No Antimony Mine on the Dorrigo Plateau - get your bumper stickers now

The bumper stickers are available from Kombu Wholefoods in Bellingen, The Happy Frog in Coffs Harbour, The Clarence Environment Centre in South Grafton, Sawtell Paradise Fruit, The Sawtell Newsagency, Hickory Wholefoods in Dorrigo, Dorrigo Environment Watch Inc., Antimony Action and local NSW Greens groups.

Further information about the proposed reopening of the mine and about the dangers of antimony mining in high rainfall areas is available at
http://www.dorrigoenvironmentwatch.org.au/index.html

Now before you indulge in très grande panic with Dr. No - actually look at the 2011-12 MYEFO

Don't rely on the spin - knock yourself out with a bit of 29th November number crunching!

"The Mid‑Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2011‑12 (MYEFO) has been prepared in accordance with the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998. The Charter requires that the Government provide a mid‑year budget report which provides updated information to allow the assessment of the Government's fiscal performance against its fiscal strategy."

Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2011‑12 1.7 MB

Preliminaries and Foreword 205 KB

Part 1: Overview 147 KB

Part 2: Economic outlook 221 KB

Part 3: Fiscal strategy and outlook 254 KB
Attachment A: Sensitivity of budget estimates to economic developments 122 KB
Attachment B: Tax expenditures 100 KB
Attachment C: Supplementary expenses table and the Contingency Reserve 119 KB
Attachment D: Australia's Federal Relations 406 KB

Appendix A: Policy decisions taken since the 2011‑12 Budget
Revenue Measures  293 KB

Expense Measures 566 KB
Capital Measures 163 KB
Appendix B: Australian Government budget financial statements 296 KB
Appendix C: Statement of risks 218 KB
Appendix D: Historical Australian Government data 182 KB

Laughing at Abbott all the way to 2013

A hat tip to Your Democracy for this item:

Abbott's positively negative

in the words of Mike Carlton …..

Dear Sir/Madam

Congratulations! The moment you've been waiting for is here. It's the once in a lifetime opportunity for your business, workplace or sports club to join Tony Abbott in his fight to say NO to the Brown-Gillard socialist government.

You've seen it on television. Every day, Tony is out there at shops, farms, mines, factories and athletic events around Australia, demonstrating his genuine understanding of real Aussies in every walk of life. It might be making sandwiches, laying bricks, driving a backhoe or even running a marathon: there's nothing he won't try. In Afghanistan recently he even donned an army bomb disposal suit for the cameras.

Now you can be part of this exciting TV campaign. Your place of work or leisure might be an ideal location for Tony to visit. See how many of these boxes you can tick:

❏ Yes, we want to say NO to the Brown- Gillard socialist wreckers.

❏ We would welcome a Tony Abbott TV appearance at our business or sporting event.

❏ We have a hard hat and fluoro safety vest for Tony to wear (or other uniform/protective clothing).

❏ Tony could appear in Speedos, cyclists' Lycra or other sports gear as appropriate.

❏ We have a tractor/forklift/hammer/bicycle/surfboard (or other equipment) for Tony to pose with.

❏ Anyone hostile to Tony can be kept away from the cameras.

❏ We are not connected to any gay, lesbian, feminist, Islamic, refugee, trade union, environmental or other left-wing group.

If this is you, then seize the moment. Say YES to say NO. Contact Tony's office at Parliament House, Canberra, and we'll arrange a visit. And please note, too, that Tony is also available for private lunches or dinners with selected conservative media commentators.

Sincerely,

Brian Inane,

Federal Director (Photo Opportunities)

Liberal Party of Australia

O'Farrell apes K-K-Keneally according to Buckingham

MEDIA RELEASE 24 November 2011
The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham has condemned the O’Farrell Government’s move to cancel this week’s Private Members Business sitting day as a cynical manoeuvre to avoid a vote on the Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill.
The Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill was next in the order of business due to be debated on Friday morning, the last sitting day of the year.
“Last year Barry O’Farrell condemned Kristina Keneally for her decision to prorogue Parliament in an attempt to avoid scrutiny on the electricity privatisation, yet now he has canned the last sitting day of the year to avoid a vote on the Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill,” said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.
“With the ban on fracking expiring on December 31, it will be back to full speed for the coal seam gas industry over summer because the O’Farrell government was too gutless to debate the merits of a moratorium or vote on it.
“Regardless of the government’s procedural tricks, the coal seam gas industry has not earned a social licence to operate and the community will use direct action, such as the Spring Ridge blockade, if they try to roll out.
Contact: Max Phillips – 0419 444 916

Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis has a side step to match that of Reg Gasnier's

A voter in the Clarence electorate asked Chris Gulaptis a question about climate change but the then would-be MP sidestepped it. Now that he's in the big league it behoves the local MP to answer the constituent's question.

C'mon, Chris Gulaptis MP, you're playing politics now, not football. Answer the question!

 
Didn't answer

At the Meet the Candidates meeting (prior to the by-election) I asked the following question of the National Party candidate, Chris Gulaptis.

"The International Energy Agency, a conservative advisory body relied on by the fossil fuel industry for data on emissions and energy, announced last week in London that we now have only five years to avoid dangerous global warming of more than two degrees Celsius. If you are elected, to what extent will you, with the future of our grandchildren in mind, work tirelessly to bring a real sense of urgency about climate change to this State Government and this electorate?"

Chris Gulaptis did not answer the question, merely making brief reference to a past action. This is an important issue to which he should have been able to respond directly.

Stan Mussared, Waterview

Sources:  Letters, The Daily Examiner, 28/11/11

                      Image, The Northern Star

Questions for Steve Cansdell about political greed

Those who thought Cansdellgate would quietly disappear after the recent by-election in Clarence need to think again. 

Questions about when police will charge disgraced former MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell for telling whoppers in a statutory declaration remain unanswered.

Now, a Grafton resident, via the letters columns of The Daily Examiner, seeks answers about the cost of the by-election.

Political greed

I would like to know how much the by-election has cost the taxpayer?

And why shouldn't the person causing the by-election foot the cost of it?

After all, he has allegedly broken the law and not for any other reason but to save his political hide.

There are genuine reasons why by-elections occur and that should be exempt.

But this (by-election) was caused by reasons other than that.

This (by-election) was caused by political ambition and greed, and we as taxpayers have to foot the cost.

I ask again - how much did this by-election cost?

And is there some way of finding out?

Jeffrey Fuller, Grafton

Sources:         Letters, The Daily Examiner, 28/11/11

Image, The Northern Star

Have you seen a black-necked stork?

Ecologist Greg Clancy is interested in hearing about black-necked stork activity in the Clarence over the next few months.

Phone Greg on 02 6649 3153 or email him at gclancy at tpg.com.au [1]

The Black-necked Stork is a distinctive, tall black-and-white waterbird, and the only species of stork found in Australia. It stands about 1.3 m tall, and has a wingspan of around 2 m, and a massive, strong, black bill. The head and neck are black with an iridescent green and purple gloss. The rest of the body is white, but with the folded wings largely black contrasting and covering much of the upperparts. The tail is short and black and the long legs conspicuously orange-red to bright red. Females have a yellow eye, whereas males have a dark-brown eye. Juvenile birds are generally brown with a mottled brown and off-white underbody, and brown eyes and legs.Black-necked Storks are usually seen singly or in twos in NSW, occasionally in loose family groups. In flight, they can intersperse their slow heavy wingbeats with short glides, and they also soar on thermals. They are generally silent. [2]

Credits: 

[1] The Daily Examiner, 28/11/11 

[2] NSW Department of Environment and Conservation

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Black-necked_Stork.jpg

Poker machines still dominate national gambling scene in Australia 2011

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source,
January 2002 – September 2011 average annual sample n=21,064.

Click on image to enlarge

Roy Morgan Research 25 November 2011:

Australians spent $11.2 billion dollars on poker machines in the 12 months to September 2011, down from $13.1 billion in the twelve months to September 2010 and now below the $11.7 billion spent during the Global Financial Crisis in 2008/09.

Australians are now spending less on gambling overall than they did in 2002 according to the latest Roy Morgan Gambling Monitor. For the 12 months to September 2011, Australians spent $18.5 billion dollars on all forms of gambling, down from $20.2 billion in the 12 months to December 2002.

Expenditure on betting on the races has remained relatively stable at $2.6 billion as of September 2011 ($2.7 billion in December 2002). Sports betting, although still small at $0.8 billion, has increased from $0.4 billion in 2002. The only other gambling activity to show a significant increase was casino table games at $1.4 billion, up from $0.7 billion in December 2002.

Expenditure on lotteries/scratch tickets, at $2.1 billion, has remained relatively steady ($2.0 billion in 2002), as has expenditure on Keno at a club, pub or casino at $0.4 billion ($0.4 billion in 2002).

While the world groans under the weight of 7 billion souls....

Pell cartoon from The Age in 2004

Bl**dy Cardinal George Pell wails about our contraceptive mentality. After his tacit support of paedophile priests and his climate change denialism, this latest effort makes me wonder - is there any more proof needed that the man is fatally rabid? Can we send the dog catcher for him now before he bites again?

Read his latest spiel here.