About those Coalition promises

       

A Clarence valley resident's view of the Coalition's promises

Work Choices: "Dead buried and cremated?" This has now become Tony Abbott's biggest lie yet. SPC were offered $25 million if they would put their workers back on the minimum wage only, which is $16.90 per hour, meaning a loss of $15,000 to $20,000 per year, which would send these workers who are paying off home and car loans bankrupt. Another proposal that Abbott is making is that the workers can trade off their penalty rates if they wish to change their hours of work. This is the start of the smashing of the conditions that we the unionists fought for over the years so that our children and grandchildren will be entitled to a decent day's pay for a fair day's work. This could eventuate into being the demise of all workers' rights.

Promises that were made before the election seem to mean nothing to this Coalition. What they told the electorate to get elected is completely different to what they are doing since they were elected.

Charles Lincoln Gulmarrad

Source: SMH, 22/2/14

The political fish rots from the head down.....

The Hoopla on 18 February 2014 revealed what many have suspected – the Abbott Government only makes a thin pretense of listening to the general public:

A person has died in an Australian prison camp on Manus Island, scores are injured. They were allegedly set upon by PNG police and locals wielding knives, machetes and stones.  

I called Scott Morrison’s office a minute ago.  I said, “I wish to convey my concerns about Manus Island please.”

The receptionist made that nasal noise we women make when our lips are pressed and sucked very tightly together in annoyance, “mmm.”

“Right,” she said.

“Well would you mind taking my name and number?” I asked.

“Fine,” she said.

I gave her my details and she made that “mmm” sound between every word and digit.  When I was done I said, “would you mind reading my number back to me please?”

Silence.  Not even a bitchy noise.  Then, “aherm, I’m sorry, I must have missed it.”

Not really making notes of concerns then, I take it.

Take the plunge and experience arts and culture in the Clarence Valley, 26 March - 26 April 2014

PLUNGE 2014

PLUNGE 2014 : 26 March - 26 April 2014 

What?	Where?	When?	Description
Sydney Film Festival -Travelling Film Festival	Saraton Theatre, 99 Prince Street, Grafton Yamba Cinema, 13 Coldstream St, Yamba	Grafton:27 March to 30 March Yamba:28 March to 31 March	One of Australia’s longest-running touring festivals and a much-loved cinematic event, founding by David Stratton back in 1974, the Travelling Film Festival is coming to the Clarence Valley in March 2014.
Saraton Theatre -50th Anniversary Celebration: Roy Orbison & Del Shannon	Saraton Theatre, 99 Prince Street, Grafton	4 April 2014, 8pm	Come and relive the magic and the classic hits of two of the world’s greatest Rock’n’Roll Music Legends of all time. 2014 marks a magnificent milestone as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 release of Roy Orbison’s iconic worldwide smash hit single “Oh Pretty Woman”.
Arts Northern Rivers / Clarence Valley Council -Clarence Pop-Up Shop	Maclean - visit website for details	15 April to 20 April	Arts Northern Rivers has partnered up with Clarence Valley Council to take our Northern Rivers Creative Pop-Up Shop on the road and cute as a button Maclean is the first stop on this creative industries roadshow. The space will host a brilliant program of skills development workshops for artists, lively industry forums for businesses and be decked out with wares by some amazing Clarence artists.
Lower Clarence Scottish Association -110th Maclean Highland Gathering	Maclean - various locations	18 April to 19 April	This is your chance to experience the caber toss, a massed pipe band display and a Highland fling! Each year on the Easter weekend, the “Scottish Town in Australia” comes alive to the sound of bagpipes and drums when Maclean attracts som 50 pipe bands and over 600 competitors for its Highland Gathering.
Clarence Valley Conservatorium -Grant Collins: Concert & 2 Day Drum Clinic	Clarence Valley Conservatorium, 8 Villiers Street, Grafton	28 March to 30 March	Australian master drummer, Grant Collins, is bringing the largest drum kit in the Southern Hemisphere to Grafton! The drum kit will make for one amazing concert to be held on the Friday night. On Saturday and Sunday, Grant will lead a 2 day drum clinic for junior and senior drummers.
The Danger Ensemble - The Holistic Performer Workshop	Grafton Community & Function Centre, 59 Duke Street, Grafton	Sat 26 April, 10am to 5pm	Following the great success of this workshop in 2013, The Danger Ensemble returns to the Clarence Valley to explore the use of the basic elements of theatre to create performance that impacts the senses and emotions.
Clarence Coast Theatrical Society Inc. -HMS Pinafore	Maclean Civic Hall and Yamba Bowling Club	4 April to 13 April	Set sail on Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore when it is performed in April by the Clarence Coast Theatrical Society.
City of Grafton Eisteddfod Society - 60th Anniversary: Grafton Eisteddfod Dance Section	South Grafton High School, Tyson Street, South Grafton	11 April to 17 April	Dancers aged 3 years and up from across Northern NSW and Southern QLD will perform in a variety of styles, with more prizes and scholarships on offer.
Grafton Regional Gallery - Rolling Stones: The Covers 1972 - 2010 exhibition	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	26 March to 11 May	The cover of Rolling Stone magazine is a cultural icon, grace by everyone from politicians to pop stars. For the first time in history, 150 of the greatest Rolling Stone Australia covers, from the 1970 to the present, are on display.
Grafton Regional Gallery - Dave Funnell: Who said you have to buy a guitar?	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	26 March to 11 May	Assemblage is not a common way to create a musical instrument however the Wombat Creek artist has created sculptures that look like and in a way play like guitars, banjos, ukuleles and mandolins.
Grafton Regional Gallery -Clarence Valley in Focus: Grafton	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	26 March to 11 May	The gallery’s courtyard features the finalists of this year’s valley wide photography competition that sought to capture Clarence Valley’s music scene.
Clarence Valley Council -Clarence Valley in Focus: Yamba	Treelands Drive Community Centre, Treelands Drive, Yamba	26 March to 25 April	The foyer of Treelands Drive Community Centre will come alive with a large scale exhibition of the finalists of the 2013 Clarence Valley in Focus Competition.
Grafton Regional Gallery - John Millington: Bridges to Abstraction	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	26 March to 11 May	Through revisiting the “hard edge” painting style of the 1960’s, the Maclean based artist explores themes of the rainforest, waterfalls, the sugar industry and open-cut mining. John’s artistic journey to this point of abstraction is documented through digital images of past works.
Grafton Regional gallery - Through the Lens: Marking the Centenary of WWI	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	26 March to 11 May	Photographs along with cameras in use at the beginning of the 20thcentury from the Clarence Valley community form this exhibition held to mark the Centenary of World War I.
Friends of the Gallery - Rocking High Tea	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	Sun 30 May, 2pm	Join us for high tea while we celebrate the rock & roll legends with delightful food from the Friends.  There are few more civilised things in this world than good conversation over an indulgent afternoon tea. Bookings essential.
Grafton Regional Gallery - Little SmARTies	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	Wed 2 April, 10.30am	A creative program especially for preschool aged children to share with their parents. Each little smARTies session includes a tots’ gallery tour, creative art activities with local artists and a live tots’ music concert performed by the Clarence Valley Conservatorium.
Grafton Regional Gallery - Arts In Mind	Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton	Tue 15 April, 10am	Community members who live with dementia and their carers are invited to join an interactive tour connecting participants in a shared intellectual activity through memory and personal insights. After the tour enjoy an informal gathering over morning tea at Piccolo in the gallery courtyard.
Kingstudio -Cultural Crossover - Exploring Vedic Cultural Traditions	Kingstudio, 105 River Street, Maclean	19 April to 11 May	Experience an exiting exhibition of new works from David Benson. David’s vibrant works in paint, print and collage explore the spiritual through David’s connection with and practice of Bhakti Yoga and the Hare Krsna movement.
Kingstudio - Ezy-Carve Print Workshops	Kingstudio, 105 River Street, Maclean	29 March to 27 April	A series of four 2-day print workshops will investigate block, scratch board, silk screen and digital printing. Each workshop is limited to 6 people and will focus on mixed media works that explore cultural and spiritual crossovers or your own specific project.
Bazil Grumble -School Holiday Workshops	Yamba Skate Park and Wooli Skate Park	13 April to 24 April	On offer are a series of workshops for young people and children including Monster Origami, Juggle-A-Rama and Clay Critter Adventure Walk. Download the program for full details and workshop schedule.
Clarence Valley Council - Face to Face: Children’s Intergenerational Portrait Workshops	Grafton Regional Gallery Studio and Maclean Civic Centre	14 April to 24 April	Face to Face is a free, hands-on children’s portrait workshop for creative kids aged 6-11 years old. Held in Grafton and Maclean, Face to Face gives children a unique opportunity to express their connection with their grandparents through art. Download the program for full details and workshop schedule.
Clarence Valley Libraries - Plunge into Memoir: Writing Your Life Story	Grafton Library / Maclean Library / Wool St Hall (Yamba) / Iluka Library	26 March to 4 April	I’m guessing you have a few stories up your sleeve. Stories you haven’t told the kids about yet, let alone the grandkids! Here’s your chance to open the vault and let the memories loose, put them into words and create your own life story.
Grafton Art Club Inc. - Grafton Art Club Open Day	Grafton Art Club Centre, 365 Dobie Street, Grafton	Sat 29 March, 10am to 3pm	Establish in 1968, Grafton Art Club will be holding an open day at its Art Club Centre. It will be an opportunity for you to see demonstrations of many different media and techniques, browse the display of artworks and check out the wide variety of activities and classes offered.
Grafton Art Club Inc. - Get Creative! Youth Art Workshop	Grafton Community & Function Centre, 59 Duke Street, Grafton	15 April to 17 April	Here is an opportunity for young people aged 7-to-18 years to explore a variety of mediums and techniques under the guidance of the Youth Art Coordinator, Rhondella Hyde. All materials included in the workshop cost.
Upson Downs Artisans Group -Master Artisans Exhibition	‘Westmoreland House’ Upson Downs, 2952 Clarence Way, Winegrove	28 March to 30 March	Don’t miss the fantastic collection of artworks by the Upson Downs Artisans Group! Opening Night will be on Friday 28 March, 5pm to 7pm. All welcome. For more details, download the program.
Upson Downs Artisans Group -Harp, Hebel & Knife Making Workshops	‘Westmoreland House’ Upson Downs, 2952 Clarence Way, Winegrove	13 April to 20 April	Join Geoff Welham for a harp making workshop or Tommy Welham for a knife making workshop or Linda Westmoreland for a Hebel workshop! For more details, download the program.
Port of Yamba Historical Society - Yamba Museum	Yamba Museum, River Street, Yamba	Ongoing	The award-winning Yamba Museum is conveniently located in the heart of Yamba. The displays interpret Yamba’s strong maritime history and the importance of the mighty Clarence River to this area.
Island Collective -Tonight I Am Swimming To The Island	Island Collective, Unit 1, 16 Uki Street, Yamba	28 March to 11 April	Contemporary artists in the Clarence Valley and other creative industries professionals were invited to respond to the theme “Tonight I am swimming to the island” in a conceptual or representational manner.
This Is Art Market	The Barn, Grafton Showground, Prince Street, Grafton	Sun 30 March, 9am to 2pm	This Is Art Market is an annual stall market, dedicated to art. The market will showcase a diverse range of affordable art from artists in the Clarence Valley and surrounding areas, along with fantastic food and beverage stalls, live music and a relaxing atmosphere.
Simply Handmade Markets Yamba	Raymond Laurie Sports Complex, 78 Angourie Road, Yamba	Sun 13 April, 9am to 2pm	Simply Handmade Markets in Yamba are bringing together talented artists, designers, stylists, craftspeople and gourmets all to one destination. This is a unique event not to be missed.
Weekly & Monthly Markets	Various locations across the Clarence Valley	Ongoing	Download the program and get the updated Weekly & Monthly Markets schedule.

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison's online biography attacked by wiki gremlins

Like many public figures Australian Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison has a Wikipedia biography page.

However, depending on the time of day one reads this page, salient historical details change so that information is both highly unreliable and at the same time often sharply accurate.

The wiki gremlins have even changed his title:

Editing history found here.

That Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement the Abbott Government intends to sign

Finding out a little more about what is behind Abbott’s seven veils of secrecy........

Download the full TPP Treaty Environment Chapter as PDF here

Wikileaks press release: Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) - Environment Chapter

Today, 15 January 2014, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Environment Chapter and the corresponding Chairs' Report. The TPP transnational legal regime would cover 12 countries initially and encompass 40 per cent of global GDP and one-third of world trade. The Environment Chapter has long been sought by journalists and environmental groups. The released text dates from the Chief Negotiators' summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013.

The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in 'environmental' goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve environmental disputes arising out of the treaty's subsequent implementation. The draft Consolidated Text was prepared by the Chairs of the Environment Working Group, at the request of TPP Ministers at the Brunei round of the negotiations.

When compared against other TPP chapters, the Environment Chapter is noteworthy for its absence of mandated clauses or meaningful enforcement measures. The dispute settlement mechanisms it creates are cooperative instead of binding; there are no required penalties and no proposed criminal sanctions. With the exception of fisheries, trade in 'environmental' goods and the disputed inclusion of other multilateral agreements, the Chapter appears to function as a public relations exercise.

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks' publisher, stated: "Today's WikiLeaks release shows that the public sweetner in the TPP is just media sugar water. The fabled TPP environmental chapter turns out to be a toothless public relations exercise with no enforcement mechanism."

The Chairs' Report of the Environment Working Group also shows that there are still significant areas of contention in the Working Group. The report claims that the draft Consolidated Text displays much compromise between the Parties already, but more is needed to reach a final text. The main areas of contention listed include the role of this agreement with respect to multilateral environmental agreements and the dispute resolution process.

The documents date from 24 November 2013 ─ the end of the Salt Lake City round. They were requested by the Ministers of the TPP after the August 2013 Brunei round. The Consolidated Text was designed to be a "landing zone" document to further the negotiations quickly and displays what the Chairs say is a good representation of all Parties' positions at the time. The WikiLeaks Consolidated Text and corresponding Chairs' Report show that there remains a lot of controversy and disagreement within the Working Group. The Consolidated Text published by WikiLeaks is not bracketed, as per the IP Chapter released in November 2013, as it is drafted by the Chairs of the Working Group at their responsibility. Instead, the accompanying Chairs' Report provides commentary on the draft Consolidated Text and is the equivalent of bracketed disagreements for the countries that have not agreed on certain Articles, and provides their positions.

Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei. This is the third in the series of Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) leaks published by WikiLeaks.

Further reading: 

TPP Environment Chapter Analysis by Professor Jane Kelsey, New Zealand

Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) Series so far:

      TPP Intellectual Property Chapter

      TPP Agreement Documents

      TPP Environment Chapter Consolidated Text

      TPP Environment Chapter Working Group Chairs' Report