The lady in this case is The Australian. The Fart of the Nation has come out all defensive. This is a reaction, apparently, to being called for bias in recent reporting about the Greens. It's nothing new, of course. The Australian has to be the most openly biased newspaper in the country. I don't have a problem with bias; it's the prerogative of the editor. I do have an issue, however with hypocrisy, and the paper's reaction is both hysterical and hypocritical. The Australian's habit of grinding away at the same issue ad nauseam after a time resembles the print equivalent of a bunch of soccer fans blowing vuvuzelas. The result is weariness and boredom on the part of the reader and loss of valuable column space which could be used to convey something representing news. It is called a newspaper, I understand. People blowing vuvuzelas have the excuse of spontaneity. There is nothing spontaneous about the Oz's editorialising - it's orchestrated to the nth degree. But even in their day to day compilation of news and opinion, the bias is still there. It's more haphazard, of course, when compared with the orchestrated anti-Labor bias of the last campaign, but it's starkly obvious. Take today's home page, for example. I counted 20 story headings. Anti-government (or anti-Labor) sentiment is expressed in every story, with the exception of the football piece and Lomborg's article. It's almost as if this is a requirement of publication Stutchbury - Despite the heading about Abbott's populism, he's having a go at the government. Hendrickx - Looks like a dig at the ABC, for sloppy reporting, but the flavour is denial. Savva - Again, looks superficially like she's having a go at Abbott, but the content smears the ALP. Rodan - An extract - "one could be forgiven for concluding that government views international education as a liability" Callick - An extract - "Not that Canberra appears to have noticed" when describing trends in trade. Shanahan - It's difficult to show bias in reporting a poll, but he goes close. Smith - Irrelevant - It's about aerial ping-pong after all. The cut and paste is a very good example of variations on a theme. The theme is criticism of anyone who dares to disagree with the Oz's editorial position, and an attempt to smear the ABC. Lomborg - The exception that proves the rule. The only piece on this page worth a read. Guess what - it contains no smears. There's a connection there somewhere. Hewett - Synopsis - The government is responsible for Telstra's shares going South. I could go on. I won't. The pattern is clear. The bias in the Oz is built-in. It's embedded as a requirement placed on contributors by editorial policy. It's remarkably clear and consistent
One of the problems associated with living in a relatively small city is that there are a limited number of places in which to remain anonymous.
Anonymity matters to me inasmuch as I have a family who may suffer from my strong on-line opinions. It's not fair that they should be effected by this, hence my tag and my efforts to remain in the shadows. I have, under my tag, been threatened with all sorts of things, principally by the nutjobs on A Western Heart. Don't go there.
Anyhow, I went out this morning to transact some minor business at my bank which is located in one of the large shopping centres. It was obviously the morning when the kids from the local special school were doing their Skills for Living training.
This involves being given a shopping list and a defined amount of money, and assigned to the task of purchasing these items. It's a good programme, designed to equip them for independent living when they leave school.
Their supervisors (Teachers and Teacher Aides) hover about, trying to remain as much as possible in the background, at the same time making sure they're safe and out of trouble. Some of these kids have severe autism, so supervision is necessary.
This is all OK, except that these are all kids who were attending my school five years ago when I "retired" and they all remember me. Unfortunately for me, I don't remember their names as well as they remember mine. So I get claimed loudly every time, and then have to stammer my way through a conversation without using their names. Sometimes, they're wearing backpacks with names on and that helps. They usually great me loudly, with great enthusiasm, and everyone within ten metres is well and truly aware of the situation.
Anyway, they're great kids, and I guess I should be pleased that they remember me well. It's just a bit embarrassing.
Now that the decisions are made, and those that aren't happy are directing streams of abuse at Oakshott and Windsor, it's timely to look at what Bob Katter was knocked back on in terms of his demands for support for voting for the government.
This list has been overshadowed by the white noise created by the outcome, albeit delayed, of the election.
It's worth noting that this isn't the first time we've had a government that doesn't enjoy majority voter support. The hue and cry about this indicates many of the commentators responsible have forgotten (if they ever knew) how our parliamentary system works.
Anyway, here's Bob's list -
1. Creation of a National Energy Grid facilitating resource development, the decentralisation of population and clean energy resources.
2. The removal of the tax on Australian-produced bio-fuels and the introduction of a statutory 10 per cent bio-fuel (ethanol) content in all petrol rising to 22 per cent (as in Brazil).
3. Address the two chain oligopoly in the Australian food retailing sector. The option of divestment (a maximum market share for any chain of 22.5 per cent only) and/or a maximum mark-up of 100 per cent between the farm gate/factory price and the retail price.
4. No carbon tax. No emissions trading scheme.
5. No mining tax.
6. Return of recreational freedoms to traditional pursuits of fishing, camping and outdoor sports and activities. This includes the removal of the Wild Rivers Legislation.
7. Provision of title deeds providing ownership of homes, businesses and farms … to indigenous communities.
8. Legislation to ensure that the constitutional right to full compensation for the taking of property by government be extended also to the taking of any property “rights” by government [such as land-clearing by farmers].
9. Commitment to the use of some part of the Future Fund for the creation of a national development corporation for major infrastructure and strategically important industries.
10. Restoration of collective bargaining rights to Australian farmers. Where a majority of farmers in an industry request collective bargaining arrangements, they be provided.
11. Rural and country hospitals and dental services will be placed under the control of a restored local hospital board and that funding be delivered from Canberra directly to these hospital boards.
12. Agreement that where a food or plant import licence has not been approved, approval can only be granted when the country of origin can establish that is has no endemic diseases that can be imported into Australia.
13. The utilisation of 3 per cent of northern Australia's abundance of water to enable irrigation for small areas of agricultural land sufficient to guarantee a healthy growth in Australia's agricultural sector and to provide food security for our people.
14. Establish a taskforce to secure action to provide: all-weather anchorage roughly every 30 km; … micro resource development at five towns in the QueenslandGulf and Mid-West; … a port to service the southern Gulf of Carpentaria; upgrading the McEwen highway.
15. Government-provided solar hot water systems and/or other measures to reduce the money problems on our older generation caused by rapidly escalating costs for rates, electricity, insurances, car registration and other similar charges, which, increasingly, they are unable to meet.
16. Equal rates of government-funded parental assistance for working mothers and stay-at-home mums as well.
17. An agreement that the Commonwealth meet with the Queensland Government and secure relaxation of restrictions on land sub-division and boundary realignment prohibitions.
18. Address the unfair and artificially high value of the Australian dollar, on which upward pressure is placed by interest rates that are out of step with international benchmarks.
19. Introduce an open, public registry of foreign ownership of farm land, housing, public and private corporations and re-examine the thresholds on foreign ownership requiring FIRB approval.
20. A review of zone allowances for remote areas. Tax should be levied on “real" purchasing power, not monetary purchasing power, as $100 buys a lot less goods and services in Cloncurry than it does in Brisbane.
After forty years of working in the bush, I can see where he's coming from.
The first three points would benefit many, and disadvantage only the vested interests involved in the retail and oil monopolies. This is, of course, why they won't ever be implemented - the big end of town has too much influence on both sides of politics.
Points 4 and 5 obviously weren't acceptable to Labor. It's worth noting that Katter makes reference to global warming in points 1 and 2 and 15 which indicate that he is not a denier. There is a logical inconsistency here. I wonder if a bit more negotiation may have changed this. We'll never know. The mining tax issue is the one exception to Katter's preparedness to take on the big end of town.
Points 6, 7 and 8 are very clear reflections of need in his electorate. Point 9 makes a lot of sense to me, and I'm sure to many rural and regional Australians. Point 10 has its origin in Katter's Labor roots in its use of language. The point (11) about rural hospitals again reflects what he's seen in his electorate. My understanding is that Mt Isa is the only place in Kennedy where a mother can give birth. This situation is not unique to Kennedy, of course, but given the size of the electorate it is a major issue for families, and indicative of the running down of basic health services in the west.
Point 12 sounds like common sense, but again there are enormous vested interests ranged against it. Points 13 and 14 are Bob's very own initiatives, again driven by what he hears from his constituents. Point 15 again sounds like common sense, and would not be fiendishly expensive. Point 16 needs more detail but sounds like a great initiative. 17 and 18 are both issues that Bob has been on about for years, and are again driven by his rural constituency. His chances of getting anywhere with the dollar issue are nil given the influence of the big end of town.
Point 19 is long overdue, but again there is too much international financial muscle ranged against it. These people don't recognise national boundaries.
It's about time the taxation system was harnessed to provide equity for individuals and corporations in the bush. Given the services lacking in many remote and rural areas many of these people shouldn't be paying tax at all.
Good on you Bob. Keep pushing these points. You still have the power to influence.
And a brief message to the pollies and pundits who are screaming about the result. You have short memories.
John Howard had no compunction about taking power from Kim Beazley in 1998 when he received fewer votes on a two-party preferred basis.
As my daughter and I were waiting to board our Adelaide-Brisbane flight on Sunday, I went to order a coffee.
Next to me in the queue was a bloke about my age wearing a Vietnam Veteran's Association of Australia T-shirt. We got to talking over the coffee.
He was in a Sigs unit, at the same time I was in country, and spent pretty much all of his time in the Dat.
He showed me his TPI Gold Card, and explained that he'd been injured in an accident during his tour, and his back was shot.
We were heading for different aircraft, so we wished each other well and I boarded the Embraer 190 that was taking us to Brisbane.
The flight lasted about two hours, so I had time to ponder two things.
I've met heaps of Vietnam veterans over the years, and anecdotally, the majority seem to be TPI. Again, anecdotally, there doesn't seem to be a connection between this and the corps in which they served. Naively, perhaps, I'd always assumed that ex-infantry people would be more likely to be incapacitated by their service. I'd like to see some statistics on this.
I'm also reminded that I've been lucky. Most of the blokes surviving from my old rifle section are also TPI, but I'm still able to earn a living.
Must be my parents' sturdy genes…..
The other thing that I found interesting was that I was a passenger in an aircraft manufactured by a Brazilian firm. Given the economic and geographical similarities between Brazil and Australia, I wondered why we don't have a viable aero industry.
They're a comfortable aircraft, although lacking many of the in-flight entertainment fripperies you find on a Boeing. There is actually more leg room, despite the narrower fuselage, as you sit two plus two.
It was good to get home, although I had to face up to Roma-Quilpie-Thargomindah- St George on Tuesday. This meant that in the last two weeks I'd driven 4000kms and flown 1600.
I say "wafted" because that's the word which best describes the progress of this Camry. It tends to filter out any serious engagement between driver and road.
It's not a car that I could live with, but then, I don't have to. I'll jump on the plane tomorrow to be reunited with my MX5 - a complete contrast.It's done what I'd hoped it would do - to get us to the bottom of the country without drama, and cheaply.
It averaged 8.24 lit/100km, used no oil, and kept us warm and comfortable through some pretty nasty conditions.
Today is recovery day, and about showing daughter as much of the city of churches as we can get to in one day. This will have to wait until she gets up, of course.
I must be weird - I seem to be energised by big road trips,whereas members of my family tend to collapse in a heap.
Maybe it has something to do with the way I drive?
I don't understand how people can live in this part of the world.
Having said that, it's probably the wrong time of the year to be travelling south, and apparently this cold snap was unusual.
It's been bloody freezing, and when it wasn't freezing,it was wet. In Queensland, especially North Queensland, being outdoors in the rain can be pleasant, but here, it reminds me of the line in the poem - "And if misery man could vex There it beat on our bended necks"
Enough whingeing - this is supposed to be about the car.
The car's been great. In fact, the colder it became, the better it seemed to perform. The heater works very well.
The sun came out at Hay, and it looks like tomorrow will be sunny.
But today, the wind felt as if it had come straight from the Antarctic.
We set off (number one daughter and I) this morning on the delivery trip (delivering a fifteen year old Camry to my son in Adelaide).
Trusting a car as old as this one with such a journey is probably ill-advised, but I'm a platinum RACQ member, so if the thing runs out of smoke, at least I'm not going to be up the proverbial creek etc.
I'd fixed up a few obvious issues - new radiator, cleaning system overhaul and new timing belt. There was no record that the original had been replaced as recommended by Toyota at 100000km, so I took no chances. I've heard that the 2.2lit four powering this one isn't an "interference" motor, but even so, a belt letting go is not good. It had a small oil leak from the timing cover gasket, so this was fixed with the new belt.
A new set of front tyres and a wheel alignment and balance made it sweeter to drive. Even with this spend, the car still cost $1000 less than the original ask.
We made Dubbo at about 4pm as planned with no dramas at all. Everything works as per handbook (air, heater/demister, cup holders - which pleased my daughter) and whilst it's about the most boring car I've ever driven, it's actually not a bad tool for a trip like this.
Even though it's a four, it cruises at about 2200rpm almost noiselessly. The seats are basic, but I climbed out of it at the end of the day as fresh as a daisy. The air is great and better than many of the much newer fleet vehicles I drive. Toyotas are generally characterised in my experience with dull efficiency. Going on today's performance, I'd add durability to that. The other surprise was that it's returning about 8lit per 100km, which is a virtue given what I paid at Moree for unleaded.
