Politics,Climate Change and Sundry issues

Politics,Climate Change and Sundry issues
for website listing my blogs : http://winstonclosepolitics.com

Thursday 27 March 2014

Barry O'Farrell to outsource thousands of jobs

Barry O'Farrell to outsource thousands of jobs



Barry O'Farrell to outsource thousands of jobs

Date
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EXCLUSIVE




Ordered a secret review: Barry O'Farrell.
Ordered a secret review: Barry O'Farrell. Photo: Ben Rushton







Thousands of public service jobs across the state would be
slashed under the recommendations of a secret review ordered by Barry
O'Farrell into the outsourcing of government services.




The Premier asked the state's pricing regulator to
investigate the ''planning, delivery and maintenance'' of all public
infrastructure in September, to recommend ''which capabilities should be
retained within government''.





The existence of the review has not been made public.



But Fairfax Media can reveal the Independent Pricing and
Regulatory Tribunal's recommendations would result in thousands of job
cuts in just one department.





Draft recommendations to the state's road authorities, for
instance, demand the wholesale outsourcing of all roadwork and road
design across the state apart from emergency and incident responses.




The review, however, also makes recommendations to other government agencies.



In response to IPART's recommendations, Roads and Maritime
Services says the agency already plans to get rid of about 30 per cent
of its workforce in the next three years.




''The reforms will reduce full-time equivalent staff numbers
over a three-year period from 7415 (2013-14) to 5260,'' RMS says in a
draft dated March.




The RMS response to the IPART review was included in a
parliamentary call for papers initiated by Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi for
documents relating to the business case for the WestConnex motorway.




But the IPART review would include recommendations relating to other agencies as well as RMS.



A spokeswoman for IPART referred questions about the review
to Mr O'Farrell's office but confirmed IPART had not released any
information about the review. A spokesman for Mr O'Farrell confirmed the
government asked for the report.




Asked why the government did not announce it had commissioned
the report, the spokesman said: ''The government commissions a range of
reports to ensure value for money.''




According to briefing notes prepared this month by RMS for a
meeting with Roads Minister Duncan Gay, ''the objective of this review
is to recommend options to improve cost effectiveness of government
across all aspects of planning, delivery and maintenance of public
infrastructure''.




RMS says it largely agrees with IPART's recommendations. One
area it expresses reservations in is ''balancing efficiency savings''
against the large numbers of





employees who work in regional areas of the state.



Almost half of RMS staff work in regional areas.



The WestConnex documents demonstrate most of the planning
and design for the motorway is performed by consultants and contractors.




They include invoices from Macquarie Capital, which is providing financial advice for the project.



Macquarie billed the government $490,903 for two months' work
in April and May last year, including $19,465 for out of pocket
expenses. These expenses include $10,565 in airfares and $2617 in taxis.




Paul Davies, the NSW director of Professional Engineers
Australia, said RMS had already cut 20 per cent of its engineers in the
past two years.




Mr Davies said outsourcing often led to waste.



''When you contract out you've still got to run those
contracts and control your costs, and you need engineers to do that and
unfortunately they are cutting that capacity,'' he said. ''Poorly scoped
projects that come from diminished engineering capability [are] a
burden for all.''




A spokeswoman for RMS said there would be no reduction in
services as a result of the reforms. Of the 2000 fewer jobs, she said
about 850 positions would transfer to new Service NSW ''one stop
shops''.




About 700 positions would be affected by the outsourcing of
road maintenance in Sydney. In November, the government signed 10-year
contracts worth about $2 billion with Leighton Boral Amey and
DownerMouchel to maintain roads in Sydney.




RMS says it expects to save 5 to 10 per cent from the road
maintenance contracts. The RMS spokeswoman said the department had
lowered consultant costs by more than 50 per cent in three years.




IPART's recommendations to RMS call on it to commercialise
and outsource ''advisory and strategic planning services''; ''project
development, including land entry and acquisition'' and ''contract
management and procurement'' as well as all road design, construction
and maintenance.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/barry-ofarrell-to-outsource-thousands-of-jobs-20140327-35lr9.html#ixzz2xC0sIKqL

Monday 24 March 2014

NSW Government forces Origin to spread anti-carbon price propaganda

NSW Government forces Origin to spread anti-carbon price propaganda



NSW Government forces Origin to spread anti-carbon price propaganda

Last week, Origin Energy made the mistake of sending some propaganda to IA reporter Lachlan Barker who uncovers a sneaky Coalition power bill con.



On Friday last week, the power bill for the property where I used to live arrived.



The property is shared by seven people and I do the sums to work out who owes what.



So I opened up the bill to begin my calcs when this appalling piece of coal burners’ propaganda caught my eye.







I refer to that red outlined square in the graphic — top right.



Even from my first take, I was sure that the amount, $332, was high, secondly it appeared clear to me that Origin Energy were printing Coalition propaganda.



This was particularly disturbing, as Origin Energy has 4.3 million customers and so this propaganda was going to a greater audience than some commercial TV networks.



To compare, Australia's top rating show is a piece of reality TV garbage, with an audience of 1.5 million viewers.



So I set to and did some mildly complicated maths on my own that confirmed my initial gut feeling this was a high figure.



But I decided to get a more expert opinion, so I contacted Associate Professor Mark Diesendorf, the deputy director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales.



Mark has recently released a book called Greenhouse Solutions With Sustainable Energy.



Within it, he shows that we are ready to go now, today, with sustainable clean energy to achieve baseload power.



So, here was a man who knew about this subject.



In my initial email, I referred to an



‘… outrageous piece of marketing that appears on everyone's power bill.’




Dr Diesendorf’s reply opens with:



‘Hi Lachlan, Yes, it is outrageous propaganda against climate action and it's a gross over-estimate.’




He then went on to do the maths for us all, using the same example that appeared in the red square above.



It is all here in this graphic:







However, the two most salient points from it are in the third last
paragraph. There, Dr Diesendorf finds a figure of $187 for so-called
“carbon tax” (which is actually a fixed price on carbon) and the
Renewable Energy Target (RET).




Finally, on the very last paragraph the professor, who clearly uses
nearly all renewables at his house, shows his own energy usage — a
miniscule, 2kWh a day. In comparison, my bill from a property shared
with people less than concerned with the environment, was 20kWh a day.




So, Mark only spends $24 on the "carbon tax" and RET for a whole year.



Thus the Origin figure is high — so now it was time to find out why
they were putting this misleading message on bills going out to 4.3
million customers.




I contacted Origin Energy and asked these questions:



1. Who at Origin Energy took the decision to put this notice about

coasts of RET and Carbon tax on Origin Energy bills?




2. Did the State government have any input into this decision?



3. My calculations show that the true figure should be:



6.5MWh x $0.30 (price per kilowatt hour from my power bill) = $1950.
Carbon tax, 8%.

0.08 x $1,950 = $156
RET, 2% = $39

Total: $195, close to half the figure you have printed.




Do you have any comment on that?




I used my own maths for these questions, as I contacted Origin before
I received Mark's reply, but as my answer, $195, was not dissimilar to
Mark's answer, $187, the Origin reply was still relevant.




Essentially, it told me: 



"You is wrong!”




Origin's reply indicated that there were a whole lot of green schemes costing us money, as indicated in this figure.







So I sent IPART fact sheet, in which this graph appeared, to Mark Diesendorf.



The following was his reply: 



‘The so-called fact sheet doesn't give IPART's assumptions, apart
from the annual demand of 6500 kWh (which I used too) and the carbon
price estimate of 2.6 c/kWh (I assumed 2.5 c/kWh, which is close). It is
unclear how IPART calculated the cost of the other 'green' schemes.’





So again, Associate Professor Diesendorf has shown the figure is wrong.



But then we come to the second part of my queries:



‘Did the State government have any input into this decision?’




Did they ever!



When I began this piece, I thought I was on to a hot story of
government and industry cartelling and collusion, with ministers meeting
with energy company executives in dingy darkened dives to come up with
schemes to lie to NSW energy users.




But, as it turned out, there was no hiding about it whatsoever.



The NSW government just said:



‘Print our propaganda. If you don't you'll be charged.’




If you follow the above link, you can read the law for yourself.



But in the end, I don't know why they even bothered with a law about
it, as the coal burning energy suppliers would have happily printed this
garbage for free.




So there you have it: first the figure is wrong, way high, then the
State Government is using the law to ram it down the throats of 4.3
million electricity consumers, most of whom are voters.




The fight for clean energy goes on and this article shows who we are fighting.



Our very own governments.





Thursday 20 March 2014

Do your job, Malcolm Turnbull, it’s what we pay you for

Do your job, Malcolm Turnbull, it’s what we pay you for



Do your job, Malcolm Turnbull, it’s what we pay you for

Image courtesy of abc.net.au
Image courtesy of abc.net.au
Engage with a Federal Minister and you’ll soon come to a
conclusion whether he or she is ‘on the job’. After an exchange with
Malcolm Turnbull via the social media, Jennifer Wilson has severe reservations if he is doing his.



I had a robust set-to with Communications Minister
Malcolm Turnbull on Twitter this morning, after he arrogantly informed a
regionally based small business owner that if she wanted reliable
internet connections she ought to have bought her house in a different
area.



Vaucluse, maybe?


Perhaps I was exceptionally irritated by this comment because it
reminded me of when my entire family went missing for a week in a
Mexican hurricane, & Alexander Downer remarked that it was their own
fault for living in a hurricane-prone place.



I didn’t argue with Turnbull about the government’s plans (I use the
word reservedly) for our future communications. I argued with him
because every response he made to me referred not to the issues, but to
the deficiencies of the ALP when in government. No matter how
consistently I pointed out to him that his tactic of attempting to
deflect a questioner from her concerns by arguing that “the ALP started
it and were worse than us” only serves to convince me that the
government fears its own policies aren’t worthy of mention, the man
would not cease his epic struggle to gain a political point.



“You’re winning no support trying to avoid questions by point
scoring,” I tweeted. ” You’re in charge, govern, in our best interests.”
To which the Communications Minister replied” “So it’s shameful to tell
the truth is it? Or is it that you are ashamed of the mess Labor left
us to clean up?” And so on. The battle is still going on as I write
this, though Malcolm retreated a couple of hours ago. I obviously struck
a nerve: there are a lot of people wanting governance from this lot,
and increasingly fed up with them behaving as if they are still in
opposition.



What the Abbott government and their advisers are apparently unable
to grasp is that every time they attempt to deflect the focus from their
policies onto a critique of the ALP, they reinforce the impression many
of us have that their policies either don’t exist, or are too
inadequate to be discussed, leaving them obliged to resort to employing
critique of the former government as their only narrative. This is not
governing the country.



It’s a serious abrogation of responsibility.


The Abbott government seems to me exceptionally disregarding of the
future. This causes me great concern for the well-being of my
grandchildren and their peers. Surely it is a government’s job to do
everything possible to ensure the best for our young, now and as they
become adults.



The Abbott government must understand that governing a country is not
a game: it is the most profoundly serious enterprise anyone can
undertake, it affects the lives and futures of millions of people, and
arrogance and point scoring will not cut it.



You won the election, Mr Turnbull. Get governing, or get out.


This article was first published on Jennifer’s blog No Place For Sheep and has been reproduced with permission.

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Chris Bowen speaks on the Tax Bonus for Working Australians Repeal Bill



TONY ABBOTT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW THE TRUTH

Liberal Party-linked company gouged millions from Sydney Water, ICAC hears

Liberal Party-linked company gouged millions from Sydney Water, ICAC hears



Liberal Party-linked company gouged millions from Sydney Water, ICAC hears

Date
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Michaela Whitbourn, Kate McClymont, Mark Kenny











Sinodinos: 'Watch this space'

Senator Arthur Sinodinos tells
parliament he will be vindicated when he appears as a witness before the
NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption.
A company linked to the Obeid family with high-profile
Liberal Party figures on its board gouged millions of dollars from the
state-owned Sydney Water, including for limousines and political
donations, the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard on
Tuesday.





Assistant Federal Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos was on the board
of the Obeid-linked infrastructure company Australian Water Holdings
when it was stonewalling attempts by Sydney Water to inspect its books.






Senator Arthur Sinodinos Assistant Treasurer during Senate question time at Parliament House Canberra on Tuesday 18 March 2014. Photo: Andrew Meares
Under fire: Arthur Sinodinos in Federal Parliament on Tuesday. Photo: Andrew Meares






AWH had its expenses covered by Sydney Water under a
lucrative contract to provide water infrastructure in Sydney's
north-west. By late 2008, the utility was footing the bill for up to
$800,000 in monthly expenses, including $7333 paid to a slush fund
linked to former NSW energy minister Chris Hartcher and more than
$75,000 in donations to the Liberal Party.





Fairfax Media can reveal AWH donated a further $10,000 to
Treasurer Joe Hockey's campaign weeks before the 2010 federal election.




But the donation was returned in February 2013, after reports began to circulate about corruption concerns at AWH.





Corruption hearing: Obeid-linked water company gave $10,000.
Corruption hearing: Eddie Obeid is linked to Australian Water Holdings. Photo: Peter Rae






Documents at ICAC on Tuesday reveal the company also made a $2200 donation to the Queensland branch of the Labor Party.



Sydney Water, led by Kerry Schott, was trying to halt the
massive bills that AWH kept submitting without explanation or proper
documentation.




Senator Sinodinos, who was then treasurer of the NSW
Liberals, was one of the recipients of a 2010 email from fellow AWH
director John Rippon which read: ''If only the bitch [Dr Schott] was
gone we could deal with these guys.''






Dr Kerry Schott: in charge of Sydney Water.
Dr Kerry Schott: in charge of Sydney Water. Photo: Arsineh Houspian






The inquiry has previously heard that corrupt former ALP
powerbroker Eddie Obeid tried to ''eliminate'' Dr Schott by making false
corruption complaints against her. Mr Obeid unsuccessfully urged a
fellow minister to ''sack the bitch'', and claimed that Mr Hartcher
would make a corruption allegation against her.




Among the expenses being forced on Sydney Water were the exorbitant salaries the AWH directors were paying themselves.



Liberal Party fund-raiser and Obeid family associate Nick Di
Girolamo was on a $1.1 million salary, plus a $250,000 ''sign-on'' fee
and a bonus of the same amount.




Giving evidence on Tuesday, Mr Rippon was questioned about Mr Di Girolamo's salary package being charged to Sydney Water.



''Do you sense anything even slightly wrong with that?'' counsel




assisting the inquiry, Geoffrey Watson, SC, asked. ''No,'' Mr Rippon replied.



Mr Rippon himself received a salary of $1.7 million for working two days a week.



When asked about the hundreds of thousands AWH secretly
billed Sydney Water for its attempts to expand into Queensland, Mr
Rippon agreed it was inappropriate.




''That would be nothing more, nothing less than a fraud?'' he
was asked. ''Well, that's a harsh word but probably,'' replied Mr
Rippon.




Senator Sinodinos' $200,000 salary and bonuses were also allegedly covered by Sydney Water.



The commission heard that AWH's monthly expenses escalated after Mr Girolamo was appointed chief executive in 2007.



Expenses which had averaged $160,000 per month had ballooned to $800,000 at the end of 2008.



Asked whether AWH had billed thousands of dollars for
chauffeured limousines, including $1159 in June 2010, Mr Rippon said:
''I don't know. I don't whether it would have been appropriate.''




Mr Rippon's salary was paid to his company, which also owned a horse-breeding farm.



The commission heard that Mr Di Girolamo and Mr Rippon bought
a racehorse, Partner in Crime, from the farm for $50,000. The pair had
previously raced a horse called Perfect Crime.




Mr Rippon said Mr Di Girolamo was recruited because he was
''well-connected'' in Liberal circles. Senator Sinodinos was appointed
because of his business connections.




Mr Rippon said he knew an ''Obeid entity was involved'' in
buying a 30 per cent stake in AWH for $3 million. The family claims this
is a loan rather than a shareholding.




Senator Sinodinos, who denies any wrongdoing, has insisted he was unaware of the Obeids' financial involvement in the company.



A badly worded contract Sydney Water signed in 1992 ended up
giving AWH exclusive rights to deliver infrastructure in Sydney's
north-west.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/liberal-partylinked-company-gouged-millions--from-sydney-water-icac-hears-20140318-350gl.html#ixzz2wMiNI52N

Why we march!

Why we march!



Why we march!






Anybody who saw the above interview with March in March
co-organiser Tim Jones would have felt dismayed that the media had so
much difficulty in grasping the concept behind the March. How can they
have so much trouble in understanding a simple message? In this guest
post William Rattley spells it out for them. If the
media wants to know why people marched, then they really need to start
listening to and engaging with everyday Australians.



Dear Mainstream Media Outlets:


Over the past twelve hours I notice from many television reporters
and journalists a reoccurring question in regards to the March in March
movement that demonstrated in over thirty locations around Australia in
which over one hundred thousand people, young and old, participated in.



That question of course is; “Why are you marching?”


It has come to the attention of a vast number of the Australian
population, that our system is failing the people. Whilst it is true
that the attention at most demonstrations were focused on the current
Abbott-led Governments, and the disastrous decision making by the
Liberals, the issues drawing people to march, are much bigger than the
political playground.



At the base level people are marching because they are sick of being
treated as a number, as a cog in a well-oiled, well-conditioned machine.
People are sick of their health, security and happiness being taken
from them simply to make a quick buck. People are sick of the
environment being disrespected and destroyed.



Yet perhaps most profoundly, is that people are sick of everything
being politicised. The people feel disempowered, they feel as though
with every election they have to choose between the lesser of two evils,
that the system of supposed “choice” really gives very little choice at
all.



Issues like the environment, healthcare and education should not, as
myself and others feel, be the chew toys of the politicians. Nor should
human dignity be defined by how much money our Governments are willing
to save for themselves. The people want the truth, not pre-scripted
garbage designed to trap everyone in one lane.



People march because they feel that their fellow men and women are
being denied basic human rights (marriage equality) or are being treated
as less than human (asylum seekers). People are calling for a return to
a sense of community . . . a sense of inclusiveness, compassion and
respect. Instead of the fear, the divisiveness and the exclusiveness
preached by a majority of the political playground and mainstream media.




People feel as though Australia has become cold, apathetic and
xenophobic, in regards to the way we treat people who come to our shores
to seek aid. Yet there is a sense that the apathy also includes the way
we relate to the indigenous population… and truly the people are sick
of being told who they should like, and who they shouldn’t like. In the
end . . . we are all human.



Many demonstrators marched over the weekend (15-17th of March)
because they are concerned with Christopher Pyne’s attempts to introduce
a heavy Christian influence into our public schooling system. Australia
is a land that is home to people of many different faiths, theistic and
non-theistic, agnostic and atheist alike . . . they feel it is invasive
for Mr Pyne to even consider enforcing his own Christian beliefs upon
the majority of public school attendees.



Australians have become outraged by the Liberal Government’s decision
to scrap the science portfolio, to abolish the climate commission, to
dump on the Great Barrier Reef, and to begin revoking the protections on
the Tasmanian forests. I understand personally why Mr Abbott does not
believe in climate change, and I can respect his beliefs as a
God-fearing Catholic.



However, as a God-fearing Catholic, Mr Abbott should then understand
that as the earth is a gift from God, he has a responsibility to treat
it with the utmost care and respect. As it looks Mr Abbott perhaps
wouldn’t have just eaten one fruit from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, he would have stolen the lot… and then tried to make God
buy them back off him.



Humanity needs to learn moderation . . . and that is what people
would ask of Mr Abbott, to think about the future, about his
grandchildren, and our grandchildren and make lasting choices for the
preservation of our society and our planet. That also means we need to
learn to get along with our neighbors and many of the demonstrators are
horrified by the image of Australia that Mr Abbott is presenting to the
international community.



Humanity cannot afford to continue taking and taking. Our actions
shape the world, and whatever we dish out, will have consequences. I
personally do not feel that Mr Abbott, or his party, are equipped to
take responsibility for the consequences of their actions, and need to
be called into account before their indulgence becomes our lack.



Though there are many other issues that people marched for, I wish to
touch on one final topic. Australians are sick of getting biased media
accounts of what it occurring in politics. Australians are sick of
opening their morning paper to see declarations of Mr Abbott as the
Messiah, by that self-serving multimillionaire Rupert Murdoch.
Australians are sick of the criticisms leveled by the Liberal Government
towards the ABC.



We want the truth . . . and if the major media outlets will not give
us the truth, we will find it ourselves, and broadcast it ourselves. The
Australian people are marching because they are sick of being stuck
with second or third best. We want to put the “luck” back into the lucky
country. We want to aim for an Australia we can be proud of again, and
that others can visit (or seek asylum in) without feeling like
second-class citizens.



We want a country of equality, where love, acceptance, empathy and
the value of human dignity forms the foundation of our aims and
achievements. We want a country where money serves the people, instead
of people serving the money (or the corporations with all the money).
Finally we want a nation that respects our natural resources and doesn’t
destroy them, a nation that is not afraid to research and fund
renewable energy resources.



We want our country back, and we’ll keep marching till we get it back. THAT is why we march!


Sincerely,


William Rattley


This article was first posted on Facebook.

Monday 17 March 2014

Campaign gaffe as SA Liberal leader urges Labor win

Campaign gaffe as SA Liberal leader urges Labor win



Campaign gaffe as Liberal leader Steven Marshall urges vote for Labor in SA election

Updated
Fri 14 Mar 2014, 2:55pm AEDT
It has been a long campaign - maybe that can be South
Australian Liberal leader Steven Marshall's excuse for a final day
slip-up.
Visiting a chocolate factory in Adelaide, he told
reporters the state's voters should opt for Labor when they go to the
ballot box.


Then, without even flinching, he continued his news conference.

Mr
Marshall only realised his gaffe when there was a question from a
reporter later in the news conference about his slip of the tongue.


Opinion
polls have consistently given the Liberals an edge heading into
Saturday's election, at which Labor is seeking a fourth consecutive
term.


The Liberals will need to snatch six lower house seats and hold their others to form government after this weekend.

Mr
Marshall and Labor Premier Jay Weatherill have been doing the election
eve rounds of television and radio stations, putting their final pitch
to voters.


South Australia has fixed, four-year parliamentary terms.

Labor formed a minority government in 2002 and has been in power since, winning the 2006 and 2010 state polls.

In cahoots with ALP on roguery not good look for Coalition

In cahoots with ALP on roguery not good look for Coalition



In cahoots with ALP on roguery not good look for Coalition

Date
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Sean Nicholls

ANALYSIS



-
Implicated in corrupt activity involving Eddie Obeid: Liberal MP Chris Hartcher. Photo: Sasha Woolley


From the time the first details of the Independent Commission
Against Corruption's latest investigations were announced a few weeks
ago, shudders have reverberated through the ranks of the O'Farrell
government.




The details hinted at the prospect of one of its most senior
ministers, Chris Hartcher, being implicated in corrupt activity
involving Eddie Obeid, the most notoriously corrupt figure in the
discredited former Labor government.




On Monday, counsel assisting the inquiry Geoffrey Watson landed another devastating blow to the Liberals.



Tongue firmly in cheek, Watson described the alleged
corruption surrounding Australian Water Holdings as ''an
uncharacteristic display of bipartisanship''.





''It might be said - re-adapting Shakespeare - that
corruption 'acquaints a man with strange bedfellows','' he added, with a
flourish.




Watson outlined a meeting in a Parliament House lift between
Obeid and then Labor water minister Phil Costa, who is not accused of
any wrongdoing.




Costa has told the ICAC Obeid suggested he needed to ''sack
that bitch'' - a reference to then Sydney Water chief Kerry Schott, who
was cold on a proposed deal with AWH that would benefit the Obeid
family.




Then came the bombshell. Obeid is alleged to have told Costa
that Hartcher would make corruption allegations against Schott using
information provided by him.




An anonymous complaint was later made to the ICAC - which the
commission says is unfounded. ''The source of the complaint is very
interesting,'' Watson said. ''This is where misconduct makes its leap
across party lines''.




There Watson left us hanging, with a promise of a full explanation at a later date.



But a year out from an election, the danger for the O'Farrell
government is that this type of statement confirms for the public there
is little difference between it and the Labor government violently
ejected from office three years ago.




Worse, the Labor accused - Obeid, Kelly and Tripodi - are
long gone from Parliament whereas Hartcher is hanging on to his seat and
may do so until the ICAC hands down a final report - which could arrive
shortly before next year's poll.




The ICAC has made it very clear Premier Barry O'Farrell is in
the clear, despite his close relationship to another of the accused,
Liberal identity and AWH chief executive Nick Di Girolamo.




But just how much damage may be done to his government is only now starting to become apparent.



Sunday 16 March 2014

polyfeministix

polyfeministix









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The “Fair Go” Psyche – My take on MarchInMarch

march in march


On
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March, 2014 over 100,000 people marched
against the Abbott Government. I have read a lot of comments on the
Facebook pages of major news services and noted the comments of Liberal
Government supporters.



Many
Liberal supporters are saying this is a Labor/Union/GetUp/Rabid Left
Wing Moron movement. March in March is a grass- roots campaign started
by the people for the people.  End of story.



Many Liberal supporters are making comments in the vain to ‘Get over it, stop whinging, Abbott won, Labor lost” “Go have a cry Boo Hoo lefties”


This has nothing to do with the election. This has everything to do with the behaviour and decisions made after the election.
 The fact that the majority of  Australians voted for a Government with
no policies other than ‘Stop the Boats’ and ‘Axe the Tax’ leaves a lot
to be desired for the seriousness of how voters do vote at election
time. But, that is for another blog post.



As
a Government, they needed to start actually implementing their policies
and changes; as that is what Governments do.  When people voted, I do
not believe the majority who voted Liberal or National (with the
exclusion of the committed conservatives) understood exactly what they
were voting for. They only knew what they ‘thought’ they were voting
against. I will give the Liberal Government kudos for a very effective
campaign, which was run effectively to deceive the disengaged voter.



Many see Governments as “Left” or “Right” I see Governments as “Pro-Community” or “Anti-Community” I
think that to have a Grass-Roots movement march this weekend with so
much success, in a country where there is a lot of political apathy,
says a lot about the Abbott Government being Anti-Community.



I
truly believe that regardless of Governments left or right affiliation;
people march and become activists (some who are very engaged, but most
of all the ones who are primarily disengaged from politics), because
deep down somewhere in our Australian psyche is what is called “A Fair Go’.  



It is a
well known fact that most people do not like change. The fact that Tony
Abbott and the MSM touted that there was very little between Labor and
Liberal at election time, meant voters felt safe and confident to change
Government. Many voters would not have believed it to be a big deal and
most would get the same Fair Go or better that the previous Government
had given us.



At times us Aussies lose sight of this Fair Go
or we don’t truly believe that any Aussie, particularly a Government
would go against this. We do stupid things like voting in anti-community
Governments like Conservative Liberal Governments. Then the Government
makes changes and their true colours come out.



Everyday
compassionate Australians, see real fellow Aussies are severely
affected. They lose their jobs, whole industries are gone, critical
services are cut, they are left with nothing but despair, we see the
silence on the inhumane treatment of other human beings seeking asylum,
we see the lack of support and services given to our first people, we
see the lack of vision for the future of our children with education, we
hear the plight of the disabled facing cuts to a great national
program, we hear the fear in the voices of the poor who can’t afford
$6.00 every time they visit a doctor. We see and feel a real threat to
our Fair Go culture for our fellow Australians.  We
don’t have a huge rich and poor divide in this country like other
countries and when people see our country heading that way, they stand
up and say enough.



Go here for really comprehensive list of Abbott’s Broken Promises and the reason’s people feel like there is no more Fair Go.


With this type of depressing landscape ahead of us for three more years, the Aussie Fair Go Psyche rears it’s head and people start screaming for a Fair
Go.  Everyday Aussies got together with their mates and their mates and
mates of their mates and they Marched with pride and passion.



…and
that is WHY Liberal supporters that the people marched this weekend, so
you can put all of your conspiracy theories to rest. Comprende?



Think Before you Vote.  Join a political party like the ALP or Greens or
other left-wing/progressive parties. Make sure you know who preferences
who. Get Active. Get Engaged. Discuss issues with family and friends.
Share information on Social Media. Join Get Up! Read
a wide range of news media. Work hard to prevent Conservative
Governments like the Liberal-National Coalition destroying our great
country, embarrassing us on the world stage and instilling great
hardship on our loved ones, friends and neighbours and on our
communities. You CAN make a difference!


Thursday 13 March 2014

Abbott government is putting business profits ahead of the community: Bernie Fraser

Abbott government is putting business profits ahead of the community: Bernie Fraser



Abbott government is putting business profits ahead of the community: Bernie Fraser

Bernie Fraser, Chair of the Climate Change Authority and former Reserve Bank Governor, addresses the National Press Club.
Bernie Fraser, Chair of the Climate Change Authority and former Reserve Bank Governor, addresses the National Press Club. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen





Former Reserve Bank governor Bernie Fraser says the Abbott
government is working in the short term interests of business and not
the long term interests of the community in its policies on climate
change.

Mr Fraser, in an address to the National Press Club, has also
expressed surprise at the “brazenness and scale” of the campaign waged
by the government and big business against the carbon and mining taxes.

The chairman of the Climate Change Authority, which the
government plans to abolish, said on Thursday that the debate over
climate policy in Australia was now devoid of balance and maturity.

Mr Fraser said Australia was at risk of being left behind
other countries that were acting more quickly to reduce their emissions.

“While the government professes to accept the science of
climate change the indications are that it is unlikely to back that
acceptance with appropriate actions,” he said.

“It's really lightening, rather than adding to the policy tool kit.
“What has been made clear is that the scale of that effort …
will be determined primarily by short term budgetary considerations, not
by considerations related to climate science.

“It seems clear to me that in the area of climate change
policy the government is backing in business interests – and big
business interests for the most part – ahead of the community
interests.”

Mr Fraser criticised the government's “ongoing campaign to
demonise the carbon tax” and said that as long as business and
government interests were aligned, the debate about climate change in
Australia would remain “lopsided for some time to come”.


The Climate Change Authority chairman expressed frustration
that many elements of the government's direct action policy still had
not been clarified and said the authority was not in a position to
assess the potential costs of the policy as long as the details were
unknown.

On Wednesday, former treasury secretary Ken Henry backed comments by economist Ross Garnaut
that the Abbott government's direct action policy would cost closer to
$4 or $5 billion, rather than the $1.5 billion the government has
predicted.

Dr Henry also questioned how committed the government would remain to emissions reduction targets over time.



The Climate Change Authority has called for Australia's
emissions reduction target to be increased from 5 per cent to 15 per
cent by 2020.

Mr Fraser said on Thursday the increased target was “credible
and desirable” and more in line with targets being imposed by other
countries, including the United States.

Mr Fraser said the reaction from business to the proposal had
been mixed and there were many small businesses who supported active
policies to reduce emissions.

“But these people while they are numerous, they're often
shouted out by larger companies and, I have to say, particularly the
mining industry,” he said.




Environment Minister Greg Hunt's office has been contacted for comment.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-is-putting-business-profits-ahead-of-the-community-bernie-fraser-20140313-34os6.html#ixzz2vs3RQDef

Saturday 8 March 2014

Wednesday 5 March 2014

What Unbelievable Cruelty

What Unbelievable Cruelty





What Unbelievable Cruelty

David MarrAuthor and journalist David Marr made an interesting observation on the ABC’s Insiders
program last Sunday. He suggested Australians might be willing to
countenance the unbelievable cruelty being exacted upon asylum seekers
at Manus Island and Nauru if they thought it was a one-off effort that
would bring an end to the boat people risking their lives to come to
Australia. David concluded, however, that if this was what people
thought, it was a false expectation. He was certain that the boat people
would not stop coming, not now, not ever; and he is right.



If Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison think news of unbelievable cruelty
at Manus Island and Nauru detention centres will filter through to those
who are seeking to find another country to live will succeed, they are
wrong. Why? Because always there will be other ways for people smugglers
to continue their trade and adapt to changing circumstances. That is
what business people do. And always there will be people who do not hear
the message and still come, believing that their efforts will be
rewarded. As long as there are 40 million people either displaced or
stuck in refugee camps around the world, there will always be those who
lose faith in the likelihood of receiving genuine help. They will simply
take matters into their own hands and try another way. And who can
blame them? The worldwide management of the refugee problem by the UNHCR
is being woefully mishandled as is the selfishness of individual
countries that have the wealth to absorb these, the most disadvantaged
of the world’s citizens. The management is what needs to be reviewed and
that is something that cannot be left to the whim of mean-spirited
individuals in power; especially individuals with a political agenda. Last Tuesday’s Dateline program on SBS proved that. What unbelievable cruelty.



manusHow
long will it be before public outrage forces a closure of Manus Island
and Nauru? Is it likely that the last outbreak will see no more asylum
seekers sent to Manus? Or will the determination of the Prime Minister
and his Immigration Minister see that the only way to ensure the success
of Operation Sovereign Borders is to maintain this unbelievable cruelty for the foreseeable future?

Tuesday 4 March 2014

The boats have 'apparently' stopped, but are any of us actually better off?

The boats have 'apparently' stopped, but are any of us actually better off?



The boats have ‘apparently’ stopped, but are any of us actually better off?

Image courtesy of globalvoicesonline.org
Image courtesy of globalvoicesonline.org
What issues are important to Australians?


I don’t speak for all people but I’d suggest that if I said the
issues included rising unemployment/job security, education, health,
income inequality, aged care, climate change, the cost of living,
adequate infrastructure, essential services, 21st century information
technology or housing affordability it would be safe to say that I’ve
covered one issue that would be important to (collectively) more than 95
per cent of us.



Now I would ask, “What has the government done to address any of these?” The answer to that is all too obvious.


All they’ve harped on about is that they’ve stopped the boats.
Whether they have or not . . . is another matter. Oh, and they did
mention education reforms, briefly, but stopping boats is their only
claim for bragging rights.


Excerpt from the article by Carol Taylor