Former Australia Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb - moved from parliament to private sector without a pause

Andrew Robb with Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng and former prime minister Tony Abbott

at the signing of the China trade agreement in 2015. Alex Ellinghausen

Former Liberal Member for Goldstein and former Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb officially retired when the federal election was called on 9 June 2016 after around twelve years in the House of Representatives.

His annual parliamentary pension is thought to be well in excess of $102,000 for life.

Despite receiving a pension which is at least four times higher than an average person on the aged pension, a month later Mr. Robb announced he had found employment in capacities which allow him to take immediate advantage of contacts he made as a minister of the crown.

What could possibly go wrong?

The employment list so far……..

Australian Financial Review, 11 July 2016:

Former trade minister Andrew Robb will advise a Geelong start-up that's invented a genetic guide to antidepressant drug dosage, in the mental health advocate's first corporate role since retiring from politics at the recent federal election.

CNSDose, founded at University of Melbourne's MAP accelerator last year by alumni Ajeet Singh, has just raised $1 million and in January inked a distribution deal with a US-wide chain of DNA testing labs, AlphaGenomix.

Now Mr Robb, inspired by his own experience battling depression, is helping the start-up make connections with pathology lab chains in China, Hong Kong and the US, based on his own networks.

Australian Financial Review, 13 July 2016:

Former trade minister Andrew Robb has joined investment bank Moelis & Company, where he will focus on deals with China.

It is Mr Robb's second appointment since leaving politics at the recent federal election, after he took up a role advising Geelong healthcare start-up, CNSDose.

The role with Moelis, a New York-listed investment bank, will see Mr Robb mainly helping Chinese companies looking to enter the Australian market.

He will have the title of independent adviser.

Moelis also has an asset management business focused on wealthy Chinese wishing to obtain an Australian passport, through the Significant Investor Visa program.

Mr Robb was responsible for redesigning this program while in government to tilt the required $5 million in investment away from passive bonds, towards higher risk venture capital and small company investments.

Moelis says it has about $1 billion in assets under management from this program.

As a Minister in the Abbott and Turnbull governments, Mr Robb was responsible for concluding long-stalled free-trade deals with China, Japan and South Korea.

The Australian, 15 July 2016:

Malcolm Turnbull is being urged to greenlight a private-sector proposal by eager regional councils for a $200 billion fast train linking Sydney with Melbourne.

But the keen response from rural councils in NSW and Victoria was tempered by a more cautious approach by state and federal governments to the ambitious proposal from private company, Consolidated Land and Rail ­Australia.

CLARA, which is advised by high-profile former politicians including former Victorian premier Steve Bracks, former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell and former trade minister Andrew Robb, is proposing a 915km fast-train project for travel between Sydney and Melbourne in less than two hours.

Lismore City Council quarry fined for failure to conduct ground water assessment before rock extraction

A business unit of Lismore City Council, with an annual turnover of around $12 million and a licence to extract 600,000 tonnes of aggregate per annum until 2039, has been caught breaching council’s consent conditions.

NSW Dept.pf Planning and Environment, media release, 4 July 2016:

The Department of Planning and Environment has fined Blakebrook Quarry $15,000 for failing to undertake a ground water assessment before commencing extraction in the quarry’s South Pit, in accordance with their conditions of approval.

A spokesperson from the Department said compliance officers have liaised with the company on numerous occasions since 2011 about the failure to submit the required groundwater assessment, which was due by 30 June 2010.

“Despite the Department issuing a Notice of Intention to Give an Order in September 2011, a subsequent Warning Letter in January 2012 and a Draft Order in March 2013, the company has not submitted the required ground assessment,” a spokesperson said.

“Compliance officers have confirmed extraction of hard rock has begun in the South Pit without the ground water assessment, which must be approved by the Department.

“The Department has confirmed works in this pit have continued as recently as December 2015.

“In addition to the $15,000 penalty, the Department has issued an Order to the company to conduct monitoring, and provide the groundwater assessment by a specified date.

“Failure by the company to comply with the Order may attract stronger enforcement action which could include the commencement of proceedings in the Land and Environment Court.

“Our compliance officers conduct spot checks without warning, regular inspections and audits as well as work with companies to ensure they are sticking to the rules.

“The Department actively conducts compliance audits and also offers education and training.

“The Department can issue the highest on-the-spot fines in the country for breaches of conditions.

“The community is also encouraged to contact the Department with any concerns. Complaints will be investigated by the compliance team.”

A reminder of why there has been no successful water raids on the Clarence River or its tributaries during the protracted water wars of the 21st Century

Northern New South Wales

Proposals similar to the Bradfield Scheme have also been suggested for the coastal rivers of New South Wales. A review of 22 coastal catchments found that only nine had western boundaries on the Great Dividing Range. Even though diverting some of these nine rivers was technically possible, the cost was too high to justify construction.

Later, proposals were raised for inland water diversion from the Clarence River. However, none of these proposals for the Clarence River were supported by cost– benefit analyses or environmental and social impact assessments. The Clarence River basin is unique in that it lies in a transition zone between temperate and tropical flora.

This makes it a region with high biodiversity values. A 1999 Healthy Rivers Commission report argued that any proposal to divert significant quantities of water out of this river basin would pose significant risk to the health of riverine ecosystems, and the activities and values those systems support.

In 2003, an analysis of 23 options to divert water inland from the Clarence River was undertaken by Hunter Water Australia. The study estimated that the final delivery cost to irrigators for diverted water would range from $163 to $2807 per ML (approximately 10 to 200 times greater than the existing irrigation costs).

Similarly, a desktop analysis of 40 options to capture and divert water from the Northern Rivers of NSW (including the Clarence River) to north east NSW and south east Queensland was undertaken by the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Australia in 2007. The study estimated that the best value option was to deliver up to 100 000 ML of water per year from the Clarence River, at a delivery cost to users of $1730 per ML. The study also found that a more detailed environmental analysis would be required before any of the options could be progressed.

[Australian Government Dept. of the Environment, “Water for the Future - Moving water long distances: Grand schemes or pipe dreams?”, 2011]

Meanwhile in America: U.S. senators call out web of denial regarding climate change

On 11 July 2016 Democrat senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Ed Markey, Brian Schatz, Barbara Boxer, Jeff Merkley, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Al Franken tabled a concurrent resolution asking the U.S. Congress to disapprove of organised climate change denialism funded by certain corporations, trade associations, foundations and organizations in an effort to mislead the public, undermine peer-reviewed scientific research about the dangers of their products and, to deliberately cast doubt on science in order to protect their financial interests.

On 11 July the Senate referred this resolution to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

United States Senate 114th Congress - Concurrent Resolution - "Web of Denial" by clarencegirl on Scribd

Liverpool Plains Youth: all in all it's just another bucket of coal

Hey, Shenhua – leave those plains alone!

https://youtu.be/GPpLSCGWOJ0

For all those political tragics out there: the 1.419 million sq kms* which became three Coalition MP-free zones on 2 July 2016

A total of six states and two territories make up the Commonwealth of Australia - Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Did all of these eight elect at least one Coalition candidate to the House of Representatives on 2 July 2016? No.

Three returned zero Liberal Party or National Party MPs - Tasmania, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

In the Northern Territory the lone Country Liberal incumbent Natasha Griggs lost her seat to Labor and the second Territory seat remained with Labor.

In the ACT both lower house seats were retained by Labor.

Out of the five Tasmanian seats three were held by the Liberals after the 2013 election – these were all lost at this election with Eric Hutchinson, Brett Whitely and Andrew Nikolic being sacked by their electorates.

It would appear that while Malcolm Bligh Turnbull’s millions may possibly have brought him government in a closely fought election for the 226 upper and lower house seats, it couldn’t buy him this one small state or either territory**.

* The combined land area of Tasmania, Northern Territory and ACT is 1,419,888 sq kms - over 18 per cent of Australia's land mass - according to Geoscience Australia.

** The Nationals look set to retain one of the two Northern Territory senate seats and the Liberals to retain one of the two ACT senate seats - the count to date indicates it is also likely that four of the twelve Tasmanian senate seats will be held by the Liberals.

Information night on effects of port dredging, Iluka Community Hall, 7.15pm Thursday 21 July 2016

https://www.facebook.com/noyambamegaport/photos/a.899707640173179.1073741827.899565613520715/910119642465312/?type=3&theater

Headline of the Week

Turnbull steers Australia into a wall

[The Daily Examiner, 9 Jul 2016]

Yet another example of why Australia needs uniform 'real time' political donation disclosure laws

The full list of who made declarable cash donations to political parties or independent candidates and, which state parties and associated entities transferred money to their federal counterparts for use in the campaign preceding the 2 July 2016 federal election, won’t be known until 2018.

That will in all probability be less than a year before the next federal election.

Even then the accuracy of disclosures is open to speculation as at the period covering the previous federal election in 2013 indicates:

50 (54%) resulted in the disclosure return requiring amendment

35 returns (38%) required amendment to the reported total value of receipts

32 returns (34%) required amendment to the reported total value of payments

12 returns (13%) required amendment to the reported total value of debts

31 returns (33%) required amendment to the details of individual receipts, either by correcting the details disclosed or adding receipts not included on the return

6 returns (6%) required amendment to the details of outstanding debts, either by correcting the details disclosed or adding debts not included on the return.

Meanwhile, as we wait ABC News on 14 July 2016 supplied yet another example of why real time online publication of political donation declarations would be a wise reform:

A group of Sydney property developers have donated thousands of dollars to the ACT branch of the Liberal Party despite appearing to have no connection with the capital.

Developers are banned from making political donations in New South Wales, but are not in the ACT.

Since last month four companies registered to developers in Sydney have donated a total of $20,000 to the Canberra Liberals.

The ACT Labor Government said it had no record of any of the companies ever working, or applying for work, in the territory.

One of the developers, Tony Merhi, previously appeared before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over allegations he had bypassed his state's ban on developer donations by donating to a Liberal Party slush fund.

Mr Merhi also sparked interest when it was revealed he began donating tens of thousands of dollars to the federal Liberal Party following the NSW ban on developer donations in 2009.

In response to questions from the ABC, regarding the donations and the possibility the Canberra Liberals were being used to avoid the NSW ban, the party released a short statement.

"The Canberra Liberals receive donations from many different individuals and businesses. All donations are permitted under ACT donations laws," the statement read.

Merc Shoppingtown, Toplace, J&M Nassif Property Group and Statewide Planning all made one-off $5,000 donations to the Liberals in June.

Details on the companies are limited, but Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) records showed they were registered respectively to Tony Merhi, Jean Nassif, John and Maroun Nassif, and Hoda Demian.

The ABC has been unable to contact any of the companies or their directors, other than Toplace, who declined to comment.

The NSW Electoral Commission said the "risk of money being moved between branches of political parties [was] not a new one"….

"The NSW Electoral Commission has advocated reform in this area, as has the Panel of Experts on Political Donations more recently," the Commission said in a statement.

But the Commission said if the ACT Liberal Party chose to transfer the money to their New South Wales colleagues there would be a cap on how quickly they could do it.

"The ACT branch of the Liberal Party can donate this financial year $5,900 to the NSW branch for state purposes and another $5,900 for local government purposes," the Commission said.

The ACT Liberal Party deputy leader Alistair Coe dismissed the issue as a storm in a tea cup.

Mr Coe said the donations were linked to the party's federal campaign.

"So our federal campaign does have different dealings with people right across the ACT and indeed Australia, so to that end those donations are linked to the federal campaign rather than territory politics," he said…..

Last week's update to the ACT's political donation disclosures also shows the Canberra Liberals received one of their largest ever individual donations, $30,000 from Paul Marks, as well as a $15,000 donation from the Victorian branch of the party.

Mr Marks rose to prominence last year when then federal Liberal MP Stuart Robert was forced to resign after it was revealed he held shares in a mining company linked to Mr Marks.

UPDATE

The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 July 2016:

The party's financial dire straits were so bad during the marathon eight-week campaign the Liberals had to scrimp on their advertising earlier to afford a blitz during the final week, when political ads are thought to be most effective.  

One Liberal MP said they were regularly approached and offered donations on the proviso they were not redirected to Mr Turnbull's federal campaign. 

The Australian reported on Friday that Mr Turnbull, a multi-millionaire some estimate could be worth as much as $200 million, had dipped into his own pocket to fund $1 million worth of Liberal Party advertising.

Asked to confirm or deny the report, Mr Turnbull's office declined to answer and instead said all donations would be disclosed and made public. 

"Donations to the Liberal Party are disclosed in accordance with the requirements of the Electoral Act," a spokesman for the Prime Minister said. 

The Australian Electoral Commission says parties must disclose their donors identities each financial year, if their contributions exceed $13,000. But records for the 2016 election campaign will not be made public until February 2017.....