Wednesday 27 January 2016

"ILUKA DA Have Your Say!" is online at Facebook



A number of Iluka residents have created a public Facebook page alerting the community to a proposed 162 lot residential subdivision bounded by Hickey and Elizabeth streets and, by Iluka Road adjacent to Iluka Nature Reserve and World Heritage littoral rainforest.

It can be found at:

One of the interesting posts contains this image of the formal development application notification sign which besides being so modestly sized as to be almost unnoticeable also has an incorrect submission period date so that any person reading it would assume that all chance to comment on this DA had slipped away.


Another post also points out that there appears to be no intention to create covenants prohibiting pet ownership for the hundreds of people who will reside in this proposed subdivision on environmentally sensitive land within 100 metres of a world heritage area. 

The mind boggles at such planning stupidity, given that vulnerable koalas and endangered coastal emus are known to use this parcel of land.

Tuesday 26 January 2016

Brough's small target strategy at work?

The Guvmin Gazette on 6 December 2015 attempted to put the best spin possible on what MP for Fisher Mal Brough was required by precedent to do:

Special Minister of State Mal Brough has asked for a $108,000 pay cut and to move from a ministerial suite to a backbench office as he stands aside from his post while the Australian Federal Police ­investigate him for any wrong­doing in the Peter Slipper affair.
Malcolm Turnbull announced last week, on the same day as junior minister Jamie Briggs’s resignation, that Mr Brough would step aside from his ministerial ­duties pending police inquiries into the alleged 2012 illegal copying of the official diaries of the then Speaker Mr Slipper.
Mr Brough wrote to Speaker Tony Smith on the day of the ­announcement requesting the ministerial component of his ­salary not be paid from that day and for the 
allocation of an office in the House of Representatives wing.
“Mr Brough’s requests were communicated to the Department of House of Representatives on the same day, and appropriate action is being taken to action them,” a spokesman for Mr Smith said.
Mr Brough’s ministerial salary of $307,329 will drop to a backbench salary of $199,040.
The Australian has also been told Mr Brough has relinquished ministerial entitlements, including a mobile phone…..

One has to wonder if the interview, media release or phone call to journalist which is the likely trigger to this newspaper article is part of Brough’s strategy to make himself the smallest target he can manage ahead of the start of the 2016 parliamentary year, when more questions about his past conduct are bound to be raised with the Prime Minister by the Opposition.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

Questions by Mark Dreyfus MP Labor Oct 2012 - Dec 2015

Are federal Liberal-Nationals MPs and senators about to do to environmental protections what they did to the NBN?


“For the first time in Australian history, a Commonwealth Government has undertaken a thorough and accurate stocktake of all federal regulatory costs and is consistently measuring and reducing the cost of Commonwealth government red tape on Australian businesses, organisations, families and individuals,”….
“Now, for the first time, a Commonwealth government has, with a very high degree of accuracy, publicly reported to Parliament a downturn in the total amount and cost of federal regulation. [Kevin Hogan, Nationals MP for Page, Media Release, Coalition decisions to cut red tape now total $2.45 billion, 19 March 2015]

A news article in The Age on 23 January 2016 should set alarm bells ringing in Australian rural and regional communities as this is what federal Liberal-Nationals MPs and senators, such as Nationals Member for Page Kevin Hogan, mean when they talk of reducing federal “red and green tape”:

Numerous large Australian coal mines have had their environmental regulations relaxed, in changes the federal government hopes will make life easier for the struggling industry.

Certain coal mines owned by Glencore, BHP Billiton and Whitehaven Coal have received favourable changes to their approval conditions within the past month, which in some cases reduce the environment minister's ability to demand changes and reduce public oversight of miners' compliance with approval conditions.

Certain coal mines owned by Glencore, BHP Billiton and Whitehaven Coal have received favourable changes to their approval conditions within the past month, which in some cases reduce the environment minister's ability to demand changes and reduce public oversight of miners' compliance with approval conditions…..

Approvals for two Glencore coal mines in the Hunter Valley, Bulga and Liddell, have had environmental conditions revoked within the past month which appear to remove the environment minister's ability to request changes to environmental management plans.

The Caval Ridge coal mine that BHP operates had eight conditions on its approval altered last week, including one which means the company no longer has to wait for written approval from the minister if it wishes to change the way it manages offset areas or threatened species, so long as the companies believe their new plan will not have an increased impact.
Some miners were also told they can report on compliance with their environmental conditions less often, with BHP now allowed to report on Caval Ridge once every two years rather than annually.
The alterations also mean BHP no longer have to publish their compliance reports for Caval Ridge on their websites, and instead need only submit their documents to the environment department.

BHP's Mt Arthur coal mine in the Hunter Valley and the Tarrawonga and Werris Creek coal mines run by Whitehaven have also had their environmental approvals altered….

The spokeswoman said that 34 project approvals had been changed over the past nine months, with the environmental conditions loosened in 21 of those cases.

The spokeswoman said the changes were being made to a range of project approvals, not just coal mines.

But coal mines appear to be very well represented, with Fairfax Media aware of at least seven coal approvals which have been changed in recent months.
Fairfax Media is aware of just one copper mine (BHP's Olympic Dam) and one iron ore mine (run by BC Iron) which have had conditions changed…..

Monday 25 January 2016

Moggy Musings [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]


A doin' a donges musing: In Clarence Valley Council's May 2015 CG&W business paper a favourite ploy has been brought into play by a management eager to get its own way - summarise the 48 submissions received regarding the Coldstream-Yamba intersection roundabout so that the authentic voice of Yamba residents is not entered into the public record. Tsk, tsk.

A taken to the court again musing: In April 2015 it was Kerry Maree Durrington v Clarence Valley Council in the District Court at Coffs Harbour, in May it is Janie Terese Emms v Clarence Valley Council in the District Court at Grafton.

An it's been going for yonks musing: Geoffrey William Good Leviny is back in court on 12 May 2015 for a mention at Maclean Local Court (criminal jurisdiction) in the matter of NSW Police v Geoffrey William LEVINY.

A he said what?! musing: Local government watchers in the Clarence Valley will have no difficulty in recognizing who it was that allegedly said this to a worker exiting the toilet - I don't pay you to pee on my time.

An expensive GM musing: There is a rumour doing the rounds that in 2015 the poor management practices of a certain NSW North Coast general manager have cost the local government council he works for an IR court-approved payout of tens of thousands of dollars in a matter brought on behalf of a member by the United Services Union, the largest local government union in NSW.

An iVote musing: According to the NSW Electoral Commission only 2,491 voters out of 54,474 registered voters in the Clarence electorate used the digital iVote system at the 28 March 2015 NSW state election. Of these, 53 digital ballot papers contained errors and were therefore declared Informal.

A Gawd, not another political party! musing: On 24 February 2015 ex- Palmer United Party senator Jacqui Lambie applied to the Australian Electoral Commission to form the Jacqui Lambie Network.

A did you know musing: The Abbott Government's Commission of Audit wants the Minimum Wage to grow by less than the CPI for the next ten years, so that by 2025 it will be only 44% of national average weekly earnings instead of the 56% it is today.

A new nickname musing: Well that didn't take long! Only nine days since News Corp brought into APN News & Media and north of the Rio Tweed they are now calling these regional newspapers the feral murdochs :-)

A what a load of whoppers musing: Slyvester the tom cat who patrols a section of Yamba Road tells me that his hoomin was telling friends that the Nats Chris Gulaptis must hold the Clarence candidate record for telling the most political fibs over this election campaign. Apparently they flow effortlessly from his lips.

A scary fact musing: In 2014 Facebook gave Australian government agencies information about 1,032 people with Facebook pages.

A wheels of the bus go round and round musing: NSW Industrial Relations Commission Court list for : 16/03/2015 11:00am Report Back and Further Compulsory Conference IRC14/833 - USU & Clarence Valley Council re alleged treatment of member.

A hand me the Jaws of Life musing: I'm still laughing over this description of the Clarence Valley Council General Manager's 'open door' policy - you have to use a tin opener to get in to see him.

An it must be galling musing: I wonder how a NSW North Coast local government general manager feels knowing that a former councillor, who contested a code of conduct complaint and won handsomely with costs awarded, is now living the good life on a fine 1,000ha plus rural property with a large very attractive farm house, while this administrator is facing the prospect of legal action against yet another council which employed him?

A your vote or no bridge musing: This is the position Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis takes on the second Grafton Bridge in the Clarence Valley - The NSW Coalition has committed to building a second bridge in Grafton and we have reserved $177 million from Restart NSW to its construction. The $177 million is currently listed as unallocated on the Statement of Uncommitted Funds released by NSW Treasury. The Coalition would have to be re-elected to ensure the $177 million was allocated to the construction of the Grafton Bridge.
I hope Clarence Valley voters are noticing the admission that there is no $177 million allocated in the 2014-15 NSW Budget or forward estimates. Apart from the $429,275 covering the quality assurance contract won by Geolink this year there appears to be no guaranteed money and any further funding to actually progress and build the new bridge may not be in the 2015-16 budget – or in the budget the year after that or the year after that or the year after that……

An arrogance personified musing: After the first Clarence Valley Council meeting he attended an angry little local pollie, elected by default in 2015 and with a little over one year's past experience in local government 27 years ago, is reportedly "pleased with the overall performance" of his fellow councillors – all of whom have represented their communities for far longer than he. Happy to plead 'new chum' status to avoid sitting on more than one committee, but willing to try and bully the meeting when it went on too long for his liking. Oh, dear. This does not bode well for the future.

A candidate who? musing: Rumours are circulating that former Nats MP for Clarence Steve Cansdell was thinking about standing at the March 2015 NSW election – until the Nationals allegedly threatened him with looking into his false statutory declaration again. Surely not!

A questioning musing: What was one of Adani Mining Pty Ltd's company cars doing parked at the corner of Victoria & Prince streets in Grafton on or about 29 January 2015? Apparently once this car was sighted around 20 metres from Nationals MP for Clarence Chris Gulaptis' electoral office speculation began about what a representative of this multinational Indian mining company was doing in the Clarence Valley.

A telling it like it is musing: In the Sunshine Coast Daily on 31 January 2015 - News Corp's biased coverage during the campaign was appalling. Its agenda was clear with the front page headlines claiming bikies were backing Labor, followed up by a front page endorsement of Mr Newman last Sunday. The growth of social media, and alternative, independent news sources meant the paper's view mattered little in the end.”