NSW Legislative Council Inquiry raises the issue of a Clarence River dam

From A Clarence Valley Protest on 6 September 2012:

NSWLC Standing Committee On State Development's Inquiry Into The Adequacy Of Water Storages In NSW, 20 August 2012 hearing

The Play:

The future of water storage in New South Wales.

The Sub-Plot:

That National Party fixation with the Clarence River.

The Scene:

Enter from stage right NSW Nationals MLC PETER R. PHELPS. Followed by DAVID ANDREW HARRISS, Commissioner, NSW Office of Water, Department of Primary Industries and, STEWART RICHARD WEBSTER, Principal Director, Investment Appraisal, Statistical Analysis and Economic Research, NSW Trade and Investment.

From the hearing transcript:

The Hon. Dr PETER PHELPS: Are there any rivers in northern New South Wales which sow significant outflows of fresh water to the sea which could be used for damming purposes?

Mr HARRISS: The only one that has been investigated over many years was the Clarence River and that has been shown that it would be both uneconomic and have significant environmental impacts as a consequence. One of the things that have been demonstrated for years is coastal diversions. It is all right in the Snarly because you have quite a substantial catchment area and you have a number of sites for dams—Jindabyne, Eucumbene, Talbingo, Bowen. In the coastal ranges further north around the Clarence to get that catchment area to fill the dam you have to have the dam located further down to get enough water so it cannot be at the top. Further down you locate that dam, the higher the pumping cost to get the water back over the top or the tunnelling cost to get it through the dam. For that reason it has shown that it would not be economically beneficial to construct a dam to divert water from the coastal side into the western side because there would be no activity currently which would generate revenue on the megalitre of water……..

The Hon. Dr PETER PHELPS: Presumably, given what Mr Harriss said earlier about us having dammed every river in New South Wales that it is economically viable to dam, those proposals would be only catchment augmentation.

Mr WEBSTER: What was economically viable 30 years ago might not be now because the value of water changes as an input into various primary production processes. While it appears that the large storage sites have been taken, there may be opportunities.

The Hon. Dr PETER PHELPS: Just not on the Clarence River.

Mr HARRISS: There are opportunities on the Clarence River. What was proposed during the drought—and Malcolm Turnbull promoted it—was to build that dam but then to pipe the water up to south-west Queensland, not to move it into western New South Wales, which was the original proposal. That might have been a bit more economically viable if we were recovering the cost through urban population charges as opposed to the rate charged per kilolitre. However, Queensland was not remotely interested in that. There are some sites, and we mentioned Birrell Creek dam, which is not a big site. There is also the Welcome Reef site near Braidwood. That proposal has been around for about 40 or 50 years. There are some sites. However, the point was made that where it was easy to build a dam 50 or 60—

The Hon. Dr PETER PHELPS: So the low hanging fruit is gone.

Mr HARRISS: Yes.

In Byron a local government election ad grabs the eye

http://byrongreens.com/2012/09/04/campaigning-in-byron-shire-heats-up/

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A trouble in River City musing: One candidate vying for a place on Clarence Valley Council this coming Saturday has a bit of a local government history. Apparently when down south someone found him divisive enough to warn him off in no uncertain terms. My little canine friend, Veronica Lake tells me that her hoomins were saying that the words “lest the public put a barrel of bullets in his chest” were used at the time.

A whozat? musing: Apparently things are getting antsey behind the scenes in the political campaign leading up to the 8 September 2012 Clarence Valley local government election. One particular candidate is rumoured to have banned another candidate from having any further interaction with the Grafton Chamber of Commerce. Surely no-one could possibily make such a foolish mis-step, or could they?

An omerta musing: There is a rumour about that Clarence Valley local government election candidate, Andrew Baker, is saying that he doesn't intend to spend any money on an election campaign. Which makes the mob gathered round the catnip patch wonder if he has the backing of the contruction industry mafioso whose workers just might be expected to toe the polling booth line.

A candidates need to chill musing: Amazed to hear my little canine friend Veronica Lake telling everyone who will listen that one of the genuinely interested single issue candidates at the September 2012 Clarence Valley local government elections chucked a hissy fit after reading one The Daily Examiner editorial. Ronnie reckons it's never wise to have a go at an editor this early in an election campaign and, candidates should focus their attention more constructively on the many problems facing local communities.

A what a hide musing: Property developer, real estate agent and Clarence Valley Council election candidate, Andrew Baker, has listed his email address with the NSWEC as littleaussiebattler@me.com . As if saying could make it so? Did he fall off his bank balance and hit his head on the way down?

A Degrees of Separation musing: I see that a former business partner and a former election campaign director of Nationals Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis (the developer Andrew Baker & the pro-development NSW Nationals former chair and now senior vice-chair Jeremy Challacombe) are both standing at the same September 2012 Clarence Valley local government elections in the electorate he supposedly represents. There are already two councillors (who happen to be card-carrying National Party members) standing for re-election. Is this a Nationals push to finally take control of Clarence Valley Council?

A Don't express an opinion of the candidates musing: Little Veronica Lake pricked up her fluffy white ears this week when she heard her hoomins discussing the fact that The Daily Examiner online is not allowing even mildly negative comments about new candidates at the September 2012 Clarence Valley local government elections. Of course that won't stop quite a few voters putting developers last on the ballot paper.

As Grafton Gaol in the Clarence Valley NSW closes a Gulaptis Sux musing: By bertson from Yamba, Shame O'Farrell! Shame Stoner! And shame Gulaptis! It's all very well for the local member to stand on the picket line when he's been shamed into it, but quite another to stand up for your constituents in the preceding months when the closure was being discussed in Macquarie Street. The electorate has a long memory Chris!!

Boy

# Boy's sidebar posts from 12 July to 5 September 2012 in reverse order

Stonewalling the media begins to backfire on Clarence Valley LGA election candidate, Andrew Baker

After spending much of his time over the last five weeks in what looks suspiciously like an attempt to misdirect Clarence Valley mainstream media with regard to the degree to which his companies are in significant financial difficulties (four are listed by Australian Securities and Investments Commission as under External Administration and therefore now not within his or his partners total control), candidate and property developer Andrew Baker was finally forced to publicly admit that these four local businesses are in trouble due to the borrowings/debts allowed to build up against their assets.

However, ever faithful to his particular brand of political spin; He said that he was unable to explain why ASIC’s classifications were different to how he described them.

A statement which defies belief and a version of the Clayton's explanation he has tried before.

Apparently Mr. Baker has trouble admitting that his election campaign - built on assertions of competence and responsibility - does not mesh well with his history of poor business management as documented by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) below.

Click on images to enlarge

UPDATE

Price Waterhouse Coopers liquidators/receivers have currently taken control of properties in River Street, Maclean.

This is a provisional list*:

20A River Street
24-26 River Street
28 River Street
34-36 River Street
221-223 River Street, Maclean

It is understood that The Palace Arcade may possibly also be part of the properties package being held by the liquidator/receiver. 

In addition Price Waterhouse Coopers have taken control of Lots 8 &  11 Dianella Drive, Gulmarrad, NSW and possibly any unsold lots in the subdivision known as Lot 1712 DP616116, McIntyres Lane, Gulmarrad.

* In the interests of accuracy the list has been changed to reflect property descriptions in ASIC documents.

UPDATE

In The Daily Examiner on 7 September 2012 Andrew Baker stated that he offered voters; the management skills and life experience to deliver that quality management if elected to serve on  Clarence Valley Council.

Truthiness in political reporting

Journalist Katherine Murphy writing in the National Times on 3 September 2012:

The sheer scale and ubiquity of ''truthiness'' in political discussion is gradually stirring journalism's pot, forcing decisions some outlets probably, in truth, don't want to make.

There is already so much conflict - posturing partisan hackery dressed up as news, brutal culture warfare and the like - that outlets that still cherish the principle of giving readers measured, balanced equivalence don't much fancy picking a club and swinging it lustily with all the other Neanderthals.

But balance can't be balance absent judgment. Sometimes statements are just wrong. Sometimes lies are just lies. Politics can't be allowed to manipulate voters by playing with journalism's best intentions to be fair. [my red bolding]

# A big thankyou to Anony-mice of Yamba for sending this quote to me.

Allan Jones and #destroythejoint

From Twitter and #destroythejoint - the memes keep coming.

On Facebook

Clarence Valley local government election candidates and cultural understanding in 2012

Leaving aside for the moment candidate Jeremy Challacombe’s rather odd expectation that members of the Yaegl community might need to sit cross-legged in the sand to discuss the future of Dirrungun at the mouth of the Clarence River, there was an even bigger surprise at the Yamba Meet the Candidates Meeting held on 3 September 2012.

Another candidate, Paul Parkinson, appeared to be labouring under the strong misapprehension that Australia’s court systems are clogged up with indigenous land claims which are primarily financial compensation claims.

According to Mr. Parkinson, native title claims post-Mabo have degenerated into something other than a desire to be recognised as traditional custodians of the land.

A view which somewhat surprised and confused this listener, so I went looking for answers.

All was not as this candidate apparently believes.

Compensation applications are made by Indigenous Australians seeking compensation for loss or impairment of native title according to the National Native Title Tribunal.

In January 2010 there seems to have been only three compensation applications listed across the entire country.

There are currently no notices of compensation applications for New South Wales. Nor are there any in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia or Victoria. There is one listed in relation to a nature reserve in West Australia.

That is it – one lonely compensation claim notification on the books right now. Hardly an argument for unresolved claims piling up in the court system.

According to Justice Berna Collier as of 30 April 2011 the Federal Court had 471 native title claims before it nationwide, with only 17 in the ACT/NSW. The majority of these are not new claims. Again, hardly a number to bring the Bench to its knees.

Interestingly, native title claims usually only come before the Federal Court for formal determination if such claims are opposed – for example by government or mining corporations.

On any given day one is more likely to find the Federal Court's daily list filled with immigration, taxation or commercial litigation rather than native title matters.

What still puzzles me is why Paul Parkinson thought it appropriate to make that inaccurate  statement in the first place.

A map of native title claims in New South Wales can be found here.