Speaking at the 8 June 2017 Planning Backlash Rally to Restore Residents' Rights, Clifford Hayes describes how Mr Wynn, Minister for Planning, has removed the protection given by residential zones that were put in by Matthew Guy, the preceding Planning Minister. Hayes says he has to give some credit to the previous government for having had the guts to introduce those zones, which were at least the result of some consultation with the residents. Minister Wynn, however, he observes, refuses to meet with resident planning groups, only listening to the developers, the planners. (A voice calls out in the background, "They're both the same!" and Clifford Hayes agrees.) The Planning Backlash Rally, organised by Mary Drost on the steps of Victorian Parliament on 8 June 2017. was a huge protest by many residents' and ratepayer groups against the Victorian Government's despotic plan to privatise the planning system in order to provide for an increase in Victoria's population from approx 6m to 10m by 2050, mostly through economic immigration, in order to satiate the greed of developers who have taken over this country and the political parties. Hayes describes fighting high-rise development as Mayor and Councillor in Brighton against successive governments. He has also run as a candidate for the Sustainable Australia Party, which tries to educate the public about the need to fight against bi-partisan plans for massive population growth in Australia.
John Pilger and Vanessa Beeley talk about the amazing growth in mass-media supported war propaganda in our times, including the grotesque fantasies manufactured about Russian intervention in US elections and the creation of a false cold war. Vanessa Beeley describes how, when she was in Aleppo, she was witness to the absolute fabrication of what was happening there. And now, the almost complete silence on what seems like American ethnic cleansing of Arabs in Raqqua - where the US is using depleted uranium, phosporos weapons and not providing any humanitarian corridors.
The regional and international standoff headed by Saudi Arabia against Qatar is not going to be resolved anytime soon. What does the simmering crisis mean? And why has Donald Trump taken the Saudi side? CrossTalking with Sharmine Narwani, Mohammed Cherkaoui, and Foad Izadi.
Some anti-virus software on browsers has begun to behave like viruses themselves. Rather than submit to this irritating and sometimes devastating highjacking of your browser, computer and wallet, you can simply use on-line anti-viruses. You copy the URL (e.g. https://candobetter.net) of the site you want to visit and you then paste it into an online anti-virus program, such as Norton Safe Web: 
Beans on Toast wrote the song and allowed this mash-up for his song. Nina Paley did the animation. It was posted in observance of World Population Day, July 11. This song and video offer the simple truth. The world is overpopulated, and we human beings are still adding over a million a week to the planet, contributing to - if not creating - every crisis the world faces. It's a good song but it doesn't mention immigration, which is how Australia's population is growing faster than any other country in the OECD's.
Do you ever wonder what our society would look like if everyday people were calling the shots? If everyday people had more influence rather than a few privileged rich and large corporations? Would we have sold our public utilities? Would the centre of Melbourne look less like Manhattan; have less poorly constructed and dangerous residential towers? Would citizens be forced into selling off the backyards of family homes to pay their outrageous mortgages? Would we ever have allowed negative gearing and its looming financial tsunami?
Congratulations to Mary Drost, Planning Backlash Convenor, for pulling this event together to signify residents' disgust at Victoria's government steamrolling property and civil rights. The turn out of groups was huge, since everyone understood how wrong the government plans are. The event was held on the steps of Parliament House. These steps had been booked in advance but, on the evening before, Planning Backlash discovered that the steps had been double-booked for the same hour. An increasingly absurd scenario loomed as the double-booked World Oceans Day plastic bag protest planned to float a giant whale and to simulate the roll of the ocean with a constant drumbeat. Eventually it was agreed between the two rallies to face in different directions and occupy only half of the steps. A very good rented PR system meant that Planning Backlash speakers could be heard most of the time, except right at the end when the batteries gave out. Jack Roach, of Boroondara Residents Action Group (BRAG) who had introduced all the speakers, rounded up the event without benefit of any amplification. Mr Roach talked about the 
Brad Marsh of Alphington speaking for Yarra Residents' Coalition Brian Walsh of Kew Cottages Coalition, speaks at 'Restore Residents' Rights', a Planning Backlash Rally organised by Mary Drost on the steps of Victorian Parliament, 8 June 2017. This rally was a huge protest by many residents' and ratepayer groups against the Victorian Government's despotic plan to privatise the planning system in order to provide for an increase in Victoria's population from approx 6m to 10m by 2050, mostly through immigration, in order to satiate the greed of developers who have taken over this country. Read more here: 
Ms B. McNicholas, of Save St Kilda Road, speaks about the removal of heritage listed trees by the state at dead of night from St Kilda Road. [St Kilda Road is Melbourne's Champs Elysees. Distinguished by its avenue of large old trees, botanical gardens and war memorials, it dates back to early Melbourne.] The removal of the trees was done under a police guard without notifying citizens or residents. See also this website on the problem: 
Mary Drost, Convenor of Planning Backlash, speaks to the protesters at 'Restore Residents' Rights', a Planning Backlash Rally she convened on the steps of Victorian Parliament, Australia, 8 June 2017. This rally was a huge protest by many residents' and ratepayer groups against the Victorian Government's despotic plan to privatise the planning system in order to provide for an increase in an increase in Victoria's population from approx 6m to 10m by 2050, mostly through immigration, mostly through immigration, in order to satiate the greed of developers who have taken over this country.
"For more than a decade, the Productivity Commission has debunked the common myth that immigration can overcome population ageing. [...] If Australia was truly a ‘clever’ country like Japan, it would manage population ageing by: 1) better utilising existing workers, given there is significant spare capacity in the labour market; and 2) where required resort to technological solutions. The last thing that Australia should be doing is running a mass immigration program which, as noted many times by the PC, cannot provide a long-term solution to ageing, lowers wages, and places increasing strains on infrastructure, housing and the natural environment." This article first published at 
I have just come back from 2 weeks in my old home Jakarta. When we went there to live there were 3 million people and it was easy to get around and very manageable. Those were the good days. The Governor, Ali Sadikin, closed the city to more incomers on advice from UN city planning experts as they said the bigger a city gets the harder it is to manage and the mega cities are beyond human management. Immigration was reduced down to those who had work permits. (Immigrants in this case refers to people coming to the city from the countryside). The Governor himself told me the story that the President eventually forced him to open the city to immigration. Population is now maybe 10 million and growing. The city is a total polluted gridlocked nightmare.
Michael Buxton, Professor of Environment and Planning, RMIT University, speaks at 'Restore Residents' Rights', a Planning Backlash Rally organised by Mary Drost on the steps of Victorian Parliament, 8 June 2017. This rally was a huge protest by many residents' and ratepayer groups against the Victorian Government's despotic plan to privatise the planning system in order to provide for an increase in Victoria's population from approx 6m to 10m by 2050, mostly through immigration, in order to satiate the greed of developers who have taken over this country. The impact of this undemocratic policy is the architectural rape of our natural and built surroundings. Professor Buxton gives many examples of planning outrages, present and threatened in a strong and lucid speech.
David Davis, Liberal Shadow Minister for Planning 2017, makes many promises to reverse the Victorian Andrews Labor Government's destructive planning initiatives at 'Restore Residents' Rights', a Planning Backlash Rally organised by Mary Drost on the steps of Victorian Parliament on 8 June 2017. This rally was a huge protest by many residents' and ratepayer groups against the Victorian Government's despotic plan to privatise the planning system in order to provide for an increase in Victoria's population from approx 6m to 10m by 2050, mostly through economic immigration, in order to satiate the greed of developers who have taken over this country and the political parties.
Jack Roach, of Boroondara Residents Action Group (BRAG) speaks at 'Restore Residents' Rights', a Planning Backlash Rally organised by Mary Drost on the steps of Victorian Parliament on 8 June 2017. This rally was a huge protest by many residents' and ratepayer groups against the Victorian Government's despotic plan to privatise the planning system in order to provide for an increase in Victoria's population from approx 6m to 10m by 2050, mostly through economic immigration, in order to satiate the greed of developers who have taken over this country and the political parties.
In late 2015, in a great twist of irony, one of the people responsible for the proliferation of high rise dog boxes across Melbourne – former planning Minister (now Opposition Leader) Matthew Guy – had a Damascus moment and 
You probably would have noticed the media attention given to the Australian economies historic 26 year reign of economic growth which has been claimed is breaking that held by the Netherlands. Apart from being incorrect, (The Netherlands’ real GDP declined by 0.3% in the June quarter of 2003, and by 0.01% in the September quarter of that year) that record should go to Japan. In fact, if Japanese GDP data were available on a quarterly basis earlier than 1960, it’s likely that this run of continuous economic growth would have been even longer, perhaps as long as 38 years, inferring from annual data available back to 1955. Not bad for a nation mocked for its decision to abandon population growth and actually reduce its population.
Responding to "Plan Melbourne 2017-2050" and changes to the Planning Scheme which will transfer government powers to private developers, Planning Backlash will rally on the steps of Victorian Parliament on 8 June 2017 at 1pm.
Victorians and Australians need to initiate a new democratic process and hold to it. Residents' action groups now find themselves at the coal-face of democracy. They are the front line representing the future of our cities, states and this country. Their task is to identify, defend, and establish new property, community and natural environment rights and the implied citizens' rights that accompany these rights. We can no longer rely on the traditional environment NGOs or alternative political parties to represent us on these fundamental problems. They have been silenced by one means or another. Twenty years ago no-one would have contemplated making Planning Minister Mr Wynn's statements on drive-time ABC radio that we have to fit in 10 million more people in Victoria with four more million in Melbourne. This insane proposition is not the end of it by any means, either. Not only would Melbourne keep on growing, but most state governments are trying to force similar changes on their residents and the property development lobby has in the past admitted to the desire for something like 50 new mega cities around Australia, with eight new ones currently on the drawing board. The scale of these commercial projects will demand authoritarian regimes similar to China's. The 
3CR talkS to Michael Bayliss from Planning Backlash about the development woes facing Melbourne and how this issue will only become more serious in light of plans to further deregulate the planning system. Whether it is increasing densities in the inner suburbs or developing the urban fringe, we are not getting the standard of development that Melbourne requires as we proceed to a low carbon economy. (Article adapted from one published on 3CR at 
Australian politicians won't like this. There is a new book out by a couple of economists, called Game of Mates. Most readers of candobetter.net are familiar with how Australia's land-tenure system is stacked in favour of the psychopaths, but Paul Frijters, with Cameron Murray have come out with a number of very important videos as well as their book about how our system is wrecking our society and our wealth distribution. See inside for the videos. Please pass this article on because the publicity and public education associated with this book is absolutely crucial at a time when our land-use planning system is on the point of being 
I must admit that I am excited. After 17 years in office, the BC Liberals were denied a majority of seats in the May election. But the news got even better. The social democratic party, the NDP, also fell short of the mark. Suddenly, after more than six decades of one party dictatorship, a third party found itself holding the balance of power. It was the BC Greens, who doubled their popular vote and tripled their representation in the House. A spectacular achievement.
The Democrats and Soros-backed groups are desperately looking to impeach Trump. The US activities in Syria offer the perfect opportunity, but of course Trump's enemies won't pursue it because they are right behind the US-NATO war crimes in Syria. It is ironic that, when Trump is really doing bad illegal stuff, he is also doing the will of the Democrats. This would be because the external policies of both political parties are driven by the Deep State. A further complication is that, if Trump could be impeached, then all those behind the illegal war on Syria would also be in danger of pursuit under criminal law. Automatic transcript provided.
The Conversation claims "Academic rigour, journalistic flair," but is it just another agent of the Mainstream News affair complete with a mainstream news (MSN) editor, renowned by some for her incredibly boring political reporting which has put generations of Australians off politics in a great service to the elite? Unsurprisingly, the Conversation article, "
Planning Backlash has been alerted that the Labor government now is letting a [confidential, restricted] tender for the private sector to rewrite the entire Victorian planning system including a new draft planning scheme and new content for zones and overlays. It is designed to ‘cut red tape’, reduce regulation and introduce code assessment of increasingly significant planning applications. This involves removing the need for permits, resident notification, rights of objection and appeal. Property and professional groups dominate the technical and advisory groups for the process. Residents are not represented. . You are being denied natural justice with loss of process for your involvement. Your property rights are under threat. This article has been adapted from a Planning Backlash document [1] received from a planning professional who prefers not to be named, presumably for fear of repercussions within this lockstep industry. Planning Backlash has scheduled a demonstration on the steps of parliament for 8 June 2017 on the steps of Victoria's Parliament at 1pm. 
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