Valley Local Government Elections Vote Tally: state of play on Tuesday night, 13 September 2016

Processing votes cast in the 2016 Clarence Valley local government election is moving at a glacial pace due to the need for accuracy.

Hopefully later today will reveal if any individual within the second tier of candidates moves into the top nine at the expense of candidates currently situated in that first ranking set out below.

CLARENCE VALLEY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ELECTION RESULTS

The electoral state of play* at 1:25pm when tally updating ceased for Tuesday 13 September looked like this…….

First 9 candidates ranked in order of first preference votes received:

Richie Williamson (9,223) (4,966), Andrew Baker (3,075) (2,915), Karen Toms (1,252) (2,307), Debrah Novak (2,045), Jim Simmons (1,668) (1,980), Jason Kingsley (2,145) (1,970), Peter Ellem (1,965), Greg Clancy (1,275) (1,649), Brett Tibbett (1,276).

Second 9 candidates ranked in order of first preference votes received:

Arthur Lysault (1,122), Margaret McKenna (1,224) (1,074), John Hagger (1,072), Sue Hughes (1,764) (997), Trevor Ellem (962), Peta Rogers (948), Ian Saunders (926),  Joy De Roos (478), John Riggall (461).

Final three candidates ranked in order of first preference votes received:

Marty Wells (295), Ursula Tunks (540) (289), Keith Bates (159).

* First preference votes in 2012 Clarence Valley LGA election marked in red and first preference votes in 2016 LGA election in black.

NSW ELECTORAL COMMISSION VIRTUAL TALLY ROOM

Summary of Candidate First Preference Votes

1:35pm 13 September 2016

There are 9 Councillors to be elected from 21 candidates

Total Number of Electors enrolled in this Council area on 1 August 2016: 39,070

Percentage of all enrolled voters counted: 81.02%

Data Entry commenced: 8:32am 12 September 2016

Progressive Quota: 2,986

Informal Rate: 5.69%

Summary of First Preference Votes
Candidate	Party/IND		FP Votes		Quota Ratio		% Formal Votes
NOVAK Debrah	IND		2,045		0.68		6.85%
SAUNDERS Ian	IND		926		0.31		3.10%
CLANCY Greg	GRN		1,649		0.55		5.52%
ROGERS Peta	IND		948		0.32		3.18%
TIBBETT Brett	IND		1,276		0.43		4.27%
TOMS Karen	IND		2,307		0.77		7.73%
TUNKS Ursula	IND		289		0.1		0.97%
KINGSLEY Jason	IND		1,970		0.66		6.60%
HAGGER John	IND		1,072		0.36		3.59%
ELLEM Peter	IND		1,965		0.66		6.58%
WILLIAMSON Richie			4,966		1.66		16.63%
WELLS Marty	IND		295		0.1		0.99%
ELLEM Trevor	IND		962		0.32		3.22%
DE ROOS Joy			478		0.16		1.60%
BATES Keith			159		0.05		0.53%
HUGHES Sue	IND		997		0.33		3.34%
SIMMONS Jim	IND		1,980		0.66		6.63%
RIGGALL John	IND		461		0.15		1.54%
LYSAUGHT Arthur	IND		1,122		0.38		3.76%
McKENNA Margaret	IND		1,074		0.36		3.60%
BAKER Andrew	IND		2,915		0.98		9.76%
Total Formal Votes Counted			29,856				100%
Total Informal/Other Votes			1,800				5.69%
Progressive Total Votes			31,656

All second preference distributions should be included in the final ballot tally by Thursday night, 15 September and the election results announced by 16 September 2016.