A brief look at what exercised the NSW North Coast and media in the last days of this federal election campaign.
"An independent academic study looking at the effect of WorkChoices and Welfare to Work reforms in the Northern Rivers has found "a climate of fear and confusion".
The report, which is due to be presented at Newcastle University early next month, concluded with the following statement: "Vulnerable Australians in regional communities can look forward to a future of diminished prospects and quality of life, in spite of a booming economy".
The report has been authored by Dr Sandy Darab and Dr Yvonne Hartman from Southern Cross University's School of Arts and Social Sciences."
"The cousin of retiring Page MP Ian Causley is actively campaigning against the controversial new WorkChoices laws.
The contentious legislation has pushed Caley Causley, a 47-year-old aged care nurse from Grafton, into activism with the Your Rights At Work campaign.
The lifelong National Party supporter told The Sydney Morning Herald last week she was not involved in politics until WorkChoices made her sit up and take notice.
"Growing up on a property you follow family tradition… I wasn't politically involved until this issue came along and I realised it gave the boss more bullets to fire at us," she said. "I poured beer 10 years ago and earned more than I do now looking after our old people."
Caley Causley made her public speaking debut this year at a town meeting of her local Your Rights At Work group.
She told the Herald she still loved her cousin "but I disagree with him and this time I can't support his mob".
The Northern Rivers Echo yesterday:
"Labor's shadow health minister Nicola Roxon (centre) joins Labor candidate for Page Janelle Saffin and Community Regional Watch president Marshall Fittler this week outside the construction site for the redevelopment of Lismore Base Hospital which will include radiotherapy services. Ms Roxon and Ms Saffin re-iterated federal Labor's commitment last week to fastrack the completion of the hospital's planned cancer unit with a $7 million top-up of the $8 million previously pledged by the federal government, bringing federal Labor's total commitment to radiotherapy services to $15 million. Earlier on the hustings deputy prime minister Mark Vaile committed an additional $2 million to the unit, (boosting the total pledged to $10 million) but only if the state government began work next year. Ms Saffin said the increased funding was expected to get the unit finished by the end of 2009. Mr Fittler, who has campaigned for the unit, welcomed the announcement, saying provision of radiotherapy services was the single most important issue in both the Page and Richmond electorates. Ms Roxon said cancer experts predicted there would be 1600-1700 new cancer cases in Lismore and the surrounding areas this year alone and more than half of these patients would require radiotherapy."
The Daily Examiner article yesterday "Ten years 'wasted' on new ethanol plant":
"----the Coalition's plans to invest in ethanol production in northern NSW was the same idea that NRRDB had proposed in the mid-1990s----
During this election campaign, the Coalition has promised to invest $5 million into a new commercial pilot lignocellulosic ethanol plant at Harwood Sugar Mill. It also promised $2.2 million to fund construction of a new ethanol plant four kilometres south-west of Casino.
Mr. McCarthy said this funding was simply giving back the money John Howard had taken away when he came to power in 1996.----
"One of the first dastardly acts of the Howard Government was to transfer the $2 million to somewhere else, probably to support their pork barrelling needs," he said.
Mr. McCarthy said the project was shelved after federal funding was stripped.
"This has cost the Australian community 10 years of production of ethanol."
Clarence Valley Review article yesterday "Nats don't support LDP despite preferences:Gulaptis":
"Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis has said he doesn't endorse the 'radical' Liberty and Democracy Party (LDP) candidate Benji Beatty, despite giving him his number one preference.---
this is simply about getting Chris Gulaptis elected," he said."
"New Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis joined Mr Vaile on the back of a ute.
One elderly woman passing by, who did not reveal her name, gave The Nationals the thumbs down.
"I would like to have the money that he (Mr Vaile) spends on what he puts in my letterbox and I put straight in the garbage," she scoffed.
Another local, Eric Kaiser, 45, of Horseshoe Creek, near Kyogle, said he would vote for the Greens and give Labor his second preference.
The issue most concerning to him was the prospect of a nuclear reactor on the NSW north coast."
Camden Advertiser on Wednesday:
