Food crises will affect tens of millions of people across the world this year, researchers warn

Reuters, 2 April 2019:

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Food crises will affect tens of millions of people across the world this year, researchers warned on Tuesday, after war, extreme weather and economic woes in 2018 left more than 113 million in dire need of help.

Conflict and insecurity were responsible for the desperate situation faced by 74 million people, or two-thirds of those affected, in 2018, said the Global Network against Food Crises in its annual report.

The Network’s members include the United Nations’ Food aand Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme, and the European Union.

Analyzing 53 countries, it uses a five-phase scale with the third level classified as crisis, fourth as emergency and fifth as famine/catastrophe.

Luca Russo, FAO’s senior food crises analyst, warned that millions more are now at risk of reaching level three and above.

“The 113 million is what we call the tip of the iceberg. If you look at the numbers further down, you have people who are not food insecure but they are on the verge,” Russo told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

These people, a further 143 million, are “so fragile that it just takes a bit of a drought” for them to fall into food crisis, he said.

“Unless we work substantially on these people and remove some of the drivers that can bring them to a worse situation, the overall numbers are likely to increase,” Russo added.

Of countries that suffered food crises in 2018, the worst affected was Yemen, where nearly 16 million people needed urgent food aid after four years of war, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo at 13 million and Afghanistan at 10.6 million.....

David Leyonhjelm out of a job and on his way to court

After prematurely claiming victory before the full Legislative Council ballot count was completed, only to find himself among the losers at the recent NSW election, former federal senator David Leyonhjelm now has to face court on 29 April 2019......

ABC News, 17 April 2019:

Senator Hanson-Young is suing Mr Leyonhjelm for defamation, claiming her character had been attacked through statements that she was a misandrist and a hypocrite in television and radio interviews last year.

The former Liberal Democrat senator, who recently failed in his election bid for the NSW Upper House, has denied he defamed the Greens politician.

Today, the Federal Court heard Senator Keneally was among 10 witnesses who were expected to provide evidence to the trial.

Senators Derryn Hinch and Stirling Griff are expected to be called to give evidence, while Senator Hanson-Young and Mr Leyonhjelm will also testify.

Sue Chrysanthou, the lawyer for Senator Hanson-Young, said several senators would be expected to undergo a short cross-examination at court.

She requested the witnesses be allowed to appear via video link due to the "exorbitant" cost of flying them to Sydney.

However, Justice Richard White was reluctant to agree, and said the witnesses were available and had been given plenty of notice.

He told the court he had warned the parties that the timing was likely to coincide with an election.

Ms Chrystanthou and Mr Leyonhjelm's lawyer, Kurt Stoyle, both confirmed that attempts to find a resolution through mediation had failed.

'This is something I feel very strongly about'

Senator Hanson-Young is seeking re-election while Mr Leyonhjelm has conceded his "life as a politician is over" following the NSW state poll.

In a blog post published earlier this week, Mr Leyonhjelm was particularly critical of the Liberal Democrats, which he led for more than a decade.

"While this is not a personal tragedy for me [I was always a fairly reluctant politician], it is concerning for the Liberal Democratic Party," he wrote.

"I wish I could say the party is in good hands, but I fear that is not the case.

"The National Executive does not inspire confidence."

Yaegl Aboriginal cultural heritage areas in the Clarence Valley to be mapped

Clarence Valley Council, media release:

Mayor: Jim Simmons LOCKED BAG 23 GRAFTON NSW 2460

General Manager: Ashley Lindsay Telephone: (02) 6643 0200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 15, 2019

Mapping areas of Yaegl Aboriginal cultural heritage

A PROJECT that aims to help protect areas of cultural value to the Aboriginal community is about to get under way in the Clarence Valley.

Representatives of the Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, the Office of Environment and Heritage and Clarence Valley Council recently signed a memorandum of understanding for a cultural mapping project of the Clarence.

The project aims to identify and map known and “high potential” areas of Aboriginal heritage to ensure culturally appropriate information is used to inform conservation and local plans.

The MoU says plans, which include cultural heritage management initiatives, are intended to better protect Aboriginal heritage within or adjacent to all mapped areas.

“Assessment of the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System data and extensive field surveys in company with nominated cultural representatives to validate and record data is also a necessary project component,” it says.

The project aims to produce 1:25,000 scale topographic maps for the Yaegl Native Title Claimed Area, annotated with “known” and “high potential” areas of Aboriginal cultural heritage, within and immediately adjacent to the Clarence Valley local government area.

Once complete, a training program will be developed for Yaegl site officers, Clarence Valley Council staff and other appropriate agencies.

Release ends.

Norway needs to withdraw its majority-owned petroleum mining company from the Great Australian Bight

Plans to drill in the middle of the Great Australian Bight have led to a fierce battle, as a Norwegian Energy giant faces off with Aussie surfers, environmentalists and fishermen. #TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/2ppO02m0or

— The Project (@theprojecttv) April 8, 2019

 ABC News, 12 March 2019:

A Norwegian MP has called for a state-owned Norwegian oil and gas company not to start drilling in the Great Australian Bight, while a scientist says noise from the project could hurt marine life.

The Norwegian Government has a 67 per cent majority stake in Equinor, which wants to start searching for oil off the coast of South Australia at a depth of almost 2.5 kilometres by the end of 2020.

It needs approval from the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority.

MP Kristoffer Robin Haug addressed the Norwegian Parliament last week and said going ahead with the project could see Norway become the enemy.

"Will the [Petroleum and Energy] Minister use this power as a majority shareholder in Equinor to instruct their company to stop their oil exploration in the Bight?" he asked.

Fight For The Bight, April 2019:

New research from The Australia Institute shows that 60% of Australians are opposed to drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight, while the rate of opposition amongst South Australians is even higher at 68%.

The first ever national poll on the issue found that only one in five Australians, and 16% of South Australians, support drilling in the Bight, while more than two thirds of Australians want to see the area given World Heritage protection.

The poll also found there is greater support, both nationwide and in SA, for ending coal, gas and oil exploration across Australia than there is for allowing it to continue.

“The Great Australian Bight is a national treasure and now we know that people across the country want to see it protected from exploitation,” said Noah Schultz-Byard, The Australia Institute’s SA projects manager.

“Equinor and the other oil giants looking to drill in the Great Australian Bight are attempting to do so in direct opposition to the wishes of the Australian people.

“We’ve known for some time that the Great Australian Bight holds a special place in the hearts of South Australians, but this research has shown that opposition to exploiting the Bight exists across the country.

The Norwegian Greens Party has also adopted the Australian Greens slogan "Fight for the Bight".

South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said Mr Haug's speech showed the fight was now receiving international attention.

"This is starting to cause problems and waves overseas," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"People are questioning why Australia would put at risk our beautiful pristine areas.

"This is a whale sanctuary. This is an untouched wonderland. Why would we put this at risk?"….

Protesters took to Encounter Bay this morning to protest against oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight.

See https://www.facebook.com/abcadelaide/videos/2538309232876968/

No matter how had they dance and prance Scott Morrison & Co just can't turn Newspoll around

Only 32 days out from the 2019 federal election and the losing streak is not yet over for the Morrison Government.

The last time the Coalition were ahead on a Newspoll Two Party Preferred (TPP) basis was on 2 July 2016 when the Turnbull Government stood at 50.5 per cent on the day of the 2016 federal election.

Which means the losing streak has now stretched to a little over 33 months.

52nd Newpoll results – published 15 April 2019:

Primary Vote – Labor 39 percent (up 2 points) to Liberal-Nationals 39 per cent (up 1 point), The Greens 9 per cent (unchanged), One Nation 4 per cent (down 2 points).

Two Party Preferred (TPP) - Labor 52 per cent (unchanged) to Liberal-Nationals Coalition 48 per cent (up 1 point).

Voter Net Satisfaction With Leaders’ Performance – Prime Minister Scott Morrison 1 point (down 1 point) and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten -14 points (unchanged).

If a federal election had been held on14 April 2019 based of the preference flow in July 2016, then Labor would have won government with a majority 82 seats (unchanged since 7 April poll ) to the Coalition's 63 seats (unchanged since 7 April poll) in the House of Representatives.

According to Antony Green's Swing Calculator the 11-14 April 2019 Newspoll results will see Labor gain the Page electorate and retain the Richmond electorate, with Cowper electorate being retained by the Nationals.

Morrison and Frydenberg caught out deceiving Treasury officials and lying to the national electorate as the federal election campaign kicked off last week

On 11 April 2019, the same day Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the federal election date, The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will use new Treasury costings to warn Australians of a $387 billion burden from Labor tax hikes and revenue increases in an incendiary attack after launching the May 18 federal election campaign.

Mr Morrison will use the figures to outline the full impact of Labor's plan to oppose $230 billion in personal income tax cuts and extract another $157 billion in higher revenue from negative gearing, dividend changes and other measures.

However this alleged Treasury advice was not distributed to journalists.

Instead they allegedly received this:

via @Bowenchris

Which is definitely not a Treasury document, couched as it is in terms of election slogans such as “Retiree tax” for changes to the treatment of excess franking credits, “Housing tax” for changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, "Superannuation tax" for changes to the cap on non-concessional superannuation contributions and "Family business tax" to changes to the rules for private discretionary trusts.

However, the truth will out…….

Chief political correspondent for The Age:

"We were not asked to cost another party's policies and would not do so if the request was made specifically to 'cost Party X's policy'," Treasury Secretary Phil Gaejtens told Labor.https://t.co/dFuxDroM7O

— David Crowe (@CroweDM) April 12, 2019

What is missing from this deception on the part of Morrison & Co is the exact wording of the request to cost received by Treasury - we already know they didn't classify the request in terms of it containing details of Labor policies.

If its anything like the last time the Liberal-Nationals pulled this particular unethical campaign trick, what Treasury was actually asked to cost was slightly different to Labor’s stated policies.

American Politics: Opening lines to remember

From "Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About The Worst President Ever" by Rick Wilson, published in 2018.