Hello France, Greece, Germany and Romania...and welcome to the blog...and a rather lumpy, ugly, patchwork quilt of a post, cobbled together from a bunch of unrelated issues...and just for a pleasant change I'm going to kick off with Child Abuse issues...(yay-Ed)...quite...
The Reynella East High School has removed and I believe sacked a second male teacher for accessing/possessing Child Pornography, and yet again it appears that parents haven't all been told...(hang on, a second teacher?...don't you mean the former Naracoorte High School teacher?-Ed)...no, this is another teacher...(so, two teachers, from the same school-Ed)...yep...(oh dear-Ed)...oh dear indeed.
The Education Dept has stated that they will not be telling parents from the other school the Naracoorte teacher worked at in Adelaide's south prior to his employment at Reynella East...(welcome to the exciting new age of disclosure and appropriate investigation-Ed)...quite...(and they didn't tell parents at Reynella High either-Ed)...or at Naracoorte I don't think...(and how the hell do you do an appropriate and thorough investigation if you don't talk to the potential witness base?-Ed)...quite...
(And what if there's some poor bastard who's been busted with hardcore rape porn on their school computer, and are in all sorts of trouble with the school, their family, etc, only it wasn't the student who put it there, it was the porn-addicted teacher?-Ed)...you mean like the Year 10 student from Naracoorte who was blamed for this teacher accessing porn via that student's account...and suspended...and subsequently 'dropped out'...and even when the Education Dept knew it was the teacher they continued to allow the student to bear the blame...and then put him in charge of IT and year 8 students...you shrekin' shreks...(it's alright big fella, it's not your fault-Ed)...then why do I feel like it's my responsibility?...
Apology I Think: for previously I might have said that there was yet another teacher recently removed from Naracoorte High School for 'attempting to get a child to be sexually available' and indecent assault, but according to today's The Advertiser, that teacher was also from Reynella East High...(say what?...you're saying that those 3 teachers are all from Reynella East High -Ed)...yep, the former Naracoorte High teacher and 2 others.
I swear that what I read/heard several weeks ago had the 'sexually available' teacher as another Naracoorte High teacher, but it might just be the way it was reported...I have noticed an increasing tendency to switch subject or topic mid paragraph that finds me having to back track through the article to sort out where who is doing what to whom and why.
Either way, whether it was reported poorly, incorrectly, or I misread it, whatevs, I got it wrong, and I apologise for this genuine mistake...as always I try to be as accurate as possible...and unfortunately this is one of those occasions that I would have preferred that my wrong be right...(how's that?-Ed).
Because my wrong had two teachers from the same school but 8 years apart, and unfortunately the same Naracoorte teacher and one other at Reynella...and what is actually happening is one at Naracoorte from 2004, who then moved to Adelaide, and within the last month, he and 2 others have all been suspended and/or sacked from the one school, Reynella East High...(you're right, your wrong makes the right look worse-Ed)...
So instead of relatively separate incidents this is a 'cluster' of 3 teachers all at one school...and is this all of them?...and what about other schools?...and how the shrek can the Education Dept be trusted to investigate this at all, when, despite all of the rhetoric and supposed realisation and alleged definitive action, the culture is now as it always was...one of cover-up and denial.
Just how bad is it in South Australian schools that Labour, the Education Dept, the Teachers Union, etc, just refuse to handle these things correctly?...and I see that I'm not the only one stating that it is grossly irresponsible and absolutely inappropriate for SAPol, the Education Dept, etc, to not tell other schools, parents, and students involved, because, 'how can you do a thorough investigation if you don't talk to the potential witnesses and/or victims'...(hear! hear!-Ed)...
New Cancer Council Report: states that there has been a 250% increase in identified cases of Prostate Cancer over the past 20 years...but this is apparently not a massive increase in actual occurrence, but due to far more PSA testing (via a blood test) leading to greatly increased detection, which in itself leads to sometimes unnecessary 'highly invasive' surgery...(unnecessary surgery?-Ed)...yes, apparently.
I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice, seek professional help if you have concerns...but I have been to several 'Cancer Forums' where it has been explained that Prostate Cancer can be relatively benign and that there can be Prostate issues that are not Cancer...at the Forum last Friday 1st November 2013 there was discussion of doctors 'not testing' because this can lead to unnecessary surgery, etc...but also, noticeable symptoms usually mean that it is an advanced Cancer and therefore too late to treat effectively...
Again, I am not a doctor and admittedly I don't really understand this strategy of 'non-testing', so please seek appropriate advice if you have concerns.
How to Win The Ashes: deny the English middle order any batting practice in real match conditions by not getting the openers out...(clever-Ed)...just let them bat all day, day after day, and that way when the Test series starts, the middle order will be flabby and out of form...(brilliant-Ed)...I am of course taking the piss out of Australia A whom yesterday could not remove either English opener...(oh-Ed)...
The Truth Sneaks Out: just for a little peak...in today's The Border Watch Thursday 7th November 2013, in a small page 3 article about the Old Hospital demolition, right next to a much larger article re some kids from a local Child Care Centre who have become interested in the building/demolition, particularly the windows...
I have repeatedly stated my belief that there were Asbestos issues with the window frames, and my related concerns about McMahon's just smashing them in and/or how they were handling already demolished buildings...and who's paying for disposal of that 'contaminated material'?...and there had been a partial 'admission' by Council's Daryl Sexton of some 'Asbestos contamination in the upper floors', and today in TBW Councillor Des Mutton is quoted as saying;
"Significant progress has been made on removing the asbestos mastic from the
windows in the main hospital building..."
This is a brief glimpse at the reality, a reality that appears to be something that Council would rather not have discussed, but have been somehow almost shamed into conceding...they've banged on about Asbestos at various times but have never correctly quantified that...and now that it's admitted, how can Council just stand by whilst McMahons smash up Asbestos contaminated materials (the window frames) with apparently no attempt to contain it.
Every day I've passed that site, except for the days it was raining, there is dust blowing off the site, including today when it was swirling around and then off over the rear road where, even just driving by, I could clearly smell limestone dust on the wind, it smelled like a quarry...and apparently no attempt to control that dust...I haven't even seen a dude with a hose...and no containment of the building with plastic, etc, it's all completely open with the wind howling through.
Today there were several dudes wearing white jumpsuits and those basic, disposable dust masks, up a cherry-picker, picking away at the rear roof line...I think this would be related to the Asbestos roof/gutter lining as similar to the Old Laundry roof...and again no apparent effort to confine any 'blow-off' on a very windy day.
Perhaps I'm completely over-reacting to a relatively minor concern...perhaps this is 'inert or non-friable Asbestos' and it can blow around all over the place no probs...but what happens when it does break down?...ultimately, I cannot understand how Asbestos can be handled in such a haphazard manner.
Tomorrow: Renewed Attacks on Wind Turbine Opponents
Faced with increasing opposition to Turbines, due largely to improved general knowledge of their multiple faults and failings, proponents are focusing on attacking those opponents.
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog and I ain't sponsored by no Oil Companies, Energy Corporations, Greeny Lobby Groups, etc...because I (dear readers here in Australia) am sponsored by you via a tiny percentage of your tax dollar that contributes to my Disability Support Pension.
And I'm not taking the piss...this is an open acknowledgement and a statement of genuine gratitude...laters.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
More Child Abuse Insanity the SA Way
Hello and welcome to the blog and an entire post that is as much a statement as it is a question, namely, what the shrek is wrong with South Australia?...(I see what you mean-Ed)...and when you do that Sherlock Holmes thing and rule out all the possibilities bar one, and that which remains must therefore be the truth, it looks like SA is effectively run for and by paeodphiles...(big call, but flawless logic-Ed)...ta.
But First: push back from the Forestry Industry that they are not profiting from the Water Allocation issue as I covered yesterday, but are actually paying for that water...this is partially true, but I stand by what I said in that the water is being taken off other irrigators, therefore, how is that a net benefit for the state?...and that the allowance represents profit...
I note the The Border Watch article today Wednesday 6th November 2013 re this issue, talks about 100% 'recharge interception allowance' in that plantations tend to use 100% of any rainfall, but I'm not sure how that is calculated, and I assume there are standard allowances that are established, eg, a pine tree will take-up X litres of water per annum, so if it only rains 90% of X that year the plantation owner is liable to pay for that 10%.
Mr Laurie Hein, Green Triangle Plantation Committee Chairperson, claims that the current proposed allowances will see irrigators actually get more water, and that 75% of irrigators do not use their full allocations anyway, and there are special production allowances, etc, but I believe that irrigators rely on that unused portion of allowance as an insurance, as a buffer, for 'drought years', etc...I find myself having to rely on experts with conflicting opinions, and believe that yet again the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
I also note with concern the statement that this proposed 'new cost to forestry' may see existing plantations not replanted...this is potentially an excuse that could be used to justify someone like 141 Plantations stripping the current asset and not replenishing it...again, one of those situations that I hope to be wrong about...but I digress...back to my flawless logic.
(But shouldn't you dissect the argument before stating the conclusion?-Ed)...I've done that in umpteen posts already, remember?...time and again, over and over, the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up and the complicit compliance of local Mayors Perryman, Sage, Gandolfi, etc, and Don Pegler and Gary Costello, etc...and the outright pro-paedophile corruption of Rory McEwen, Mike Rann, Jay Weatherill, Michael Atkinson, the Teachers Registration Board, the Crown Solicitor, et al ad infinitum.
And don't get me started on the shrekin' Australian Broadcasting Corporation, or The Advertiser and The Border Watch newspapers and all of the weak, complicit personnel involved and their corrupted superiors...and as always I (and other parents) remain the focus of abuse, blame, and reportage that serves only to continue 'Covering-up' the reality of what has happened at St Martins, and the outrageous conduct of all those involved.
I'll say it again; what the shrek is wrong with Mt Gambier that everybody knows or at least has some idea about the St Martins Child Abuse Issue, and yet it just goes on and on...(bit like you really-Ed)...damn straight...and I guarantee that I will continue to go on and on...and I apologise for stating that living in Mt Gambier is like living in the 1950s because it's more like the 1850s...a chronically depressed feudal freak show of vested interests, institutionalised corruption, and chronic self-interest conducted along a clearly defined class structure.
And I apologise to the vast majority of people who suffer for this prevailing paradigm, for all those who have grown up in this claustrophobically constrained environment where dissent invites denigration and disaster...as much as I vent my frustration via this blog, I fully empathise with you because I know this is what happens.
Just listening to yet another report re the infamous email that Jay Weatherill's staffer Simon Blewitt sent to someone that he can't recall, but it still 'definitely wasn't the Premier' (then Education Minister), and now apparently Premier Weatherill has 'allowed' the Select Committee Inquiry to task Telstra with finding to whom that email was sent...what a load of bollocks...we all know who that email was sent to, it was Jay Weatherill...
And more reports re the Naracoorte High School case from 2004 where a teacher was accessing hardcore pornography at school, using a student's account, and the student was blamed and suspended,
and even when the Education Department realised (very early in the piece) that it was the teacher, he was 'spoken to' but the student never told.
This destroyed the student's schooling and he went from a 'straight A student' to dropping out, and all involved were happy to let him continue to take the blame even when they knew the facts...bastards...sad, sick, corrupt bastards...may hell exist that you may rot...(fantastic work with the fury laden venting sans swearing-Ed)...hah, shrek them, shrek every one of them...(fair enough-Ed)...
The teacher and the Education Dept both let the student take the blame, indeed openly blamed him, when they both knew it was the teacher, and despite that knowledge, moved that teacher to another school and put him in charge of computing and with official access to young teens...and then when the student finally sought action the Ed Dept tried to pay for his silence, and still no action against the teacher...
On the weekend, it was reported that the teacher was suspended on full pay from Reynella East High School, but that there was not going to be any TRB or SAPol investigations...(how can you tell the difference?-Ed)...whaaa?...(well, whether the TRB and/or SAPol does an alleged investigation or not, the result is inevitably the same, no action whatsoever, and a paedophile goes free to commit more abuses-Ed)...fair enough...
And where did the Education Dept place a teacher they knew was accessing violent porn sites with search titles including "rape" and/or "virgins", etc, via the Internet, on a student's account, whilst at work at school...where do you think the Ed Dept placed him?...(don't know, but I'm guessing it can't be good-Ed)...in charge of Information Technology and Year 8 students...(dead set?-Ed)...dead set.
Now I understand that there will be a TRB Inquiry, but still no SAPol investigation, no criminal charges, etc, and it has been revealed that Reynella East High parents weren't/haven't been told their children's year 8 teacher has been suspended, nor obviously why...and Education Minister Jennifer Rankine states that this is directly, explicitly following the Recommendations from the DeBelle Inquiry to not tell because it might compromise the rights of the accused and/or the evidence base, etc...and the Liberal opposition's bent on it is, surprise, surprise, quite the opposite.
On reading the DeBelle Report, and as I've identified in previous posts, it has a bit of a bet each way with this, recommending greater disclosure in several places, but also containing many pages about 'potentially vexatious accusations' (paraphrase)...these are the conflicting complications that are inherent in a system that doesn't have proper legislation in place, and to my conspiratorial mind, is quite deliberate...dysfunctional legislation offers ample wriggle room for denial of responsibility...which is exactly what's happening.
This is why I denounce the DeBelle Inquiry as a farcical excusing of those clearly guilty, and just a screen for dis-association from anything 'pre-DeBelle'...and allowing vacuous, unaccountable rhetoric referencing the conflicting findings there-in to excuse any current failures, eg, not telling parents at Reynella...this is clearly, at best, damage control, and just as likely, is an attempt to stifle appropriate investigation of the teacher with a view to no charges, no action, etc.
But what really punched my buttons yesterday was the brief ABC Local Radio interview with Prof Frida Briggs re this Naracoorte case, and was predominantly about 'educating the children'...what about the responsiblities of the Education Dept, the school, the Education Minister, etc?...these people clearly need a little 're-education' themselves...
Bad as this brief interview was, it was the statement at the end from interviewer Stan Thompson about 'the dangers of children (people) making vexatious claims because they don't like a teacher' that really pissed me off...I didn't hear the very last bit of the interview because I was swearing so hard...of all the issues to be discussed re this horrendous case, Stan went past all of them to 'vexatious claims'...
I'll stop here because I have covered numerous times why this sort of statement is so inappropriate and why I would find it so offensive...because it's been used many times to attack us parents as being the only genuine problem re St Martins...just read the 'Comments' left on this post and there it is, 'you just wanted to make money from the school', etc.
Tomorrow: Is Just Another Day
And heaps more feedback and housekeeping...yay...(that's actually code for 'you don't know yet', isn't it?-Ed)...welllll, yes...yes it is...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...thank you for your continuing patronage...laters.
But First: push back from the Forestry Industry that they are not profiting from the Water Allocation issue as I covered yesterday, but are actually paying for that water...this is partially true, but I stand by what I said in that the water is being taken off other irrigators, therefore, how is that a net benefit for the state?...and that the allowance represents profit...
I note the The Border Watch article today Wednesday 6th November 2013 re this issue, talks about 100% 'recharge interception allowance' in that plantations tend to use 100% of any rainfall, but I'm not sure how that is calculated, and I assume there are standard allowances that are established, eg, a pine tree will take-up X litres of water per annum, so if it only rains 90% of X that year the plantation owner is liable to pay for that 10%.
Mr Laurie Hein, Green Triangle Plantation Committee Chairperson, claims that the current proposed allowances will see irrigators actually get more water, and that 75% of irrigators do not use their full allocations anyway, and there are special production allowances, etc, but I believe that irrigators rely on that unused portion of allowance as an insurance, as a buffer, for 'drought years', etc...I find myself having to rely on experts with conflicting opinions, and believe that yet again the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
I also note with concern the statement that this proposed 'new cost to forestry' may see existing plantations not replanted...this is potentially an excuse that could be used to justify someone like 141 Plantations stripping the current asset and not replenishing it...again, one of those situations that I hope to be wrong about...but I digress...back to my flawless logic.
(But shouldn't you dissect the argument before stating the conclusion?-Ed)...I've done that in umpteen posts already, remember?...time and again, over and over, the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up and the complicit compliance of local Mayors Perryman, Sage, Gandolfi, etc, and Don Pegler and Gary Costello, etc...and the outright pro-paedophile corruption of Rory McEwen, Mike Rann, Jay Weatherill, Michael Atkinson, the Teachers Registration Board, the Crown Solicitor, et al ad infinitum.
And don't get me started on the shrekin' Australian Broadcasting Corporation, or The Advertiser and The Border Watch newspapers and all of the weak, complicit personnel involved and their corrupted superiors...and as always I (and other parents) remain the focus of abuse, blame, and reportage that serves only to continue 'Covering-up' the reality of what has happened at St Martins, and the outrageous conduct of all those involved.
I'll say it again; what the shrek is wrong with Mt Gambier that everybody knows or at least has some idea about the St Martins Child Abuse Issue, and yet it just goes on and on...(bit like you really-Ed)...damn straight...and I guarantee that I will continue to go on and on...and I apologise for stating that living in Mt Gambier is like living in the 1950s because it's more like the 1850s...a chronically depressed feudal freak show of vested interests, institutionalised corruption, and chronic self-interest conducted along a clearly defined class structure.
And I apologise to the vast majority of people who suffer for this prevailing paradigm, for all those who have grown up in this claustrophobically constrained environment where dissent invites denigration and disaster...as much as I vent my frustration via this blog, I fully empathise with you because I know this is what happens.
Just listening to yet another report re the infamous email that Jay Weatherill's staffer Simon Blewitt sent to someone that he can't recall, but it still 'definitely wasn't the Premier' (then Education Minister), and now apparently Premier Weatherill has 'allowed' the Select Committee Inquiry to task Telstra with finding to whom that email was sent...what a load of bollocks...we all know who that email was sent to, it was Jay Weatherill...
And more reports re the Naracoorte High School case from 2004 where a teacher was accessing hardcore pornography at school, using a student's account, and the student was blamed and suspended,
and even when the Education Department realised (very early in the piece) that it was the teacher, he was 'spoken to' but the student never told.
This destroyed the student's schooling and he went from a 'straight A student' to dropping out, and all involved were happy to let him continue to take the blame even when they knew the facts...bastards...sad, sick, corrupt bastards...may hell exist that you may rot...(fantastic work with the fury laden venting sans swearing-Ed)...hah, shrek them, shrek every one of them...(fair enough-Ed)...
The teacher and the Education Dept both let the student take the blame, indeed openly blamed him, when they both knew it was the teacher, and despite that knowledge, moved that teacher to another school and put him in charge of computing and with official access to young teens...and then when the student finally sought action the Ed Dept tried to pay for his silence, and still no action against the teacher...
On the weekend, it was reported that the teacher was suspended on full pay from Reynella East High School, but that there was not going to be any TRB or SAPol investigations...(how can you tell the difference?-Ed)...whaaa?...(well, whether the TRB and/or SAPol does an alleged investigation or not, the result is inevitably the same, no action whatsoever, and a paedophile goes free to commit more abuses-Ed)...fair enough...
And where did the Education Dept place a teacher they knew was accessing violent porn sites with search titles including "rape" and/or "virgins", etc, via the Internet, on a student's account, whilst at work at school...where do you think the Ed Dept placed him?...(don't know, but I'm guessing it can't be good-Ed)...in charge of Information Technology and Year 8 students...(dead set?-Ed)...dead set.
Now I understand that there will be a TRB Inquiry, but still no SAPol investigation, no criminal charges, etc, and it has been revealed that Reynella East High parents weren't/haven't been told their children's year 8 teacher has been suspended, nor obviously why...and Education Minister Jennifer Rankine states that this is directly, explicitly following the Recommendations from the DeBelle Inquiry to not tell because it might compromise the rights of the accused and/or the evidence base, etc...and the Liberal opposition's bent on it is, surprise, surprise, quite the opposite.
On reading the DeBelle Report, and as I've identified in previous posts, it has a bit of a bet each way with this, recommending greater disclosure in several places, but also containing many pages about 'potentially vexatious accusations' (paraphrase)...these are the conflicting complications that are inherent in a system that doesn't have proper legislation in place, and to my conspiratorial mind, is quite deliberate...dysfunctional legislation offers ample wriggle room for denial of responsibility...which is exactly what's happening.
This is why I denounce the DeBelle Inquiry as a farcical excusing of those clearly guilty, and just a screen for dis-association from anything 'pre-DeBelle'...and allowing vacuous, unaccountable rhetoric referencing the conflicting findings there-in to excuse any current failures, eg, not telling parents at Reynella...this is clearly, at best, damage control, and just as likely, is an attempt to stifle appropriate investigation of the teacher with a view to no charges, no action, etc.
But what really punched my buttons yesterday was the brief ABC Local Radio interview with Prof Frida Briggs re this Naracoorte case, and was predominantly about 'educating the children'...what about the responsiblities of the Education Dept, the school, the Education Minister, etc?...these people clearly need a little 're-education' themselves...
Bad as this brief interview was, it was the statement at the end from interviewer Stan Thompson about 'the dangers of children (people) making vexatious claims because they don't like a teacher' that really pissed me off...I didn't hear the very last bit of the interview because I was swearing so hard...of all the issues to be discussed re this horrendous case, Stan went past all of them to 'vexatious claims'...
I'll stop here because I have covered numerous times why this sort of statement is so inappropriate and why I would find it so offensive...because it's been used many times to attack us parents as being the only genuine problem re St Martins...just read the 'Comments' left on this post and there it is, 'you just wanted to make money from the school', etc.
Tomorrow: Is Just Another Day
And heaps more feedback and housekeeping...yay...(that's actually code for 'you don't know yet', isn't it?-Ed)...welllll, yes...yes it is...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...thank you for your continuing patronage...laters.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Raining Cash on the Money Tree
Hello Romania, the United Kingdom, China, and Germany...and welcome to the blog...and today's extended title could read something like 'For 141 Plantations, Money Grows on Our Trees and Now It's Also Raining Cash'...or more precisely 'The Escalating Betrayal and Corruption of the Rann/Weatherill Labor Government re the South East Forestry Estate Sale'...
(Catchy titles, but a tad long-winded...may I suggest 'You Stinking, Corrupt Bastards'-Ed)...yes, very succinct, and certainly accurate, but does it explain the specific issue?...(well no, it's just a general term of abuse that unfortunately is applicable to pretty much anything Rann/Weatherill Labor touch-Ed)...fair enough...
Recent revelations that Labor has altered 'proposed' water entitlements at the 'eleventh hour' of alleged negotiations and public consultation, and hugely in favour of Forestry, appear to be yet another loss for South Australia as a result of the altogether suspect Forestry Sale...(which, remember, Labor call a 'Three Rotation Lease' to avoid Foreign Investment Review Board involvement-Ed)...quite...
Whatever you choose to call any part of this financial betrayal of the people of South Australia, to me the recent re-allocation of Water Licenses is yet another cynical cash-grab on behalf of 141 Plantations, and potentially a critical blow to irrigators in the South East...and I would assume that this will include dairy, already suffering specific pressures from retailers, rising utility costs, etc...
The Forestry Sale places almost the entire SE Forestry Estate in the full control of 141 Plantations, eg, ForestrySA has what?...3 years to go before it effectively will cease to exist in the SE?...(yeah about that, give or take a few months-Ed)...and with that goes the jobs?...(well, probably...no point keeping them here to do nothing-Ed)...so, more jobs gone to Adelaide, or just plain gone...and what of the Fire Prevention/Protection issues?...now new regulations to hand them a huge swathe of water entitlements.
I am neither an Irrigator nor a Forester, but I fail to see how shifting these entitlements to forestry gains anything for the state, because as I understand it, these are not new entitlements, this is the same amount of water being taken off some people and given to others...
And I completely reject the argument that they pay for this water and therefore it's good to have money coming in from 'outside the state'...(141 being based OS-Ed)...yes, and in Melbourne...because it's not going to help the state in any way to reduce producer's quotas and potentially bankrupt their businesses...unless of course you're looking to do exactly that - bankrupt producers and/or just drive them out of business with ludicrous, unworkable legislation and grossly inadequate water allocations.
It is a fundamental reality, as I understand it, that you pay for that water because it has a definable profit attached to it, be it for crops, trees, dairy, whatevs...the return outweighs the outlay, therefore every litre has a definable dollar value to the license holder...every litre is profit...therefore, by taking allocation off one party and handing it to another, Labor is taking money off the producers and handing it to 141...and this greatly increases the value of the Forest Estate...after it has been sold.
This massive Water Entitlement allocation for 141 Plantations immediately increases the value of the Forestry Sale, which means SA loses twice...(twice?-Ed)...yeah, once when it wasn't included in the Sale price, and again when it's taken off local producers without reimbursement...(fair enough-Ed)...and all at a massive profit to 141.
I still maintain that the Forestry Sale is an illegal deal done by an illegitimate government who committed fraud at the March 2010 election to win government...and of course there's that box of votes found in Mt Gambier...what a corrupt shambles...and yes, I can say that because I was a bloody candidate, and the whole thing was a corrupt, shambolic joke from start to finish...and look at the Federal Fiasco...and we laugh at and/or criticise other countries for their dodgy electoral processes.
I'd suggest we should as a nation shut the shrek up and sort out some of our own problems and stop talking down at others about they can fix theirs...can you imagine the potential for corrupted outcomes if the whole electoral process was done electronically...long live the ballot box, and put bloody pens in the booths, not pencils...and then count them votes correctly...is it really that difficult?
And I get that very unpleasant, queasy feeling in my gut where this 'allocation' looks very much like a partial privatisation of the SE Aquifer...most if not all of this water is going to a private company for the next 100+ years...and now that they've got it they ain't about to just give it up, and there's just no way that our piss weak politicians are going to try and take it back...at best I can see us buying back our own water from 141...(ohhh, don't say that...we couldn't be that stupid...could we?-Ed)...that stupid, that corrupt, that weak, and any combination that you care to come up with...
Family First MLC Rob Brokenshire was on the ABC Local Radio quoting a conversation he had some time ago with Labor's previous Health Minister John Hill, where John Hill stated that the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme budget was $7.7million pa, but Mr Brokenshire stated that this last Financial Year 2012/13 only $7.2m was spent and that this gave him cause for concern.
He re-iterated his other concerns about proposed changes to eligibility criteria, and rightly suggested that the services should be brought to the patients, not the other way around, starting with MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines in major regional hospitals...(that or increase the PATS funding pool and provide appropriate reimbursement, not something still based on costs of over 10 years ago-Ed)...well indeed.
He also said that in 2009 the average claim was $215, but for 2012/13 was only $174, a "significant reduction", but he didn't know why...(why?...because patients are being increasingly denied parts of or even whole claims, many in the South East access the drastically superior services available in Victorian hospitals, people just give up getting treatment because it is too difficult/inconvenient/expensive, and any combination of the three-Ed)...well quite...
But if I might make 2 points...1) I believe that your second point is true, but I would put it potentially first, and 2) I'd like to offer the qualifier that there are many excellent staff operating in SE Hospitals, from Mt Gambier to Keith, but that the lack of funding leads to minimal infrastructure, services, etc, and therefore a lack of specialists, etc...(fair point, I fully concur-Ed)...even with the disastrous treatment I received in May-July 2004 with my multiple misdiagnoses and tumour-laden discharging (as per previous post My Cancer Treatment...)
I am purely theorising, it is an educated guess, that the 'average' claim is down because these are mostly from near Adelaide, and not least of all are serviced by more frequent and cheaper air flights...(ooo, nice gouge at Rex Airlines for their borderline extortionist pricing for Mt Gambier flights-Ed)...well actually I wasn't, but fair point...and many SE patients go East and therefore aren't claiming...and the overall cost is down because of this,
But also because many people are getting denied full reimbursements and even denied outright, or their paperwork is wrong, or they couldn't have a companion/escort to Adelaide, etc...I have spoken to dozens of people in the last few months who have experienced this, and last Friday night (1st November 2013) I spoke to two people who had been refused any reimbursement, and one was still trying and the other had given up, losing "several hundred dollars".
I have to ask, is this merely gross incompetence on the part of those running PATS, or is it a deliberate strategy by Labor to reduce the total cost...and I would absolutely not put it past them...therefore justifying their otherwise indefensible and reprehensible conduct on issues of Health...(and indeed on the welfare of Rural communities in their entirety-Ed)...hear! hear!...
Mr Brokenshire makes a perfectly legitimate point that 'nobodies getting rich by claiming PATS', particularly when it pays well below commercial travel and accommodation rates. As he stated, SA is at the bottom of the heap, and Tasmania and the Northern Territory have both recently increased their relative schemes.
I believe that these PATS figures, if they are even accurate, and how does one trust Rann/Weatherill Labor given their propensity for lying...(indeed-Ed)...even if they're accurate, they will be used to justify a funding cutback, or at the very least, justify the PATS Review guideline that pre-emptively rules out an increase in funding.
Tomorrow: And Yet More Child Abuse Lunacy the SA Way
Things are all over the shop with the Naracoorte High Abuse case, and the super-brief interview with Prof Frida Briggs on ABC Local Radio this morning didn't border on offensive, it got it's passport stamped and went for a quick tramp through the Hills of Incredulity...
(You don't sound too happy-Ed)...that's probably because I am shrekin' furious...tomorrow...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my rant, ah, blog...this is my blog...laters.
(Catchy titles, but a tad long-winded...may I suggest 'You Stinking, Corrupt Bastards'-Ed)...yes, very succinct, and certainly accurate, but does it explain the specific issue?...(well no, it's just a general term of abuse that unfortunately is applicable to pretty much anything Rann/Weatherill Labor touch-Ed)...fair enough...
Recent revelations that Labor has altered 'proposed' water entitlements at the 'eleventh hour' of alleged negotiations and public consultation, and hugely in favour of Forestry, appear to be yet another loss for South Australia as a result of the altogether suspect Forestry Sale...(which, remember, Labor call a 'Three Rotation Lease' to avoid Foreign Investment Review Board involvement-Ed)...quite...
Whatever you choose to call any part of this financial betrayal of the people of South Australia, to me the recent re-allocation of Water Licenses is yet another cynical cash-grab on behalf of 141 Plantations, and potentially a critical blow to irrigators in the South East...and I would assume that this will include dairy, already suffering specific pressures from retailers, rising utility costs, etc...
The Forestry Sale places almost the entire SE Forestry Estate in the full control of 141 Plantations, eg, ForestrySA has what?...3 years to go before it effectively will cease to exist in the SE?...(yeah about that, give or take a few months-Ed)...and with that goes the jobs?...(well, probably...no point keeping them here to do nothing-Ed)...so, more jobs gone to Adelaide, or just plain gone...and what of the Fire Prevention/Protection issues?...now new regulations to hand them a huge swathe of water entitlements.
I am neither an Irrigator nor a Forester, but I fail to see how shifting these entitlements to forestry gains anything for the state, because as I understand it, these are not new entitlements, this is the same amount of water being taken off some people and given to others...
And I completely reject the argument that they pay for this water and therefore it's good to have money coming in from 'outside the state'...(141 being based OS-Ed)...yes, and in Melbourne...because it's not going to help the state in any way to reduce producer's quotas and potentially bankrupt their businesses...unless of course you're looking to do exactly that - bankrupt producers and/or just drive them out of business with ludicrous, unworkable legislation and grossly inadequate water allocations.
It is a fundamental reality, as I understand it, that you pay for that water because it has a definable profit attached to it, be it for crops, trees, dairy, whatevs...the return outweighs the outlay, therefore every litre has a definable dollar value to the license holder...every litre is profit...therefore, by taking allocation off one party and handing it to another, Labor is taking money off the producers and handing it to 141...and this greatly increases the value of the Forest Estate...after it has been sold.
This massive Water Entitlement allocation for 141 Plantations immediately increases the value of the Forestry Sale, which means SA loses twice...(twice?-Ed)...yeah, once when it wasn't included in the Sale price, and again when it's taken off local producers without reimbursement...(fair enough-Ed)...and all at a massive profit to 141.
I still maintain that the Forestry Sale is an illegal deal done by an illegitimate government who committed fraud at the March 2010 election to win government...and of course there's that box of votes found in Mt Gambier...what a corrupt shambles...and yes, I can say that because I was a bloody candidate, and the whole thing was a corrupt, shambolic joke from start to finish...and look at the Federal Fiasco...and we laugh at and/or criticise other countries for their dodgy electoral processes.
I'd suggest we should as a nation shut the shrek up and sort out some of our own problems and stop talking down at others about they can fix theirs...can you imagine the potential for corrupted outcomes if the whole electoral process was done electronically...long live the ballot box, and put bloody pens in the booths, not pencils...and then count them votes correctly...is it really that difficult?
And I get that very unpleasant, queasy feeling in my gut where this 'allocation' looks very much like a partial privatisation of the SE Aquifer...most if not all of this water is going to a private company for the next 100+ years...and now that they've got it they ain't about to just give it up, and there's just no way that our piss weak politicians are going to try and take it back...at best I can see us buying back our own water from 141...(ohhh, don't say that...we couldn't be that stupid...could we?-Ed)...that stupid, that corrupt, that weak, and any combination that you care to come up with...
Family First MLC Rob Brokenshire was on the ABC Local Radio quoting a conversation he had some time ago with Labor's previous Health Minister John Hill, where John Hill stated that the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme budget was $7.7million pa, but Mr Brokenshire stated that this last Financial Year 2012/13 only $7.2m was spent and that this gave him cause for concern.
He re-iterated his other concerns about proposed changes to eligibility criteria, and rightly suggested that the services should be brought to the patients, not the other way around, starting with MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines in major regional hospitals...(that or increase the PATS funding pool and provide appropriate reimbursement, not something still based on costs of over 10 years ago-Ed)...well indeed.
He also said that in 2009 the average claim was $215, but for 2012/13 was only $174, a "significant reduction", but he didn't know why...(why?...because patients are being increasingly denied parts of or even whole claims, many in the South East access the drastically superior services available in Victorian hospitals, people just give up getting treatment because it is too difficult/inconvenient/expensive, and any combination of the three-Ed)...well quite...
But if I might make 2 points...1) I believe that your second point is true, but I would put it potentially first, and 2) I'd like to offer the qualifier that there are many excellent staff operating in SE Hospitals, from Mt Gambier to Keith, but that the lack of funding leads to minimal infrastructure, services, etc, and therefore a lack of specialists, etc...(fair point, I fully concur-Ed)...even with the disastrous treatment I received in May-July 2004 with my multiple misdiagnoses and tumour-laden discharging (as per previous post My Cancer Treatment...)
I am purely theorising, it is an educated guess, that the 'average' claim is down because these are mostly from near Adelaide, and not least of all are serviced by more frequent and cheaper air flights...(ooo, nice gouge at Rex Airlines for their borderline extortionist pricing for Mt Gambier flights-Ed)...well actually I wasn't, but fair point...and many SE patients go East and therefore aren't claiming...and the overall cost is down because of this,
But also because many people are getting denied full reimbursements and even denied outright, or their paperwork is wrong, or they couldn't have a companion/escort to Adelaide, etc...I have spoken to dozens of people in the last few months who have experienced this, and last Friday night (1st November 2013) I spoke to two people who had been refused any reimbursement, and one was still trying and the other had given up, losing "several hundred dollars".
I have to ask, is this merely gross incompetence on the part of those running PATS, or is it a deliberate strategy by Labor to reduce the total cost...and I would absolutely not put it past them...therefore justifying their otherwise indefensible and reprehensible conduct on issues of Health...(and indeed on the welfare of Rural communities in their entirety-Ed)...hear! hear!...
Mr Brokenshire makes a perfectly legitimate point that 'nobodies getting rich by claiming PATS', particularly when it pays well below commercial travel and accommodation rates. As he stated, SA is at the bottom of the heap, and Tasmania and the Northern Territory have both recently increased their relative schemes.
I believe that these PATS figures, if they are even accurate, and how does one trust Rann/Weatherill Labor given their propensity for lying...(indeed-Ed)...even if they're accurate, they will be used to justify a funding cutback, or at the very least, justify the PATS Review guideline that pre-emptively rules out an increase in funding.
Tomorrow: And Yet More Child Abuse Lunacy the SA Way
Things are all over the shop with the Naracoorte High Abuse case, and the super-brief interview with Prof Frida Briggs on ABC Local Radio this morning didn't border on offensive, it got it's passport stamped and went for a quick tramp through the Hills of Incredulity...
(You don't sound too happy-Ed)...that's probably because I am shrekin' furious...tomorrow...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my rant, ah, blog...this is my blog...laters.
Monday, November 4, 2013
All Housekeeping and Feedback
Hello Colombia, Spain, the USofA, and Germany...and yet again I'm somewhat stunned that there are people reading this blog, apparently on a regular basis...(according to the 'stats' page-Ed)...in countries across the planet...but remind me that doing a post with 'Rev Fred Nile' in the title is not a good idea, that post wasn't very 'popular'...(not popular at all-Ed)...and apologies for yesterday referring to the Foreign Investment Review Board as the 'Ownership Board'...
Whilst a genuine mistake now corrected, it is a classic 'Freudian slip' in that the discussion/post was about Foreign Ownership being called 'Investment' and the almost complicit failure of the FIRB to do anything other than 'rubber-stamp' approvals for take-overs...many a true word accidentally spoken in an accidental jest...further apols for pushing advertised post to tomorrow but so much to address under 'H&F'...
Feedback: Again thankyou for all the feedback, and particularly thankyou for the observation that I "make a terrible politician" because of my propensity for honesty and self-criticism...apparently that's a burden in the political paradigm...but I disagree with other feedback that I shouldn't talk about having a bad week or feeling exasperated with the lack of action re the St Martins Lutheran School Child abuse Cover-up after 300 posts...
Part of my motivation for doing this post is to give people an idea of what has happened at St Martins and how it has affected families and kids involved...in part it's about me helping me to get some of this shit outside of my head with a view to both saving the last tattered shreds of my sanity, and in part possibly potentially resolving some of it...in effect, 'here's what's happening and how it affects me and how it affects you'.
And I have no problem acknowledging that this past week has been a deadset grind because I am deeply disappointed about doing 300 posts, many of them about St Martins, and yet nothing happens...last week was the worst I've had in a long time and I barely left the house...but that's just the way it goes for me personally...and the fundamental reality is that it probably will for some time...that's just the way it is...
For example, I went to Liberal candidate Troy Bell's Tourism meeting to offer my support, but didn't stay...and I walked out of the Cancer Info evening...(between speakers-Ed)...did a lap of the carpark with the dog, and then went back in and got through it all...and yes, despite the fact that I didn't say one word there were still people in that crowd glaring at me from start to finish...(you just being there was enough to piss them off-Ed)...apparently...
(You do realise that you're rapidly becoming 'the notorious Nick Fletcher'-Ed)...well, that may be the case, but it is definitely by default not by design...(I can dig that-Ed)...
But identifying this trauma on the post is not giving 'my enemies'...(and they are legion-Ed)...I certainly hope so...it's not giving them succour or reprieve because, in case no-one's noticed, for all the renewed trauma and seething disappointment about the lack of response to the St Martins posts, despite all my personal frustration, the posts keep coming...(and coming and coming-Ed)...quite...(and coming...oh god, please make it stop-Ed)...yes alright, thankyou...
For example: few things in my day are likely to be more annoying than listening to Stuart Stansfield trotting out the propaganda that passes for news on his ABC Local Radio program, eg, this morning it was yet again how great the Old Hospital Demolition is going, immediately followed by how superdooper good ol' St Martins Lutheran School is...and he knows all about the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up but refuses to touch that, and he knows all about the dodgy Demolition Contract but refuses to address that...but it doesn't stop me...
Which brings me to the statements, allegations, and complaints that I have made on this blog and elsewhere about the Demolition Contract shenanigans in Council and the many questions/inquiries about what is happening...why have I made all these outlandish claims of 'Insider Trading' and/or 'Bribery', and therefore either which way about corruption, and then just stopped?...what is all that waffley bullshit about 'The Thing'?
I can only say that I must defer to erring on the side of caution because I'm not absolutely sure about what is or isn't happening...and the only thing I'm reasonably confident about is that if something is happening re those claims/complaints, then if I discuss/disclose that action I could get in trouble for discussing it at all...so therefore I have no choice but to back off...and this is exactly the sort of nonsense that I identified in previous posts about the Ombudsman, the Office of Public Integrity and the Independent Commission Against Corruption...
So, even if something is/was happening and I knew exactly what that was, I'm fairly sure that I wouldn't be allowed to discuss it...and because I don't know I have to tiptoe around it with this dribble about 'The Thing'...I re-iterate, that there's a bunch of people who would love to hang it on me for allegedly stuffing up some critical investigation, and authorities have not hesitated to blame me and other parents for their own abject failures and complicit corruption re the St Martins Abuse Issue.
All I can say is that I am aware that a number of people have officially complained about issues re the Old Hospital Demolition Contract, but I cannot say whether anything will come of it or not, not least of all because I just don't know...sorry I cannot be more specific...it's very similar to the Defamation case that is apparently still underway re questioning Grant King's role with Regional Development Australia and the distribution of funding, accountability, etc, and the massive umbrage he has apparently taken to these perfectly appropriate questions...
If I express my opinion about Grant King re this Court case I could be in 'Contempt of Court' or some other nonsense, so I'll just have to stick to identifying the role he played in bankrupting Green Phone and the abject failure to investigate that collapse...followed by his appointment to RDA and the Hospital Advisory Council...(concurrent appointments mind you-Ed)...indeed...and I re-iterate, what logic was applied to appointing him to either of those critical roles...(let alone both-Ed)...given his disastrous business history and reputation?
Housekeeping: the loss of 1375 Senate ballot papers in Western Australia echos my little story about a box of votes being found under a table in the office of the Australian Electoral Commission here in Mt Gambier after the March 2010 state election...doesn't prove my claim, but then again neither can I...just saying to the naysayers, I was told that a box of votes were found and when I contacted Bill Russon the AEC Returning Officer and the then Liberal candidate Steve Perryman, neither were the least bit interested.
Understandable enough from Mr Russon who wouldn't want to be responsible for such an oversight, albeit accidental...(and we're certainly not suggesting anything dodgy about his actions-Ed)...quite...but I found it very odd that Steve Perryman wasn't interested when he lost the election by less than 200 votes...beyond that there was no investigation what-so-ever...that could have been a box of 10,000 votes for a large, angry hippy...(I doubt it-Ed)...so do I, just sayin'.
And in closing, just listening to a review of a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that conflicts with the information provided Friday evening at the Cancer Information forum at Casadio Park...Friday it was clearly stated, with a graph, that there is no difference in medical outcomes, but the AIHW state that death rates are around 11% higher for rural men and 7% for women for a total (I think?) of 9,000 more deaths which means rates are down 1% nationally but increased in rural areas...
Tomorrow: It's Raining Cash for 141 and the Naracoorte High School Abuse case unravels
And the title is fairly self explanatory so that'll be ya' lot for today.
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
Whilst a genuine mistake now corrected, it is a classic 'Freudian slip' in that the discussion/post was about Foreign Ownership being called 'Investment' and the almost complicit failure of the FIRB to do anything other than 'rubber-stamp' approvals for take-overs...many a true word accidentally spoken in an accidental jest...further apols for pushing advertised post to tomorrow but so much to address under 'H&F'...
Feedback: Again thankyou for all the feedback, and particularly thankyou for the observation that I "make a terrible politician" because of my propensity for honesty and self-criticism...apparently that's a burden in the political paradigm...but I disagree with other feedback that I shouldn't talk about having a bad week or feeling exasperated with the lack of action re the St Martins Lutheran School Child abuse Cover-up after 300 posts...
Part of my motivation for doing this post is to give people an idea of what has happened at St Martins and how it has affected families and kids involved...in part it's about me helping me to get some of this shit outside of my head with a view to both saving the last tattered shreds of my sanity, and in part possibly potentially resolving some of it...in effect, 'here's what's happening and how it affects me and how it affects you'.
And I have no problem acknowledging that this past week has been a deadset grind because I am deeply disappointed about doing 300 posts, many of them about St Martins, and yet nothing happens...last week was the worst I've had in a long time and I barely left the house...but that's just the way it goes for me personally...and the fundamental reality is that it probably will for some time...that's just the way it is...
For example, I went to Liberal candidate Troy Bell's Tourism meeting to offer my support, but didn't stay...and I walked out of the Cancer Info evening...(between speakers-Ed)...did a lap of the carpark with the dog, and then went back in and got through it all...and yes, despite the fact that I didn't say one word there were still people in that crowd glaring at me from start to finish...(you just being there was enough to piss them off-Ed)...apparently...
(You do realise that you're rapidly becoming 'the notorious Nick Fletcher'-Ed)...well, that may be the case, but it is definitely by default not by design...(I can dig that-Ed)...
But identifying this trauma on the post is not giving 'my enemies'...(and they are legion-Ed)...I certainly hope so...it's not giving them succour or reprieve because, in case no-one's noticed, for all the renewed trauma and seething disappointment about the lack of response to the St Martins posts, despite all my personal frustration, the posts keep coming...(and coming and coming-Ed)...quite...(and coming...oh god, please make it stop-Ed)...yes alright, thankyou...
For example: few things in my day are likely to be more annoying than listening to Stuart Stansfield trotting out the propaganda that passes for news on his ABC Local Radio program, eg, this morning it was yet again how great the Old Hospital Demolition is going, immediately followed by how superdooper good ol' St Martins Lutheran School is...and he knows all about the St Martins Child Abuse Cover-up but refuses to touch that, and he knows all about the dodgy Demolition Contract but refuses to address that...but it doesn't stop me...
Which brings me to the statements, allegations, and complaints that I have made on this blog and elsewhere about the Demolition Contract shenanigans in Council and the many questions/inquiries about what is happening...why have I made all these outlandish claims of 'Insider Trading' and/or 'Bribery', and therefore either which way about corruption, and then just stopped?...what is all that waffley bullshit about 'The Thing'?
I can only say that I must defer to erring on the side of caution because I'm not absolutely sure about what is or isn't happening...and the only thing I'm reasonably confident about is that if something is happening re those claims/complaints, then if I discuss/disclose that action I could get in trouble for discussing it at all...so therefore I have no choice but to back off...and this is exactly the sort of nonsense that I identified in previous posts about the Ombudsman, the Office of Public Integrity and the Independent Commission Against Corruption...
So, even if something is/was happening and I knew exactly what that was, I'm fairly sure that I wouldn't be allowed to discuss it...and because I don't know I have to tiptoe around it with this dribble about 'The Thing'...I re-iterate, that there's a bunch of people who would love to hang it on me for allegedly stuffing up some critical investigation, and authorities have not hesitated to blame me and other parents for their own abject failures and complicit corruption re the St Martins Abuse Issue.
All I can say is that I am aware that a number of people have officially complained about issues re the Old Hospital Demolition Contract, but I cannot say whether anything will come of it or not, not least of all because I just don't know...sorry I cannot be more specific...it's very similar to the Defamation case that is apparently still underway re questioning Grant King's role with Regional Development Australia and the distribution of funding, accountability, etc, and the massive umbrage he has apparently taken to these perfectly appropriate questions...
If I express my opinion about Grant King re this Court case I could be in 'Contempt of Court' or some other nonsense, so I'll just have to stick to identifying the role he played in bankrupting Green Phone and the abject failure to investigate that collapse...followed by his appointment to RDA and the Hospital Advisory Council...(concurrent appointments mind you-Ed)...indeed...and I re-iterate, what logic was applied to appointing him to either of those critical roles...(let alone both-Ed)...given his disastrous business history and reputation?
Housekeeping: the loss of 1375 Senate ballot papers in Western Australia echos my little story about a box of votes being found under a table in the office of the Australian Electoral Commission here in Mt Gambier after the March 2010 state election...doesn't prove my claim, but then again neither can I...just saying to the naysayers, I was told that a box of votes were found and when I contacted Bill Russon the AEC Returning Officer and the then Liberal candidate Steve Perryman, neither were the least bit interested.
Understandable enough from Mr Russon who wouldn't want to be responsible for such an oversight, albeit accidental...(and we're certainly not suggesting anything dodgy about his actions-Ed)...quite...but I found it very odd that Steve Perryman wasn't interested when he lost the election by less than 200 votes...beyond that there was no investigation what-so-ever...that could have been a box of 10,000 votes for a large, angry hippy...(I doubt it-Ed)...so do I, just sayin'.
And in closing, just listening to a review of a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that conflicts with the information provided Friday evening at the Cancer Information forum at Casadio Park...Friday it was clearly stated, with a graph, that there is no difference in medical outcomes, but the AIHW state that death rates are around 11% higher for rural men and 7% for women for a total (I think?) of 9,000 more deaths which means rates are down 1% nationally but increased in rural areas...
Tomorrow: It's Raining Cash for 141 and the Naracoorte High School Abuse case unravels
And the title is fairly self explanatory so that'll be ya' lot for today.
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Bread and Butter Issues Take the Cake
Hello and welcome to the blog...and as often promised, a post about the shenanigans surrounding the impending sale of Warnambool Cheese and Butter and GrainCorp...and yet again I am a follower rather than a creator, and so I try to understand and inform myself as to the facts, but as a result this post is largely opinion...and chances are we have all read and/or seen the same reportage so I'll keep it brief.
With Canadian based Saputo seeking to buy out WCB, Australian owned Bega and rival Murray Goulburn have had a bit of poke at it and as a result the WCB share price...(and holders-Ed)...has/have done very nicely, although the price has dipped slightly in recent days...(and then massive Japanese brewer Kirin (through subsidiary Lion) grabbed a bunch of shares to bring their stake in WCB up to around 10%-Ed)...true, but this is reported as consolidating their stake in a strong performer (my paraphrase), rather than a 'take-over bid'.
Obviously comparisons with world no1 dairy company New Zealand's Fonterra and the state of the Australian industry, have shown/high-lighted the vast chasm between what NZ have already organised for themselves, and what's happening here in Australia...dairy is a growing Asian staple and has huge export potential, and we as a nation are perfectly placed to contribute significantly yet one of our premier Dairy Producers is at risk of going 'off-shore'.
Admittedly the debate has included 'monopoly issues' should a domestic buyer, eg, Bega, be successful in it's bid...and then the counter-point that this internal purchase would help create a global player to compete with the likes of Fonterra...and of course there's the atrocious behaviour of the two main supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths and the effects they are having with their 'Milk Price War' and ludicrously low 'farm gate prices'...
I was stunned to recently hear that South Australia doesn't actually have a 'Dairy Plan' at all, that it simply 'ran out' and the Weatherill Labor government haven't bothered to do anything to protect dairy producers...and I use protect because as best I can tell the Dairy Industry is effectively under attack from all of the above players...Australia is sitting in a global spotlight, dairy is a prime target, and our politicians are irrelevant bystanders...
I can only think that our illustrious leaders are quite happy for this to happen...and if I hear one more halfwit refer to the sale of Australian farms and/or production facilities as being 'Foreign Investment' I'm going to metaphorically slap them...possibly 'actually' if they say it to my face...
And on top of the whole debate sits the motivations, intent, and conduct of the relative Boards...there's no guarantee that a majority Australian owned company will be governed for the benefit of local producers, manufacturers, eg, the WCB Board are supporting the Saputo bid...what a mess...and again it looks almost constructed, more contrived than accidental.
Like many people, I am deeply concerned with language being used by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, eg, 'Australia is open for business', which seems by design and application to actually mean up for sale, and the Coalition clearly are supporting the sale of GrainCorp.
Here's a Thought: stop handing out billions in Aid money to Asia, and instead invest that money in local producers and/or critical infrastructure, eg, dairy, and provide the equivalent in product...this works on many levels...1) the money stays in Oz, 2) creating employment in the dairy industry, 3) which creates strong growth in adjacent industries and services, 4) providing a strong economic base for rural communities...in 'Working With Indonesia' I outlined the same strategy to provide the beef/protein markets in Asia, address live trade, etc.
It is as simple as investing that Aid money in Australian and providing product at a dollar value above the re-directed funding, ie, if the Aid was $100million, invest that in local producers to provide $110m in dried milk, etc...and we can afford that relative increase because our local economy is strong.
Similar issues are at play with the impending sale of GrainCorp to American agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland, just on a larger and arguably much more critical scale because of the monopoly they have on the handling of grains down the East Coast of Oz...this isn't just a company deciding it's own destiny, albeit with a number of producers/ suppliers involved, with GrainCorp, control of the whole storage, distribution, and export chain is up for grabs...one can effectively control the market.
Again I can only acknowledge that my entire understanding of this sale comes via the media, but it does seem fairly straightforward...if Australian politicians are so concerned for local producers and manufacturers then why do they act with with virtual indifference...and the Foreign Investment Review Board is a perfect example...
Relatively new to the debate as I am, all I have seen the FIRB do is rubber-stamp approvals for sales that are above the ridiculous $244million sale price thresh-hold that triggers their involvement...and the debate as always remains, how much land can Australians buy in China or Singapore or Quatar, etc...and the answer of course is none...so why are we selling them our country?...and it opens a whole debate re the role of Aussie companies like BHP in places like New Guinea....but a debate for another day.
I'll finish here for a short Sunday post...it is 17.30hrs, and all I can do is re-iterate the broader issues as I've gleaned from 'other' media...(he means the real media-Ed)...yes, I probably do...but you're not going anywhere without your cake...(mmm, the puddin'-Ed)...
Taking The Cake: this week is a toss up between 2 issues...so I'll cover both...
Tomorrow: Raining Money for 141 and Schools Named
Naracoorte High School has been named as the SE school where the year 10 student was blamed for the teacher accessing internet pornography...and the teachers current Adelaide school where parents haven't been told about his suspension...
And then on to the latest betrayal and corruption of the SE Forestry Estate Sale, whereby 141 Plantations have just been handed a massive increase in their water entitlements to the detriment of local irrigators who have had theirs cut...charming...(I feel another 'Optimism Post' coming on-Ed)...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers...
With Canadian based Saputo seeking to buy out WCB, Australian owned Bega and rival Murray Goulburn have had a bit of poke at it and as a result the WCB share price...(and holders-Ed)...has/have done very nicely, although the price has dipped slightly in recent days...(and then massive Japanese brewer Kirin (through subsidiary Lion) grabbed a bunch of shares to bring their stake in WCB up to around 10%-Ed)...true, but this is reported as consolidating their stake in a strong performer (my paraphrase), rather than a 'take-over bid'.
Obviously comparisons with world no1 dairy company New Zealand's Fonterra and the state of the Australian industry, have shown/high-lighted the vast chasm between what NZ have already organised for themselves, and what's happening here in Australia...dairy is a growing Asian staple and has huge export potential, and we as a nation are perfectly placed to contribute significantly yet one of our premier Dairy Producers is at risk of going 'off-shore'.
Admittedly the debate has included 'monopoly issues' should a domestic buyer, eg, Bega, be successful in it's bid...and then the counter-point that this internal purchase would help create a global player to compete with the likes of Fonterra...and of course there's the atrocious behaviour of the two main supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths and the effects they are having with their 'Milk Price War' and ludicrously low 'farm gate prices'...
I was stunned to recently hear that South Australia doesn't actually have a 'Dairy Plan' at all, that it simply 'ran out' and the Weatherill Labor government haven't bothered to do anything to protect dairy producers...and I use protect because as best I can tell the Dairy Industry is effectively under attack from all of the above players...Australia is sitting in a global spotlight, dairy is a prime target, and our politicians are irrelevant bystanders...
I can only think that our illustrious leaders are quite happy for this to happen...and if I hear one more halfwit refer to the sale of Australian farms and/or production facilities as being 'Foreign Investment' I'm going to metaphorically slap them...possibly 'actually' if they say it to my face...
And on top of the whole debate sits the motivations, intent, and conduct of the relative Boards...there's no guarantee that a majority Australian owned company will be governed for the benefit of local producers, manufacturers, eg, the WCB Board are supporting the Saputo bid...what a mess...and again it looks almost constructed, more contrived than accidental.
Like many people, I am deeply concerned with language being used by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, eg, 'Australia is open for business', which seems by design and application to actually mean up for sale, and the Coalition clearly are supporting the sale of GrainCorp.
Here's a Thought: stop handing out billions in Aid money to Asia, and instead invest that money in local producers and/or critical infrastructure, eg, dairy, and provide the equivalent in product...this works on many levels...1) the money stays in Oz, 2) creating employment in the dairy industry, 3) which creates strong growth in adjacent industries and services, 4) providing a strong economic base for rural communities...in 'Working With Indonesia' I outlined the same strategy to provide the beef/protein markets in Asia, address live trade, etc.
It is as simple as investing that Aid money in Australian and providing product at a dollar value above the re-directed funding, ie, if the Aid was $100million, invest that in local producers to provide $110m in dried milk, etc...and we can afford that relative increase because our local economy is strong.
Similar issues are at play with the impending sale of GrainCorp to American agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland, just on a larger and arguably much more critical scale because of the monopoly they have on the handling of grains down the East Coast of Oz...this isn't just a company deciding it's own destiny, albeit with a number of producers/ suppliers involved, with GrainCorp, control of the whole storage, distribution, and export chain is up for grabs...one can effectively control the market.
Again I can only acknowledge that my entire understanding of this sale comes via the media, but it does seem fairly straightforward...if Australian politicians are so concerned for local producers and manufacturers then why do they act with with virtual indifference...and the Foreign Investment Review Board is a perfect example...
Relatively new to the debate as I am, all I have seen the FIRB do is rubber-stamp approvals for sales that are above the ridiculous $244million sale price thresh-hold that triggers their involvement...and the debate as always remains, how much land can Australians buy in China or Singapore or Quatar, etc...and the answer of course is none...so why are we selling them our country?...and it opens a whole debate re the role of Aussie companies like BHP in places like New Guinea....but a debate for another day.
I'll finish here for a short Sunday post...it is 17.30hrs, and all I can do is re-iterate the broader issues as I've gleaned from 'other' media...(he means the real media-Ed)...yes, I probably do...but you're not going anywhere without your cake...(mmm, the puddin'-Ed)...
Taking The Cake: this week is a toss up between 2 issues...so I'll cover both...
Tomorrow: Raining Money for 141 and Schools Named
Naracoorte High School has been named as the SE school where the year 10 student was blamed for the teacher accessing internet pornography...and the teachers current Adelaide school where parents haven't been told about his suspension...
And then on to the latest betrayal and corruption of the SE Forestry Estate Sale, whereby 141 Plantations have just been handed a massive increase in their water entitlements to the detriment of local irrigators who have had theirs cut...charming...(I feel another 'Optimism Post' coming on-Ed)...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers...
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Optimism: Positivity or Stupidity?
Hello Greece, Poland, South Korea, and good ol' Ostraya...welcome to the blog...and it is an absolutely glorious 22C and sunny outside so that's where I intend to be...and the garden is madly overgrown, which is not entirely a bad thing, but there's about half a tonne of self-sown parsley out there that's going to seed and it all has to come out...(I thought I saw a tiger-Ed)...you did not see a tiger...
I've chosen this title because I know that I struggle with this issue of being cynical vs being realistic...(as oft quoted - A Cynic is what an Optimist calls a Realist-Ed)...is an Optimist someone whom helps you improve how you look at life?...(no that's an Optometrist you idioh hang on, wait, I see what you did there-Ed)...see what I did?...(stop that!-Ed)...sorry...and sorry for pushing the Warnambool Cheesy Butter post yet again, but I wanted to grasp the flickering flame of dimming optimism before it sputters out completely, again, and WCB has been all over the media anyway.
Last night I attended the Cancer Information evening at Casadio Park, as organised by the Mt Gambier Lions Group...and the general tone was one of mild optimism, particularly given the subject matter...and being a two time Cancer survivor allowed me to share a gentle laugh with some gentlemen of the Prostate Supporters group about how I hadn't "collected that one yet"...they got it, and we all had a bit of a chuckle...
I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate 'Casadio Park' (the Italian Club?) for donating the venue, the Lions for organising it, and the guests speakers Mr (Dr?) Matthias Wichmann (General Surgeon, Mt Gambier); Dr Scott Carruthers (Radiotherapist, Royal Adelaide Hospital); Professor Tim Price (Oncologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital); and Tony Siebert (Cancer Council Lodges, Adelaide).
Dr Carruthers was my Radiotherapist when I had Radiotherapy back in April/May 2005, and he was the one who asked that I be given 2 more rounds of Chemotherapy (after the initial 6) because my Lymphoma tumour was still shrinking...dead but still shrinking due to it's initial size (16cmx12cm) and mass...he said he recognised me and we had a brief chat about the improvements to Cancer treatment services in Darwin, Adelaide, and Mt Gambier.
The proposed 6 chair Chemotherapy Unit at Mt Gambier Hospital is very welcomed, and an obvious improvement on the current 2 chairs, but my cynicism can't escape the reality that Penola Hospital has 4 new Chemo chairs but no staff to utilise them...can we attract those staff?...and the reality remains that the more 'hardcore chemos' like I had in 2004/05 (CHOP protocol) will still require travel outside of Mt Gambier, usually to Adelaide or possibly Warnambool in Victoria.
There was also a graph shown by Prof Price that indicated that survival rates for country patients are very much on a par with Adelaide based residents...but again my cynicism, fueled and flamed by personal experiences and those of people I know, gnaws away at this statement of equilibrium...and I absolutely apologise to Prof Price...(who'll never read either-Ed)...probably, but that's not the point...for any inference that he has sought to deceive...
But it is not just my cynicism at play when I raise issues like; by whom and/or how were those statistics gathered and collated?...when I don't trust any document generated in South Australia, particularly when that distrust is born of extensive personal experience, and that document potentially involves the Weatherill Labor government and the SA Health Department, then 'trust' would be foolish to say the least.
Gardening: There's a few Cherries and some Red Currants, and heaps of Youngberries, a few Strawberries, and a handful of Raspberries on the one vine/cane that survived...(from 6 starters-Ed)...after being watered from the tap...thanks a whole lot SA Water...but very little in the way of stone fruit, eg, Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, etc...and my grape vines are covered with blossom/budding bunches, but they were in this same state around this time last year, it was only when I started watering that the pea size fruit just went rock hard and never ripened.
There is still no doubt in my mind that 'tap-watering', in combination with the extreme heat last summer, had a drastically negative effect on my garden...(see post Dear SA Water-Ed)...but hopefully this reasonably wet spring will help get things back on a more even keel...I have had a lot of leaves dropping, but apparently that's happening everywhere, and may be the very cool days recently that have caused a bit of shock.
And I reckon we were back on bore water again late last week because last weekend I had a thin layer of grit left on the bottom of the bath/shower that wasn't 'washed-off' me, it came from the tap...and my kitchen tap water is very 'chemically' and even in coffee there is a noticeable difference from rain water, it is very bitter...and again, I can only say that I don't make these things up to support my 'anti-flouridation' stance, this is what's coming out of my tap.
Housekeeping: Still waiting for responses from Graeme Bennett re my recent...(latest-Ed)...letter re the conduct of senior staff at the Mt Gambier ABC, and I refer readers to the post June 4th 2013, which includes the response from Alan Atkinson, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Adelaide Day Editor and his promises to forward the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Issue to Lateline and the national 7.30 programme...still waiting...and from Premier Weatherill...I'm right here Jay...
Spell Check: Just listening to a hilarious interview on the completely impartial BBC World Service about a lady who wound up in Grenada, a small island state in the West Indies, when trying to get to Granada in Southern Spain...(she should have turned left at Albuquerque-Ed)...and a much more amusing tale than the previous hour of stories about increasing global rates of people contracting AIDS (mostly young, gay men), and other specifically sexually transmitted diseases, eg, Chlamydia in young teenagers...
This included an extraordinary discussion about the development of a 'temporary vaccine' (my description) for AIDS in the form of a tablet to be taken before going out...(presumably to do things that place you at risk of contracting AIDS-Ed)...indeed...and that's certainly not a slur on anybody because the discussion was largely focused on the behaviours of gay men, and I don't think the 'tablet' was applicable for intravenous drug use, etc.
And not a segue so much as straight off the high board and into the deep end but no water in the pool...a 54 year old HIV positive South Australian man has been convicted of having unprotected sex with a 14 year old boy...(which I thought was Statutory Rape-Ed)...indeed...convicted but will do no gaol time because 'he's not quite up to it mentally' (paraphase)...I just can't go into this one...it's in any online news service if you care to pursue it...
Oh, and since I posted last week about Labor MLC (Upper House) Bernard Finnigan, currently facing 2 'Child Pornography' charges from when he was arrested 900+days ago whilst serving as Acting Police Minister, he has earned another $4,000+ representing the good people of the South East and indeed all South Australians...well done SA...a paedophile Police Minister sliding sickeningly toward a fat pension, and a paedophile rapist with AIDS walks away unsanctioned because he's 'not too well'...
(Wow...when you work the optimism you don't so much work it as work it over, knock it down, drag it into the corner, prop it up, and work it some more...I'm picturing a side of beef in a Rocky movie-Ed)...well I didn't write the rules, I'm just playing the game.
Tomorrow: Cheesy Grins at WCB
But it's no laughing matter...(no, no, let me guess, there's something wrong with that now-Ed)...not wrong, just concerning...(fair enough-Ed)...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...thanking you for your patronage and feedback...some feedback stuff also tomorrow...laters...
I've chosen this title because I know that I struggle with this issue of being cynical vs being realistic...(as oft quoted - A Cynic is what an Optimist calls a Realist-Ed)...is an Optimist someone whom helps you improve how you look at life?...(no that's an Optometrist you idioh hang on, wait, I see what you did there-Ed)...see what I did?...(stop that!-Ed)...sorry...and sorry for pushing the Warnambool Cheesy Butter post yet again, but I wanted to grasp the flickering flame of dimming optimism before it sputters out completely, again, and WCB has been all over the media anyway.
Last night I attended the Cancer Information evening at Casadio Park, as organised by the Mt Gambier Lions Group...and the general tone was one of mild optimism, particularly given the subject matter...and being a two time Cancer survivor allowed me to share a gentle laugh with some gentlemen of the Prostate Supporters group about how I hadn't "collected that one yet"...they got it, and we all had a bit of a chuckle...
I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate 'Casadio Park' (the Italian Club?) for donating the venue, the Lions for organising it, and the guests speakers Mr (Dr?) Matthias Wichmann (General Surgeon, Mt Gambier); Dr Scott Carruthers (Radiotherapist, Royal Adelaide Hospital); Professor Tim Price (Oncologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital); and Tony Siebert (Cancer Council Lodges, Adelaide).
Dr Carruthers was my Radiotherapist when I had Radiotherapy back in April/May 2005, and he was the one who asked that I be given 2 more rounds of Chemotherapy (after the initial 6) because my Lymphoma tumour was still shrinking...dead but still shrinking due to it's initial size (16cmx12cm) and mass...he said he recognised me and we had a brief chat about the improvements to Cancer treatment services in Darwin, Adelaide, and Mt Gambier.
The proposed 6 chair Chemotherapy Unit at Mt Gambier Hospital is very welcomed, and an obvious improvement on the current 2 chairs, but my cynicism can't escape the reality that Penola Hospital has 4 new Chemo chairs but no staff to utilise them...can we attract those staff?...and the reality remains that the more 'hardcore chemos' like I had in 2004/05 (CHOP protocol) will still require travel outside of Mt Gambier, usually to Adelaide or possibly Warnambool in Victoria.
There was also a graph shown by Prof Price that indicated that survival rates for country patients are very much on a par with Adelaide based residents...but again my cynicism, fueled and flamed by personal experiences and those of people I know, gnaws away at this statement of equilibrium...and I absolutely apologise to Prof Price...(who'll never read either-Ed)...probably, but that's not the point...for any inference that he has sought to deceive...
But it is not just my cynicism at play when I raise issues like; by whom and/or how were those statistics gathered and collated?...when I don't trust any document generated in South Australia, particularly when that distrust is born of extensive personal experience, and that document potentially involves the Weatherill Labor government and the SA Health Department, then 'trust' would be foolish to say the least.
Gardening: There's a few Cherries and some Red Currants, and heaps of Youngberries, a few Strawberries, and a handful of Raspberries on the one vine/cane that survived...(from 6 starters-Ed)...after being watered from the tap...thanks a whole lot SA Water...but very little in the way of stone fruit, eg, Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, etc...and my grape vines are covered with blossom/budding bunches, but they were in this same state around this time last year, it was only when I started watering that the pea size fruit just went rock hard and never ripened.
There is still no doubt in my mind that 'tap-watering', in combination with the extreme heat last summer, had a drastically negative effect on my garden...(see post Dear SA Water-Ed)...but hopefully this reasonably wet spring will help get things back on a more even keel...I have had a lot of leaves dropping, but apparently that's happening everywhere, and may be the very cool days recently that have caused a bit of shock.
And I reckon we were back on bore water again late last week because last weekend I had a thin layer of grit left on the bottom of the bath/shower that wasn't 'washed-off' me, it came from the tap...and my kitchen tap water is very 'chemically' and even in coffee there is a noticeable difference from rain water, it is very bitter...and again, I can only say that I don't make these things up to support my 'anti-flouridation' stance, this is what's coming out of my tap.
Housekeeping: Still waiting for responses from Graeme Bennett re my recent...(latest-Ed)...letter re the conduct of senior staff at the Mt Gambier ABC, and I refer readers to the post June 4th 2013, which includes the response from Alan Atkinson, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Adelaide Day Editor and his promises to forward the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Issue to Lateline and the national 7.30 programme...still waiting...and from Premier Weatherill...I'm right here Jay...
Spell Check: Just listening to a hilarious interview on the completely impartial BBC World Service about a lady who wound up in Grenada, a small island state in the West Indies, when trying to get to Granada in Southern Spain...(she should have turned left at Albuquerque-Ed)...and a much more amusing tale than the previous hour of stories about increasing global rates of people contracting AIDS (mostly young, gay men), and other specifically sexually transmitted diseases, eg, Chlamydia in young teenagers...
This included an extraordinary discussion about the development of a 'temporary vaccine' (my description) for AIDS in the form of a tablet to be taken before going out...(presumably to do things that place you at risk of contracting AIDS-Ed)...indeed...and that's certainly not a slur on anybody because the discussion was largely focused on the behaviours of gay men, and I don't think the 'tablet' was applicable for intravenous drug use, etc.
And not a segue so much as straight off the high board and into the deep end but no water in the pool...a 54 year old HIV positive South Australian man has been convicted of having unprotected sex with a 14 year old boy...(which I thought was Statutory Rape-Ed)...indeed...convicted but will do no gaol time because 'he's not quite up to it mentally' (paraphase)...I just can't go into this one...it's in any online news service if you care to pursue it...
Oh, and since I posted last week about Labor MLC (Upper House) Bernard Finnigan, currently facing 2 'Child Pornography' charges from when he was arrested 900+days ago whilst serving as Acting Police Minister, he has earned another $4,000+ representing the good people of the South East and indeed all South Australians...well done SA...a paedophile Police Minister sliding sickeningly toward a fat pension, and a paedophile rapist with AIDS walks away unsanctioned because he's 'not too well'...
(Wow...when you work the optimism you don't so much work it as work it over, knock it down, drag it into the corner, prop it up, and work it some more...I'm picturing a side of beef in a Rocky movie-Ed)...well I didn't write the rules, I'm just playing the game.
Tomorrow: Cheesy Grins at WCB
But it's no laughing matter...(no, no, let me guess, there's something wrong with that now-Ed)...not wrong, just concerning...(fair enough-Ed)...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...thanking you for your patronage and feedback...some feedback stuff also tomorrow...laters...
Friday, November 1, 2013
Bread and Butter Issues
Hello and welcome to the blog...and pick a prize if you guessed that today's post is about the bun-fight over Warnambool Cheese and Butter...(ooo, we have prizes?-Ed)...no, it's just an expression...so WCB and the ongoing cereal crop harvest...but first...(I knew you'd do that-Ed)...and yes sorry, ultimately I haven't even got to WCB today, so that tomorrow...sorry.
Earlier this week the ABC Local Radio ran an interview with Mt Gambier City Councillor Merv White about his 25 years on Council, and apparently that's something to be celebrated...but I'm not sure why, and I must admit that I didn't really listen properly to the first minute or two, but here's what I picked up...
According to Merv, City Council has 'never been political'...(puharh...sorry, I choked on my mouthful of coffee...'not political'?...Mayor Perryman was the Liberal candidate at the last state election, Jim Maher is the Labor branch president (title?-sorry), and most Councillors fall in behind those two main bodies-Ed)...quite...there's a clear 'Liberal bloc' voting together...in my personal experience decisions are clearly made along political lines, eg, the obscene amounts spent on the Main Corner/Riddoch Gallery and support for the Arts in general, over a public pool, public transport, etc.
Merv then went into an extended whinge about how inconvenient it is to have Council meetings that are open to the public...(dead-set?-Ed)...and how this leads to things being reported through The Border Watch and other media...and how this led to opposition to the Old Hospital demolition...and he then went into a lengthy justification about awarding the demolition contract to McMahon's because it was '$1/2million cheaper' than the local tender...and then back to whinging about the media..."frustrating" was the term.
And when Stan Thompson put it to him that 'social media' must therefore lead to 'increasing frustration', Merv agreed, said he understood it all, but was 'too busy to blog'...(talking about you, ya' think?-Ed)...in part, definitely in part...and then back to complaining about issues being exposed in the media...what rot, the vast amount or reportage through TBW is massively pro-Council to the point of propaganda.
What really pissed me off though, was the comments about Council's budgetary shenanigans...when asked if Council had 'budget issues', Merv replied that Council never has 'budget over-runs, they always have balanced budgets', there was a brief silence, and then they both chuckled about it like it's some huge joke...this current Council have driven Mt Gambier into massive debt over a series of unnecessary, almost whimsical projects that completely ignore the economic realities that the vast majority of residents currently experience...and they laughed about it...
Merv closed with a comment about vested interests influencing Council decisions, but said these issues were addressed with Council's strict Code of Conduct criteria and therefore everything was hunky-dory and okey-dokes (maybe not his actual words).
This was followed the next day by an interview with Cr Allen Smith in his capacity as Head (Manager?) of the Mount Gambier Racing Club...I won't go into it in detail because it was much the same as the interview I critiqued a couple of weeks ago...everything's super-duper and ticketty-boo...no mention that I heard of the waterlogged track, cancelled meetings causing great inconvenience for all involved, etc, referring instead to the Club's capacity to cater to large groups of people.
I admit again, as neither horse racing or Cr Smith's opinion really interest me, I didn't pay strict attention to that interview (ie. take any notes), but I heard enough to state confidently that it was yet another Council-related interview that carefully avoided the unpleasant realities, and instead offered multiple opportunities for positive propaganda. I'm not saying he lied, he just avoided anything nasty.
These interviews however pale into insignificance compared to the comments in the TBW Wednesday 30th October, from Council's Operational Services Director Daryl Sexton where he pendulums madly from statements about 'remediation' and 'contamination' on the old Rail Lands, but then says 'it poses no threat', including that there will be 'no major dust problems.'
He goes on to say, dust could be a problem if the site dries out, but the dust levels are being monitored, but then dismisses concerns about contaminates from the soil spreading through the air- "Those things in the soil don't get airborne." This continues Council's trend of self-contradiction on literally every aspect of the Rail Lands fiasco...why dig it all up from one place, move it a few metres and bury it again?
Because, you can't build a shopping centre on ground that is in any way contaminated...even minor contamination such as on the Rail Lands has to be addressed before you can build a building on it.
I note that the latest article (30/10/2013) also states 'timelines for future stages of the $8 million ambitious blueprint have yet to be announced'...in November 2011, now two years ago, Council made a huge song and dance about a $10 million park land for the site...thus far, they've managed to spend God knows how much ripping up sleepers and rail that simply didn't need to be moved and I maintain that they have one agenda, and one agenda alone.
I refer readers to my previous posts re Rail Lands Retail Agenda, whereby Council has been wholly consumed to the point of obsession with their 2005 decision to build a massive extension of the Centro/Lakes Plaza out across the Rail Lands...all of those plans are on the previous posts.
Furthermore, what they are currently doing is simply clearing the footprint for that development...they are using ratepayer's money to clear the site, to the advantage of whoever it is they try and flog it to in the near future...these current works are not about a park land, and the admission that they don't have any future stages announced is further proof of that.
Most concerning of all though, is the issue of the Old Hospital demolition, and this ludicrous celebration on the ABC about how great it is to see McMahons big smashy thing smashing the window frames out of the building. In a recent TBW article, it was stated/admitted that there are asbestos contamination issues in the upper floors of the building.
It remains my understanding that at least some of the asbestos contamination issues are in and/or around those window frames eg. the sealing putty. Does this haphazard approach of knocking the frames violently from their positions increase or even produce an asbestos contamination risk? Has the clearly defined rush to get this project done as quickly as possible compromised appropriate safety measures?
It is also a concern that McMahons Tender/contract does not include "Disposal of contaminated material." I don't know what "asbestos has been allowed for in the pricing to the extent of asbestos identified in the asbestos register" actually means. Does this mean that Council is footing the bill for this very costly part of the project (asbestos dumping), as they are for site lighting and security, site finishes, removal of any vegetation and trees, etc.
As in previous posts, there appears to be different Tenders at play, in that the Gambier Earth Movers' Tender includes most of these items, yet Council justifies choosing the out-of-town contractor purely on issues of cost...Is it appropriate to compare apples with pears, and say that one is better than the other when they are clearly different?...again, this appears to be another case of Council awarding contracts to 'out of town' contractors based on differing Tenders, eg. the Lady Nelson Bus Shelter, and the massive Stone Wall that ultimately never was.
I'll finish up here and do today's advertised post;
Tomorrow: Bread and Butter Issues Take the Cake
Today's post is tangentially about bread and butter stuff because every contract that leaves this town is bread and butter being wrenched off the tables of local families by a self-obsessed Council who clearly are interested in only one opinion...theirs.
I am Nick Fletcher, and this is not my blog...nah, yeah it is. God bless God bless. And laters.
Earlier this week the ABC Local Radio ran an interview with Mt Gambier City Councillor Merv White about his 25 years on Council, and apparently that's something to be celebrated...but I'm not sure why, and I must admit that I didn't really listen properly to the first minute or two, but here's what I picked up...
According to Merv, City Council has 'never been political'...(puharh...sorry, I choked on my mouthful of coffee...'not political'?...Mayor Perryman was the Liberal candidate at the last state election, Jim Maher is the Labor branch president (title?-sorry), and most Councillors fall in behind those two main bodies-Ed)...quite...there's a clear 'Liberal bloc' voting together...in my personal experience decisions are clearly made along political lines, eg, the obscene amounts spent on the Main Corner/Riddoch Gallery and support for the Arts in general, over a public pool, public transport, etc.
Merv then went into an extended whinge about how inconvenient it is to have Council meetings that are open to the public...(dead-set?-Ed)...and how this leads to things being reported through The Border Watch and other media...and how this led to opposition to the Old Hospital demolition...and he then went into a lengthy justification about awarding the demolition contract to McMahon's because it was '$1/2million cheaper' than the local tender...and then back to whinging about the media..."frustrating" was the term.
And when Stan Thompson put it to him that 'social media' must therefore lead to 'increasing frustration', Merv agreed, said he understood it all, but was 'too busy to blog'...(talking about you, ya' think?-Ed)...in part, definitely in part...and then back to complaining about issues being exposed in the media...what rot, the vast amount or reportage through TBW is massively pro-Council to the point of propaganda.
What really pissed me off though, was the comments about Council's budgetary shenanigans...when asked if Council had 'budget issues', Merv replied that Council never has 'budget over-runs, they always have balanced budgets', there was a brief silence, and then they both chuckled about it like it's some huge joke...this current Council have driven Mt Gambier into massive debt over a series of unnecessary, almost whimsical projects that completely ignore the economic realities that the vast majority of residents currently experience...and they laughed about it...
Merv closed with a comment about vested interests influencing Council decisions, but said these issues were addressed with Council's strict Code of Conduct criteria and therefore everything was hunky-dory and okey-dokes (maybe not his actual words).
This was followed the next day by an interview with Cr Allen Smith in his capacity as Head (Manager?) of the Mount Gambier Racing Club...I won't go into it in detail because it was much the same as the interview I critiqued a couple of weeks ago...everything's super-duper and ticketty-boo...no mention that I heard of the waterlogged track, cancelled meetings causing great inconvenience for all involved, etc, referring instead to the Club's capacity to cater to large groups of people.
I admit again, as neither horse racing or Cr Smith's opinion really interest me, I didn't pay strict attention to that interview (ie. take any notes), but I heard enough to state confidently that it was yet another Council-related interview that carefully avoided the unpleasant realities, and instead offered multiple opportunities for positive propaganda. I'm not saying he lied, he just avoided anything nasty.
These interviews however pale into insignificance compared to the comments in the TBW Wednesday 30th October, from Council's Operational Services Director Daryl Sexton where he pendulums madly from statements about 'remediation' and 'contamination' on the old Rail Lands, but then says 'it poses no threat', including that there will be 'no major dust problems.'
He goes on to say, dust could be a problem if the site dries out, but the dust levels are being monitored, but then dismisses concerns about contaminates from the soil spreading through the air- "Those things in the soil don't get airborne." This continues Council's trend of self-contradiction on literally every aspect of the Rail Lands fiasco...why dig it all up from one place, move it a few metres and bury it again?
Because, you can't build a shopping centre on ground that is in any way contaminated...even minor contamination such as on the Rail Lands has to be addressed before you can build a building on it.
I note that the latest article (30/10/2013) also states 'timelines for future stages of the $8 million ambitious blueprint have yet to be announced'...in November 2011, now two years ago, Council made a huge song and dance about a $10 million park land for the site...thus far, they've managed to spend God knows how much ripping up sleepers and rail that simply didn't need to be moved and I maintain that they have one agenda, and one agenda alone.
I refer readers to my previous posts re Rail Lands Retail Agenda, whereby Council has been wholly consumed to the point of obsession with their 2005 decision to build a massive extension of the Centro/Lakes Plaza out across the Rail Lands...all of those plans are on the previous posts.
Furthermore, what they are currently doing is simply clearing the footprint for that development...they are using ratepayer's money to clear the site, to the advantage of whoever it is they try and flog it to in the near future...these current works are not about a park land, and the admission that they don't have any future stages announced is further proof of that.
Most concerning of all though, is the issue of the Old Hospital demolition, and this ludicrous celebration on the ABC about how great it is to see McMahons big smashy thing smashing the window frames out of the building. In a recent TBW article, it was stated/admitted that there are asbestos contamination issues in the upper floors of the building.
It remains my understanding that at least some of the asbestos contamination issues are in and/or around those window frames eg. the sealing putty. Does this haphazard approach of knocking the frames violently from their positions increase or even produce an asbestos contamination risk? Has the clearly defined rush to get this project done as quickly as possible compromised appropriate safety measures?
It is also a concern that McMahons Tender/contract does not include "Disposal of contaminated material." I don't know what "asbestos has been allowed for in the pricing to the extent of asbestos identified in the asbestos register" actually means. Does this mean that Council is footing the bill for this very costly part of the project (asbestos dumping), as they are for site lighting and security, site finishes, removal of any vegetation and trees, etc.
As in previous posts, there appears to be different Tenders at play, in that the Gambier Earth Movers' Tender includes most of these items, yet Council justifies choosing the out-of-town contractor purely on issues of cost...Is it appropriate to compare apples with pears, and say that one is better than the other when they are clearly different?...again, this appears to be another case of Council awarding contracts to 'out of town' contractors based on differing Tenders, eg. the Lady Nelson Bus Shelter, and the massive Stone Wall that ultimately never was.
I'll finish up here and do today's advertised post;
Tomorrow: Bread and Butter Issues Take the Cake
Today's post is tangentially about bread and butter stuff because every contract that leaves this town is bread and butter being wrenched off the tables of local families by a self-obsessed Council who clearly are interested in only one opinion...theirs.
I am Nick Fletcher, and this is not my blog...nah, yeah it is. God bless God bless. And laters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)