Clarence Valley community firm in its resistance to mining in the Clarence River catchment area - over 10,000 strong petition on its way to NSW Parliament today

Upper Clarence River catchment in flood, March 2021

It is in steep country such as this that Deputy Premier John Barilaro and the NSW Nationals want to establish mining ventures & associated unstable mining waste hillside tailing dams.

IMAGE: The Daily Telegraph

Clarence Catchment Alliance, media release, 5 May 2021:

The Clarence community and the Clarence Catchment Alliance's fight to stop mining in the water catchment gets a big leap forward on Friday the 7th May.

Standing beside the Clarence River, at the Lawrence Hall, at 3 PM this Friday, NSW Legislative Council Member the Hon Catherine Cusack will receive the Alliance's petition of well over 10,000 signatures against mining. She will subsequently present the petition to the NSW Legislative Council for debate in Parliament.

The petition calls for a to stop exploration and new mineral mining in the Clarence water catchment. Australian and international evidence proves that mineral mining besides waterways has a horrific track record. The chemicals used in the process as well as acidic tailings in high rainfall areas pollute waterways.

The Clarence Catchment provides drinking water for the Valley and neighbouring shires, as well as water for the agricultural, pastoral, fishing industries, and tourism. Our rivers and waterways are home to endangered species, unique ecology and are of high spiritual and cultural significance to local Traditional Owners.

Getting the 10,000 plus signatures has been a two year undertaking by volunteers of the Clarence Catchment Alliance, which is a non-political community organization, and their supporters.

In recent months, the Clarence Valley Council has passed two motions against mining, which gives parliament a precedent for action.

Last year, Ms Cusack crossed the floor in parliament in favour of the protection of koalas and their habitat.

The Clarence Catchment Alliance will present Ms Cusack with the petition on Friday with the Mayor and respected community leaders in attendance.

For more information please follow this link: https://linktr.ee/Nominesclarencevalley

Shae Fleming and Elizabeth Parker

Campaign Coordinators

Clarence Catchment Alliance

CLARENCE CATCHMENT ALLIANCE

PO Box 4089, Lawrence, NSW 2460

stopcangaimine@gmail.com

For more information on our campaign please visit

Web: https://linktr.ee/Nominesclarencevalley

Instagram: @nominesclarencevalley

Facebook: Clarence Catchment Alliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6sKa2GGFGjrXLigbUNJW1A

Soundcloud: CCA Clarence Valley

I acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr, and Yaegl nations.

~~~~~~~~~~ENDS~~~~~~~~~~

NSW Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin is urging eligible organisations to apply before 25 June 2021 for their share of the NSW Government’s $100-million Stronger Country Communities Fund Round 4.

From the office of NSW Labor MLA for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, 3 May 2021:

Apply for Stronger Country Communities Fund Round 4

STATE Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin is urging eligible organisations to apply for their share of the NSW Government’s $100-million Stronger Country Communities Fund Round 4.

Ms Saffin welcomed Round 4’s strong emphasis on increasing participation in women’s sport with $50 million dedicated to projects that enhance female sporting facilities and increase female participation in sport in regions like the Northern Rivers and the Northern Tablelands.

“The remaining $50 million in funding is available for other local community and sporting infrastructure, street beautification, and community programs and local events,” Ms Saffin said.

“Eligible applicants include local councils and joint organisations, non-government organisations, community organisations registered as incorporated associations and Local Aboriginal Land Councils.

“Local councils like Lismore City, Kyogle, Tenterfield and Tweed shires are encouraged to work with community groups to identify priority projects and should consider partnerships where council is the landowner.”

Ms Saffin said applications opened at the weekend (Saturday 1 May 2021) and close at 12pm on Friday, 25 June 2021, with projects assessed and approved by 20 August 2021. Successful project would be announced from September 2021.

Ms Saffin is keen to be briefed on projects and can provide letters of support if required.

More information on Stronger Country Communities Fund Round 4 is available from nsw.gov.au/SCCF or by contacting the Department of Regional NSW (DRNSW) – sccf.enquiries@regional.nsw.gov.au or 1300 679 673.

Under three previous funding rounds, the Fund has provided $400 million for 1500 projects across every regional Local Government Area across the State. 

Bandjalang People gain Native Title over culturally significant land in the Bora Ridge, Evans Head & Lawrence areas of the Northern Rivers region

ABC News, 30 April 2021:

The Bandjalang people in far north New South Wales gathered today to celebrate a native title determination that was 25 years in the making.

The land includes a culturally significant bora ring near Coraki, north west of Evans Head, along with land already under the control of six local Aboriginal land councils.

The determination finalises a claim which was initially launched by the Bandjalang in 1996, the majority of which was determined in 2013.

Federal Court Justice Steven Rares said the Bandjalang had proven their continual connection to the land through the long-running court proceedings.

A map showing some of the larger parcels of land covered by the determination.(Supplied: NTSCorp)

Traditional owner Simone Barker said she was sad her father Lawrence Wilson was no longer alive to see the claim he launched more than two decades ago come to fruition.

But she said she was proud of the legacy he had helped to create.

"He taught us well as children, that our culture matters first before anything else, and who we are, and to be very proud of that," she said…. 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ordered an urgent review of the 42 year old National Australia Day Council

On 1 May 2021 The Saturday Paper reported that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ordered an urgent review of the board of the National Australia Day Council, established as the Australia Day Committee in 1979. 

National Australia Day Council Limited (NADC) is a not-for-profit Commonwealth owned corporation, within the Prime Minister's portfolio responsibilities, as well as being a tax exempt charity which is the “coordinating body for Australia Day celebrations across the nation and for the Australian of the Year Awards. The NADC heads a network of eight state and territory Australia Day affiliate organisations and 780 local Australia Day committees….reports to the Commonwealth Parliament under the provisions of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. The operations of the company are overseen by a board of Directors appointed by the Prime Minister”.

The NADC board of directors in 2019-20 were:

Ms Danielle Roche OAM Chair

Ms Robbie Sefton Deputy Chair

Ms Stephanie Foster PSM

Dr Robert Isaacs AM

Dr Stepan Kerkyasharian AO

Ms Jane McNamara

Major General (Ret’d) Maurie McNarn AO

Mr Richard Rolfe AM

Mr Norman Schueler OAM

Ms Naseema Sparks AM appointment ended 25 June 2020.

As of 1 May 2021 the position of Chair, Deputy Chair, and two Director/Non Executive Director positions are vacant. Danielle Roche and Maurie McNarn are no longer on the board. Robbie Sefton is no longer Deputy Chair but remains a Director/Non Executive Director and Alison Page became a board member in September 2020.

NADC employs around 12 people full-time and is located in Canberra, ACT.

In its last published annual report NADC stated that:

During the period ended 30 June 2020, the NADC and Network continued to deliver both national and state programs. The Australian Government, through the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, provided a total of $14,665,913 funding for the company. Sponsors provided a total of $2,109,860 for national programs, and part of this funding was allocated to state and territory Australia Day affiliates for local projects.

NADC does not appear to have any significant debt. There appears to have been no ministerial directions received, no government policy orders received and no judicial decisions or decisions of administrative tribunals were made concerning NADC during the 2019-20 reporting period.

So what has made the Prime Minister hot under the collar? After all, he makes those NADC board appointments.

Could it be that Morrison is uncomfortable with the fact that from January 2020 NADC through its “The Story of Australia” advertising placed a much greater emphasis on the histories and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? That he didn't like the NADC commitment for 2020-21 to "work to expand the reach of our Respect, Reflect, Celebrate: We’re all part of the story message into Australia Day events in every State and Territory, every town and city"?

Or was he incensed to the core of his narrow, historically inaccurate world view by this event?

"At dawn on Australia Day 2020, Port Phillip City Council in Melbourne and the Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council, with the support of the NADC, held a We-Akon Dilinja (Mourning-Reflection) ceremony."

Chronologically it seems that Morrison's unusually short extension of Danielle Roche's contact as a NADOC director, which saw her ending her association with the National Australia Day Council on 31 March 2021, possibly may have followed on from his personal dissatisfaction with the 2020 Respect, Reflect, Celebrate Australia Day message which acknowledged Aboriginal dispossession commencing in 1788.  Within four weeks of becoming prime minister Scott Morrison in 2018 was on record as viewing any such acknowledgement as "indulgent self loathing".

Or is it that in 2021 NADC made Grace Tame @TamePunk Australian of the Year and she refused be cowed by his ‘eminent’ position or pull her punches when it came to publicly speaking of institutional sexual abuse, sexual assault and sexual harassment? 

Or is Morrison upset that on 25 January 2021 the NADC Board made a referral to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) of the leak of some Australia Day award recipients' names, given strong suspicions that there was an attempt by a person or persons to manipulate the betting market? For operational reasons about 180 individuals were informed of the winners names in December 2020 and that possibly would have included one or more staff in the Office of Prime Minster and Cabinet. No award finalists are ever informed before the official announcement on 26 January.

A report to the Berejiklian Government revealing such gross mismanagement of a public sector agency that it was probably thought a blessing that it was formally ordered published on a Friday

Failure of the icare Board to govern, lack of expertise, conflicts of interest, unethical behaviour, financial mismanagement, failure to meet standards, inappropriate behaviour, lack of accountability and grossly excessive executive remuneration – just a few of the problematic issues revealed in the 2020 annual review of this state compulsory workers compensation scheme, managed by icare since 2015 under ‘reforms’ established by the NSW Baird Coalition Government.

Sadly, the 2019 Independent reviewer report on the Nominal Insurer of the NSW workers compensation scheme: For the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (NSW) foreshadowed what was to come in 2020, by failing in its report to discourage the icare board and management from continuing the organisation’s wayward course.

NSW Legislative Council, Standing Committee on Law and Justice, 2020 review of the Workers Compensation Scheme, April 2021, excerpt:

Findings

Finding 1

That the multi-billion losses incurred recently by the Nominal Insurer and Treasury Managed Fund have been caused, in large part, by a collapse in return to work rates arising from icare’s decision to introduce a new claims management model.

Finding 2

That return to work rates have fallen further in schemes managed by icare than in schemes managed by specialist and self-insurers.

Finding 3

That icare has failed to address the fall in return to work rates in the Nominal Insurer and the Treasury Managed Fund with either the urgency or thoroughness they deserved given the negative impacts falling return to work rates have on injured workers and the financial sustainability of the scheme.

Finding 4

That the Nominal Insurer and the Treasury Managed Fund will continue to sustain major underwriting losses until icare improves return to work rates.

Finding 5

That implementation of the Work Injury Screening and Early Intervention (WISE) protocols, that deliver early and active intervention for injured workers with musculoskeletal injury that have a risk of delayed return to work, have had a significant positive impact on return to work rates, and despite this evidence being available to icare they have not been adopted in the Nominal Insurer or the Treasury Managed Fund.

Finding 6

That icare has too often failed to reach the standards of behaviour expected of a New South Wales public sector agency.

Finding 7

That icare’s decision to select Guidewire and Capgemini to build the Nominal Insurer Single Platform appears to have been predetermined, and led to project costs rising from $110 million to more than $360 million.

Finding 8

That Mr Vivek Bhatia and Mr Michael Carapiet failed to take appropriate steps to declare, record and manage the conflict of interests arising from Mr Bhatia’s personal relationship with the leaders of Capgemini.

Finding 9

That Mr John Nagle's decision to appear in a video endorsing Guidewire’s software, and to accept their sponsorship of a trip to Las Vegas to appear at their 2018 conference, was inappropriate.

Finding 10

That icare failed to clearly notify bidders that it was considering the appointment of a sole scheme agent to manage Nominal Insurer claims in the 2018 tender and as a consequence, the tender process was not fairly conducted.

Finding 11

That icare’s implementation of a claims management system that has a single scheme agent to manage all nominal insurer claims by using a sole scheme agent has failed.

Finding 12

That icare appears to have applied undue pressure on EML to engage The Bridge International using a Project Service Order mechanism.

Finding 13

That icare’s decision to select the Perceptive Group to develop a Net Promoter Score transgressed all reasonable conflict of interest principles.

Finding 14

That icare’s decision to award Mr Rob Craig unlimited authority to enter into contracts to build the Nominal Insurer Single Platform was inappropriate and contrary to an express policy determined by the Board.

Finding 15

That icare’s systemic failure to comply with key requirements of the Government Information (Public Access Act (2009) is longstanding, systematic and remains unacceptable.

Finding 16

That icare’s policy of permitting senior executives to engage in secondary employment is inappropriate, especially given the extraordinary levels of the salaries paid to icare executives to perform their work for icare.

Finding 17

That the icare Board failed to appropriately sanction the former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director after his inadequate disclosure of a serious conflict of interest involving a close family member.

Finding 18

That icare failed to provide Mr Chris McCann with a safe workplace and inappropriately required him to enter into a non-disclosure agreement after he raised serious concerns with icare's governance.

Finding 19

That the icare Board comprehensively failed to properly govern icare.

Finding 20

That icare's Board lacked members with expertise in personal injury management or workers compensation.

Finding 21

That mechanisms between the icare Board and Treasurer have failed to work in making icare accountable for its conduct.

Finding 22

That the level of executive remuneration at icare is grossly excessive, and is likely to have contributed to poor cultural practices at icare, and is out of keeping with community expectations.

Meet the icare Board at https://www.icare.nsw.gov.au/about-us/our-people/our-board.

Grafton Nannas Against Gas and Greed joined a community campaign – Fund Our Future Not Gas – in the lead-up to May 2021 Federal Budget

 GRAFTON KNITTING NANNAS CAMPAIGN ON FUNDING OUR FUTURE - NOT GAS

Knitting Nannas setting up for the day in Grafton
Photographs supplied

The Grafton Nannas Against Gas and Greed joined a community campaign – Fund Our Future Not Gas – in the lead-up to May’s Federal Budget. Those participating in this campaign include Nannas from around the state, 350.org and GetUp. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the folly of the federal government’s gas led recovery and highlight where budget money should go to improve the lot of all Australians – not just the polluting fossil fuel companies which the Government plans to shower with largesse.

At the Grafton knit-in outside MP Kevin Hogan’s Prince Street office on Thursday April 22, interested passers-by were asked what they thought should be in the budget. Among the suggestions were improved funding for aged care, hospitals and health, education, the NDIS, homelessness, public housing, first home buyers, Closing the Gap, environmental protection, the ABC, and the CSIRO. As well there were calls for electric car subsidies, more renewable energy, and effective climate action. Another suggestion was not to give more money to the already rich.

Some suggestions were less about budget expenditure but highlighting the concerns many people have about politicians’ ethics and their accountability as well as the health of our democracy. These included calls for honesty, stopping lying, banning big business lobbyists, stopping the press monopoly, and stopping secret deals.

Also there were calls to stop relying on poorly paid workers from overseas (and get rid of 457 Visas) as well as for women’s rights that were real, not token, and the establishment of a Federal ICAC.

Some of those who chatted with the Nannas did not want to add anything to the list but expressed support for what had been listed while others approved of what the Nannas were doing to draw attention to the need for fairness in the budget and applauded the Nannas for getting out and campaigning.

In the follow-up to their knit-in the Nannas will be writing to Kevin Hogan about these suggestions and other general comments they received. The Grafton Nannas believe it would be in Mr Hogan’s interest to listen to what his constituents say about ditching the gas folly and ensuring public money works for his community. He should know that after our local Metgasco experience there is unlikely to be much support here for a gas led recovery, particularly amongst the increasing number of people who want fossil fuels phased out in order to cut our carbon emissions drastically.

- Leonie Blain

On behalf of the Grafton Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to 

ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com.au for consideration. Longer posts will be considered on topical subjects.

COVID-19 Pandemic India 2021: an object lesson for unfocussed or complacent world leaders such as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

 

Makeshift funeral pyres in a public park in Delhi
IMAGE: Yahoo!News, 29 April 2021

This was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi speaking at the Virtual World Economic Forum on 28 January 2021: 

Friends, I have brought the message of confidence, positivity and hope from 1.3 billion Indians amidst these times of apprehension. There were no less difficulties before India when Corona happened. I remember what many reputed experts and top institutions in the world said in February-March-April last year. It was predicted that India would be the most affected country from corona all over the world. It was said that there would be a tsunami of corona infections in India, somebody said 700-800 million Indians would get infected while others said 2 million Indians would die. 

The world's concern for a developing country like India was also natural given the state of affairs in the world’s greatest countries with modern health infrastructure. You can imagine our frame of mind. But India did not allow itself to be demoralized. Rather India moved ahead with a proactive approach with public participation...... 

 Friends, It would not be advisable to judge India's success with that of another country. In a country which is home to 18 percent of the world population, that country has saved humanity from a big disaster by containing corona effectively. 

In the initial period of Corona, we were importing masks, PPE kits and test kits. Today, we are not only taking care of our domestic needs, but also serving the citizens of other countries by exporting these items. And today it is India which has also launched the world's largest corona vaccination program. 

 In the first phase, we are vaccinating our 30 million health and frontline workers. You can imagine the speed with which India is vaccinating its people. In just 12 days, India has vaccinated more than 2.3 million health workers. In the next few months, we will meet the vaccination target of about 300 million elderly and co-morbidity patients..... 

At the point in time that Modi made that speech India's cumulative total number of COVID-19 cases was est. 10,720,048 nationally, with 18,855 new cases recorded on the day. 

At 6:20pm on 29 April 2021 the Indian COVID-19 cumulative case total had reached 18,376,421 persons nationally, of which at least 204,832 had died and on that day 379,259 new infections were recorded. 

By 1 May the COVID-19 death toll has reached at least 208,330 in India.

Mainstream media is reporting that the Indian health system has broken down, its COVID-19 statistics are no longer reliable, the vaccination rate has fallen, people are dying in hospital corridors, on roads and in their homes and, there are so many dead that bodies are now being cremated on city streets and in public parks. 

To an outsider looking in, it appears both the Indian national and state governments took their eyes off the predicted risk of another COVID-19 infection wave. 

Since January Indian politicians appear to have focussed instead on multiple elections scheduled for March through to April 2021, and on the political party campaigning involved. 

Indian citizens on Twitter have accused Modi of being more interested in holding large political rallies and of letting pandemic health infrastructure slide. He has insisted that Twitter remove from view in India all posts critical of his government and the party he leads. 

There is an eerie similarity between the political situation in India and the lack of sustained focus on the national COVID-19 vaccination program shown by the Morrison Government since the beginning of what is mooted to be a federal election year here in Australia. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison's personal style of governing - being in continuous election campaign mode since August 2018 - is so similar to Narendra Modi's style of governing as to raise concerns. If Morrison continues to campaign rather than govern as the global pandemic escalates he risks further spread of the highly infectious COVID-19 variants - all three of which have already entered an Australia which has only est. 2 per cent of the population partially vaccinated courtesy of his government's mismanagement.

Morrison's failure to take federal responsibility for human quarantine during a global pandemic, his refusal to create dedicated Commonwealth quarantine stations and provide air transport to repatriate Australian citizens to such stations, has (over the 16 months since the pandemic first reached our shores) left more than 36,000 Australians still stranded overseas with around 4,860 considered to be vulnerable as coronavirus travel restrictions continue.

Because Morrison has never made safe and permanent provision for national quarantine, this week he refused to allow 9,000 Australians stranded in India to return home and criminalised any attempt by them to re-enter the country. This clearly demonstrates a cold ruthlessness in his ongoing determination to force the states and territories to bear the major burden, responsibility and blame with regard to the progress of the pandemic within Australian borders - while he continues with his highly stage-managed election mode campaigning. 

NOTE:

As of 2:20am on 1 May 2021 John Hopkins University had recorded 3,169,492 deaths from COVID-19 infection world wide. While the last weekly update from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 27 April stated that globally COVID-19 cases had increase for the 9th consecutive week and deaths for the 6th consecutive week. WHO also reported that highly infectious variants of the virus continue to spread and, as of 27 April 139 countries have reported the infectious UK variant of the virus, 87 countries the infectious South African variant and 54 countries the infectious Brazil & Japan variant. WHO reports that all these variants were confirmed as entering Australia.