Legal Stuff Again

Hello world and welcome to the blog...and yet more 'Legalistic Housekeeping' to trawl through before getting to anything else...so here we go...

Only minutes after I posted yesterday, Family First's Rob Brokenshire was on ABC Local Radio (Pt Pirie) yesterday, re the Rann/Weatherill Labor government's approval for Pacific Hydro's 42 Wind Turbine Industrial Estate at Kyneton in/near the Barossa Valley...and he correctly identified that the Turbine Industry was so successful in South Australia because of the support in suburban Adelaide, combined with the grossly biased pro-Turbine legislation.

He didn't use the 'F' word...(Fascism?-Ed)...exactly, but he did identify that former Premier Mike Rann unilaterally brought in the legislative changes in October 2011, which deny any opportunity to oppose, and that Premier Jay Weatherill "tweeked" that legislation but there has been no change to the overall effect...(that 'tweeking' he refers to is the setting of 'Visual Amenity' at 1km to deny any avenue for Appeal in the Environmental, Resources and Development Court-Ed)...right again... 

So whilst it was good to hear Mr Brokenshire talk about 'reviewing' areas where Turbines can go without affecting farmers, eg, the massive 200 Turbine CERES Project proposed for the Yorke Peninsula, right in the middle of South Australia's prime cropping land, that will interfere with crop-dusting, fire-fighting, etc, on adjacent properties...and talking about these already proven negative impacts with neighbouring land values, etc...he never really nailed that point.

He also repeatedly made the point...(asked the question-Ed)...about how SAs reliance on Turbines directly affects our astronomically high Electricity bills...and that the Turbines are wholly imported, not manufactured here...I did not hear if they discussed 'Back-up Generation' for when the wind's not blowing, but Allendale's Richard Paltridge received an albeit anonymous shout-out from Mr Brokenshire for his ERCD win that led to Mike Rann's Fascist Legislative hissy fit in 2011.

The ABC's Annette Marner displayed a thorough knowledge of the Turbine 'debate', and her questioning reflected that...overall it was better than nothing, but I was very disappointed that yet again the debate tip-toed around the realities of the Fascist legislation and total lack of Appeal Process that sees these uneconomical monstrosities being approved virtually everywhere...why won't anyone...(beside you-Ed)..ta', beside me, call this 'legislation' exactly what it is, Fascism - legislating to deny access to the Courts, to deny opposition...that's text-book, dictionary definition Fascism...

Old Hospital Demolition: Whatever is or isn't happening with the multiple official complaints lodged about the Demolition Contract, and the current legal action being taken against the Receivers by Boots/Skytowers re 'under-selling' the Old Hospital to City Council, and the alleged Skytowers' complaint to the Ombudsman about Council manipulating re-zoning, etc, etc...whatever's happening the demolition has proceeded and the building is nearly flattened...

I find it hard to believe anything generated from within state government departments or Mt Gambier City Council, and the conflicting information re Asbestos contamination in the Old Hospital is typical...I have no faith what-so-ever with statements that the site has been appropriately 'de-contaminated' or that any effort has been made to suppress the dust blowing off site...I went to go past there last week, but there was a cloud of dust as high as the building itself, slowly drifting across Lake Tce West and right over those homes...I turned around and went back, there was no way I was even driving through that cloud.

I find it totally implausible that every window frame on the front of the building, frames that were haphazardly smashed in with an excavator, do have 'Asbestos Mastic' contamination, yet the windows at the sides and rear are supposedly all clear...and when I tried to get accurate information from the Environmental Protection Authority, they completely contradicted themselves inside 24hrs, allegedly on the advice of City Council.

I offer no apology for being fundamentally unable to trust anything said or done by any of the people, groups, authorities, whatevs, involved in any of these processes...no apology, because I am only reacting the way any vaguely sane person might to the litany of deceits and manipulations previously perpetrated, not least of all by the Mt Gambier City Council...(and if anyone knows 'vaguely sane' it's you-Ed)...exactly...no wait, what? 

Regardless, how is it that the Demolition has continued with a Court case about the value of the property underway, and multiple official complaints about apparent collusion and corruption between Mayor Steve Perryman and McMahons Services re the original awarding of the Demolition Contract...it absolutely stinks...(how so?-Ed)...well, is the Ombudsman and/or Office of Public Integrity and/or Independent Commission Against Corruption going to retrieve all of the rate-payers money dolled out to McMahons should this apparent collusion, this corruption, be proven?...(well, no, I can't see how they possibly could-Ed)...exactly... 

And are the Ombudsman, the OPI, and/or the ICAC going to recover all of those monies from the superannuation accounts of those McMahons workers, etc, and then redistribute it amongst the local contractors who would have likely received those monies were it not for the super-dodgy Tender process?...and it ain't a vexatious 'maybe' on my behalf or of my construct...something is absolutely rotten about that Tender process, but as best I can tell, nothing is being done about it.

I'll say it again...it is on the public record but not physically on the actual public document, Council's Agenda September 2013, that they were going to discuss and vote on the Demolition Contract...but the reality of that vote is on a public document, Council's Minutes of that meeting, including a politely modified account of Mayor Perryman identifying his 'Conflict of Interest'...

But what really concerns me is that the Boots/Skytowers action against the Old Hospital Receivers, an action which will likely ricochet off the Receivers and right on to City Council and therefore ratepayers, is about the alleged value of the property...(yeah, so?-Ed)...well as several people have identified, Council has never said officially that the building was 'un-sound' and there was/is no official documentation stating that the building was 'Condemned' and needs to be demolished...and no documentation about it's actual value either 'sound' or 'condemned'.

(Sorry, I still don't get it-Ed)...well, Boots/Skytowers are claiming the site was worth $2.5-$3million more than they received via the Receivers sale, all over issues that are Council's responsibility...(right-Ed)...so when that bounces into Council's lap and starts purring like a rabid tiger, how is Council going to argue about the value of the buildings if they've all been demolished?...(oh-Ed)...exactly, and that's a very big 'oh'...(and not in the good way-Ed)...nice...

(You're saying that if Council are found 'guilty' in the Courts of interfering with the sale process by manipulating 'Re-zoning' issues, etc, and they don't have any documentation to counter Boots/Skytowers claim that that was a 'sound structure' worth $X, then the Courts are likely to assess 'damages to be payed, restitution, whatevs' as being the market value of a 'sound structure'...and Council will have destroyed the evidence already, being the building, and without any documentation proving otherwise, be accountable for the alleged value of that building-Ed)...yep.

I'll ask it again...how is it, that with a Court case currently underway about the value of the site, and supposedly some sort of 'Official' investigation into issues of corruption re the Demolition Contract supposedly underway, how is it that the Demolition has continued unabated...(and don't get you started about the Asbestos bullshit-Ed)...well quite...the whole thing reeks of collusion and corruption.

And I've said it before and I'm saying it again, that there is one massive corruption issue that clearly trumps all others and brings alleged Liberal/Labor foes to embrace in mutual protection, huddled at the bottom of the hole they've dug themselves...and at this point in time, as best I can tell, they're collectively digging as fast as possible in an apparent attempt to dig their way out of the burning spotlight of accountability some stupid bloody hippy has shone into aforementioned hole.

Whilst the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up continues, with the full support of the Labor Party, and all it's local representatives, and the full support of the Liberal Party...(and all it's local representatives-Ed)...quite...then there will continue to be a phalanx of corrupt public figures acting corruptly with a sense of impervious unaccountability, hiding behind the massive bow wave that St Martins creates.

Prove me shrekin' wrong, but whilst Council will likely end up forking out millions to Boots/Skytowers, there will be absolutely no official action against Council, Mayor Perryman, or anyone else involved in the bare-faced corruption, lies, and associated socio-economic disaster epitomised by the Old Hospital case...corruption that is destroying Mt Gambier and South Australia.

Tomorrow: I Go Off About Something

(Yay-Ed)...shut up you...

I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...it'll keep you regular, I know it does me...laters