Australia 2020 summit not shaping up well

Australia 2020's moral policeman Rev. Tim Costello is in trouble, with the gaming industry pointing to a briefing paper he had prepared for the Strengthening Communities, Supporting Families and Social Inclusion working group which contained factual inaccuracies.

 

The 2020 website now posts all the background papers which disappoint for their lacklustre approach.

 

Longterm Health Strategy - a little gem which describes Australia's health system as "a sophisticated public-private and federal-state blend."

 

Strengthening Communities, Supporting Families and Social Inclusion - Tim hasn't corrected his allegedly faulty statistics.

 

The Future of Rural and Regional Australia - someone discovers that the "agricultural sector is an important source of income in rural Australia" and that "shortages of services and skills exist in rural and regional areas". But the real eye opener is this piece of wishful thinking; "But the agricultural sector is in a strong position to address the challenges of climate change."

 

The Future of Indigenous Australia - has this unique view of Australia's general indifference and underlying racism; "Mainstream attitudes towards Indigenous disadvantage are generally constructive, but the public is not well informed."

 

Governance - sit back and let flawed newspaper polls set government policy, because "Mass media not only relay information to the population. Opinion polls are one way in which they close the feedback loop in providing information about public opinion back to governments."

Understates the number of Australian political blogs - but then it uses The Australian as a source.

 

Full list of available 2020 topic downloads here.

Clarion call for NSW North Coast women

According to UNICEF the United Nations Children's Fund.

 

"Nearly 10 million children under age five die every year of largely preventable diseases," said Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF. "Many of the main global killers of children – including malaria and diarrhoea – are sensitive to changes in temperature and rainfall, and could become more common if weather patterns change."

 

In addition, women and children tend to be disproportionately affected by hurricanes and flooding, which climate change experts say will increase in intensity and frequency in coming years. The destruction of homes, schools and health centres resulting from natural disasters reduce services available to families.

 

Climate change experts also predict that warming and shifting rains could impact crop production, which could reduce food availability. In 2006, some 36 per cent of children globally were either moderately or severely underweight.

 

Last year's report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that malnutrition and associated disorders, including those relating to child growth and development, could increase as the global climate changes. Reduced supplies of clean water in some areas could also add to the burden on rural women and girls, who are usually responsible for collecting water for cooking and washing.

 

The voices of women and children must be heard and their needs assessed as part of the international response to prospective changes to the environment, and they must have access to the knowledge and tools necessary to protect themselves and their communities.

 

Women on the Northern Rivers must begin to face the fact that this climate change scenario also affects both them and their families, with a likely increase in injury and damage due to severe storms or flooding, a rise in mosquito borne diseases, heat stress and other health-related problems.

So far, local women's groups like Clarence Valley Women's Inc have been very silent on an issue which is coming straight at us all within our own lifetimes.

Accelerating republic debate for Australia?

With the country facing a myriad of environmental, economic and social problems, Kevin Rudd is quoted as suggesting an 'accelerating' debate this year on the subject of an Australian republic.

Yeah. Just what we really need at this juncture, a very public divisive national quarrel to divert us from the real work at hand.

The culture warriors might enjoy the thought but many of us would rather have all our teeth pulled.

The sight of Rudders constantly rising to the media fly this way and allowing it to set the political agenda exposes an irritating weakness.

So short, sweet and without rancour, Kev - p^ss orf!

Your behaviour is beginning to make Julia Gillard look like a very attractive option for PM about now.

Wouldn't be dead for quids in 2008

Just when you think life has shown you pretty much everything - a pregnant man, mice with human body parts attached, plants with animal genes, cats that glow in the dark, Malcolm Turnbull - along comes something which makes you realise that the world can grow even more bizarre.

 

The week PNC Financial Services Group awarded former Aussie PM John Howard a cash prize of $US50,000 for being the best little fascist on the Pacific street for 33 years.

 

For a real belly laugh the PNC media release is here.

You'll enjoy the Howard CV which shows the little man's ongoing attempt to rewrite history and the description of the neo-con Liberal Party during the Howard years as "centre/right".

North Coast Area Health Service 'extreme' cost-cutting

It seems every time I turn around North Coast Area Health Service is doing something which either horrifies, troubles or, in this case, simply grates a nerve.

 

The Northern Star carried this report yesterday.

 

Dr Pezzutti's comments come as staff at Ballina Hospital complained of extreme cost-cutting measures by the area health service.

One staff member, who asked not to be identified, said the health service had replaced sanitary bins in the women's toilets with brown paper bags as a cost-cutting measure. A few years ago the service got rid of the hospital's water cooler, also to save money.

A spokesman for the health service confirmed sanitary bins were being removed from all health service facilities because sanitary waste was regarded as general waste and, therefore, best deposited into waste bins to minimise potential contact with body fluids.

The spokesman confirmed the move involved 'potential cost savings that could be directed into clinical care', but declined to say how much money would be saved or what clinical services the funding would be directed to.

Doctors for the Environment (Australia) April 2008 climate change & health report released

Climate Change Health Check 2020 was released yesterday.

 

Not surprisingly this report predicts that within 12 years Australian doctors (particularly doctors in rural, regional and coastal areas) will be treating more people for heat stress, heat-related illnesses, extreme weather event physical trauma, allergic responses, respiratory problems, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, food poisoning, as well as Ross River and Dengue fevers, due to the impact of climate change.

 

Full report here.

A Cecil B. de Mille memory

I have to ask. At the end did they find anything in Charlton Heston's "cold dead hands"?

Do property developers and the financiers own the Iemma Government?

There is no getting away from the fact that at local government level there is often a unhealthy relationship between developers and individuals councillors or some council staff.
Now that NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor has hijacked basic development planning processes and left communities and residents out in the cold, Morris Iemma needs to answer questions regarding exactly what level of 'favoured status' may be brought by property and financial corporations making sizeable political donations to the NSW Labor Party.
The NSW Liberals also need to explain why they have never vigorously pursued the issue of whether developer donations are an appropriate part of the political system at all.

Here are the 149 separate donations made by the property sector across the political spectrum in the 2006-07 financial year according to Democracy4sale.
Go to that Greens website if you wish to explore donations by those banking institutions which are also developers in their own right.

Year	Party	Category	Donor	Amount
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Anson City Developments (Aust) Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Austcorp Group Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Australand Holdings Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Australand Holdings Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Australian Portable Buildings Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Babcock & Brown	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Babcock & Brown	$20,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Babcock & Brown	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Babcock & Brown Australia Pty Ltd	$33,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Babcock & Brown Australia Pty Ltd	$20,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Bilfinger Berger Concessions	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Boral Limited	$19,250
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Bradcorp Holdings Pty Ltd	$30,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Bradcorp Holdings Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Mr Peter Brennan	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Bradcorp Holdings Pty Ltd	$33,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Brighton Australia Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Buildev Development (NSW) Pty Ltd	$14,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Buildev Development (Qld) Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Challenge Property Investments	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Cheebrook Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Cienna Group	$33,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Dandaloo Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Dyldam Developments Pty Ltd	$14,083
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	EG Property Group	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	EG Property Group	$22,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	FKP Property Group	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Frasers Greencliff Developments Pty Ltd	$25,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Glen Alpine Properties	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Grant Samuel Property Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Greenfields Development Corp Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Grocon Pty Ltd	$27,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Grocon Pty Ltd	$55,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Hardie Holdings Pty Ltd	$20,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Marbal Pty Ltd	$100,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Hiken Group	$19,250
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Holdmark Developments Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Hunter Land Pty Limited	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Hunter Land Group of Companies	$50,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Hunter Land Pty Limited	$50,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Jacfin Pty Ltd	$100,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Jacfin Pty Ltd	$100,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Johnson Property Group	$16,200
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Johnson Property Group	$16,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Berkeley Road Developments Pty Ltd	$25,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Johnson Property Group Pty Limited	$25,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Johnson Property Group	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Kingold Group	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Kingold Group	$100,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Leda Holdings Pty Limited	$25,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Leighton Holdings Ltd	$24,750
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Leighton Holdings Limited	$20,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Mantle Group	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Marsim Management Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Medich Property Group Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Medich Property Group Pty Ltd	$13,200
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Medich Property Group Pty Ltd	$12,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Medich Property Group Pty Ltd	$27,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Medich Property Group Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Memo Corporation Australia Pty Ltd	$19,250
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Memo Corporation Australia Pty Ltd	$30,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Meriton Premier Apartments	$100,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Mulpha Australia Ltd	$22,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Multiplex Developments Aust. Pty Ltd	$33,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Narellan Town Centre	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Narellan Town Centre	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Omaya Holdings Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Payce Consolidated	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Payce Consolidated	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Payce Properties Pty Ltd	$75,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Paynter Dixon Construction Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Plenary Group	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Property Council of Australia	$38,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Rocky Bottom Creek Pty Ltd	$25,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Rosecorp Pty Ltd	$27,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Rosecorp Pty Ltd	$27,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Rosecorp Pty Ltd	$27,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Rosecorp Pty Ltd	$27,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Southern Cross Constructions	$25,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	St Hilliers Pty Ltd	$19,250
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	STC Architects and Kendall Resources Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Stockland Trust Group	$19,250
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Stockland Development Pty Ltd	$20,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Sydney Airports Corporation Limited	$19,250
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Terrace Tower Group	$40,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Terrace Tower Group	$33,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Terrace Tower Holdings Pty Limited	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	The GEO Group Australia P/L	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	The Lewis Land Group of Companies	$30,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	The Village Building Co Limited	$33,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Thiess Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Tiffany Developments Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Toga Group of Companies	$20,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Toga Group of Companies	$17,500
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Transfield Holdings Pty Ltd	$30,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Transfield Holdings Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Transfield Services Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Transfield Services Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	United Group Limited	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	United Group Limited	$15,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Vaste Developments Pty Ltd	$12,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Westfield Capital Corporation Limited	$75,000
2006/07	Labor NSW	Property	Whitehorse Constructions Pty Ltd	$11,000
				$2,565,733
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Almona Pty Ltd T/as Parklea Markets	$75,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Austcorp Group Limited	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Babcock & Brown	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Boral Ltd	$19,250
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Buildev Development Pty Ltd	$75,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Colliers International	$20,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Exceland Property Group	$22,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Freeway Land Company Pty Ltd	$50,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Greenfriars Pty Limited	$30,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Grocon Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Hardie Holdings Pty Ltd	$30,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Henroth Investments Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Hunter Land Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Berkeley Road Developments Pty Ltd	$25,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Johnson Property Group Pty Ltd	$25,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Kendall Grange Properties Pty Ltd	$25,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Leda Holdings Pty Limited	$25,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Leighton Holdings Limited	$33,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	LKT Holdings Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Mambare Pty Ltd	$79,684
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Manolas Properties Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Mars Australian Developments	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	McCloy Group Pty Limited	$15,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Memo Corporation Australia Pty Ltd	$77,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Meriton Premier Apartments	$13,200
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Meriton Premier Apartments	$50,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Multiplex Limited	$18,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Payce Consolidated Ltd	$22,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Raine & Horne Pty Ltd	$15,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Rinker Australia Pty Ltd	$12,500
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Rocky Bottom Creek Pty Ltd	$25,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	St Hilliers Property Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Stockland	$20,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Sydney Airport Corporation Limited	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Terrace Tower Holdings Pty Ltd	$40,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Terrace Tower Holdings Pty Ltd	$22,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	The Geo Group Australia Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	The Village Building Co Limited	$25,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Thiess Pty Ltd	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Toga Hospitality Group	$38,500
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Transfield Group Entities	$20,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Transfield Services (Australia) P/L	$11,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	United Group Limited	$25,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Walker Corporation Pty Limited	$50,000
2006/07	Liberal NSW	Property	Westfield Capital Corporation Limited	$75,000
				$1,244,134
2006/07	National NSW	Property	Servcorp Ltd	$11,000
				Total: $3,820,867

Codswallop in the Aussie media

With all that's been occurring in the international arena which could affect Australian foreign affairs during Kevin Rudd's present overseas tour, it was 'Mr. & Mrs. Star-chaser and Frumpy-dresser' who became the thème de la journée for The Australian and The Courier Mail.

What a load of codswallop!

I don't mind if Rudders likes to have an occasional meal or meeting with an Aussie celebrity and I certainly don't care one whit if Therese wears the same dress, shoes or handbag more than once.

The Daily Telegraph also jumps into the manure pile by raising a stink about Rudd and Macklin giving the go-ahead for Centrelink to hire Dun and Bradstreet to collect 62,000 debts worth between $20 and $100 from welfare clients, dating back eight to 12 years, but neglecting to remind its readers that the Australian Tax Office is also using this law firm to collect $10.1 billion in unpaid taxes mostly from errant companies.

DESPERATELY NEEDED: A Federal Government that's prepared to take on Exclusive Brethren

Is someone, anyone, in the Rudd Government prepared to stand up and be counted in relation to the continued funding of Exclusive Brethren schools?

The issue is a simple one. Exclusive Brethren schools receive federal government funding that should be directed towards the education of the nation's poorest children.

Funding deals for Exclusive Brethren schools were set up by the Keating government. They continued and were promoted under the Howard government and still operate under the Rudd government.

The Sunday Age (April 6, 2008) reports rich Exclusive Brethren schools are receiving the same generous rate of government funding as the nation's poorest schools, including those in impoverished Aboriginal communities.

The Rudd Government has pledged to continue paying millions of dollars to the religious sect despite the group boasting that its students are "found in the middle to upper levels of the socio-economic group".

Exclusive Brethren schools are being funded as if they are Category 12 schools, which are the poorest schools in the lowest-income communities in the country. In other words, Category 12 schools serve communities which have very low incomes. Does that sound like the communities Exclusive Brethren school students come from?

Government documents obtained by The Sunday Age show Brethren schools in NSW and South Australia receive category 12 funding despite not meeting these criteria.

Federal school funding documents show that the Brethren's multi-campus NSW school, Meadowbank, and the South Australian school, Melrose Park, were funded at the same rate as "special schools", giving them the same per-student funding as Nyangatjatjara College, in the Northern Territory, the Giant Steps school for autistic students and schools for the hearing-impaired.

The Brethren's MET school in Meadowbank does not meet the criteria for category 12 funding: it is in suburban Sydney, has small class sizes, and is financially supported by a community that boasts it has no poverty.

This scandalous matter need to be addressed, and soon!

Bernard Salt says Angourie is dead; Angourie villagers and visitors fall about laughing

Never having visited Angourie on the Clarence section of the NSW North Coast, KPMG partner Bernard Salt (who describes himself as "a compelling and entertaining speaker, enjoyed by blue-chip companies to stimulate thought provoking discussion at conferences, seminars and workshops") decided last week to declare this beautiful little community dead as an urban locality.

The "lost towns" include places such as Bethanga, Girgarre, Merino and Balmoral in Victoria and Moorook, Iron Knob, Mintabie, Brukunga and Fregon in South Australia. There is only one in Tasmania: Leith. Queensland has Yuleba, Minden, Marpuna, Yelarbon and Croydon. NSW has two: Cullen Bullen and Angourie. There are three in the Northern Territory: Peppimenarti, Gulin Gulin-Weemol and Belyuen, which was formerly known as Dellisaville.

This of course is news to local government which treats Angourie as a distinct urban locality; a complete surprise to village businesses which thrive on local and visitor patronage; and a great puzzlement to residents, who are used to being identified as coming from Angourie rather than from Brooms Head, Wooloweyah or Yamba.

Being a tolerant place, Angourie's response in The Daily Examiner was typically laid back.
Although a gust of laughter could be heard bouncing across the Clarence Valley when morning papers were flicked open yesterday.

Bernard Salt is one of those people invited to Kevin Rudd's Australia 2020 summit in Canberra this month.