That's the Ocker spirit!

"AUSTRALIANS drank less beer, smoked fewer cigarettes and left the car in the garage more often during the global financial crisis.
Figures contained in final Budget figures for the past financial year reveal the nation tightened its collective belt amid the fiscal gloom."

Seems we're a hardy lot when the chips are down according to the Final Budget Outcome 2009-10.

The Federal Treasurer is skiting that "international credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's said Australia has "exceptionally strong public sector finances even among the 'AAA' rated sovereigns" and Tony Teh Wrecker is not saying much on the subject at all.

Last Friday also saw Treasury release redacted versions of the Red Book for those interested in doing a bit of trawling:

In light of the public interest in the Incoming Government Brief for a returned Labor Government (the so-called Red Book) and consistent with the policy intent that material be published where there is a general interest in its contents, the Treasury has decided to publish the information released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act) in relation to the Red Book. Also published is the Treasury’s brief providing an overview of the Treasury portfolio and the related support services (referred to as the administration brief).

Treasury Incoming Government Brief - Red Book - Redacted - Part 1
3,482.31kb
Treasury Incoming Government Brief - Red Book - Redacted - Part 2
3,354.36kb
Treasury Incoming Government Brief - Red Book - Redacted - Part 3
1,461.28kb
Treasury Incoming Government Brief - Red Book - Redacted - Part 4
3,805.27kb
Treasury - Administration Brief - Red Book 572.75kb

Truth is the first casualty in Senator Nash's media releases

When Janelle Saffin was first elected as the Federal Member for Page in November 2007 she hit the ground running. Very early on she began to actively lobby on behalf of residents in her wide and diverse electorate.

In January 2008 Ms. Saffin was lobbying the Communications Minister to delay shutting down the CDMA network because of residents' complaints concerning bad reception from Telstra's newly introduced Next G and, in 2009 she and the Member for Braddon were instrumental in making Telstra backdown over its introduction of yet another service charge - this time for paying accounts over-the-counter or by post.

So my mouth quite literally fell open when I came across this 15 September 2010 media release from Fiona Nash. A Nationals senator who obviously has political doublespeak down pat as she reverses the order of events and attempts to write Ms. Saffin out of the very campaign she started in partnership with Clarence Valley residents and local media.

Follow Cansdell's Telstra lead, Nash urges Saffin

Telstra's decision to axe 108 business call centre jobs from Grafton is short-sighted and wrong, the NSW Nationals Senator, Fiona Nash, said.

Senator Nash, who's the Nationals' Duty Senator for Page, added she'd be joining Clarence Nationals MP Steve Cansdell's campaign to have the decision reversed and wants to see Page MP Janelle Saffin follow the Nationals' lead.

"As Steve has shown time and time again, the job of a local MP is not about rubber stamping city decisions by your party bosses but fighting for better outcomes for your local community," she said.

"I have today written to Telstra management, asking them to consult with the local community and suggesting a proper review would likely find it is in the best interests of the company to expand rather than axe its operations in the Clarence.

"This is a very bad look for Telstra and a very bad look for Labor at a time when both are media-spinning their supposed commitment to regional Australia.

"I am a frequent visitor to Grafton so I know it is a high-unemployment area bursting with talent and begging to grow, given a fair chance.

"Steve Cansdell is right on the mark when he says a better decision would be to move call centre jobs from Brisbane and Melbourne to Grafton rather than the other way around."

Nash's advisors and staff need to have a quiet word with her, because she is fast making herself a laughing stock on the NSW North Coast.

Come and enjoy Opera With The Cows at Cowper, 17 October 2010

Travelling along the highway to Grafton I passed a banner which announced the very first Opera With The Cows on the NSW North Coast.

According to its official website:

Opera with the Cows is being presented jointly by the North Coast Flute Society and Cowper Public School. It is an exciting new event that will be held annually in the grounds of the school, opposite the mighty Clarence River. A stage will be constructed in the school grounds and the playground will be transformed into a musical arena.

The inaugural event will feature the talents of Catherine Burgess, soprano, Nadene Flick, mezzo soprano, and talented sisters Katie and Emma Goodard.

These two stars will be joined on stage by the students of Cowper Public School. These children have built up an amazing following due to their extraordinary musical talents. They have performed in the Sydney Opera House three times and the girls choir has won numerous prizes in competitions.

The NightinGirls choir will also perform on the night. They have been the recipients of the Open Choir award at the Grafton Eisteddfod for the last three years.

Tickets available at Buckleys Grafton Music
Ph: (02) 6642.4717
Fax 6642.3683

Adults $20
Concession $15
Children $10
Family $15

How many government requests for data has Google Australia received so far this year?

How's Australia running in the government spying & censorship stakes out on the Google digital race track?
Google Transparency Report's latest 2010 numbers crunch to show only the USA, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have more government requests for info on digital citizens than Oz.
Unlike the second half of last year, an Oz guvmint hasn't yet requested the disappearing of a blog.

Australia January to June 2010:

200 data requests

14 removal requests, for a total of 639 items

92.9% of removal requests fully or partially complied with

• Geo (except Street View)
• 1 non-court order requests to remove content
• 1 items requested to be removed


• Web Search
• 7 court orders to remove content
• 316 items requested to be removed


• YouTube
• 2 court orders to remove content
• 2 non-court order requests to remove content
• 7 items requested to be removed


• Groups
• 1 court orders to remove content
• 314 items requested to be removed


• Gmail
• 1 non-court order requests to remove content
• 1 items requested to be removed

Google's Australian traffic from 1st January to 20th September 2010:

Do your thing with the mouse to make graph grow

Cows & Cows & Cows

Credits: Thanks Steve Bass of TechBite for the tip on this one. 

Original work by Cyriak Harris

Coffs Coast Advocate needs a compass

Wednesday's Coffs Coast Advocate carried a report about an incident where a motorist fled the scene of a crash near Grafton.

According to the Advocate the incident was at Clarenza, west of Grafton.

Wrong, wrong wrong!

Clarenza is east of Grafton.

Looks like a compass is sorely needed at the Advocate.

Here's a suggestion: the Advocate could run a "Wanted" ad in its classifieds section. One of its readers must have a spare compass that could be given to the paper in exchange for a free subscription.

Read the Advocate's piece, written by Matt Deans, here.

Credit: Map from Google maps

Results of Fair Trading checks in Grafton, Maclean and Yamba

Fair Trading Deputy Commissioner Steve Griffin today released the results of a recent NSW Fair Trading education and compliance campaign in Grafton, Maclean and Yamba.

Mr Griffin said results from the week long campaign showed some local traders needed to improve their compliance with Fair Trading laws.

“Between 9 to 13 August, 59 businesses were visited and Fair Trading officers carried out a range of compliance inspections, including checking licensing at motor dealers, motor vehicle repairers, travel agents, pawn brokers and second hand dealers, as well as checking business names,” he said.

“In total, 34 breaches were detected and 26 inspection reports issued.

“Notably, the level of compliance by motor dealers was disappointing, with only three out of seven traders compliant.

“A motor dealer in Yamba received two penalty notices totalling $660 for failing to have a prescribed notice signed by a customer and for not having the prescribed form attached to the vehicle.

“Another motor dealer in Maclean received a $330 penalty notice for misrepresenting a vehicle’s year of manufacture.”

Mr Griffin said local businesses and traders benefited from attending presentations focused on their areas of activities, as well as visits to their premises.

“Fair Trading staff delivered 11 information sessions attended by 360 participants, on topics including: associations, tenancy, motor vehicles and general fair trading information,” he said.

“Members of the local indigenous community participated in a Kooris and Cars presentation delivered jointly with the Roads and Traffic Authority.

“Seventy five year 9 and 10 commerce students from Maclean High School took part in a Money Stuff program where they learnt about refunds and warranties, credit and mobile phones.”

Mr Griffin said Fair Trading staff distributed 100 Seniors Guides (in PDF format: size 1.57Mb) to Maclean Meals on Wheels and more than 150 product safety kits to local pre-schools and day care centres.

“As a result of the visit, local consumers are now more aware of their rights and where to go for information and help,” he said.

Source: NSW Fair Trading

The wheel of the Australian Press Council grinds slowly but it does grind

A statistic which does not generate local pride. Out of the twenty-nine complaints adjudicated by the Press Council of Australia so far this year, NSW North Coast newspapers have featured twice.

February 2010:

The Australian Press Council has upheld a complaint by SANE Australia against a bylined article and two pictures in the weekend edition of The Tweed Daily News of August 22-23, 2009......
While there was a clear public interest in the publication of the report about a missing man, and the search for him, there was no justification for the publication of the photos in a form that clearly identified the man and did not adequately respect his privacy and sensibilities. Because it knew a mental health assessment was being made, the newspaper should have been more cautious in the way it treated the incident, including publication of the bylined article, which could have been written more sensitively.

March 2010:

The Australian Press Council has upheld a complaint by Douglas Baggaley against The Northern Star, Lismore, over an article arising from the funeral of his mother.
The December 30 article, headed Baggaleys miss Byron funeral of grandmother, reported that her two grandsons who were in jail did not attend. Half the article detailed the convictions of the grandsons for crimes committed in 2007.
Mr Baggaley said that the article belittled his family at a time of deep loss and had outraged and insulted the family, their friends and the community. He demanded an apology from the newspaper......
However the Council believes the newspaper erred in gratuitously highlighting the grandsons and their criminal records at such length and in such detail that the article was clearly unbalanced and, as a result, unduly offensive to the family, in a time of grief. The newspaper's failure to print any public expression of regret exacerbated the offence.

Telstra says it's time to move on......

In good ol' Granny Herald last Wednesday:
"TELSTRA boss David Thodey says the telecommunications company is becoming impatient with delays in finalising its deal with the national broadband network.
Mr Thodey said 18 months after the NBN project was unveiled, it was important for the country, and for Telstra, to finish the regulatory work and pass implementing legislation.
''We need to move on,'' he told reporters in Hobart yesterday."
Well young Dave knows quite a bit about moving on - just ask the 180 people in the Clarence Valley who will be losing their jobs when he closes down Telstra's call centre in Grafton.
I've stuck with Telstra through thick and thin - through numerous name changes, decreased services, increased billing charges, partial privatization and Teh Three Amigos.
But taking away that many jobs in one hit in one NSW North Coast town? It'll be Telstra which will be moving on from my house.
Any one got the Optus number handy?