Metgasco amnesia

ABC North Coast NSW: Henderson at a Casino test drill site

Metgasco’s reply in The Northern Star on 20^th October 2012 conveniently forgets to mention the wining and dining of local government councillors it also does in an effort to sway decision makers on the Northern Rivers. Nor was there any mention of its surreptitious entry onto council land at Rock Valley last year before it had met Lismore City Council’s consent conditions or the fact that it was fined $5,000 for dumping "more than 1.3 million litres of waste water".

“I RESPOND to a letter to the editor on 19 October (entitled Big 'no' to CSG). Metgasco is open and transparent and we do consult with the community.
Our industry is safe and established and has the support of the NSW Government. We are proud of the contribution we make to the Northern Rivers region and will make in the future.
We are accessible to the local media and regularly attend community events talking about our industry and our company.
We have been based in Casino for almost 10 years and with our Casino-based staff driving around in Metgasco-labelled utes it would be hard to hide even if we wanted to.
Our constant presence at community forums was a fact recognised last year by activist, Ian Gaillard, in which he commended us for "turning out to everything". Also Joanne Shoebridge on ABC local radio this week acknowledged our accessibility to talk about industry issues.
A key part of our community relations strategy is getting out and speaking to as many people as possible.
The events we organise include one-on-one meetings, presentations to small groups, conducting tours of our operations, addressing large membership-based gatherings, attending numerous community events (like Beef Week and Primex) and participating in community debates. Just last week we presented to Southern Cross University's regular Environmental Science Series seminar. It is worth noting we must provide annual reports to government on our community consultation program.
In the past, Green activists have attended meetings with the primary goal to disrupt proceedings. There is no benefit of meetings when this sort of behaviour occurs.
We believe a large percentage of the community will take comfort in the knowledge the NSW Government has closely assessed our industry and given it a tick of approval. We are aware however, that there is a small but vocal element of the community that is ideologically opposed to development and the fossil fuel industry, irrespective of its demonstrated safety and importance to our society.
We ask that the community accepts that strong regulations and processes are in place and allow them to be observed.
Peter Henderson
Managing Director and CEO, Metgasco”

Renison Consolidated Mines exploring within the Clarence River catchment in 2012

 

From A Clarence Valley Protest 24 October 2012: 

 

RENISON CONSOLIDATED MINES (formerly known as Sirocco Resources NL, Kakadu Resources Ltd, Gerrod Ltd and Avillion No 4 Ltd) a Brisbane-based corporation first registered in 1986 and primarily involved in gold and coal exploration, has been granted an exploration license in the Timbarra Plateau region on the NSW North Coast.

 

According to the Colong Foundation for Wilderness:

 

The plateau is detached from the Great Dividing Range, apart from a narrow connecting ridge in the north, and has hence been able to provide a significant refuge for wildlife from human impacts and feral predation. The plateau falls away steeply into the valleys of the Timbarra River and Demon Creek.

The area is a biodiversity hot spot. In the forests of the western sector of the nominated area, 29 endangered species are known to occur. These include: mammals (Hastings River Mouse, Yellow-bellied Glider, Tiger Quoll, Rufous Bettong, Golden-tipped Bat, Greater Broad-nosed Bat and Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby); birds (Glossy Black Cockatoo, Powerful Owl and Sooty Owl); and amphibians (Stuttering Frog, Glandular Frog and recently discovered Peppered Frog). The wilderness contains a major overlap of biogoegraphic zones, with faunal representations of coastal, inland, temperate and sub tropical regions converging. The area is the only single site able to provide key habitat for the threatened Hastings River Mouse, Eastern Chestnut Mouse and Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby.

 

The 98 blocks in this license surround the old Timbarra Gold Mine which was permanently closed in 2001-02 due to persistent cyanide contamination from mine tailing dams which overflowed after rain.

 

The licence also covers part of the Timbarra River catchment which falls within the larger Clarence River Catchment Area.

 

In 2011 the Clarence River catchment supplied fresh water to an estimated 52,816 residents living in the Clarence Valley local government area and, to another 73, 296 residents in the Coffs Harbour local government area which is located outside the catchment and historically is provided with a significant measure of water security by the Clarence Valley [Clarence Valley Council,Clarence Valley Economic Monitor,June 2012 and Coffs Harbour City Council,Community Profile,June 2011].

 

Renison’s current chair, Stephen Grant Bissell, is also a director of Bizzell Capital Partners, Renaissance Uranium, Armour Energy Ltd, Titan Energy Services Ltd, Dart Energy, Diversa Ltd, Stanmore Coal, Hot Rock Ltd, Bow Energy, Celamin Limited, Apollo Gas Limited, a former director of Arrow Energy and a member of the Queensland Coal Seam Gas forum.

 

ELA 4513 (1992) 28-Mar-2012 98 UNITS About 51km WSW of GRAFTON RENISON CONSOLIDATED MINES NL Group: GROUP 1

Click on map to enlarge

Teh Parrot Eats Crow

The Sydney Morning Herald 24^th October 2012:

‘BARBARA RAMJAN, the woman who accused Tony Abbott of intimidating her physically at Sydney University, is suing the Victorian Liberal Party powerbroker, Michael Kroger, and The Australian newspaper, over comments during the recent fallout from the saga.

The defamation action, lodged in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, has the potential to reopen the debate over the alleged wall-punching incident.

It relates to comments Mr Kroger made about Ms Ramjan on the Bolt Report television show on September 23, two articles that appeared in The Australian the next day, and an interview Mr Kroger gave to Alan Jones, in which he called Ms Ramjan "a nutter" and "a nobody".’

Tuesday 25th September 2012

Alan Jones publicly apologizes to Barbara Ramjan

http://podcasts.mrn.com.au.s3.amazonaws.com/alanjones/201209-ramjan.mp3

Protecting Our Water, Protecting Our Land: Be the difference!

 

The Illawarra joins the fight against Coal Seam Gas mining in New South Wales.

 

 

http://vimeo.com/stopcsg

 

Illawarra Mercury 21 October 2012

Birdlife Australia's NSW-ACT Twitchathon 27 & 28 October 2012

NEWS RELEASE

Birdlife Australia’s NSW and ACT Twitchathon

27-28 October 2012

 

Founded in 1901, Birds Australia, now Birdlife Australia, is Australia's oldest national conservation organisation, dedicated to the study and conservation of native birds and their habitats. To assist the organisation in raising some of its funds, it conducts a Twitchathon on the last weekend of October each year.

 

Over the past sixteen years, birdwatchers all over NSW and the ACT have formed into teams and raced about NSW and the ACT to find as many species of birds as possible over the 24 hour Twitchathon period. Each member of the team has found sponsorship from friends, family, colleagues or corporations for each species of bird seen or heard by each team.  It has become an extremely competitive race and enormous fun!   Team members have won some fantastic prizes, which have been sponsored by very supportive corporations and individuals.  They have raised funds for projects associated with endangered species such as the purchase of trailer and watering units for the Capertee Regent Honeyeater Volunteer Operations Group, as well as equipment for both the Educational Units at Gluepot Reserve SA.& the Birds Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park. Funds have been provided for the Hunter Shorebird Roost Site Protection Project,  Gosford’s Friends of the Bush Stone-curlew, the Kangaroo Island SA Glossy Black Cockatoo Conservation Project and the Murray Valley Bush Stone-curlew Captive Release Project, and monitoring by volunteers of the NSW Important Bird Areas. Last year we provided funds for the Greater Sydney Powerful Owl Monitoring project. In the last three year, approximately $24,500 was raised each year for the projects outline.

 

This year’s Twitchathon aims to raise money for a project to increase both the area and connectivity of native habitats in the Cowra District, which is located on the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, c 100 km south west of Orange NSW and 317 km west of Sydney. In this area as throughout the agricultural lands of south-east Australia, woodland bird populations have declined, mainly due to the removal of woodland habitat. The small woodland fragments that are left are unconnected to others fragments, often degraded and suffer from the effects of invasive species. The Cowra Woodland Birds  Group are currently involved in a funded project at “Spring Forest” Koorawatha, to rehabilitate (by re-introducing native plant species) a large paddock adjoining Morongla Creek to improve connectivity between the creek (which flows into the Lachlan River) and the nearby woodlands to enable bird species to move more easily between habitats. The CWBG propose to use the Twitchathon funds to appoint a (part-time) project officer to develop a plan for an extended woodland  habitat corridor along Morongla Creek from ”Spring Forest” to the Lachlan River. This would involve the setting up a number of rehabilitation/and re-vegetation projects on private properties. CWBG are already doing quarterly surveys on some of these properties and have a good knowledge of possible sites but need the Project Officer to approach landholders, select suitable sites, develop appropriate management plans and advise on re-vegetation/rehabilitation methods.

 

Twitchathon 2012 aims to raise about $24,000 to assist this project.

 

So watch out for your local Twitchathon team and follow them through this fun event – watch them “twitch” about in rainforests, swamps, grasslands, woodlands, sewerage works, backyards and river estuaries, intensely listening, and desperately searching, for the most or the rarest species.  Experience the excitement of “ticking” and “dipping” on the birds, the desperation to win, the thrills, the spills of this great weekend adventure!   The teams could be competing in 40° temperatures or during a thunder storm but they will stick firmly to the Twitchathon Rules! They’ll never give up the thrill of the chase during the race because so many $’s are at stake!  Teams are not just competing for the highest score, but for the most dollars raised prizes or even the Lucky Twitcher’s Prize. 

 

You can also sponsor a few dollars to your local team by contacting:

 

Greg Clancy Tel…0266493153...Email: gclancy@tpg.com.au

 

Your local Twitchathon team is : Black-necked Stalkers..(Greg Clancy, Russell Jago, Gary Eggins and Annette Harrison).              

 

Their local bird club is: .Clarence Valley Birdos (Gary Whale 66461286).   

See you on the Twitchathon trail???

 

For further information contact :
Alan Morris, Twitchathon Coordinator

Birdlife Australia Sthn NSW & ACT Group Sydney

Tel 02 9647 1033    Fax (02) 9647 2030

Email: southernnsw@birdlife.org.au

 

Go, Kim Elvery - Vet Extraordinaire!

 

For all the talk about modern Australia being a sedentary nation, the NSW North Coast regularly throws up examples of why this is perhaps an overstatement of fact.

 

Today we feature Kim Elvery.

 

Dr Kim established Maclean Veterinary Clinic as the first clinic in the Lower Clarence region. Locally born and bred, she has a great understanding of local health issues and is an experienced surgeon.   Dr Kim has 2 children and a border collie named Lupin. She is a keen triathlon competitor.

Maclean now has a sister clinic at Yamba, having combined with Anton Sluyter’s practice in Treelands Drive.

 

Kim Elvery, an over 50s competitor, who despite fracturing her collarbone in a bike accident about two months ago went onto record these times in October 2012:

 

2012 Barfoot&Thompson World Triathlon Grand Final Auckland : 55-59 Female AG : Results

7

Kim

Elvery

AUS

02:46:00

00:30:55

00:04:37

01:19:07

00:03:47

00:47:32

 

 2012 Auckland ITU Aquathlon World Championships : 55-59 Female AG : Results

2 Kim

Elvery

AUS

00:44:05

00:00:00

00:00:00

00:19:25

00:02:19

00:22:20

Recent event history.

Persistent rumours grow legs in Cansdellgate

 

NSW Parliament Hansard 16 October 2012:

 

The Hon. MICK VEITCH: I direct my question to the Minister for Roads and Ports. Has the Minister received any information, verbal or written, suggesting that the former member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell, may have falsely nominated other drivers to cop the blame for traffic offences committed by him on more than one occasion? If so, did the Minister refer that information to the police? If not, why not?
The Hon. DUNCAN GAY: No and no.

 

NSW Parliament 16 October 2012:

 

The Hon. HELEN WESTWOOD: I direct my question to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, and Minister for the Hunter. What action is the Minister taking to ensure that a full and proper investigation is undertaken into the handling of the Steve Cansdell matter after the lawyer for the woman who blew the whistle publicly contradicted earlier suggestions that Mr Cansdell had escaped justice because she had refused to be interviewed?

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: If the member has concerns about the conduct of that investigation and she has reason to believe that something untoward happened, I suggest that she refer the matter to the Ombudsman. I have answered the question fully.

 

NSW Parliament Hansard 17 October 2012:

 

The Hon. LUKE FOLEY: I direct my question to the Minister for Roads and Ports. Has the Minister's office or department received any information of advice that would suggest the former member for Clarence, Mr Steve Cansdell, may have falsely nominated other drivers to shift the blame for traffic offences on more than one occasion?