[The Australian 2 August 2010]
Tuesday 3 August 2010
Another NSW North Coast council disappoints
On 27 July 2010 The Bellingen Shire Courier Sun reported on the failure of Bellingen Shire Council to support Uranga residents and the Urunga Storm and Flood Mitigation Committee formed in July 2009 after widespread regional flooding in the first half of that year:
"Cr Mark Troy announced they were going to approach the State Government for funding. He said the Council couldn't afford to fund this work but they would be immediately making that application. For the next few months I regularly rang the Mayor to be told they hadn't had any response from the State," said Mr Boatfield.
"Mike Edsall (former Director of Engineering) rang me at 11am on November 12, (6 months after the flood). Mike apologised for taking so long to respond on behalf of Mark Troy in relation to my constant requests for an update on Councils progress. He then said "the Council needed to apologise for misleading the Committee as there had virtually been no progress to this stage and no funding had been applied for but they were now applying for funding of $45,000 from the Floodplain Assistance Committee, to advertise for quotes to do a feasibility study on option 2. "This was to see if the last study conducted in 1999 with recommendations that scheme No.2 be adopted and the works to be completed by 2001 would still be the best outcome (Option 2 is an open drain across Urunga to a drain under Morgo Street) this would reduce the flood level by 1.5 meters and could mean virtually no houses would be inundated with floodwater. This new study was subject to a State grant. To date this has not been achieved.
"Councillor Bruce Cronin, who was involved in the original Public Meeting and who totally agrees with our continued efforts and our above statements, regrets that he sees little or no light at the end of the tunnel for our cause. All we are getting are words of agreement from every source, but no money & therefore no action," Mr Boatfield said.
"It is now time for Council to come clean on their course of actions and stop hiding behind the inactivity of Government and get for Urunga what the rate payers need and make it a priority for Urunga. If Council is so ineffective in looking after us please tell us who to approach," he concluded.
Intoduction to Journalism 101 or What not to do as a regional journalist
There are over 100 million Facebook accounts around the world and anyone who has an account can in theory read everyone of these pages.
These particular Facebook snapshots was passed on to me with the comment that it was not a good look for any jounalist working on a regional paper with a circulation of less than 9,000 covering a population of around 150,000.
These particular Facebook snapshots was passed on to me with the comment that it was not a good look for any jounalist working on a regional paper with a circulation of less than 9,000 covering a population of around 150,000.
In fact - not a good look when working in any relatively small community where you may already have a higher profile than the fella next door because you work in teh meeja.
On checking I tend to agree.
On checking I tend to agree.
Going onto a pollie's Facebook page and publically mocking the Federal Treasurer, sniggering about the NSW Premier, bagging local Labor or egging on a candidate is definitely not a good look if you want to be seen as an even-handed journalist.
The journo in question is Josh McMahon and the Facebook sites belong to the NSW North Coast's Federal Labor MP for Page Janelle Saffin, NSW Nationals MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell and Nationals federal candidate for Page at the 21st August election, Kevin Hogan.
2010 Election Campaign Day 18 - @rsehole alert!
"PERTH Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey has suggested Julia Gillard's atheism could cost her votes. But he says Tony Abbott's "strong Christian faith" could benefit him.
The provocative comments triggered heated debate on Perth talkback radio yesterday as a string of callers objected to the apparent leap into partisan politics.
The archbishop told The Australian he had not meant to imply people should not vote for the Prime Minister - a self-professed atheist - and was simply "sounding a caution" about the rise of secularism in politics." {Perth Now 30th July 2010}
"Gillard told the ABC’s Madonna King this week that she was not “a big time, you know, fashionista, in that sense. I, you know, view myself as someone who works and I wear the clothes that are appropriate to the work that I do, so I took that perspective”.
Which might have stunned readers of the Vive article for which she wore a Giorgio Armani black suit valued at $3000, an Emporio Armani white shirt ($440), Chloe black suede stilettos ($745) and a pair of Monteperla golden pearl earrings ($11,000).
That’s a total of about $15,185 worth of clobber - the equivalent of 43 1/2 weeks’ pension. Not bad for a small-time fashionista." {Piers Akerman in The Daily Telegraph on 29th July 2010, misrepresenting the obviously borrowed clobber used in an Australian Women's Weekly photo shoot}
Monday 2 August 2010
Essential Report: yet another tight opinion poll for the main contenders in 2010 Australian federal election
From the Essential Report (2 August 2010) survey conducted online from 27th July to 1st August 2010:
Q. The Federal Election will be held on 21 August – to which party will you probably give your first preference in the House of Representatives? If not sure, which party are you currently leaning toward?
Q. If don’t know – Well which party are you currently leaning to for the House of Representatives?
Click image to enlarge
2,418 sample size
NB. The data in the above tables comprise 2-week averages derived the first preference/leaning to voting questions. Respondents who select ‘don’t know’ are not included in the results. The two-party preferred estimate is calculated by distributing the votes of the other parties according to their preferences at the 2007 election.
* Sample is the aggregation of two weeks’ polling data.
* Sample is the aggregation of two weeks’ polling data.
The questions in this week’s report include:
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Julia Gillard is doing as Prime Minister?
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader?
Q. Who do you think would make the better Prime Minister out of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott?
Q. What is the main reason you intend to vote for the Labor Party/Liberal or National Party/Greens?
Q. Tony Abbott has proposed to cut immigration from around 300,000 a year to 170,000? Do you approve or disapprove of this cut to immigration?
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Julia Gillard is doing as Prime Minister?
Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Opposition Leader?
Q. Who do you think would make the better Prime Minister out of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott?
Q. What is the main reason you intend to vote for the Labor Party/Liberal or National Party/Greens?
Q. Tony Abbott has proposed to cut immigration from around 300,000 a year to 170,000? Do you approve or disapprove of this cut to immigration?
Q. Which leader and party do you trust most to handle immigration issues?
If my animals could vote in 2010?
If my animals could vote in 2010?
The dogs Blair and Tom would definitely be voting for Julia Gillard. She's a fine alpha bitch who got rid of the top dog and obviously knows were all the bones are buried.
The bathroom cat Venus would vote for Tony Abbott. He, like cats, knows that the world is divided into masters and slaves and how quickly he assured the big miners that his government would not tax them shows he respects the masters.
The goldfish think that the Greens have the best policies for them. The Greens are for a good environmental flow for all waterways and they have the kindest immigration policies - both these points are very important for foreign fish.
All the birds have agreed that they will put the Shooters Party at the bottom of their ticket.
Most of the geese will be voting for Family First since it pretends to be the moral majority. This falls in line with the unmated geese’s habit of attempting to disrupt the mating of any partnered birds.
The chooks are definitely swinging voters, they are keeping their cards and feathers close to their wishbones.
The bathroom cat Venus would vote for Tony Abbott. He, like cats, knows that the world is divided into masters and slaves and how quickly he assured the big miners that his government would not tax them shows he respects the masters.
The goldfish think that the Greens have the best policies for them. The Greens are for a good environmental flow for all waterways and they have the kindest immigration policies - both these points are very important for foreign fish.
All the birds have agreed that they will put the Shooters Party at the bottom of their ticket.
Most of the geese will be voting for Family First since it pretends to be the moral majority. This falls in line with the unmated geese’s habit of attempting to disrupt the mating of any partnered birds.
The chooks are definitely swinging voters, they are keeping their cards and feathers close to their wishbones.
Arnold the poddy calf is still undecided; I think he's been talking to the chooks.
Original goose graphic
The Liberals descend to what looks suspiciously like defamtion...
Journalist Andrew Bolt and former Howard Government foreign minister, Alexander Downer plumb the depths with this comment by Downer repeated by The Bolter:
"I don't use the c-word, but I do use the f-word pretty freely, and I can tell you that Kevin Rudd is a f****** awful person."
Original 1 August 2010 article here.
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