Rees Government wants to sell-off NSW rail transport options?

Anyone living in rural and regional New South Wales on a limited budget knows how important the last vestiges of public transport are when it comes to accessing health care and maintaining family contact, let alone being able to shop with wider choice of goods or competitive prices.

The Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW has been pointing out the advantages of regional rail for years.

So it is with some dismay that I realised that the Rees Government is seeking to pave the way to sell-off an estimated 3,000 klms of existing and closed rail corridors - corridors which should remain in the future public transport planning mix if only on the grounds of social equity and climate change mitigation.

This legislative move has been described by others as a fire sale for developers and this would not be an inaccurate description.

There is one NSW North Coast Federal MP, Labor's Janelle Saffin, who is doing something about one closed rail corridor in the Page electorate according to The Far North Coaster on 3 October 2009.

If you don't want a For Sale billboard on the Casino to Murwillumbah line you can sign a petition asking that this line be quarantined and kept in public ownership until the completion of the Integrated Regional Transport Plan for the Northern Rivers and south-east Queensland:

The petition can be signed at Ms Saffin's electorate office – 63 Molesworth Street, Lismore – during normal business hours or when her mobile office visits the Lismore Car Boot Market this Sunday.

She has also arranged for Minister Campbell's office to accept separate emailed letters of protest.

These can be sent to david@campbell.minister.nsw.gov.au and should be copied to Ms Saffin's policy adviser peter.ellem@aph.gov.au

Oi, Swanee! You've huffed and you've puffed - when are you going to blow the states' pension grab out of the water?

Just a small reminder to Australian Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan that it's 8 days since he promised to stop state governments from taking a bite out of the one-off pension boost which came into effect in late September.
Since then there's been barely a peep on the subject from the Rudd Government.
Waddaya doin' mate? Don't drag the chain!

United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Awards 2009 - full list of finalists

In 2009, forty‐eight outstanding reports and programs were short listed for the United Nations Associationof Australia Media Peace Awards.

George Negus, host of Dateline SBS will announce the winners at the Awards Presentation Dinner to be held at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne on 23 October 2009.

The co‐chairs of the Awards Judging Panel, Mr. Murray McInnis (Barrister of the Victorian Bar) and Mr. Michael Smith (former Editor of The Age), stated that the calibre of the entries this year were exceptionally high and that they were both impressed and inspired by many of the nominations.

[UNAA media release, 5 October 2009]

FINALISTS – Major Categories

BEST PRINT

News

• Jonathan Pearlman and Kate Geraghty, 'The Ugliest Epidemic, Rape was a way to get payment', Sydney Morning Herald

• Carol Nader, 'Placed with other damaged teens: Tom's in Trouble', The Age

• Nick O'Malley, Heath Gilmore, Erik Jensen, Josephine Tovey, 'Foreign Students Exploited as Slaves', Sydney Morning Herald

Feature

• Trent Dalton, 'Southern Crossed', The Courier Mail QWeekend Magazine

• Ruth Pollard, 'Dying to be Heard', Sydney Morning Herald

• Glenda Ruth Kwek, 'Grim Life of Outcast Children', Sydney Morning Herald

• Chris Johnston, 'Sourabh Sharma', The Age

• Nick O'Malley, 'A Walk Through the Valley of Death', Sydney Morning Herald.

BEST TELEVISION SPONSORED BY SBS

News

• Yalda Hakim, 'Afghan Stories', SBS TV World News Australia

• Yaara Bou Melhem, 'West Bank: Barrier Woes', SBS TV World News Australia

• Sally Sara, Wayne McAllister, 'The Long March', ABC TV News

Current Affairs

• Yaara Bou Melhem, Aaron Thomas, 'Jordan: Jailing the Innocent', SBS TV Dateline

• David O'Shea, 'Bali's Shame', SBS TV Dateline

• Jeff Waters, 'Ramsi Future', ABC TV Asia Pacific Focus

Documentary

• Rachel Perkins, Darren Dale, 'First Australians', SBS TV

• Liz Jackson, Janine Cohen, Kate Wild, 'Who killed Mr. Ward?', ABC Four Corners

• Geoff Thompson, Ian Altschwager, David Anderson, Simon Brynjolffssen, Ake Prihantari, Ari Wuryantama, '80 Million a Day', ABC Foreign Correspondent

• Debbie Whitmont, Deb Masters, Caro Meldrum‐Hanna, 'A Totally Avoidable Tragedy', ABC Four Corners

• Quentin McDermott, Sarah Curnow, Anne Connolly, Shaun Hoyt, 'The Bullies' Playground', ABC Four Corners

BEST RADIO

• Sharon Davis, Gina Perry, Russell Stapleton, 'Beyond the Shock Machine', ABC Radio National Radio Eye

• Nance Haxton, 'Cry Me a River', ABC Radio

• Anita Barraud, Paul Penton, 'Indonesian Journeys: Democracy and Diversity', ABC Radio National 360

• Lorena Allam, Michelle Goldsworthy, 'Holding our Tongues', ABC Radio National

BEST PHOTOJOURNALISM

• Jason South, 'PNG Maternity', The Age

• Andy Drewitt, 'Breakdown', Maroondah Leader

• Kate Geraghty, 'Sexual Warfare in the Democratic Republic of Congo', The Sydney Morning Herald

• Stephen Dupont, 'The Mean Streets of Port Moresby', The Diplomat Magazine

BEST ONLINE

• Kimberley Porteous, Simon Rankin, Kate Geraghty, Jonathan Pearlman, 'Sexual Warfare in the DRC', Sydney Morning Herald Online (http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2009/congo/)

• Martin Daly, Janna Mamar, Maris Beck, David Pavlich, David Boyle, Marc Eiden, Tim Young, Cormac Lally,

Polly Dedman, Dawn Wells, John Tjhia, 'Trafficking', The Age Online

• Dave Crossthwaite, Andy Drewitt, Melinda Marshall, Shaun Campbell, Jan Burton, Chris Kelly, Sean Lee, 'Feeling the Strain', Maroondah Leader Website (http://specials‐leader.whereilive.com.au/strain/)

Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Promotion of Aboriginal Reconciliation

• Emma Cook, 'After the Apology' SBS World News Australia

• Andrew Stephens, 'Healing Spirit', The Age

• The Fraser Coast Chronicle, The Butchulla, Q150, Zonta, Toni McRae, Kerrie Alexander, 'Reconciliation 2009', The Fraser Coast Chronicle

Office of Senior Victorians Promotion of Positive Images of the Older Person

• Ian Henschke, John Gilbert, Stephen Opie, Phillip Jinks, 'Professor Nordin', ABC TV Stateline SA

• Manpreet Kaur Singh, 'The Golden Athlete', SBS Radio Punjabi Program

• Kerry Staight, Andrew Burch, Chris Nilsen, Che McNamara‐Moyle, 'In Like Flynn', ABC TV Landline

Office of Women's Policy Increasing Awareness and Understanding of Women's Rights and Issues

• Jo Chander, 'Papua New Guinea‐Journey Through a Fragile State', The Age

• Sally Sara, Trevor Bormann, Wayne McAllister, Simi Chakrabarti & Garth Thomas – 'Bangladesh‐Acid Attacks', ABC TV Foreign Correspondent

• Sarah Ferguson, Ivan O'Mahoney, Anne Connolly, Kate Wild, 'Code of Silence', ABC TV Four Corners

• Yaara Bou Melhem, Aaron Thomas, 'Jordan: Jailing the Innocent', SBS TV Dateline

Office for Children and Portfolio Coordination Increasing Awareness and Understanding of Children's Rights and Issues

• Peter Munro, 'Childhood Lost: underage prostitutes strain a system in crisis', The Sunday Age

• Farrah Tomzin, Carol Nader, 'Bridging the Gap', The Age

• Carol Nader, 'Children in Residential Care Series', The Age

• Felicity Ogilvie, ‐'Urgent Need for youth psychiatric Ward in Tasmania', ABC Radio

Victorian Multicultural Commission/Australian Multicultural Foundation Promotion of Multicultural Issues

• Jill Emberson, Tony Macgregor and Judy Rapley, 'The Ties that Bind: Stories from the Tongan Diaspora', ABC Radio National, 360

• Dai Le, Trevor Bormann, Simon Beardsell, Garth Thomas, – 'Return of the Boatpeople', ABC TV Foreign Correspondent

• Chris Johnston, 'Sourabh Sharma', The Age

• Martin Daly, Janna Mamar, Simon Rankin, Tom Arup, Adrian Lowe, Marika Dobbin, Lucy Battersby, Jewel Topsfield, Andra Jackson, John Woudstra, Neil Bennett, Rebecca Hallas, Rubert Guether, Andrew Duffield 'Migrant Stories' The Age

National Indentity Fraud Awareness Week October 2009

This week is Crime Stoppers National Identity Fraud Awareness Week 2009.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Lesley Parker reminds us that:

According to a report released last year by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in three people aged 15 and over encountered some form of scam in 2007 – perhaps receiving emails...
Five per cent of them (806,000 people) made at least an initial response and 453,100 people lost money – almost $1 billion in total, or an average of $2160 a person.
The ABS says this translates to a "victimisation rate" of 2 per cent.

Don't become a statistic in 2009.

How identity theft occurs according to Stop ID Theft:

• Personal information you place on the Internet is collated by a fraudster.
• Mail is redirected without your knowledge.
• Wallet or purse is stolen.
• Unsolicited phone calls asking for information.
• Household or business garbage bin raided.
• Credit card or ATM card skimmed.
• Corporate identity theft by accessing publicly available records.
• Impersonation of a deceased person.

Fellowes Identity Fraud Quiz

Cybersquatting on photographs: one form of identity theft on the Internet

Update:

Some April and September 2009 statistics on identity theft from Veda Advantage.

Martin Luther, time traveller extraordinaire

Following a link on An Onymous Lefty I landed on a 3rd October Catch the Fire Ministries post which began:

Dear family & friends in Christ,

It is reported that Martin Luther once said something along the lines of, 'Do not worry about what either people or the media says, both good and bad publicity is always good for the cause.'

Now Martin Luther died in the 16th century before there was such a thing as meeja, so he would have to had racked up more than a few miles inside a time machine to come up with something similar to that particular observation.

A little holy confusion with Dr. Martin Luther King perhaps?

LNP `poster-boy' Peter Dutton is a dud

170 LNP preselectors have told Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull his front bencher Peter Dutton is not up to scratch.

Senior Liberal frontbencher Peter Dutton suffered a shock defeat in the preselection battle for the safe Gold Coast federal seat of McPherson.

Despite the strong backing of former prime minister John Howard and current Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull, Mr Dutton was rejected in favour of local Karen Andrews.

Dutton, the Opposition health spokesman, now faces an uncertain future, having abandoned his own seat of Dickson when a redistribution made it unwinnable.

Read The Courier Mail's report here.

pic credit: smh.com.au

Taking Neighbourhood Watch that step too far?

Sometimes it's hard not to gasp aloud when a particular piece of local gossip comes one's way.

The latest is that a certain Neighbourhood Watch committee is tentatively considering allowing a person found guilty of criminal offences to join as a volunteer member.

A rather novel idea to say the least - stretching membership demographics so far.

I'm sure that the NSW Police Force as insurance policy holder for and active partner with Neighbourhood Watch NSW would be most impressed.

So impressed that a NSW Police Local Area Command could perhaps exercise the right to wind up any NHW group where police are satisfied that it is no longer functioning effectively?

No wonder the committee seems to feel a move like this might be explosive.

What on earth were they drinking thinking at the time?

Cartoon: Best of the Web

Northern Rivers Italian Festival at Lismore, Sunday 11 October 2009

The NSW North Coast has a strong and proud Italian connection. From the creation of a new homeland at Little Italy in the Clarence Valley by a group of shipwrecked Italian families, originally on their way to a new life in South America, through to Italian workers in Northern Rivers cane fields turned farmers themselves.

During October this history is being celebrated with a day of festival by their descendants and other Italian families living in the region.

Everybody is welcome. The Italian Festival will include fashion parades, Italian cooking demonstrations, Italian vehicle display, Italy vs Rest of the World Football game and a 'Best Italian Diving in the Penalty Box' competition, market stalls including books, wine tasting and arts and crafts, family entertainment ranging from balloon artistry and kids games. [Finda.com.au]

When: Sunday, 11 October 2009
10am to 7pm

Where: Italo-Australia Club

Address: Barrow Lane, Lismore, New South Wales 2480, Australia

Audience: Anyone

Facilities: Food & drink Toilets

Phone: 0401 917 258

Email: bronwen@omegahospitality.com.au

Picture from Google Images