NSW government

22nd September signs that Tony Burke is listening. WSCA had been lobbying Tony Burke for nearly two years to ensure guarantees in place that all of the promised $530 million conservation fund be spent within Western Sydney to protect bushland remnants promised as offsets.

Cautious optimism

On 22nd December, the Western Sydney Conservation Alliance (WSCA) cautiously welcomes the announcement today by Tony Burke that he will sign off on the Strategic Assessment of the Sydney Growth Centres. WSCA had been lobbying Tony Burke for nearly two years warning him not to rush in and sign off on the plan unless guarantees were in place to ensure that all of the promised $530 million conservation fund (the money promised to offset the destruction of 2000 ha of bushland within the growth centres) was spent entirely within Western Sydney protecting bushland remnants promised as offsets.

The NSW Government had been shifting towards raiding this $530 million conservation offset fund and spending up to 75% of it outside of Western Sydney in order to get more bang for its buck.

Brad Hazzard tells protesters at Liberal launch he's committed to saving another 100 hectares of critically endangered bushland at ADI Site. Lend Lease would be slugged $100 million in lost revenue

There was actually a legitimate protest today at Barry O'Farrell's campaign launch (not the stunt protest put on by the ALP) by Western Sydney residents and environmentalists. They had gathered to raise awareness about the Liberal/Nationals urban sprawl policy and how that would devastate what little is left of Western Sydney's bushland and of course how it would affect the quality of life of it residents.

The legitimate protesters were also wanting to speak with Brad Hazzard, the Shadow Planning Minister, to question why he has gone quiet on his commitment before the Penrith by-election that the Liberal/Nationals would conserve an additional 100 hectares of critically endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland at the controversial ADI Site. The ADI Site contains vast areas of bushland that the NSW Government and the pro development Penrith Council are allowing to be developed by developer giant Lend Lease. Brad Hazzard also committed to creating new Western Sydney ecological corridors.

Ed. Australians need help from the world's ecologists! Royal National Park, known to many tourists as the closest to Sydney, is the world's second-oldest National Park and Australia's first. It is also of enormous importance to conservationists and ecologists and contains an impressive range of fauna in rare habitats including coastal rainforest which has often been destroyed by early Australian development elsewhere. It is under threat through selfish and stupid adjacent overdevelopment by the growth-mad New South Wales government. Even Australia's primeminister doesn't want growth now and Sydney's expansion must be stopped. Royal National Park is of world class historic and ecological significance and it is incomprehensible and alarming that the NSW Government is allowing development to encroach.

From Greg Petty, Public Officer of the Otford Protection Society Incorporated

Wikipedia entry

ADI Site -

Vandals prevail

Bulldozing of rare bushland signals the beginning of the end for Western Sydney's last great bushland remnants. Vandals prevail in New South Wales, reducing to rubble the equivalent of nature's great monasteries and old churches, for short term gain by a tiny tyrannical minority. This scourge is led for the profit of Delfin Developments, against democracy and the local people who love their living landscape.

JK Williams Bulldozers roll over precious woodland habitat

Bulldozers today rolled at the ADI Site in Penrith clearing 6 hectares of the critically endangered ecological community, Cumberland Plain Woodland. The clearing by J K Williams on behalf of developer, Delfin Lend Lease, is the first of 6ha of a total of 360 ha within the Penrith LGA. 3500 lots dwellings, with some up to 6 stories are proposed.

Madame the Mayor of Ambazac delivers her vote against privatisation of the French Post Office

In Australia we are watching the erosion of public services by changes to their statute ('authorities', 'corporations') turn into an avalanche of privatisation. The unions, who, by organising a general strike, could stop this rot almost immediately, bluster ever so quietly and shuffle symbolically.

We have seen outrageously undemocratic proceedings in the NSW parliament and in the Queensland elections.

National Parks & Wildlife have given two licences to Bathurst Regional Council to shoot 140 kangaroos on Mnt Panorama, home of Bathurst’s car race to be held in 2 weeks.

The Western Advocate said they were advised this was for “public safety” for the race.

The NSW Wildlife Rescue and Education Service, WIRES[1] members have to continually deal with kangaroos at Mount Panorama tangled in fences, hit by cars, dispersing into suburbs etc.

These are the last of the actual town’s kangaroos – the last of thousands of generations that have been pushed into the small pocket of Mnt Panorama and managing to survive.

Out of proportion

140 roos is certainly much more than the 15% allowed in commercial killing zones, and observers who have walked the environs over many years specifically noting the kangaroos in the area, suggest this represents most of the remaining population there. NPWS reportedly refused to answer the question of what percentage it represents.

National Parks and Wildlife have also reportedly refused to answer the following questions, which should also be asked of Bathurst Council:

· How many kangaroos are actually up on the Mount and its “nature reserves” and environs?

· What consideration has been given to the wallaroos and swamp wallabies on the Mount – are they to be shot also?

ABC Australian news reported that someone somehow placed rocks on the road where rally cars would pass at some time prior to the Repco Rally event. Apparently stones or rocks were also thrown. See Rally rock-throwing 'could have killed', ABC news, September 5, 2009 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/05/2677430.htm

First day of the rally

The picture of the car trailing dust has been included for educational purposes because it shows how much dust is being thrown up by a rally car on the unpaved roads that pass through national parks of World Heritage significance. One can imagine the noise and the speed from the picture. Unless you like noise, speed, metal and dust, this would be a very unpleasant experience. For wildlife it could be a fatal experience. Politically it could represent a fatal breech in the wall of law that has preserved Australia’s wild spaces to date.

Would Repco race cars through a cathedral?

The idea alone of racing cars through national parks is appalling to many. With the position of National Parks in Australia it is a bit like racing cars through cathedrals in Italy or France, except that the damage it is likely to do in the long term is that much more significant.

BYRRILL CREEK ROAD (Friday September 4th,
After driving for 7 hours along most of the Kyogle stages today, it became very apparent to me that the most idyllic of all the Repco rally routes is indeed Byrrill Creek. According to an independent survey done by a local resident Joanna Gardner, comprising accounts of sightings of threatened species by 18 neighbours on the road, some going back 15 years, this is core koala habitat which was not picked up by Repco's ecology report. (See youtube footage of a digitally sped up drive along Byrrill Creek Road including koala and platypus footage at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sw18zvU5yU and embedded on this page below)

The most distressing thing about this setting is the proximity of extremely pure water to the road. For example, Cabbage Tree Creek flows right over the water.

Injunction to prevent suffering to native animals fails in Australian World Heritage National Park

Councillor Katie Milne of Tweed Shire Council, NSW, failed in her attempt to prevent the staging of a 3 day long international car rally through Tweed and Kyogle Shire national parks, state forests, World Heritage areas, nature conservation areas, major koala colonies, core koala habitats and habitat where over 12 nationally-threatened species live. In September 2008, the Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett dubbed the area as the ‘Green Cauldron’, one of 8 national iconic landscapes.

On 27th August, 2009, in Milne v. Rally Australia Pty Ltd, Federal Court Justice Stone was assigned to hear the case in Sydney for 3 hours. The Judge had only just received the last of the reports an hour before the hearing and admitted she had not had time to read all the material.

Fastest case in the history of Tweed Shire?

“It was the fastest case in the history of Tweed Shire. The Judge was able to somehow determine the case in about 10 mins flat after we began," commented Cr Milne. "We didn’t even have a chance for all the issues to be heard. The rally has assigned 600 police for 5 days including training, but they couldn’t even assign a Judge for a proper full day trial to hear all the evidence."

For MPs who voted FOR this awful bill, click here

NSW Bill to override local democracy and to privilege private business and protect Ministers from legal challenge

The following is from a speech to the Legislative Council of the NSW parliament by the Reverend Dr Gordon Moyes [1]. (Headings and new punctuation have been added by a Candobetter editor):

The Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 is a bill for an Act to facilitate the conduct of the international motor sport known as the World Rally Championship. Clauses 13, 14 and 15 override the Local Government Act 1993, the Forestry Act 1916, and the Water Management Act 2000 by allowing the Motor Sports (World Rally Championship) Bill 2009 to authorise people to take actions that are expressly not permitted by those Acts. Clause 20 protects the exercise of certain functions of the Minister, or any delegate of the Minister, or a public authority, from challenge or review before a court or administrative review body, or from being restrained, removed or otherwise affected by any proceedings.

Candobetter Ed. Record of debate, remarks and conduct below has been edited, for instance, headings have been inserted to highlight parts, and some repetitive items have been left out, as indicated by square brackets. The source of the entire document may be accessed in its original form here http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/hanstrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LC20090623:

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Tuesday 23 June 2009
[...]
__________

MOTOR SPORTS (WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP) BILL 2009
Second Reading

Debate resumed from 17 June 2009.

government source at biodiversity site

Sustained protest delays nasty political act

Sustained protests from Australians who are horrified at the cold-blooded policies pushed by the NSW Cabinet seem to have had an effect for the moment. It is believed that public reaction to this bill has put the wind up members in marginal seats. The proposal has the obvious 'pay-off' for a cash-strapped spendthrift government of pushing through another unpopular privatisation - this time of a state lottery.

"A decision was deferred until further talks could be held with the Shooters. The Opposition, the Greens and environmental groups oppose the bill and the Government had been accused of supporting it because it relied on the Shooters Party for critical support [to sell off a state lottery] in the upper house."Source:The Sydney Morning Herald

NSW Premier Rees is set to pass into law a 'Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Bill 2009' to permit recreational hunters shooting everything and anything in protected National Parks across NSW including native wildlife.

Controlling feral animals is a science, not a sport. Rees' passion for sport is compromised by influential cronies and naivety. Problem is, Rees has no knowledge, experience in or aptitude for science. His inaugural 'red hot go' says it all and threatens to be his legacy.

The enabling legislataion foreshadowed on 29 May by NSW State development Minister Ian Macdonald has been introduced to parliament. The legislation is even more draconian than we had feared. It gives the rally organisers the right to do whatever they want in National Parks, State Forests and Crown Land Reserves! It gives the organisers an "out" if they don't want to effect repairs to roads or property damaged during the rally. All they have to do is claim that the damage was caused by "vandals" or "protesters". Then the legislation lets them off the hook. Have a look at the proposed legislation in the attachment. It is scary. In his "second reading speech" the Minister admits it is based on recent legislation to enable the V8 Supercares in Olympic Park and World Youth Day. What you can do: Contact NSW Members of Parliament and Members of the Upper House (Legislative Council) and encourage them to vote against the legislation. Our local member for Tweed has announced he will be voting against the bill.

Dr Gordon Moyes, a member of the NSW Legislative Council describes the environmental, social and economic harm that will result if the NSW Government proceeds with its plan to convert the Sydney Olympic Park into a V8 Racing area against the wishes of local residents. Nathan Rees, the Premier of NSW, who has a personal fetish for the ecologically destructive sport of motor racing, is also threatening to impose the World Rally motor race on the Kyogle and Tweed Shires, also against the wishes of local residents.

See also: "Repco Rally... driven by Rees' selfish 'Red Hot Go!'" of 18 May 09.

The Sydney Olympic Park is a wonderful development of which the citizens of Sydney and the whole state are justly proud. It is a jewel in the New South Wales crown, and it took a lot of time and tax dollars, very careful design for the creation of a green and sustainable site, and effective implementation to bring to life the dream of so many.

The NSW state government has taken the decision about planning approval for the proposed Repco Rally Australia leg of the World Rally Championships away from local councils by announcing that it would prepare special events legislation to ensure the rally goes ahead despite growing local opposition.

In a sign of growing desperation the Minister for State Development, Ian MacDonald, made the announcement on Friday.

Local residents are outraged and appalled! The fact that the announcement was made the day after a well supported protest rally was held in Murwillumbah to oppose the rally was a real slap in the face for locals residents.

It demonstrates yet again that this government is not interested in listening to the views of locals, preferring instead to listen to the assurances of "flim flam men".

At the same time that the state government is ripping the guts out of local health and transport infrastucture it can find up to $8 million to support a bash and crash rally though National Parks and rural gravel roads.

The Minister calims that “The legislation will permit the Government to impose environmental protection measures to manage any temporary impacts on affected local areas.” This begs the question ... Upon what evidence will the imposed conditions be based? Will the government undertake its own environmental studies? Because the studies undertaken on behalf of the organisers are seriously lacking!!!

FEARS that the NSW Government is about to override council planning powers to approve the world championship car rally heightened yesterday as hundreds of protesters marched against the event.

At the same time concerns were raised that if the rally was approved, future
protest actions could disrupt it as objectors took matters into their own
hands.

Police escorted about 300 protesters, some in cardboard mock-ups of rally cars and some dressed as koalas, wallabies or other animals which they said would be put at risk by rally cars on rural roads, through Murwillumbah.

...

Outside the Tweed Shire Council chambers anti-rally speakers addressed the
crowd on environmental and other concerns.

Byron-based NSW Greens Party Upper House member Ian Cohen said he was worried the government could override council planning powers to approve the event which it has promised the help fund.

...

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Developer reveals last minute meeting with Planning Minister and Council bastardry condemns Western Sydney Woodland at ADI Site.

These sites and sounds files reveal just how important and beautiful this site is. Anyone should be able to see that not to preserve it is to defile traditional Australian values as well as environmental integrity.

Residents shocked as their democracy trashed for development

Concerned residents sat in amazement last night as Penrith Council voted to condemn hundreds of hectares of Cumberland Plain Woodland which NSW Scientists claim is verging on extinction. Council voted 14/15 to enter into a Planning Agreement with developer Delfin Lend Lease to build 3500 houses and clear approx 300 ha of Cumberland Plain Woodland from the ADI Site.

Penrith Council had recently exhibited Delfins Western and Central Precinct Plans as well as the Planning Agreement. Concurrently the Planning Minister had exhibited amendments to the zoning plan for the ADI site allowing the public to call for radical changes to the development.

The following was adapted from Green's MLC Lee Rhiannon's media release "World Youth Day cost blowout: independent review needed" of 26 Nov 08 - JS

Those who have accepted the necessity of the current fire sale of NSW government assets included in the recent "slash and burn" budget, which is taking that state into recession, may be amazed to learn of the staggering cost blow-out of the World Youth Day celebrations held in Sydney from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July 2008.

The NSW Auditor-General's report released on 26 November reported that the cost to NSW taxpayers increased from an initial estimate of AU$20million (all amounts in Australian dollars) to its final cost of over $120 million. In addition, the Federal Government contributed $20.5 million bringing the total cost to Australian taxpayers to over $140 million. As some costs incurred by NSW Government agencies may be unobtainable, the full cost to taxpayers may never be known. For its part, the Catholic Church contributed only $10 million to meeting the costs of the event.

See also "Treasurer talks tax rises, job cuts" in SMH of 13 Oct 08, "Tax hike risk if NSW remains in the red" in the Australian of 12 Oct 08.

NSW Greens Media Release: 14 October 2008

The reliability of the companies behind the state's AAA credit rating has been called into question before a NSW Legislative Council budget estimates committee today.

Standard and Poor's and Moody's have been heavily implicated in the subprime mortgage crisis, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: "They rated many Collateralised Debt Obligations based on highly unreliable mortgages as AAA.

"NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal is relying on Standard and Poor's and Moody's to justify a slash and burn mini-budget despite their fingerprints being all over the current global financial meltdown.

"Treasurer Roozendaal laughed off concern about Standard and Poor's and Moody's track record with Iceland and the CDOs.

"A fortnight ago Moody's rated Iceland Aa1.

The report, 'Sydney bursting at the Seams' in today's Herald says it all. "Population growth in such areas will be a big test for the city's future infrastructure needs. A soaring immigration rate means Sydney will need to squeeze in a third more houses and flats by 2031 than was estimated only three years ago. The city's flagging infrastructure is already struggling to cope with population pressures. But falling tax revenue had left the Government little choice but to slash spending, Mr Rees said." "On the same day that it emerged Sydney will need almost 900,000 extra homes by 2031 - a third more than estimated three years ago - Mr Rees told a news conference: "Governments can boast about capital works programs extending out five, 10, 15 years. But essentially what you're boasting about is the level of debt you have." So there you have it people, the choice is yours (or rather, the NSW government's, since you most surely WON'T be asked..) . crumbling infrastructure and declining quality of life and/or . higher taxes and charges and/or . increased state debt. And why? To support a record immigration program that's based on the flimsiest of excuses since GWB attacked Iraq. The so-called 'skills crisis'.