Nimbin represents the Northern Rivers as Canberra greets U.S. President Obama

Life is never so serious that Australians can't gently take the mickey out of international tall poppies.................

yes, we can-nabis

People from Nimbin and Canberra

waiting for Barack Obama

16 November 2011

Hat tip to Packer Cat for tweeting the photo

Clarence By-election: National Party accommodates country bumpkins and red neck voters

A Clarence valley resident has neatly summed up the options voters have when they go to the polls on Saturday to elect their new representative.

On November 19, the voters of the Clarence electorate will have to go back to the polls, not long after the last state election, because their elected local member had to fall on his own sword after getting caught out doing something very inappropriate. After a fairly short selection process, the National Party was able to find a National Party candidate who could both read and write, so they selected him as their nominee.

Now, if you want someone to represent the Clarence Valley in NSW Parliament, who likes to do photo opportunities and sound bites for the media, then this might seem like a suitable representative for you. You know, like standing outside Grafton Hospital while your photo is being taken, is doing something about local health, or standing next to the Pacific Highway while the press takes your photo is doing something to improve local roads, or standing outside Maclean High School for another photo-op to garner red neck votes over the bat issue. You get the idea? The usual National Party fare to gather the country bumpkin, or local red neck votes.

However, if you want someone to represent the whole of the Clarence Valley and its diverse needs, you should consider casting your vote more wisely this time. If you want someone who will stand up for local interests in NSW Parliament, and fight tooth and nail to represent us, and not big business, then cast your vote for the Greens. Recent history has shown that independents such as local Greens candidates are able to get much more for their electorates than party hacks can.

Your previous National Party representative tried to assume as low a profile as he could in the O'Farrell Government. Hardly likely to bring much benefit to the Clarence Valley, or protect the local environment and local jobs from greedy big businesses or O'Farrell Government razor gangs.

The National Party has failed to stand up to the Liberal Party when it came to the best interests of their electorate time and time again. When the Liberal Party says jump, the National Party says how high, please sir. You are starting to hear all about coal seam gas extraction, fracking and the like, and how much damage it can do to the environment, farmland, damage to the Great Artesian Basin and underground water supplies. Then there is the likelihood of an antimony mine being opened up in the catchment of the Nymboida River - your water supply. If this gets polluted it will be for hundreds of years.

Don't expect a Liberal/National party government to do anything to stop these, other than making lip service statements. They are deeply in the pocket of big business and vested interests, and everyone with two eyes and tolerable hearing knows it.

They can hardly wait to sell off the rest of the State electrical generation system, completing the job started by the Labor Party. If you think your electricity bills are high, wait until big business owns it all and the only thing that matters is keeping the stock holders happy. Screw the customers and the staff. They don't matter (and this has nothing to do with a carbon tax despite all the misinformation and deliberate lies being put out by the Liberal/National parties).

So, if you want to save your bacon, so to speak, you have one clear choice, vote green. Janet Cavanaugh is your local Greens candidate. She is well educated, intelligent and motivated to look after the local environment and local jobs; she already has a great track record in those areas. Already there are reports of government jobs being lost from the Clarence Valley, plus loss of services that are already poor enough.

Police, nurses, teachers, etc., will be leaving the NSW public service in droves soon because of O'Farrell Government policies. Stop the rot - cast your vote wisely. If you don't and get what is coming to you from that choice, then don't whinge about it afterwards. You had your chance and blew it.

M Casey

Source: Letters, The Daily Examiner, 16/11/11

'Headwaters not Deadwaters' say the Mid North Coast Greens

Media Release from the Mid North Coast Greens 15 November 2011:

Headwaters not Deadwaters. No antimony mine near our water.

This Saturday the electors in Clarence will be able to clearly send a signal to the O'Farrell government about the proposed antimony mine on the headwaters of the Clarence and Nymboida Rivers. This message is also crucial for the residents of Sawtell and Coffs Harbour dependent on the same water source.

Only the Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh is pressing for a complete ban on the reopening of the mine.

The National Party is enticed by the possibility of short term jobs and talks of a 'balance' between the environment and mining. The Nationals recently ruled out the possibility of even expediting a land use assessment when this was proposed by Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

Labor still talks of a moratorium and safety measures.

There is only one candidate that clearly states, “Don’t ever mine antimony at Wild Cattle Creek and risk our water.’ Don’t take the risk with ‘fence sitters’.

Are these candidates seriously considering the possibility that an open cut antimony mine, 1.5 km long and 0.5km wide, could be made safe. That could be a very long time. In our high rainfall it is inevitable that tailings containing arsenic and antimony will be washed into the Nymboida and Clarence, as has happened to the Macleay River. It may not happen next year or in the next ten years or even the next 50 years but these sites have the capacity to pollute for thousands of years. The only safe way to contain antimony and arsenic is to not to disturb the ground.

Mr Wade Walker has represented ‘Steve Cansdell’s Office’ at at least one meeting and requested Pauline Hanson to stand in the Clarence electorate. http://paulinehanson.com.au/pauline-hanson-2011/. He might stand as an independent but his politics are ‘conservative’.

'Among Mr Walker's other key policies is more of an emphasis on renewable energy in the Clarence and also a halt to coal-seam gas exploration and antimony mining in the Clarence area until more is known about their environmental and health-related impacts.' Daily Examiner, November 8, 2011

In reality these candidates are mouthing ‘appropriate’ words like ‘balance’, ‘safeguards’, ‘protection of the environment’ and ‘calling a halt until more is known’ hoping that this greenwashing will sooth the concerned voter. Don’t be fooled.

There is only one candidate that clearly states, “Don’t ever mine antimony at Wild Cattle Creek and risk our water.’ That candidate is the NSW Greens Janet Cavanaugh.

Let's hope the Clarence electors know what is best for their children and our children. Their message to the O'Farrell government is also crucial for the residents of Coffs Harbour and Sawtell

Waterhole betting on Gulaptis low key but colourful

Maud Up The Street tells me that her young 'uns swear that at one Maclean wateringhole locals are not betting on who will win the Clarence election this Saturday - after all that's a lay down misere.
Given that North Coast Nats all seem to be poured from the same mold, what they're betting on is how long the Gulaptis marriage will last once he relocates to Macquarie Street.
Fair dinkum, those blokes must've been bored that day!

Metgasco and friends go a-courting on the NSW North Coast

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 15 November 2011 that:

Stuart George, the son of the prominent Nationals MP for Lismore and Deputy Speaker, Thomas George, has been recruited by the coal seam gas explorer Metgasco to negotiate access to private land for the company. Mr George, a Richmond Valley councillor, was appointed land administration officer.

Mr. George also stood for Nationals pre-selection in the lead up to the 19 November 2011 Clarence by-election.

That a number of mining companies may be actively courting either the goodwill or cooperation of state and federal members of parliament, local government councillors and candidates for election is an open secret locally.

Which begs the question:


Will North Coast Nationals Chris Gulaptis be far behind Stuart George?

Photo of Chris Gulaptis from ABC North Coast

NSW North Coast community workers closer to equal pay

Page community service workers closer to equal pay

Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, said an estimated 2000 community service workers in the Northern Rivers are a step closer to achieving equal pay following the Australian Government’s announcement that it will provide $2 billion to help deliver any pay rises awarded to workers in the sector.

“These workers have incredibly challenging but personally rewarding jobs, caring for people with disabilities, counselling families in crisis, running homeless shelters and working with victims of domestic or sexual assault,” Ms Saffin said.  

“We all acknowledge the value of their roles, and it is time to pay more than lip service to this, and fund their work based on fairness.  In short, give these workers a fair go."

“This historic commitment from the Government will help 150,000 Australians, including 120,000 women; achieve the equal pay they deserve.”

Australia has undervalued workers in the social and community services sector-because their work has been viewed as women’s work and Fair Work Australia acknowledged the gender gap in the industry pay rates in part of its judgement handed down earlier this year.

“Plainly it is wrong that full time working women earn on average one fifth less than men.

“It was the Australian Labor Government that changed the Fair Work Act and broadened the equal pay provisions so that the Australian Services Union could mount the pay equity case. 

“As a long time advocate of equal pay for women and low paid workers, I have stood with local ASU members at equal pay rallies, and told them I was committed to both winning the pay equity and most importantly, winning the funds to flow for such. 

ASU State Secretary, Sally McManus thanked Janelle for her support.

“We’ve been fighting for this for years and we applaud the Government’s decision.

“Janelle has always been fighting on our side for this and she’s been part of making this happen and for that we are eternally grateful,” Ms McManus said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced that the Government will submit a joint proposal with the Australian Services Union to Fair Work Australia which, if accepted, will fund the Federal Government’s share of wage increases for workers in the sector.

The Government will be encouraging major providers in the sector as well as other unions and state governments to join its submission.

Ms Saffin said if the Government’s submission is supported by FWA it will mean fair pay and thousands of dollars extra in the pay packets for community sector workers and their families.

“”The increases will vary across jobs and classifications, but are expected to be around 7 to 15 percent.

 “For example, a disability support worker at classification level two could receive an extra $7000 a year, or a level six youth outreach worker could receive an extra $18, 000,” Ms Saffin said.

“As the Prime Minister said, this is an  historic announcement  for social and community sector workers and something only a Labor Government will deliver.’

11 November 2011

Media contact:  Lee Duncan 0448 158 150

Statisticians indulging in a little bit of political mischief

Roy Morgan Research was in a mischievous mood this month as those naughty statisticians canvassed the possibility of a Malcolm Bligh Turnbull defection saving the Australian Labor Government at the next election.

Just the thing to make Tones the Terrible delirious with barely suppressed paranoia.

Electors were asked “If former Liberal Party Leader Malcolm Turnbull were to join the ALP before the next election who would you vote for?”

This special telephone Morgan Poll was conducted over the two nights of November 2/3, 2011, with an Australia-wide cross section of 525 electors.

A win on the board for Labor's Peter Ellem and local nurses regarding O'Farrell Government's health funding offer

It is highly likely that people in the Clarence Valley would still be waiting and, Grafton Base Hospital still be without sufficient staffing levels to open its new orthopaedic beds in 2011-12 if Labor’s candidate in the 19 November Clarence by-election Peter Ellem (with the help of local nurses) had not managed to make it an election issue.

In The Casino Times online on 24 October 2011:

COUNTRY Labor candidate for the Clarence by-election, Peter Ellem today joined Opposition Leader John Robertson and local nurses to demand State funding for orthopaedic surgery and equipment at Grafton Base Hospital.
"The O'Farrell Stoner Government must fund orthopaedic surgery and equipment to complement the new federally-funded operating theatres at Grafton Base Hospital," Mr Ellem said.
"The Commonwealth-funded theatres are a massive boost for Grafton Base, but the O'Farrell-Stoner Government down in Sydney needs to back this up with State-funded orthopaedic surgery and equipment.
"The National Party has been far too timid in their approach to Grafton Base Hospital – I am demanding the immediate funding of orthopaedic surgery for the hospital."

From a NSW Health Minister media release on 14 November 2011:

The NSW Government has allocated $1.7 million of recurrent funding to support the establishment of an Orthopaedic Surgery Service at Grafton Base Hospital, the Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, Jillian Skinner, announced today…..

“This funding will allow additional nursing staff, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist to be recruited to treat orthopaedic surgery patients,” Mrs Skinner said……

This $1.7 million allocation will complement the redevelopment of the Grafton Base Hospital operating theatres and the establishment of dedicated orthopaedic surgery beds, which have been jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments.

Although, given how the O'Farrell Government and its candidate Chris Gulaptis fudged their earlier health announcements, one may have to wait and see if this claimed new funding isn't actually Federal Government money being announced by the NSW Coalition as its own.

Historic Casino Post Office has been placed on the Commonwealth Heritage List

Photo of Janelle Saffin MP talking to Postal Service officer, Sherrie McGrath outside Casino Post Office

Page MP Janelle Saffin has welcomed the announcement that the historic Casino Post Office has been placed on the Commonwealth Heritage List.

Ms Saffin said it is wonderful that the Post Office has been recognised for its significant heritage values.

“This heritage listing will mean increased protection for the Casino Post Office.

“From when it was built in 1879, the post office has played a central role in the development of communication services in Casino and the broader Upper Richmond River district.

“Casino Post Office was designed as a modest regional post office, with combined post and telegraph office and residence. The complex was enlarged in 1915 and again in 1975 to accommodate an increased volume of work and a larger residence.

“It is an uncommon and distinctive building and architecturally it is a fine example of hybrid Victorian Italianate and Colonial Regency Revival styles.

“The announcement of Casino Post Office being added to the Commonwealth Heritage List means national recognition for this significant community icon,” Ms Saffin said.

“Casino’s Central Business District already boasts one of the best collections of art deco buildings in Australia and the addition of the Post Office building to the Commonwealth Heritage Listing adds to Casino’s reputation as a town of significant heritage value.

“There is great potential for these local heritage sites to become more of a tourism draw card.

“When I spoke to people in the streets of Casino today about the new listing, they were very pleased with the news, and rightly proud of their town’s historic streetscape,” Ms Saffin said.

Minister for Sustainability, Tony Burke, has announced the inclusion of 43 post offices from around Australia on the Commonwealth Heritage List.   

Janelle Saffin MP for Page, Media Release, 8 November, 2011