Mood:
hug meTopic: election Oz 2007
Picture: Front page of The Australian today 23rd August 2007. And more here PM's silence more grist to the mill "Matthew Denholm JOHN Howard has refused to intervene in the public brawl between confidant Geoffrey Cousins and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull." Just because I like him won't stop me burying him, Mill may cost state jobs and $3.3bn, Issue set to explode
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[Email correspondence follows to local NSW ChipStop network follows]
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 2:50 PM
[The Australian] Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull, pictured here today at a National Infrastucture Conference. Picture: Graham Crouch More
Matthew Denholm A FORMER senior adviser to John Howard will personally campaign against Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull in his marginal seat.
Matthew Denholm | August 22, 2007
A LEADING businessman and former senior adviser to John Howard will personally campaign against federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull in his marginal Sydney seat in a bid to reverse federal approval for a Tasmanian pulp mill.
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For a supposedly close mate of the Prime Minister, Telstra director Geoffrey Cousins appears to have joined his colleagues in going native although in his case the issue is Malcolm Turnbull’s approval of the Gunns pulp mill.
As part of a bigger push into shareholder activism, I was literally about to hit the button on a campaign to gather 100 signatures from Telstra shareholders to put up a resolution seeking to remove Cousins from the board at the AGM in Sydney on 7 November.
The deadline was 6 September and the plan was potentially a Machiavellian beauty based on the hope that the Telstra board would maintain its opposition to Cousins, such that he would have been turfed off the board just days before or after the federal election.
Given that Telstra is at war with the government, the assumption was that his close Cousins association with John Howard would make him unpopular with his board colleagues.
Alas, the opposite seems to be the case. The mail coming out of the Telstra boardroom is that they are all getting along very well and now we’ve got Cousins declaring war on both the Lennon Labor Government in Tasmania and federal environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The Australian splashed today with revelations that Cousins will try to unseat Turnbull from his marginal seat of Wentworth.
At one level, this could be interpreted as Cousins establishing his anti-government credentials to save his skin on the Telstra board. It has certainly ended my removal resolution.
The government forced Cousins onto the board last year by voting its 51% stake in favour just days before it sold down to 17%. A resolution to remove him, if backed by the board, would have been a fascinating test of the Future Fund’s independence right in the middle of an election campaign.
At last year’s AGM, Cousins needed the government’s 6.446 billion votes to get elected because he faced an unprecedented against vote from institutions of 1.73 billion shares. I was the best performed outside candidate with 186 million votes in favour and Cousins was only supported by 240 million shares before the government saved the day.
However, Cousins does have a long history of trashing relationships in pursuit of good corporate governance. A 20 year friendship with Nick Whitlam didn’t stop him from turning crown witness against him over some NRMA proxy voting and he also railed against the practices of Crown Casino developer Hudson Conway when he was put onto that board by Kerry Packer.
Maybe the guy really is a genuine campaigner for good corporate practice who also has a strong green streak from his experiences bushwalking in Tasmania.
Send your tips to boss@crikey.com.au or submit them anonymously here.
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I think that point about breaking the internal corss subsidy within the govt balance sheet from logging of profitable plantation to unprofitable native forest just got more compelling as a result of the private sector finances moving to integrate the native forest and plantation sector, which means there will be even more anti competitive practices between the two sides of the logger operations, in other words more clearing for more new plantation. Quite logical brutal business practice by Gunns. But then that's just my opinion.....based on the NSW Public Accounts Committee reporting to the NSW Parliament in 1990
Gunns' slingers to take 50.1pc stake | The Australian
Andrew McGarry and Pia Akerman | August 22, 2007
FORESTRY company Gunns is seen as the Tasmanian tough guy of timber, the company that never backs down from a fight.
The company's latest stoush, a $332 million takeover offer for South Australian-based softwood plantation producer Auspine, is not yet over, but later today Gunns is expected to cross the 50.1 per cent shareholding threshold to take a controlling interest. .......
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Meanwhile local solicitor Alex Tees is promoting this platform as a likely independent candidate in Wentworth (Tees is our legal sponsor/principal in our pro bono legal work but this platform is all Tees' own work, no responsibility though we did mention Tas forests)
INDEPENDENT AGENDA SYDNEY ELECTORATE OF WENTWORTH - PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT
Community Independent Residents such as myself will be instituting the following agenda priorities for the forthcoming election;
In the next few weeks/months a series of public meetings will be called and held to set up an Exploratory Campaign Committee with a view to promoting an Independent campaign and or candidates in the Forthcoming Federal Election for the Federal Seat of Wentworth.
"This may appeal to ordinary local residents and For those who are not members of BIG POLITICAL PARTIES , BIG TRADE UNIONS OR BIG BUSINESS"
Draft Policy Issues for Discussion
1. A Policy to guarantee everyone who is capable of a job ; with Government if necessary, particularly in these economic boom times to subsidize mobility of job seekers on 100% basis, subsidize jobs with Local Govt, Community organizations and other employers. Such
policy will involve the abolition of unemployment benefits and its replacement with guaranteed net wage of at least that set by the Fair Pay Commission.
2.a) Control of all Health/Education services by the Commonwealth with the Commonwealth to pay for the same ; with same to be paid for by the Commonwealth/Federal Government.ONE NATIONAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH SYSTEM = MASSIVE COST SAVINGS – NO DUPLICATION OF BUREAUCRACY
b) One single National registration system for all Trades and Professions with Common standards = more massive savings for Government and Business.
3. A Further closer integration of all Police Services both Federal and State into one co-operative command ; abolishing all duplicated responsibilities in Policing and law enforcement that currently exists between Federal/State bodies.Further and extra funding for all Police and a National Training system for Police to be set up.
4. The closure of Villawood detention centre and those at Port Hedland/and Victoria and its/their replacement with a scheme where necessary of home detention and a smaller more humane immigration detention centre. No more former criminals or criminal deportees
to be put in such centres with ordinary immigration detainees and no children ever to held in immigration detention.
5. A Proper National environmental audit with particular emphasis on further prevention of land clearance and preservation of natural rain forests.
6. Further Continued Assistance and intervention in support of all Aboriginal Communities in strict consultation with such communities to prevent child abuse in ALL States/Territories with LONG TERM extra resources and funds for doctors, accommodation
and education.
7. Continued National control of the national Communications/telephone and internet network and better government funding of same in all areas of Australia.
8. Enhanced funding and a massive expansion of Defence Reserve Forces to be recruited and trained on a regional basis ; with emphasis on civil defence and natural disasters ; while bolstering national and regional defence preparedness with maximum flexibility etc.
9. Increased Funding and resources for Defence Forces to train local Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
10. Massive increase in Commonwealth funding for alternative energy sources other than Oil/Petrol ; to Solar, wind, tidal and Oil substitute fuels ; massive increase in funding for Public Transport and Railways with the Commonwealth to take control of one
National Uniform Rail system.
11. A Fair and Equitable National Industrial Relations System that governs all employees ; not the current Federal State Government sponsored mess with multiple coverage and uncertainty for employees and employers in every jurisdiction in Australia.
12. GST ADMINISTRTION COSTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS ARE STILL TOO ONEROUS AND SHOULD BE SUBSIDIZED AND PAID FOR BY GOVERNMENT NOT Small Business ... a GST Stamp system could be introduced whereby users of small business services purchase GST stamps from the
Government and then hand them over physically or electronically to Small Businesses thereby meaning Small Businesses no longer collect Taxes for the government or administer its tax system for it...........
“The cost of administering the GST system should be borne by the Government NOT SMALL BUSINESS “ ( as it is at the moment)
All the above will achieve massive costs savings and significant investment for the future of all Australians for the future.
A public meeting will shortly be held in Wentworth in the next few months to Form a Campaign Committee to promote the above policies.
Further Information :
Alex Tees
A.A.W. Tees
Office :@ ANZIA, Su 3a, Lvl 6 , 303 Pitt St Sydney 2000 ,Australia
Tel 9281 3230/821 10233 ,Email atees@bigpond.com After Hours (02) 820 73122 &
9387 4836/0409813622 ,Mobile (040) 981 3622
Fax (02) 9262 7644 , Intnl After hours 612 820 73122
Web sites: www.legalexchange.com.au, www.cpppcltrust.com
