Coal seam gas miners won't be putting any presents under the Chrissie tree

Royalties paid by coal seam gas miners in NSW are next to nothing so, as Janet Cavanaugh writes in today's Daily Examiner, don't hold your breath waiting for funds from those sources to amount to anything worth talking about.

Don't expect it any time soon
For those expecting Metgasco's royalties to fund the Pacific Highway upgrade, the second Grafton bridge or a 24-hour police station in Casino (DEX, December 17 "CSG could co-exist: Metgasco") - don't expect it any time soon.
The NSW Government's assistance to encourage the industry includes a five-year holiday on paying royalties for each and every well, and then discounted royalties for a further five years. In contrast, coal seam gas royalties in Queensland are a flat 10% each year.
Peak production of wells often occurs in the first few years of a well's life, with production dropping off significantly after that. In 2010, the total paid to the NSW Government in coal seam gas royalties was only $462,000.
Does Metgasco seriously think this can fund anything more than a fraction of the bureaucracy which is meant to regulate the industry?
Janet Cavanaugh, Whiporie

Source: Letters, The Daily Examiner, 22/12/11

Don't laugh, this is a true story

A 10-years-old sheep on a farm on the Isle of Wight has been fitted with false teeth. The plastic teeth were fitted last week and in seven days the sheep put on 20lb.

That gem appeared in today's Daily Examiner but it wasn't a recent news item. It happened 50 years ago. Regular Examiner readers appreciate the work of Chris Nield who compiles "Backward Glances: Extracts from The Daily Examiner 50 years ago today".

In other 'old' news reported in the Examiner today:

* Sir Earle Christmas Page, former Australian Prime Minister died in Sydney to-day. Lady Page and close relatives were at his bedside constantly as he fought for his life. [Well, truth be known, Sir Earle died on 20 December.]

Footnote: The Australian Dictionary of Biography states that Sir Earle's first wife, Ethel, predeceased him. Ethel died in 1958 and on 20 July 1959 Sir Earle married his secretary Jean Thomas at St Paul's Cathedral. Sir Earle fought his last election in December 1961. Suffering from cancer, he hardly appeared in the electorate and died in Sydney on 20 December, not knowing that he had lost his seat after forty-two year.

Before you get too comfortable.......

From Monash University’s Indigenous Human Rights and History Vol 1(1) [Occasional Papers Series Editors: Lynette Russell, Melissa Castan] comes Genocide in Australia: By Accident or Design? by Colin Tatz – giving us all something to think about as 2011 ends:

There was no pendulum before the 1970s. That there was no desire, let alone a need, to look was partly because Australians regard themselves as quintessential democrats and decent colonists, ‘genuinely benevolent’ as Hancock would say, convinced that Australian-ness [by birth or even by naturalisation] is a natural immunity to bad or homicidal, let alone genocidal, behaviour. When Australia reluctantly ratified the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (hereafter, Genocide Convention or GC)3 in June 1949, a bipartisan parliament was aghast that Australia should be associated with a Genocide Convention Bill. Liberal MP Archie Cameron declared that ‘no one in his right senses believes that the Commonwealth of Australia will be called before the bar of public opinion, if there is such a thing, and asked to answer for any of the things which are enumerated in this convention.’ Labor MP Leslie Haylen was adamant that ‘the horrible crime of genocide is unthinkable in Australia … that we detest all forms of genocide and desire to remove them arises from the fact that we are a moral people. The fact that we have a clean record allows us to take such an attitude...’ (Hansard 1949: 1871–6).

Their indignation and belief in an unblemished record notwithstanding, Australia’s behaviour is now before the bar of public opinion and inevitably on the international conference table; it is increasingly illustrated in museums and film documentaries; it is taught in a small but growing number of university courses and in most high school syllabuses; and published in newspapers, books, annotated bibliographies, genocide studies journals and websites abroad and at home. The Australian case now appears in anthologies like Century of Genocide: Eyewitness Accounts and Critical Views.4 Genocide in Australia is now thinkable and thought about — here and abroad.

That the Aboriginal experience doesn’t look like, sound like or feel like Auschwitz is a quite proper conclusion — but genocide is not restricted to that heinous chapter of the twentieth century. Despite the many differences between the Australian and other cases, the evidence on the destruction of Aboriginal societies is strong enough to fall clearly within the scope of the crime defined in international law……..

Jaysus Wept! Are we never to have a break from the Nomadic Noman?

Apparently Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott cannot stand the thought of ordinary Aussies having a Tony-free media over the Christmas break.
Read this and weep:
"Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is still in the office. He will stop for Christmas Day in Sydney with his family, but keep working in the week leading up to New Year's Eve."
What on earth is he going to tour, open or opine over for heaven's sake - some poor sod's assessment of presents given or received?
The man's clearly unbalanced, if the only time he'll give his family is one lousy day of the most important holidays of the year just so that he can keep his bluidy name in print.

North Coast Nats trying to create a false impression they had a hand in getting federal funding?

If one undertook a vox pop on the streets of Coffs Harbour next week it would be likely that Luke Hartsuyker’s name rather than Rob Oakeshott’s name would be associated with $35 million in Gillard Government funding, after this North Coast Nationals shameless attempt to hijack the announcement.

Excerpt from Independent MP for Lyne Rob Oakeshott media release on 19 December 2011:

FOR the second time in a month, Independent Lyne MP Robert Oakeshott has announced a multi-million windfall for education on the Mid-North Coast.
The Commonwealth will invest $20 million in a health and medical education campus in Port Macquarie – the first of its kind in regional Australia.
Just two weeks ago, the MP announced $15 million towards a Port Macquarie campus for Charles Sturt University.
Today’s announcement involves a multi-partner medical education campus involving the University of New South Wales, the University of Newcastle and the North Coast Institute of TAFE.
“This has been a fantastic fortnight for higher education on the Mid-North Coast, with a record investment of $35 million in tertiary education infrastructure involving three leading universities and the North Coast Institute of TAFE,” Mr Oakeshott said.
“Even more significant than the dollars, is that this campus will be the first regional medical school in Australia where students can complete the entire six-year course, a remarkable outcome for our local students and the university and clinical specialists involved.
“I am absolutely serious about reversing the brain-drain from the Mid-North Coast, and making our region an education hub for the nation,” Mr Oakeshott said.
“The University of NSW will deliver a full six-year medical degree in Port Macquarie from 2014, which is a first for regional Australia, and an important game-changer in the way medical degrees are delivered nationally.

How The Coffs Coast Advocate reported these facts in an online article with photograph which was primarily National Party ‘spin’ on 20 December 2011:

LOCAL Federal member Luke Hartsuyker has welcomed the announcement that his parliamentary colleague Rob Oakeshott has helped to secure $20 million in funding to go toward a multi-partner medical campus in Port Macquarie.

Mr Hartsuyker said that the boost for Port Macquarie's economy should be seen as a pat on the back for all regional town centres not just the Hastings area.

"Everyone welcomes more medical facilities and more medical training in regional areas," Mr Hartsuyker said.

In the past fortnight Mr Oakeshott has announced $33 million in federal money going towards his constituents in the seat of Lyne after recently announcing $13 million that the independant MP helped to get granted to Charles Sturt University to help pay for a Regional University Centre at Port Macquarie.

The local member said that money had already been allocated to the Coffs Coast region when it became a trailblazer in rural medical training.

Overall Australians are going into the 2011 festive season still confident that the economy and home finances are faring well

From the last Essential Report for 2011:

Click on graphs to enlarge

Overall, respondents were optimistic that 2012 would be a good year for themselves overall (52%) and their workplace (45%). They tended to be less optimistic about their financial situation (33% good/27% bad) and somewhat pessimistic about the Australian economy (29%/35%).
Compared to expectations 12 months ago, respondents were much less optimistic about the Australian economy (48% good last year compared to 29% good this year) and also rather less optimistic about their own financial situation (39%/20% last year compared to 33%/27% this year).
When compared with last week’s questions on perceptions of 2011, these figures suggest that respondents expect 2012 to be better than 2011 for themselves and their family (net +36% for next year compared to net +24% for this year), a little better for their workplace (+25% next year, +20% last year) and their own financial situation (+6% next year, -2% this year). The Australian economy is expected to be a little worse in 2012 (-6% next year compared to +2% last year).

UPDATE:

Moody’s Investor Service Global Credit Research - 21 Dec 2011

New York, December 21, 2011 -- Moody's maintains the following ratings on Australia, Government of:

Long Term Issuer (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Aaa

Senior Unsecured (domestic and foreign currency) ratings of Aaa

Senior Unsecured Shelf (foreign currency) rating of (P)Aaa

RATINGS RATIONALE

Australia's Aaa ratings are based on the country's very high economic resiliency, very high government financial strength, and very low susceptibility to event risk. Economic resiliency is demonstrated by the country's very high per capita income, large size, and economic diversity. As one of the world's most advanced economies, the country has not only a significant natural resource sector--including minerals,hydrocarbons, and agriculture--but also well developed manufacturing and service sectors. It also demonstrates strong governance indicators. In particular, the framework for fiscal policy is transparent and has, until now, consistently kept government debt at low levels.

The government's debt rating of Aaa takes into account the aim of maintaining a balanced budget, on average, over the business cycle. It is supported by the very low level of public debt and the country's strong financial system. In comparison to most other Aaa-rated countries, Australia's government financial strength is very high, with very low gross debt that is easily affordable and provides a high degree of fiscal flexibility...... [my bolding]

Hatip to Latika Bourke for tweeting this information.

I'm shocked, Aunty ABC!

Yes, I’m well and truly shocked Aunty. Two of your radio interviewers have been found guilty of blatant bias a lack of impartiality.

What so flabbergasts me is that it doesn’t happen more often given the number of closet wing-nuts and bat-crazy evangelists that appear to be lurking in those darker regional corners of your media empire.

Kyogle Council directs CSG miners to far queue

Kyogle Council has followed Lismore Council and imposed a ban on any seismic testing, exploration drilling or other road reserve disturbance by the CSG Industry on Council owned infrastructure or infrastructure under Kyogle Council control.

Council's meeting on Monday night further resolved to inform the CSG industry and the NSW State Government that the moratorium will remain in place until its previous recommendations have been satisfactorily addressed.

On 18 April 2011 Council resolved:

That Council write to the State government to call for a moratorium on CSG drilling until such times as the impact of CSG on water supplies, the environment and personal property and amenity is understood through independent research, funded by government, is carried out.

On 12 September 2011 Council resolved:

That Council addresses the Parliamentary Inquiry taking the positions outlined below:
1. That Council re-confirms its request to the State Government for a moratorium on CSG drilling (not just the issue of licences) until such time as the impact of CSG on water supplies, the environment and personal property and amenity is understood through independent research, funded by government, is carried out.
2. That Council advises the Parliamentary Inquiry that it supports the many genuine concerns of a large proportion of its community with regards to the Coal Seam gas Industry and the proposed pipeline along the Lions Road and their potential impacts on our Council area. In particular we note the potential for adverse impact on the headwaters of the Richmond River from which a majority of our community depends upon for human use, irrigation and stock use.
3. That Council advises the Parliamentary Inquiry that the Coal Seam Gas Industry should be subject to the same process as any other development; that is via a comprehensive EIS which addresses all the issues, provides for Community input and places the onus on the industry to provide scientific proof of the safety aspects. Not the reverse as recently suggested by the Minister.
4. That Council provides a further written submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry which outlines in more detail the community concerns as expressed in resolution no. 2.

That Council write to Tony Windsor MP expressing concerns with Coal Seam Gas explorations, and advise that Council supports him in presenting his private members bill to the Federal Parliament.

On 28 November 2011 Council resolved:

That Council approaches NSW State Government in relation to the Environmental Impact Statement from Metgasco on the proposed pipeline over the Lions Road, seeking assurance that Council will be involved in the process and be allowed to have input.