Cartoon of the Week

Lindsay Foyle

Look out, emus are about in the Clarence Valley

Clarence Valley Council on Facebook, 5 January 2020:

 

👀 Look out emus about

👍Emus often move large distances to forage, often crossing roads in their travels where they become at risk of vehicle strike.

❗️There are currently male emus caring for young chicks and their parental duties can slow down their road crossings considerably.

🚗 There is also increased traffic in the region with school holidays.

✅We ask everyone to be mindful of emus when travelling in vegetated areas and if you see one on the road please slow down.

Infrastructure toll in NSW since the beginning of the 2019-20 bushfire season

Shannon Creek Dam water level continues to drop in January 2020

Against a background of continuing drought and low flows in many Clarence River catchment waterways, Shannon Creek Dam water storage continues to fall.

In early November 2019 the dam was at  97% of its total storage capacity.

By late December this had fallen  to 81% of capacity.

Currently in early January 2020 the dam is at 79% of its total storage capacity.

Water consumption now stands at 20.72 megalitres per day according to Clarence Valley Council.

Level 1 water restrictions are in place. 

However, if combined total consumption does not fall by 3 megalitres per day Level 2 water restrictions may be imposed in the near future.

Former Australian PM John Howard speaks up in support of current PM Scott Morrison

Former Australian prime minister John Winston Howard began 2020 by praising the current prime minister and closet climate change denier, Scott Morrison.

Apparently Howard has long shared Morrison's denialist world view. Do readers remember this?

ABC News, 13 December 2011:

Former prime minister John Howard has lent his support to a book aimed at school children which argues the theory of human-induced global warming is a scam. 

Last night, the former prime minister launched the publication, the latest from controversial geologist Professor Ian Plimer. 

The book, called How to Get Expelled From School, rejects the predominant scientific opinion on climate change. The book is billed as "an anti-global warmist manual for the younger reader". 

Professor Plimer launched the book, a follow up to his book Heaven and Earth, at the Sydney Mining Club. 

The new work includes 101 questions which it says students can use to challenge their teachers on climate science. 

Professor Plimer says worried parents prompted him to write the book. 

"After Heaven and Earth came out I had many parents write to me and say, 'Look, what do we do, our kids are being fed activism. 

I want my children to have the basics of scientists, I don't want to be fed activism'," he said. Mr Howard helped launch the book and last night said the "progressive left" had a "grip on the commanding heights of education instruction in this country"....

NSW North Coast repaying South Coast firies who came to our aid in the 2019 bushfires

Macquarie Port News, 6 January 2020:

Firefighters have flown in a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) cargo plane to help fight fires on the NSW South Coast.

Twenty Fire and Rescue NSW personnel from stations between Grafton to Taree boarded the RAAF C-130 Hercules flight at Port Macquarie Airport on Sunday, January 5.....

Mr Chetwynd said this is first time he has seen firefighters carried by RAAF planes in 30 years of working with Fire and Rescue NSW.

"We send crews all over the state, interstate and overseas for humanitarian and disaster relief," he said.

"But I've been doing this for 30 years and it's definitely the first time we have sent firefighting crews on RAAF planes to NSW.

"It's definitely an unprecedented situation and something which is very unique. The crews are happy because they are received support from both metropolitan and regional areas during our bushfire crisis here in 2019.

"They feel like they are paying back and giving their South Coast colleagues some support. We are also really appreciative of the RAAF for assisting with the efforts."

Clarence Valley RFS and Fire and Rescue crews have been deployed to assist and a Hazmat Tanker from 306 Grafton responded to the south coast fires on New Year’s Eve.

Is illegal water pumping occuring in the Clarence River catchment?

Then and now images of Washpool Creek....

The DailyExaminer, 7 January 2020

A large water tanker was discovered syphoning water from the Washpool - possibly without formal permission.

Witnesses say the tanker was well hidden.

Washpool Creek like other water courses is experiencing low flows due to the severe drought.

Baryugil Aboriginal Land Council intends to discuss the matter at its next board meeting and will pass on any information it uncovers to the NSW Dept of Primary Industries.