Who is responsible for flood clean-up in the Clarence Valley?

The Daily Telegraph, 9 April 2021:

Almost three weeks have passed since major flooding impacted the Clarence Valley, isolating some communities and properties for several days. However, Cr Novak said since the water has receded, so too have efforts to help flood-affected residents.

“We have now moved from a flood recovery to an extreme public health risk with rotting, flood decayed furniture on our streets,” she said.

“This is simply not good enough for our community, we have failed them miserably on all levels in this natural disaster.”

Last week, Cr Novak posted a public apology to the Clarence Valley community on her Facebook page for the lack of critical flood recovery information and referred them to a March 25, 2021 EPA media release.

“This was the only information I could find about flood support,” she said.

“It’s also appalling that (Clarence Valley) Council have not had anything on their Facebook page or website to tell anybody what to do after the flood. I searched CVC’s website and Facebook page for a phone number to direct residents to but there was no information for the collection of household flood debris.

“I’m still trying to find the right number to direct community members to.”

According to the Service NSW website, skip bins and dump trucks were to be provided, along with clean-up assistance, including the removal of debris, mud, and green waste, regardless of insurance status.

However, that has yet to eventuate, according to Cr Novak.

“I received a phone call and text from a resident at Shark Creek seeking help to get his flood damaged furniture collected. He had flood waters go through his home ruining all his furniture,” she said.

“The ADF came earlier in the week and assisted with his clean up and took all the small items to the tip. All the bigger items were left on the side of the road waiting collection.”

Cr Novak said she has contacted several government agencies to find out who was responsible, including the EPA, Clarence Valley Council, and the Minister for Emergency Services David Elliott. However, each one has deflected responsibility.

“Will someone please tell me whose job it is to collect this flood rubbish?” Cr Novak said.

“The level of incompetence for this flood recovery in the Lower Clarence continues to beggar disbelief.”

How the Morrison Government subverted and perverted an independent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

 

The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 April 2021:

Secret documents have cast doubt on the independence of a wide-ranging review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme that recommended the most radical overhaul of the $25 billion program since it was established.

Emails and draft copies of the 2019 report, written by former senior public servant David Tune, show National Disability Insurance Agency officials inserted an entire chapter into the review of the scheme’s legislation, and made substantial changes to almost every part of the document.

The review was used by the Morrison government to introduce independent assessments for NDIS participants, where health professionals employed by one of eight providers paid by the government will review users’ eligibility for the scheme. Disability advocates have labelled the measure a cost-cutting measure to reduce the number of people in the program.

More than 900 pages of documents, released under freedom of information laws, show emails from NDIA officials and Department of Social Services staff prioritising the NDIA board’s topics, “talking points” and inserting a multitude of changes to the draft versions of Mr Tune’s report.

One email, from an NDIA official, apologised that the changes to the document were “hideous – almost unreadable”.

The tracked changes appear to show the entire chapter devoted to introducing independent assessments – which was initially recommended by the Productivity Commission in 2011 – was also inserted by a public servant…..

The government is pushing ahead with the plan despite the fact a parliamentary inquiry is still examining the policy…..

The parliamentary inquiry is expected to hold hearings this month where a wide array of critics will probably give evidence…..

Read the full article here.

The altered December 2019 David Tune Review Of The National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013: Removing Red Tape And Implementing The NDIS Participant Service Guarantee can be found at:

https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/01_2020/ndis-act-review-final-accessibility-and-prepared-publishing1.pdf

The last Australian Parliament Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s General issues around the implementation and performance of the NDIS report of December 2020 stated:

2.49 However, the majority of submitters to the inquiry opposed the introduction of mandatory independent assessments as part of access and planning processes.

In particular, submitters were concerned that assessments:

 will add complexity, stress and trauma for people with disability;

 will be of little utility in terms of understanding a person's disability and support needs; and

 have been rolled out without proper consultation with the disability sector.

2.50 These concerns were reflected in a statement by the Australian Autism Alliance, and in an address by the National Manager, Government and Stakeholder Relations for OTA, to the 2020 OTA online conference.

2.51 Some submitters asserted that the rollout of mandatory independent assessments should be paused to allow time for deeper consultation with the sector and a more thorough investigation of the issues associated with the assessment framework. Other submitters went further, asserting that the scheme should be discarded entirely. For example, the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC) stated:

The NDIA's proposed Independent Assessment process is conceptually flawed, unfit for purpose and needs to be scrapped and redesigned. It needs full collaboration and consultation with disabled people, their families, supporters and the disability sector, to ensure that confidence and safety in how the NDIS operates is restored….

2.59 As well as raising concerns about the potential for independent assessments to create stress and trauma for people with disability, submitters expressed doubt that independent assessments will be a reliable, accurate measure of a person's functional capacity. Consequently, submitters expressed concern that using the results of an assessment for access and planning decisions will lead to adverse outcomes for people with disability….

2.69 The First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) raised concern that the independent assessments model, including the time allocated to an assessment, will not allow assessors to build trust in communities or gain sufficient knowledge of the circumstances of the person being assessed. This is of particular concern to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, noting the importance of trust and relationship-building to positive care and support outcomes. The FPDN also expressed concern that the assessments will not provide equitable access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In this respect, the FPDN noted that:

 there may be no access to the technology required to conduct the assessment or communicate with the NDIA—particularly in remote areas;

 without an established relationship of trust, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability are more likely to disengage from the assessments process, or to choose not to pursue access at the outset; and

 while the NDIA has advised that a person undergoing an independent assessment may have a support person present, this is not realistic for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability.

How one journalist sees behind the scenes reshaping of the independent report.....

While the political will for Robodebt has almost always come from the Government, the "technical" solution -- unlawful income averaging without proper evidence, onus pushed on to customers -- could only have come from the department itself. This was internal tinkering.

— Rick Morton (@SquigglyRick) April 9, 2021

The draft legislation with tracked comments from NDIS staff also suggests the public position that they do NOT need legislation to introduce independent assessments is... not true. In fact, they seem desperate to get it in the leg'n. "Does this provide strong enough cover?" pic.twitter.com/fk8PZlKruP

— Rick Morton (@SquigglyRick) April 9, 2021

Netflix to drown Byron Bay in Tacky With Extra Syrup

ABC News, 9 April 2021:

Netflix has announced it is making a reality series based on the lives of "hot Instagrammers" in Byron Bay, but many locals say they will not be watching.

In a Netflix press release, the series Byron Baes is described as a "docu-soap following a feed of hot Instagrammers living their best lives, being their best selves, creating the best drama content, #nofilter guaranteed."

Executive producer Julian Morgans said he came up with the idea while on holiday in the Byron hinterland with a friend "who's in advertising".

"It was getting dark and I could see all these big mansions in the forest and I thought 'my god this place is changing'," Mr Morgans said.

"It felt like there was this influx of money and power in this place that had been famous for hippies.

"I've become aware publications like the Daily Mail like stories about Chris Hemsworth and living in Byron as their bread and butter, so I put two and two together and thought 'there should be a show about this'."

….Byron Shire comedian and Greens federal political candidate Mandy Nolan said the bay was not currently an attractive backdrop.

"Byron Bay doesn't need any more vacuous exposure, it needs housing, it needs urgent work on coastal erosion," she said.

"Reality show about influencers? How is that remotely authentic?

"This is just artifice. Byron will be a set."

Cartoons of the Week

 

Alan Moir

Is Scott Morrison's response to the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces genuine? Or is it just busy work to hold the line until after the next federal election?

 “The Australian Government has agreed to (in full, in-principle, or in-part) or noted all 55 recommendations in the Report.” [Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, media release, 8 April 2021]

“are either agreed wholly in part or in principle, or noted where they are directed to governments or organisations other than the Australian government” [Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, quoted in Sky News online, 8 April 2021]

So after ignoring the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces Final Report for over 12 months, what do Morrison’s weasel words in the quotes above indicate?

Scott Morrison & Co say they are proceeding to:

* order a survey every four years to provide data on sexual harassment;

* provide educational resources for young people of working age on workplace rights and sexual harassment;

* educate and train staff at the Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission, Safe Work Australia, WHS regulators and workers’ compensation bodies concerning sexual harassment;

* lead a new collaboration by government, unions, employers and employer associations called Respect@Work aka the Workplace Sexual Harassment Council; and

* the Workplace Sexual Harassment Council is charged with:

a. providing high-level advice on development of guidelines and resources to ensure that all services providing information, advice and support in relation to sexual harassment can provide accurate information, make appropriate cross-referrals, and collect consistent data

b. after three years, considering the need for a centralised, accessible service to provide information and advice in relation to workplace sexual harassment;

* develop a Respect@Work website to provide the general public, employers and workers with free information; and

* Advise all state governments that they should ensure that relevant bodies responsible for developing training, programs and resources for judges, magistrates and tribunal members make available education on sexual harassment. 

Somehow in this 7-item list I don't see any immediate, hands-on, practical actions by the Morrison Government that will see the rates of sexual harassment, sexual assault, physical assault and/or murder by a partner or former partner, of women and girls in any state or territory decrease in the next few years.

I sincerely hope I am wrong.

 

One might almost believe that Australian Prime Minister Morrison is casting about for ways to drive his persistent critics from social media

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and those of his ilk are toying with the idea of creating a law which bans all anonymity on social media.

One which will force women who have accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many other sites to publicly disclose their legal names when creating such accounts and not use a pseudonym when posting or tweeting.

Under scenarios being considered by the Liberal-Nationals Government, all Australians may have to submit 100 points of identification - such as a driver’s licence or passport - before creating a social media account.

Additionally, social media users would be liable for defamation or even subject to criminal prosecution for their activity online.

For some reason he and others in his government are professing to believe this will make the Internet safe for women and girls.

Create a hugh Australian database spread across multiple sites which contains the verifiable ID of tens of thousands of Australian females – including home and/or work addresses. What could possibly go wrong?

Another giant pot for gold every vengeful, misogynistic male who decides he wants to abuse, threaten and stalk in real life not just in cyberspace. 

At least one social media giant clearly demonstrates by way of repeated privacy breaches, just how easy it is to open databases.

This is the latest.......

The Guardian, 5 April 2021:

Australians are being urged to secure their social media accounts after the details of more than 500 million global Facebook users were found online in a massive data breach.

The details published freely online included names, phone numbers, email addresses, account IDs and bios.

In a statement, Facebook said the leaked information was old, and came from a problem it had resolved in 2019, but experts told Guardian Australia the data could still cause problems for users caught up in the breach.

So what might hackers do with your info? How can you check if your data was leaked? And what can you do to protect yourself?

How your information could be used

Dr Andrew Quodling, a researcher in governance of social media platforms at the Queensland University of Technology, said that the data could be used to gain access to people’s Facebook accounts but also emails and accounts with other social media sites.

Once a hacker has your email, they can try to login into your accounts by pairing your email with simple passwords.

“People will take a sort of an easy run at simple hacks – try the top 100 most common passwords, and try to get in with brute force,” he said. “So anyone using the password 123 on that list would be in trouble.”

How to find out if your data was leaked

The quickest and easiest way to find out if your data has been leaked as part of a wider breach is to check on websites run by security researchers.

One of the most popular and effective of these sites is HaveIBeenPwned.com, a database maintained by security analyst Troy Hunt.

It only needs your email, which it cross-references with more than 10bn accounts that have been breached in the past to find if your details were leaked online.

It also has an option, for users to check if their password has been compromised.

Unfortunately, it does not yet track phone numbers, which were the most common user field in the recent Facebook leak.

What to do if your data was breached

In any data breach, it’s important to ensure identity documents, such as driver’s licence and passport details, haven’t been compromised. If they have, replace them immediately.

If your email address was exposed, change your password for that account, and set up two-factor authentication where possible…...

Australian Government's AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine health warning

 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, media release, 8 April 2021:

Earlier this evening the Australian Government received advice from the vaccine expert taskforce, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

The detail of that advice is attached.

The Government accepts the advice from Australia’s medical experts and will move swiftly to ensure Australia’s vaccination program and advice to patients is adjusted accordingly.

The Australian Government places safety above all else, as it has done throughout the pandemic, and will continue to follow the medical advice in protecting Australians.

The ATAGI advice is clear that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe disease caused by COVID-19.

The medical advice to the Government is that the risk of blood clotting side effects from the Astra Zeneca vaccine is four to six in one million people, in the first four to 20 days post the vaccine. This is a rare but serious side effect.

On that basis, the recommendation is that it is preferred that the Pfizer vaccine be provided to adults under the age of 50. The AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given as a first dose to adults under the age of 50 where the benefit clearly outweighs the risk for that individual.

AstraZeneca is recommended for those over the age of 50.

The vaccination program will continue, particularly for the most vulnerable Australians in Phase 1B including those over the age of 70 who are not impacted by this revised advice.

The longer term timeframe for the program is being reviewed following this medical advice.

The Department of Health will provide preliminary, updated advice to general practitioners and health professionals.

The ATAGI advice follows further international evidence including from the vaccinations in Europe and the United Kingdom. ATAGI had already provided updated guidance on 2 April.

The ATAGI advice has today been considered by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), which is the Medical Expert Panel led by the Chief Medical Officer, and also comprising all State and Territory Chief Health Officers.

The advice will be provided to National Cabinet tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) advice on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in response to new vaccine safety concerns, excerpts;

“Definitions

 Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) is a rare and new syndrome which hasbeen reported after being given the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. It may be caused by this vaccine. The condition involves blood clots (occurring in body sites like the brain or abdomen) together with low platelet levels.

 Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot, which prevents blood flowing normally through the body.

 Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which you have a low blood platelet count. Platelets (thrombocytes) are blood cells that help blood clot. Platelets stop bleeding by clumping and forming plugs in blood vessel injuries.”

“ The AstraZeneca vaccine appears likely to be causally-linked with a risk of this newly recognised thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

 There is currently uncertainty in, and different reported rates of risk, for this adverse event.

 Studies have suggested it may occur in approximately 4 – 6 people in every one million people in the 4-20 days after the first dose of vaccine. However, higher rates have been reported in Germany and some Scandinavian countries.

 Some evidence suggests the risk of this condition occurring may be somewhat higher in people of a younger age, however a small number of cases have been reported in people of different ages (including older adults).

 While there have been more reports of TTS in women in some settings, this may be because more vaccine doses have been given to women. In one country the reported rate of TTS (number of cases adjusted for the number of men and women vaccinated) was similar in men and women.

 TTS can cause serious long term disability or death (with death occurring in approximately 25% of reported cases).

 So far no specific biological risk factors or pre-existing medical conditions have been found to modify (i.e. increase or decrease) the risk of TTS occurring after AstraZeneca vaccine.

 We do not yet know to what extent earlier recognition of this syndrome and improved treatments will improve patient outcomes. More cases can be expected to occur, albeit rarely.

 Comirnaty (the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine) does not appear to carry a risk of TTS. [my yellow highlighting]

NOTE: On 13 July 2020 AstraZeneca shares were worth US$61.10. By 8 April 2021 share price has fallen to US$49.78.