Mood:  quizzical

Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 3:52 PM

Subject: addison road board

Hi Tom,

Is there a number I can call you on regarding the Addison Road Centre board?Regards,Sam Worrad, Journalist, Inner West Courier.

We received this amongst many emails recently:

Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 1:10 AM

Subject: ARC

Peace seems to have broken out at ARC. There appears to be not a trace of Andrews, her husband or Burgmann. As far as I know the ALP has disappeared from the place which was Burgmann's last bit of influence. How quickly things can change. Your efforts played a part in cleaning up the place. Activism does have its place. Keep up the good work.
Best regards

Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 6:18 AM

Subject: Mmm ...Re: ARC

Thanks for the comments. Now that it is known (?) I'm moving out of the area mid April I'm getting some 'good on you' type comments. I suspect it's just relief a real activist is moving on. And nostalgia perhaps given the ARC is rudderless.

Peace? Mmm.  I wonder. After so many years of secrets and favourtism and bullying culture and I do wonder.

The key is transparency as an ethos. Circulating the old minutes is one positive step. But it's a very very very low base.

Here are some real problems.

1. Reynolds as president - he installed Andrews and allowed her position to remain without advertising for close to 18 months. That's not an honest broker.

2. I personally have a grievance for bullying against Reynolds which the Board refused to deal with under their so called grievance procedure.

3. Reynolds is proudly militant in his dealings with Ch31 and doesn't believe in Gandhi style social action at all. Good luck ARC.

4. Where [are] the explanations and excuses of the resigned board members to the general public, let alone tenants.

5. The gerrymander against 50% of the tenants namely artists and the like is still well in place with one token vote at an AGM.

6. The grounds are in a bad state - look at the piles of dirt between ChildCare and Conservation Volunteers. They are emblematic of leakage of nutrients out of the system  and poor ground keeping. This returns the centre back to 2003 when I started there - 5 times worse. The converse are the lawn dead/dirt patches being the norm rather than the exception. The attempts at systematic composting are gone to generate mulch for the grounds. Also the mowing too short is dumb. Look out street frontage. Unswept is the norm.Unweeded planters.

7. Reverse Garbage have annexed open space with a shipping container likely without any debate or DA from council. Open space!

8. Mamouney personally authorised the felling of several young healthy gum trees which arguably were a risk to the power lines - a few years ago. Trouble is it was highly illegal. That's why the stumps were ground down and you can't see them. This attitude prevails as does his influence along with dinosaurs like Vivi. The grounds crew knew it was illegal too. I got an opinion from Helen at the nursery - all good healthy trees. No transparency.

9. And to really prove nothing changes - Terry Cutcliffe still has no obligation to provide financial reports for all that free rent and indeed positive rental income from studios.

10. The budget no doubt is still in dire state and Andrews was willing to go because the place was increasingly broke and couldn't pay her anyway. One reason for the state of the budget is poor marshalling of assets  - like the rent free gallery and ancillary rooms over 500 sqm. Also with the grounds looking fairly dodgy there will less interest in events on the grounds.

11. The website which might have been really interactive and a nurtured resource of all tenants has gone dormant or moribund for a good 12 months. Sad since I was instrumental in building it.

........

All in all the dinosaurs are firmly entrenched and suppressing the next generation from having a genuine role in their own community centre. I put it down to the arrogance of the boomers. And I specifically refer to Cutcliffe, Mamouney, Vivi while you would probably include Burgmann.

Yours truly

Tom McLoughlin

Subject: Re: ARC Steering Committee
Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:53:10 +1100

To all members and Associate Members
ARC Plan Steering Committee

Following the Special general meeting of last week we are
calling for  nominations from Centre users to be part of the
Steering Committee for  the New Planning process.
The steering committee should have reasonable representation
from the  main interest areas of Centre users. There are 6
main types of interest  areas in the Centre...

Community Service, Educational, Environment, Cultural,
Theatre&Performance, Visual Arts


We would like to get a cross section of people connected to
the major  interest areas of user groups represented on the
Steering Committee. If  you would like to volunteer to be
part of the Steering committee please  fill in the attached
form and return it to us by 13/3/09. Even if you  have
already sent an expression of interest to join the Committee
you  should still fill in the short form. Please note this
invitation is also  open to associate members.

Also please remember that there will be many other
opportunities to  participate in the planning process once
it is up and running.


John Reynolds

President
.............................

One cynic responds as follows:

Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 12:09 PM

Subject: Fwd: Re: ARC Steering Committee

> [Hello] Tom,
>
> This is all a waste of time and money.  When Don was last
> president of ARC in 2005(?) he produced the ADDISON ROAD
> CENTRE BUSINESS ANALYSIS AND PLAN 2005/06.
>
> The report appears to have been professionally done and is
> fairly exhaustive and, of course, very little of it has been
> followed through.  What they are now proposing to do is a
> repeat of the same.
.........................................

As we always say when it comes to Addison Road Centre transparency is the key, so we applaud these minutes being circulated unlike so many before, and we post them in the next story in full, as per this email:

Subject: Minutes of the Last 3 Meetings
Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:38:55 +1100

Dear Member,

Please find attached the minutes for the last three
meetings.
 Regards

Sue Paraha

We don't know who Sue Paraha is either, presumably a new office administrator amongst a steady procession. We wish her well like all the others .... if they do a good job and act in an even handed and transparent way.

Posted by editor at 10:38 AM NZT

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Mood:  incredulous

We helped run a case before then judge Einfeld in 1990-91 in the Federal Court sitting here in Sydney. We were a young gun working for a top ten city law firm Baker & McKenzie, actually covertly recovering from malaria after an adventure in Papua New Guinea 18 months earlier.

Back then we had no idea what was likely to transpire in the news:

Former judge Marcus Einfeld gets at least two years jail ... l ... Sydney Morning Herald 20 Mar 2009

There will be a range of emotions we expect in the legal profession about all this. The few (!) honest lawyers will be shaking their head praying this is not their fate 20 years down the track. The liars in the profession will be just relieved that it's someone else that is copping it and not them. And the conventional crooks will also be cheering that someone so high has fallen so low down with them confirming their twisted view of a rotten world.

But back then in 1990 it was all about defending the concept of billable hours totalling some $600,000 against a Hong Kong developer Datuk Tan Sri Wong himself in dispute with his bank Westpac. They were all in the financial proverbial as regards the Burgundy Royale Casino project in Darwin and now Bakers wanted to be paid for their legal work.

Posted by editor at 10:07 AM NZT

Updated: Saturday, 21 March 2009 10:16 AM NZT

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Mood:  quizzical

 Picture: Taken by this author Tom McLoughlin February 2006, spied while driving down Balmain Rd Rozelle, Sydney. Did they have NSW Education Dept permission for this blatant use of public school assets to make an advertisement for their corporate PR?

Another political/business stunt?:

 20 March 2009 McDonald's maths program 'not an ad' Sydney Morning Herald

The subtext to the M for Maths, M for McDonalds spin of their CEO in the news this last 24 hours and more relates to this:

Julia Gillard, complete with inbuilt red livery, needs political friends in business asap. The Opposition are attacking the economic "competence" of the Government in federal parliament as businesses hit the wall.

Similarly Gillard has just lorded it over the business lobby with the skewering of the so called Work Choices 'Frankenstein monster'. You could be forgiven for thinking you were in a giant solar workshop in Canberra amongst charge regulators, deep cycle batteries and inverters given there was so much talk about reconnecting 'the electrodes'.

And then there is are the systemic job losses due to the real monster of 'the Great Recession' with the Government strategy (just like 1990) to park youth in training. Well it was always going to attract McDonalds' legion of critics, as per this image lifted off "Uncyclopedia". Grim isn't it?

And what does this all add up to? Gillard endorsing a blatant attempt at corporate recruitment with national headlines they could not have paid for advertising their corporate 'character'. For those distracted by the sophistry of alleged honest motives - a corporation is a corporation is a corporation. It acts to increase profits, or more likely defend them from rampant health and nutrition activists.

Too cynical? Look at the history. Look at the picture at Rozelle Public School above.

This is how the issue played when we wrote back on 7th February 2006:

Ronald making fat kids using public school grounds? Minister Tebbutt pls explain

Posted February 7th, 2006 by Anonymous

submitted by Tom McLoughlin, ecology action sydney
contact: ecologya@....phone: 0410 558838

Fat kids indeed. What is the Ronald McDonald corporate trojan horse of highly paid developmental psychologists on the Advertising Industry payroll doing in a public school grounds in Rozelle surrounded by a film crew and children making an advert of dubious benefit to NSW children. Did money change hands?

Picture: Just another image for Super Size Me, The Corporation, and The Yes Men? Photograph taken by this writer on or about Saturday 28th January 2006. Conveniently in the shadow of the long weekend holiday following Australia Day perhaps away from normal detection by the school authorities?

This would be one for Helen Steele and Dave Morris and the McLibel documentary.

The item would go something like this: McDonalds have crafted their advertising message to include local taxpayer funded school grounds as a backdrop for recruitment of the target child audience into diet choices skewered toward their fatty, salty, sugary, highly processed, composite foods.

In this case it reveals maladministration of the public school grounds and raises serious questions for the relevant Education Minister in the NSW State Government, Carmel Tebbutt. For instance how much money changed hands if at all for McDonalds to be filming there?

Related story here:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1558253.htm

Last Update: Monday, January 30, 2006. 5:07pm (AEDT)

Greens seek food ad ban

Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown wants a ban on all food advertising during children's television viewing hours.

The Greens proposed amendment to broadcasting legislation is being sent to other senators today.

Senator Brown says it is important to ban food advertising when children are watching TV, as obesity creates low self-esteem

"Obesity shortens and reduces quality of life and those are things, as a doctor in the past, I've been keen on," he said.

"I think public health is the best delivery of medicine."

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

Green Party latest offering too

On February 8th, 2006 Tom, eas (not verified) says:

[So do the Greens get the time to watch Futurama? 8 till 8.30 pm Channel Ten Tuesday nights, cartoon for adults and children perfect demographic for pathetic unhealthy food advertising, seriously!?]

Tuesday, 7 February 2006

Greens' move to ban junk food ads gets public acclaim

Greens Leader Bob Brown's move to ban junk food advertising during children's TV viewing hours is getting a very good public reception.

Senator Brown plans to move an amendment to the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1), when it is placed back on the Senate agenda.

"The public feedback is close to unanimous. I hope the Senate vote reflects this when the bill finally comes before the Senate," Senator Brown said.

Senator Brown congratulated Tasmanian Liberal Senator Guy Barnett for his work in childhood obesity but said that the move to ban junk food ads was not "extreme" as Senator Barnett describes it.

"I agree with Guy that the epidemic of childhood obesity should be a national health priority, but I think it follows logically from there to ban junk food ads to kids just as we banned smoking ads a few decades ago," Senator Brown said.

Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603

Ebony Bennett
Media Adviser
Office of Greens Senator Bob Brown
Mobile: 0409 164 603
Ph: (02) 6277 3170

Posted by editor at 7:45 AM NZT

Updated: Saturday, 21 March 2009 8:19 AM NZT

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Author’s general introductory note

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.  

* SAM possibly first to call the Costello leadership agitation last Saturday. Crikey editorial finishes the week as Costello a “stalker”. We also carried this back in October 2008:

10 Meet the Press:  8- 8-30 am

Press round up Garrett, Hanson, stimulus effectiveness. New set looks okay.

Talent is Tony Burke re Agri minister, arts law city man, looks a bit like Larry or Doug Anthony but it’skin deep. Enjoys his job no doubt. Big guy as per side shot.

PB targets ETS issue.

Humour break – Rudd and the swear jar as per X

Panel Is MGrattan Fairfax/Age, Milne NewsCorp – good weight.

MG on unemployment increase. 11% in last recession figure. TB uses the recession word. No map? Relies on economic modelers, very lame response. Didn’t even talk up his own agri sector good news. Eyes looking shifty in full glare of headlights of big media questions.

TB - Credibility in Copenhagen. Sledges [flip flop] Turnbull but gently. Then stronger later pandering to work choices and climate skeptics.

Estimates bushfire 12K km fences, thousands stock. Permananent plantings take 5 years.

Humour break re Costello references in Parliament and Moir cartoon.

Public Service Union tv advert re essential services.

Polling thermometer economy – environment only fell 5 points since September versus 36 point increase for economy now leading at 69%. Says most surprised env holding it’s ground.

Sounds a credible survey speaker Randall Pearce.

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

Riley Diary 7, from 8.30am

Parly word games and acceptance of the ‘Great Recession’, ‘Rudd recession’ etc. Peter Costello mystery in an enigma. Footage of PC waving to Rudd but methinks its waving goodbye not hello, and hostile for splashing ‘his’ surplus [again we see it as GST rollback in effect]. Q&A with Riles after this. Tony Abbott asleep in the Liberal Conference yesterday.

Synchronised with Riley. Talent is foreign minister Stephen Smith but all domestic issues first section.

Agrees with our view above re strip club analysis Rudd in strip club. [ALP could come out swinging against abuse of political process against Hanson as a game of misogyny, even as they disagree with her policies. That might position Premier Bligh though.]

Goes into Afghanistan. Conference in Hague 31 March UN conference. Smith labouring a little on his answer.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/oakes

Insiders 2: 9- 10am

 Opens on Costello in Howard walkies mode. Riley Diary style soundtrack. Chris Uhlmann called in early. “Up to no good”. “Overshadow”.

CU: Having effect on policy shifting Turnbull to Right, abandoning ETS. Costello could still end up in the orchestra pit but appearances damaging Turnbull.

Sunday Press – goes to Gerard Henderson 1/3 party room back Costello, 28 versus 21 anonymous 11 undecided as per Sunday Telegraph [pointed refusal to cover Pauline Hanson so far]

Misha Schubert, Annabel Crabb also. Midnight Oil reprise. ‘Long time since 30 seconds of Garrett’. Henderson attacks media trivia on page 1. He’s so right. Schubert and Crabb should have damned this story but lacking in fibre.

Swan as treasurer in London – 10% unemployment by Christmas? Won’t agree to that. Banks do more to keep jobs here? Swan sticking with CPRS to position for green jobs.

Everyperson via Brisbane presenter about ….?

Discussion about “crazy” party. Costello is “passive aggressive”. Turnbull thrives on confrontation. Henderson notes the votes have increased since last 10 years under Howard.

Cross to Anna Bligh one week out Qld vote. Gender discussed. Choice is about parties etc.

Discussion about salty/bad/toilet language.

Website cross referencing here: http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/

Inside Business

Essential viewing for summary of Emissions Trading Scheme. Interesting to see dweeb Miles Prosser as aluminium industry, previously logger industry, stooge from non descript student at Ursula College residence ANU in the eighties. 

Kohler's talking point is a cracker about 20 spectators at the G20 running out of excuses, with roundup of causes of the GFC and 2 years of debt adjustment and rising unemployment.

Refer http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/

Posted by editor at 11:12 AM NZT

Updated: Sunday, 15 March 2009 11:38 AM NZT

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8 March 2009

Submission to NSW Govt/DECC lawyer Gordon Plath on fine silt deathtrap in the Blue Mtns WHA, Hawkesbury LGA
Topic: legal

Posted by editor at 8:33 AM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 10 March 2009 8:53 AM NZT

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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.

For actual transcripts and/or video feeds go to the programme web sites quoted including Riley Diary on 7. And note transcripts don't really give you the image content value.

Media backgrounders

[not exhaustive, missed Fri to read, press piling up like Weekend Oz, Doogue early Sat morn. Catchups later ? maybe.]

* No balls cartoons have finally got to Peter Costello after his '18 years as in parliament and 18 months on the back bench'. Smooth line about his defecto sabbatical.

* Picture of Rees with Tony Abbott, solidarity over gay rumour mongering? ABC Glover promo quotes joking about Prince Charles "coming out" very self referential. Great headline "this spin is for a good cause". But whose spin is it? ALP likely.

* Schanfreude bounce in polls for Rees as premier of NSW as a result of Qld losing its AAA rating, that is not NSW, and who cares about a AA rating anyway given the crook rating agencies??

* Tax stimulus advert half tabloid pages common to both Sunday papers now.

* ALP derived attack on Abbott page 14 Sunday Telegraph today. Detect a weak link now? Politics is such a brutal game. Though perhaps Abbott got an ALP friendly pic in Sunday Herald as balancer at page 4?

* 4.5 million job losses in USA in recent months out of population of 300M or so. Do the math for Australia at 20 million.

* Rudd emotes in story feed to old tired Laurie Oakes in Saturday Daily Telegraph. Stop being a cipher Laurie.

* Costa runs his line in 2 page spread for News Corp ? his natural home of the Liberal Party newsletter.

* Malice of subliminals of front pager on Friday of 'green' ocean with maybe a shark - is it a dolphin???? Who would know for sure? Looks like a shark. Telegraph have form on this kind of sly attack on the Green Party subtext. Pretty deplorable exploitation of shark attacks and injury for cheap politics.

* SBS Sound Relief music promo for natural disaster relief. Category 5 cyclone through this morning.

* ABC AM last Saturday completely misinterprets real politik of Turnbull essay about corrupt copper Rudd metaphor, all about pushing Costello profile out of the big media. Very personal but Rudd not the real target. It's Costello. Too mild Lyndal Curtis master of detail not overview.

* Hartcher looks like he get's it this weekend with more politics in his column and less economic theorizing - which admittedly is his strength only he doesn't have Ross Gittins job. Still have to read it.

* Interesting story about tremours in NSW and dam safety with graphic p 20 Sunday Herald today.

* Interesting story Selling off the heart of our nation about concerns of extremists buying up agriculture.

* SAM's editor gets 3 tax assessments moderately in our favour. Phew. Relocation plans going quite well, due by April 15. Many challenges in new set up, not least bushfire bunker construction, mains grid connection, telephone, cleanout of the dead rats. Boiling sanitse and wash all kitchen items. Antiseptic over all touch surfaces. Tea tree woody weed. Removal of old cars in storage by scrap metal guy. You know regular activist grovel.

* Zimbabwe - Nelson Mandela's eldest son was killed in a car crash while he was leading the resistance from Robben Island. Speculation about that as sabotage too. Google might clarify.

10 Meet the Press: 8- 8-30 am

Lead in is footage of earnest mode Rudd warning all that the recession is real and coming to where you live. Gallery believe him too. [Hark back to last show November Insiders Govt sledged for not being honest about recession Kerry Anne Walsh]

Talent is Bob Brown senate Green leader: Equal opportunity being gay professional and MP weekend of Mardi Gras. [Builds on Michael Kirby opinion piece very well written ex High Court Judge now retiring.]

So far excellent interview: Reverse whether recession or not. Who invented technical recession. Therese Rein $1M bonus is her own business, but 3 times PM?s income (her husband). So diplomatic.

Out take is 'jokey' ex porn star footballer Capper and Pauline Hanson in Qld election seat. Trivialising their candidacies in a Big Media choreography. There to be taken.

Panel Alison Carabine, of 2UE and Marius Benson of ABC radio news

Grab of Ross Garnaut seemingly agreeing recession will happen.

AC: Why not delay due to the recession causing emission reductions.

Can't take a Chamberlain attitude to dangerous climate change. 150 million on the move by mid 21C, Shanghai to ???,' record of natural disasters here' Quite compelling answers, we thought, yes we would say that.

AC Qld litmus test jobs over boutique green issue? BB No jobs jobs jobs in sustainable industries is the way to go as per Qld state election.

MB: Politics - Senate block so Labor ETS fails. Ian Dunlop formerly of the coal industry condemned ALP package. Logging not least Tasmania, emphatic.

Viewer question: ETS cause lose jobs. Employer export benefit if greenhouse labeled products as per European market.

AC sounding tetchy BB hasn?t implode as predicted by gone Aust Dems, 42 billion splurge wasted, helping the govt with wastage?

Refused to be a wrecker [as positioned by the whining Australian Democrats].

AC recession still. BB ? That?s right. Job creation happy and green country.

Alcopops tax back in Senate - $200M should go into a health fund.

Out take humour - socks and jocks draw is empty.

Grab of Turnbull, ETS is going to

Listening problem Senator Ron Boswell. Damaged the format of the interview. RB - ETS will be a tax on every motor, conveyor belt, every job. If we go it alone China India going to ignore, will achieve nothing.

MB - climate change human activity? RB. Debate over - equal sides of scientists on each side. [That?s a lie.] Support any form of an ETS?

Don?t telegraph - personally against it, Coalition unclear.

AC - ALP proposals Fair Work bill, agree with Costello, cost jobs.

Grovelling apologies from Bonge to RBoswell. Never seen such a bad ongoing technical glitch perhaps due to remote location of RB as Qld Nat??? Sometimes they get feedbacks but fix during the interview. What about

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

Riley Diary 7, from 8.30am

Pollies under pressure - looking grim - Swan, Rudd, Turnbull expressions.

Keating gave it to us straight - had to have.

Rudd - global cyclone

Julia Gillard - fudged it.

Turnbull - fudged it.

Costello - gave it straight. Footage on Q&A indulging himself and stalking the shark himself.

Q & A with Riles and comperes. People do know and quotes Howard and Costello said global tsunami was coming. And Govt has pushed the same angle. Big day for Turnbull next Saturday?? Missed it.

O'Keefe shows his worth again re Gay or Lesbian

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

9 Sunday newshour Laurie Oakes interview 8.40 am

Missed the start - but got THE question about most MPs see Opp Leader job as being stalked by Costello.

'Elephant questions first quickly'.

I do not tell lies says MT about any colleagues - question about offered shadow treasurer job. Declined

Charms LO with rhinoceros pronunciation joke. Sharp and lively comment.

Attacked Rein as PM wife, why? Involved her in The Australian ? - MT wants everyone to read [I bet see backgrounder comment at front]. Disingenous answer congratulations when LO is right that it's a veiled attack. But it's also a fair attack because she is in the real politik and to suggest otherwise is patriarchal. If she is playing an honourary role then keep it strictly so. No half way houses.

LO - political risk involving Rein, you and wife are rich and vote against $900 per pensioner and tax payer. Says voting for responsible financials. On personal matters - ALP have viciously attacked him for a lifetime. Says dereg and privat that enabled he and wife considerable wealth. Biting the hand feed him.

Economy - MT this is the elephant. PM has been apocalyptic.

LO - inconsistent given what you MT quote `gravest threat in our lifetime? Sept 2008?

Says it's about the language. So fudging the LO question. [Convicted of being a politician. Not a hanging offence.]

LO - March 2008 to Neil Mitchell, again similar to LO. MT says talking about words not economy . Wasting time talking about this. A year ago I didn?t think it was likely. Narrative of inconsistency by LO but Rudd could hardly bear up to that test either - ['science on forests will decide logging policy' as loggers destroy every fire restant wet old growth and rainforest they can access - because it?s the highest growth and volume of timber, but thereby converting whole landscapes to skinny regrowth dry sclerophyll.]

A real engagement with LO tackling him on his ground, giving real punches back. LO is a bit of bloat and deserves a workout.

Very funny back to comperes about 'getting squeezy in here with pesky political pachyderms'. That's real competition for 7 Sunrise, reversed seating blondy on right today. Indeed broad smile of Turnbull getting a glass of water showing he was under pressure has probably put LO and Turnbull in a good light.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/oakes

Insiders 2: 9- 10am

Stimulus 1 Dec 08 Swan v MT, Costello emerged as 3^rd wave.

Panel is KAW, Dennis Atkins, Bolter.

Moral hypocrisy issue of Reins income and fair political game or not. Compare with high paid Bonds exec contrast with owner Reins.

Talent is Foreign Affairs Minister Pakistan. Big issue. Pakistan needs help. What can we do to help. [It's Indonesia mark 2. The West have a big challenge to help these people. And they to help themselves to harmony in diversity.]

Afghanistan comes into conversation. Whole segment prefaces major foreign challenges for us for real.

Zimbabwe - help rebuild policy questions. Risks to be involved. Should start to help social and economics of the country not just condolences for death of his wife, mother of his six children. Open inquiry.

Comments on personality politics. All disingenuous.

Everyperson - buskers in Adelaide Fringe festival. 90 year old much better. Very articulate: "Who knows". Great images, and quality buskers.

PM using "all the risk on the downside". Journalists gripe about this: But none honest enough to note it's a gotcha scenario about "recession" talking the economy down which as real consequences beyond the next newspaper sale. So Big Media are trying to hurt the public with talking down sentiment. The pollies are probably being more responsible.

BC agrees with 90 year old 'who knows?'. Bolter says Rudd too doesn't know. Argument moves to who will make it worse. Who will prolong. [It?s a battle of ownership over definitive negative.]

Bolter argues Bonds working to save remaining 5K jobs. Spin or substance? Who can say?

Costello Q & A show, looking fitter, has exercise regime. "engaged in a civil war Tony". 3 times said this is my policy.

Footage of rhetoric - "economic cyclone" per Rudd. MT talks storm metaphors. [Indicates Rudd affected by the Vic bushfire politics - Vic ALP 'can't stop' the megafire firestorm, seems to be sublimating his tour of empathy duty down there to the global economics.]

Cyclone Hamish - for real cross to Lawrence Springborg. With a purple ribbon. Ribbons always now it seems. On Murray Darling - says 60% of waters released. 100% of NSW used, SA 65 times that originates there. Bit disingenuous given headwaters function of Qld? Certainly can talk and talk smooth. Won't reveal business donors says scared of ALP thuggery. Quite are resonating line but bad policy and behaviour all round.

GG is doing political work, not a ribbon cutter says KAW, Bolter says turning into a hack, back in the box. BC says becoming an issue. [Goes right back to the 7.30 Report interview said she wouldn't just proclaim new bills. That was a weird. And broke the feel good narrative with shadows of 1975.]

Talking pictures: Bob Brown stunning nature images in court case costs 280K re Wielangta. Genuinely good work.

Bolter says Hanson tantrum shows been given a hard time and panel agrees jail for crime she didn?t commit changes people. Subtext won?t buy into adverse coverage, she gets a free pass from the system.

Refer http://www.abc.net.au/insidebusiness/

Posted by editor at 10:00 AM NZT

Updated: Tuesday, 10 March 2009 9:04 AM NZT

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Screen shot above taken on 5th March accurate to the 3rd of March according to the host metrics, which is our usual time of the month for this post. Fairly happy with consistency of reader figures. Could go sensational and bring them up, but we prefer the echo chamber approach into Big Media thinking on our genuine merits, not manipulation of the public's knee jerk emotions. That's good for peace of mind.

Usually we like to traverse significant stories for the past month with inside comments but that will have to wait - perhaps in an edit on the weekend.

Previous monthly reader pageview figures for 2007, 2008 verified by screen shot (web host provider monthly pageview account details) posted on or about 4th day of the month found in this thread:

• February 2009 - 23,208
• January 2009 - 27,462
• December 08 - 21,858
• November 08 - unavailable, host breakdown
• October 08 - 20,343
• September 08 - 20,746
• August 08 - 25,344
• July 08 - 22,855
• June 08 - 27,440
• May 08 - 25,046
• April 08 - 19,250
• March 08 - 20,803
• February 08 - 13,109
• January 2008 - 19, 898
• December - 11,627
• November - 10,220
• October - 9, 100
• Sept - 8,100 roughly, no screenshot
• August - 8,845
• July - 7475
• June - 9675
• May - 9, 059
• April - 12,087
• March - 6,684
• February - 5,372
• January 07 - 2800 3rd Jan - 3rd Feb 07

Posted by editor at 10:52 AM EADT

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Beware the 3 or 4 letter acronym. DECC in the headline stands for Dept of Environment and Climate Change. WHA is for World Heritage Area. LGA is Local Govt Area.

Plath whom we know of from our student days at ANU law school is manager of environmental litigation at DECC these days and good luck to him for that too.

Below is our letter regarding an appeal in the Land & Environment Court of NSW by Birdon Contracting Pty Ltd/Tom Bruce as managing Director represented by solicitor Russel Byrnes (also doing the Balmain harbour boat tragedy case) based in Surry Hills. Veteran environmental lawyer Stephen Griffiths of Pike Pike & Fenwick is representing Hawkesbury City Council. We are agent as per the LEC rules for objector Neville Diamond.

The case is set down for 16-18 March 2009. The area in question is shown above in the lower half image of 2005 as per a HCC flyover. The top image is the 'before' image from the early 1980ies. What has changed is an open farmland area with the rising of Tinda Creek in the far background converted to wet open cut sandmine.

This has cut 37% water flow to Tinda Creek and likely to cut 53% if it continues according to council's independent expert Chris Jewell, hydrologist. The World Heritage Area of Wollemi National Park is the neighbour having it's water strangled, along with other cowered neighbours of the sandminer. No wonder various groups including big conservative National Parks Association have bought into the issue here:

From: Andrew Cox NPA
To: ecology action australia
Cc: Zoe Palmer ; Keith Muir ; Alan Catford (PMC)
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 6:58 PM
Subject: Concern over Tinda Creek Sand Mine


Dear Tom,

National Parks Association is a community-based conservation groups establish in 1957 and seeks to protect our natural areas.

We support your efforts and the efforts of Neville Diamond to prevent the continued operations of the sandmine at Tinda Park adjacent to the World Heritage listed Wollemi National Park.

For over a decade now, concerns have been raised about the suitability of the site and the likely impacts on the national park and its catchments. Their apparent illegal operations confirm our fears about the mine.

We are opposed to the continuation of the mine due to its detrimental impact on the water table and the runoff from discharges from the site into Wollemi National Park.

Please note that I will be on leave from Monday 9 March for five weeks. After that time, please contact Zoe Palmer, who will be acting in my position.

Kind regards

Andrew Cox,
Executive Officer
National Parks Association of NSW
PO Box 337, Newtown NSW 2042; Tel: 02 9299 0000; Fax: 02 9290 2525
Email: execofficer@
Website: www.npansw.org.au

'protecting nature through community action'

Here is the letter to DECC's legal man Gordon Plath:

From: ecology action australia
To: gordon.plath@environment.nsw.gov.au
Cc: Keith Muir ; bmcs@ ; Andrew Cox NPA ; Peter Cooper ; Kirsty Ruddock ; sgriffiths@ppf Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 7:08 PM

Subject: update on legal appeal re Birdon Tinda Ck sandmine

Dear Mr Plath/Gordon, managing solicitor DECC NSW,

CC Stephen Griffiths Pike Pike & Fenwick for Hawkesbury City Council

Birdon Contracting Pty Ltd (Tom Bruce managing director) v Hawkesbury City Council 16-18 March 2009 in the LEC, re Tinda Creek sand mine impacting Blue Mountains World Heritage Area

I write as agent for Neville Diamond as per the LEC Act 1979.

As suggested late last year in the email attached below dated 10 November 2008 the Hawkesbury Council did vote 12 to 0 against approving the s.96 variation for the Birdon Contracting P/L sandmine on the grounds of lapsed consent and therefore out of jurisdiction to extend the life of the mine in this way.

My pro bono client Neville Diamond suggests the consent had already lapsed for similar reasons on the previous occasion of a 2004 s.96 variation approved by a previous manifestation of the council. Now council newly constituted following the election of Sept 2008, and since 2004 now with a new

- general manager

- director of planning and

- mayor

have agreed with my client's legal argument of lapsed consent.

The HCC refusal decision has been appealed by Birdon/Tom Bruce as sandminer and goes to the LEC on March 16-18, 2009.

Though not strictly on the issues of the case re lapsed consent decision, there are two broader public interest issues for DECC's, and perhaps court's, consideration and indeed raised by us in verbal submissions before the council vote, namely safety and water supply to the World Heritage Area:

1. The fine silt tailings are a public liability quick-sand death trap and contrary to the staging plans approved by council way back in 1996 where the silt fines were meant to be 14 to 20 metres below the pond surface in the lake final landform. The developer prefered not to pay for crown consent license for depth 15.24m to 20 metres and dumped silt fines closer to the surface.

These silt fines are now situated from 1m to 5 below the surface water down to 14 metres depth according to the developers own verbal admissions to council in 2004 and 2008. This depth will be easily accessed by children, adults or wildlife with no safety fences anywhere in the final approved lake landform.

We estimate the silt fines cover an area of 400m by 200m (80,000 m2). The tonnage of silt fines we estimate at 376,000 tonnes (based on a 65:35 sand exported to silt fines ratio, with 700K tonnes sold since 1996 consent).

No doubt the council are aware any expansion of the sandmine hole/'lake' final landform makes the situation ever more dangerous (as well as compound damage to water flow in the Tinda Ck World Heritage area). This safety problem is not going away for people or wildlife.

We see options for a return to a safe sand mine operation as follows:

(a) In the short term exclusion fencing of the unsafe ponds;

(b) longer term

(i) The silt fines in this incorrect location would cost $millions to relocate safely to the DA approved greater depth, and there is no Crown consent from 15.24 to 20m depth anyway. This was the original plan for final land form with lake. The high cost relates to the highly viscous quality of the silt fines - hard to lift, hard to carry, hard to dump. There is next to no chance of this option being implemented; or

(ii) Capping the silt fines with at least 2 metres of surface compacted solid fill as has happened successfully with sandminers PF Formations at Maroota lot 198, and similarly Dixons at lot 196.

Unlike Maroota mining sites that are ridge lines where silt fines eventually dry out over years here at Tinda Ck the whole quarry is sited in wetland. If, and only if, a 2 metre cap albeit under water has efficacy starting from dry surface sloping to say 3 metres under water, we estimate 400m x 200m x 2m depth making 160,000 m3 of clean fill needed to quarrantine the dangerous fines for anyone swimming or entering the lake final landform. This would have to come from existing cleared adjacent private land of the developer.

The cost of this would be $500K to $1M plus at current prices for truck, loader, dozer, dredge barge, labour prices. This approach delivers a safe final landform of a lake as intended.

(iii) capping and filling in total the hole(s) with silt fines up to dry ground level final landform - which also benefits the re-establishment of the flow in Tinda Creek by removing a major source of evaporation of concern to the DECC: Kieran Horkan, Unit Head Sydney Industry letter to G Hall of HCC dated 17 Sept 2007 -

"10. As part of a remediation action plan to minimise evapotranspiration from open water DECC recommends that open water areas be reduced as much as possible".

We estimate this option would require 400,000 m3 plus of clean land fill from existing cleared adjacent private land owned by the same developer on lot 2. (Calculated as an area of 200m x 400m of silt fines from 1 to 5 m depth from surface water and another 2 metres to orginal dry ground level; That is 200m x 400m x 5m (average) depth = 400,000 m3.)

The cost of this mitigation would be $1-2M plus - in effect a penalty for breach of the 1996 DA staging - to relocate fill from adjacent cleared private land (and otherwise unprocessed) using dozer, loader, trucks, dozer again, roller and landscaping. This provides a safe lake final landform as intended.

(iv) A best case scenario for re-establishing flow in Tinda Ck to the World Heritage Area: We estimate 700,000 tonnes of clean fill to cap all holes from existing land cleared land owned by the developer.

The cost would be $2-3M.

2. Peak environment groups The Wilderness Society, NSW National Parks Association, Blue Mountains Conservation Society, Colong Foundation for Wilderness and local neighbours have all written and expressed alarm at the strangulation of water into Tinda Creek catchment in the Wollemi section of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area due to the sandmining.

Council's expert whose report we have dated May 2007, who we also trust and rely on, namely hydrologist Chris Jewell has advised that if the developer expands according to his s.96 variation he will impact Tinda Ck water flow into the world heritage area by up to 57% [bold added]:

"Although an assessment of the site water balance indicates that it is unlikely that, to date, the quarry has had a significant impact on the water balance of Tinda Creek, as the operation proceeds, evaporative losses from the ponds will increase and the reduction in outflow from the upper catchment to Tinda Creek will become significant. If the site is closed with a water-table window lake remaining, then a long-term reduction of the order of 37 percent of the original outflow from the catchment upstream of the quarry is possible. Losses will be higher if the final landform includes a lake extending across the entire 22ha site." ................

?If the final landform involved a lake occupying the entire 22-ha operational site, as now proposed, then the reduction in outflow of Tinda Creek would be 204 ML/year, or 53 per cent.?

Chris Jewell in correspondence dated 13 October 2008 to us maintains the final landform in the s.96 variation is at least 17 ha based on Birdon/Umwelt?s own final landform diagram, which is up from 11 ha in the EIS/approved plans.

The water loss is therefore likely to be greater than 37% and closer to 53% which is unacceptable. You will also be aware generally of CSIRO report of July 2008 of downward trend rainfall for NSW in the climate change paradigm, which Commissioner Moore relied on late 2008 to apply the precautionary principle in a judgement adverse to Coca Cola Amatil at their Peats Ridge water bottling plant. (We provided that evidence to the Commissioner).

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

There is a third issue regarding issues of veracity of the sandminer - including deceptive references to the wrong approved plans by their consultant Umwelt - which the court may possibly address as part of the lapsed consent argument. We submit clause 283 of the EP&A Act 2000 Regulation regarding misleading and deceptive conduct may be involved.

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

In conclusion we invite DECC to play a role as a friend of the court and/or provide expert advice as needed on finding a way forward in this mess that has become the Tinda Creek sandmine impacting a World Heritage Area in a lower rainfall reality.

Yours truly, Tom McLoughlin, legal agent for Neville Diamond.

Attachment: Original written submission to HCC found here, our additions in red typeface:

Comments on Council report into sandmine impact on Tinda Ck, Blue Mtns World Heritage

----- Original Message -----

From: ecology action australia
To: gordon.plath@environment.nsw.gov.au
Cc: terrigal@ ; castlehill@ ; LOP

Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 7:41 AM

Subject: fyi as mentioned sandmine issue Wollemi Fw: Final part 6 re Tinda Ck Blue Mtns World Heritage before council Tues 11 Nov 2008

Attn Gordon Plath [managing] solicitor/DECC legal branch

My information is that the majority of Hawkesbury City Councillors on the Liberal controlled council will be voting against the expansion of the sandmine tomorrow evening 11 Nov 2008 but you never really know.

Notice CC list - big press, HCC councillors all factions, Peter Garrett's man Ben Pratt, ngo groups, Ian Cohen MP office, council expert Chris Jewell, nsw env minister, local govt minister. And above to the related ministries in the state opposition. No more secrets for this cowboy sandmine unlike the last 20 years of menaces and violence.

Here's hoping the council do the right thing and follow their senior officer's recommendation to refuse the expanded development impacting the Blue Mtns World Heritage area.

Yours truly

Tom McLoughlin, court agent for Neville Diamond.

----- Original Message -----

From: ecology action australia
To: bart.bassett ; barry.calvert; council@hawkesbury ; kevin.conolly@; christine.paine@; bob.porter@; paul.rasmussen@ ; rex.stubbs ; leigh.williams@
Cc: Jackie ; ben.prattEAFed ; chrisJewell ; Ben Cubby SMH ; Kirsty Ruddock EDO ; Keith Muir Colong ; Peter Cooper TWS ; Andrew Cox NPA ; BMCS ; cate faehrmann NSWNCC ; r.chapple@bmwhi.org.au ; Scott Hickie ; bmwhi@bmwhi.org.au ; bmcs@bluemountains.org.au ; stateline ; ian.cohenMPGreen; dp.office@tebbutt; perry.minister ; bensonsDailyTelegraph

Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2008 7:54 AM

Subject: Final part 6 re Tinda Ck Blue Mtns World Heritage before council Tues 11 Nov 2008

The sandmine using between 37% and 53% of Tinda Ck water into the Wollemi World Heritage Area - as climate change bears down on us all - is going before Hawkesbury City Council again this Tuesday 11th Nov 2008. The chief planning officer's report recommends refusal and to issue a notice to cease operation.

Last and final part 6 of this series of evidence about the issue is here:

7th November 2008 Diamond Diary Part 6: Evidence of illegal operations of sandmine impacting world heritage Mood: sad Topic: legal

Previous items in this serial are here:

Thursday, 30 October 2008 Diamond Diary Part 5: Illegal works on crown land intercepting Tinda Ck headwaters Mood: blue Topic: legal

Tuesday, 28 October 2008 Diamond Diary Part 4: Attacking the messenger, not the vandalism Mood: don't ask, Topic: legal

25 October 2008 Diamond Diary Part 3: Getting to grips with the costs regime in the NSW Land & Environment Court, Mood: not sure, Topic: legal

Thursday, 23 October 2008 Diamond Diary Part 2: How I went bankrupt 'doing litigation for Dixon Sands' Mood: accident prone Topic: legal

Wednesday, 22 October 2008 Diamond Diary Part 1: Amazing career of environmental litigation Mood: on fire Topic: legal

Tuesday, 21 October 2008 World heritage vandal gets technical win in Land & Environment Court ...for now Mood: accident prone Topic: legal

16 October 2008 Hawkesbury City Council public duty to protect their World Heritage park in court Friday 9.30am Mood: blue Topic: legal

Friday, 10 October 2008 Misleading plan and letter by sandminer in threat to Blue Mtns World Heritage Area? Mood: sharp Topic: legal

6 October 2008 Google Earth reveals illegal drain intercepting Tinda Creek to World Heritage area? Mood: sharp

----- Original Message -----

From: Tara Cameron President Blue Mtns Conservation Society

To: Tom McLoughlin

Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 12:11 PM

Subject: Tinda Creek

Dear Tom,

The Blue Mountains Conservation Society has over 1000 members and is extremely interested in developments impacting upon the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Hence we are concerned about the Tinda Creek Sandmine in respect to its impact on the Wollemi National Park. We are particularly concerned about the tailing ponds and their capacity to reduce the amount of water to Tinda Creek. Water quality is also a problem that we would focus upon.

The Society will be discussing this issue at our next Management Committee Meeting.

Yours sincerely,

Tara Cameron

President.

Picture: 1996 thankyou card to this writer in 1996 from Leslie Walker objector and former neighbour of the sandminers,whose sheep were mysteriously shot dead and has now left the district.

Posted by editor at 9:06 AM EADT

Updated: Friday, 6 March 2009 10:41 AM EADT

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Inman as Mr. Humphries in Are You Being Served?

Yes it's Mardis Gras time, festival of tolerance, diversity and creativity in Sydney this weekend.

We are fond of this time ever since we as "distribution manager" unintentionally made Lawrence Gibbons, owner/editor of gay friendly mag Sydney City Hub, deliver 9,000 copies of his own newspaper on Mardi Gras weekend 2007: A small problem of the cover being tacky, undeliverable in family outlets, subjudice of a criminal case underway regarding sex shop products putting our solicitor's qualification at risk, and possibly conflict of interest with his partner's planning work for ... the sex industry.

And being this time of year perhaps explains the rumour indirectly via Northern Beaches Liberal Party source that a certain federal Opposition MP and pugilist has allegedly left his wife and "moved in with a man" in Canberra.

Let me count the real politik explanations of this latest rumour mongering:

1. If true so what? Sorry for his spouse, kids, life goes on. Private lives are officially irrelevant. Well no, perception on that side of politics is just as powerful as any other side so not irrelevant, more's the pity:

2. 'Move in with a man' is cute ambiguity given all kinds of rough tough hetero MPs share houses to deflect rental costs while in Canberra;

3. Promotion of Christopher Pyne MP as manager of Opposition Business over Tony Abott is bound to cause uncomfortable frictions - as distinct from enjoyable ones (?). We suggest the Abbott rumour mongering could well be a bit of gay community whispering payback for Abbott sledging Pyne and being forced into a groveling apology last week. Indeed leader Turnbull has surely consolidated his own vote in the Eastern Suburbs with the promotion of Pyne, whom 7's press gallery man (married, kids) Mark Riley compared to John Inman aka Mr Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries in Are You Being Served comedy show in his last Sunday roundup on family friendly Sunday Sunrise.

Riley Diary 1 MarchPla

4. The rumour gathers some pace from the real life recent blackmail criminal conviction and suppression of male MP identity as reported from Victoria recently. Who is it hardly matters, it's the synchrony of the thing which all devilishly effective rumours build on as pure fiction:

22 Feb 2009 MP blackmail attempt on gay sex film - National - BrisbaneTimes A MAN attempted to blackmail an Australian politician after secretly filming them having sex

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

Indeed we know about adverse rumours. Jeff Smith the director of the NSW Environmental Defenders Office rang last Monday after 6 pm as if to apologise that this writer didn't get an interview for 2 solicitor positions there. They had 45 applications apparently and he wanted to acknowledge the past work together and collaboration.

We took it on the chin, but are left wondering all the same what past political and policy and indeed moral conflicts over corruption in my own sector have done to place one pretty firmly on a blacklist.

We are good enough to beat the high priced lawyers at Coca Cola Amatil last year in the Land & Environment Court with a pair of twos in our hand so to speak (as per this decision under what's known as the Double Bay Marina Rule at paragraph 23 before Pain J, and this decision where we participated on a narrow basis including cross examination of CCA's Director of Corporate Affairs - Alex Wagstaff) but not good enough to be paid for it. Yet it's the path we choose no point crying victim.

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

Which brings us to Peter Costello lecturing the G/greens about getting serious on nuclear power in the SMH today 'if they really want to tackle climate change which can only be done with techno fixes':

Perhaps Obama can convince the holdouts | smh.com.au Perhaps Obama can convince the holdouts. Peter Costello; March 4, 2009

Like all lawyer politicians and indeed like another former treasurer Paul Keating, one has to read down his self interest: Costello needs the numbers of the hard right - that's Julie Bishop's people in WA and Nick Minchin people in SA, all gungho uranium miners. And given the recession and jobs tub thumping one potential growth sector is uranium exports.

But we are reminded of another big mining company Woodside and one of their staffers Lisa Hamilton based up north west Port of Dampier way - as far away from her home town of Devonport Tasmania as you might possibly get. As we took our nostalgic mid life web surf we first noticed another student 'colleague' now acting NSW Solicitor General Karen Ferris. Quite an achievement. Then we came to Lisa Hamilton pictured in a Woodside annual report looking the same ANU Law student, computer science double degree of the 1980ies plus 20 years. Was she happy? Certainly well paid. Does she still follow the ruthless Ayn Rand philosophy?

Serendipidy is an amazing thing. Because back in the mid eighties Hamilton's honours thesis around 1986 was on the innovative approach of common law actions in industrial relations. In short union busting. Indeed the kind of legal action that Peter Costello took in the famous Dollar Sweets Case that Melbourne based Crikey regularly refers to in relation to Costello. The union busting case that made Peter Costello the national politician he is today.

Only we suspect the brains behind the Dollar Sweets common law cause of action busting the union was not Costello but Hamilton's honours thesis. Is Costello actually derivative, grabbing the fame from a successful female legal graduate? Should he really be lecturing folks in the Green movement on intellectual and moral rigour? Folks like Senator Christine Milne in strategic alliance with Opposition Leader Turnbull on climate change/ETS senate inquiry? Turnbull being a sincere rival to Costello's leadership aspirations?

Costello is also seriously weighed down by his active Cabinet support of the Australian Government for what Nobel prize winner in economics Joseph Stiglitz calls the $3 trillion Iraq war. A war that surely has contributed to the USA 'leadership' of the world into a globally synchronised recession. Again is Costello really able to lecture anyone about intellectual rigour on his own preferred turf of the national accounts?

We think Peter's time has passed for him to have lost his way on green matters so badly. And we thank Lisa Hamilton for the whole line of inquiry/narrative all these years later. And we hope she is happy too.

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

Which brings us to the loud green baiting by this week's Inner West Courier suburban freebie, strong hold of the Green Party with tragic picture of Vic bushfire destruction and headline "Passions inflamed/Ashfield Liberals blame Greens for massive bushfire death toll - Page 9."

There is nothing probative in the story. It's stock standard smear and green baiting. Indeed it's profoundly ignorant not least from the reality of the logging industry having converted whole landscapes of wet old growth and rainforest to dry sclerophyll: The tinder box of the megafire today. A point well made in effect by bushfire expert Phil Cheney below in this precious quote provided via Jill Redwood of green group Environment East Gippsland below in Forestry Tasmania (2001), Thinning Regrowth Eucalypts - Native Forest Silviculture Technical Bulletin No. 13 Second Edition, Forestry Tasmania.

And a prefacing explanation of the relevance: The firestorm at Kinglake and Marysville etc monstered up mainly on state forest with high intensity logging history, as well as existing cleared farmland and also forestry plantation. This is the taboo that state and federal governments dare not declare responsibility for because that's 50-100 years of false land use policy steering the wet areas of national forest estate to megafire in the age of drought via a predominance of dry sclerophyll forest types.

Notice especially the reference to alteration of the humid microclimate as a result of logging and increase in fuel loads:

"Planning Considerations

Fire Risk

One of the major planning constraints associated with thinning is the higher level of fuel present after the operations. It is not considered feasible in Tasmania to carry out fuel reduction burns in thinned coupes because of the high fuel loads and the sensitivity of the retained trees to fire. The location of thinned coupes amongst conventionally logged coupes is problematic, as it is not recommended that any regeneration burn take place within two kilometres of areas with high levels of flash fuel within two years of harvest (Cheney 1988).

Tree crowns (heads), bark, and other harvest residue make up the fuel load. The climate on the floor of the forest is altered by thinning, with higher wind speeds and temperature, lower humidity, and lower moisture content in the fuel itself. Understorey vegetation characteristics change because of these changes to the microclimate, especially increased light. Bracken ferns and cutting grass may grow vigorously, each having a far higher flammability than the replaced woody species (Cheney and Gould 1991)."

Maybe the Ashfield Liberals are Ayn Rand supporters too, and hope to drive a wedge between Turnbull and Milne on the deceptive Emissions Trading Scheme? To assist the Costello leadership aspiration?

When the Liberals like Peter Costello, or the Ashfield Liberals, start lecturing the logging industry - on destruction of wet old growth and Tasmanian rainforest leading to tinder box dry sclerophyll over landscapes encouraging megafire risk - then we know they will be serious on the environmental challenges of the 21C. Moral high ground indeed.

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

Thank heavens for the David Penberthy balancer over 2 pages today about bee stings killing more people than sharks despite press panic:

The same newspaper and other media could report the same concerns about increased shark sightings and attacks without going the Jaws style movie rhetoric. But selling panic is the name of the game. Which is only slightly less obnoxious than publishing this letter below:

As Greg Barnes wrote on crikey.com.au recently regarding Miranda Devine a refugee from the same Sydney Daily Telegraph now with Fairfax Sydney Morning Herald: Encouraging people to political violence is a breach of anti terrorism laws. The letter writer and the newspaper are probably in criminal breach of that law here. Like in cricket all it would probably take is an appeal to the umpire.

Posted by editor at 10:16 AM EADT

Updated: Thursday, 5 March 2009 1:18 PM EADT

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One of many contacts on the central coast confirms early this February that Dick Person, formerly NSW Government administrator at the sacked Port Macquarie Hastings Council, has completed his report into Gosford Council.

This is the council that willingly gave away control of the old Pacific Highway at Piles Creek after the devastating untimely death of a family of 2 adults and 3 children in a washed out section of road.

NSW Govt to take back Old Pacific Hwy ABC Sat Dec 6, 2008 9:01am AEDT

The Sydney based coroner was scathing of lack of local government rigour:

Culvert tragedy: coroner blames council - National - smh.com.au 18 Sep 2008

Similarly this quote from the SMH:

"An "incompetent and ineffective" NSW council is entirely to blame for a highway collapse that killed five family members, including three children, a coroner has ruled.

In damning findings, deputy NSW coroner Paul MacMahon said Gosford City Council had failed to provide the most basic road maintenance, and that neglect had cost five lives.

Adam Holt, his partner Roslyn Bragg, 29, their young daughters Jasmine, 3, and Madison, 2, and Ms Bragg's nephew Travis, 9, died when a culvert collapsed and swallowed part of the Old Pacific Highway at Somersby, north of Sydney, in June last year."

And then we have this follow up:

Council risks second road collapse - National - smh.com.au 22 Sept 2008

and this

Pipes corroded before road collapse: inquest ABC Tue Jul 1, 2008 12:45pm AEST An inquest into the deaths of five people in a road collapse on the New South Wales central coast has heard Gosford Council failed to keep adequate records of repairs needed to the roads.

and this

Documents reveal collapsed highway section needed repairs ABC Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:04pm AEST

There are a legion of hostile residents and ratepayers in Gosford LGA or so it seems:

Mayor defends 'most complained about' council ABC Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:37pm AEDT

Yet the Person Inquiry was haphazard at best. Many did not know how to make public submissions. Indeed there wasn't any public advertisement calling for these. Did Dick Person access this torrent of information?

Another contact says there has been a report of alleged corruption sent to ICAC regarding deliberately deleting the content of resident complaints from the council's own information database. Of cooking the information flow. Who would have thunk it?

Picture: The inquest heard the Gosford City Council were 'aware of structural problems'. (ABC TV)

Another contact says there are two (not one) KPMG reports one of which allegedly calls for directors at Gosford to be sacked. Did Dick Person see this particular KPMG report? Does it exist?

Yet another contact says there are two reports by a state government and Gosford council retained consultancy called Internal Audit Bureau into alleged incapacity of Gosford to properly do land use planning and assessment in relation to water licensing. Are these the kind of skills also involved in landscape engineering, say for road safety? Did Dick Person access that as yet IAB confidential report?

Suffice to say our submission to Dick Person was sent direct via his email address at Port Macquarie Hastings not via Gosford Council.

We look forward to Dick Person's findings and the State Government response not least for the memory of those 3 dead children and their hapless parents. Will they get justice?

Posted by editor at 7:32 AM EADT

Updated: Monday, 2 March 2009 8:05 PM EADT

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