What is Aurora like at paying?

Just heard this morning that Aurora is planning to introduce a late fee of $5 for late payment of power bills.

It makes me wonder what Aurora is like at paying bills.

I used to work for a Group Training Company that hired out apprentices and trainees.

We used to have maybe 2 dozen IT trainees at IBM.

We would invoice IBM every week for the apprentice and trainee wages.

Bloody IBM would take 42 days to pay a bill clearly marked WAGES BILL 7 DAYS PAYMENT.

So what I want to know is, what are Aurora like at paying?

Is there anyone out there who deals with Aurora Debit (or Credit Dept) I'm in IT not bloody acountancy, I never remember the right name.

Regards,
Simon Rolfe
New Norfolk
Monday, December 6, 2004

Welcome to Lennongrad

So, what can we do about the political structures and processes in the so-called great liberal democratic tradition that have consistently given us representatives of the order of Reece, Gray and Lennon? Who ride roughshod over the wishes of the small communities that make up Tasmania in the name of the larger mandate, on trumped up divisive issues such as jobs?

Why do some sections of society have a greater call on the beneficence of the government treasury (our money), and by that I mean timber workers and hotel owners?

There are plenty of people in Tasmania who need help, gambling addicts for instance, who are unemployed or struggling, but who receive nothing.

Explain please the unholy alliance between business, corporations and government that has existed in Tasmania for as long as I can remember. We got rid of the Hydro only to have it replaced by Gunns, Forestry, Federal Hotels and now we're fighting Walker Corporation as well.

It's as though the govt. had to reinvent the Hydro in order to function, and in its place we have the hydra-headed reality of multiple corporations to fight.

I imagine a Tasmania that holds out for the things that matter, the values of community, the arts, a green economy that is entirely feasible, a decentralised power structure that enables small communities to assert their priorities, resource co-management, participatory democracy as operates in Oregon, materials recycling, dematerialisation, demand management, smart growth, and green governance.

They're all achievable.

Carol Patterson
Lindisfarne
Monday, December 6, 2004

Walkley

I take exception to the fact that Ellen deserves an accolade for bringing down Richard Butler.

It was my understanding he was doing a pretty good job of that himself and the 'retirement' of his three top aides was pretty much the 'straw that broke the camels back', he was on the slippery slope out of there.

The 'scoop' of Butler demanding a first class airline seat, to me was not 'hard news'. Call me prosaic, call me an idealist, but I thought good journalism was about exposing unknown material, not embarking on a witch hunt and reporting every piece of salacious gossip going around this small town, a town that, incidently, loves gossip.

Butler hoisted himself on his own petard, all Whinnet had to do was follow his trail and sniff out the discontents. Is that good journalism?

From,
Bothered, Buggered and Bewildered
Hobart
Monday, December 6, 2004

What Crikey reckons

Outrageous, Telstra

For anyone contemplating using the Sensis directory service number, 1234, DON'T!

Sensis, as you may or may not know, is a subsidiary of Telstra. The 1234 number is replacing the Telstra 12456 directory assistance number, but this time with outrageous costs attached: 40c to call the number, then 4c A SECOND! With this sort of pricing structure in place, it's no wonder so many Australians hold Telstra in the same regard as the major banks.

By law, Telstra have to provide a FREE directory assistance number, because they are still majority owned by the government. They choose however not to pass this number on to the public. What's the number? 1223.

Thumbs up to Telstra for finding a way to charge for a service that is supposed to be provided for free.

Of course, feel free to forward this on.

BH,
MJL Sunday, December 5, 2004

Please explain

We constantly hear the refrain from the Federal Government that Telstra cannot operate under its current structure. Again this morning Peter Costello was reiterating the mantra on ABC's AM. My question is simple "Why not?".

I never hear the answer spelled out in terms simple enough for me to understand. I hear about half pregnancies and other euphemisms but never a clear explanation as to why we can't retain public ownership of this highly profitable entity that owns and (sort of) maintains the communications infrastructure that is absolutely essential to our national security and returns such handsome dividends year after year.

Surely many companies operate successfully with a dominant shareholder. I realise, of course, that the Government is also the regulator and therefore has a clear conflict of interests and could be seen to support regulation that favours the business that it half owns but this is surely not an impediment to Telstra - more of an advantage! I can understand the competition not being happy about the situation but why should Telstra (and its shareholders) consider this a problem?

Competition in telecommunications has certainly changed the market and it seems to me that the playing field should be levelled. Telstra should be divided in two parts. Service provision should privatised so that it competes on an equal footing with its competitors while the all important infrastructure (that we all depend on regardless of who we get our bill from) should remain a publicly owned entity.

It seems so obvious - but I must be missing out on something. It couldn't be just that the Government wants to get its hands on all that money surely. Please explain!

Pat Synge
www.buyselltrade.com.au
Thursday, December 2, 2004

Animal Farm

With the Lying Rodent overseas the Chesire Cat enjoyed himself in the barnyard yesterday at the expense of the Parrot who had been viciously attacked by one of the Roosters while the Mangy Dog lurked somewhere in the background.

Pat
www.buyselltrade.com.au
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Seismic tests

One wonders if there is a corrolation between the 2 reported whale and dolphin strandings over the past 2 days the Navy recently passing through the general area?

Were any sonar tests undertaken?

Another possibility is gas exploration in Bass Strait. Have Esso et al been conducting seismic tests? These tests have been shown in the past to affect whale and dolphin sonar navigation.

Will we even know?

Simon Rolfe
New Norfolk
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Wow ... a good news story

Something not all that often seen on Tasmanian Times - a good news story:
Here's one for the water cooler: globalisation works
And it's from the SMH, almost as sacred a source as the ABC.

Of course, the bad news might be that it is as believable as a Black Armband historian or as credible as a slew of politicians' promises.

Leonard Colquhoun
7248
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

WWF ...

Commenting on criticism of Raelene Morey's article
WWF in the Wilderness
about the WWF-Wilderness Society bunfight, Jason Lovell writes: "For instance, I'm not at all "worried" about possible, apparent or even definite bias in articles from journalism students because I don't confuse them with journalists." Point taken, but third year is getting pretty close to the professional coalface and one would really hope that by that stage those not close to an adequate standard had had their energies directed elsewhere.

For instance, Morey writes, "While conservation groups have expressed their disappointment about the report, so too have scientists." How the hell would she know? From all that her article says, we can only tell that she spoke to one of them. Not only that, but her comments on science make me wonder if she even bothered to read the report at the heart of the controversy all the way through. Had she done so, she would have seen the following letter on the final page, which I quote in full:

"To whom it may concern,

I am a forest ecologist with more than 20 years experience working on the ecology, management and conservation of Australia's forest resources. I have published 13 books and over 350 scientific articles on forest ecology, forest management, conservation biology and wildlife management.

I am not a member of any conservation, political or industry group.

Over the past 20 years I have been approached on many occasions to sign various forest management and forest conservation documents. This is the first time that I have formally supported a document of the type that is attached.

I have read the document prepared by WWF Australia. I commend the work for I see it as a step towards resolving major forest management and forest conservation problems.

Yours sincerely,

David Lindenmayer"

The point is not whether one agrees with this endorsement. The point is that Professor Lindenmayer is one of the most eminent and experienced scientists working in forest ecology in the nation, a man who does not give his endorsement lightly and whose, at times groundbreaking, work commands not only the respect of his peers, but also that of industry and conservation alike. His endorsement is therefore extremely newsworthy and should definitely have been the first thing any reporter commenting on scientific opinions of the WWF report should have mentioned.

The Morey article also incorporated the standard token-balance techniques of a journalistic hatchet-job. While there were comments given by one WWF spokesman backing the report, and those of five sources attacking it, there was no indication of any interplay between the former and the latter. The reader is left unsure whether the WWF was even given any opportunity to be aware of the accusations being put to it, or whether the reporter simply asked WWF for a basic defence of its report without knowledge of the remaining contents. It would have been much more useful to report both the attacks on WWF and their defence to specific attacks.

With rare and excellent exceptions (such as Atlant Bieri's delightfully cynical comment piece on the Rolley/Law Royal Society debacle
We are family ... Geoff Law, the trees and me
- much better than the Mercury's feelgood sycophantic take on that event) far too much of the Utas student-journo political output seen in the public eye suggests that the department is crammed with undergraduate green-leaning wannabe Simon Bevilacqua clones. No department is responsible for the idealistic biases its students arrive with, and it is not a scandal that students are submitting biased work for assessment or publishing it on a site like this where one can be as biased as one likes. We would have a problem, however, if work that was obviously slanted or otherwise shoddy, was getting high marks. Perhaps the students themselves might, in future, like to tell us how they went?

Finally, Ms Morey's article contained an irony I found delicious:

"Unlike other conservation organisations, WWF claim their credibility comes from their use of science."

A far more interesting reflection on the other groups than it is on the WWF.

Dr Kevin Bonham
South Hobart.
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

We need an independent commission against corruption

A recent Saturday Mercury (13/11) revealed that Charles Touber is now running Hobart's Wild West Sports Saloon, an establishment recently firebombed and previously managed by convicted serial rapist Shane Farmer among others. Mr Touber stated that he thought it unlikely that the arson attempt was related to Shane Farmer, but given the serious issues that remain unanswered, I disagree.

Like many, many other people, I've known about Farmer's activities for years but felt powerless to act against a protected man; there have been whispers on the street about the activities of Shane Farmer and his possession of friends in high places for over a decade now. These rumours were rife, legion even, among the groups of people I drank with during the early 1990s. We all knew something was wrong. All of us. You didn't go to the Cadillac Club alone if you were a female. You didn't leave your drink unnattended in the Caddy. You didn't go anywhere with the Caddy security staff unless you had a group of friends with you. And you most certainly never accepted a drink from Shane Farmer or his mates, as they were the type of men who could witness a rape and then give evidence before a judge and jury to say that nothing untoward occurred.

As I said, it was rumour and it was on everyone's lips 10 - 12 years ago.

But during Farmer's trials the rumours were confirmed as facts - he was a serial drink spiking rapist and he did have friends in high places; not just one but two separate reports of sexual assaults committed by Farmer were made to Tasmania Police during the 1990s, but police promptly "misplaced" them, never to be seen again. In my opinion those women assaulted by Farmer after these initial complaints were made and "lost" have a strong case to sue Tasmania Police for failing in its duty of care to the community in general and to them in particular.

Worst of all, I know for a fact that Shane Farmer had relationships close to people in very high places in the 1990s.

In my opinion the stench of corruption can only be lanced by some type of external inquiry with powers to phone tap and to compel witnesses to give evidence. In short, we need something akin to NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption.

The whole case reeks of wrongdoing and leaves people like me wondering whether Tasmania Police is still a trustworthy organisation.

Can someone out there do something about this? Please.

Yours,
Jason Lovell
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Careful ...

Geoffrey Hills ... (Long scroll down)
be careful about what you say about dawson. he was my much loved cat.

xxoo beverley brill
Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Imagine ...

Imagine walking over the bridge along with others to work in the morning and home again in the afternoon, talking, laughing, discussing or just being alone.

Electric trams running every few minutes commuting those unable to walk, or unwilling in inclement weather.

Barges ferrying cargo across the river.

Imagine how different it would feel to arrive in our stuffy air-conditioned offices fully oxygenated to face the day.

Imagine the decrease in sales of antidepressants and anti-obesity medications.

The increased money in our pockets

The multitude of bird sounds.

The whiff of spring roses, jasmine and honeysuckle. The sight of a snow topped mountain tinged pink in the sunrise with a full moon suspended in a fresh blue day

Imagine having whole roads for the pushbike, the walker, the stroller, the scooter.

Well-lit streets for shiftworkers travelling home at night, walking, riding or tramming. The reduction in heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis.

The sky would thank us.

Mary Tippet
Rose Bay
Monday, November 29, 2004

Duncan ...

Duncan Kerr had the most votes of any of the Tasmanian candidates in the recent Federal election.

Why would you put such a winner out to pasture.

Adams on the other hand had the poorest performance of those returned.

Here is the one for the knackery or is it the knavery were electoral performance a measure of power within the Lennon Party.

The true believers glorious ships must always continue to sail in otherwise the basis for the belief is gone.

One wonders what justifications we will see for the coming transformation of the party of Labor into the party of Kath and Kim values. [The Australian 20NOV04]

I would like to see the social indicators for Tasmania move into the positive. This would be an achievement for government.

Saul Eslake, ANZ Chief Economist,
Tasmania by Numbers
gave these as measures when he called for an economy less dependent on raw materials export and more on intelligent and elaborate transformation of our assets.

I hope to see those improvements in my lifetime but expect to see the light on the hill flicker and dim as moolah and merality rules.

phill Parsons
Monday, November 29, 2004

Derrida decrees Dawson a dunce

Jonathan Dawson (November 16)
Desperately deriding Derrida
argues that postmodernism, as exemplified by the late French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, "is basically about detecting bullshit". Perhaps. If that is correct, may I suggest that Derrida's method of deconstruction would be well applied to Mr Dawson's weekly outpourings in The Mercury.

We could use Derrida's methods to deconstruct Dawson's dubious claims that "Socrates was probably a Green" and that Socrates would have opposed economic rationalism.

In order to "detect bullshit", the first step in deconstruction involves showing that silly buzz phrases, such as "economic rationalism" are incoherent and self-contradictory by demonstrating how they rely on other concepts for their many possible meanings. As former Prime Minister Paul Keating once pointed out, what do you expect - economic irrationalism? It appears that Keating experienced a postmodern moment when he noted what Derrida would call the free play of language in such a term.

Although it might be hip to quote Derrida over a latte at Queensland's Griffith University cafeteria, from whence Mr Dawson comes, many Left wing scholars argue that Derrida's method is inherently conservative and incapable of supporting the Greenish political agenda that one imagines Mr Dawson is trying to push.

As Mr Dawson knows, or ought to know, the beauty of deconstruction is that it deconstructs even its own criticisms, leaving us with a world in which "there is nothing outside of the text", in Derrida's words. Please, Mr Dawson, don't treat us like simpletons, with your manipulation of a great French philosopher.

Cheers,
Geoffrey Hills
Monday, November 29, 2004

Serial chucking ...

There's been a lot said about chucking recently, but nobody seems to have noticed that Hobart has its own serial chucker. I recall some time ago that a young female in the UK was eating powdered paint, or something similar, and then vomiting up "art" in various places. While Hobart has hordes of its own artistic throwers (there were lots of them pretending to be "school leavers" in today's Mercury (26/11)), one person in this town has been directing their spew in a political direction and the poor old Liberal Party is on the receiving end.

The entrance to the Liberal Party headquarters in Hobart's Davey Street has been regularly visited by said chucker for the last 6 months, with at least one new comment carefully placed each week. For those who don't know, the footpath outside this entrance is dark ashphalt and it gets the sun all day, so the result is cooked on political comment at its best ... or worst, depending on your proximity.

Serial chucker, I don't know who you are, but your work is awesome. So amusing. How about something really special for the fans, like a written comment or even a picture? Your work so far suggests that anything is possible.

cheers,
Jason Lovell
Saturday, November 27, 2004

Don't miss these

Human Rights Week: Click here for all the events

Prue Cameron
Friday, November 26, 2004

Blind faith of the True Believer

I have been urged into writing by the letter from "Still a True Believer" Tas Times 24 Nov. (Scroll down)

The blind faith shown by the writer is amazing.

Because as a Labor Party Member, I am proud of what Jim Bacon and Paul Lennon's Government have been able to achieve for Tasmania over the past 6 years. Damn proud. .....Thousands and thousands of new, meaningful jobs

Yeah ...where???

Ask anyone one a contract or a part time worker or casual worker to get a loan to buy a house. The bank wants to see permanency of work tenure, no chance.

a booming population

A huge increase of 3000 over the last year. The majority of whom are retirees. Health care up. Services up. People of workforce age down. Where is the sustainability in that?

booming real estate market

Lucky for me I bought 3 1/2 years ago when prices where affordable.

Tassie has the worst housing affordability in the country. Lucky for those already in it, stiff cheddar for those in tents.

massive infrastructure projects like the wind-farms, Basslink, the Gas Pipe Line

Wind farms ..go Federal Lieberals, no MRET extension..bye bye any new wind farms.

Basslink. Our Hydro is about to go nuts selling power to the Vics in summer. How does Hydro have extra power in summer? Easy reverse the natural water flows. Our Hydro rivers will be running full pelt in summer. How long will the reserves last?

Gas Pipe Line. Great if your not a farmer whose lost land, or a taxpayer whose subsidising private enterprise power.

regular AFL footy games, a wonderful art and culture festival in 'The Ten Days'

Its called bread and circuses mate, been going on for 2000 years.

Mayda suggests the State Government 'listens only to the big end of town', and makes mention of some perceived unholy closeness between the Government and the State's two biggest private employers, Federal Hotels and Gunns.

Well Mayda, I reckon most fair-minded Tasmanian's would be deeply concerned if in such a small state as Tasmania, the State Government wasn't in regular communication with the State's two biggest private operators, especially when those two companies are regularly expressing a desire to heavily invest even further into our Economy. That's not arrogance, it's simply good-governance.

Good governance maybe... a danger in regards to possible conflicts of interest...you bet.

There are more than two sides to any story and I gor one am worried by where this Labor government is heading

Regards,
Worried.
Friday, November 26, 2004

Governing for the benefit of a few ...

Well, whoever you are, have a go at Mayda Flanagan and conveniently remain anonymous, doesn’t that illustrate her point that this state is run behind closed doors, by Lennon and his mates from Gunns and Federal Hotels.

What has the real estate boom done to the young people who aspire to buy their own home? I for one am not better off, It is all relative. Where are these thousands of jobs? Casual of course where young kids are screwed by the greedy operators and work on “training wages”, what a bunch of garbage

Richard Flanagan said there are no B.M.Ws in Geeveston and that is the reality of the so called economic boom in the forests.

But what a laugh., the employees of Federal Hotels when asking for a pay increase where told “We can”t afford it and the gambling turnover is nigh on a billion dollars a year, their licence renewed for nothing, thanks Mr Lennon.

Eric Reece said no pokies, and how bloody right he was, they are the scourge of Tasmania, it would not be so bad if the proceeds went back into the community but instead go towards Federal Hotels owning Tasmania.

So until we get a Government that governs for all the people and not for the benefit of the few, we wait in utter sadness and amazement at how far these bastards can run off the rails and still have their supporters.

Neville Rodman
Thursday, November 26, 2004

Perhaps the poor could increase their lot if Lennon and his comrades ensured a transfer of John Gay's profits to the workers.

Poor Mark Latham is under a leadership cloud. For a while, several nameless or faceless parliamentary Labour members have leaked their discontent with his leadership. Finally, we had a few speak on the ABC tonight. Kerry O'Brien and Paul Lennon vented their oft stated opinions and joined good old Dick Adams in defending the poor in this state. Perhaps the poor could increase their lot if Lennon and his comrades ensured a transfer of John Gay's profits to the workers.

If Mark Latham wishes to assert his leadership then he should hold an independent review of the preselection process in Tasmania. Break the nexus between the CFMEU, TWU, Trades and Labour Council and parliamentarians. When Duncan Kerr first mooted a transfer to the state parliament the cronies quickly united to defend their democracy. The Labor Party needs to be democratic in the first instance if it wishes to govern a democracy.

Mark
Friday, November 26, 2004

Compulsory voting

Much of what Greg Barns writes about the benefits of compulsory voting is true but he ignores one of the basic flaws with the system. The politically uninterested - those who probably don't have much of an idea about what the various parties and candidates actually stand for, what their policies are and what credibility to accord them - are much more likely to be swayed by catchy slogans and electioneering bribes. It would seem likely that this gives the incumbent party even more of an electoral advantage than they already have. With a partisan media compounding the problem compulsory voting probably stifles progressive politics.

Pat Synge
www.buyselltrade.com.au
Friday, November 26, 2004

Still a True Believer ...

I read with interest the transcript of Mayda Flanagan’s speech to this year’s Tasmanian ALP State Conference,
What has happened to my Labor Party?
just as I had listened attentively to her speech at the Conference, where I too was a delegate.

Mayda, like I, wears the True-Believer tag as a badge of honour and I respect her for her commitment to our party and her boss, Member for Denison Duncan Kerr.

I don’t respect her Husband, Richard Flanagan’s infamous brutal and cowardly public attack on former Premier Jim Bacon’s legacy only a month or so after his death,
The Emperor's New Clothes
but for that I wouldn’t dare hold her responsible.

And I don’t for one minute accept her assertion that I, as a Labor Party Member, should feel some kind of shame or condemnation for the actions of our State Labor Government both over the last few years and especially in the lead-up to the recent Federal Election.

Because as a Labor Party Member, I am proud of what Jim Bacon and Paul Lennon’s Government have been able to achieve for Tasmania over the past 6 years. Damn proud.

God knows, the turn-around in our State’s fortunes since 1998 has been extraordinary.

Thousands and thousands of new, meaningful jobs, slashed state debt, a booming population and real estate market, and simply greater optimism and pride within the Tasmanian community for our State and our people.

Things that we were told could never happen in Tasmania are happening. The massive infrastructure projects like the wind-farms, Basslink, the Gas Pipe Line and those glorious ships, regular AFL footy games, a wonderful art and culture festival in ‘The Ten Days’ and simply staggering increases in visitors to our Island.

Mayda suggests the State Government ‘listens only to the big end of town’, and makes mention of some perceived unholy closeness between the Government and the State’s two biggest private employers, Federal Hotels and Gunns.

Well Mayda, I reckon most fair-minded Tasmanian’s would be deeply concerned if in such a small state as Tasmania, the State Government wasn’t in regular communication with the State’s two biggest private operators, especially when those two companies are regularly expressing a desire to heavily invest even further into our Economy. That’s not arrogance, it’s simply good-governance.

And equally it’s imperative that any Government regularly communicates with the community it represents and that must be why other State Governments across the country like SA, are reportedly copying the Tasmanian Government’s successful community forum process of engagement with regional communities, publicly noting it as ‘best practice’.

Mayda takes stock at Paul Lennon for his ‘silence’ over John Howard’s forestry policy late in the week leading up to the federal election. Suggesting that this was as good as a ratting condemnation of Mark Latham’s forestry policy announced earlier that week.

So therefore does Mayda advocate for Paul Lennon, or any Tasmanian Labor Premier, to just lie down, shut-up and cop any policy announced by Federal Labor that affects Tasmania, regardless of how damaging he/she thinks that policy will be to the Tasmanian Community?

Is that really the kind of Labor Government and Labor Premier Mayda wants for Tasmania? Or is she just bitter and frustrated by the thought of at least another three more years of working in Opposition for a Member of Parliament that really should have been put out to political pasture with Keating way back in 96?

Is the State Labor Government and Paul Lennon perhaps just an easy target for her to vent her anger and irritation in this difficult post-election period of recovery and reflection?

And I ask her, as she preaches on Labor Party unity and loyalty, to ask her boss, Duncan, for an explanation on why he was such a openly vocal and active member of that high-profile, big-budgeted ‘Tasmanian Community Alliance’ Campaign to pressure State Labor over old-growth logging smack bang in the middle of the 2002 State Election Campaign?

Where was the unity in that? Or does that unity only extend to ensuring Mark Latham achieves his all-encompassing ambition to achieve The Lodge, no matter at what cost?

Still a True Believer.
Hobart
Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Zero Davey Street - Roadblock not Gateway to Hobart

The street numbering says it all, doesn’t it? The town planning nightmare that is Zero Davey Street is quite indefensible, despite the protestations of the developer. The article in The Mercury (22nd November, 2004) showing panoramic views from the penthouse can only inflame the situation from the point of view of the average Hobartian; he’ll never get to see the view, will he? Nor will any of the tourists or visitors whose first view of the waterfront and Battery Point is now obliterated by this abomination. The saying that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear never rang truer than in relation to this environmental mistake.

It is not surprising that the developer would wish to give support to his own creation. Whatever one’s opinion of the architecture, there is no getting away from the fact that this is one building in the wrong location. Who is to blame? Not the developer. Not the Sullivan’s Cove Planning Scheme. No, the blame lies with the aldermen of the Hobart City Council who, rather than stand on principle and refuse to accommodate the extra two view-robbing floors, kowtowed to the developer and used Council’s so regularly-abused “discretion” to approve the indefensible.

Most Hobartians know that the HCC is bound by its own planning scheme (City of Hobart Planning Scheme, 1983) when considering developments put before it. Many will not know that the Scheme also allows our elected representatives to over-ride the principles and intent upon which the Scheme was written by the use of “discretionary” powers written into the Scheme. In a few cases, the ability to use its “discretion” might make for more appropriate decisions by aldermen. In the case of Zero Davey Street, some aldermen claim that if they had not allowed the “discretion” that the Scheme allowed, the developer would have taken the Council to the Resource Management & Planning Appeals Tribunal, where the developer would have had his way anyway. As it transpired, Council went belly up … at the expense of the rest of us.

If this is, in fact, the case, then the aldermen of the Hobart City Council need to do something about it. We need a planning scheme which is unambiguous: one which engenders confidence in the ratepayer and the developer alike. It is unacceptable for a planning scheme to produce such blatantly second-rate solutions. Is it a case that aldermen hide behind their “discretionary” powers and blame others for poor planning decisions, or could it be that aldermen are rather attached to being in the position of defending the indefensible in relation to town planning decisions by means of this loophole?

Yours faithfully,
David Halse Rogers.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Thank you, Luis ...

Thanks for answering those questions Dr Apiolaza - I find the topic of plantation sustainability in Tasmania fascinating and appreciate the assistance of an expert.

I must say that I am particularly impressed that fertilisers are now being applied as the failure to do this in the past always worried me; I fertilise my pastures and am well aware of potential for widespread reduction of fertility and subsequent erosion/soil loss if I tried to cut hay year after year without putting something back. As you say, plantations are no different.

Its also pleasing to hear that that pine plantations are not degrading the soil in such a way that they will be unviable on that site within minimal rotation periods and that you also think E. nitens plantations will be sustainable in the long term. This is very good news for Tasmania indeed, given the massive amount of hardwood (E. nitens) and softwood (P. radiata) plantations that now exist in this state. Excellent news really, regardless of anyone's position in this debate.

Finally, Dr Apiolaza you can post on whatever you feel like, but expect debate and even disagreement. For instance, I'm not at all "worried" about possible, apparent or even definite bias in articles from journalism students because I don't confuse them with journalists. They are students feeling their way through their new discipline and can say what they like - they're not employed by anyone but themselves and have no loyalties to any ethos other than their own. To me, the phrase Journalism Student implies a certain amount of personal bias anyway. Qualified, professional journalists have a code of ethics, as do doctors, engineers, lawyers and many other professionals. Students do not.

So if students feel confident in voluntarily placing their work in the public sphere, I say Good On Them.

Cheers and thanks again Luis,

Jason Lovell
Tuesday, November 23, 2004

A recommendation from Agatha

If you are looking for that "something special" for christmas day, may I suggest you wander down to the Dunalley Fish Market? Heading towards points south, DON'T turn left over the Dunalley Bridge - go straight through and about 100 metres down on your left hand side you'll find THE fish market. You are on a mission to find the freshest cray in Tasmania! You have reached your destination. It's like being in cray heaven - the beautiful reds are hanging on hooks in the rear work room. The staff are amiable - they will even crack and clean the crays for you. Market prices, too.

AGATHA ARTICHOKE
Monday, November 22, 2004

Jason and Luis

Hey Jason and Luis:

A suggested book title (from Ian Noble at a conference on sustainability):

'3000 years of unsustainable Chinese agriculture'

regards
Mick
Monday, November 22, 2004

Don't miss ... the debacle at Recherche Bay, WEDNESDAY

G'day,
Can you alert your many and appreciative audience that the ABC's 7:30 Report, NOW WEDNESDAY coming will have a feature story on the "debacle" at one of Australia's ten most important European archeological sites, the French Observatory and Garden at Recherche Bay.

Inept governance, greed, political shortsightedness are again the culprits. The Tasmanian public, particularly the children, (heritage and culture are far more important than dollars) will again be the victims. Thousands of educated tourists and their many millions of dollars would have been injected DIRECTLY into the local community.

And,

Vale Roelf Roos
Roelf Roos, passioniate correspondent to tasmaniantimes.com, died last Thursday
And,
THANK YOU, from Ursula ... and, He wrote so passionately

... and with this the Pretender State lost yet another previously trusting settler....

Settler:
One who settles in a new region.
One who settles or decides something.

After attending the funeral yesterday (Friday) and in order to give justice, remembering Roelf Roos, his message could be very well summarised with the words of another long time migrant to this very lucky country:
RZS Newsletter 3 :
Wise use and careful maintenance of our Forests
‘Let us regard the forests as an inheritance, given to us by nature, not to be despoiled or devastated, but to be wisely used, reverently honoured and carefully maintained. Let us regard the forest as a gift, entrusted to any of us only for transient care, to be surrendered to posterity as an unimpaired property, increased in riches and augmented in blessings, to pass as a sacred patrimony from generation to generation.’ BARON SIR FERDINAND VON MUELLER Suggestions on the Maintenance, Creation and Enrichment of Forests 1879 (Founder of the Herbarium in the Botanical Gardens Melbourne, Victoria)

Frank Strie
Monday, November 22, 2004

Dear Jason, your questions answered

Dear Jason,

Sorry that I missed your questions a while ago. There was a period of two months when I did not check Tassie Times while I was in and out of hospital.

A quick answer to all your questions: it depends on site, silviculture and the willingness to spend the resources necessary to achieve this. Thus, in general terms:

1. The plantation cycle (of anything, including agricultural crops and trees) will reduce soil fertility. That is why silvicultural regimes now include fertilisation, at least of macronutrients and maybe of micronutrients in the future.

2. It is not true that that will be the case. It is certainly possible that old plantations without appropriate management (we are talking about things probably established 75 years ago) may not be viable. For a counter example you can look at 3^rd rotation pine plantations in New Zealand and Chile, happily growing along. Radiata pine silviculture has evolved quite a bit in the last three quarters of a century.

3. I think that the answer is yes.

4. I think that, again, the answer is yes. It will not be possible in all sites and with all silvicultural regimes, but it will be possible to do it with careful selection of site and regimes. If you have a look at agriculture, you will see that there are examples of many rotations of crops where productivity per unit of area is actually increasing, not decreasing. I expect productivity (both on amount of products and value) to increase in plantations, as a result of better seedlings, silviculture and management practices.

are plantations actually sustainable, or are they a finite resource extractor dressed in a trojan horse?

If you are asking for my personal opinion, I believe that plantations are sustainable in the Tasmanian landscape. I see them coexisting with production native forest and large areas of reserved forests, contributing to provide valuable products and services to Tasmanians. As any other human activity, plantations have positive and negative effects; I also think that the positives largely outweigh the negatives. So, no 'cure all' panacea nor Trojan horse, but a useful addition to Tasmania's forest resources.

Now I hope that you do not mind I keep commenting on other issues that I may find relevant.

Dr Luis A. Apiolaza
Hobart
Saturday, November 20, 2004

Bosworth is the key

It seems all the “Fox's” chickens are coming home to roost. Well done Tony Fletcher, a Politician not afraid to speak up. This farce has gone on long enough,sure some people have done very well out of this, but at what cost to our Native Carnivores and our 1080 “image,not to mention $5,000,000.00 of Taxpayers money. Our great Task Force leader tells us in The Sunday Tasmanian 26/09/2004 that 3868 Fox baits have been taken, by what? Surely not even he would ask us to believe they were all taken by “Foxes”

But 850 sightings, however not one Fox has been photographed, poisoned, shot or captured, Hullo, Hullo, does this tell us something? But the sightings have gone down in areas that have been baited, that shows the baiting is working.The detection dogs trained at a cost of $35,000.00 have not been able to find one Fox carcass, but at the end of the day and who knows how many millions of dollars they will be able to say, well we fixed the Fox problem, no bodies but we had a good time on this the most expensive Taxpayer funded Fox Hunt in History. After years of this nonsense either the Fox Task Force is painfully incompetent, or there are no Foxes in Tasmania.

I know some of the people in the Task Force and I don't believe the former to be the case, some are very competent and clever people. I believe the two incursions through the Burnie Port, MAY 1998 and October 2003 are the only LIVE importations and to blame Hunters for importing Fox cubs, proven beyond all doubt by a thorough, extensive Police investigation to be untrue, was a cheap shot. At the end of the day I think the “Bosworth” Fox and the stomach contents of the said Fox will be the key to it all.

Signed
Ian C. Rist
Saturday, November 20, 2004

Please, answer these questions, Dr Apiolaza

I find it fascinating that Dr Luis Apiolaza (scroll down) is now able to offer up journalistic advice and has recently found the time to discuss political issues (scroll down), when he has not bothered to answer 4 questions directed to him 6 months ago regarding the science of forestry plantations.

I acknowledge that Dr Apiolaza followed my questions by stating that he "is a forest scientist who enjoys participating in the forest debate, although changes of personal circumstances have left very little time for this activity." But, given that Dr Apiolaza now has the time to post on any old topic, I would appreciate an attempt at some answers from him. For ease, here they are again: 1) Does the plantation cycle (clearing, spraying, burning, spraying, spraying and harvesting) increase or reduce the fertility of the soiul the plantation occupies?

2)Is it true that 3rd, 4th and all subsequent rotations of pine plantations will be unviable due to loss of soil fertility and biomass?

3)Will it be possible to harvest Eucalyptus nitens plantations every 15-20 years, as promised by the establishment companies, while maintaining soil fertility?

4)Is it possible to keep on growing and felling plantation trees from the same patch of soil every 20-odd years, forever?

The last question is the big one - are plantations actually sustainable, or are they a finite resource extractor dressed in a trojan horse?

As Dr Apiolaza says himself, "in Tasmania we do need people asking questions and exploring difficult issues."

cheers,
Jason Lovell
Friday, November 19, 2004

Damned by cupidity and stupidity

Are we looking at a slip of the tongue by the proponents, an error of fact or the old plan for Wesley Dale. Premier Lennon is reported in the Mercury [18NOV2004] as telling the House of Assembly that “It would pump up to 30 gigalitres, or 30 billion litres, of effluent into Bass Strait through a 4km pipeline”

Now some leaps of faith is left to the reader because in the same article Lennon is quoted as saying the mill “would be based at either Bell Bay or Hampshire”. If it is based at Hampshire either Bass Strait has to move or a nearby river will be a conduit to it. The indications from the premiers statement are that it would be at Bell Bay [Unless it was transferred to be based elsewhere, when will WW2 end and the language return to peacetime].

Further is the 30 billion litres the total discharge over the mill's life or its daily output. We are left to understand this by the Mercury.

Whilst the there are reservations about committing much of Tasmania’s wood production into a single process of limited value adding the main objection to the mill is the discharge. One would hope that the proponents would outfox their opponents and close the loop.

If this is indeed a long term investment in Tasmania by a Tasmanian with Tasmania’s interest at heart then water used by the mill would be minimized by closing the loop and removing all possibility of any taint from Bass Strait placing the Government’s commitment to a clean and green Tasmania at the forefront by example. The act of a true mate.

One wonders why the project is unable to take the course of the Meander Dam and be scrutinized by the Resource Planning Appeals tribunal. Were there an appeal and the evidence damming and the mill rejected by the Tribunal then Lennon or Hidding could override the decision with special legislation rubber stamped by the parliament, the Greens excepted.

Putt is right, some investment of Tasmanian taxpayers' money must be tied to this project, otherwise a golf course will have a higher priority. A new water supply dam, a new road, what will be the treasure that makes this private project fior private profit viable in this world of economic rationalism.

Yes, a dumb pulpmill discharging its waste to the sea will be a cruel joke played on Tasmania.

phill Parsons is not amused by the idea of this mill not being open to public scrutiny through the Resource Management and Planning System. You can see the brigands lining the Premier of the day up at the dinner table now. “Oh, maaaaate, just another little favour, a piece of coast, some rubber stamps, a national park, and for desert a dam in the wilderness please”. Why am I not surprised that the behavior of a corrupt little council is mimicked in another place.
Friday, November 19, 2004

On the orders of Lucifer

The Christian religion is emulsified into our western culture, not in an overt way, yet when there is a crisis, or a cathartic event, the lapsed Anglicans/Catholics/Baptists call on the higher authority and security of the “church”.

With the arrival on the political agenda, of same sex marriage, stem cell research, gay bishops, and lay preachers, and the potential of gay adoption of children, increased abortions, the sleeping majority wake up, dust off their bibles and vote for the most conservative of political candidates.

September 11 was a “Godsend” for George W. it was almost as though Lucifer himself had orchestrated the event through his servant the al-Qaida, galvanizing the religious right to march forward in their crusade against evil.

Neville Rodman
Friday, November 19, 2004

Those backroom deals

How many more backroom deals will the people of Tasmania allow Paul Lennon to make with big business - to the detriment of "ordinary" Tasmanians - before there is a public outcry? He, Scott MacLean and Dick Adams should have been expelled from the Labor Party after their election fiasco. They act only out of self interest. There's no room for the little person anymore. No wonder union support is waning with these types in charge! Never has such a blatant misuse of power been so ignored. (well, not since the Rouse affair).

Alona Hunter
Friday, November 19, 2004

Geoffrey Dean's launch

Geoffrey's launched

Giles Hugo
Thursday, November 18, 2004

This is worrying

I find worrying that a journalism student (supposedly free of political and economic pressures) goes on rehashing what has been published in the media without a hint of critical thinking. I would like to see students asking difficult questions and taking a shot at discussing complex issues rather than doing a ‘tribute to my childhood hero’ assignment. A few things that Ms Morey could have explored:

- How many people are represented by the Wilderness Society (WS) statements?
- Why was there no mention to the position of the Tasmanian Conservation Trust (TCT, the other large environmentalist organisation in the state)?
- Why were the positions of the WS and the TCT so different?
- What is the position of industry? I don’t mean Mr Chipman, but the real big players like Forestry Tasmania, Gunns, etc.
- The statement ‘While conservation groups have expressed their disappointed about the report, so too have scientists’ implies that all conservation groups and scientists are disappointed. That is not the case, and there are scientists and conservation groups that looked with interest WWF’s blueprint. Why were they not mentioned or interviewed?
- There is no questioning the WS’s motives for opposing the blueprint. There is also no questioning of how WS’s funding is obtained and used.
- Which organisation is more effective in achieving its conservation objectives, WS or WWF?
- Why did the WS try to stop publication of the blueprint, reducing the options available to Tasmanians?
- What are the implications of the federal election results on the implementation of the proposed blueprint?

And the list of issues can go on ad infinitum. In Tasmania we do need people asking questions and exploring difficult issues but, please, take risks and question what you read in The Mercury.

Dr Luis A. Apiolaza is a forest scientists who considered with interest the potential of WWF's blueprint.
Hobart
Thursday, November 18, 2004

Good old Neil

Good old Neil ... so dependable, so predictable, so pure, so Green.

Well done on working your way successfully through the "these are all the things you must include in penning a response to anything from the Democrats" check list - you got all those "key" words and phrases in there didn't you, but are you sure you checked all the boxes?

Getting that puerile orange juice crack in there must have felt especially good. And the addition of the re-writing history accusation - a bit of a newie and slightly startling, coming as it does from a Green.

How very impressive.

Yulia Onsman
West Hobart
Thursday, November 18, 2004

So right about the Labor Party

Brilliant. And correct.

I was a member of the Labor Party for many years but let my membership go a long while ago exactly because of the sentiments you expressed.

Up here (Tenterfield - tiger territory) I finally got exhausted trying to defend (by then I had given up trying to promote) a Party that even then had lost its way. Now I just keep quiet and let the crap from the uneducated idiots flow past me.

As for what happened in Tasmania prior to the election, don't start me on it. The local idiots here (as obviously all over Oz) have no conception of what the forests mean, and their potential in the future (if they remain), when all the rest, world-wide, have been demolished.

Kind regards,
John Owen
Thursday, November 18, 2004

Read this

Tasmanians For Refugees, November Prue
Thursday, November 18, 2004

Cecilia

Cecilia's in town Click this
Thursday, November 18, 2004

Trying to re-write history

In response to Andrew Bartlett's article "Trashing the Place"....
Trashing the Place
It rings a bit hollow for Bartlett to now cry into his orange juice over the parlous state of the Senate post election 2004.

Come now Andrew....do you really think that we have such short memories? Wasn't it the Australian Democrats who had a huge preference deal with the far right-wing fundamentalist religious Family First party?

Didn't Family First came within a whisker of having balance of power in the Senate thanks to soulless and self-serving preference deals like the one the Democrats made with them?

The thing that characterised election 2004 was the further shift of Australia to the far right, and instead of being part of the vanguard against this collective intellectual suicide, the Democrats were, and are part of the problem.

Clearly the Democrats are now desperately trying to re-write history, instead of facing up to their own incompetent policies and moronic behaviour that has seen the shrivelling and derision of a party that once carried the hopes of thinking Australians.

Neil Cremasco
Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Where is the balance

The first lesson in journalism is balance and third year journalism student Raelene Morey would be well advised to quickly take on some balance if she ever gets a shot in the real, cut-throat world of journalism where bosses don't pay (because readers don't pay) for undergraduate opinion, particularly when the opinion is formulaic.

Ms Morey betrays the real objective of her hard-line, anti-everything idols in the Wilderness Society when she says "Continued logging is what conservation groups are outraged by.'' Really? What, no more? Anywhere?

And then she goes on to explain the Wilderness Society's opposition to any further plantations, when most Tasman!antimes.com readers can still remember a time when the Greens actually supported plantations. Okay, so no more felling trees and no more growing trees now? Weary followers of the Tasmanian forestry debate now just numbly accept the shifting goal posts of Green politics.

That Ms Morey has been recruited by the taxpayer subsidised Wilderness Society to complain about the federal funding of the WWF is sheer hypocrisy. Let's get to the bottom of why the WWF is on the outer with the hard-liners and it's the second lesson for Ms Morey. Politics is the art of compromise. Geoff Law never understood it. Bob Brown briefly achieved this enlightenment when (for 24 hours) he flagged support for selling Telstra in exchange for real, measurable environmental payoffs. That was, of course, until a Wilderness Society Jihad was declared and he fell back into line.

As for Ms Morey's suggestion that the WWF members are just fly-in no-names from out of town, I suggest go to Europe or North America and ask some people there whether they have heard of the Wildeness Society and whether they have heard of the WWF and she may be surprised to hear the WWF is well recognised - for their practical achievements for the environment.

Ms Morey, you should get out more.

RW
Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Chemicals ... the Victorian experience

This is fascinating stuff!!!! It seems the AFS is as bad in VIC.! And VIC is experiencing similar problems with Chemicals - all possible under AFS accreditation:
A Victorian experience

E
Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Letters Archive No. 12