Mood:  sad

We were a little freaked out by this art house 1993 movie by Australian director Rolf de Heer we watched several years ago. Now we are hearing of life of this awful abuse case in Austria tragically imitating art: As explained by wikipedia

Bad Boy Bubby (1993 Port Adelaide, Australia) is a black comedy and drama film written and directed by Rolf de Heer. It stars Nicholas Hope and Carmel Johnson.

Bubby became notorious for pushing the boundaries of good taste with its strong scenes featuring violence, incest and atheism amongst other taboo topics. In the UK it was cut for cruelty to a cat.[1] The film was released on DVD in April 2005 by the Blue Underground company, and a special Two Disc Collectors' Edition was also released in June 2005 by Umbrella Entertainment.

YouTube clip here (adult themes, pretty confronting)

Posted by editor at 6:10 PM NZT

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Mood:  a-ok

We will add alot more about the interesting history later. We are advised by the planning desk at Waverley the logistics now are a $75 processing fee and 2 week turn around from storage. Previously up to 1999 the files were kept in the same building (which has moved from Bondi Rd to Spring St in Bondi Junction) and staff would literally walk out and grab the file and bring it to the counter, no fee by the sound of it.

Query how this measures up with cost of a formal Freedom of Information request under that legislation.

Other councils are much less transparent and quite probably not as honest e.g. Hornsby.

............

The history of the open file policy relates to what Barbara Armitage (Waverley ALP Mayor till 1997 or so) used to refer to as the vanquishing of the "forces of darkness". Too true.

What she was referring to was a regime of gung ho developers under the stewardship of the Markhams as Mayor, a husband and wife team apparenty, which culminated in chief planner Don Stait having an adverse legal finding against him for corrupt behaviour. We recall one story told by Cr Norman Lee (RIP, father of Ben Lee, pop singer) that he had a muscle bound security guard in the public gallery for his own protection as the heat on the corrupt forces escalated in council meetings, Lee having been a strong ally of reformer Barbara Armitage.

The ALP thus removed control of the council from the Liberal Party ever since.

We have no doubt an open file policy subject say to narrow concerns of privacy, safety, and other common sense is closely aligned to honesty. That's why we feel quite nervous about other Local Govt areas with a default position of no access unless forced by say by FoI legal pressure.

Posted by editor at 11:50 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 5:39 PM NZT

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Mood:  lucky

Front page in SMH today regarding rugged photographer Stephen Dupont and others. SD apparently was a contact of local leader Massoud, until the latter was assassinated by the Taliban just prior to 9/11. The killers in that case 9 Sept 2001 exploited a subterfuge posing as foreign media with bomb in camera (and we heard more recently that Massoud's ego might have made him reckless given the ethnicity of the fake 'media' was a real warning).

Here is our retrospective of that exhibition June 2007, with a sample of many other pictures at this link:

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Stephen Dupont's lovely photographs on show at Redfern gallery till July 14th
Mood:  smelly
Topic: culture

Picture: Stephen Dupont photographer (centre left) is framed by a pregnant Liz Tardic of SBS Dateline [we first met supporting the Timbara gold mine protests in 2000 including our donation of some $2K for expert's airline ticket from USA] last Saturday afternoon at Byron McMahon Gallery, 88 George St Redfern, and in turn by the SAM news reporter's camera.

Posted by editor at 11:13 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 5:45 PM NZT

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Mood:  bright

As written on many previous occasions we here at SAM don't support privatisation of an essential services like energy assets and we think dangerous climate change increases that imperative not weaken it with union social capital/goodwill/co-operation, and expertise even more a premium for essential industry restructuring.

On the other hand we strongly support sale of the $1 billion public plantation estate out of the hands of the corrupt anti science state forestry bureaucracy. This will cut off the secretive cross susbsidies from that profitable sector into the loss making native forest woodchip sector which is a glorified mechanism for devastation of public heritage (and carbon storage) facilitating privitisation of the land ... for more plantations for private profit. It is a dirty racket (as implied by the cross party 1990 Public Accounts Committee -  NSW Parliament - report of 1990 into the NSW Forestry Commission) that must stop in a carbon constrained 21C political economy.

In this respect we copy again this previous article here on SAM and sister operation Ecology Action:

Plantation sell off in NSW for $1 billion in public revenue?

Backgrounders

17/2/2000 ...Plantation based economics of the current logging industry in NSW 

21/2/03 Sale of NSW electricity assets by NSW ALP after 2003 election?

18/2/05... latest govt position to corporatise public plantations only

................................................

This email below responded to an article the same day in the Daily Telegraph renewing speculation on a sell off by the Carr government.

From: ecology action
To: bensons[AT]dailytelegraph

Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 1:49 PM
Subject: support for conditional sale of NSW $1 billion plantation asset

For the record this author strenuously opposed privatisation of the NSW electricity assets in 1997:

- as a real essential service that should be in public ownership, unlike the plantation estate
- which would lead to monopolisation effects at the expense of massively increased costs for poor consumers as happened in the UK. There is no consumer benefit in public operation of the plantation estate. On the contrary it will benefit the consumer to have plantation timber replacing native forest timber.

This writer has also worked for various peak groups on forest conservation since 1992 including Total Environment Centre under Milo Dunphy, The Wilderness Society with director Karenne Jurd, and Friends of the Earth in Sydney, and represented the NSW Greens 1995-1999 at local government level.

On reflection I do not find the objections of some in the green movement, though arguable, to be pursuasive particularly on the broader ecological strategy for reform of forestry in NSW given the 'land baron' trail of destruction in the hands of the State Forests in collaboration with the pro woodchipping NSW division of the logging union since at least the mid 1970's and even earlier.

This author has no party affiliation for five years.

Your truly,

Tom McLoughlin, principal ecologya action sydney

...................................................................

Backgrounder early 2005

The traditional (and we say ignorant) opposition to sale of the public plantation estate (eg The Green Party) is that the private sector are less partial to environmental regulation in how they operate these plantations compared to the government. But that's a pretty hard comparative case to argue when the public sector does such as this below just over the border in East Gippsland in active collusion with the NSW Govt support for woodchip mill at Eden in NSW:

Picture: file picture taken from this website 

And this again by the NSW Govt licensing at Badja, NSW South Coast:

Then when you consider the logging of these public forests thus trashed are at a financial loss, dependant on the profitable plantation revenue to break even, then it becomes obvious the best way to cut off the money financing the vandalism is to remove the plantation asset out of the hands of the systemically corrupt state govt logging agencies. We say corrupt because they are effectively conspiring to transform public forest into plantation for private profit with or without actual land tenure using public revenue to keep their jobs in a loss making enterprise (native forest logging). Better to ban native forest logging altogether and transfer profitable plantation land tenure to private interests (at a healthy upfront price) subject to public environmental regulation just like every other agricultural crop and break the corrupt cross subsidy.

....................................................................

Press release follows:

Media release 15th Feb 2005

$1 Billion public plantation asset sale* supported with conditions e.g. ban on woodchipping of native forests

Ecology Action (Sydney) renewed its call for the Carr govt to keep its infamous 1995 promise to end native forest woodchipping by the year 2000 [see quote below], which is already 4 years overdue, as part of any sale of public plantation assets. The green group also called for strict regulation of sustainability issues for any new private owner.

Principal of EAS Tom McLoughlin with 15 years experience as a conservation forest policy analyst both in the office and on the front line said

“Up until now NSW public ownership of plantations has not prevented the now 130 log trucks a day into Eden’s woodchip mill, or woodchipper at Tea Gardens on the central coast. This eco destructive activity by State Forests in collaboration with the pro woodchip logging union in NSW is a financial loss making exercise grotesquely cross subsidized by the profitable plantation side of the business. This positive revenue has propped up a corrupt State Forests bureaucracy, and NSW Forestry Commission before it, acting as a land baron with scant regard for the public interest.

“To cut this gross subsidy by realizing the plantation asset, while allowing for strict sustainability controls and employment and fire management issues, will be a positive for the environment and the funding of NSW public services like health, transport and education.

“Secondly, if the NSW government are going to sell off this massive public asset, significantly downgrading public control, it must do the right thing by the environment and also ban native forest woodchipping forthwith according to its 1995 promise. Surveys regularly show 80% of electors across the board support this reform.”

“It is also far preferable that the new owners are strenuous competitors with the native forest sector. This is best served by a company with no commercial investments in the industrial native forest sector. Otherwise we will see bogus competition instead of head to head replacement of dinosaur wood production from old growth and native forest logging generally. This highly mechanized activity promotes fires, damage to water catchments, ferals, weeds and loss of biodiversity”

Mr McLoughlin concluded.

More: Tom McLoughlin 0410 558838, ecologya@telpacific.com.au, t. 02-9599 8499

* Refer page 16 ‘Chip off NSW block’ story in Street Talk column, Australian Financial Review 17th December 2003 referring to

“The NSW Government could be a whole lot richer after a final report from adviser ABN AMRO recommended the sale of its plantation forest assets. The bulk of the assets are pine plantations spanning 205,807 hectares, with a book value of $1.07 billion, and 30,000 hectares of hardwood plantations.”

** In March 1995 Bob Carr was elected on this promise and I quote: “We will end export woodchipping by the year 2000”.

For more on the slide in Bob Carr’s green credibility over woodchipping and other green issues since the 1995 election refer to [this web page]

............................................................ 

[Report and discussion paper dated 12/5/04]

Privatisation of nsw plantations likely, disbanding of State Forests into other agencies critical, Green Party exaggerated ideology re non essential service? Possible sale conditions for domestic processing and other public concerns

Tom McLoughlin, convenor ecology action Sydney 12th May 2004.

The following is my report and now discussion paper after the event:

Forum 11th May: Selling off NSW Timber Plantations
6.30 pm Tuesday 11 May 2004
[Waratah] Room, Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney

Hosted by Greens MP Lee Rhiannon. Chaired by John Kaye, Greens NSW Lead Senate Candidate. Speakers: Dr Judy Clark, Forestry Expert, ANU, Craig Smith, Secretary, Forestry Division, CFMEU

Comment re speakers and attendance

The undoubted expertise of the first two speakers Clark and Smith was apparent with lots of statistics. The third speaker was Gerry Watt (tbc) the South East Forest coordinator for The Greens who was also good: Apparently retired teacher and organizer from the Teachers Federation with a good grasp of politics and economics though obviously ideological too. Gerry fully supports in principle opposition to privatization.

Suzanne Russel, NSW spokesperson for the Greens on forestry and Ian Cohen proxy was in the audience as was 10 or so idealists from The Wilderness Society (TWS), general manager of Tumut council, Mayor of Tumbarumba, two councillors from Bombala. There were perhaps 30 people in the room – a good turnout and a hot issue.

A cfmeu indusrial officer in the audience perhaps unwisely confirmed that ‘a cast of thousands’ of MP’s and ALP stakeholders were given a briefing on the privatization proposal of this ABN AMRO valued asset of a shade over $1B about 6 weeks ago and Gerry Watt said he had a copy of this ‘confidential’ report. TWS have said they understand it’s on within the next 3 months perhaps after the Federal election.

I also noted the tone of voice of experience and indeed cynicism at question time of Russel regarding the anti conservation interests represented at the forum now cosying up to the Green Party in their quest for a unified anti privatization ticket similar to nsw electricity assets. Read below why that struggle is highly distinguishable. I noticed the seating arrangements of unionist with Rhiannon, and Russel quite separate. Rhiannon said Cohen was also anti privatization – I wonder. I notice Smith corroborated that there was no common ground on closure or relocation to Portland of SEFE/Daishowa. Smith also said the power brokers in the corridors of the ALP machine were thrashing this out right now.

What they said

First to say thankfully with all speakers the rhetoric factor was pretty low putting their strong points forward to a broad based audience. Rhetoric returned full bore in the question session.

Judy Clarke unprompted promised to put her speech on the web – which web? Perhaps The NSW Greens NSW at: ….

Craig Smith similarly said he would though again unclear how committed to this or where.

All said they were against privatization [and TWS have similarly stated this as recently as Sat 8th May at campaigners forum Mystery Bay], though I still remain unconvinced and I notice another old head in the ngo conservaton movement seemed to agree with me there was an inordinate amount of special pleading as we walked away from Macquarie street last night. But why unconvinced? Read on.

[also interestingly Tumut and Tumbarumba local govt Local Govt support signing of Kyoto for carbon credit trade.]

: General economics and finances of nf woodchip cross subsidy

As I heard and interpreted the speakers State Forests (SF) has 1.1 Mha as operational native forest land, with another 1.3Mha dedicated/informal reserves (Smith) with 207Kha softwood (sw) plantation (pl), 29Khardwood (hw) pl.

That is 85Kha sw pl Tumut, 65Kh sw pl Tumbarumba, Monaro 35Kha sw pl Monaro (Bombala), Dorrigo 24Kha sw or hw?.

Age classes of sw pl 0-14 yrs is 61Kha, 15-30 yrs 103Kha, 31 yrs+ 28Kha.

But here is the fascinating information about sw pl cross subsidy propping up SF [and presumably the SF well known activities involving corrupt red neck empire building land control involving eco terrorism against forest fauna and conservationist defenders – end rhetoric]:

Smith says its almost impossible to separate pl from native forest (nf) revenues on the SF balance sheet. Best estimates via Green Party (Kay, Watt) is $120-140 million revenue per year, and Smith says a [pitiful] $5M per year is paid to Treasury thus Kay asked where is this $120-140M going?

[The clear implication is that its going to three places:
- back into the hw pl establishment business
- back into the sw pl business operational costs
- cross subsidy of nf read woodchipping industry

This third point needs to be teased out. The cross subsidy is basically funding for SF to control large tracts of land and regionally based equipment and all that implies for rural political influence re fire prevention etc. Ownership of plantation itself is not as socially influential across regions. Thus they can use plantation revenue which should be going into Treasury - to benefit all taxpayers -into their narrow policy games which include:

- stealth conversion of nf to defacto hardwood plantation
- ideological nf woodchipping (95% of trees in SENSW) with sawlog figleaf despite out competed by sw/hw pl

Thus taxpayers collectively lose in several ways from SF ongoing control of 1.1Mha of operational nf (and probably higher given ‘informal reserves’ euphemism) re:

1. onging loss of nf water catchment and biodiversity which properly belongs to all citizens. [This compounds the massive loss of environment from original plantation establishment in 1950’s onwards]
2. large undefined fractions of sw pl revenue improperly directed to nf management and infrastructure and other costs means this income is lost to Treasury or even processing/ employment investment/development and landscape corrections in sw/hw pl estate. The irony is that money is directed to nf woodchipping for conversion to hw pl which must be exposed and stopped as corrupt, contrary to public interest.

The best way forward probably is to break SF up as soon as possible and transfer staff to NPWS control or other agencies. This transfer will be necessary to keep up public service regarding fire safety and other matters of prime concern to communities and local government in those regions regarding social capital. However it is blatantly clear the objects of SF regarding nf wood production are now economically redundant thus failing to outweigh their dangerously contrary activities re water and conservation public interest and in fact involving siphoning off scarce funds for ethical pl industry and employment development in a bureaucratic survival strategy involving liquidation of a large chunk of our natural nf estate. ]

Clark made some profound big picture points – the timber industry is the plantation industry (67% of all timber products plantation based). Plantation is mostly processed here and a big job generator unlike nf (read woodchips). From memory she said 80% of economic activity was pl 20% nf and thus ownership issue of the pl stockpile was more important than all the NSW Regional Forest ‘Agreements’ (RFA) put together.

[By way of corroboration her graphs amplified the song I have been singing for ten years that plantations are the economic gorilla in the corner and were disgracefully ignored by the SE and NE RFA’s].

Why is she against privatization? What I heard between shrill voices from the Chamber/corridors and voting bell was that in her view investment in processing is the main game for jobs and local economic benefits (I would like to check these points from her web posted speech).

1. A sale now is the wrong time and means the buyer will export unprocessed logs or chips rather than increase and improve processing which is already very substantial (corroborated by Smith’s longish list of mills and plants).
2. She said something about govt avoiding responsibility in processing investment (?)
3. Also govt will lose chance to control policy over movement of loggers/transport workers etc from nf into a publicly owned industry.

I tackle these points below. Smith similarly opposed privatization on the basis its wrong morally and debt in the nsw public budget is okay and will affect unionists with CFMEU, PSU, AWU. Local govt not on the speakers list said they would lose a lot of social services from SF if large chunks were privatized or it fell over.

The ethical approach for conservationist non govt, non party political green groups focused on ecology.

I can’t help noting that I have no knowledge of forest blockading or in situ forest activism of the two or three most prominent anti privatization Green Party representatives at the above forum ie Dr Kaye, Lee Rhiannon MLC or Gerry Watt. They clearly support forest conservation but probably have greater ideological commitment to public ownership/anti privatization.

This author is also a member five years of the ASU too but with lots of forest activism.

For green ngo’s as distinct from Party, why should conservationists care that the govt is not involved in pl wood business just as it is not appropriate for govt to run non essential industry sectors like beer, paint, food, cars, etc etc. This is not like the electricity sector and is not an essential service as such. A somewhat fraught resolution was passed at the south coast forest campaigner forum 8th May against privatization for which I too voted but the most experienced forest campaigners (say 5 of us) were mostly being diplomatic (re two wrongs don’t make a right) and were more committed to the resolution of restructure out of nf “regardless of ownership” also carried unanimously. I submit this latter remains the main game.

Gerry Watt, SE Greens argues annual revenue (gross?) of $120-140M should not be lost as privatized windfall to corporates getting major profits after only say 10 years then forever. [I worked strenuously against privatization of the electricity sector in the late 1990’s which succeeded.] Yes there are public policy moral issues about loss of a great public asset, but what value is it when large fraction of the revenue is corruptly diverted to nf woodchipping land control/conversion agendas, and lost to reinvestment even in the plantation sector let alone the general budget of NSW? Frankly SF are siphoning the sw pl revenue into influence peddling that comes with large scale nf land control and destruction. The reality is revealed by the paltry $5M dividend to Treasury despite that massive annual revenue. Something is rotten here. At least with a divestment of the asset a large financial value is realized to the Treasury and the broad citizenry and the cross subsidy to nf woodchipping is broken.

Gerry Watt also argues woodchipping increased in Victoria post sell off, but they didn’t have the 350 new national parks to foreclose on that depradation. But the point is well made. A sell off of sw/hw pl MUST include concurrent break up of a systemically corrupt SF control of public nf into other agencies.

Smith/Union also counters that after sw/hw pl sell off the nf public estate would be next sell off. This doesn’t ring true as nf even in the hands of SF is critical public resource for water, biodiversity, recreation etc etc. That is a fight the public will win to keep its public forests distinct from non natural tree farms.

Kay and Rhiannon and Greens generally argue loss of policy control means less chance of restructure of nf workers into a publicly owned pl sector. Sadly history proves this is wrong. Despite 50 years of plantation development no government has ever supported this overtly despite public ownership over that period, despite even Keating at one point saying this was the future and Button saying woodchipping is a “bastard”. History says they won’t support this though right without major change in political landscape like replacement of the social/political component of the SF function in regional and rual NSW. Which is quite do-able within govt umbrella.

This concern MUST be dealt with by conditioning the sale to include mandatory redeployment of nf workers component on the buyer into that plantation sector.

More serious objection to a sell off is Clark’s point that it’s the wrong time for job and local processing investment/development and that the buyer will realize new asset with low value export cashflow like whole log exports. This MUST also be subject of condition of sale regarding domestic processing and probably requires many kinds of industry, policy, legislative and economic measures and instruments that frankly are out of my league.

Another important argument from Kay, Greens, is public ownership allows greater environmental policy control referring to sale of brown coal electricity generator in Vic leading to greater greenhouse and weaker political influence. However the argument is two edged. Govt financial interest in a sw/hw plantation may be a nasty conflict of interest. Witness Transgrid clearing of bushland along their transmission line in recent years. It may be govt less able to regulate in an even more direct corrupting financial influence than say political donations from corporates which at least are known for what they are. In other words there is no guarantee public ownership leads to better environmental performance. It still comes back to politics and public agitation and the law.

Again any sale must be conditioned by serious environmental regulation concurrently and almost certainly legislatively post sale for ethical plantation management and with regional planning instruments as per recommendation of Commissioner Cleland into the Visy plantation and pulp mill Commission of Inquiry at Tumut for stage 2 of that project.


Conclusion and strategy for green ngo’s

Keep slamming the 1995 Carr promise to end nf woodchipping by 2000, 4 years broken. Carr must deliver to save his historical legacy and reputation on environmental policy. A former NSW MP Labor staffer asserted recently “Carr will go down as the worst premier in NSW history”. Not a pretty thought for any politician’s life work.

Keep pushing for the above conditions to any plantation sell off for good public policy. At this point with these conditions privatization with concurrent break in the cross subsidy and disbanding of SF may well be in best interests of the environment.

Alternatively done badly a wounded and smaller SF will escalate woodchipping like they did in Victoria with disastrous consequences for public nf over 1.1Mha (and probably more).

Extract: Oz Forest & Woodland # 4 24th May 2004

quoting Judy Clark, obscure prose demanding careful attention but important as Clark wrote the original academic study in 1990 proving there are adequate plantation resources to completely phase out native forest logging:

"9. Privatization of the plantation economic gorilla in NSW.

"OF&W criticize the Carr govt for failing to address the plantation sector in its forest conservation reforms in 1995-2000 period. Now with the $1 billion public asset on the chopping block in a cash needy state resource economist Judy Clark, an acknowledged expert on resource matters has written to say her paper can be found at:

http://cres.anu.edu.au/people/clark.php

and she adds

“Whilst I concentrated on the eco[nomic] issues, I think there are important environmental issues for plantation ownership. In particular, the planting was pretty full-on over the 1960s to 1980s and some areas planted would not be planted today. After they are logged, it may be the land should be rezoned or subjected to specific management requirements. I'm talking in particular about steep slopes and water buffer zones and corridor linkages. These issues are just as important in the north as they are in the south, possibly more important. The process for making these adjustments (and keeping log volumes up - ie through productivity improvements on the next rotation and maybe replanting on more suitable land) will be MUCH easier if the plantations are in public hands.

”I was surprised about the comments on the native forest subsidy identification with privatization. If government wanted to know the extent of the subsidy, they could force this work. The issue is how would the NSW govt react with this information. I think some people are too quick in making conclusions - wishes - here. If they argue that the NSW govt would react in an economically rational way (ie lift native forest log prices and maybe close some regions), they need to explain why the NSW government is different to every other state government in Australia - even the WA government that is at the cutting edge of forest policy in Australia.”

In response to Clark, OF&W has made some tactical observations evidencing public ownership does not guarantee good environmental management e.g. State Forests itself and the infamous Transgrid clearing episode in NSW not to mention financial conflict of interest of legislative and executive arms of govt. Her point on lazy accounting is valid calling up the dusty 1990 Public Accounts Committee bi partisan report into then Forestry Commission which report went the way of the dodo. As for differences in NSW [from other states who have done nothing to increase pricing in native forests]: Carr and his familiar refrain on greenhouse and 350 new national parks? But OF&W agrees to this extent that it’s a very arguable situation. Certainly Carr could retrieve an awful lot of bad vibes environmentally and generally by closing down the cronies in State Forests for good and cleaning up the plantation sector as the bright future for loggers in a sustainable landscape.

..................................

The official state Govt position on privatisation of the public plantation estate is here, that is to corporatise only which surely is a prelude to privatisation:

18/2/05... latest govt position to corporatise public plant

Posted by editor at 3:55 PM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 10:45 AM NZT

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Mood:  special

Former NSW Attorney General John Dowd (Liberal Party) on ABC radio 702 Party liners said this morning he was in favour of public ownership of the States $15B in public energy assets. Then this since last week in our local area:

Picture: Photo taken by this writer 28th April 2008  Illawarra Rd outside Banana Joes.

This view would get a cheer from the marginal seat of Marrickville. Indeed the revenue from such a sale will go to build a $5 Billion dollar truck tunnel with cancer causing smog stacks venting into the heartland of this marginal seat. And see the seat go to the Green Party - first lower house seat in Australian history.

Posted by editor at 3:46 PM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 10:43 AM NZT

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Mood:  caffeinated

This is not a well packaged story. It’s a contemporaneous traverse of the Sunday television free to air political talkies indicating the agenda of Establishment interests: Better to know ones rivals and allies  in Big Politics and Big Media.

Indeed it’s the tv version monitoring task similar to what Nelson Mandela refers to here in his book Long Walk to Freedom (1994, Abacus) written in Robben Island prison (where he was meant to die like other African resister chiefs of history in the 19C), at page 208

“..newspapers are only a shadow of reality; their information is important to a freedom fighter not because it reveals the truth, but because it discloses the biases and perceptions of both those who produce the paper and those who read it.”

Just substitute ‘Sunday tv political talkie shows’ for "newspapers" in the quote above. 

For actual transcripts go to web sites quoted below except with Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don’t really give you the image content value.

Media backgrounders

- We were gratified to see this story about $17M funding boost for the sector after our piece about Marrickville Legal Centre recently:

Tuesday, 15 April 2008

Marrickville Legal Centre providing community service on 4 areas of law
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: legal

- Martin Ferguson as Resources Minister is the darling of the fossil fuel sector at the moment even as a dangerous climate change denier (?): It's all about this desire for even greater fossil fuel resources:

www.smh.com.au - Australia gets bigger and richer

Hence this gushing piece for articulation challenged Ferguson busy with highly speculative CCS storage gambles which may yet be highly insecure and dangerous:

How to meet demands of 'sexy' sector | The Australian 

26 April 2008 Oil's price out of US hands - Bloomberg via The Australian Careers section p8

26 April 2008 Producers losing sway over feedstock nations - Bloomberg via The Australian Careers section p8

Indeed CCS is the figleaf the fossil fuel industry desperately wants more of for business as usual.

[offline] Shell floats plans for offshore carbon capture 22.4.08 The Australian p25

No one in big business or big politics is discussing reduction of fossil fuel extraction as we sleep walk to civilisation suicide:

Ease bottleneck or lose port deal | The Australian

 Perhaps the first proverbial cyclone in Brisbane will change all that, but off course it will all be too late by then.

- Refer penultimate piece about monolithic corporatist govt threads in the weekend press  re Costello, abolishing states, root and branch tax review etc etc.

- the Bully might be back, as in The Bulletin via Hunter Hall schmoozer ex journo, Peter Hall, but I wouldn't hold one's breath. Story reads like an urbanite swearing they are going to buy land and live in the country only to move back to the city chaos. Similarly Peter Hall looks like a money man - not a news guy - subject to one thing. There is a social sector that wants 21C view of business in post climate change realities.  With online cranking so well, it would seem more likely to our superficial eye for 'a progressive business' component of the new media sector to grow out of, Stephen Mayne's new Mayne Report, or  Business Spectator, Kohler's Eureka Report, Crikey.com.au or even New Matilda on say the renewable energy side of things. But who knows? One thing though too - broadband in regional areas is apparently hard to get or too expensive which cruels that demographic and keeps media firmly on paper.

- Daily Telegraph last Friday edition front pager  – “Seeing red” over “rent a crowd” pro China Inc/IOC Inc global torch relay. Cynical overwhelming of local human rights protest. Profound metaphor for bullying dictatorship in Tibet itself overwhelming local language groups, also Uygurs (East Turkistan).  This kind of ongoing adverse publicity for China Inc creates response willing to talk to exiled Dalai Govt who hedging on terms for such.

- Notice this revealing survey but no includsion of  Olympic sponsor Channel 7 in the survey -

Controversy flares, but sponsors stick with the Games | smh.com.au

 

and see too

Olympic torch relay turns into three-ring circus Glenda Korporaal The fiasco proves how quickly a sponsorship, even of a trusted brand, can go wrong

- But Big Sport/human rights is the front story – the back story business pages is SinoSteel (China Inc Beijing Govt) hostile takeover of Midwest iron ore medium level $1.2B or so value. Approved by FIRB already but Sino is fishing for more and like in USA rejecting of China Govt $, Australia is reported to be telling China Inc to back off to avoid political blow back. Similar to Shell stalking Woodside under Costello around Nigeria human rights but even worse in terms of China Inc dictatorship killers. Shell's takeover of Woodside was rejected outright by Costello.

China Inc is demonstrably not 'just another player in the Western markets' and to think that would be a triumph of naivety and greed over common sense: For instance:

21.4.08 CNN's coverage of China sparks attack | The Australian

22.4.08 Curbs on media at torch run attacked | The Australian

In all of this remains the great Australian juggling act between USA alliance and China commerce:

23.3.08 We're still OK, China - National - smh.com.au

- ABC Unleashed web publishing is really cranking since launching Oct 2007 in both postings and comment vitality. 

We met the organizer, obviously a serious operator, but you can still detect the the fearful stodgy ABC ‘balance’ lacking self corporate self awareness that the ABC itself is a player as mendicant to the federal Govt for funding – as per the fairly soft 2020 Summit coverage.

I get the distinct feeling (or maybe our own fear) the ABC are seeking to generate influence and control of the web based news sector in reaction to the growth of Crikey, New Matilda, our own humble SAM website. Is this really what the ABC is about – competition and control with the non aligned blogosphere. It looks another aspect of corporate self interest to us.

- ABC attacked by News ltd back on Wed 23^rd April front pager  but it went pretty much nowhere as cynical exploitation of emotional time for vet and families. Pretty ugly game by SDT and Melbourne tabloid. It follows blowtorch attack on a barrister the week before which the ABC in particular froze out. The ABC get more of similar impertinence from Tim Blair yesterday with a perverse half truth about consistent threads of programming bias at fondly known 'dowdy Aunty'. Truth remains ABC sets the standard for Big Media both in editorial balance and content. Blair will always be in denial and have trouble with that kind of publicly funded reality.

- Power sell off friction is really cranking now – range of stories listed here - which all turn on John Robertson not betraying the union movement like Costa did by taking a job in the upper house for his ministerial career to close down the workers compensation claims of unions (a 'reform' about 2001-2 which has since been slammed by judges and academics as windfall insurance industry profits):

 26.3.08 Electricity inquiries show no spark - Opinion - smh.com.au

28.3.08 Sell power stations but help the regions: Combet - National - smh ...

11.4.08 $272m aid to help power sale - National - smh.com.au

19.4.08 Premier's power play - National - smh.com.au

19.4.08 Iemma's plan to defy unions - National - smh.com.au

19.4.08 Calm before the storm for Iemma p29 Australian, Imre Salusinszky [offline]

 

20.4.08 Iemma faces censure on power | The Daily Telegraph

 

21/4/08 Warning to party over open threat - National - smh.com.au

21.4.08 'Disloyal' Iemma defiant | The Australian

23.4.08 Lovable's rogue's big plans | The Daily Telegraph

25.4.08 State or the unions: to the wire - National - smh.com.au

27.4.08 ALP shuns Morris Iemma on power sale | The Daily Telegraph

 - and lots of stories by veteran Alex Mitchell in the crikey.com.au newsletter

- Noel Pearson and Megan Davis/Sarah Maddison trade reasonably mild intellectual and ideological rivalry on future directions in Indigenous affairs. For us it seems to be about actual, or perceptions of, equitable resourcing for damage control regarding precious young Black lives versus longer term deeper reforms to the soul of the country. Which also appears to underpin this fairly hot rivalry between veteran activist Michael Anderson in the Western Division of NSW (eg crusading on Aboriginal Nations Rugby/Super League) and Sydney based (and family related) Larissa Behrendt/Geof Scott and NSW Aboriginal Land Council (which it should be remembered is actually a big land developer). We noticed a traverse by The Oz's Natasha Robinson which incorrectly blames the Native Title Act 1994 on Howard when in fact it was Keating as PM, perhaps showing her age (?), and understandable given what Howard as PM did do to Wik legal precedent in 1997-8 decision with his bucket loads of extinguishment '10 point plan'.

- Simon Benson gets the exclusive story on jobs growth  in NSW too bad it’s in terms of developer donations racket and destruction of natural heritage values and amenity. It’s a classic Huey Long trashing of governance standards via ramrod of developer mate approvals. With no eye to ecological imperatives much bigger than re election of the ALP or the latest GDP figures.

- Imre Salusinszky goes the (misogynist?) sledge that the Iemma Govt’s troubles on developer donations are all about errant Wollongong planner and 2 ex communist Green MPs Rhiannon, Hale:

[offline] Green MPs a barrier to Sartor's reforms p29 26 April 08

 

However this recent list of stories sort of shows what rubbish that is from Imre. The record doesn't bear out such a convenient sanitising of the Iemma Govt at all. (Just as we were surprised to see Errol Simper sanitise his dubious mate Ken Hooper recently, if indeed it is the same bloke who worked for Westfield after Nick Greiner.) It's about democracy and common decency and honesty Imre not the cold war or The Australian's big business advertiser mates for that matter:

22/3/08 Iemma plan to ban political donations - National - smh.com.au 

22.3.08 Single-deck metro trains a bad move for city, expert warns - National

23.4.08 A flamin' big bungle Sunday Telegraph

24.3.08 Hospitals doctor records - National - smh.com.au

26.3.08 The Archangel Gabrielle chainsaw massacre - Elizabeth Farrelly ...

30.3/08 O'Farrell attacks ICAC over lameness SunHerald p13

2.4.08 Della Bosca wants Iemma's job | The Daily Telegraph

2.4.08 Della Bosca admits to leadership desire - National - smh.com.au

2.4.08 Over there! It's another get-tough policy - National - smh.com.au

 

6.4.08 [front page] Iemma losing control Sunday Telegraph

 

5.4.08 Della Bosca denial 'nonsense' | The Daily Telegraph

 

6.4.08 Sydney's $152m light rail plan | The Daily Telegraph [by way of contradistinction with this $5 BILLION secret truck tunnel Port Botany to M4 East]

7.4.08 Go green, Sydney, for a brighter way - Environment - Home ...

7.4.08 Quick and dirty, is that the plan SMH Editorial

 

7.4.08 TWU eats up cash meant for 'training fund' | The Daily Telegraph

 

9.4.08 We might be green but we're not stupid Simon Benson Daily Telegraph

 

9.4.08 Top ALP donor appeals to Sartor | The Australian

 

10.4.08 Mayor rebuts Sartor's dispute claim | The Australian

 

10.4.08 Truckloads of donations - National - smh.com.au

 

10.4.08 Canberra asked to help build M4 extension - National - smh.com.au 

10.4.08 Poor vision for the state in blurring of the divide - Opinion ...

11.4.08 Grants nothing to do with me, says Della Bosca - National - smh.com.au

11.4.08 Warning: Sartor's new laws invite graft - National - smh.com.au

11.4.08 Second airport, but not at Badgerys Creek - Travel - smh.com.au

 

11.4.08 Public funding by the back door - Editorial - Opinion - smh.com.au

 

15.4.08 We failed to declare donations: ALP - National - smh.com.au

 

18.4.08 Landlord MPs in conflict of interest fear | The Daily Telegraph

 

19.4.08 State can sell your home - National - smh.com.au

 

And then their is the alleged Opus Dei minister Kristine Keneally doing PR for the Catholic World Youth Day with huge public subsidy:

23. 3.08 Meet the nun who convinced a Minister to expand seniors discounts

 

20.3.08 City gets its holy marching orders - National - smh.com.au

 

- Frugal council counts cost of World Youth Day - National - smh.com.au

 

21 April 2008 World Youth Day to cost taxpayers $86m - ABC News (Australian ...

Sunday 9

Bruce Wolpe of Fairfax on the US Presidential contest.

Feature on global warming and forestry schemes to come.

First feature on ANZAC day.

Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) – academic Iain McGill UNSW – “party is over” for scarce resource of the atmosphere. Samuels/ACCC on integrity concerns. Jeff Angel sceptic on re afforestation offsets versus genuine renewable energy sources. He’s got a serious point. Worth checking out for video on demand if they run it.

Nicola Roxon in big Laurie Oakes interview. All very worthy.

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/default.asp

10 Meet the Press:  8- 8-30 am

Missed the start. Tony Abbott is the guest.

Chat about alcopops stock standard ‘moral panic’ diversion from greater issues. Dreary discussion of support for Brendan Nelson ongoing. Out take is Heffernan crashing a single desk Barnaby Joyce.

Adbreak has digestive bloating advert for pills, another different product  last night running too. Why the push?

Hartigan and Rudd footage. Alison Carabine 2UE/Southern Cross Broadcasting. And Peter Hartcher SMH on the panel. Fairly dreary discussion.

Hartcher moves in on pressure on working families. Rake over old coals of Liberal leadership under Howard, re McLachland wallet gate mistakes.

Tandberg outtake another 6 months honeymoon for Rudd [subtext of huge

Advert is dancing with stars balancer versus Sunday Telegraph front pager embarrassment.

Brett Solomon of Get Up put through his paces. Says 280K “members” but really subscribers as best I can say. Admits Evan Thorley seed funding way back at the start. Styles self and Get Up as pro progressive issues based with interest from say rural national party voters. That is not monolithic party platform.

Has credibility gap which he is wise to so may solve it too [eg bragged in official email 100+ chosen for 2020 Summit, then says only 1 rep was him attending, also pro Rudd history pre election]  but getting smaller as fashions a new “independent” role post Rudd election.

Pressed hard by Alison Carabine on any manufacturing of consent in reportage of Governance issue at 2020 and Brett makes it clear yes there was manipulation and Willian Deane/Burnside spotted this dirty trick. So integrity question came up tops for independence. Calls for a "climate budget".  Needs to keep building on that independence but that means breaking ties with The ALP Machine Power. It will be painful if they can do it.

Meet The Press - Watch Political Video Online - Channel TEN.

Riley Diary 7

. no Riley Diary at usual time that we can see.

http://www.seven.com.au/sunrise/weekend

Insiders 2: 9- 10am

- Panel is Karen Middleton SBS, Mal Farr News Limited tabloid, Milne News Limited broadsheet/Sunday

Interview is Martin Ferguson (fresh off a friendly boost in The Oz business pages)  about expanse of continental shelf rights by a great deal. Ferguson a dinosaur on climate change and pro nuke energy is riding it for all he is worth “energy security”. 

Cassidy goes to China Inc stalking firms, and “China is entitled to invest in Australia like other traditional investors” “non discriminatory”. But that means treating what’s different as different Cassidy notes no security pact, communist state owned company. -  National interest test he says and market principles. The market will decide. What rubbish. Tell that to W Bush regime. Totally naïve and false distinctions. Talks about Shell stalking of Woodside.

Paul Kelly in pink shirt, soliloquy, Bill of rights very divisive big mistake

Discussion of summit process greatly manufactured, manipulated. Various topics.

Moves on to Costello leadership issues.  Jack the Insider in talking pictures of only mildly funny schtick though true enough characterisation especially of crude Sydney business culture.

Sledging of Pauline Hanson re financials. How much is Big Party bullying for an admittedly very unsympathetic case.

http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Posted by editor at 11:32 AM NZT

Updated: Wednesday, 30 April 2008 10:18 AM NZT

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Mood:  sharp

An unelected swill, err fine upstanding over achievers 1,002 in number at the 2020 summit, or many part thereof, have suggested a wholesale reorganisation of state and federal relations. At least so PM Rudd's machine are reporting via Micke Steketee. It's the broken federation sings the chorus.

Costello as former treasurer has apparently leaked a similar 'reform' previously considered by the Howard Govt to veteran Laurie Oakes writing Bulletin style stories out of place in the Daily Telegraph cartoon book:

[offline] Howard plotted to scuttle the states April 26 2008 p26

Maybe a leak so Costello can shore up his dormant leadership ambition? Or to sell his memoirs? Or even to distract from FoI expert Peter Timmins (SMH today) who implies that Costello's Govt deliberately squibbed criminal sanctions for cartel behaviour (like big Liberal Party donors and a certain cardboard box king).

Big business and PM Rudd are keen to break down the federal state model too. Talk of root and branch review of taxation, or in Howard-Costello terms, clawing back of the GST to take power off the states.

Only it's a naked attempt at centralised vertically integrated power free of checks and balances by the duopoly major parties prostrate to big business.

Take out of 2020 Summit: Rudd Inc showcase is Rollerball style monolith
Mood:  sad
Topic: aust govt

Picture: The World Corp's CEO in his lair in movie Rollerball, like PM Rudd inviting the Big Media into his interview room at the Summit, surrounded by his powerful machine in parliament house rather than the usual press conference format.

Remember the old saying - Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The plan is about as opposite to the Green Party principle of grassroots democracy as you are likely to find.

The reason the Australian public voted down a minimalist presidential republican model 10 years ago is because they didn't want to bless yet another sincecure of the bunyip aristocracy to the craven major parties.

How much less will they want to deliver over more centralised power to political parties already largely annexed by Big Business donors to build $5B truck tunnels from Port Botany, or sell off $15B in energy assets?

In every shallow discussion of streamlining and reduction of the 2 main federal and state and 3rd level of (local) government there is one grand purpose of the set up that the vertically integrated major parties and revolving door media never acknowledge. What many call inertia and calcification of governance is probably actually stability and safety.

The reason Australia is such a stable country is because of the three levels of government. There is a forum above or below for agitation against another level of govt on anything that gets the people steamed up. That's why Australia is a stable country for over 106 years now. Sure there is nothing like a monolithic totalitarian stitch up like Mussolini's Italy, or the 'Democratic' Republic of China to simplify things and yes save resources. No doubt about it. Popular authoritarianism of Big Brother.

Such systems may be many things but healthy stable democracy is not one of them.

Posted by editor at 12:16 AM NZT

Updated: Sunday, 27 April 2008 11:22 AM NZT

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Mood:  sharp

Back in February 2008 we were sceptical whether the general manager's job at Addison Rd Community Centre would ever be advertised to the public as legally required for most public organisations.

For those who follow these things then President and ALP hack Yvette Andrews slipped into the job back in December 2007 for 6 months "temporary" position from her political fixer role as unpaid President.

Andews friend Terry Cutcliffe was enjoying a rent free or highly discounted rent for a 500 sq metre gallery space during her watch causing no end of controversy at the ARC. Apparently he has never submitted accounts of income and expenditure for some 4 years after admittedly renovating the space.

A Board member told this writer the GM's position would be advertised by April 08, that is with 2 months to get someone in the position after Andrews 6 months are up. We feel this is either optimistic or naive. Our source tells us that the May 15 2008 meeting will decide to advertise the position to the public. "If it's not raised then I will raise it" says our brave source.

Well we said back in February 08 don't hold your breath in the state of ALP. And sure enough April 26 and no advert. And we bet there will be no advertising decision on May 15 Board meeting either.

Meanwhile we notice our old stamping ground at Waverley Council has duly advertised it's much more serious and demanding General Manager's position in the press this weekend. In their case they know how to follow the law of equal access to employment in public organisations.

Here was our draft advert for General Manger for Addison Rd Centre, 'biggest community centre in Australia' just to demonstrate how it's done. it seems appropriate when another big Sydney non profit is hitting the skids in the press again today (very sad too):

..........

[True fiction!]

 Addison Rd Centre General Manager Job Vacancy closing date 1st April 2008

Posted February 9th, 2008 by Anonymous

Recently arisen, how
brightly you shine

Addison Road Centre

Senior Management

Position

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

The Addison Road Centre (ARC) is an equal opportunity employer and values the diversity of its workforce. This means that the person most capable of doing the job will be chosen, without discrimation based on age, sex, pregnancy, disability, race, colour, ethnic or ethno religious background, descent or nationality, marital
status, homosexuality, transgender identity, or carer’s
responsibility.

The ARC is an independent organisation pursuing the goal of providing a site where organisations and
individual practitioners in the arts, culture, community and the environment can
work together in a community-owned asset. The ARC aims to be a showcase of how diversity of communities defined either by locality, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, age, ability or interest can operate together to achieve social and environmental outcomes in a context of economic self-sufficiency.

MAIN OFFICE

ADDISON ROAD CENTRE, MARRICKVILLE

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, people with disabilities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

General Manager – Salary $65K per annum

Job Ref No: GM08/01

Are you an energetic and experienced manager with excellent interpersonal skills and management
experience willing to be a central part of a team committed to servicing the infrastructure and administrative needs of clients?

An opportunity is available to join the team of the Addison Road Centre, Marrickville as it moves forward
with a vital program of community service.

The General Manager will be a key role in the provision of best practice administrative services for over 40
tenants and 5 staff. You will need to be committed to protecting the interests and dignity of people in a wide range of community activities. The organisation
is experiencing strong growth in the demand for its services and is undergoing organisational change. You will be working with the Board of elected
representatives to achieve long term change.

Selection criteria:
We are seeking a senior manager with extensive experience in a client service organisation who
can demonstrate outstanding leadership and management capabilities. The successful candidate will have experience in significant and successful
organisational change and process strategic planning and financial management skills. A sound knowledge of the issues facing community centres on community
land are contained in the information package available.

The operations of Addison Rd Centre are located on 3.4 hectares at 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville in the Inner West of Sydney.

The position has a remuneration package of $65,000 per annum.

Inquiries: Yvette Andrews (02) 9569 7633

Information Packages: Terry Cutcliffe 9518 3709, 0412 590 779

Applications Marked “Confidential” To: Applicants can
apply by email to mainoffice@addisonrdcentre.com.au

Closing date: April 1^st 2008 or never whichever comes first.

Posted by editor at 5:04 PM NZT

Updated: Saturday, 26 April 2008 5:32 PM NZT

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Mood:  incredulous

[Courier Mail story owned by News Ltd]

 Anna Bligh approved $100,000 pay hike for Mike Kaiser's role

By Steven Wardill April 24, 2008 12:00am

PREMIER Anna Bligh orchestrated a pay rise of almost $100,000 for her chief of staff role before announcing confessed vote rorter Mike Kaiser would take the job.

Ms Bligh secretly gave the green light to change the job description for the powerful position in order to align it with its higher-earning equivalents interstate.

An independent financial consultant, Mercer, arrived at the figure, she said.

"These are very significant and very responsible positions and frankly I think somewhere in the middle of the pack, given the size of Queensland and our growth and the responsibility of the position, is probably about right," she said today.

The move means Mr Kaiser now pockets a base salary of $211,880 a year, more than the $205,000 he would have been earning as a minister had he not been forced out of politics in 2001.

When superannuation, leave loading and his fully maintained vehicle are included, Mr Kaiser's total package exceeds $268,000 – making him Queensland's highest-paid ministerial staffer.

That means he earns more than Brisbane's Lord Mayor ($205,000), the Opposition Leader ($185,000) and federal MPs ($127,000).

Ms Bligh's base salary is $259,000, while her deputy Paul Lucas pockets just under $223,000.

Ms Bligh said Mr Kaiser took a pay cut to take the position. "Any suggestion that he came up here lured by money is completely and utterly false," she said.  "Mike's first decision and threshold was whether or not his family would be prepared to move if he was going to pursue this position."

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said Queenslanders would be offended Ms Bligh had organised such a big pay increase for a Labor mate.

"When our nurses, teachers and police have to fight tooth and nail to get a 4 per cent pay rise, it irks Queenslanders to see Ms Bligh personally approving pay rises of $100,000 for Labor Party members," Mr Springborg said.

Ms Bligh admitted she was in discussions with Mr Kaiser when the pay increase happened, but insisted negotiations had not progressed to monetary terms.

"There had been no discussion about salary. He was still making a decision about whether to move his family," Ms Bligh said.

She said she had revealed Mr Kaiser's base salary in Parliament and said the package needed to be altered to ensure the Government could attract quality candidates.

with AAP

Posted by editor at 10:24 PM NZT

Updated: Friday, 25 April 2008 10:30 PM NZT

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Mood:  a-ok

Is there a thread between the following reports in the press today? Do they describe the situation of citizens here in NSW generally regarding NSW State Government milking the economy for 'donations'? Or is that a cheap shot? Being 1/8 Italian maybe it's a touch melodramatic. Maybe.

Pubs turn off the political donations tap

THE Australian Hotels Association has frozen all political donations in a move that increases pressure on the Premier, Morris Iemma, to carry through his proposal to ban all donations.

Compare this other racketeering situation from Sicily. Home of the Mafia, not to be confused with the Camora which hail from Calabria apparently (where it seems my folks on my mothers side, and Premier Morris Iemma's folks, hail from):

Posted by editor at 7:13 PM NZT

Updated: Friday, 25 April 2008 7:32 PM NZT

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