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CathyWilcox

Alan Moir

CathyWilcox

State of Play New South Wales: roads, death, trauma costs and safety data covering years 2012-2021

In March 2021 the Australian Government Dept. of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications released its road deaths data for New South Wales covering the twelve months to March 2021:

NSW Road Deaths for March to March periods ending on 31 March 2012 through to 31 March 2021

In the 12 months up to 31 March 2021, “Drivers” was the largest fatality group involved in a motor vehicle accident, the biggest fatality age group was those between 40 and 64 years of age and men had the highest gender fatality figures.

From 1 January to 31 March 2021 there were a total of 73 road deaths in New South Wales

In March 2021 the NRMA also released its annual “Rate Your Roads” report for regional New South Wales which looked at the cost of road accident trauma.

Northern NSW falls into the NRMA’s Townsend region.

Northern Rivers Total Road Trauma Cost Breakdown for 2014-2018:

Clarence Valley – $492,364,548

Tweed – $472,172,580

Lismore – $ 279,501,896

Richmond Valley – $278,021,556

Ballina – $223,471,769

Byron – $204,822,770

Kyogle – $138,242,279.

The headline cost of trauma varies in the Townsend region from nearly $500 million in Clarence Valley, to around $16 million in Brewarrina. There is significant variance of these due to the population and size of the road network of the respective LGAs.

But on average, the cost of road trauma is approximately $155 million per LGA.

When adjusted per head of population, each LGA is in a narrower band of generally approximately $6,000 to $15,000 per person, with a few outliners.

Some LGAs might have a disproportionately large or small road network, and a road trauma cost/km may be beneficial. There is a significant amount of variance from around $8,000/km in Brewarrina to $300,000/km in Tweed.

Adjusting for both population and road network size might be considered a pseudo-equitable outcome. On this specific metric, Tamworth Regional LGA represents the ‘safest’ LGA in the NRMA Townsend region, with a road trauma cost of $1.80/person/km. 

In contrast, Walcha is the ‘least safe’ LGA, with a road trauma cost of $22.18/person/km. This means that after accounting for the difference in the size of the road network and population, the Walcha LGA has nearly 15 times more road trauma than Tamworth Regional Council LGA…… 

Northern Rivers “Rate Your Roads” 2021 survey participants gave the following overall safety scores for the road systems in their local government areas:

Ballina – 47.50%

Tweed – 47.16%

Richmond Valley – 46.16%

Clarence Valley – 38.39%

Kyogle – 37.40%

Lismore – 31.85%

Byron – 30.61%.

On 20 April 2021 Scott Morrison in a private capacity attended the Australian Christian Churches National Conference on the Gold Coast and billed us all an est. $29,157

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aziBueAsv6U&t=3s

This is the full speech by Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison at the Australian Christian Churches National Conference 2021 on the Gold Coast last week. 

This footage was originally broadcast by Vineyard Christian Church.

It was posted on Youtube by Rationalists Australia on 25 April 2021.

Morrison's speech was filled with memorable disclosures - including this:

"I've been in evacuation centers where people thought I was just giving someone a hug and I was praying and putting my hands on people in various places, laying hands on them and praying, in various situations”.

It has been reported in mainstream & social media that Scott Morrison flew up to the Gold Coast from Sydney by RAAF VIP business jet on Tuesday 20 April 2021 and returned to Sydney by RAAF VIP business jet later that night.

The jet was a Dassault Falcon 7x Special Purpose Passenger and VIP Transport with a crew of two pilots and one cabin attendant.

The cost of this private jaunt was taxpayer funded and, based on 2019-2020 fixed fees and additional costs for the entire round trip (with the jet flying to Sydney at 2:21pm from its Canberra airbase and returning to the airbase at 11:51pm) was est. $29,157.

However, as Morrison's trip to the Gold Coast does not appear to have been announced as part of any prime ministerial itinerary and, as he specifically stated at approx. 3:24 mins into his 23:20 mins conference 'sermon' that "I didn't come here to talk about politics tonight", one wonders why taxpayers should foot his extravagant bill. 

In my opinion the fact that his "brothers" Stuey (Robert) and Matt (O'Sullivan) also attended this conference is not an acceptable fiscal figleaf for #ScottyFromGilead to hide beneath.

LAYING ON OF HANDS: Pastor Wayne Alcorn of Hillsong Church (left), Scott Morrison (middle), Pastor Sean Stanton of Life Unlimited Church (right) at the ACC National Conference on 20 April 2021. IMAGE: The New Daily

Australian Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook Scott John Morrison has attracted at least 125 political opinions expressed as nicknames and descriptive terms

 

The following non-exhaustive list probably became inevitable the day it dawned on the Australian people that Scott Morrison has given himself the nickname "ScoMo" as form of political self-promotion and, that previous to this creation, he was known to family, friends and acquaintances simply as "Scotty".

However, what was not inevitable was the sheer number of names and terms he attracted - that was entirely due to own his utterances and actions first a federal cabinet minister and then later as prime minister. One hundred and twenty-five.

I honestly don't think even Donald J. Trump during his time as US president had this many.

Scott 'ScoMo' Morrison's other politically-inspired nicknames and descriptive terms - as found on social media and in no particular order:

#LiarFromTheShire #ScottyFromMarketing #ScumMo #SloMo #SmoKo #StuntMo #ScamMo #ScoMoFo #ScoMocchio #ProMo #FauxMo #CoalMo #GunnaDoMorrison #CrimeMinister #PrimeSinister #MorriScum #SloganBogan #ScoMoses #KoalaKiller #SmirkyMcSmirkface #TyphoidScotty #Bullshitboy #NotMyPM #ScottyFromSportsRorts #GrottyScotty #SideshowScott #TheJerkWithTheSmirk #TheEngadineShitter #HappyClappySloganBogan #ScottyNoMates #ScottyBornToShill #SnollygosterInChief #TrumpsBitch #ScoMoron #SmirkingSnake #SignificuntScotty #DeathMaker #ScottyTheAnnouncer #TheSmugThug #ScuntMo #JobShirker #JobDodger #ShirknSmirk #ScottyTheSaviour #MissionCreepMorrison #ScottyTheSimp #ScottyFromGilead #MaliciousMorrison #TrumpLite #ScottyTheBully #ScoFuckingMo #ScottyGanda #FoghornLiehorn #MansplainerInChief #Scooter #ScottyForPhotoshoots #ScottyThePoser #PerformativeShitclown #BunningsBoy #ScoVid #ScottyTheSkiver #PinchfartMorrison #ScottyWotty #ScottyNeverHelped #SnottyTheGrifter #RoboScomo #ScumNut #ScottyFromGasMarketing #ScottAllMouthNoTrousersMorrison #KimJongScottyUn #Scrotum #Fullofshiticus #ScottyGaveMeShingles #CaptainSmirk #McFuckface #SideshowScott #ScottyFromPhotoOps #DoughMo #ScottyTheUninvited #ScottyStoppedTheExports #ScottyThePutz #scottyfkntrump #SmirkAndMirrorsMorrison #ScottyNeverHelped #ScottyMIA #Slomoaf #InactionMan #SnakeOilScumo #NoShowMo #WhatsInItForScotty #ScottyTheFukwit #ScottyTheCharlatan #ScottyDoNothing #SnottieTheSpiv #ScottyTheVile #ShonkyFromTheStartScotty #ScottyKnew #ScottyFromCoverUps #ScottyTheRapistProtector #ScottyTheUnsavoury #ScottyTheQueueJumper #ScottyTheMisogynist #ScottyDoesNothing #PastorBumblefuck #ScottyIPromiseNotToShootWimmensMorrison #Squirmo #Scrotum #ScottyTheUnhinged #ScottyUnfitForOffice #LordSmirkington #ScottyTheGaslighter #ScottyFromDamageControl #SpinMeisterMorrison #ScottyTheLiar #ClotMorrison #Scoflake #ScareMo #MilkshakeMorrison #MealeyMouthMorriscum #ScottyBlahBlah #CanDooDooMorrison #MorrisonTheSpiritualAbuser #ScottyTheChosenOne #ScottyFromHillsong #ScottAlmighty

#ScottyThe

125

Big super funds have threatened to vote against company directors who do not make sure their businesses are committed to action on global heating that includes hitting net zero by 2050

The Guardian, 26 April 2021:

Big super funds have threatened to vote against company directors who do not make sure their businesses are committed to action on global heating that includes hitting net zero by 2050.

The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (Acsi), which represents investors that manage more than $1tn in retirement savings and hold about 10% of the shares in the top 200 companies in the country, said some boards were not tackling the climate crisis quickly enough.

Its tougher stance comes after a week in which regulators and ratings agencies stepped up the pressure on corporate Australia to properly consider climate risks and the US president, Joe Biden, increased the pressure on the Australian government to commit to emissions cuts sooner.

Australian companies attempting to find new markets due to the trade war with China face a risk that Europe will impose border taxes due to the country’s high emissions. At the same time, new research by insurance group Swiss Re, released this week, estimates that Australia’s economy will take a hit of as much as 12.5% by 2050 if the globe warms by 2.6C.

Under a new climate policy, released on Monday, Acsi now expects companies to adopt and detail a corporate strategy in line with the international Paris agreement, which aims to limit heating to 1.5C, and commit to net zero emissions by 2050.

Acsi said that companies should also work out and fully disclose what physical and financial risk global heating poses to their assets, as well as making sure that their lobbying efforts – including through industry associations – do not undermine efforts to limit climate catastrophe.

It said it would also support “say on climate” resolutions, which ask companies to publicly report on their climate exposure, that are put forward by shareholders at annual meetings.

If companies consistently fail to comply with the new policy, Acsi may recommend a vote against directors when they come up for re-election at shareholder meetings.....

 

Australian Federal Politics: Newspoll 24-25 April 2021

 

The Australian 26 April 2021

Australian forest timber is already being exported as biomass to Japan and elsewhere, where it is burnt in order to generate electricity

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 13 April 2021:

VOICES FRO THE EARTH

In our quest to combat climate change, it seems that political philosophy and denial, spurred on by vested interests, are our greatest impediment to successfully avoiding an unmanageable outcome.

Recently the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, warned that the planet is on track to be 3 to 5 degrees warmer within 80 years. That’s more than double the warming that scientists believe we can safely endure.

In fact, it is now predicted that the manageable 1.5 degree maximum warming could be reached as early as 2024, after which, continued inaction will likely have catastrophic consequences.

With this dire warning front and foremost, one would think there would be some degree of urgency to address the situation, but no, instead, some Australia politicians are advocating for Clean Energy Finance Corporation money to be used to fund new coal-fired power stations, arguably the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

On the other side of the equation, forests across the globe, one of nature’s most efficient carbon depositories, are being cleared at increasing rates for agriculture, and more recently to be burned to generate electricity. Apparently, the term “renewable” is being manipulated to imply it is somehow “clean” and acceptable, and that’s given denialists the opportunity to promote the use of ‘biomass’ here in Australia.

The escalation of biomass use is so great, that a group of over 500 international scientists have written to the Presidents of the US, the European Council, the European Commission, and South Korea, as well as the Prime Minister of Japan, asking them to intervene to end the practice of industrial scale wood-burning for energy production. They rightly argue that the practice is seriously undermining efforts, not only to address climate change, but to protect biodiversity as well.

Native forest timbers are already being burned to produce electricity here in Australia, although not yet at the industrial scale occurring overseas. However, Australian forest timber is already being exported as biomass, referred to as ‘biopellets’, to Japan and elsewhere, for burning to generate electricity.

The insanity continues!

John Edwards

According to the Australian Government Dept. of Agriculture, Water and the Environment “there is potential to expand Australia’s bioenergy sector to increase the use of wood residues from forest operations for electricity and heat generation and transport biofuel production”.

So called “forest waste” is seen as a 23 million tonne per year biomass resource.

The now idle Redbank coal-fired power station at Warkworth, NSW, near Singleton, announced it expects to covert to biomass sometime this year and, in April 2021 is marketing this move as clean, green energy.

Since 2020 Hunter Energy has been seeking expressions of interest for timber from across north-east NSW to fuel this recommissioned power station.

In March 2021 SA port operator T-Ports has announced it had reached an agreement with Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania, Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers (KIPT) and HarvestCo to export timber biomass.

Biomass Magazine, 20 January 2021:

Australia-based Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers has been awarded a $5.5 million bushfire recovery grant from the Australian government to support the development of a biomass pellet plant and small-scale biomass power plant.

The facilities will be located on at KIPT’s timber processing hub at Timber Creek on Kangaroo Island, a region that experienced a devastating bushfire in December 2019. The island is located off Australia’s southern coast approximately 550 miles northwest of Melbourne.

Once operational, the pellet plant will be capable of accepting fire-damaged logs and any other logs that cannot be sold into export markets. Pellets produced at the plant are expected to be exported using the chip-handling facility at the proposed Kangaroo Island Seaport at Smith Bay.

The project will also include a small-scale power plant to support the pellet mill. That facility will be capable of dispatching base-load power to the electricity grid.

KIPT said due diligence work is underway on the pellet proposal with project partners. The company said it expects to achieve internal approval for the project during the first half of this year, subject to regulatory consent.

In Albany Western Australia, the Plantation Energy Australia (PEA) is running a wood pellet production plant which exports up to 125,000 tonnes of wood pellets every year, mainly to Belgium for use as energy.