Who's letter writer Simon Kinny - it pays to read between the lines

Simon Kinny of Lismore had a letter to the editor in Saturday's Daily Examiner.

Funnily enough, Kinny forgot to mention that he's Dr Simon Kinny and he just happens to be the Nationals' Page Electorate Council Chairman and features on National Kevin Hogan's web page

Kinny can be contacted at St Vincents Hospital in Lismore at Suite 11, Level 3, St. Vincent's Specialist Medical Centre,
20 Dalley, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
Ph: (61 2) 66 21 4177
Fax: (61 2) 66 21 4186

Kinny can also be contacted via his email address at ski66335@bigpond.net.au

And for those who need Kinny to reply to their concerns very promptly, his mobile number is 0407 065 566

Nationals Kevin Hogan - Haunted by the Ghost of Election Past

I really shouldn't laugh, but the sight of former Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis' photo posted on Sportingbet Decider in 2010 instead of current Nationals candidate, Kevin Hogan, was unexpected to say the least.

Australia 2010: When the welcome mat is never put out for you

SANE Australia has released the findings of a recent survey in Research Bulletin 12 Social inclusion and mental illness - hopefully in time to assist with mental health policy responses from the major parties contesting the Australian Federal Election on 21 August 2010:

"The survey was conducted in March-April 2010 using a convenience sample of 559 people who completed an anonymous questionnaire.

The most common diagnoses reported were depression (40%), bipolar disorder (22%), anxiety (13%), and schizophrenia (12%)........

Over 50% of respondents to the survey, however, reported that mental illness had cut short their education, and they had not been offered support to continue this later.....

Most respondents (75%) were Centrelink clients. Of these, two-thirds (66%) were dissatisfied with the help provided by Centrelink and the disability employment services to which they referred people. Centrelink staff often did not understand the impact of mental illness, it was reported.

Many employment service staff also had difficulty understanding the needs of clients with mental illness, or had unrealistic expectations of them.......

Over half of the respondents (52%) reported that they did not feel part of their local community. Many reported that they had been treated disrespectfully at some time because of their mental illness (42%).

A 'digital divide' was also identified. While 72% of the general population use the Internet from home to engage with others, only 47% of respondents reported being able to do this.......

In summary

Many people with a mental illness experience disruption of their education, and receive no support to resume this.

Centrelink and employment service staff are inadequately supported and trained to help people with a mental illness find work.

People with a mental illness often feel they are not part of their local community, and are not welcome there. They are also far less likely to be connected to others because of a lack of Internet access.

Most people with a mental illness do not know where to go for help regarding discrimination, or find the process unhelpful. While other groups in society are protected from vilification (on grounds of religion or culture, for example), this protection is unavailable to people with a disability.

2010 Election Campaign Day 10 - Into the Twilight Zone

It all started on the second day of the Federal Election campaign. I woke to find the world bathed in a strange half light and eerie music playing tinnily in my ear.

Then those emails started:

"Caller Lorraine says Julia Gillard was featured in the Launceston weekend paper doing a Nazi salute and that this is not the first time she has done this". {Quote from Crikey news email on 19th July 2010}

"She's a secret NAZI. When she thinks nobody will notice she heils." {Chain email 18th July 2010}

{Picture of Julia

supposedly 'saluting'

doing the email rounds

on 18th July 2010}

Jules draws our confusion over citizens' assemblies

Jules Faber in The Daily Examiner 0n 24 July 2010

Citizens' Assembly 101

Abbott's credibility gap widens?

ABC News online 19 July 2010:

On Saturday, as the election was being called, Mr Abbott moved to neutralise that scare, promising that WorkChoices was "dead, buried and cremated" and to make sure a Coalition government would keep Labor's law, The Fair Work Act, in place for its first term in office.
"The Coalition won't change the Fair Work Act, at least for the duration of the next parliament, at least for the three-year life of the next parliament," he said.
On Saturday Mr Abbott told Melbourne radio 3AW he will put the death of WorkChoices in writing if it will help.
"Give me a bit of paper, I'll sign it here. Dead, buried, cremated," he said.
But this morning on ABC's AM, Mr Abbott caused confusion by saying he would never, ever make changes to the Fair Work Act, rather than giving a guarantee of three years.
"We have no plans, no plans whatsoever to make any changes to the legislation. Not now, not ever," he said.
"As far as I'm concerned, I have no plans for any change to the laws, not now, not next year, not the year after, not ever."
However the issue of WorkChoices did not die. Just an hour later on 3AW he was not giving that guarantee.
When asked how long he would guarantee not to touch the laws, Mr Abbott said he could not say that he would never change them.
"Obviously I can't say that there will never, ever, ever, for 100 or a 1,000 years time be any change to any aspect of industrial legislation, but the Fair Work Act will not be amended in the next term of the government if we are in power," he said.
This afternoon he was back to saying Labor's law would stay in place beyond just one term.
"You cannot bring back WorkChoices, other than through legislation," Mr Abbott said.
"The legislation will not change, not today, not tomorrow, not next year, or the year after, not in three years time, not in ten years time."

Abbott's doorstop on 19 July did not rule out a return of regulations similar to those which accompanied the Howard Government's WorkChoices which allowed for punitive individual employment contracts and summary dismissal in certain circumstances.

On the same day elsewhere in the mainstream media:

The Essential Report for 13-18 July 2010 reports these polling statistics from 932 respondents:

40% approve Tony Abbott’s performance as Opposition Leader and 44% disapprove.
Since this question was asked 2 weeks ago, approval has increased
by 3% and disapproval decreased by 3%.
82% of Liberal/National voters approve and 10% disapprove.
Among Labor voters, 19% approve and 69% disapprove.
There were some differences by gender ‐ men 45% approve/43% disapprove and women 35% approve/46% disapprove.

Abbott in The Age on 20 July 2010:

Asked about a pledge in his budget reply to remove the unfair dismissal burden from the back of small business, he said: ''I think that there are provisions within the existing legislation to make our workplaces fairer and more flexible.''

Then on 21 July Abbott exposed his political rear by saying he will create law which supersedes certain provisions of Fair Work legislation.

The Daily Telegraph reported on 24 July 2010:

Support for the coalition has fallen over the past fortnight, with the latest Nielson poll putting Labor ahead 54-46 on a two-party preferred basis. Labor also leads 58-42 per cent among women voters, and is tied 50-50 with men.

A whale of a question for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the Coalition in 2010

Humpback calf from the whale series at ScottS101 on Flickr

If the Liberal-Nationals Coalition wins government on 21 August 2010 will party leaders Tony Abbott and Warren Truss support Australian Government legal proceedings currently underway in The Hague (lodged in order to protect whales in the Southern Ocean) or will they cravenly withdraw the application?

''Coalition policy is not to take Japan to the international court. We are against whaling, but we wouldn't seek to advance [the cause] in that particular way" (Tony Abbott in January 2010)

QUESTION:
But that’s a loose term. If you were in government would you take Japan to the International Court or not?
TONY ABBOTT:
Well, if we were in government we’d be able to see the legal advice and, as I said, we support appropriate and effective action in international tribunals. (Tony Abbott in May 2010)