***********A Merry Festive Season To All In 2013***********

North Coast Voices

Wishes all our contributors and readers

A Very Merry Festive Season

2013

See you again on 1 January 2014 
When we return from our holiday break

A cry for help from the north Queensland coast

Members of the coalition government joining the queue outside the office of Christopher Pyne, Education Minister and Leader of the House, to seek remedial lessons are advised to take a ticket to ensure they maintain their place in the queue.

Another MP joining the queue is George Christensen (Liberal National), the Member for Dawson.






Other government MPs in the queue include Teresa Gambaro, Kelly O'Dwyer and Mal Brough.

Evidence of Mr Christensen's need for help is provided in his entry, dated 19 November 2013, in the register of members'  interests.

A Christmas Memo to the Far Right

It has long been an Australian right wing brag that when the Howard Government left office there was no public debt on the national books.

So it was most amusing to read Messrs Hockey (Treasurer) and Cormann’s (Finance Minister) December 2013 Mid-Year Economic And Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) document which clearly states: The total face value of CGS on issue has varied significantly over time. In level terms, the largest decrease since 1970-71 occurred between 1996-97 and 2006-07, when the face value of CGS on issue roughly halved from $111.1 billion to $53.3 billion.

Commonwealth Government Securities (CGS) are of course the mechanism by which a federal government borrows money and it seems that Howard, Costello & Co left office owing at least $53.2 billion net or $58.2 billion in total.

Journalists becoming a dwindling band

 

Australian Newspaper History Group December 2013 Newsletter:

The number of journalists and other writers in Australia fell by 16 per cent in the year to August as traditional media organisations slashed staff numbers, according to the latest jobs report by consultancy Economic and Market Development Advisors (Australian, 4 November 2013). Staff numbers in public relations also fell “as this sub-sector experienced a fairly dismal year”, the report said. The media and marketing sector employed 291,000 people in the year, including about 23,500 journalists and writers, 19,300 public relations people, 131,000 sales and marketing managers and another 51,000 sales and marketing professionals. “This sector is one that is most responsive to the state of the economy and as the economy and business confidence improves, jobs growth is anticipated to return,” the report said. The number of journalists and writers was still historically high, having risen 19 per cent over the past 15 years, said EMDA director Michael Emerson.

Over the same period, the number of PR operatives had grown 79 per cent. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance estimated that in the past 18 months 1500 journalist jobs had been cut by major media outlets and over the past six years the number of newsroom staff had halved. It estimated there were now fewer than 9000 working journalists in Australia. The union estimated that “well over” 500 jobs were cut at News Corp Australia in calendar 2012, although the company refused to comment on that figure, as well as about 400 at Fairfax Media and 100 at Ten Network.