Six foot tall heavyweight Barnaby Joyce versus thirteen inches of Australian possum magic

A red-faced political brawler has decided to beat up on a shy, small nocturnal possum.

THE POSSUM

Leadbeater's Possum

Gymnobelideus leadbeateri

Native to Australia

Originally known as the Bass River Possum

Estimated average length: 33 cm (13 inches) from head to tail

Critically Endangered (2015)

On International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species

Estimated wild population: 1,200 - 4,000 possums

Leadbeater's possum occurs in Australia’s tallest forests in central Victoria. Considered extinct until 1961, the species is now found in two subpopulations: a core location in the Central Highlands and an outlier in lowland floodplain forest. During the day, possums den in communal nests in the hollow centre of a large dead or living tree. A monogamous breeding pair and one or more generations of offspring den together. Feeding occurs at night with the diet comprising of trunk and branch exudates (80%) and insects (20%). [Australian Department of Environment and Energy, Species Profile and Threats Database, 2017]

Old-growth ash forest is prime habitat for Leadbeater’s possum. It is estimated that old-growth or multi-aged mountain ash forest comprised 30–60 per cent of the current ash forest estate in the Central Highlands of Victoria prior to European settlement. Old growth ash forest now comprises 1.15 per cent of this mountain ash forest estate (Lindenmayer et al., 2013a). [Threatened Species Scientific Committee, Conservation Advice to the Minister, 22 April 2015]

Bushfires, post-fire salvage logging and commercial timber harvesting, particularly clear-felling, are the principal cause of continuing loss of ideal habitat.

The Leadbeater’s Possum is the gazetted mammal emblem of Victoria [1971].

THE BRAWLER

Barnaby Joyce is pushing for the conservation status of the critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum to be downgraded to open up areas of protected forests in Victoria for logging, in an effort to save 250 jobs at the Heyfield sawmill.

* Image of Joyce letter via Twitter

* Leadbeater's Possum photograph from auscape.com.au

* Photograph of Barnaby Joyce from Google Images

Dear Mr. Hogan, What is your position on your leader's plan to encourage the gas industry by mandating that landowners "hosting" wells be given 10% of royalties?

  

Knitting Nannas Against Gas

Grafton Loop

c/- PO Box 763

Grafton 2460

knaggrafton@gmail.com

_____________________________

24th March 2017

Mr Kevin Hogan MP

Member for Page

63 Molesworth St

LISMORE 2480

Dear Mr Hogan

Barnaby Joyce’s Gas Royalty Plan

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas was surprised to hear that the National Party Leader, Barnaby Joyce, is promoting a plan which he believes will lead to community acceptance of CSG and unconventional gas mining in areas of our nation where there has been strong resistance to this invasive and polluting industry.

We believe that Mr Joyce has no appreciation of the deleterious impacts of gas-mining which have been overwhelmingly demonstrated in Queensland as well as in other parts of the world. We also believe that his attempt to bribe landowners will not lead to community acceptance of the industry.

Some of the Nannas in our Loop have experience of what a Queensland gasfield is like and how appalling living in or near a gasfield is to local communities. You might care to read Nanna Lynette’s gasfield inspection report on the Nannas’ blog at: http://knaggrafton.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/queensland-gasfield-tour-knitting.html

Mr Hogan, you previously supported those who opposed the industry in your electorate. (We are uncertain whether this concern about the industry extended beyond your electorate to other parts of the nation.)

What is your position on your leader’s plan to encourage the gas industry by mandating that landowners “hosting” wells be given 10% of royalties?

Do you believe that this bribe will ensure that neighbouring landowners (as differing from directly impacted landowners) will accept the industry in their areas? Do you believe that the rest of the community will accept the industry?

We look forward to your response.

Regards

Leonie Blain

on behalf of the Grafton Nannas

Australian lawyers commitment to pro bono work cannot plug the gaps in legal assistance sector caused by federal government budget cuts

Medianet Release
23 Mar 2017 11:44 AM AEST - Australia's legal assistance sector facing Federal Budget disaster, and pro bono cannot plug the gap The average Australian lawyer is contributing a full week of work every year for free, but even this is insufficient to fix Australia's legal assistance funding crisis, which is set to dramatically deepen after the upcoming Federal Budget. Law Council of Australia President, Fiona McLeod SC, has told the sixth National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference in Adelaide today that although the crisis in legal assistance funding had been getting steadily worse over two decades, drastic cuts to take effect from 1 July this year will be particularly disastrous. "Scheduled funding cuts to Community Legal Centres (CLCs) will amount to a loss of $35 million between 2017 and 2020 – that's a 30 per cent cut to Commonwealth funding for services that are already chronically under-resourced," she said. "Last year CLCs were forced to turn away 160,000 people seeking legal assistance. These cuts will lead to 36,000 fewer clients assisted, and 46,000 fewer advices provided. "We are talking here about real people, with real problems. People who thought their situation was serious enough to seek legal assistance. People who would not have had other viable options for legal advice. "How many of those turned away now have exacerbated problems? How have those problems spread within their families, their social networks, their communities? "The Productivity Commission has called for an extra $200 million for legal assistance, because research shows these problems cost the economy long-term. Legal problems are a lot like medical problems – without prompt attention they tend to get much worse. "The Government needs to listen to the experts and reverse these catastrophic cuts." Ms McLeod noted that pro bono cannot ever be a substitute for properly funded legal aid services, remarkable though this contribution of Australian lawyers is. "The pro bono work undertaken by Australian lawyers should be a matter of enormous pride for the profession," Ms McLeod said. "Australian lawyers give away literally hundreds of thousands of pro bono work hours every year to those who have no one else to turn to. 35 hours of pro bono legal services, per lawyer, per year. "But if pro bono is to be truly effective it needs a strong legal assistance sector. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and CLCs assess cases and refer work to appropriate pro bono lawyers. Without proper funding this link is broken and many more people fall through the cracks." You can access the Law Council President, Fiona McLeod's speech here. To learn more about the legal aid crisis visit: www.legalaidmatters.org.au.
Contact Us	© Australian Associated Press, 2017

NSW Berejiklian Government continues to say no to coal seam gas mining in the Northern Rivers region

The Daily Examiner, 22 March 2017:

THE NSW Government has ruled out coal seam gas mining and exploration on the North Coast.

Deputy Premier John Barlilaro put a line through it yesterday during unveiling of the The North Coast Regional Plan at Coffs Harbour yesterday.

"We've heard the community's viewpoint on coal seam gas loud and clear and this plan states that CSG resources on the North Coast will remain in the ground,” Mr Barlilaro said.

The Member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, was another member of the government happy to keep CSG in the ground.

"Despite what the deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, might be saying there is no appetite for coal seam gas mining on the North Coast,” Mr Gulaptis said.

Mr Joyce last week floated a national plan to give farmers who allowed gas wells on their land a 10% share of the royalties generated….

Mr Gulaptis said there was also no appetite to allow CSG mining exploration in the government.

"The government has bought up the exploration licences on the North Coast and in reality there's plenty of natural gas around,” he said.

Mr Gulaptis said the claims of a "gas shortage” in Australia were hard to understand.

"We've got plenty of gas in Australia,” he said. "The issues seems to be ensuring there is enough of it directed to domestic supply and not go offshore.