Australian Political Cartoonist of the Year 2020

 

The Age, 19 November 2020:

The Museum of Australian Democracy has named The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age cartoonist Cathy Wilcox the political cartoonist of the year. Here is some of her best work from 2020.

Endangered Species, January 22, 2020. "As often happens when you follow the news, parallels emerge between disparate issues. In this case, there were stories of the terrible cost to wildlife of last summer's bushfires, and the proliferation of pests, as well as evidence of the corrupt and unethical behaviour in business and politics, which appears to have become the norm. Coincidence? In any case, it's hard not to feel despair for what we've lost in both spheres." CREDIT:CATHY WILCOX

Barilaro, the stealthy empire builder in 2020

When Liberal MP for Willoughby Gladys Berejiklian was sworn in as Premier of New South Wales on 23 January 2017, Nationals MP for Monaro John Barilaro (left) had already been Deputy-Premier under Bruce Baird for 38 days.

On 30 January 2017 Berejiklian made Barilaro Minister for Regional New South Wales. Twenty-six months later Berejiklian expanded this ministerial portfolio into the Minister for Regional New South Wales, Industry and Trade.

On the same day Barilaro’s regional portfolio was expanded, Berejiklianestablished the new Department of Regional NSW to better coordinate support for communities, businesses and farmers in the bush.

The new department headquartered in Queanbeyan acts as a central agency that brings together functions from the Department of Planning Industry and Environment cluster and, is being led by Secretary Gary Barnes, formerly the Coordinator General, Regional NSW, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

The departmental workforce is expected to eventually reach around 5,000 employees, according to its Linkedin entry.

John Barilaro said the department will bring together Primary Industries, Local Land Services, Resources and Geoscience and regional coordination across government…..it is imperative we have a government designed to properly support every corner of this State.

What this means for regional communities is that Barilaro has gathered into his ministerial portfolio the processes for carrying forward increased land clearing, increased native timber logging on private and Crown land, as well as further exploration and mining in regional NSW. 

Water security has also been included in this portfolio - which would cover planning for future water storage and water diversion.

Based on Berejiklian Government promotional material for the Department of Regional NSW it is clear that Barilaro now sits atop a portfolio which holds in its departmental domain an est. 40 per cent of all NSW residents, in around 99 local government areas which produce approximately one-third of the total NSW gross state product.

Barilaro has gathered his own party members as minsters with responsibilities within the department - Nationals MLA for Northern Tablelands and Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales Adam Marshall and Nationals MLC and Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women Bronnie Taylor.

There does not seem to be a NSW Liberal Party politician within cooee of the new regional department.

Five months after becoming New South Wales regional czar, John Barilaro began to flex his muscles with threats to destabilise the Berejiklian Government and the political koala war briefly erupted.

One cannot escape the suspicion that Barilaro is not seeking to raise the profiles of those mere 18 National Party members in the 134 member NSW Parliament, but is intent on creating an alternative state government situated in regional New South Wales. 

Reading Mr. Barilaro's personal and political history as played out in the media, it is evident that he is a moderately wealthy former local government councillor & businessman, unashamedly ambitious, erratic, a dogwhistler since the beginning of his political career, willing to resort to threats and name calling, flouts the road rules at will, has long been happiest pulling the house down around the ears of government agencies in the name of  'reform', is willing to put his bootheel on the neck of north-east NSW and, apparently intends to keep pushing Gladys Berejiklian until she breaks.

Image: Newscolony.com

Cartoons of the Week

 

Morten Moreland

Warren Brown

Tweet of the Week

 

Why hasn't anyone resigned yet over Robodebt? Here's why... pic.twitter.com/nYyc1DpfAP

— Senator Nita Green (@nitagreenqld) November 17, 2020

 

The loggers are already planning their new advance on North-East New South Wales

Echo NetDaily, 16 November 2020:

Bungabbee Forest near Bentley under threat from logging. Photo supplied.

Bungabbee Forest sits midway between Lismore, Casino and Kyogle – right near Bentley. Bungabbee is a little known environmental gem of the Northern Rivers.

Bungabbee is home to many threatened species. It forms part of the Mackellar Wildlife Corridor, connecting to the World Heritage Border Ranges. It is an area of outstanding biodiversity value in an extensively cleared landscape.

If this place is so wonderful, why is the  NSW Forestry Corporation are planning to conduct logging here in April 2021?

Twenty-seven threatened species

Twenty-seven threatened species have been previously recorded from this vicinity, including Koalas, Glossy Black Cockatoos, Powerful Owls, Yellow Bellied Gliders, Squirrel Gliders, Greater Gliders. Parma Wallabies and Red-legged Pademelons. As well as the critically endangered Scrub Turpentine, and three endangered flora species: Rainforest Cassia, Tinospora Vine, and Native Jute.

The North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) recently organised a weekend survey by botanists and zoologists that additionally revealed the previously unknown presence of two vulnerable animals – Long-nosed Potoroo and Marbled Frogmouth – and the Critically Endangered Native Guava, along with localities of 175 threatened plants.

NEFA Spokesperson Dailan Pugh said finding a large unknown outlying population of the regionally endemic Marbled Frogmouth is exciting. ‘This is one of only a handful of species that the Forestry Corporation is still required to protect additional habitat for, though in this case there is no requirement to look before they log.

‘Luckily we did.’

Scrub Turpentine and Native Guava unlikely to regenerate

Mr Pugh said that it was particularly disturbing to find significant populations of the Critically Endangered Scrub Turpentine and Native Guava. ‘The very survival of these species is threatened by the introduced fungus Myrtle Rust, they are unlikely to regenerate and now the Forestry Corporation are intending to bulldoze over the survivors.

‘Our results clearly demonstrate the need for pre-logging surveys to identify the presence and locations of threatened species so they can be appropriately protected”

‘More surveys are required to identify other threatened species and their localities.’ 

Mr Pugh said that Bungabbee is of significant recreational value and is utilised by bush walkers, horse riders and mountain bike riders. ‘The proposed rail trail passes within a few kilometres of Bungabee, which would provide a cluster of trails perfect for those seeking more challenging cycling experiences,’ he said.

Renata Phelps has been working with a team of locals to share information and organise future actions. ‘The local community is strongly opposed to the logging and are taking a pro-active stance lobbying against the proposed actions,’ she said.

Residents feel a residual sense of affinity to Bentley

‘Bentley is an area that many Northern Rivers residents feel a residual sense of affinity to, after our iconic community win against CSG drilling in 2014.

‘With an increased emphasis on local tourism post COVID, Bungabbee is far more valuable as a forest, accessible to the public, than as wood chip. We should focus on enhancing the environmental, recreational and tourism potential of this area, not destroy it.

‘Recent bushfires, drought, and land clearing have greatly impacted our region. Now, more than ever before, it is essential we preserved key wildlife habitats such as Bungabbee,’ said Ms Phelps.

A Petition against the logging can be signed online at 

https://www.change.org/SaveBungabbeeForest 

or in person at the Lismore Environment Centre, Goolmangar and Cawongla Stores, Rock Valley Post Office, Night Owl in Lismore and other locations.

Fore more information you can contact Dailan Pugh on 0400 711 054 or Renata Phelps 6629 3226.

Interested persons are also encouraged to join the Facebook Group, “Bungabbee Forest Friends” 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3470743116309388/  or subscribe to the email list at http://eepurl.com/hhtdOr

NEFA’s Preliminary Assessment on Bungabbee can be read online at https://www.nefa.org.au/bungabbee_state_forest_preliminary_assessment.

NSW Nationals lies and skulduggery in legislative game of mates exposed

 

The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 November 2020:

NSW's koala wars have taken another twist with Nationals leader John Barilaro forced to intervene to reverse unsanctioned changes to a bill introduced by one of his senior colleagues that threatened to detonate divisions within the Coalition government.

Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall has been accused of inserting changes to the Local Land Services Amendment Bill 2020 beyond those agreed by cabinet, multiple sources have told the Herald. Those additions expanded the "allowables" for land-clearing, which would have removed virtually all planning oversight.

Key Liberals, including Planning Minister Rob Stokes, only detected the additions buried within the legislation after it had passed the lower house with Coalition support.

Mr Marshall then refused to budge, prompting the Liberals to demand Deputy Premier Mr Barilaro to broker a deal to remove unapproved provisions and restore key protection when the bill goes to the upper house......

"Trust, in terms of negotiations, is everything," Cate Faehrmann, the Greens environment spokeswoman who led a cross-party inquiry in the collapsing numbers of koalas that found them to be on track for extinction in the wild in NSW before 2050.....

The moves within the Coalition to secure passage of the bill, though, may turn out to be futile, with upper house Liberal MP Catherine Cusack sticking to her plans to block it and push it into an open-ended committee inquiry.

"You may have heard, as I have, the government is likely to move amendments to the bill to improve it," Ms Cusack told her upper house colleagues in a communication obtained by the Herald. "However, this does not alter my opposition to it.

"I have many objections to the bill but I am particularly offended by the way it has landed like a spacecraft from Mars and rendered irrelevant decades of work and investment within an agreed framework.

"It reflects my belief that the opportunity to expose these ideas to some sunlight is the very best course we could take given the issues are not going away even if the bill is defeated."……. [my yellow highlighting]

And there may be more revelations to come.

NSW Legislative Council Notice Paper No. 68, 17 November 2020:

25. Portfolio Committee No. 7 – Planning and Environment: Report No. 3 entitled “Koala populations and habitat in New South Wales”, dated June 2020: resumption of the adjourned debate (4 August 2020) of the

question on the motion of Ms Faehrmann: That the House take note of the report—Ms Faehrmann speaking. (15 minutes)

757. Mr Searle to move— That, under standing order 52, there be laid upon the table of the House within 7 days of the date of passing of this resolution the following documents, in electronic format if possible, in the possession, custody or control of the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces or the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment relating to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019:

(a) all documents relating to the development of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019,

(b) all correspondence between the Office of the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and any National Party Member of Parliament in relation to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019, and

(c) any legal or other advice regarding the scope or validity of this order of the House created as a result of this order of the House. (Notice given 16 September 2020—expires Notice Paper No. 74) [my yellow highlighting]

Conga line of #COVIDIOTS strikes again?

 

It is hard to believe that “Doris” and the conspiracy theory littered website Our Greater Destiny exists.

However sadly, it is not quite as hard to believe that a serving NSW police officer from Grafton would be silly enough to send a reportedly 1 am 7-page email, peppered with QAnon inspired nonsense about globalist agendas and dictatorships, which seeks to blame police violence on COVID-19 public health orders rather than the inherently aggressive nature of police culture.

The emailed letter the police officer signed appeared to have been an open letter written for him by by someone at Advocate Me.

Post from "Doris" website dated 5 November 2020:

AUSTRALIAN POLICE EXPOSE COVID19 FR@UD

Extract from NSW Police Senior Constable Alex Cooney’s letter to Commissioner Mick Fuller.

Many of us believe that we are removing our own rights and freedoms by enforcing these rules upon the community, including our family and friends. And the community are confounded by the intensified police enforcement around peaceful freedom protests and how inconsistent this was when compared with the Black Lives Matter protests.

This contradiction is further destroying public confidence.

We are reaching out to all our fellow police officers across the country, to write a similar letter to their respective police commissioners, or sign our form here to show your support for this stance, which we have called Cops for Covid Truth.

With trust in our police force now seriously eroded, we ask you to consider now challenging the necessity of the ongoing restrictions to restore community trust, by being an integral part of returning our State and Country back to normality.

Regards

Alexander Cooney

Continue at https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2020/11/cops-for-covid-truth.html

‘COVID truth’ letter to NSW Police Commissioner sparks internal investigation

The six-page letter, which claimed many members of the force were “fed up with the approach to enforce oppressive rules placed upon the population in the name of COVID-19 and the looming mandatory vaccinations”, was attributed to a police officer in the Coffs-Clarence Police District.

It questioned the severity of COVID-19, the testing regime, and the move towards ensuring the Australians were vaccinated against the coronavirus once a vaccine was available.

NSW Police confirmed they were aware of the matter, which was now the subject of an internal investigation. Continue at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-04/nsw-police-officer-under-investigation-over-covid-truth-letter/12843756.

Aussie Cops For Covid Truth by Michael Smith