Level 2 venues also have to maintain a register during opening hours.
Friday 31 May 2019
When a Coffs Harbour hotel makes it onto an undesirable list
In 2008 the
NSW Government commenced a Violent Venues Scheme to monitor alcohol-related violence in hotels
and bars.
This scheme publishes reports twice a year on rounds commencing 1 June and 1 December each year.
In 2019 the
number of licensed premises on the NSW Government’s violent venues list
has halved from 12 to 6 in the past six months, with no venues in the most
restrictive level one category of 18 or more violent incidents over a twelve
month period.
There are 6 licensed
premises in the next category below of 12 to 17 violent incidents over a twelve
month period.
Venues on the
list face strict conditions and increased monitoring by Liquor & Gaming
NSW.
The Coastal Hotel Bar & Restaurant at
Coffs Harbour is in this second category this year to date with 13 violent incidents recorded.
While in 2017
it was included in the second category with 13 violent incidents.
According to Liquor & Gaming NSW:
Level 2 venues are
subject to three additional special conditions:
1.
Cessation of alcohol services 30 minutes prior to close
2.
No glass containers to be used after midnight
3.
10 minute alcohol sales time out every hour after midnight or active
distribution of water and/or food.
Level 2 venues also have to maintain a register during opening hours.
Labels:
alcohol,
Coffs Harbour,
violence
Thursday 30 May 2019
How the Prime Minister is reorganising our lives in 2019
On the day Scott Morrison arranged to be sworn-in as Australian prime minister for the second time he also made a few administrative changes.
From now on the Dept. of Human Services, which delivers social and health payments through such services such as Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support, will have the word "Human" erased from its title.
It will now be called Services Australia. A neutral name which will probably make privatisation of its more human service components that much easier down the track.
Services Australia has also been expanded to include responsibility for whole of government service delivery.
The new Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme is noneother than the Qld Liberal MP for Fadden Stuart Robert, who in 2016 resigned as the Minister for Human Services after questions were raised over his fitness for office. Thus proving that when it comes to political probity it's not what you did in the past but who you pray with now that matters.
The new Minister for Families and Social Services was listed on 26 May 2019 as Liberal Senator for South Australia Anne Rushton. However, there is no mention of that title in her official parliamentary profile to date.
From now on the Dept. of Human Services, which delivers social and health payments through such services such as Medicare, Centrelink and Child Support, will have the word "Human" erased from its title.
It will now be called Services Australia. A neutral name which will probably make privatisation of its more human service components that much easier down the track.
Services Australia has also been expanded to include responsibility for whole of government service delivery.
The new Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme is noneother than the Qld Liberal MP for Fadden Stuart Robert, who in 2016 resigned as the Minister for Human Services after questions were raised over his fitness for office. Thus proving that when it comes to political probity it's not what you did in the past but who you pray with now that matters.
The new Minister for Families and Social Services was listed on 26 May 2019 as Liberal Senator for South Australia Anne Rushton. However, there is no mention of that title in her official parliamentary profile to date.
Morrison has also decided that settlement
services for refugees and humanitarian migrants are being transferred from the
Social Services portfolio to the Home Affairs portfolio, giving the Minister
for Home Affairs and Liberal MP for Dickson Peter Dutton control of every aspect of the
lives of those seeking asylum or resettlement in Australia.
These and other changes are set out below........
United Nations asked to pass judgement on the impact of Australian Morrison Government's climate change 'denialism'
The Conversation, May 2019:
Climate change threatens
Australia in many different ways, and can devastate rural and urban communities
alike. For Torres Strait Islanders, it’s a crisis that’s washing away their
homes, infrastructure and even
cemeteries.
The failure to take
action on this crisis has
led a group of Torres Strait Islanders to
lodge a climate change case with the United Nations Human Rights
Committee against the Australian federal government.
It’s the
first time the Australian government has been taken to the UN for
their failure to take action on climate change. And its the first time people
living on a low lying island have taken action against any government.
This case – and other
parallel cases – demonstrate that climate change is “fundamentally a human rights issue”,
with First Nations most vulnerable to the brunt of a changing climate.
The group of Torres
Strait Islanders lodging this appeal argue that the Australian government has
failed to take adequate action on climate change. They allege that the re-elected
Coalition government has not only steered Australia off track in meeting globally
agreed emissionsreductions, but has set us on course for climate
catastrophe.
In doing so, Torres
Strait Islanders argue that the government has failed to uphold human
rights obligations and violated their rights to culture, family and
life.
This case is a show of
defiance in the face of Australia’s years of political inertia and turmoil over
climate change.
It is the first time
people living on a low-lying island – acutely vulnerable in the face of rising
sea levels – have brought action against a government. But it may also be a
sign of things to come, as more small island nations face impending climate
change threats…..
The
Guardian, 13 May 2019:
The complaint will
assert that the Morrison government has failed to take adequate action to
reduce emissions or pursue proper adaptation measures on the islands and, as a
consequence, has failed fundamental human rights obligations to Torres Strait
Islander people.
One of the complainants,
sixth-generation Warraber man, Kabay Tamu, said in a statement: “When erosion
happens, and the lands get taken away by the seas, it’s like a piece of us that
gets taken with it – a piece of our heart, a piece of our body. That’s why it
has an effect on us. Not only the islands but us, as people.
“We have a sacred site
here, which we are connected to spiritually. And disconnecting people from the
land, and from the spirits of the land, is devastating.
“It’s devastating to even imagine that my
grandchildren or my great-grandchildren being forced to leave because of the
effects that are out of our hands.
“We’re currently seeing
the effects of climate change on our islands daily, with rising seas, tidal
surges, coastal erosion and inundation of our communities.”
The non-profit
coordinating the complaint by the Torres Strait Islanders says this will be the
first climate change litigation brought against the Australian government based
on a human rights complaint, and also the first legal action worldwide brought
by inhabitants of low-lying islands against a nation state.
Lawyers with environmental law
non-profit ClientEarth, are representing the islanders, with support from
British-based barristers.
The UN Human Rights
Committee is a body of 18 legal experts that sits in Geneva. The committee
monitors compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights.
The complainants are
alleging that Australia has violated article 27, the right to culture; article
17, the right to be free from arbitrary interference with privacy, family and
home; and article 6, the right to life.
According to briefing
material supplied by ClientEarth, the complaint alleges these rights have been
violated both by Australia’s insufficient
greenhouse gas mitigation targets and plans, and by its failure to
fund adequate
coastal defence and resilience measures on the islands, such as
seawalls.
Lawyers for the
islanders allege that the catastrophic nature of the predicted future impacts
of climate change on the Torres Strait
Islands, including the total submergence of ancestral homelands, is a
sufficiently severe impact as to constitute a violation of the rights to
culture, family and life.
The islanders want the
government to commit at least $20m for emergency measures such as seawalls, as
requested by local authorities, and sustained investment in long-term adaptation
measures to ensure the islands can continue to be inhabited.
They want a commitment
to reduce emissions by at least 65% below 2005 levels by 2030 and going net
zero before 2050 and a phase out of thermal coal, both for domestic electricity
generation and export markets....
The weather is slowly getting colder, but before minds turn to the thought of glowing fire in the hearth remember this....
Sitting before a glowing fire on a cold winter's night is something many people have done at some point in their lives.
However, this has fast become a luxury we as a society can no longer afford.
Because now when we go firewood gathering, sadly we are often taking the last remaining homes in that locality of Australian hollow nesting native birds, small marsupials, reptiles, frogs & insects.
Other things to remember about firewood gathering.......
Fines apply
for removing fallen timber or trees from national
parks or nature reserves.
Collecting
wood from Travelling Stock Reserves
is illegal in New South Wales and you can be fined if caught.
If you'd like
to collect firewood for personal use from a state forest within NSW
you need to apply for a permit and any
timber taken must be paid for in advance.
Firewood
permits are available online from the Forestry Corporation of NSW at: www.forestrycorporation.com.au/about/permits.
These permits only allow the
collection of fallen timber and fines apply if rules are broken.
Removing
fallen timber from roadside reserves is prohibited by many councils, so please
check with your local council before considering collecting firewood from these
areas.
Clearing of native
vegetation on rural land is legislated by the Local Land
Services Act 2013 and
the Biodiversity
Conservation Act 2016.
Clearing of native
vegetation in urban areas and land zoned for environmental protection is
legislated by the NSW
Vegetation SEPP.
Please report suspected
unlawful native vegetation clearing to OEH.
You can contact
Environment Line on 131 555 or send
an email to info@environment.nsw.gov.au.
Illegal
activity can also be reported to Local
Land Services on 1300 795 299 or
by contacting your local police station.
Labels:
#standup4forests,
environmental vandalism,
forests,
national parks,
NSW,
trees
Wednesday 29 May 2019
AMA accuses Morrison Government of deliberately constraining supply of public hospital services
ABC
News, 24 May
2019:
"Have you got
insurance?"
It is one of the first
questions any patient is asked when they walk into an emergency room in the
United States, no matter how sick they are.
And now Australian
doctors are warning our own health system is shifting towards a similar US
managed care model — a patchwork of private and public systems, where health
insurers hold an increasing amount of power.
The president of the
Australian Medical Association (AMA), Dr Tony Bartone, made the comments as he
addressed the group's national conference in Brisbane on Friday.
It was the first time Dr
Bartone has spoken since the Coalition was returned to power, and he gave an
unusually scathing assessment of Australia's health system and the Federal
Government.
He called for further
private health reforms, telling doctors the increasing corporatisation of the
private health system had given insurers unprecedented power within the health
sector.
Dr
Bartone warned that could lead to a system similar to the model in the US,
where patients experience significant variations in care depending on their
insurance cover.
"Insurers should
not determine the provision of treatment in Australia, they should not
interfere with the clinical judgement of qualified and experienced
doctors," he said.
"Australians do not
support a US-style managed care health system, and neither does the AMA."
The AMA has consistently called for more money for public
hospitals, and on Friday Dr Bartone went even further as he accused the
government of "making a choice" to constrain the supply of public
hospital services.
"Let me be clear.
Public hospital capacity is determined by funding," he said.
"The consequences
are significant. They can include increased complications, delayed care,
delayed pain relief, and longer length of stay for admitted patients."
Dr Bartone said the
system was "stretched so tight" elective surgeries were being
cancelled.
"Our public health
system should be better than this. It is unacceptable our public hospitals have
been reduced to this," he said.
"Our public
hospitals are struggling and require new funding to be better tomorrow.....
Bad 4WD behaviour causing significant damage to the South Ballina Beach and its ecology
South Ballina Beach. Photo Ballina Beach Village in Echo NetDaily, 27 November 2018 |
The Northern Star, 25 May 2019, p.9:
Poor behaviour from some
4WD users have attracted the ire of Ballina Shire Council once again.
Councillor Sharon
Cadwallader brought a motion before Thursday’s general meeting to further
consult on what could be done to address the issue of some 4WDers putting
wildlife and the dunes at risk on South Ballina and Seven Mile Beaches.
Richard Gates, who spoke
to the council in support of the motion, said bad 4WD behaviour was causing
“significant damage to the beach and its ecology”, evident in declining pied
oystercatcher and pippie numbers. Cr Cadwallader welcomed extra patrols planned
for both beaches next financial year, but said that wasn’t enough and suggested
a permit system be added to South Ballina Beach, similar to the permit for
Seven Mile Beach.
Councillors agreed the
matter was complex in that the National Parks and Wildlife Service had care of
South Ballina’s beach, and that a co-ordinated approach would be needed with
the Richmond Valley Council to cover the entire beach to Evans Head.
“There’s got to be a
concerted effort,” Cr Cadwallader said.
“We’re not just going to
sit by and watch this beautiful beach of ours become desecrated.”
She showed her fellow
councillors photos, taken on the weekend, of the southern beach trashed with
rubbish including dumped tents and camping chairs.
Other images showed the
dunes at Seven Mile Beach riddled with tyre marks.
Cr Ben Smith said the
State Government was “very much aware” of the dilemma and pointed out it
“didn’t really get much traction” in the lead up to the March state election,
despite noise from the council.
Many councillors saw the
need for action and Cr Cadwallader’s motion was carried unanimously.
Labels:
Ballina,
beaches,
environmental vandalism
Tuesday 28 May 2019
Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government May 2019: new crew on the political ‘Titanic’
With no plans to genuinely address climate change mitigation, in denial concerning the slowing national economy and pretending that Australia is not in breach of its human rights obligations on two fronts (treatment of Aboriginal adults & children and detained asylum seekers), Australian Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook Scott 'Liar from the Shire' Morrison released his new ministry list on 26 May 2019.
https://www.scribd.com/document/411541377/Australian-Government-Ministry-List-for-the-46th-Parlaiment-26-May-2019
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