The Great Barrier Reef is a nursery for Queensland & News South Wales fisheries and we are still failing to adequately protect its coral structure and marine biodiversity

"Healthy coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and economically valuable ecosystems on earth, providing valuable and vital ecosystem services. Coral ecosystems are a source of food for millions; protect coastlines from storms and erosion; provide habitat, spawning and nursery grounds for economically important fish species; provide jobs and income to local economies from fishing, recreation, and tourism; are a source of new medicines, and are hotspots of marine biodiversity." [UCSanDiego, Scripps Insitution of Oceanography]

Go to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation website and you be presented with links to a "Kids Corner", visual tours and various 'projects', some of which were unrealised or unsuccessful.

A website visitor will also find that the foundation has not published online an annual report since 2018 - the year the Turnbull Government announced that this small foundation was to receive $443 million dollars in federal funding.

However, it did publish the Annual Work Plan 2019-2020.

The Foundation rarely rates a mention in the mainstream media these days. 

This is the latest news report is from The Guardian on 11 July 2020:

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has raised only $21.7m out of a target of $357m in donations more than two years after it was awarded the largest single environmental grant in Australian history. 

It has prompted Labor to call for greater transparency from the foundation about its fundraising, while the Greens have said the figure “makes a mockery of the government’s logic” for awarding the grant. 

The charity controversially received $443m for reef projects in 2018, with the government defending its decision at the time by saying the private foundation would leverage the funds to attract further investment in reef restoration and science from the private sector. 

The foundation released an investment strategy in October 2018 that set a target of $357m to be raised over five years, bringing the total reef investment to $800m.  
The target is made up of $200m in contributed funds from research and project partners, and $157m in cash donations from a capital campaign ($100m), corporate giving ($50m) and individual donations ($7m). 

In response to questions from Guardian Australia, the foundation said it had raised $21.7m in in-kind donations from research and project partners, about 6% of the total $357m target. 

It has raised none of the $100m from the capital campaign and refused to provide any figures to show how it was tracking towards targets for corporate giving and individual donations. 

A spokeswoman said the Covid-19 pandemic had now “made the fundraising environment more challenging and uncertain for many not-for-profits across Australia and around the world”. 

In-kind contributions are non-cash donations, which a foundation spokeswoman said included things such as a farmer donating time to work on a water quality project, or a project partner supplying equipment such as a boat. 

“Cash is what we need to fund science projects and offer grants for community projects,” said Peter Whish-Wilson, the Greens senator who chaired a parliamentary inquiry into the awarding of the grant. 

“The kind of funds they’re seeking, yes it’s potentially lumpy and can take time to raise. But I would have thought they would have at least $50m to $100m by now. 

“It makes a mockery of the government’s logic and intent giving nearly half a billion of taxpayer money to a small private foundation on the basis they would raise dollar for dollar co-contributions from the private sector.”.... 

“Our fundraising target was $157m, of which $100m was to support the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program which was launched in April 2020,” the foundation’s managing director, Anna Marsden, said in a statement to Guardian Australia. 

“With this program now finalised and as per the strategy outlined in the collaborative investment plan, fundraising revenue is expected to start to be realised from the third year of the partnership.” 

However, the investment plan states the foundation had intended to raise 60% of that $100m across years two (2019-2020) and three (2020-2021) of the strategy. 

The foundation refused to answer questions about how much it had raised of the remaining $57m made up of corporate giving and individual donations. 

The foundation’s spokeswoman told Guardian Australia there had been some donations in these categories but the organisation would not be supplying figures.....

Read the full artcile here.

BACKGROUND


https://youtu.be/E1BvLMhQLZA 

Drone footage captures tens of thousands of sea turtles off Australia's Great Barrier Reef

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 29 June 2020: 

Literally cooked in hot water—what happened in the latest mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.... 

Coral bleaching is no longer rare, and no longer confined to a few tidal pools. 

Instead, mass coral bleaching, in which many reefs are affected, has now occurred on the Great Barrier five times in the last 23 years. Three of these events were within the past five years, most recently in the summer of 2020. Bleaching is happening much more frequently, and much more intensively. My colleagues at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, James Cook University, and I—along with many others—have been studying these coral bleaching events in an effort to find out more about what factors are driving corals to bleach, whether the Reef can overcome them by itself—and what humankind can hope to do to help the corals. The findings, so far, are bleak—even more so than when I first wrote about coral bleaching for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 2016.... 

Corals are most at risk of such thermal stress in high summer, when water temperatures are at their local seasonal maximum. 

They live only 1-to-2 degrees Celsius (about 1.8-to-3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) below their threshold for heat tolerance, so unusually warm waters over a matter of even just a few weeks is sufficient to cause them to bleach.... 

Different coral species respond to thermal stress differently, with the fast-growing branching corals more susceptible, and slower-growing massive corals more tolerant. The appearance and makeup of coral communities after severe bleaching becomes flatter and less diverse as the corals responsible for the complex three-dimensional structures succumb more readily to heat stress. 

There are obvious follow-on effects to the reef-associated organisms which rely on live, healthy corals for their survival. Restoring a reef to its healthy pre-bleaching state is possible but it takes time: time for surviving corals to regain their algal partners and continue to grow; time for coral larvae to be produced on the reef or be imported from nearby unaffected reefs. 

About 10 years without disturbance is required for such recovery and this is just not happening on the Great Barrier Reef. Since 1985, a unique long-term monitoring program has regularly assessed the condition of a subset of reefs. Measurements of the amount of hard coral cover show that the Great Barrier Reef can recover from disturbances such as bleaching, tropical cyclones, Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreaks and diseases but that there are limits to their ability to bounce back; overall, there has been a widespread ratcheting down of coral cover. Almost every part of the Great Barrier Reef has suffered some major environmental disturbance in recent times. 

And there is nowhere for the corals to hide.....

Read the full article here.

Dismissal of the Whitlam Labor Government (11 November 1975): full range of Buckingham Palace correspondence with then Australian Governor-General Sir John Kerr will be available for online viewing from 11am on Tuesday, 14th July 2020

National Archives of Australia, 9 July 2020:

The National Archives of Australia will release the Kerr Palace Letters on Tuesday 14 July. 

National Archives Director-General David Fricker said all the letters will be released without exemption. 

‘In line with the High Court ruling of 29 May, the National Archives has examined the records for public release under the provisions of the Archives Act 1983 and I have determined all items will be released in full,’ Mr Fricker said. 

The records cover the period of Sir John Kerr’s term as Governor-General (1974–77). 

There are six files, which include more than 1000 pages. 

There are 212 letters, many with attachments such as newspaper clippings, reports, and copies of letters related to meetings and events attended by Sir John Kerr during his tenure as Governor-General. 

Applicants that have sought access to the Kerr Palace Letters will be advised of the release date. Mr Fricker said, ‘The National Archives is proud to function as the memory and evidence of the nation, to preserve and provide historical Commonwealth records to the public.’ 

Digital copies of the Kerr Palace Letters will be made publicly available on the National Archives’ website from 11.00am on Tuesday 14 July.

A little snatch of catchup

A few things of interest.....

Clarence Valley, NSW

* Much like the saplings in her hand, Hayley Talbot is hoping her idea to help local bushfire-affected areas will sprout and grow tall.

Ms Talbot, through her business Blanc Space, and project partner ex-professional surfer Daniel Ross have created the Caring for the Clarence project, in which 5000 trees will be planted to help rebuild the local koala population ravaged by bushfires.

Partnering with the NSW Government’s Save Our Species program to fund the initiative, Ms Talbot said she wanted to contribute to the area in a tangible way.

“I wanted to do something that has some longevity, that would help us as a community and help our homeland heal,” she said.

While the effort to plant 5000 trees on private properties around the Mororo and Woombah area may seem like a mammoth task for a group reduced in numbers by COVID-19 restrictions, Ms Talbot said they worked at it one tree at a time.

“I really feel like it’s been a great example of what any community member can do if they’re passionate and energetic,” she said.

Guided by conservation scientists and using trees of local provenance, the program used data from Google Earth combined with information on koala sightings to plant areas of use to sustain the population.

“From there it was about engaging with local property owners because every tree we’ve planted has been on private land,” Ms Talbot said….. [The Daily Telegraph, 1 July 2020]

* Clarence Valley local government area now eligible for federal government drought support administered by St. Vincent de Paul until end of 2020. [Queensland Country Life, 2 July 2020]

One of the largest capital works programs ever seen in the Clarence has passed through council, and is set to provide a $70.6 million investment in local roads and infrastructure during this financial year.

At Clarence Valley Council’s June 23 meeting councillors voted to adopt the 2020-21 budget, paving the way for a significant economic boost to the region.

“A significant capital works program totalling $70.6 million has been agreed for the 2020/21 financial year,” Clarence Valley Council’s general manager Ashley Lindsay said.

“The key features are $22 million to road and bridge infrastructure projects and approximately $32 million allocated to open spaces, community facility and building projects.” Mr Lindsay said an additional $5.2 million will be generated from the final year of a three-year special rate variation which commenced 2018/2019.

“The majority of these funds will be spent on roads and infrastructure asset renewals.

“This is the final year of council’s four-year financial improvement plan adopted in June 2017, which lays the foundations for the long-term financial well being of the organisation, and the services, facilities and infrastructure it provides for the community,” he said…. [The Daily Telegraph, 3 July 2020]

COVID-19 Pandemic

* 44% of all those in residential aged care who caught COVID-19 and 9% of older people receiving care services in the home died as a result of this viral infection [Australian Dept. of Health, 5 July 2020]

* COVID-19 growth rate graph 

[ABC News, 9 July 2020]

Liberal Party Politics

* Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, the man who revived Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “economic girly man’’ insult in the Australian political lexicon and privately called Scott Morrison “narcissistic” is set to quit politics sparking a cabinet reshuffle.

Australia’s longest serving Finance Minister has denied growing speculation he will quit politics for months, but has responded with notable silence to three reports in the last month that he plans to resign.

But his departure also is set to remind voters of the ongoing leadership fallout within the Coalition over the ascension of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his increasing popularity, dominance and control of the government in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, there was even speculation that he might return to Europe in a diplomatic posting for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

But the Belgian-born Liberal senator told friends he is more attracted to making some money in the corporate sector. [News.com.au, 3 July 2020]

* By the end of this year we will be half-way through this current term of government.

Having decided not to recontest the next election, I can confirm that I have advised the Prime Minister that the end of this year would be an appropriate time for an orderly transition in my portfolio. [Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, Statement, 4 July 2020]

* THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: It's only taken PM Scott Morrison a little over 23 months to quietly push Dutton-supporter Mathias Cormann out of the Australian Parliament. Who is next? [@no_filter-Yamba, 5 July 2020]

* The NSW Liberal Party has appointed a former ICAC executive to investigate claims the minutes of the local branch of Prime Minister’s right-hand man Alex Hawke were doctored to secure his power base.

In the most significant development since the scandal was first revealed by News Corp almost two years ago, the party office has confirmed in an email sent to affected branch members on Friday that it has enlisted the former head of the corruption watchdog’s investigations unit, Michael Symons, to head up the internal inquiry.

Liberal MP Alex Hawke. Picture: Kym Smith

The party head office has been in internal turmoil since being made aware of allegations that Mr Hawke’s factionally-aligned heads of the Baulkham Hills branch in his electorate of Mitchell changed the minutes to block the memberships of 10 new conservative members.

Had the new members been recorded accurately at the meeting — held in a western Sydney funeral home — Mr Hawke’s Centre Right faction would have lost control of the branch, potentially putting his preselection in jeopardy.

Control of branches is critical in influencing Federal, State and local government preselections. At a State level, the Baulkham Hills branch is critical for NSW Police Minister David Elliott. [The Daily Telegraph, 5 July 2020]

Eden-Monaro Federal By-election

* At 7:30pm on Saturday 4 July 2020, when First Preference vote counting ceased for the night in the NSW Eden-Monaro federal electorate, it was apparent that an est. 62,22% of voters were not having a bar of Scott Morrison & his hard right Lib-Nats government. [Australian Electoral Commission, 4 July 2020]

At the same time in bushfire ravaged little Cobargo at least 59.68% of local voters refused to give the Morrison Government candidate their First Preference vote.

Even after they appear to have been not so subtly threatened:

the residents of Cobargo – the centre of a tragedy in January – swung to the Liberals on Saturday night. Perhaps this is a bushfire effect in the sense locals accepted the government’s core message during the campaign: the fire clean up will move much faster if you send Fiona Kotvojs to Canberra, rather than a member of the opposition. [The Guardian, 5 July 2020]

* By early Sunday evening 61.71% of all voters in Eden-Monaro who cast a formal vote had refused to give the Morrison Government’s candidate their First Preference vote. So the inevitable happened…..

I'm pleased and honoured to be elected the next Member for Eden-Monaro.

To the people of Eden-Monaro – thank you.

I won't let you down. pic.twitter.com/tTpIZguggB

— Kristy McBain (@KristyMcBain) July 5, 2020

Research economist discovers ‘Scotty From Marketing’ Morrison’s economic playbook

So, a short recession’s not enough. You want to create a prolonged depression, right?

Perhaps you run businesses that specialise in disaster capitalism. Maybe you want to suckle at the teat of a dying fossil fuel industry for a little longer. It could be that you miss the social division and inequality of the Victorian era. Maybe you’re just a jerk.

Whatever your motivations, this guide will take you through the basic steps of pushing an already struggling economy into a full-blown crisis…

Read the full article here. [The New Daily, 5 July 2020]

About endangered flying foxes

“Their supermarket has been destroyed...and there isn’t another one within flying distance”. The Grey-Headed Flying Fox is being threatened with extinction by the effects of climate change, their future looks grim.
📸 #AnnetteRuzickaPhotography pic.twitter.com/zDGac9XrQJ

— ACF (@AusConservation) July 5, 2020

Protecting the Orange Roughy

Fishers For Conservation

The orange roughy fishery, which some have dubbed the "posterchild of fishery mismanagement", has been the subject of debate since the 1990s when stocks collapsed after just 20 years of commercial fishing.

It's a fish that can live for more than 140 years and can't breed until around 30 — and conservationists say its unusual biology should make it off-limits to commercial fishing.

But industry groups say they've learnt from past mistakes and can harvest orange roughy sustainably.

Now, acting on behalf of an Australian trawl-fishing interest group, US-based consultancy MRAG Americas Inc has recommended the fishery be given sustainability status.

The consultancy handed down its recommendation last week to MSC, an international non-government organisation that certifies the sustainability of fisheries based on the sustainability of the exploited fish stocks, maintenance of the fishery ecosystem, and responsible management.

Objections were raised by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and conservation group WWF but were dismissed on a technicality, according to AMCS spokesperson Adrian Meder.

Mr Meder said the report contains a number of flaws that show a lack of understanding of the biology of the species and fishery.

"It's the shonkiest piece of greenwashing I think I've seen in my entire career. It gets the basics wrong on so many levels," Mr Meder said…..

Orange roughy facts

• Researchers have caught orange roughy up to 149 years of age, making them one of the longest-lived fish species. It's estimated that individuals may live up to 200 years.
• They don't reach sexual maturity until around 30 years of age and by fish standards, don't produce a lot of offspring.
• Orange roughy live between 700 metres and 1500 metres deep. They roam across seabeds but congregate on underwater shelves and seamounts to breed, meaning they can be easily caught in large numbers.
• The fish are caught by bottom trawling, usually across seamounts.
• They live in cold water, and in Australia are mostly found off Tasmania, Victoria and the Great Australian Bight.
• Commercial fishing for orange roughy began in earnest in the 1970s, with the biggest extractions taking place in New Zealand waters followed by Australia.
• They're also found in the waters of Namibia, Chile, in the Atlantic and south Indian Ocean, however stock data is limited in many of these places.
• The flesh is pearly white and delicate. [ABC News, 5 July 2020]

Just for the nostalgia

https://youtu.be/i8rVI7AMKiY

Year 1987

George Harrison: Voice & Guitar

Eric Clapton: Guitar (a Les Paul)

Jeff Lyne: Guitar

Phil Collins: Drums

Ringo Starr: Drums

Ray Cooper: Percussion

Mark King: Bass

Elton John: Piano

Jool Holland: Piano

Pauline Hanson, One Nation’s Racist-In-Chief

Pauline Hanson labelled residents in the nine public housing estate towers "drug addicts" and "alcoholics" who can't speak English, in an interview this morning on Channel Nine's Today Show.

After widespread backlash across the morning, Channel Nine released a statement to announce that Hanson won't be joining the Today Show in the future…..

[SBS News, 6 July 2020]

Rex Regional Express Airine

The more than a little petty and spiteful, Messrs. Lim Kim Hai, John Sharp, Lee Thian Soo, Neville Howell, Chris Hine, James Davis and Ronald Bartsch remain firm in their refusal to continue to fly Rex Express small passenger jets into Grafton Airport in the Clarence Valley.

Leaving the valley without an airline service.

IMAGE: Rex Regional Express revised air routes

Australian Prime Minister and Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison uses the old excuse that 'Jen & the girls deserve a break' to bolt out the backdoor once again

* It appears that 'Scotty From Marketing' has been away on holidays for most of the last six days and intends to keep holidaying for another six to seven days.

IMAGE: Found on Twitter

* "As you know, it is a school holidays and Jenny and the girls will be taking some time on the outskirts of Sydney....We have technology where I can be with them and continue to take briefings, calls and meetings in dealing with the situation whether it be Victoria or the other situations in the country. "As a dad, I will take some time but at the same time I can assure you we will remain absolutely focused on the things we need to focus on next week."  [9 News, 10 July 2020]

Morrison holidaying in a crisis *again* proves he doesn't regard it as a serious job. He's there for the power, not the service.

That he's not getting chased with cameras says a similar thing about our political press.

— Richard Chirgwin (@R_Chirgwin) July 10, 2020

Scott Morrison was ALREADY on holiday with the family and Twitter busted him AGAIN. Not that you heard anything from the MSM. Now he has been busted, he says he won’t be with them full time in wish washy words. I call BS. #auspol

— 🐨🦇🎀💧Angry Granny (@AngryGranny1) July 10, 2020

North Coast Voices will not be posting again until 11 July 2020

Apologies to our readers, I'm on the sick list at present.

Has our dream run over the coronavirus pandemic has come to a sticky end?

Echo NetDaily, June 2020:

Thus Spake Mungo: ahh the Spike

Australia awoke last week to the strains of Spike Milligan’s poignant refrain, ‘I’m walking backwards to Christmas.’

It may not be all the way to Christmas, but it could be even further – well into next year, and perhaps beyond that. We don’t know and we can’t tell.

But it is sadly clear that our dream run over the coronavirus pandemic has come to a sticky end. And it has happened on both fronts, the medical and the economic. The cluster of hot spots that emerged from Victoria does not yet constitute the dreaded second wave, but it is worrying, and defies explanation.

For readers of The Australian, of course, it is all too simple: Daniel Andrews unleashed the beast by not clamping down on the Black Lives Matter protests. But hang on – there were protests in other states as well, without clusters emerging, And in any case, not one of the cases in Victoria can be traced to the demonstrations.

So perhaps the problem was that Andrews mismanaged the Cedar Bay abattoir outbreak? Or ignored communicating COVID-19 information to the ethnic communities? One way or another, we have to blame the socialist totalitarian for something.

But apart from the partisan bullshit, the fact that there are clusters at all must serve as a warning, because across other parts, around the world, COVID–19 is still raging. It is out of control in Brazil, spreading dangerously in India, working its way through the southern United States and, most disturbingly, making huge inroads in parts of China, where it was thought to have been tamed......

And for the government, the worse news is that the easing of restrictions has not just stalled, but has been reversed in some areas, notably the urgency of opening state boundaries.And despite the predictions of the optimists, we are not yet in reach of a vaccine. This is not good news.

It appears that we are reverting to the old maxim: think globally, act locally. The national cabinet was never much more national than our mish-mash federation, or the constitution that birthed it; it was a useful conceit and helped us muddle through the early emergency, but it was always gesture politics rather than reality....

And now the premiers have declared that it is every state for itself. Some are derestricting like mad, others are more cautious, playing for time. And of course Victoria has gone backwards – even toilet paper is back on the rationing list. This is serious, folks......

And it appears that the other premiers are less than sympathetic. In NSW, Gladys Berejiklian has made it clear that Victorian holidaymakers will not be welcome in her pristine domain – in fact, she has bluntly told them to bugger off.

Australia is still doing fairly well by world standards. Moody’s rating agency and the International Monetary Fund have both offered commendation, ticking us off as one of the best in a fairly miserable bunch.

But the IMF have warned that shutting down the stimulus measures designed to dampen unemployment too abruptly could lead to awful consequences – it has urged caution; a gradual easing, rather than a sudden shut off.

Morrison and Josh Frydenberg seem, reluctantly, to be getting the message. The strictly temporary JobKeeker program, scheduled to end in September, may have to be extended, at least for the most vulnerable sectors of the economy.

And some extra spending is being rolled out; the beleaguered arts are finally getting a boost, although a very minor one, and in the wake of the Qantas stand down, assistance for the airline industry is on the table.

And Morrison is hell-bent on ramping up the nation for business – whatever the consequences. ‘We can’t go “stop, go, stop, go”, we can’t flick the light on and off,’ he insisted, blithely ignoring the fact that this is precisely what he is planning to do with JobKeeker. ‘We’ve got to just keep the focus on keeping the economy open and getting people back into jobs.’ And there is absolutely no need for anxiety about the Victorian outbreak, because ‘we were expecting it.’ Perhaps he was – the rest of us were somewhat taken aback. 

But it is still all about industry and business. Individuals – casual workers in particular – are not considered essential. And of course enemies are still to be punished. The universities, and most of all the ABC, have been singled out for clobbering. Some of us are in this together more than others.

But it’s time to forget about the health crisis – so 2019-2020, We need a new narrative to turn the page into the new financial year. It’s the economy, stupid – and we do mean stupid. Back to Spike Milligan. As the Great Goon might have warbled:

‘I’ve tried walking backwards

And walking to the front

But all the people stare at me

And ask: who is that silly…’

Yes, quite so. Moving right along…

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One of Murdoch's minions goes after the ABC & accidentally shoots Sky News, a subsidiary of News Corp

Sometimes even in these dark times the news cycle throws up a quiet giggle.

In the Murdoch-Morrison War on the ABC, Australia's public broadcaster......

First salvo

L'l Scotty Morrison routinely swats away a journalist during a doorstop on 29 June 2020:

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you’ve spoken about the need for tax reform out the back of this crisis. Will you consider taking to the next election either an increase in the GST or a broadening of the base of the GST in order to get rid of and decrease other taxes or is that something you would rule out? 

PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I'm focused on at the moment is the decisions the Government has to make in relation to JobSeeker and JobKeeper and they’re important decisions as we move to the next phase post September. And I've got to say, Andrew, that's where my attention is right now.

JOURNALIST: So it’s something you might consider down the track? 

 PRIME MINISTER: No, Andrew, I'm not going to let you put words in my mouth. I've said what I've said. You know, we're focused on the questions that Australians are most interested in at the moment. And that is, frankly, the next phase beyond JobSeeker and JobKeeper. There is still a lot of work to do there and that's what we're focused on now. 

JOURNALIST: Were you concerned… 

PRIME MINISTER: No, it's not a one on one today, Andrew, there's many other journalists here. I'm happy to give you another one later.

Supporting salvo

News Corp's own NCA Newswire decides this exchange is a perfect opportunity to take another potshot at the ABC:

However there is one small problem with this 'news' report.

Return fire from opposing trenches

And that small problem was at matter of identity:

It would appear that News Corp mixed up Andrew Clennell a political editor over at its own subsidiary, Sky News Australia with an ABC political editor Andrew Probyn.

Thus managing to bring down one of its own media soldiers in a volley of friendly fire.

In future skirmishes perhaps Murdoch's troops could check mugshots before firing off a round - the Andrews are easy to tell apart.