The Aussie Bird Count in on again Monday 17 to Sunday 23 October 2022. Join in! Count the birds in your backyard, street, local park or where ever you go outdoors

 

‘Tis the season for birds and birdwatching, so Australia’s favourite citizen science event, the Aussie Bird Count, will return for Bird Week, between 17–23 October. You don’t have to be an expert birder to take part — all you need is a little enthusiasm! Register today to join in the fun.

Just spend 20 minutes in your favourite outdoor space and tell us about the birds you see during that period…..

You can count as many times as you want. Every count helps.

Then lodge your bird count at

https://go.birdlife.org.au/e/946822/submit-a-count-/m517dt/941763961?h=pIMsCY5VNTUdRWYUqvXQGc04EHBA-zMPxxPn5dkNeJk

OR

download the app from Apple Store or Google Play

Road travel is still hazardous in regional & rural NSW after more than 9 months of heavy rainfall & flood damage

 

ABC NEWS, 9 October 2022.  IMAGE: The swollen Macquarie River continues to rise near homes around Troy Gully in Dubbo.(Supplied: Rod Price)

The Daily Telegraph/Northern Star, 6 October 2022:

Tony Leggo was part of the Bonalbo Rural Fire crew who attended the latest accident where a coupe ended up on its roof.

“Two local Bonalbo residents were driving behind them and saw the rear swaybar of the car in front come off in the first set of potholes,” Mr Leggo said.

“The car then lost control and hit a second lot of potholes where it started to roll over.

“A crew of four as well as the Group Captain West attended that one.”

He said all of the district’s roads are in poor condition after back-to-back La Nina events and associated floods.

“I get it,” he said, “but when you’re forced to drive at 60 km/h or less on sections and meet someone on your side of the road coming around corners, it’s dangerous.

“Millions were spent recently on a section of the Clarence Way which was improperly mixed so it has to be done again.

“The accident should be a wake up call because it was sheer luck nobody died.”…..

Bonalbo firefighter Joanne Leggo was on scene to assist.

“In my own opinion, I think that the condition of the road, with many potholes being unavoidable, has taken its toll on our cars and perhaps the car experienced mechanical failure upon hitting the smaller, hard to avoid, potholes,” Ms Leggo said.

“They may not have known that the car was at breaking point that day.”

Clarence Way, a major arterial road that connects NSW and Qld, demands improvement, according to residents and emergency personnel.

“Residents, tourists, and seasonal workers have been left to risk their lives daily,” Ms Leggo said.

“The witnesses were adamant the car was not speeding, which makes it even more frightening.”

Occupants of the car, seasonal workers with limited English, were uninjured.…..

Flood affected local government areas eligible to share $312.5 million, to rebuild damaged roads and transport infrastructure, in order to better withstand future natural disasters:

Armidale, Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Dungog, Glen Innes, Gwydir, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lake Macquarie, Lismore, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Newcastle, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Richmond Valley, Singleton, Tenterfield, Tweed and Upper Hunter.

This enhanced round of grant money is jointly funded by the NSW and Federal governments.

‘While support to rebuild damaged roads was announced earlier this year, it only allowed for infrastructure to be repaired to pre-disaster conditions.

It has now been expanded to enable councils to build back in a more resilient way with roads to be improved, and built to withstand future natural hazards.

"This is the next step in the process to get these projects underway, and I'd encourage councils to apply for this funding," Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt said.

"We've seen infrastructure like roads and bridges damaged time and again, with no opportunity for them to be repaired or built to a standard that would help them withstand and bounce back from a future natural disaster.

"By rebuilding to a better standard we can protect communities during disasters, while also lessening the long-term damage to regions."’ [The Armidale Express, 7 October 2022]

Clarence Valley Council continues its schedule of works which includes flood repairs.

Storms and heavy rain continue to bedevil the state, with three Natural Disaster Declarations published over the last four months.

La Niña is still active and is expected to increase the chance of above average rainfall for northern and eastern Australia right through to December this year.

NSW Police are to be congratulated for this display of transparency, however it does make for hard reading

The last 31 days have not exactly been a public relations success for NSW Police.

It is to be congratulated for this display of transparency, however it does make for hard reading.

Please note that the following information is taken from NSW Police News entries for 4 September to 4 October 2022. This information does not imply that charges have been proven.

4 October 2022: Constable – Central Metropolitan Region – for the offence of fabricate false evidence with intent to mislead judicial tribunal. Court date set. Employment status is under review.

2 October 2022: – South West Metropolitan Region – charged with two counts of have sexual intercourse with child >=14 & <16 years and holder of public office misconduct. Stood down from duties while employment status is under review.

27 September 2022: Constable – North-West Metropolitan Region – charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Court date set. Employment status is currently under review.

20 September 2022: Former senior constable - Northern Region – charged with eight offences while a serving officer including common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, tamper with evidence with intent to mislead judicial tribunal, destroy or damage property, and do act intend to pervert the course of justice. No longer with the NSW Police Force

20 September 2022: Detective senior constable – attached to a specialist command – charged with domestic-related assault offences. Court date set. On restricted duties.

20 September 2022: Senior constable – attached to a Northern Region command – charged with perverting the course of justice. Court date set. Duty status is under review.

14 September 2022: Constable – Western Region – charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault. Court date set.

12 September 2022: Senior constable – attached to a specialist command – additional charges were laid including two counts of supply prohibited drug and knowingly deal with proceeds of crime. Suspended without pay.

11 September 2022: Constable – Southern Region – charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV) and stalk/ intimidate intending to cause fear of physical or mental harm (DV). Employment status is under review.

8 September 2022: Constable – Western Region – issued with an infringement for low-level drink driving.

8 September 2022: Constable – South West Region – charged after allegedly driving while her licence was suspended.

4 September 2022: Senior constable – South West Region – charged with three counts of stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm, two counts of contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO, two counts of use postal/similar service to menace/harass/be offensive and Attempt to breach prohibition/restriction in Domestic AVO. Employment status is under review.

Yamba CAN elected it's board and gained new members

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 5 October 2022:

The Yamba Community Action Network continues to gain momentum…..

A fresh injection of ideas and opinions greeted the stalwarts of Yamba CAN when they met at Wooli Street Hall on Wednesday, September 28.

“We had about 50 people there which was fantastic and the majority of them were new people,” Mr Lamerton said.

“Twenty-two people joined Yamba CAN on the night.

“We had a really good mix of people there, a lot of new people and young people.

“Ten of the regular people who turn up to meetings were there so there were about 40 people who were new, which was great.

“We got the constitution ratified and we had a board elected all within about 30 minutes…...

“All in all, it a was a great productive meeting, people were energised and everyone saw the humour in the double-booking.”

The Yamba Community Action Network CAN committee (l to r) Lynne Cairns – Secretary; Patricia Cancannon – Minutes Secretary; Ian Warlters – Committee Member; James Lamerton – Chair; Lynnie Deacon – Committee Member; Alex Devantier – Deputy-Chair; Col Shepard – Treasurer. Image: contributed.

Mr Lamerton said he and the elected Yamba CAN board of Lynnie Deacon, Lynne Cairns, Col Shephard, Alex Devantier, Ian Warlters, Patricia Concannon met on Saturday, October 2, to elect the committee.

The committee of Lynne Cairns – Secretary; Patricia Cancannon – Minutes Secretary; James Lamerton – Chair; Alex Devantier – Deputy-Chair; Col Shepard – Treasurer; Ian Warlters – Committee Member; Lynnie Deacon – Committee Member, was elected.

With the state election looming in March 2023, the Yamba CAN board has identified several issues and actions they will pursue.

“Once all candidates are preselected Yamba CAN will be holding a candidates forum for Yamba specifically,” Mr Lamerton said.

“We don’t want to hear about national and state politics, we just want to hear about issues around Yamba, so we’ll be inviting all endorsed candidates to that.

“Another focus is an absolute campaign that there will be no sale of the library and the Wooli Street Hall site, plus all of development in West Yamba.

“We will be telling the council in no uncertain terms that we are absolutely opposed to any potential sale of the Wooli Street Hall area, and that we have serious concerns about the Park Avenue development, and we strongly suggest council review that.

“We want Yamba to be a better place for our grandchildren than what it is for us now, and we can’t see that happening at the moment.”

Tweets of the Week

Witness from the Rural Doctors’ Association of NSW tells the Inquiry how some cancer patients in the Northern Rivers are going home after having chemotherapy to a tent. In the rain.

They’re still homeless 7 months after the floods.

This is our national shame.#nswpol #auspol

— Cate Faehrmann 🌏🐨 (@greencate) October 5, 2022

Cartoons of the Week

 

David Rowe

John Shakespeare

Cathy Wilcox

Alan Moir

Dr. Monique Ryan Independent MP for Kooyong: "In rapidly dismantling most measures to identify and limit the spread of COVID in our community, the government has chosen to leave the most vulnerable Australians behind. It has also rolled the dice on its own political fortunes"

Dr. Monique Ryan, Independent MP for Kooyong, writing in The Age, 3 October 2022:

The Albanese government would like to pretend that the global pandemic is over. Sadly, it’s not.

In rapidly dismantling most measures to identify and limit the spread of COVID in our community, the government has chosen to leave the most vulnerable Australians behind. It has also rolled the dice on its own political fortunes, gambling there won’t be another summer like the last; one of uncontrolled spread, unavailable testing, unstocked shelves, cancelled family gatherings, anxiety and uncertainty.

The public has a right to know how and why the decisions to end mandatory isolation periods for COVID-19 were made. It appears that the only health advice considered by the national cabinet last week came from the Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly. It is disturbing that the new Labor government excluded the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee – our key expert body for health emergencies, the state health officers who’ve guided our COVID response in the past three years – from this crucial decision on pandemic management.

The Albanese government has generally been on point in its first four months. Other than an aborted attempt at stopping pandemic leave in July, this is its first real misstep, one which could have grave consequences.

Australians would like COVID to go away so that we could just get back to normal. The government would like COVID to go away so that our workforce and economy can recover. Healthcare workers would like COVID to go away, so they can make inroads into the massive backlogs for elective surgery and outpatient appointments. Most poignantly, the aged, chronically ill, disabled and immunocompromised would like COVID to go away, so they could safely re-join the rest of us. Many feel isolated, at risk and increasingly marginalised by the desire of mainstream Australia – and now of their government – to pretend that COVID is no longer a threat.

Sadly, COVID is still a threat. About 10 million Australians have had COVID this year. Most have not been too unwell, but at least 200,000 have developed long COVID, with its persistent fatigue, brain fog and breathing difficulties. While more likely to develop in unvaccinated, older and sicker patients, long COVID also affects the immunised and the young. It’s more common after repeated infection. Other complications – stroke, heart attack, blood clots and sudden death – are twice as frequent in the year after having COVID in people of all ages.

Comparisons of COVID with the flu are nonsensical. Influenza is much less infectious and much less lethal than COVID. Flu does not cause a disabling chronic illness in 5 per cent of people. Flu does not cause a 17 per cent increase in the national death rate. Flu does not cause late cardiac events, stroke or dementia.

Australia’s most severe wave of COVID ended just two months ago. Unfortunately, the emergence of new variants is almost guaranteed. We’ve learnt that immunity from vaccines and previous infection wanes after four to six months. Without quarantine, easily available testing, masks or other public health measures to limit its spread, a variant as infectious as Omicron and as severe as Delta could cause chaos in this country within weeks…..

Read the full article here.