First Step Taken to reduce Street Lighting costs

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Council unanimously supported my call for the preparation of a report costing out the benefits of changing street lights to LED bulbs.

The City of Sydney Council have adopted a plan to reduce the Cities carbon footprint and LED lighting has been part of the strategy. They conducted a lighting trial to collect data and to test effectiveness.

Street lightening is considered one of the easy targets in the campaign to reduce our carbon footprint but can be costly and of course is controlled by the energy supplier. Rate payers pick up the enormous tab for lightening our streets and intersections and finding the balance between lighting for safety reasons and unnecessary waste can be tricky- even the timing of when lighting comes on and of.

I hope that the report back to Council shows that with an investment in LED lighting that we can not only reduce the amount of carbon we are dumping into the atmosphere, but also save money in the long term as electricity prices rise.

I expect that it will be quite costly to convert the lighting to LED but if so I would be very supportive of Council raising a loan to pay for such change as it will pay itself of over time through electricity savings.

Council has also made a commitment to have a sustainability fund were funds that are saved through reduced consumption of electricity can be banked and then used to purchase products that contribute to the saving.

So sustainable issue keep moving forward and the Waste and Sustainable Fund gives an income stream back to Council that tackles these big issues.

Looking forward to reading the report in the new year.

Community Consultation and a Council change of heart.

So back to things political.........

For Councils November meeting I raised a motion that requested Council make further deliberations on the Local Environment Plan as open to the public forums, meetings etc and also that a summary of all submissions be placed on the web for consideration by the community as part of the ongoing consultation.

The motion was voted down in a hail of verbal bullets basically accusing me of proselytising Green rhetoric.

Actually I was just asking for what the community desires and that is to work with Council to finalise the document while seeking better outcomes, especially since it is the principal planning document for the next ten years or more.

Support for my motion came from Clrs Ward and Fergusson which wasn't totally unexpected but

Mayor Paul Green, Deputy Mayor Andrew Guile clrs Proudfoot, Brumerskyi, Bennett and Watson were are strongly opposed to having community members present as they felt that they would' take our words and release them to the media before any final decision is made'.

I think it's very important to have the community present for if Council is of a mind to change zoning and give 'spot rezonings' then Council should be held accountable and the reasons behind such moves aired in public not locked behind secret doors.

back to Tuesdays meeting.........

Staff put up a report on the Local Environment Plans progress which clearly requested that Council conduct all further deliberations in an open forum AND that no 'spot rezonings' will be allowable without the appropriate community consultation and test for appropriateness- which doesn't mean that nothing will be rezoned, just that it won't be done without a strategic aim that meets expected demand and fits with a growth management strategy.

I'm glad that I didn't hold my breath but I was concerned that the Liberals were going to remove these important parts from the motion.

It seems that a month is a long time in politics and whatever lobbying that has occurred during that period has had some effect for lo and behold the staff recommendation was supported in its entirety and unanimously ...

the cynic in me is burning as to why this sudden change of heart!

but I am prepared to attempt at optimism and think that their support was for their belief in the benefit of community consultation.........

Nah that is just too difficult to believe, and Ill let you the reader arrive at your own opinion as to why the change.

Happy days...we are in for an intense period trying to get through the changes and get them back out on exhibition which will be for the short time of 28 days, but for now at least the community are involved and I feel a sense of elation that good process won through in the end.

Wog Wog to the Castle Walking Trail- a spring time jaunt.

So we are home- my legs feel slightly detached-not particularly sore just that faint hint of jelly legs- you know the sensation you get when you have been travelling downhill for a while. My hip joints feel sort of loose, my shoulders definitely feel light now that my pack has been removed, and I'm carrying a general sense of fatigue.Yep three days walking in the Budawangs is a bit taxing!

We started out on Saturday morning from the Wog Wog camping ground which is about 650 m above sea level and accessed from Northangra Rd of the Kings Hwy on the way to Braidwood.

Map one shows the beginning of the track and the first 8klms of the walk.

The first set of tears were shed at Wog Wog creek when skinny miss twelve (Tannar) couldn't get the pack adjusted to suit her body and all the weight was on her shoulders. I was built like that when I was wee and nothing that should fit does. I swapped packs with her- the one I got as a skinny teen adjusted to her waist size and from there on in it was good walking.

The beginning of the track winds its way through lovely open woodland that has that high country feel to it with small pale barked gums that look a little like snow gums. It doesn't seem to take long though before you are up into escarpment heath and it was spectacular.

It opened up before us in  flowering glory, tea tree being the dominant at this point- the one with the giant pale pink flowers, Epacris, Tetratheca, yellow melalueca and the remnants of Pattersonia were in abundance.I love the soft curling furls of new growth on ferns.

 The walking path showed signs of the wet winter with soft spongy spots and some great puddles for jumping. The duck boards seemed to be floating and a step in the middle would end up with a submerged foot. The first 8ks were fairly easy going with some great views emerging the further into the plateau we got, especially around Korra Hill and Corang Peak.

This second map joins the previous and is marked at the 8k mark the x is our first night camp in caves.

The Corang Arch is a spectacular feature we stopped here for a while and soaked up the ambiance and watched a storm coming in on us. The break was a good opportunity to fish out the wet weather gear and fill up on fuel. Unless you have hours to wait for the right light and a fantastic wide lens its difficult to capture the grandeur of the place so the pics end up just a reminder of good times with good friends.

Corang Arch

Mick on top of Corang Arch

The storm came in on us and we got wet but not drowned as it wasn't too heavy- I felt kind of vulnerable being the highest thing at the highest point but we did descend fairly quickly into the valley below Profile Rock which was  fairly thick with grass  and sedge. We pushed on through the rain rather than take shelter and headed for the caves where we camped the night. It was a big overhang, nice and dry and plenty of sandy spots for sleeping mats. we arrived fairly early and we couldn't wait for the sun to go down so that we could go to sleep. The storm kept up for a little while but the lightening was obscured from our view. Kiah and I checked out the little creek and brought back some extra water for cups of tea. The moon was just of full so it was certainly a bright night -it almost felt like daylight when I woke up and seemed to be beaming straight into the cave. I like sleeping outdoors the temperature was good- cool enough to want to snuggle right down into the bag but still have that hint of a breeze on your face. We all slept long but not always deep.

Day two we wanted to get into Monolith Valley and then around to Cooyoyo camp site just below the Castle. We left camp and got warmed up nicely on a not to steep rise, but that didn't last long as the ascent became steep but not vertical. Its lovely to stop at the vantage points along the track and look back at where you have come from. The ascent up Mt Cole was tough going as parts where almost vertical and a nice long break in a cave served us well for the hard push through the gap into Monolith Valley.

The pass between Mt Cole and the South west corner of Donjon looks much worse than it is- but a chicken like me is very glad of the vegetative cover which somehow makes the height/steepness so much more bearable than just naked rock. I'm not particularly agile on rock hops but I hope I make up for it in my ability to just keep going no matter how slowly.

Monolith Valley certainly has the WOW factor, a relic of milenia ago- seeing the little sign in the middle of nowhere extolling the ancient connections is out of context - but then again it is a national park. The valley of the monoliths really is something prehistoric, its been a wise move to try and minimise the human impact by restricting visits to day visits only. The moss and lichens look like take ages to grow but then there is a feeling of rain forest vastness which again seems out of context at 800m- I guess because we are so used to looking at dry eucalyptus forest it seems so weirdly green.

And just when you think you cannot gasp anymore at the beauty another spectacular sight opens up for you. With the moisture levels higher than they have been in a while there was a metronome of drips creating the background beat. It certainly was a highly pleasant few hours and warrants a return trip just to soak up the bits that we know we have missed. But with all deadlines we had to move on.

We got to the fork in the road well its more like a major intersection but without any signposts! I think we tried every option before we almost decided to camp, but we bumped into two gents who seemed to be going for a jog who told us that our first choice was the right one. So we headed back onto one of the most twisting turning parts of the track, which is quite difficult to get landmarks and bearings on when tackled from our one way direction- it seems more obvious on the reverse journey to what we were doing. Its an extraordinary track and really makes you think -how did it get there in the first place!

The last 500m of that 11 hour walking day felt soooo loong and as we fell into Cooyoyo camp we didn't feel like taking a single step more so forgot about the comforts of the cave and set up on the ground hoping that the weather didn't turn sour during the night.

Luckily it held and of course we had a very early sun up start for the descent down the Castle Cooyoyo face. Its like a giant stair case with not many landings every step is downhill with very little on flat ground certainly a test for the thighs and knees. But the real prize is the surroundings you are forced to go carefully and savour each new bend in the landscape and the early morning mistiness just made the landscape look like the quintessential Australian postcard all blue eucalyptus forest and a dramatic landscape.

We made it to the saddle before the riping hot westerly started tearing down the valley and spent the last part of journey making sure that we were well marinaded in our own juice! The cool river was tantalisingly close and something to look forward to- soaking our manky selves and feet. We passed some other walkers who were feeling the effects of the hot wind but had such a long way to go, we hoped they had plenty of water.

The final part of the walk takes you down through magnificent rain forest on the banks of the river its so dense and cool it inspires you to stay. When we arrived at the river we all silently stripped of our weary outer layer to revive the inner and only opened our mouths with a woop as we hit the icy cool water. It was like ice therapy on worn muscles, sheer delight and a great way to end a fun filled, magical few days. Cant wait for the next adventure

http://youtu.be/CYth-Hn43t4

Patriarchy and the Breeding Creed- end of semester work.

So every now and then I disconnect from my council duties and focus on my course work for University. Im one of those painful over achieving mature age students who busts her own butt in the efforts to get good marks and keep the academic options open. Rather than just leave the words of this semesters final essay moth balled on a hard drive somewhere I thought I would share my rant on women's reproductive rights being controlled by the patriarchy to support a breeding creed.

I really enjoyed writing it and hope that you enjoy reading it.

This essay aims to discuss periods in history that have had an impact on women’s reproductive rights, to find parallels in a modern context and conclude that further legislative reformation is still hindered by dominant ideologies of patriarchy, nationalism and pronatalism. Australian women have long campaigned for reproductive autonomy the history is complex with different states having different watershed moments. Women since the 1890’s have conducted campaigns for birth control and abortion within a social discourse that is dominantly patriarchal. Fervour for nationalism and pronatalism has either denied women their rights or created a barrier for legislative reform. Campaigns for reproductive rights have been entwined in a meta-framework of disadvantage and have ranged from being the number one issue for women to covert campaigns undertaken with the utmost discretion. This essay adopts the position that abortion is a major part of the contraception debate in Australia. Women’s reproductive rights are intrinsically linked to contraception and abortion.


At the 1975 Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) National Conference polling was conducted to enable prioritization of issues. Abortion/Contraception gained a small percentage and at 13% was certainly not the dominant issue of the day. A general category of women’s issues topped the poll with 42%. Although the poll represents a moment in time it reflects a trend that places the issues of abortion and contraception within the sphere of women’s business and not always as a headline grabbing campaign brief. Abortion has been an option for women wanting to limit their family size since the mid nineteenth century. Some critics, particularly those campaigning from a religious or Right to Life perspective, do not believe that abortion is contraception. Australian women have not passively accepted the gendered roles assigned to them. Since early colonial days women have sought to challenge their position within the colony and to bring to the fore women’s issues. The Suffragette movement which aimed to gain women the vote in Australia is a popular and well documented campaign that achieved its aim in 1902. However campaigning for reproductive rights in Australia from the 1890’s has often gone unreported or has been part of other campaigns that have been more focused on overall women’s rights.

Birth control is an ancient practice that has been and remains dominantly ‘women’s business’. Men have sought and succeeded in controlling the availability of contraceptive aids and hindered women’s ability for reproductive autonomy. Family planning options for men are limited mostly to condom use and sterilization. Methods such as withdrawal are unreliable and abstinence is simply unrealistic in a modern and sexually liberated context. Early contraception in Australia was mostly available to those who could afford it generally the middle and upper classes. Working class earnings didn’t stretch to such ‘luxury items’ as contraceptives. Exhausted women were desperate to control their fertility in an attempt to keep families from poverty and break endless pregnancy and child rearing cycles. The views of women in late nineteenth century Australia were seldom heard in a cacophony of calls for women to fulfill their duty to their Country by rearing many children. The 1903 Royal Commission on the Decline of the Birth Rate and on the Morality of Infants in New South Wales (RCDBR) is a defining document of the times and clearly maps the attitudes of the period. The Commission’s report is often quoted and has gained notoriety around the views that are espoused by the committee membership. Made up of seven men representing government, pharmacy and manufacturing the purview of the Commission was to

‘ Make a diligent and full enquiry into the causes that have contributed to the decline of the birth-rate in New South Wales and the effects of the restriction of child-rearing upon the well being of the community’.

Once the Commission met it made application to the government to add to its terms of reference the ability to make recommendations as to the remedies of the ‘various evils’ which are indicated by the evidence as the cause of the decline of the birth-rate and of the high infant mortality’. This clearly indicates that the commission found the very idea of contraception repugnant and ‘evil’. When perusing the list of witnesses the commission called to give evidence there is stark gender inequity with only six women discernible from a list of ninety six. Three of these six women represented Infant homes including the Benevolent Society Institution. Siedlecky and Wyndham describe the NSW Benevolent Society as pronatalist even though the Benevolent Society took this stance the organization was responsible for the death of many children held in its care. Siedlecky and Wyndham could well have quoted directly from the RCDBR report which recognized that deaths in infant homes were exceptionally high and needed a higher level of inspection and control. Close reading of the report leaves the reader no doubt that this period in Australia’s history was very patriarchal and driving a nationalistic, pronatalist agenda that left little space for the views and needs of women. Women who desired to keep their family numbers low conducted their contraception affairs with the utmost of stealth and in fear of the laws which rejected outright the sale and advertising of contraceptive related items. It is little wonder that illegal and poorly administered abortion was rife and that women often resorted to ‘baby farming’ or paying for their infants to be taken away and ‘cared for’ by another.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the need for contraception and abortion was driving women to desperate measures. The literature shows that the patriarchal political position of the day ignored the needs of the female population and fervently supported an agenda of ‘populate or perish’ which described women who limited their families as unpatriotic. This provides us with a parallel situation between 1903 and 2010 where citizens’ actions and attitudes are in direct conflict with the political agenda of the times. Pringle asserts that 80% of the population is supportive of abortion reform yet the political will for change doesn’t match the attitude of the people. Summers also asserts that ‘populate or perish’ has been replaced by a conservative Government driven ideology of a ‘breeding creed’ a ‘powerful new ideology that defines women first and foremost as mothers’.

The pronatalist agenda in Australia has caused great suffering for women who have had to break the law in order to obtain abortions and contraception. The effects of World War One saw an increase in venereal disease in Australia and presented an opportunity for discussion around sexual hygiene. The interwar years were an interesting time for discussion about contraception as the debates were themed around reducing venereal disease and classic eugenics which proscribed limiting birth to those deemed ‘fit’ to reproduce and become the mothers of a strong nation. The proponents of eugenics managed to inculcate further the notion of ‘good’ domesticity and child rearing as national duty through domestic training for girls as part of the education curriculum. The Racial Hygiene Association (RHA) was successful in opening the first birth control clinic in Australia during 1933. Campaigner Ruby Rich confesses that the RHA adopted the name as a means to disguise the ‘threat’ of family planning which was considered ‘socially unacceptable’. Rich was responsible for sending back intelligence on British Birth Control Clinics, which aided the RHA in setting up the Sydney clinic in 1933. During the nineteen thirties the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) were campaigning on a number of fronts that included equal rights for women in pay, property ownership and child responsibility. The CPA also agitated for birth control. Jean Devanny a prominent member of the CPA was often jailed for her rousing speeches on numerous issues and believed that free birth control clinics should be available to women and abortion should be legalised. Devanny advocated sexual liberation for women and was considered a radical for taking this position. The notion was considered scandalous when Devanny pronounced ‘women had the right to enjoy sex as much as men did’. The political context during Devannys’ period of activism was still fiercely patriarchal as the federal sphere of politics was yet to see the influence of elected women, which didn’t occur until 1943.

The release of the contraceptive pill in January 1961 set the scene for the women’s revolution of the seventies. The ‘Pill’ gave women reassurance that they had a reliable and relevantly safe means to control family size. The release of ‘the pill’ was not simply a matter of supply and demand as it raised all sorts of moral and ethical dilemmas for medical doctors. Bongiorno discusses doctors using moral judgment when deciding whether or not to prescribe ‘the pill’ to unmarried women, a circumstance that catholic doctors in particular found challenging. According to Bongiorno, catholic doctors recycled old arguments of ‘infidelity, divorce, materialism, broken homes, delinquency, alcoholism, corruption, licentiousness, and marital disharmony’. The arguments of morality and ethics are a poor disguise for religious dogma, which raises its head some forty years later in discussions around the abortion drug RU486 discussed in further detail later in this paper.

The nineteen seventies are renowned for dominant themes of freedom and revolution. The political landscape, as reported by Sawer, was ready for change and it seems to be a period in history where there was a general feeling of optimism, youth and vitality. The Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) formed and became a well-organised collective of women who were determined to achieve policy reform on issues that affected women. High on that list of early priorities was contraception. Pushing the policy agenda WEL took an academic and direct action approach. Surveying women on their ‘experiences of contraception’ and holding marches such as the 1974 Victorian members march on Parliament with ‘condoms on sticks to protest against the statutory ban on advertising contraceptives’. Early in the formation of WEL the tactic of questioning election candidates revealed patriarchy and lack of knowledge on women’s issues. The importance of the campaign to remove the ‘luxury tax’ on contraceptives, lift the ban on advertising contraceptives and improved access to family planning was made all the more poignant with the revelation of WEL survey results. Women had difficulty in obtaining good advice on contraceptives and ‘more than half said they had suffered from fear of pregnancy at some stage on their lives’. WEL was successful in its aims and brought about legislative reform for contraceptives and family planning, but the ‘battle over abortion was far from won’.

Abortion reform has been slow and suffered from the highs and lows of community interest. More current headlines include the legislative reform case of abortion drug RU486 and the prosecution of young Queensland women who obtained RU486 from overseas and self-administered. Organisations within Australia such Reproductive Choice Australia still campaign for women’s access to legal and free abortion seems to fall on deaf ears in parliamentary structures at state and federal levels. Pringle defines this unwillingness of parliamentarians to raise the abortion issue as an ‘urban myth’ that is based on the false assumption that voters would not support a parliamentarian at the polls should they be supportive of pro-abortion position. This is also based on an assumption that there is a rise in religious practice in Australia. Pringle goes on to outline qualitative research into the opinions of Australian people in regards to their position on the availability of abortion which shows a high percentage of people (not just women) ‘support very liberal access to abortion, and this has been the case for at least 30 years’. Pringle unpacks the moral, political and legal arguments that surround the issue of abortion and points clearly to the conservatism of elected members as the real cause as the inhibiting factor in abortion legislative reform. Reforming legislation brought to the Federal Parliament for RU486 within the Therapeutic Goods Act, was supported by male and female parliamentarians in a vote that reflected the opinions of the population. Although Pringle doesn’t contribute the success of the RU486 debate on the gender balance of the 2004 Federal Parliament, it is noted throughout the article that the general increase of women within the political sphere has helped to readdress gender issues during the last thirty years.

Twenty first century pronatalism is thinly disguised under the new banner of a’ breeding creed’ and Right for Life, a group that vehemently opposes abortion. Right for Life advocates have also developed sexual education programs for adolescents that condone abstinence as a form of birth control. Harking back to an era of patriarchal conservatism Right for Life believes it is taking the ‘moral high ground’ but are teaching outdated modes considered impractical by the Family Planning Association which does not condone an ‘abstinence only’ approach as it is far less effective than a holistic approach to sexuality, relationships and contraception. Reading comments left on youth orientated website ActNow on the issue of sex education it is alarming that Australia as a progressive Country seems to be lagging behind in sex education, a campaign that was perceived to have been won during the 1970s. Conservative publication Quadrant published an article in 2010 declaring that modern day eugenics is all about choosing to abort fetuses that are highly likely to have genetic birth defects such as Down Syndrome. Author Deirdre Little declares that the practice of fetal selection is unethical and gives very little consideration to the quality of life for people born with severe birth defects. Little comes from a position of authority and seems to advocate for ‘life for life’s sake’. As a medical doctor and president of Obstetricians Who Respect the Hippocratic Oath , Little can invoke an argument from authority that undoubtedly would influence current decision makers when faced with legislative reform on abortion issues.

In attempting to appraise one hundred and twenty years of women’s struggles for reproductive autonomy, just the briefest of glances at particular times on the journey reveals that women’s struggles have always been defined within a patriarchal hegemony that still carries notions of nationalism and pronatalism. The modern context has changed the discourse for a new generation creating historical parallels such as the ‘breeding creed’ replacing the ‘populate or perish’ doctrine. Right for Life are modern day pronatalists rejecting abortion as immoral and teaching outdated doctrines for sex education. The sisterhood of the seventies which created the Women’s Electoral Lobby would be dismayed that the campaign wins from the 1970s have not been built upon in a substantial way. Women still do not have full reproductive autonomy and still have to deal with conservative, nationalistic government too fearful of electoral backlash to instigate further reforms.

Bibliography

ActNow , Accessed online October 2011 http://www.actnow.com.au/Issues/Sex_education_in_Australia.aspx

Allen, J., ‘Octavious Beale reconsidered: Infanticide, Babyfarming and Abortion in NSW 1880-1939’, in Sydney Labor History Group (ed), What Rough Beast? The Social Order in Australian History, Sydney: George Allen and Unwin, 1982, pp 111-129. [E-book]

Bongiorno, F. ‘January 1961 The Release of the Pill:Contraceptive technology and the ‘Sexual revolution’’, in Martin Crotty and d Roberts(eds) Turning Points in Australian History, Sydney: UNSWP 2008,pp 157-170 (accessed via e-reading)

Choices Decisions Outcomes accessed online http://www.cdo.net.au/

Ferrier Carole, ‘A ‘Red Revolutionist and Ranter’: Jean Devanny in the Early 1930s’, Hecate Vol.24, no.2 ,(1998) p121-148

Legislative Assembly, New South Wales (1904),’Royal Commission on the decline of the birth rate and on the mortality of infants in New South Wales, Vol. 1 Report, Joint Volumes of Papers presented to the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly [NSW Parliamentary Papers] 4 (second session): 791-853

Little, DT, ‘The Return of Eugenics in Australia’, Quadrant , Vol 54 No.5 , (2010) pp 46-5

Pringle, Helen, ‘Urban Mythology: the Question of Abortion in Parliament’, Australasian Parliamentary Review, Spring,( 2007). Vol.22 (2) 5-22.

Rodwell, G, ‘Domestic science, Race Motherhood and Eugenics in Australian State Schools, 1900-1960’, History of Education Review, Vol.29, No.2, (2000), pp67-83.

Sawer, Marian, Making Women Count, A history of the Women’s Electoral Lobby in Australia UNSW Press , Sydney , Australia 2008.

Siedlecky , S and Wyndham D, Populate or Perish : Australian Women’s Fight for Birth Control , Allen and Unwin, Sydney, Australia, 1990.

Summers, Ann. The End of Equality: Work, Babies and Women’s Choices in 21st Century Australia, Random House, 2003.

The Australian Women’s Weekly , Wednesday 17 August 1977, Page 141, Ruby Rich a Fighter for Family Planning. article.http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/51268914?searchTerm=Racial Hygiene Association birth control clinic 1933&searchLimits=l-availability=y


l-australian=y

Sound tracks of life - music, creativity and nostalgia.

Space today to do something creative, something that frees the spirit, for me it can be a simple pencil drawing an extravagant unfinished painting, a little bit of felting, collage- the options so endless. I love it most when I'm feeling fearless knowing that whats before me is mine not for someone else to critique. I'm generally fearless because I don't create for others I create for me and it doesn't matter what an others response is. One day I will make more time for life drawing- its so much fun to go through the short drawing sessions before the climax of the long pose, last time I experienced life drawing I was the muse taking other peoples pencils, pastels and charcoals on a journey.

Its amazing what bubbles up to the surface of your mind when at play, sometimes nostalgia, sometimes longing, sometimes hopeful for the unknown. What tumbles out can be a revelation, a catharsis or simply playful.

Always though I have music playing, creating the creative soundtrack. My taste in music is as eclectic as my artistic endeavours. A symphony one day, seventies punk another. The moods of the period preceding sort of blend into a  soundtrack that often ends with mother and daughters flinging themselves around the lounge room miming the words of some vacuous but fun pop song. The soundtracks are a bit like dream, song snippets from other times.

So nostalgia was the theme today for crafts long forgotten and albums less played. In between doing my bits I helped Tannar with her lemon meringue pie (oh sweet nostalgia how I love LMPie) and from the depths came some old Midnight Oil lyrics. I ha vent purposely played Midnight Oil since Peter Garrett joined the Labour Party and put on a suit!

Midnight Oil entered my play list when I entered Australia in 1982 as a impressionable 12 year old fresh from Belfast. My Belfast crowd were all younger brothers and sisters and we were trying ever so hard to emulate their older siblings depressed swaggers and wild playlsits of Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, Public Image, The Clash...mind you the New Romantics were emerging and when we though no one was listening switched to the softer tunes of Depeche Mode, Ultravox, The Cure and Co which still provided plenty of angst and unrequited love lyrics perfect for  pubescent pre teens.

Imagine my shock landing in the land of sunshine after two weeks in rainy season Indo- everything seemed so bright and pure- no goths- no punks- no jumpy people, no bomb scares, NO BODY SEARCHES!

When I finally went to school my first real  friend Shelley was quintessentially Australian - blond hair, blue eyes, beach babe in the burbs, who spent holidays in Queensland. It was either Shelley or the neighbours son Michael who rolled out the first copy of the Oils 10-1 and that was it hooked! It was sunshine angst that questioned the times, corny love songs, grunge guitar and Hirst's awesome drums. We loved the first album , and ep bird noises , place without a postcard was up there too- how could we not love lyrics like- 'theres a shit storm a coming' and 'when I'm screamin- I scream in blue'. Shelley and I somehow managed to get ourselves to an Oils gig at the Horden Pavilion and were carried away in the heaving crowd- I'm sure there were parts of that night where the manic up and down heave meant that my feet didn't touch the floor for about an hour we were so packed into the middle of the mosh. It was worth getting grounded for!

Its amazing how the memory recalls 'stuff' especially song lyrics that you thought had left long ago! How many times Shelley and I must have sung those songs at the top of our lungs ....'everyone says that loves on special  on sale and everything you ever wanted you gotta pay for it seems so easy and gettable yes its real, if you got money its such a steal'....grrlll power had nothing on these tunes.

I didn't buy every album after Red Sails I thought they were starting to sell out and the Hunters and Collectors were playing live everywhere and giving us what we wanted-thumping grinding base that would make the crowds heave. Seymour never seemed to sell out completely to the big bucks, corporate coats and cigars.

Wonder if your nostalgia remembers it like mine Shelley. Happy Birthday friend.

Councils Fear Community Scrutiny in Local Environment Plan Deliberations

Councils Ordinary Meeting 26 October 2011

Motion no 70.

1. During further future considerations of the Local Environment Plan 2009 (SLEP 2009), Council conduct all meetings, breifings etc as 'open' to the community.

2. Council publish on its website the submissions recieved from the community in regards to the SLEP2009

3. Council give greater weighting to the submission contributed by the 'Shoalhaven LEP Review Committee.



The public exhibition period for Shoalhavens Local Environment Plan ended a fortnight ago. Public sessions have been well attended and there is some level of interest from the community. The next steps in the building of the local environment plan is to review the submissions and consider how council will or will not incorporate the requests made into the final document.

Council staff will summarise the issues and present a report most likely to a series of breifings to get Councils direction on how to respond. These breifings are held in confidential session and are not supposed to create binindg decisions the public are not allowed to attend either as witness or particpant.

Bringing this motion to Council was inviting a hiding to nowhere as the dinosaurs at Shoalhaven Council have not yet evolved enough to understand that informed decision making and infomed constituients makes for a much better relationship and better outcomes. Councillor Brumerskji accused me of being  'irresponsible' and that it was 'problemtic' to include community who could go away and use our discussions against us.

Councillor Guile accused me of being audacious in bringing such a motion forward as it revealed my true colors in wanting to support my Green's mates and stack the room with SAC . Well that was a complement really as I certainly do want to represent the people who voted for me- who also see that community involvment is a 21st Century attitude.

It was obvious from the arguments that number three was the most abhorent part of the motion as the accusations were layed on thick and fast about trying to 'skew' the process by giveing one  submission higher weighting- I think that their argument just shows a lack of understanding in how a network of like minded people crafted a seriously challengeing submission to the Local Environment Plan. However I was willing to show some flexability and removed number three and amended number two to request  the summary that will be prepared be available publicly.

Still no joy though- I was only able to gain support from Clrs Ward and Fergusson for the revised version of the motion.

Check out the business papers in particular the General Managers Comments on page 69 of the reports. Im astounded that he claimed that the Local Environment Plan Review Group was less than representative as it was just over half of the groups sponsored by Council (13/24) and that 3 other community groups were included making it 16 groups which actually makes the representation more inclusive than the average 7/6 Council decision.

Over to you -Should Council include community in its Local Environment Plan breifings - vote in the poll and leave your comments

Ulladulla Civic Centre / Library complex gets an budget increase for the upgrade

It started out on a journey to fix the kitchen and airconditioning.

Then we found that there was more than a million dollars worth of defects to bring the building up to standard.

I thought it would be good to see if we could extend the value of money spent on the Civic Centre and pushed for a further upgrade to the Library and improved community spaces.

Councillors plucked a magic figure of $5.1 million out of the air as the price for the fix up.

After some constructive sessions with architects Brewster Hjorth, community reps, staff and Councillors it was decided that the $8mill model was the one that would satisfy the communities needs without going for the top shelf model.

Last night Council unanimously voted the extra $2.9 mill to get the project up and running.

It was an interesting evening with a lot of back slapping but still a lot of negativity about increasing the library size.
There are national Library standards that give Councils guidance as to how big the space should be for the number of people living in the service area. Ulladulla Library should be 10 times its small 150 sqms, but Councillors have agreed to a compromise of around 600sqm- positively luxurious compared to the current cramped conditions.

Councillors seem to forget that libraries aren't all about books, but great places of respite on cold / hot days to pick up a periodical or a newspaper and catch up on the happenings of the world. A place were babies ans small children take their first steps into the literary world of amazing big picture books, bright colors and phonetics. Were young people can meet with the idea of doing 'homework' but more often work on their relationships and in Ulladulla were a tourist can call in get the latest information on things to do and places to stay.

So now the staff have the task of preparing the plans for final exhibition and comment while also preparing tender documents to get the project underway- sometime in 2012 after the blessing of the fleet.

I look forward to one day soon sitting in the library searching the catalogue for interesting reads and not having to have my chair pulled in so tight that my elbows are on the computer screen. I look forward to the centre redefining its place as the heart of the town, were all people are welcome- not wanting to wish time away but roll on 2012!

Fill illegally dumped- The Times 26 October 2011

How would you answer this email?

I thought I would share with you a recent email I recieved- Its not unlike mail I have had in the past- yet it's a quandry. I was curious to watch the show that inspired the email and I was not surprised at all- It just about describes some of the areas in Shoalhaven. Equity was one of the reasons I joined the Greens and that mean equity in all areas not just the human dominated one. i did put together a reply for the author and like many replies I have written languishs in the draft box for it seems futuile to respond - leave me a comment and tell me what you think

Amanda.......

Email recieved 5 October 2011 sent to all Councillors, Local Members and Some Chamber of Commerce people.


I suspect many of you were too busy or unmotivated to partake of “Four Corners” tonight. It was the best commentary and lesson for the politicians and corporate thieves that I have seen in the last ten years and demonstrated the pitiful performances of governance and empathy that has had me screaming at the television set for the last 12 years since leaving corporate life myself and watched the demise of our manufacturing industries and employment in Australia.

 But...... I wonder if you are all capable of understanding what you are seeing Listen carefully to the “Words from the Mouths of Babes” & “the man that lost his $800 a month job” in Leicester and now  brings up 3 children on $200 per month as his job was lost offshore ( probably to Eastern Europe – our equivalent to Asia).
 The statistics that are presented as graffiti on the brick walls throughout the show are quite staggering and you should take special note of these if you watch the rerun............ if you missed it.

 Overall it presents a frightening picture and don’t be blasé about it as you will find comparisons related to issues ( albeit of a lesser nature) fermenting in our paradise brought about by extreme unemployment ( especially in the area where we want to resolve the problem by putting in a 24 hr police station).. What a resolution.
This Four Corners presentation addresses the problems and if you listen carefully you should get an answer –get them jobs – not youth or student allowances... give them opportunities to take pride in their work and themselves –it’s not rocket science—it worked for 200 years before the do-gooders came along

This four tiered economy of ours, with its focus on mining, mining and more mining  is leading us down the same path as what you will see in this episode.......... so I suggest that the “Top of the Tree” starts to wake up and realises that if the bottom of the tree is starving and rotting the top of the tree comes crashing down

What does that mean to the South Coast, Gilmore and our beautiful Shoalhaven?
 If Sydney gets a cold we get pneumonia...

 We have to liberalise our LEP, Expand and upgrade  our hospitality standards  to attract higher financially endowed tourism as well as our current emphasis on Family Tourism, expand our thinking beyond JB because its at saturation capacity, get those marinas going in JB & especially Ulladulla to develop diving and deep sea fishing industries,
Sink a few navy wrecks ( not just one)  in key locations adjacent to our struggling coastal villages. By expanding and upgrading our tourism we will also increase fringe service industries and increase turnover and jobs  in existing businesses-----
I know you all keep saying these things but for gods sake do something about it before its too late ............again
Don’t be frightened to take the hard decisions now and build a couple of 6-8-10 storey hotels in key tourist positions ( with views for a change).
The Ulladulla Civic Centre should be a JV with a major hotel group and encompass a 200 hundred hotel overlooking the harbour with a  convention (civic) centre, library and tourism centre incorporated in it...
.Can you all handle that???????
 Then when your done with that build the marina ( or do both at once) –wow what a feature that would be????/
You keep talking about creating jobs and a future for our youngsters –here’s one start in the underprivileged and cash starved Southern Shoalhaven that would turn it’s economy upside down....
 Not only that we have top TAFE facilities turning out excellent chefs, waiters, administrators etc and then they have to go away to work?????????????
Are you all frightened that Ulladulla with a beautiful harbour, marina and smashing accommodation would become the NICE or MONACO of NSW or Australia----what a fantastic thought???????????
Think of the fringe benefits for all locations in the Shoalhaven –Nowra may need a domestic air terminal to handle the traffic –wow.......... more jobs.......heliport at Ulladulla........more jobs.........Marina.....stacks of jobs...........

 Tough One Amanda????

 Let’s get something going for a change---talk is cheap---and it’s only money.......what the hell Have a good day

Deliberative Democracy and the Grassroots Forum.

It was cold and rainy last Wednesday and I really didn't feel like leaving home- more like curling up in front of the fire with the kids -listening to their chatter, reading, drinking tea.

My vehicle was playing up so I had to borrow a car to get to Nowra.

What a lovely surprise to see a packed room of people interested in better decision making!

Organised by Huskisson identity Graeme Gibson- Grassroots was a night not just talking about democracy but a two way conversation on how we can work together better with government.

The panel of four provided short  stimulating presentation which gave the crowd  ideas and the confidence to be bold in their own responses to the questions.

The 'world cafe' model was used for the second part of the evening. All gathered got to brainstorm ideas on how we can all 'do' democracy better and what ideas we had as a collective to improve process.

I was reminded of the attempts I have made at Shoalhaven Council to get meetings more open to community needs and even though these ideas have been boo-hooed out the door, I think that some osmosis is happening and the benefits may be reaped in other ways,(see earlier blog posts)

So I came away from the night feeling more positive about the future- 100 people had braved a cold wet evening to come out and talk about doing democracy better and there were even two persons under 25!

I look forward to looking at the spectrum of ideas that are currently in the process of being written up for distribution- hopefully the ideas will inspire me to raise them with Council.

Flood Policy- what policy?

Council's across Australia have policies to guide us mere mortals when it comes to building or buying homes.

Policies to make sure that we dont haplessly build our new home on a flood plain- or at least build it high enough out if the water when the next flood comes that we or our possesions dont get washed away and become more of a hazard for emergency services.

Sounds logical and protectionist- and after the Queensland flash flooding that took the lives of some, you would think that people would be more inclined to follow the rules that Government bring in.

NOT in SHOALHAVEN LAND: all you have to do here is hire a consultant ( I call them The Fixits), make a presentation to Council advisinfg that Councils well educated and professional staff are wrong, maybe make a few phone calls to Councillors to stake your claim and hey presto- the magic wand of elected Councillors waves a big tick over your application and policy be dammed.

This was the scenario at a recent Council meeting were an applicant sought to subdivide a block and build a house in the Moona Moona Creek catchment. The current flood guide advisies that flood waters will reach 700mm and if Council follows the guidelines put out by the State Government this should be revised to 1.5meters.

Some areas of flood prone land can be developed with the floor level designed to be above the maximum flood level- but in this case Councillors ignored the expected flood levels to allow the dwelling and subdivsion to go ahead at the current level.

This might suit the current owners but as time goes on and owners change and climate change consequences start to unravel the occupants of this soon to be constructed house will be asking the same questions as those involved in the Queensland Flood Enquiry- why on earth did the planning authority allow this house to be built here!

The elected Council led on this occasion by Councillors Andrew Guile and Greg Watson, continue to make decsions against the flood plain planning guidelines a legacy of poor planning will be felt all across the City.

Its one thing to apply Liberal policy and be the friend of all- but its another altogether to mess with the lives of emergency service workers often volunteers, by planning so badly that everyone is at risk.

Shoalhaven City Council- The Dirt behind the Deputy Mayor deals

The last conversation I had with Gareth Ward- Liberal councillor at Shoalhaven was a telephone conversation in which Gareth said this.."Amanda, we have to do what ever we can to stop Greg Watson getting any power again- we worked so hard at the 2008 election to be rid of him as Mayor we cannot let him rise again". and  "I have had a binding caucus and will support fellow Liberal Andrew Guile as deputy". the reason behind my call to Gareth was to let him know that it was my intention to run as a candidate for Assistant Deputy or Deputy Mayor.

Why does the Deputy Mayor matter- well you get to represent the Mayor when he is unavailable at public meetings...Chair the Ordinary meeting in the absence of the Mayor and if needs be and probably the most powerful thing to use a casting vote to break a deadlock or tied vote. In the past the Deputy Mayor of the last year of a Council term has had a much better chance of winning the position of Mayor at the next election.

Mind you I have a double handicap in Shoalhaven land- firstly I'm a woman and the majority of my peers think I belong in the kitchen and second I'm a passionate Green.

Two weeks later the very same Gareth Ward and his Liberal and Christian Democrats team voted Councillor Greg Watson in as the assistant deputy mayor. The same Greg Watson who the Liberals made mince meat out of during the first year of this Council term- the same Greg Watson that they called for a probity review on- insinuating that his property deals as Mayor were corrupt. The same Greg Watson who was unmentionable because of the waste tender.

At the same time as they supported Greg Watson they rewarded their friends on their voting team with Brumerskji, Bennett and Soames all awarded Chairperson positions.

The deal was struck with Watson and his team voting for Guile as Deputy in exchange for the position of assistant and some extra chairperson positions also given to Watson. Ward and Guile will beg of that any deal was struck- but if the position was reversed a war of words and accusations would have erupted from their mouths as if they had been done the greatest disservice on the planet. Meanwhile their Teflon coated backs won't have any crap stick.

Brumerskji was in show off mode with the pastor of his church there to witness his antics. He laid into me and I had to demand the Mayor Paul Green pull him up over his behaviour and withdraw his comments.

Fergusson and Miller also coped the brunt of the Liberals brutal boot as all three of us were removed from all committees except for the ones that the Liberals thought had no value such as traffic.

It was a very interesting political game that was being played out- left to the end of the meeting so there were no witness's left in the gallery. The joining of the Shoalhaven Independents, Liberals and Christian Democrats in a show of power hungry misogyny.

Drunk on his success Andrew Guile treated staff as second rate citizens, positioned himself on all committees that he thought would be of the most benefit to his personal agenda such as the Southern Councils group, and generally threw his weight around.

But Ive seen it all before-punishment dished out to those who stick their heads up above the trench line...the only crime a desire to make sure that the community get the maximum say on issues... my only desire is that the rest of the community could witness this foul behaviour, and out these people for the real self interested individuals that they are.

So what do you think of this kind of behaviour?

Is it acceptable that Australian politics is driven by self interest?

Do you think the community cares?

Post me you comments.

Ulladulla Civic Centre /Library / Tourism Centre- what is it that Councillors Just dont get?

Last nights Resources and Reserves Committee tried to address the elephant in the room of the Civic Centre redevelopment budget.

Council recently had a meeting with community reps and the architect to discuss further plans for the space and what seemed to be emerging is that if Council took the cheap option i.e. $5.1 million we would be getting a far inferior product than if actually lashing out and doing the job properly for around $8million.

So the committee asked the architect to go away and bring us back costings on the $5mill model and the $8 mill model to facilitate better decision making.

Councillors have a habit of plucking unrelated figures out of the air and saying that's what we will spend on the project rather than having a project fully scoped and knowing what the real spend should be.

Examples;

Ullaldulla Harbour Walkway $1 million- well what will that get us- know body knows even today!

Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre $24 million- needed a $2.4 million renovation for toilets within the first 5 years plus additional funding to finish of the landscaping.

There are lots of cost effective reasons why we should look at improving the civic centre /library/ tourism centre all in one go-but one of the main reasons that I brought it up on the first place was that council gets contributions for the library from developers- and the library money could be leveraged to make a better project overall!.

I think there is room for compromise in this project that will have excellent outcomes for all three areas (I'm not including the senior citzs area as is it is pretty good) lets face it Ulladulla and surrounding areas which the library services has grown immensely since the library was first created. Modern libraries are not just about dusty books, they are places for people to meet, places for children to learn a passion for learning, researching for family history, Internet hot spots for small business people or travellers, a place to share skills not just a place where people are always whispering and the library shushing you.

Here are some of the comments made by Councillors;

Councillor Proudfoot, I don't support spending any more money than what is already in the budget- this project was never about new library space but about air conditioning and a kitchen. I warned everyone that this project would get bigger once the community are involved

Councillor Brumerskyji: Books are a thing of the past, everyone will have kindles and ipads just look at how that technology has exploded.

Councillor Watson: We should make it $8 million and pare back on the library- this project has been hi jacked by the library lobbyists and the extra space is a luxury that is not needed.

It seems to me that these Councillors are blinded by their own circumstances and just because they don't use the facilities doesn't mean that others don't. Just ask the mums with pre schoolers who enjoy the big book corner. The older people who can access magazines that aren't affordable in their weekly budget. The researchers of family history who support one another learning about computers and history in one go. or the school kid who needs help with a school report or assignment.

As a community we can stand by and watch our public buildings and services be run into the ground and create the very destiny that some councillors see( which then would give them a good business case to sell the land for private development).

Or

We can redevelop our building well and have something for everyone a real community hub in the centre of town a vibrant place where people want to be, get information, be entertained, enjoy an exhibition the options are endless and there is a classic example at Albury which boasts an award winning Library Museum which is always a hive of activity when I have visited.

Albury's award wining Library Museum pic by John Gollings

Bawley Point vs Crown Castle Communications Round 2

Image Courtesy of Crown Castle.

Earlier in the year Crown Castle Communications put forward a proposal to build a 50-60m lattice telecommunications tower on the ANU owned land a Kioloa.

The community were mostly outraged with such a large ugly development with over 100 residents making their opinions known to Council. Through out the process it was evident that residents would like their phone coverage improved but not at any cost and the cost to coastal visual amenity was high with this proposal.

What the company failed to learn from that exercise that the Kioloa / Bawley Point community want to be consulted and included in the process not locked out and treated like Country hicks who can be walked all over.

Now Crown Castle have come back for round two- this time they have invoked the State Environment Planning Policy b(SEPP) for Infrastructure- which basically allows for a 50 m tower to be built in a rural zoning as complying development meaning the first time the community heard of it was when it went onto Councils website approved by a private certifier.

The SEPP Infrastructure for NSW is one of those dodgy bits of planning law that allows things to be built without notification and in my opinion is a recipe for disaster and build mistrust in the community when it comes to governance around development.

If Crown Castle had simply learnt it lesson and spent some time with the people of Bawley Point / Kioloa Im sure they could have worked together as they have done in the past to find a constructive solution to the problem which could have resulted in some monopoles rather than a hideous lattice tower.

Right now the community are angry over this corporation basically bullying its way in with whatever means it sees fit. The process is all wrong and needs to be part of the overhaul of the State Planning regulations that are currently under review.

The Death of Lake Wollumboola?

I last blogged on Lake Wollumboola and the possible listing of it as a RAMSAR site. In Shoalhaven World everything must have an 'economic benefit' so I pointed out that a RAMSAR listing had many opportunties for said benefit. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT BENEFIT IS CONSERVATION. Not many places can boast an unpolluted wetland that occasionaly opens to the sea and attracts thousands of birds every year through migration patterns.

But some people have it in their minds that conserving the wetland will somehow damage business and impede the ability of people to enjoy the wetland and its surrounds, these notions are unfounded and short sited.

I came back from holidays to find that the local developer had put in a last ditch effort to develop land of high conservation value on the shores of the lake for a golf course which would clear 40 out of 55 hectares right up to the current conservation buffer zone.

Shoalhaven has on exhibition its proposed new zoning plan which will see the whole area covered with a conservation classification so its hard not to be cynical that this a last ditch effort for any kind of development at any cost.

The developer still has an active Part 3A application sitting with the state government for a housing estate but this isnt about an either or argument- the simple fact is that any development within the Lakes catchment will have an impact on the long term health and sustainability of the lake. Its a principal that should be aheared to as a FIRST principle.

The campaign against the development of the site is building and was reported this weekend in the Sydney Morning Herald

There is still an opportunity to make a comment on this via Sholahaven Councils development tracking so take the time and drop a line it doesnt need to be an essay just express your feelings on this proposal go to the end of the page and there is a hyper link Contact Us About this application.

A Month Away from the Every Day

Mataranka Springs:Photo courtesy of Micks Pixels

The last bit of sun on Katherine Gorge

You cant escape industry: Iron Ore loading facility just north of Borroloola

I certainly feel like a lucky puppy.

 A whole month away from the hirdy girdy.

No phone reception (well not for Optus users anyway).

No desire to facebook, check email or otherwise be electronically engaged.

Just a desire to enjoy each day as it came deal with alternative challenges such as broken water pumps, flat tyres, smashed camp ovens and children's fights.

We missed out on wretched winter weather at home apparently 10 days of stormy wet weather.

I had no clue as to what was happening in the political world locally, nationally or internationally.

Our little bubble of friends camped under majestic river gums with high tide marks well beyond our reach and on massive flood plains that its hard to imagine the volume of water on the landscape.

We met up with old friends and managed to make some new ones along the way. The kindness of strangers is inspiring and even though its something we try to practice ourselves its still surprises when it comes your way.

Stumbling on Thommo, Duck and Gordo at Yuralla is a perfect example- the offer of the shearers quarters and a hot shower was irresistible, they shared a 'sherbet' with the hot thirsty travellers. lit the 'donkey' for our hot water and generally made sure we were comfortable. Directions the next morning set us back on track with a memory worth savouring.

How can you not be impressed with the ever changing landscape of Australia. Litchfield National Park was a stand out for me as well as Mataranka and the road through Gulf country from Borroloola to Bourketown was magnificent with its many river crossings and sandy camp spots just waiting to be enjoyed.

Of course the crew was great to sharing the cooking and decision making, being supportive when things went wrong rather than getting impatient and grumpy.

But sadly its back to this other reality, work, study, the daily chores but at least there is always another adventure to look forward to and adventures to reflect fondly on.

Lake Wollumboola- Listing as a RAMSAR site

Shoalhaven Council is it so narrow minded that it will not support taking a step forward in listing a lovely wetland in the RAMSAR register? seems so.

Department of Environment and Heritage have approached Council to advise that they wish to begin the process of talking to the community about listing this special little lake as a significant wetland- local campaigner Frances Bray sent the following letter to Council to try and influence tonights decision making.

Thanks Frances for allowing me to share this and your great photo of the swans and teals.


To General Manager and Shoalhaven City Councillors,


Please circulate this message to all Councillors,

I understand that at your meeting on Tuesday next, that you will consider a recommendation to oppose the listing of Lake Wollumboola as a Wetland of International importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Today I have been on a bird counting walk at Lake Wollumboola with ornithologist, Ms Joy Pegler. The Lake is an astonishing site, with Joy counting 1100 Black Swan, 957 Grey Teal and 536 Chestnut Teal, as well as 9 other species.

Here is a photo of some of the birds which are easily viewed from the north shore. Do come and enjoy this wonderful experience.

I urge you to think carefully about the benefits of Ramsar listing. Increased monitoring and research into this unique Lake would benefit its management, whilst maintaining current recreational activities. There would be significant benefits for the Aboriginal community from employment in management and Cultural tourism opportunities if community members choose to support Ramsar listing. The local and wider Shoalhaven community would benefit too from carefully promoted and managed national as well as international tourism.

The Lake Wollumboola Protection Association Inc as well as many Culburra Beach residents and ratepayers strongly support Ramsar listing, knowing the special qualities of the Lake especially for birds and understanding that Lake Wollumboola meets the relevant Ramsar criteria.

We understand that the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage is in the process of consulting the Aboriginal community regarding its views and we respect the need for that consultation to continue before the Office proceeds with consultation with the wider community.

Please do not jeopardise the planned consultations and the opportunities represented by Ramsar listing.
Yours faithfully,
Frances Bray.
President Lake Wollumboola Protection Association Inc

OFarrells Work Choices where does Tony Abbott Stand

DAVID SHOEBRIDGE MLC

MEDIA RELEASE

13 June 2011

O’Farrell’s WorkChoices: Where does Tony Abbott Stand? 

With Federal unions now bringing pressure on the NSW Coalition's radical attack on industrial relations laws, it is time for the Federal Coalition to state its position.  With Tony Abbott refusing to reject the NSW Coalition’s plans to slash the wages of nurses, teachers, firefighters and other public servants by nearly $2 billion, it is now clear that NSW is just the first stage in the Federal Coalition’s plan to relaunch WorkChoices.

See SMH page 1: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/unions-declare-war-on-premier-20110612-1fzgk.html110612-1fzgk.html

Greens NSW MP and Industrial Relations spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

"The newly-minted industrial relations laws being forced on the NSW Public Sector look like being the basis for a new federal IR system for the Coalition."

"These laws, which give direct control over wages and conditions to a single government minister, while retaining the pretense of an Industrial Relations Commission, are even more radical than John Howard's WorkChoices.  

"Despite all its flaws, even under WorkChoices unions could approach the Commonwealth IRC to set minimum entitlements without being threatened with a veto by the Government.  

"Under O'Farrell's new laws, all bets are off, and the Government of the day will get the power to veto wage rises, and cut back on conditions, by simply issuing a regulation."

"This is a real test for Tony Abbott, will he distance himself from the NSW Coalition's radical new IR laws or will he embrace them and risk having a fresh federal battle on industrial relations."

"If WorkChoices was dead, buried and cremated in 2007, then O'Farrell has just resurrected it, and it hasn't got any prettier in the meantime.

"A failure by Tony Abbott to reject the NSW Coalition's IR plan can only mean one thing - that this is the new IR model for the Federal Coalition."

More information:  Contact David Shoebridge on 0408 113 952

Missing in Action- South Coast Register Style

My quick comment before reading- I made sure that during the election campaign I attended to all Council matters. The meetings I seem to have missed are committee that I am either not a member of or just can't change my timetable to fit!

MISSING IN ACTION


BY JEFF STEPHENSON South Coast Register
15 Jun, 2011 08:21 AM

Minister’s claim you can’t be a councillor and an MP is borne out by the roll call

THE difficulty in combining state and local politics has been demonstrated by figures showing attendance records at Shoalhaven City Council meetings and council briefing sessions.

Both Mayor Paul Green and Cr Gareth Ward are under pressure to terminate their local government roles after the Local Government Minister Don Page voiced growing concerns about MPs continuing to hold roles on council.

Cr Ward’s attendance at council meetings has dropped dramatically since he won the seat of Kiama in March this year.

Figures released recently show Cr Ward has attended only 17 council meetings this year out of a possible 45 until the end of May.

This compares to Cr John Fergusson, who has attended 44 meetings and Cr Greg Watson with a record of 42 and Cr Amanda Findlay with an attendance record of 36 meetings from the 45.

Cr Ward’s attendance at briefing meetings is worse.

He attended only one briefing meeting this year until the end of May.

Cr Amanda Findley tops the count with a 100 per cent record of 12 out of 12.

Cr Green has managed much better than Cr Ward.

The mayor has attended seven of 12 briefing sessions this year and 24 of 45 council meetings.

Cr Ward had attended 90 briefing sessions from October, 2008 until May 2011, while Cr Green’s record for the same period is 149 from 180 meetings.

Cr Green insists he can manage the two roles.
He was elected as Shoalhaven Mayor in 2008 and a Member of the Legislative Council as a Christian Democrat in March.He has conceded the two roles “can be a strain” but he believed the advantage the city gained outweighed the disadvantage of him being out of the city on occasions. He said his time was “worth millions to the city if we get it right” and said the cost to the city could be as much as $250,000 should he relinquish the role which would be brought on by another election.

Mr Page sent shockwaves through the state government when he targeted people trying to fill the dual roles.

Solar Industry debacle- feed in tariffs not the only problem in NSW

I'm in the mood for a good whinge so I thought I might give you a dose on my perspective of the Solar industry.

Firstly- when I encouraged fellow Councillor John Ferguson to support the outrage of Shoalhaven constituents and raise an urgency motion condemning the changes to the NSW solar tariff scheme, John was pretty much booed out of the Chamber by the dominant Liberal faction on Council.-Funny that (Not).

The moves in NSW politics to reduce the tariff for those who were promised a 60c rebate for the next seven years is just part of the problem for the Solar industry which is used to the storms created by government around rebates and has many times before put the industry through a rush / bust cycle.

The move mostly effects the bank balances of those who have counted on a level of income return to payback their system. New people wishing to purchase solar power are still doing so knowing that the scheme is suspended but that they are safe guarding themselves from rising energy costs and helping manage Australia's carbon footprint.

I would argue that they are also contributing to the micro energy generation which will mean that there is less reliance on coal fired power and therefore less need to build a new coal fire energy plant.

Some simple maths for you to keep in mind throughout this blog.

100kwh of electricity = 1 tonne of carbon emission

1tonne of carbon = 1 Renewable energy certificate

The current rebate scheme CREATES 5x the value of the Renewable Energy Certificate meaning that for every tonne of carbon offset by a renewable energy source 4 more tonnes are emitted but not offset as the generation capacity doesn't EXIST!

The rear action in this debacle comes from the Federal Governments - Renewable Energy Certificate Scheme or RECS.

The Federal Government has been offering a 5 times multiplier on renewable energy certificates since it took away the flat $8000 rebate early last year.Effectively that meant that on an average two kilowatt system the rebate would be about $6000 once the RECS were sold into the RECS market. Of course markets are volatile places-but what the federal government failed to see that this creation of FALSE CARBON CREDITS has flooded the market and there are not enough mandated buyers to purchase the 3 million extra certificates ( at this point the market needs 9 million certificate not 12). This has driven down the price of RECs from around $36-38 each to a measly $20-25 almost half .

For some owners / installers 4-6 weeks ago when they sent their paperwork of to create RECS they had an expectation to make around $6000 to offset the costs of installation. It takes four weeks for the government to create the certificates and by that time the market had crashed and people were left with a considerably smaller rebate i.e. between $2000-$4000 depending on the price in the spot market. Some installers who had entered into contracts that allowed buyers to just pay the difference are out of pocket by 25% of the value of the system. A big hit for a small business.

Solar still isn't cheap with 2kilowatts costing approx $11600 and that is mostly the cost of equipment- not the old formula of 50% for materials 50% for labor as you just end up out pricing yourself with competitors if you took on that simple formula.

But to put the icing on the cake the government doesn't guarantee the price of $40 to the householder but to the polluter. Example if Endeavour Energy needs 5 million certificates to reach its 5% renewable energy target and goes to the market place and the market price is $60 per certificate- they can then go to the government and purchase certificates at $40.

 (REMEMBER: 4 million of those certificates have no generation capacity behind them as they are multiplier certificates! and effectively only offsetting 1% of the targeted 5%)

Like I said this is one confused country when it comes to solar rebates no wonder the installers/suppliers have been faced with rush / bust cycles before and I am sure will continue to in the future. Government really needs to talk to the industry and how it can do it better. I would suggest a small cash rebate, plus the real value of RECS not the multiplier and  a national feed in tariff mandated  by the federal government- I might have it wrong too but surely anythings better than the mess the industry is in now facing down another bust cycle!

Go to Energy Matters web site for the full version of this chart the Closed state is NSW!