Petroleum merry-go-round

All day yesterday the Australian media was shouting out that oil had reached $100 per barrel and petrol prices at the pump would soar within days.

While increased petrol prices appear unavoidable, it was strange that not one media outlet managed to report the following.

"Oil prices eased Thursday [my emphasis] after soaring to touch a record $100 a barrel overnight on escalating violence in Africa's leading oil producer, a weaker U.S. dollar and a view that global demand for oil will outstrip supplies."

CNN.com yesterday:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/01/03/oil.update.ap/index.html?iref=topnews

 

I guess the fact that the 'magical' $100 mark only lasted a few hours wasn't thought to make a good story.

However, it doesn't take a crystal ball to realise that teaching the car to eat grass may be the only way to go on the average family budget. 

 

Life wasn't meant to be queasy

Leader of the Opposition Brendan Nelson is determined to give us all a chundering good time on each and every occasion he fronts the media.

His latest attempt to induce mass nausea was, "We've all seen this happen before where a newly-appointed minister goes out to consult with Australian farmers and before you know it ... we know that those consultations can be turned into a drought as far as money is concerned for Australian farmers."

Who on earth is writing his lines? Besides being a rather pathetic attempt to play on words - doesn't he remember that for the last decade all those newly-appointed federal ministers were drawn from the mob he now leads.

We intend to honour all our election promises - just don't ask us how or when

During the 2007 federal election campaign Labor promised that a Rudd Government would:

"Lift pensioners' utilities allowance from $107.20 to $500 a year

Extend utilities allowance to the disabled and carers"

The Sun Herald report:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/indepth/0,,5013913,00.html

ABC Radio "World Today" report: 

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2007/s2078467.htm

 

After discovering that Centrelink operators knew nothing more about this election pledge than what was reported in the media and realising that the first 2008 utilities allowance payment for old age pensioners was due this March, I telephoned Minister for Human Services Senator Joe Ludwig's parliamentary office today.

To be told, by the very helpful staffer who answered, that the Rudd Government intends to honour all its election promises but that no other information was available at this time.

 

With so many people on the NSW North Coast living in comparative poverty (especially in the Clarence Valley where an estimated 40% of residents are in this uncomfortable situation) the Rudd Government needs to get cracking, and provide some certainty to aged and disability support pensioners with regard to a firm timeline for the promised increase and extension of this utility allowance.

Ministerial ethics

With the Federal Opposition now gathering its forces to block the new Rudd Government at every turn once Parliament sits in February, Brendan Nelson & Co are bound to raise a cry of ministerial misconduct.

So here are the conduct guidelines. Don't rely on the media - make up your own minds when the time comes.

 

Ministerial ethics guidelines:
 http://www.pmc.gov.au/guidelines/docs/ministerial_ethics.rtf

Good times in the Clarence Valley?

ABC News reported yesterday.

 

"It was identified as one of the most economically disadvantaged regions in the country during the federal election, but a new report shows business is booming in the Clarence Valley.

An economic profile released this week shows the value of goods and services produced in the region has grown by 8 per cent in the last year, leading to the creation of more than 1,700 new jobs.

The Clarence Valley Mayor, Ian Tiley, says growth in population and the manufacturing sector are key factors.

He says the challenge now facing the council is ensuring infrastructure keeps pace.

"The Sartor planning reforms propose we get less developer contributions from these new industries, these new developments," he said.

"That will impact on everybody because it'll mean that we won't be able to provide the same level of infrastructure in the past.

"Inevitably too when you have growth of this nature there is pressure on your infrastructure."

ABC News:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/02/2130090.htm?site=northcoast

Clarence Valley Council media release:

http://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/content/uploads/071218_Clarence_Economy_on_Track.pdf

Clarence Valley Council economic profile:

http://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/content/edu/Clarence%20Valley%20Economic%20Profile%202007.pdf

 

What Mayor Tiley didn't mention is the fact that decades of growth in the Clarence Valley come on the back of continuous land clearing, subdivision, increased urban lot density and often exceeding established building heights. With a significant number of sensitive coastal development consents coinciding with either business interests of sitting councillors or political interests of successive NSW governments.

 

What Clarence Valley Council's media release didn't mention is, that despite the rosy economic growth it alleges, at least 40% of the population continue to live on or under the poverty line.

This is not about to change anytime soon.