NSW SES Yamba and Maclean Units would like to thank our community for their support during recent severe weather event.

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 30 March 2021:

As flood levels fall across the Clarence Valley and recovery actions are in full swing, our local NSW SES members and emergency services continue to respond to calls for assistance while cleaning up and restocking their resources to prepare for any future events or call outs.

Over the past week, the Yamba and Maclean SES members have been working 24/7 attending to 134 requests for assistance, 21 flood rescues, 3 road crash rescues, multiple urgent medical evacuations and assisting ambulance transporting people across floodwaters.

NSW SES Yamba and Maclean Units would like to thank our community for their support during this severe weather event. Together these Units have approximately 25 members and during severe events, rely on community to help with various tasks. During this event the local Yamba Surf Life Saving Club and spontaneous volunteers from the community helped fill a whopping 30 cubic metres of sand for sandbags.

Chief Superintendent Steve Patterson said, “We would like to thank our local SES volunteers for their dedication and support to their communities. This includes our appreciation to their families who support them behind the scenes.”

“We also wish to thank the employers of our volunteers for releasing them and allowing them to volunteer with the NSW SES to support their communities,” Chief Supt. Patterson added.

NSW SES Yamba Unit Commander George Szekely reinforced Chief Supt. Patterson’s appreciation and added that the Clarence Valley needs to remain prepared for any future events…...

NSW Labor's Janelle Saffin MLA sends Easter Greetings

 

Office NSW Labor MLA for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, 29 March 2021:

Janelle wishes constituents a safe, enjoyable Easter break

TWO years after being declared State Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin has thanked all constituents for the honour of representing them and wished everyone a safe and enjoyable Easter break with loved ones and friends.

Ms Saffin said local communities across our Electorate of Lismore were still recovering from the unprecedented challenges of drought, bushfires, floods and COVID-19 -- a perfect storm of natural disasters and a global pandemic.

“We have faced the most trying of times since the two World Wars and the Great Depression and we have supported each other to come through this, exemplifying the resilience country people are known for,” Ms Saffin said.

“I regard Parliamentary representation as a calling and approach being a State MP with the same drive and energy as I did as Federal Member for Page for six years and as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) for eight years.

“I use my Parliamentary and life experience to help my constituents and their families, community, sporting, arts and cultural groups, businesses and industries, and local councils, to tackle difficult issues, and try to get resolutions wherever possible.

“I also work to ensure that our precious natural environment, our river catchments and national icons like the koala, are afforded adequate protections so that they can be enjoyed by future generations.

“I will continue to strongly advocate for local communities in the Electorate of Lismore to get our fair share of NSW Government funding and support, particularly as we navigate the new normal of COVID-19.”

Ms Saffin urged people to contact her Electorate Office for assistance in person at 55 Carrington Street, Lismore; by telephone on 0266 213 624 or via email – lismore@parliament.nsw.gov.au.

Locals need to keep an eye out - cane toads are on the march again in the Clarence Valley

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 24 March 2021:

They’re ugly, they’re poisonous, they’re invasive.

And they’re here, in the Clarence Valley.

Since their introduction into Australia 86 years ago, the cane toad has thrived and rapidly expanded its distribution since the first 3000 hopped into the cane fields of North Queensland after being released by the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations in an attempt to control the native grey-backed cane beetles which were decimating sugarcane crops and subsequently, impacting the Australian sugar cane industry.

With no natural predators or diseases which affect their population in the country, cane toad numbers exploded at an alarming rate and their presence has had devastating consequences for several native species including the northern quoll and red-bellied black snake, which often mistakes the cane toad for native frogs, only to succumb to their toxins after eating them.

After the first reports of cane toads in the Clarence Valley made headlines when the invasive species was discovered in Yamba in 2003, the recent devastating bushfires around Whiporie and Rappville, north of Grafton, have resulted in the creation of favourable travel routes for the ground-dwelling predator.

With areas of bushland and forestation cleared following the bushfires, cane toads have hopped their way south along the Summerland Way and breeched the southern containment line, the Clarence River, within the past 12 months.

In late 2020, a new population of cane toads was discovered at Mountainview, close to Grafton, when local landholders first became

aware of the recent arrivals after hearing them calling to one another across the paddocks.

A report was made to the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) who alerted local organisation Clarence Landcare to the huge biosecurity risk on their doorstep.

Clarence Landcare Educational Officer Kelly McRae, along with coordinator Debbie Repschlager, attended properties in Mountainview and confirmed the presence of cane toads, prompting them to take evasive action.

Funded and supported by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust, the Clarence Cane Toad Education Project in partnership with the DPI Invasive Species Unit, Clarence Valley Conservation in Action (CVCIA), Clarence Valley Council (CVC), Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and Office of Environment and Heritage (OHE) and National Parks and Wildlife Services, aims to raise community awareness of the invasive species and educate Clarence Valley residents of the importance of correctly identifying cane toads and managing their numbers on their properties.

“The number of cane toads is significantly growing in the Clarence Valley, especially considering the wet weather the area is currently experiencing, and we want to get the community actively involved so together, we can help to stop them spreading,” Ms McRae said.

“A lot of people don’t realise cane toads are in the Clarence Valley.

“We’ve had outbreaks at Brooms Head, Shark Creek and Gulmarrad, and it’s really important people become aware of them because they pose a huge biosecurity risk, not only to native animals within the Clarence Valley, but also to the environment and people’s pets as well.”

Utilising their funding, Clarence Landcare is enabling cane toad controllers to be on the ground throughout the Clarence Valley, speaking with community members and liaising with local landholders to encourage people to do their own cane toad control……..

Describing cane toads as quite easy to catch, Ms McRae recommends people use gloves or place their hand inside a plastic bag when picking up cane toads, therefore avoiding contact with the toxin produced by the bulging glands on their shoulders. 

Once caught and secured in the plastic bag, the cane toad can then be placed into the fridge for up to 24 hours before being removed and put into the freezer for 48 hours. 

Ms McRae said the cold temperatures lull the cane toads into a sleep state and therefore, they are humanely euthanised before they can be disposed into the red bin. 

“It’s important that people ensure they are dead prior to being placed into the bin to reduce the risk of them escaping and subsequently, breeding again,” Ms McRae said. 

“Our aim is to stop the cane toads before they damage our local environment and unique ecosystem.

“We all need to work together to prevent them spreading further.”......

Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ & NAB banks spending billions financing the fossil fuel industry

 

The Rainforest Action Network supported by a great many non-government agencies has created an interactive website packed with data and published a report titled BANKING ON CLIMATE CHAOS 2021.

Here are just four excerpts from this report:

• In the 5 years since the Paris Agreement, the world’s 60 biggest banks have financed fossil fuels to the tune of $3.8 trillion. Runaway funding for fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure fuels climate chaos and threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions.

• These banks poured a total of $3.8 trillion into fossil fuels from 2016–2020. Fossil fuel financing dropped 9% last year, parallel to the global drop in fossil fuel demand and production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet 2020 levels remained higher than in 2016, the year immediately following the adoption of the Paris Agreement. The overall fossil fuel financing trend of the last five years is still heading definitively in the wrong direction, reinforcing the need for banks to establish policies that lock in the fossil fuel financing declines of 2020, lest they snap back to business-as-usual in 2021

• JPMorgan Chase remains the world’s worst banker of fossil fuels over this time period, though its funding did drop significantly last year. Citi follows as the second-worst fossil bank, followed by Wells Fargo, Bank of America, RBC, and MUFG. Barclays is the worst in Europe and Bank of China is the worst in China.

• ...the current wave of bank commitments to reduce their financed emissions to “net zero by 2050,” as well as related policies like measuring and disclosing financed emissions, and emphasizes that no bank making a climate commitment for 2050 should be taken seriously unless it also acts on fossil fuels in 2021. Moreover, until the banks prove otherwise, the “net” in “net zero” leaves room for emissions targets that fall short of what the science demands, based on copious offsetting or absurd assumptions about future carbon-capture schemes, as well as the rights violations and fraud that often come hand in hand with offsetting and carbon markets.

According to the report, between 2016 and 2020 the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the National Australia Bank (NAB) committed $6.24 billion and $4.43 billion respectively to the total global financing of the fossil fuel industry. While the ANZ Bank contributed a hefty total of $15.22 billion and Westpac $6.5 billion.

All four banks financed fossil fuel expansion by the top 100 fossil fuel companies, as well as financing fuel production based on tar sands and LNG.

The Commonwealth Bank, ANZ and Westpac financed ventures in the Arctic and offshore areas.

ANZ also financed production companies involved in fracking.

All four banks financed coal mining and coal power companies over the same five year period.

The four banks were given dismal  policy scores out of 200 points, ranging from 13.5 (Westpac), 14 (NAB), 18 (CBA) to 22.5 (ANZ).

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison, along with 39 other heads of government, will be attending a U.S. Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22 and 23, which will be live streamed for public viewing.

Given his lack of enthusiasm for any “zero emissions” target and his government's paucity of effective climate change mitigation policies, it is highly likely that at this summit Morrison – rather than representing the nation – will be representing the commercial interests of these banks, along with those of the fossil fuel mining & production sectors .

My Health Record not always helping people prove they have a medical condition that prioritises them for a COVID-19 vaccine

The Australian Digital Health Agency which became fully operational on 1 July 2016 is the System Operator of the My Health Record system.

It appears that its record keeping may not be living up to expectations created at the time by then Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Health Sussan Ley.

Before booking an appointment it may be wise to check if you have sufficient proof of eligibility if you are not being vaccinated against the  COVID-19 virus at your usual GP practice.

The Daily Telegraph, 27 March 2021:

It has cost taxpayers $2 billion but the My Health Record is proving useless when it comes to helping people prove they have a medical condition that prioritises them for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Two million Australians who have an underlying medical condition are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine under phase 1b, which began this week, but many will be unable to get it at their regular GP. Only 1000 GPs are approved to provide the vaccine and one in three GPs decided not to apply at all.

This means many patients will need to provide some kind of proof to an unfamiliar medical practice that they have a condition that qualifies them for a priority vaccination.

The Department of Health’s website warns: “If you are not eligible or cannot demonstrate your eligibility when you arrive for your vaccination, you may be asked to leave.” It states that a clinic’s records may be relied on as evidence at their usual doctor. At an unfamiliar practice “accepted evidence” includes My Health Record or government-issued documents with date of birth.

Bronia Nowaine has a cardiac problem and, as advised by the Department of Health, had planned to use her My Health Record as proof of the condition so she could get a COVID-19 vaccine.

But when she opened her My Health Record online to see if it would be of use, she was shocked to discover it was virtually empty.

Earlier this year we revealed doctors and hospitals are not using the record. GPs look at the record in fewer than 1 per cent of consults and hospitals use it in just 2 per cent of cases. Ms Nowaine said she was annoyed at having to find another way of proving her eligibility. “If I was to fall down in the street and an ambulance needed my information they should be able to get it but it seems they wouldn’t,” she said. 

The Daily Examiner presence in the Clarence Valley further diminished

 

In 2016 the Australian Consumer Competition Commission (ACCC) gave the nod to U.S. based News Corp’s purchase of Australian Regional Media (ARM) from APN News & Media.

The Daily Examiner print newspaper and news website were part of that purchase.

On 27 June 2020 after 161 years of continuous editions, The Daily Examiner was printed and distributed for the last time, as more than 100 regional newspapers were sent digital by the new owner of ARM.

The masthead’s paywalled website remained as www.dailyexaminer.com.au.

However, recently 'rationalisation'  has seen this masthead website disappear and all traffic now redirected to https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/grafton.

This redirection to The Daily Telegraph is occurring across many NSW & Qld regional news websites held by News Corp.

In 2019-20 News Corp reported global losses of US$1.5bn with total revenue falling by 11 per cent, while Australian revenue showed a 16 per cent decline. 

Last year News Corp shed a total of 875 editorial, journalist, photographer and designer positions across its Australian print and digital news outlets.

Iluka NSW Population 1,746: in March 2021 a small village with a big heart reminded the Morrison Government that women have a right to R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 24 March 2021:

Around 60 women and eight men joined together in Iluka on Monday of last week in the Clarence Valley march4justice protest march, organised by Berri Brown (Iluka) and Robin Thomas (Woombah) to say, “Enough is Enough”.

Berri Brown, shared her reason for protesting, saying that, “Domestic violence is about emotional, financial and verbal abuse. I want things to change so that my little girl will be able to go about her day in the knowledge that whatever she decides to do in her future she will never have to be silenced or not be believed if this was to happen to her”.

Guest speaker Prue Leggoe OAM of Maclean said, “Of the 60 women present only one woman put up her hand to say she had never experienced sexual harassment or abuse. One of the men attending said he was there to stand for his two daughters who had experienced sexual abuse. This is a devastating statistic”.

Prue added that is seemed that nothing had changed since she had experienced sexual harassment when a Member of the Victorian Parliament 40 years ago. “It seems to have gotten worse in Parliaments, where power is used to manipulate and frighten an abused person, and workplaces continue to be unsafe for many women and men.” She said…...