The high price of sea views on the NSW North Coast

The Victorian Government and local media are coming to grips with the projected effects of climate change on coastal towns and villages in that state.

Media on the NSW North Coast is virtually silent on this issue.

 

Unlike Victoria, the NSW Government does not appear to have taken a comprehensive look at its coastline. Preferring instead to do two case studies at Batemans Bay in the south and Wooli Wooli in the north.

 

Clarence Valley Council has a draft Wooli Wooli Estuary Management Plan on exhibition, but this is hardly an adequate whole-of-shire adaptation plan.

 

The NSW Greenhouse Office leaves the NSW North Coast with little more than broad brushstrokes on climate change effects and the final report on coastal erosion case studies.

If it wasn't so serious an issue, State Government and North Coast local government climate change adaptation plans so far would be laughable.

 

By keeping the North Coast in the dark as long as possible, neither tier of government is actually going to stop residents from finally realising that there is a high price to pay for their sea and river views.

They are simply stopping residents from planning an early personal response to property risk due to potential negative climate change impacts.

After all, we all know from the source documents mentioned here that the NSW coastline is likely to experience higher sea-level rises than the predicted global average.

It's time that the Iemma Government and local councils stopped protecting the short-term interests of developers and gave real thought as to how coastal communities are going to cope with global 

warming and coastline retreat.

Utility Allowance for Disability Support pensioners and carers to be in place by end of March 2008

Another Rudd Government election promise is about to be rolled out at the end of March.

Those on Disability Support or Carers pensions should see the Utility Allowance turn up in their first Centrelink payment for April, if all goes well.

The increase for those already receiving this allowance should show up at the same time.

The expanded telephone allowance with internet connection component is also due to receive the go-ahead this month.

Nice to see this example of the Howard Government's inequitable welfare delivery bite the dust.

Those NSW North Coast Area Health Service 'surge' beds again

ABC News reported that nurses met with the North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS) yesterday to "clarify implementation of a 'surge bed' plan."

New Auditor-General's findings show that service did not meet admission benchmarks last year.

"Fewer than 80 per cent of patients needing a bed were admitted within eight hours of seeing a doctor or nurse.

The union's general secretary, Judith Kiejda, says the figures make it hard for the health service to justify the conversion of 86 acute beds to surge beds."

It seems that NCAHS CEO Chris Crawford had some explaining to do.

While Mr. Crawford is in explanation mode perhaps he will explain to the Yamba community why it hasn't yet been approved for a HealthOne facility. The actual need was identified years ago.

Leader of the Opposition cut down to size by Koori woman

This week Opposition leader Brendan Nelson fell at the first hurdle when he failed to understand that in Aboriginal cultures the conventions and customs surrounding information sharing are different from those in the wider Australian society.

He has caused deep offence and distress to one Koori woman.

This was entirely avoidable - he should have asked for permission.

Now the Liberals Tony 'Mad Monk' Abbott wants the Opposition to have a direct and equal say on the direction of the Rudd Government's indigenous affairs policies and has indicated that the Coalition will act as Senate spoiler if the government attempted to amend Howard's NT Intervention legislation. 

Heaven help us all.

ALP increases poll lead prior to saying sorry

According to the latest Roy Morgan Research poll of federal voting intentions released on 15 February 2008:

"With much talk and anticipation surrounding the Labor Government-led apology to the stolen generation of Aborigines, ALP primary support is 54% (up 5% from the previous face-to-face Morgan Poll) and L-NP support is 33% (down 3%), the latest face-to-face Morgan Poll (conducted February 2/3 & 9/10) finds.

On a two-party preferred basis, the ALP has extended its already significant lead by 5%: 62.5% cf. 37.5%."

Wonder how the Coalition is performing if you factor in that Clayton's apology from the Opposition Leader?