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There is NOTHING about her appearance that is Aboriginal. But she apparently has some remote Aboriginal ancestry. So what? Two of my remote ancestors were convicts. Does that make me a criminal? Remote ancestry is irrelevant
He actual ancestry is obviously from the British Isles overwhelmingly. She would have a much stronger and more realistic claim by saying she is British
An Indigenous influencer has hit back at internet trolls accusing her of pretending to be Aboriginal because of her light skin and blue eyes - saying 'it doesn't matter how much milk you put in coffee, it's always going to be coffee'.
Kate Maree Cooper, a 22-year-old TikTok star from central New South Wales, posted a scathing reply to people questioning her heritage on social media on Thursday morning.
She responded to a comment after a user accused her of 'thinking she's Indigenous... but just isn't', saying it was unjustified and hurtful.
'It's not ok, I identify as an Aboriginal woman,' she said.
Kate, who has amassed nearly 370,000 followers on TikTok, said she's a proud member of the Wirdajuri mob, Indigenous Australians from central NSW.
She regularly posts content referring to her Aboriginal roots, and says her appearance shouldn't take away from her traditions.
'Just because I have fairer skin, blue eyes and dye my hair blonde, doesn't take away that I'm Aboriginal,' she said.
Old Parliament House has suffered 'incalculable damage' after a fire ripped through the entrance to the historic landmark, with Scott Morrison branding the destruction 'disgusting' and 'appalling'.
Within hours of the building going up in flames on Thursday, Greens senator Lidia Thorpe posted a tweet - which was hastily deleted - remarking 'the colonial system is burning down'.
She was quickly slammed for the post, in which she appeared to celebrate the destruction and told followers 'Happy New Year everyone'.
The entrance to the building was engulfed in flames after a smoking ceremony demanding Aboriginal Sovereignty in Canberra grew out of control - with some claiming it was spread intentionally.
Emergency crews arrived to douse the flames, but not before the fire had caused extensive damage to its heritage doors, the portico and the building's exterior.
Demonstrators were heard shouting 'let it burn', amid a tense stand-off with police who used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
The smoking ceremony, which was approved by authorities as part of a protest, was to blame for the blaze while police begin to investigate how the chaos escalated.
ANZ bank’s climate policies stand up to scrutiny after activist attack
A bid by Friends of the Earth and three bushfire victims to have ANZ censured over its climate change disclosures and actions has failed, with a determination handed down that the bank’s actions are consistent with international guidelines.
In early 2020, Friends of the Earth and Jack Egan, Joanna Dodds and Patrick Simons lodged a complaint with the Australian National Contact Point (ANCP) – a government office responsible for promoting adherence to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
The complaint alleged “aspects of ANZ’s disclosures, target-setting and scenario analysis’’ breached the OECD’s guidelines, and that it had failed to be fully transparent about its “indirect emissions”, or those it contributes to by financing the fossil fuel industry.
Following a failed mediation on the issue, an examiner looked at the bank’s disclosure practices, and had found that while there is ambiguity in the guidelines, ANZ had been “undertaking actions and conduct consistent with (them)’’.
At the time the complaint was lodged, Mr Egan, who on New year’s Eve 2019 lost his home at North Rosedale, south of Bateman’s Bay in NSW to a bushfire, said holding large corporations to account on climate change was deeply personal.
“I saw our front deck catch on fire … the flames of the deck were licking into the window spaces and around the doors,” he said.
While he acknowledged Australia had always had droughts and bushfires, he said he was convinced global warming played a role in the severity of the drought and the fierceness of the blazes.
“Many scientists are saying this is well-predicted and it’s a consequence of the global heating,” he said.
The complaint was based on a similar one brought by Friends of the Earth Netherlands against ING Bank, which it said resulted in the bank committing to stronger climate action.
Friends of the Earth said at the time ANZ “remains the biggest financier of fossil fuels among the big four Australian banks, and it has neglected a number of opportunities to improve its direct and indirect environmental impact’’.
“ANZ’s lack of full disclosure about its climate change impacts prevents consumers from making informed decisions about whether or not to engage with the bank,’’ the complaint said.
The determination from the ANCP said the guidelines themselves did not mention climate change, and greenhouse gas emissions featured in only two paragraphs, which said organisations should seek to improve the environmental performance of themselves and their supply chain, and also “encourage” broad disclosure practices in areas where reporting standards are still evolving.
“There is limited explicit direction about climate change in the guidelines,’’ the determination says.
“There is, however, potential relevance from the guidelines’ statement that an enterprise’s environmental management system should include ‘where appropriate, targets … consistent with relevant national policies and international environmental commitments’.’’
It was recognised in the determination that climate change reporting was evolving in Australia, with the ASX, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission addressing the corporate management of climate risk.
Suspected fraud cases prompt calls for research integrity watchdog
Australia’s top scientists have called for a research integrity watchdog to oversee investigations into allegations of research misconduct at publicly funded institutions, declaring the age of self-regulation is over.
The Australian Academy of Science is in discussions with the government over its proposal for a national oversight body to work with any institution that has used public funds to conduct research, including universities, think tanks and the private sector, following a spate of academic research scandals.
It would have statutory authority to handle allegations of serious research misconduct such as fabrication, falsification and plagiarism, leaving issues that fell below that threshold to the governing institutions, and hear appeals if the institutions were deemed not to have dealt with matters fairly or in a timely manner.
The academy’s secretary of science policy, Ian Chubb, a former chief scientist and vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, said he was not suggesting universities were in the business of concealing research misconduct, but the rising number of Inspectors-General and Ombudsmen reflected a general distrust for self-regulation and growing support for independent oversight.
“The era of self-regulation is further in the past than you might like to believe,” Professor Chubb said. “We’re proposing that there be an Australian system for investigating research misconduct that has some real substance to it.”
The academy has engaged Universities Australia, which represents Australia’s 39 universities and has given in principle support to the proposal.
“Universities Australia is actively interested in how the quality and integrity of Australian research can be secured and improved,” chief executive Catriona Jackson said.
Australia and New Zealand are unusual among Western nations for not having an office of research integrity, a version of which exists in the UK, Japan, China, Canada, the United States and 23 European countries.
The proposal for a national oversight body follows a string of allegations regarding image manipulation in scientific papers that have embroiled UNSW, the University of Sydney and Macquarie University and the referral of one of Australia’s top cancer scientists to Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission.
But scientists have been trying to promote an office of research integrity for years. In late 2017, it was discussed at a meeting that involved representatives from the Australia Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Chief Scientist and the office of Health Minister Greg Hunt. People with close knowledge of the meeting said although major research bodies supported the proposal, it was actively opposed by Universities Australia and later shelved.
Professor Chubb said the current model was developed after fellows of the academy raised the issue in May last year. Cases would have to be triaged so the office would only handle the most serious matters, and it was expected to cost around $5 million, though it was uncertain how many cases would emerge.
Among those who raised their concerns was University of Melbourne scientist Peter Brooks, who was commissioned by UNSW in 2013 to investigate a complaint of research misconduct against a senior researcher.
“The terms of reference were incredibly tight, so we couldn’t deviate from those,” Professor Brooks said.
Professor Brooks concluded the professor had committed misdemeanours that fell short of research misconduct, but unearthed other issues during his investigation that the university chose to refer to separate committees, none of which were allowed to make findings about a pattern of behaviour.
“It was a very, very disappointing and unfortunate situation,” Professor Brooks said.
Each of the five committees cleared the professor of research misconduct, finding the breaches were the result of genuine error or honest oversight. UNSW said in a statement the findings were later considered together by a further external independent panel and still found not to constitute research misconduct.
Professor Brooks, who has conducted several investigations into academic misconduct, said the tertiary education system was so reliant on overseas students and research funding that universities could ill afford to lose senior researchers.
At the same time, there were financial and career incentives to researchers who publish prolifically or publish in journals that are classified as high impact. This created conditions for academics to perform sloppy or even fraudulent research. Other scientists then read the papers and spend years trying to reproduce the experiments or develop them further.
“The opportunity costs are enormous because that costs money that could have been used for legitimate research,” Professor Brooks said. “And often they’ve been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, so it’s a really serious issue
Queensland Covid cases surge to 1,589 with 80 per cent of them Omicron but NONE in ICU - as rapid antigen tests are allowed for visitors
Queensland has recorded 1,589 new cases of Covid but only eight patients are in hospital and none in the ICU.
Another 93 people in hospital who tested positive to the virus are hospitalised, but they being treated for unrelated health conditions.
Chief health officer John Gerrard said 80 per cent of the 6,368 active cases in the state were the Omicron variant, and it appeared to be more dominant in Queensland than other states.
'Case numbers are going to rise very rapidly in the next few weeks,' he said.
'It has a downside in that it's much more contagious than Delta but on the good side it does appear to be a milder disease, particularly for those who are vaccinated.'
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was notably absent from Wednesday's Covid update press conference as Police Minister Mark Ryan fronted the media alongside Dr Gerrard and Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.
She announced earlier that the state would drop its requirement of a PCR test for entry from January 1, in the face of pressure from other states.
Mr Ryan said that from today, those who wished to come into Queensland within the next 72 hours would therefore be able to use a rapid antigen test as a valid test to enter the state.
The move will immediately relieve pressure on testing queues in NSW and Victoria.
No test will be required after Queensland reaches 90 per cent of its 16 years and over population with two doses of a Covid vaccine. The state currently sits at 86.14 per cent of people doubled dosed.
Australian company that can make MILLIONS of rapid antigen tests a year is tied up in red tape while the country cries out for an alternative to hours-long PCR queues
An Australian company that can produce millions of Covid-19 rapid antigen tests can do nothing to help the country's testing crisis due to red tape.
Brisbane biotechnology company AnteoTech3 has developed its own 15-minute test that is already regularly used in the US and Europe.
But the Therapeutic Goods Administration is yet to give the company the green light to sell its kits in Australia.
With thousands of Australians queueing up all day to get a PCR test, only to then wait up to another five days for results, chief executive Derek Thomson said the red tape was adding to the delays.
'We've always said that rapid testing has a place to be used to control the pandemic and now we're seeing that play out,' he told the Courier Mail.
The nasal swabs tests are more than 97 per cent accurate, Mr Thomson said, and are done by a health professional and not at home.
'We believe governments should use rapid tests instead of PCR tests for screening of people who are wanting to travel as they do in Europe,' he added.
'There's too much stress on the PCR testing system in all Australian states and it's really not necessary to go to the full extent of doing a PCR test when you've got rapid tests readily available now.'
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk backflipped on her demand for PCR tests from interstate travellers on Wednesday morning.
Those entering the Sunshine State from hotspots can from January 1 provide a negative rapid antigen test instead of having to queue all day for a PCR result.
But rapid tests are hard to come by with the kits flying off pharmacy shelves.
Pharmacy Guild Australia President Professor Trent Twomey said there would be 'scattered supply shortages' of RATs until January 15, before stores would then be 'awash' with testing kits.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said she was 'sure' the federal government was speaking to the TGA about approving different rapid tests.
'We absolutely want to see Queensland businesses be able to produce and provide them in Queensland but it has to be approved - it has to meet our standards and that is up to the TGA whether it does that or not,' she said.
As the world continues to push towards net zero emissions, more large-scale solar farms will be built in Australia.
But why are they being built on productive agricultural land and are how credible are claims about toxic contamination?
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) is forecasting a massive increase in the number of solar panels in the short term.
The amount of solar power installed in Australia has doubled in the past three to four years, and the CEC is forecasting it will double again in the next couple of years.
Concern is global
Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Program, said solar panels were adding significantly to the world's non-recycled waste mountain.
"But it also poses a growing threat to human health and the environment due to the hazardous elements it contains," Mr Steiner said.
Australia is adding to that mountain by sending 40,000 old panels a year in containers to markets in developing countries.
While that trade provides cheap panels for poorer nations, the UN is concerned that many of them will end up in landfill overseas.
The vast majority of solar panels are made of thin silicon wafers using refined silicon dioxide.
It is the same chemical compound as sand, which is used in making glass, so it is harmless.
The solar cells are connected by thin strips of tin and copper which is sealed and protected under glass.
Almost all of the materials can be recycled and there are several new plants in development that will be able to turn old panels into reusable materials.
There are, however, a small number of panels that were made in the past using cadmium, which is highly toxic and associated with serious health problems.
Some panels are also made with nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a gas that is associated with global warming.
A South Korean study from 2020 raised concerns about contamination from solar panels that are "released into the environment during their disposal or following damage, such as that from natural disasters."
The United States wants to address the problem as well, with a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory from March 2021 pointing to a lack of incentives for recycling companies and confusing and conflicting state regulations.
Are solar farms taking over productive farm land?
The NSW government has set up five renewable energy zones in regional areas where it is promoting the development of solar farms close to large populations and the existing electricity grid.
That means productive farming land is sometimes used to build large-scale solar plants, and farmer Bianca Schultz right is in the firing line.
She owns a property next door to the proposed Walla Walla site in the Riverina in south-west NSW, while the Culcairn project borders her other boundary.
"There's been talk of heat island effects and heavy metal leachate, [while] the visual impact is a large concern for us being directly across the road," she said.
Ms Schultz said the property was used in the past for grazing livestock, making hay, and cropping. She thinks that turning it into an industrial-scale solar plant with just a few employees for maintenance will negatively affect the local economy.
"The on-flow effect on the transport companies, the grain merchants, the rural merchants; it's taking away a lot from our community," she said.
A former Queensland councillor exonerated of fraud has spoken out against the Crime and Corruption Commission after being asked to act as a witness in a separate trial
Trevina Schwarz, a former Logan City councillor, was one of eight councillors to lose their jobs after fraud charges were laid in 2019.
Earlier this year, the councillors were cleared of all charges, prompting the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee, the governing watchdog of the CCC, to examine what went wrong.
Ms Schwarz said she was relieved the charges had been dropped, but the damage to her career and reputation had already been done. "My family and I were so excited for this Christmas, this was to be our first Christmas of many to have this cloud lifted from upon us," she said.
"I'm a person of high integrity and to be charged with the scandalous charge of fraud … I was extremely shameful of something I didn't do."
Last week, Ms Schwarz said she was contacted by the CCC and asked to act as witness in next year's trial of former Logan City Council mayor Luke Smith.
Mr Smith is being accused of corruption and perjury after allegedly accepting a power boat from a political donor to progress the development approval of a hotel.
Ms Schwartz was contacted by the CCC as a potential witness.
"I believe it's highly inappropriate and potentially a conflict for a staff member of the CCC, particularly one that was involved in our case and in the parliamentary inquiry, to be contacting us," Ms Schwarz said.
The Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee has called for a Royal Commission into the CCC and the resignation of chair Alan MacSporran.
‘Her views no longer aligned’: Anglicans defend sacking of gay teacher
The Anglican Church has defended the sacking of a gay Sydney schoolteacher this year, saying she was not terminated because of her sexuality but because she believes Christians should be able to enter same-sex relationships.
Steph Lentz was lawfully sacked in January from Covenant Christian School in Belrose, in Sydney’s north-east, after telling the school the previous year she was a lesbian – as first reported by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in August.
In a submission last week to a parliamentary inquiry on the federal government’s Religious Discrimination Bill, the Sydney Anglican Diocese used Ms Lentz’s subsequent public remarks to justify her removal from the school.
It quoted two opinion pieces she wrote for the Herald and The Age in which she said she was sacked “because of my belief that a person can be a Christian and be gay” and acknowledged “in relation to sexuality, the school’s statement of belief and my view do not align”.
The submission’s author, the Right Reverend Michael Stead, who chairs the Anglican Diocese of Sydney’s religious freedom reference group, argued Ms Lentz was not “sacked for being gay”, and called that interpretation a “sensationalist headline”.
“Correctly understood, the teacher’s sexuality is not the key issue in this case,” he wrote.
“A heterosexual teacher who held the same theological views on sexuality and relationships, and therefore was unable to sign the statement of belief, would also have had his or her employment terminated. Conversely, there are those in the LGBTIQ+ community who self-identify as ‘celibate gay Christians’ who would be able to sign the school’s statement of belief.”
Ms Lentz is Anglican, but Covenant Christian School is non-denominational and has no connection to the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Rev Stead said he commented on her case because it had recently received media attention.
“Ms Lentz has changed her religious beliefs, and (as she herself acknowledges) her beliefs were no longer consistent with beliefs of the school. So the issue was not about her same-sex attraction but her inability to sign the school’s statement of belief, and to teach that from a place of personal conviction,” Rev Stead told the Herald and The Age on Tuesday.
“Where a religious body has clearly set out its core doctrines in a statement of belief that is available to employees and prospective employees, it is entirely reasonable that the body should be able to require employees to endorse those beliefs.”
Ms Lentz said the statement of belief she signed did not contain any doctrine on homosexuality. She agreed a heterosexual teacher who was unable to sign up to the school’s views on sexuality was liable to be dismissed – as allegedly occurred with Victorian teacher Rachel Colvin in 2019 – but said that was “no less problematic in my view”.
Existing provisions that allow religious schools to sack or expel LGBTIQ teachers and students are not dealt with by the Religious Discrimination Bill, and have been referred for a separate legal inquiry. However, some government MPs want those provisions removed or amended as a precondition for passing the bill.
In its submission, the Anglican Diocese of Sydney explicitly supports the removal of provisions that allow religious schools to expel gay students. This is “a right that religious schools do not want, and do not use”, Rev Stead writes.
“The exemptions in the Sex Discrimination Act are too broad, and give religious bodies the right to do many things that they do not, in fact, do, and are not wanted or required to conduct their affairs in a way consistent with their religious ethos.”
The church also contends that when a religious body’s doctrine clashes with the beliefs of an individual, the religious body’s views should prevail.
To do otherwise “would lead to tyranny of the majority by many minorities, forcing a religious body to accept mutually contradictory doctrines concurrently”.
Ms Lentz said that approach was characterised by “fear and hubris” and that accepting diverse religious beliefs “could provoke a re-examination of the issues, leading to mutually beneficial progress”.
Adani's first Carmichael Mine coal export shipment imminent after years of campaigns against it
The first coal shipment from central Queensland Carmichael Mine is about to leave Australian shores after years of controversy, international media coverage and environmental campaigning against the facility.
Bravus Mining and Resources, the Australian arm of Adani, today confirmed the shipment had been assembled at the North Queensland Export Terminal in Bowen.
Bravus CEO David Boshoff celebrated the milestone, calling it a "big moment".
"From day one, the objectives of the Carmichael Project were to supply high-quality Queensland coal to nations determined to lift millions of their citizens out of energy poverty and to create local jobs and economic prosperity in Queensland communities in the process" Mr Boshoff said.
"With the support of the people of regional Queensland we have delivered on that promise."
The shipment comes amid continuing protests against the mine and follows years of fierce campaigning from environmental activists.
The Australian Conservation Foundation said the mine made "a mockery" of Australia's emissions targets.
And, locally, scuba diving guide and Whitsunday Conservation Council spokesperson Tony Fontes said he felt "despair and anger".
"Both state and federal governments supported Adani in opening the mine,and ensuring that the Great Barrier Reef is not going to survive this century" Mr Fontes said.
"[But] one would hope that in the very near future, there will not be a market for thermal coal.
"And it's unfortunate that people that are working in the industry have been misled by the government suggesting that there's a long-term future in working in thermal coal."
However, Bravus insisted Australian coal would have a role alongside renewables for decades "as part of an energy mix that delivers reliable and affordable power with reduced emissions intensity".
In 2016, the Wangan and Jagalingou people voted 294 to one in favour of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with Adani. Subsequent challenges against the ILUA were dismissed in court.
Mine opponents now represent a small portion of traditional owners who, since signing the agreement, have been working with Bravus.
Bravus said the first shipment of coal would be loaded and dispatched, subject to the port's shipping schedule. It did not say when the shipment would leave or where it was going.
"The first export shipment is of a commercial scale and is going to a customer, with further details remaining commercial in confidence" it said.
The company plans to produce 10 million tonnes of coal a year from the mine, to be sold to customers in the Asia-Pacific region at 'index adjusted pricing'.
A major Queensland university has become the latest institution to introduce a Covid-19 vaccine mandate, insisting anyone attending its campuses must be fully-vaccinated from early next year
Queensland’s largest university has mandated anyone attending its campuses must be fully-vaccinated against Covid-19 from early next year, as the state continues to experience a record number of infections.
The University of Queensland has announced from February 14th 2022, anyone attending the institution’s campuses, facilities or sites must be fully vaccinated, unless they hold a valid exemption.
The institution has also issued a warning that students who do not get vaccinated could face “disciplinary” policies if they fail to comply in certain circumstances.
From early January, UQ staff and students would be requested to declare their vaccination status, which must be completed by the end of February 13th.
“UQ has a diverse community that attends our locations every day – often in close settings,” an online post from the university stated.
“An outbreak of Covid-19 would pose a significant health risk to this community and substantially impact our teaching, research and community engagement services.”
UQ is not the first Sunshine State institution to implement such a mandate for students and staff.
Earlier this month Griffith University announced it would require anyone attending its campuses to be fully vaccinated from February 18.
At the time Vice-Chancellor Professor Carolyn Evans warned students they could potentially be unable to finish their degrees unless they were vaccinated.
The UQ statement went on to say while the vaccine may not “prevent you from getting Covid-19”, it would “reduce the severity and duration of the illness, hospitalisation rates and transmission”.
“Vaccination will be a key measure for the University to minimise the impacts from the inevitable spread of Covid-19 next year,” it read.
UQ also said there were some exemptions from the mandate, including people who were under the age of 16, people performing urgent and essential health and safety work, or those responding to an emergency.
But a statement from the university also warned that students could face penalties or disciplinary actions if they failed to adhere to the direction.
“Where alternative workplace or study practices cannot be implemented, and the student is required to attend a UQ location to undertake their studies, the student may need to consider their enrolment options,” the statement read.
“A student’s failure to comply may be considered as misconduct, and may result in student disciplinary proceedings, which may, in turn, lead to penalties being imposed pursuant to UQ’s student disciplinary policies.”
Sydney Festival boycott a blunt instrument that blocks voices of dissent
This week’s fracas at the Sydney Festival over the inclusion of Decadance, a renowned dance piece in the repertoire of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company, and the festival’s sponsorship by the Israeli embassy, has followed a familiar script.
In response to the sponsorship, some artists have now withdrawn from the festival, with Khaled Sabsabi saying he was doing so “out of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause”.
Israel’s largest contemporary dance company, Batsheva is hailed as one of the most important in the world today, having developed its acclaim over the last 30 years during choreographer Ohad Naharin’s time at the helm. During these decades, the company and Naharin himself have pushed every boundary, challenged every taboo, and remain a national treasure.
Naharin’s movement language “Gaga” is world renowned and productions using the dance vocabulary are popular around the globe. Decadance itself has been performed for more than two decades.
As one of Israel’s most well regarded cultural exports, Naharin’s productions are both an obvious inclusion in global events like the Sydney Festival and a way to attract much needed funding for the arts from a local embassy. Equally, it is a hot target for supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement which seeks to isolate and pressure the state of Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians.
There is nothing out of hand illegitimate – and certainly not inherently antisemitic – about a boycott of Israel. This is particularly so when the call comes from Palestinians themselves whose personal and collective experiences with the conflict trump claims they might be unfairly and disproportionately targeting Israel for opprobrium.
Stories of injustice, as well as the voices of those speaking up against that injustice, are extremely important to amplify on our stages here in Australia. As a blunt instrument which blocks access to important Israeli artists like Naharin, the BDS movement is a counterproductive tool.
I want Australians to see the beautiful art that Naharin creates, of course, but mostly I want us to get to hear his views.
Like countless other Israeli artists, Naharin is one of the most articulate, persuasive and prominent critics of 54 years of Israeli government policies in the occupied territories.
He has raised funds for leading civil rights organisation the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and participated in public demonstrations for Breaking the Silence, an organisation of military veterans who have taken it upon themselves to persuade Israelis of the price paid for the continuing occupation.
Which brings us to the deep irony of what’s happening now. In speaking out against the occupation he “earned” a spot in a despicable McCarthyist campaign peddled by Israel’s ultra-nationalist right-wing and politicians against progressive artists.
Other Israeli icons like Amos Oz and David Grossman were on that list, as was singer Achinoam Nini, a Jewish-Israeli artist known for her stirring Eurovision collaboration with Palestinian Mira Awad and her broader activism for Jewish-Arab equality.
Five years ago, the organisation I run, the New Israel Fund (NIF), brought Nini to perform in Australia where her performances were protested by right-wing Jewish groups because of her peace and coexistence work, while the BDS movement continues to consider her problematic as an Israeli singer and musician.
Platforming these anti-occupation activists and their art can be a very effective tool to help Israelis and others around the world who hold attachments to the place and its people understand the injustice of the occupation.
A cultural boycott which targets them – either directly or by opposing those who fund them – shrinks the discourse, limits the access that influential allies of Palestinians have to the public square, and reduces the pressure within Israel to take serious steps to end the conflict.
Given how much the Israeli government’s policies conflict with Naharin’s own political positions, a meaningful act of subversion could be to play up that divergence.
Little would frustrate the right-wing pro-Israel lobby more than flipping the story into a discussion about how the shining lights of Israeli society – the products of which Israelis are most proud to showcase to the world, to prove itself a worthy member of the family of Western democratic nations – are also the most damning critics of the deep, dark occupation-shaped hole the country is in.
Art is always deeply political and should remain so. Responses which claim it shouldn’t be, hinting that antisemitism is at play, or which use Israel’s new relationships with human rights abusing Gulf dictatorships as a point of reference, do not positively contribute to the discourse around Israel-Palestine or provide a constructive environment for its resolution.
At the New Israel Fund our theory of change – to realise our mission of equality and justice for all – hinges on strategic, impactful investment in civil society organisations at the forefront of the campaign for Palestinian human rights and the realisation of Israel’s founding vision as a liberal democracy.
Success in those efforts will only come when more Israelis realise the toll that half a century of government policies continue to have on Palestinians, and how much they contribute to the degradation of democratic values, norms and institutions inside Israel.
There is a place for pressure on Israelis and their institutions to bring about change. People like Ohad Naharin have a big role to play in applying that pressure at home and abroad – but they most definitely should not be its targets.
Queensland has scrapped day five COVID-19 tests for interstate travellers as cases spike.
Six cases were in hospital for COVID-19-related symptoms and 83 others were in hospital for other illnesses.
There were no people in the intensive care unit, while 976 patients were currently receiving care at home.
The percentage of Queensland’s population who had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination was 90.49, while 86.14 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Ms D’Ath also announced the scrapping of the day-five testing requirements, following scrutiny over long waiting times of up to three hours.
“Based on the data we have, I welcome the advice of the Chief Health Officer [John Gerrard] that we can move away from that test,” she said.
“The Chief Health Officer has advised us that the data that we have received just in the last 24 hours can show that we are seeing only about 0.6 per cent positive cases coming from those day-five tests.”
Dr Gerrard said those rates were extremely low.
“I have given a very strong recommendation to the Premier that I believe that performing the day-five test is unnecessary and that these resources are better used elsewhere to test people with symptoms and for other reasons to require testing,” Dr Gerrard said.
Interstate travellers were still required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result within the 72 hours before entering Queensland.
Dr Gerrard said despite the large number of cases, there were few patients with COVID-19-related symptoms in hospital. “This indicates that the vaccines are working,” he said.
Dr Gerrard urged people to stay home while waiting for their COVID-19 test result. “We have noticed that when people get this report some of them are going straight to the emergency department, even if they are quite well,” he said.
“This is causing a little bit of a problem in some of our emergency departments, and it’s not necessary. “Please go to the emergency department only if you have significant symptoms like breathlessness or chest pain.
Queensland hugely popular: ‘No one anticipated 400k visitors’
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today the Government would be bolstering staff numbers at the state’s testing centres following days of long lines at clinics.
She admitted officials had never anticipated that 400,000 people would apply to enter the state when borders reopened earlier this month.
Interstate travellers also must have evidence of a negative CPR test 72 hours before entering Queensland – but Ms Palaszczuk again today signalled that could also change to a rapid antigen test, with a decision to be made by January 1.
Meanwhile, the Premier announced bookings for children aged 5 to 11 to get their vaccine would open from December 27 ahead of school resuming after the summer holidays. Children won’t be able to get the vaccine though until January 10.
“We’ve seen an excellent uptake in vaccination from children aged 12 to 15 and we expect a similar positive response from parents of younger kids,” Ms Palaszczuk said. Children will receive two doses, administered eight weeks apart.
Earlier, Queensland has recorded 784 new cases of Covid-19, with the State Government now opening bookings for under-12s to get a coronavirus vaccine.
There are four people in hospital, with one – an 85-year-old man – described as moderately to severely unwell. He is not in intensive care.
Ms Palaszczuk said the health system was coping well with Omicron outbreaks, but that the government would monitor the situation carefully. A total of 72 health and hospital staff have now tested positive to Covid-19, with 350 in quarantine.
Economic sanctions of any kind rarely have much success
Australia hasn’t broken. Eighteen months after Beijing launched its trade war against Canberra, its economic impact was negligible. And the world’s resolve has only hardened.
“I think China’s preference would have been to break Australia. To drive Australia to its knees,” US National Security Council Indo-Pacific affairs advisor Kurt Campbell said earlier this month. “I don’t believe that’s going to be the way it’s going to play out.”
It already hasn’t.
“The bottom line: Beijing’s attempt to bully Canberra has been a spectacular failure,” says USAsia Centre research director Jeffrey Wilson.
And because of Australia’s example, Beijing faces a growing backlash in 2022.
“If this is what decoupling from China looks like, Australia’s resilience suggests the costs are far lower than many have assumed,” added Dr Wilson. “That fact will not be lost on other countries that have differences with China.”
The attempt at economic coercion began in April 2020. Beijing was incensed that Prime Minister Scott Morrison had made a public call for a wide-ranging investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan. It risked damaging the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) reputation.
So it attempted to silence him. And set an example of what happens to nations that contradict the CCP. Australia’s $150 billion export market with China was its weakest link. So it was hit with a trade war.
Barley. Beef. Coal. Copper. Cotton. Gas. Lobster. Sugar. Timber. Wheat. Wine. Wool. All were suddenly subject to various tariff, dumping, hygiene and quality challenges. In essence, China stopped buying them.
But Beijing’s seemingly reflexive wolfish aggression triggered an unanticipated response. Former Australian diplomat Philip Eliason says it triggered a “sacred values” response. That’s why Australia was so willing to dig in its heels, regardless of the cost.
And that cost has turned out to be unexpectedly small.
Concern about the economic cost of standing up for such principles is declining. As one market closes its doors, others tend to open elsewhere on the international stage.
Australian Treasury estimates put the cost of Beijing’s sanctions at some $5.4 billion. But at least $4.4 billion of that was recovered through finding new markets.
For example, China switched its coal purchase to Russia and Indonesia. That left their previous buyers out in the cold. So, the likes of South Korea and Japan simply turned to Australia.
“(This led) Australian coal producers’ export earnings to rise this year — not exactly the effect China had in mind,” Dr Wilson concluded. “While the adjustment process is not pain-free, it is far less costly — and less of a deterrent to political action — than most assume.”
And the value of Australia’s exports to China grew – thanks to surging iron ore prices – over the past year. It’s not in Beijing’s interests to interrupt the flow of that strategically vital resource.
“Australia’s experience offers an important lesson: Trade decoupling does not automatically mean trade destruction,” said Dr Wilson. “Indeed, Australia’s resilience may now be inspiring others to take a stand.”
Aussie wine icon Penfolds’ genius move amid brutal trade war with China
The relationship between Canberra and Beijing first began to sour in 2016, resulting in a diplomatic freeze – but things stepped up a notch last year, when around a dozen Australian goods exports were slapped with tariffs.
Coal, barley, beef, timber, lobster and wine have been among the casualties, and earlier this month, we learnt just how crushing the spat has been.
According to an eye-opening report from the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) in early December, Australia’s exports across 12 key commodities impacted by Beijing’s sanctions plummeted by a staggering $17.3 billion in the first nine months of 2021, compared with 2019.
Professor James Laurenceson, the director of ACRI at UTS, told news.com.au many Australian brands and livelihoods had been devastated by the ongoing trade war.
“When you start looking to the longer term, a lot of the cost will depend on whether the Chinese market continues to outperform alternate markets as it has done for the past 20 years – for example, research shows that for the past 15 years, China has added 60 million people to the middle class every year, and that far exceeds anywhere else – India is nowhere near that,” he said.
“So when we’re locked out of the Chinese market, diversification is all well and good, but all we can try and do is sell to smaller, slower-growing markets, and that comes at a cost.
“In 2017 an Australian government foreign policy white paper forecasted that China’s economy would add more new purchasing power than the US, Japan, India and Indonesia combined, and if that’s true, it does suggest the cost from being locked out and having that disruption to the Chinese market is going to rise over time.”
Aussie icon’s ‘clever’ move
Prof Laurenceson said the impact on some commodities such as coal and barley were less severe as sales were simply able to be diverted elsewhere.
But other industries like wine were beginning to “really struggle” – although he said some Australian brands, such as the iconic Penfolds, had taken some “really clever” steps to stay in the game.
“Penfolds is a flagship Australian wine brand, and guess what they are doing? They are still selling in China, and they are sourcing product in California rather than the Barossa Valley,” he said.
“So it’s an Australian brand going into China, but the product is not actually Australian – California grape growers are benefiting from that trade now, and we will see more and more Australian companies do things like that – and good for them, they are keeping the brand afloat, but it comes at a price to the Australian economy.
Meanwhile, Prof Laurenceson said it was a similar story with the rock lobster industry, which was locked out of China last November.
While the industry feared a looming disaster at the time, fishers simply started selling to Hong Kong instead, with the lobsters then smuggled into China via a so-called “grey route”, which meant that “sales have hardly been affected” by the sanctions.
Prof Laurenceson said sadly, he didn’t believe the trade war would be resolved any time soon.
“I see no reason for China to suddenly turn around and change tack – Kurt Campbell, Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific tsar, said in a speech to the Lowy Institute recently that he expects in time China will re-engage with Australia, ‘on Australia’s terms’, but why would China choose to re-engage on Australian terms?” he said.
“If anything, this deadlock would end with a mutual agreement, but this idea China would come with its cap in its hand begging to have us back is utterly ridiculous to me.
“The prospect of Beijing doing a 180 degree turn is almost zero.”
Prof Laurenceson said while many nations currently had issues with China, Australia was unique in the sheer range of sanctions it faced.
“New Zealand, Korea, Japan – what really sets them apart is … the way they manage diplomacy with more caution,” he said.
Only a handful of Covid patients in ICU have Omicron and most are unvaccinated with underlying health conditions as Delta drives hospitalisations - not the new variant
The first major study into Omicron in Australia has revealed the new variant is responsible for very few hospitalisations and the majority of those are unvaccinated.
NSW Health released data on who is actually sick with Covid even as cases surge, finding Delta is responsible for most of the state's severe cases.
Most of the patients being treated in intensive care are unvaccinated, many with underlying health conditions.
There are 52 people in ICU, 34 of whom are unvaccinated. That rose slightly to 55 by Monday morning.
All but a handful of these patients are infected with the Delta variant rather than the new Omicron strain, which early studies indicate is less severe.
'Everybody in NSW is probably going to get Omicron at some stage. Everyone in Australia,' NSW Health minister Brad Hazzard said.
'From early indications NSW Health believe the majority of ICU Covid patients have the Delta variant. Health are seeking to confirm this through additional tests.'
Despite another 6,324 new infections on Monday, officials encouraged people to live life normally as studies indicate Omicron isn't as serious as its predecessors.
Covid patients need to be cleared by a medical professional before leaving isolation, but Mr Hazzard said Australians could manage it with rapid antigen tests, plenty of fluids, and paracetamol.
Mr Hazzard also pleaded with Australians to only get a PCR test if they had symptoms or were directed to as a close contact, and instead to use rapid antigen.
He said the time delay at overwhelmed clinics meant results would take so long, residents could catch the virus between testing and getting results.
'If you have a test today and then you are visiting Aunty Mabel in three or four days, it may well be that by then, you are positive,' he said.
'A far simpler, far quicker measure would be simply to be get a rapid antigen test… preferably half an hour or an hour beforehand.
'If you're not particularly sick, you probably don't need to be doing very much except probably taking some Panadol if you've got a temperature and making sure you're drinking plenty of fluids.'
Free rapid tests will be rolled out from 2022 onwards at the NSW government looks to normalise living with the virus.
'Take personal responsibility, socially distance, follow the rules that are in place … but we are about instilling confidence in our people, confidence has been key,' Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
'Whether that's consumer confidence, business confidence.
'We are going to get through it… let's not look at the negative, let's look at the positive.'
‘Very interested’: Israel eyes closer security ties with Australia
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has opened the door to deepening security ties with Australia and the Five Eyes spying network to counter Iran’s cyber attacks and combat terrorism.
Mr Lapid said Australian law enforcement agencies now had the opportunity to hunt Hezbollah’s global terror network after the Morrison government last month declared the Lebanese group a terrorist organisation.
In an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Mr Lapid said Israel was “very interested in deepening our ties with Australia and with all countries in the Indo-Pacific”.
Mr Lapid said striking a free trade agreement with Australia was also a priority which would “expand trade and help create jobs in both our countries”, and floated the prospect of direct flights between the two countries.
His comments suggest that Israel wants to become more relevant in the Indo-Pacific region amid escalating tensions between China and the United States.
In recent years, there have been calls from many national security experts for an expansion of the Five Eyes spy network - which includes Australia, the United States, Britain, New Zealand and Canada - with Japan and Israel named as potential additions.
Mr Lapid said Israel already had extensive ties with Five Eyes nations, including an “incredibly close intelligence-sharing and security partnership with our closest ally, the United States”, but would look to deepen the relationships.
“We’re focused on continuing to deepen these ties through their existing frameworks and agreements, and we would consider any other options for expanding these ties should they present themselves,” he said.
Australia in November listed all of Lebanese political party and militant group Hezbollah as a terrorist entity, making it a criminal offence to be a member.
Mr Lapid, who spoke with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne last month, said Israel was “interested in deepening our security cooperation with Australia” in light of the move.
“A major first step in this regard was Australia’s decision just last month to declare the entirety of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation,” he said.
Australia to back international definition of anti-Semitism
“Australia is one of a number of countries around the world to do so in just the past two years, and the decision will give Australian law enforcement agencies the tools necessary to fight Hezbollah’s global terror network.
“We are glad that Australia has come to the right conclusion that Hezbollah is a cruel terrorist organisation which endangers the citizens of all countries.”
He said countering Iran’s state-sponsored cyber attacks and its support for “brutal dictators and terrorist proxies” should also be a priority for both countries after signing a memorandum of understanding on cyber security in 2019.
“In the cyber realm, Iran and its proxies frequently attack security, economic, and even civilian infrastructure in countries all around the world,” he said. “As a global cyber security leader, Israel certainly has expertise and experience to share with Australia. And we know Australia is today prioritising and making record investments in cyber security, which will offer even more ways for Israel to learn from Australia as well.”
The Israel-Palestine conflict continued to be a source of tension in the Australian Labor Party this year after an outbreak of violence in May which included protests, rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas and Israeli airstrikes targeting the Gaza Strip. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese in July slammed a Labor motion backed by former NSW premier Bob Carr calling for a boycott of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, saying it was counterproductive and not supported by anyone in his party room.
Asked whether divisions within the broader ALP movement were a concern, Mr Lapid said Australia’s friendship towards Israel had “thrived under the leadership of governments left, right and centre in Israel, and led by both parties in Australia”.
”Our friendship is also based on shared values including commitments to human rights and the fundamental elements of democracy – a free press, an independent judiciary, a strong civil society, and religious freedom,” he said.
He also said Israel was “grateful” for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition on “antisemitism”.
Critics of the definition, including the Palestinian movement and human rights groups, have warned it could be used to stifle legitimate debate about the Israeli government and threatens freedom of speech.
Mr Lapid said Mr Morrison’s decision was “yet another example of Australia’s consistent friendship towards Israel and the Jewish people, which also includes standing up against horrendous bias against Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, in international institutions such as the United Nations”.
As Omicron COVID cases continue to surge, the race is on to find a variant-proof vaccine
In a state-of-the-art science lab, nestled into the genteel slopes of the NSW Southern Highlands, a group of genetically engineered mice have become frontline soldiers in the fight against COVID-19.
The mice have been inoculated with carrier proteins – used as the early building blocks of a new generation of vaccine — that scientists hope will make them resistant to any variant of SARS-CoV-2.
While still very early days, the goal is to create a variant-proof vaccine that is effective against not just the coronavirus mutations we have grappled with so far, but anything the virus throws at us in the months and years ahead.
“We are using some pretty cutting-edge technology,” says Deborah Burnett, a vet-turned-research officer with the Garvan Institute’s Immunogenomics Lab. “If the COVID-19 pandemic had happened even five years ago we would not have been able to do the kind of work we are doing now.”
As COVID-19 cases surge through the community with bleak predictions on how high the numbers will go, and the sheer anxiety of living with so much uncertainty — will you encounter COVID on a trip to the supermarket? How sick are you likely to become if infected? Who might you unknowingly transmit it to? Will hospitals cope? – the steady progress of science continues to offer hope.
Universal vaccines are the next great goal in efforts to control COVID-19, and Burnett and the Garvan Institute are not the only ones focused on their promise.
Vaccine researchers in the US and Norway, for example, are also progressing with variant-proof vaccine candidates.
And at Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sarah Palmer and Eunok Lee are doing promising research into a variant-proof COVID booster shot.
The question now, Palmer says, is not so much how do we fight SARS-CoV-2, but "how do we fight a variant?"
"I think the best way to fight these variants is to develop a universal booster," Palmer says.
Back in the Southern Highlands, Burnett explains that the mice used in the trials are raised in a controlled, pathogen-free environment so their immune system has not been primed by exposure to any other viruses.
The mice are not given COVID-19, rather they are immunised with different carrier proteins sourced from a database of 192,000 different coronaviruses and mutations. Burnett then studies individual cells to determine what antibodies the mice have made from a lab at Garvan's Darlinghurst research hub in Sydney.
"We have access to these amazing mice that have been genetically engineered to make fully human antibody responses to vaccination,” she says.
"These mice really are quite ground-breaking technology and the next best thing you can have to a human. They give us ability to explore things that were previously very difficult to study in anything other than human trials."
The Garvan mouse trials, being undertaken in collaboration with UNSW’s RNA and Kirby institutes, uncovered a surprising finding: immunisation with proteins from related viruses like SARS-CoV-1, or bat viruses, generated a more significant antibody response to key sites than using proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19.
“This was a pretty surprising and key finding and potentially suggests that maybe the ideal vaccine targets we should be using to protect people from COVID-19 could actually be proteins derived from related viruses rather than from the actual virus that causes COVID-19,” Burnett says.
As soon as Wall Street decided America had an inflation problem and would soon be putting up interest rates, our local geniuses decided we’d soon be doing the same.
Small problem – we don’t have a problem with inflation. Our money market dealers know more about the US economy than they know about their own. To them, we’re just a smaller, carbon copy of America. If you’ve seen America, you’ve seen ’em all.
The Americans have a lot of people withdrawing from the workforce – leaving jobs and not looking for another – which they’re calling the ‘Great Resignation’. Wow. Great new story. So, some people in our media are seizing any example they can find to show we have our own ‘Great Resignation’.
Small problem. Ain’t true. Following the rebound from the first, nationwide lockdown in 2020, our “participation rate” – the proportion of the working-age population participating in the labour force by have a job or actively looking for one – hit a record high. With the rebound from this year’s lockdowns well under way, the rate’s almost back to the peak.
A lot of America’s problems arise from the “hyperpolarisation” of its politics. Its two political tribes have become more tribal, more us-versus-them, more you’re-for-us-or-against-us. The two have come to hate each other, are less willing to compromise for the greater good, and more willing to damage the nation rather than give the other side a win. More willing to throw aside long-held conventions; more winner-takes-all.
The people who see themselves as the world’s great beacon of democracy are realising they are in the process of destroying their democracy, brick by brick – fiddling with electoral boundaries and voting arrangements, and stacking the Supreme Court with social conservatives.
Donald Trump continues to claim the presidential election was rigged, and many Republicans are still supporting him.
It’s not nearly that bad in Australia, but there are some on the ‘Right’ trying to learn from the Republicans’ authoritarian populism playbook.
When your Prime Minister starts wearing a baseball cap it’s not hard to guess where the idea came from. Or when the government wants to require people to show ID before they can vote, or starts stacking the Fair Work Commission with people from the employers’ side only. Enough.
Nadia Bokody: Sex dwindles at Christmas, but you can save it
I am not sure we should be getting sex advice from a lesbian but what Nadia says below does sound pretty right to me
About a month ago, my girlfriend brought me home to meet her parents. The trip did not go well.
Stress and sleep deprivation bubbled over into a terse exchange during lunch, and ultimately, a not altogether discreet argument.
My ineptitude at moderating my emotions in tense situations meant that, instead of putting my best foot forward, I quite likely left her family with the impression our relationship is more problematic than an episode of And Just Like That
Of course, we aren’t perfect. I cry often over small things, have a propensity to be unnecessarily dramatic (if you haven’t texted me back in 13 minutes, I’m already holding a focus group)
My girlfriend can be snappy when she’s in a bad mood, consistently leaves clusters of long black hair in my bathtub, and says “I love you” when we’re sitting together on the couch – at which point, I usually turn and realise she’s speaking to her dog.
Regardless of our flaws, we’re very happy most of the time. Blissful, even. Which makes it all the more frustrating that, for the few short days we were with her family, we were the least palatable version of ourselves.
That’s the thing about stress, though. It has a habit of bringing out the worst in us, and it’s usually our intimate relationships that bear the brunt.
The real deathblow? This often translates to a drop-off in physical intimacy.
I got to thinking about this recently because, with arguably the most anxiety-inducing time of year upon us, research shows we’re all feeling more frazzled and less amorous than ever toward our partners – women, especially.
A Stanford University study that looked at over half a million women’s annual sexual activity logs confirmed there’s a steep decline in our interest in sex around Christmas.
And it makes perfect sense.
After all, who wants to get it on when they’re still fuming about the fact they received an ironing board cover instead of the necklace they explicitly circled in that conspicuously left out Michael Hill catalogue??
Thankfully, there’s a cure for festive sexlessness, and the specific kind of anxiety that comes with wanting to reassure your girlfriend’s parents their daughter isn’t saddled with a neurotic argument-monger (or, you know, at least not the latter).
Connective acts like holding hands, extended eye contact and kissing are all linked to decreased cortisol and a boost in the feel-good, calming hormone oxytocin (which, incidentally, also helps us feel more bonded with our partners
Ironically, the more of these non-sexual activities you participate in, the greater likelihood there is you’ll end up getting it on under the mistletoe after all. Because the calmer we feel, the easier it is to become sexually aroused.
All that said, on what is supposed to be a day of peace and love, we should also probably cut our partners some slack if they’re not exemplifying Christmas cheer.
‘Not if, but when’: Uncomfortable Covid truth Australians have to face
As countless Christmases sit ruined by a renewed spike in Covid-19 cases following the arrival of the Omicron strain, a large number of Australians seem to be asking the same thing: will I eventually get coronavirus, no matter what precautions I take?
One expert has said it’s now almost inevitable that we will all come into contact with Covid-19.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” he said.
After almost two years of the pandemic, just over 1 per cent of Australians (282,589) have contracted the virus, but the latest strain has experts worried about the potential for an exponential rise in cases.
The good news from the early scientific consensus is that while Omicron is easier to catch than earlier strains of the coronavirus, it’s effects are less severe.
The first official UK report into Omicron revealed the risk of hospitalisation is between 50 to 70 per cent lower than those with the Delta variant.
In South Africa, virus watchers are tentatively declaring the latest wave has already hit its peak.
Francois Venter, a medical professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, predicted that at the current rate of decline Omicron would “be pretty much gone” from all of South Africa by the end of January.
The figures bode well for Australia, where cases have surged to record levels in recent days, but we are still yet to see similar increases in hospitalisations or deaths.
Despite the positive results, Australians still remain cautious with several forced into isolation and locked out borders on the eve of the Christmas season.
‘Not a matter of if, but when’
Medical director for infection prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System, Dr Bernard Camins believes Australians have to come to terms with the fact they will be exposed to someone carrying the virus in the future.
“I’ve been telling this to anyone who would listen: It’s not a matter of if you get exposed to the Omicron variant or any other variant of the coronavirus, it’s a matter of when,” he said. “Everyone will run into somebody with a Covid infection,” reported NBC.
However, Dr Otto Yang of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA says just because you are exposed, it does not mean you will definitely contract the virus, regardless of the strain.
“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that everybody will get Covid-19,” he told the US Today Show. “I would prefer not to learn to live with Covid. I would prefer to get rid of it, and theoretically, it’s possible.
“The scenario that I’m hoping will play out is that the numbers of Covid cases are reduced drastically to the point that there are small outbreaks here and there that are easily contained and most of the population is not being exposed.”
Early hope that a double dose of the vaccine would severely reduce the chances of catching and spreading the virus have been dashed after NSW recorded a record high number of 6200 daily cases on Christmas Day, with a statewide vaccination rate of 93.5 per cent.
Dr Yang has encouraged the population to get their booster shots for the best possible protection against the Omicron strain.
“It’s looking very much like people who get a booster have protection against getting it,” he continued, adding there will “always be a possibility” for you to contract the virus regardless of vaccination status.
Director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Dr Rochelle Walensky said “there are going to be breakthrough cases of Omicron, but they will be certainly milder if you’re vaccinated and boosted”.
“Certainly, your outcome is going to depend on your vaccination status. We will see that those who are vaccinated and boosted will have less severe outcomes, less risk of mortality.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has encouraged Australians to get their third vaccine dose after authorities moved the interval between jabs from six to five months.
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) head Professor John Skerritt told reporters that “unfortunately the answer is we’ll have to wait and see”.
‘Kisses are out’: New Year’s Eve Covid-19 warning for Sydney and Melbourne
For the second year in a row, NSW residents are looking at a pared back New Year’s Eve – but now with health recommendations that you shouldn’t even have a midnight kiss.
Last year, the Northern Beaches Covid-19 cluster forced Sydney revellers to have just five guests over at their homes on December 31.
This time around, there are no restrictions on how many people you can invite to your end of year bash, but epidemiologists are warning people to be sensible in what could end up being a superspreader event.
In particular, a cheeky midnight smooch is not recommended as Omicron cases surge past 6000 a day in the state.
And Victorians haven’t been spared either, as surging coronavirus cases also spark concerns across the state.
“Hugs and kisses are out this year but big smiles are in,” University of Sydney infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy, told The Daily Telegraph.
Former World Health epidemiologist Adrian Esterman joked to the publication: “If both parties wear a face mask when they kiss, we’ll be pretty safe.”
However, there was a ring of truth to what he said, with one expert even going a step further and calling for face masks to be worn outside.
Epidemiologist Professor Nancy Baxter told The Herald Sun: “It’s better to not go at all, or to watch the fireworks from the car, but if you do go, make a wise decision and wear masks outdoors because you won’t be socially distanced.”
Earlier this week, NSW and Victoria both reintroduced face mask mandates as case numbers continued to mount across the two states.
In NSW, anyone over the age of 12 has to wear a face mask at all indoor settings except inside a private home. Victoria has the same rule except for people from the age of eight years old onwards.
Face masks must also be worn in the southern state will at all major events where there are more than 30,000 people present.
It’s not all bad news for New Year’s Eve, though.
Another epidemiologist thinks holding an event outdoors is a huge game changer which bodes well for the end of year festivities. If you are outside you have much better ventilation.
“If you have got masks on and you aren’t close to people, if you are careful not to hug and/or kiss your family, but just … give them a big smile, you can do a bunch of stuff that makes it safer outside and I think they [big events] can go ahead.”
He added in warning: “I think people should be as careful as possible. I know about a family event at Christmas yesterday. They did all of the right things and already someone is positive.”
Australia's vaccine certificates not accepted in some EU countries
The Australian Government's International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC) is designed to open doors in foreign lands, but it might not work for all doors.
The certificate contains a QR code in a format adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. That QR code can be read by airlines and immigration authorities to prove you've been vaccinated, but many restaurants, bars, indoor entertainment venues, galleries, museums and other places in Europe also require proof of vaccination status, and the ICVC might not do that.
In The Netherlands for example, you need a coronavirus pass to enter the Van Gogh Museum, obtained via the country's CoronaCheck app, but those vaccinated outside the EU only qualify if they are a Dutch national or were vaccinated in Aruba, Curacao or St Maarten
Austria has the Grune Pass, the green passport, and according to the pass' website (gruenerpass.gv.at): "Persons who have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 can prove this with officially recognised vaccination passes such as … the e-vaccination passport." The ICVC would appear to qualify, but that might not cut the mustard with the maitre'd at die Wilderin restaurant in Innsbruck.
However some countries make it easier. In France, foreign nationals can apply for a COVID Certificate, a passe santaire, at selected pharmacies, provided they can prove they've been vaccinated with an approved vaccine, and all those administered in Australia are (diplomatie.gouv.fr).
According to the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy will accept the ICVC as the equivalent of its Green Pass, allowing you to drink and dine in bars and restaurants (esteri.it). There's a good chance a restaurant in Bologna or an art gallery in Bari might not know that, so better carry the ministry's injunction as proof.
This problem is not insurmountable. The EU has a Digital COVID Certificate that allows free travel across its borders and entry to indoor venues. That certificate is available to non-EU citizens vaccinated outside the EU provided their country is a member of the EU's Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC) program. Several non-European countries are, including Panama, Ukraine and, since mid-November, New Zealand, but not Australia.
Warship Construction Hits Major Delay as Faulty Aluminum Imported from China Found
“It was made in China” is a phrase that is often used to explain why something is shoddily made, or cheap.
The Royal Australian Navy is now experiencing this firsthand after getting poor-quality aluminum from China, which is now prohibiting the launch of new patrol boats.
In March, shipbuilders announced a delay due to the botched materials, which are believed to have been sourced from Wuhan, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Austal, the shipbuilder company awarded a contract to supply the navy with six vessels, said that “the aluminium had been independently certified by a globally accredited certification company prior to arriving at Austal,” according to the ABC.
But upon checking the aluminum, a company spokesperson it was problematic.
“A random spot check subsequently conducted by Austal indicated that it did not meet Austal’s quality requirements,” the Austal spokesperson said.
This will cost the Australian navy tens of millions of dollars since it will now have to keep its older fleet working. The ABC estimated that it will cost an extra $44 million to keep the old fleet afloat.
China’s faulty materials are now costing everyone in Australia.
“As always, taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for their stuff-ups, and our Defence personnel are left without the capabilities they need, when they need it,” Shadow Assistant Defence Minister Pat Conroy said, according to the ABC.
It should come as no surprise that China’s materials are lacking in quality. This year, China has been struggling with its aluminum production and has scaled it back in many ways.
As China has supposedly tried to scale back on energy consumption and emissions, the aluminum industry was one of the first to suffer, the South China Morning Post reported.
This spiked prices to a 13-year high. It also, apparently, made quality plummet.
Australia should have taken the crises in China into account before ordering supplies for their navy from the communist nation
Queensland records 765 new COVID-19 cases, no-one in intensive care
Queensland has recorded 765 new cases overnight — another daily case record — with 151 of those cases confirmed as the Omicron strain, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath says.
Health authorities are currently looking at how rapid antigen testing kits can be used, Ms D'Ath says. There were 33,971 tests recorded and there was now 2,147 active cases in the state.
There are only five people being treated in hospital due to mild and moderate symptoms from the virus. Ms D'Ath said a person who was being treated in an intensive care unit has now been moved out.
There has been 90.36 per cent of eligible Queenslanders aged 16 and over who have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 85.88 per cent are double vaccinated.
Ms D'Ath said the number of people in quarantine had decreased and she understood the challenges of spending Christmas in isolation.
"We thank those … people who are in quarantine, who are probably missing time with family and friends today," she said.
"We know it's difficult but we are so grateful for what you're doing, and I just want to reinforce [that to] all those people interstate who have done the right thing and got their PCR tests."
Federal government’s Christmas Eve veto of research projects labelled ‘McCarthyism’
The Morrison government has been accused of using the cover of Christmas to politicise research funding, after a federal minister vetoed grants for six recommended projects.
Proposed research relating to climate activism and China were among the projects recommended through Australian Research Council processes but blocked by the acting education minister, Stuart Robert.
Robert has argued the projects he rejected “do not demonstrate value for taxpayers’ money nor contribute to the national interest” – but the decision, announced on Christmas Eve, has drawn criticism from education figures and the federal opposition.
The vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, Prof Brian Schmidt, said that in a liberal democracy it was “completely inappropriate for grants to be removed by politicians, unless the grant rules were not followed”.
The Victorian Labor senator Kim Carr said the government was using Christmas Eve to “sweep under the carpet” its “further politicisation of the ARC and research” in Australia.
Carr, a former minister for research under the Rudd and Gillard governments, tweeted: “Their McCarthyism subverts research which was recommended by the ARC.”
The winning Discovery Projects for next year were finally revealed on Friday, with a report published on the ARC website saying it had received 3,096 applications for funding commencing in 2022.
The report said 587 of those projects had been approved for funding, totalling $259m over five years.
“Of the unsuccessful applications in 2022, 51 were found not to meet eligibility requirements and six were recommended to, but not funded by the minister,” the report said.
A spokesperson for Robert said the minister had approved “98.98%” of the 593 Discovery Projects the ARC recommended, but had not accepted the following six:
Robert’s spokesperson said the minister “believes those rejected do not demonstrate value for taxpayers’ money nor contribute to the national interest”.
“After going through a peer review process, it is clear to the minister the application of the national interest test is not working in every case,” the spokesperson said.
“This test should ensure taxpayer-funded Australian government research funding is directed to areas of national importance and delivers public value. It’s why in his letter of expectation the minister asked the ARC to strengthen the test.”
Because they CAN'T. No government has ever found a way. And the reason is simple. Housing is a commodity like everything else that is bought and sold. And anything that is bought and sold is governed by the law of supply and demand. If the demand outstrips supply, the price will rise. So it follows that there is only one way to get the price of housing down. You have to increase the supply of it
But governments put up lots of obstacles to block an increase in supply, -- principally land use restrictions. And local governments are big on both lande use restricions and building restrictions. So local governments have to be stamped on to increase the supply of housing. And that is politically dynamite any time it is attempted. Existing homeowners like the restrictions. They keep "riff raff" out of their neighbourhoods
Rapidly rising property prices have led to increasing concerns around affordability, but support for government intervention may actually decline as affordability worsens, a new paper suggests.
Authors of the study argue that homeowners seek to protect their property price gain from being taxed away or undermined by growing housing supply, resulting in less support for government intervention in housing market inequality.
While based on European data, local experts and economists say it points to the challenge of rolling out reforms to improve housing affordability when more people, and voters, are homeowners than not.
Grattan Institute household finances program director Brendan Coates said the politics of improving housing affordability was fraught because most voters already owned a house or investment and mistrust any change that might dent property prices.
“The interest of homeowners tends to outweigh the interest of renters. There’s that classic adage from John Howard who [as prime minister] said that no one is complaining in the streets about their house value going up,” Mr Coates said.
The political consequences of housing (un)affordability, published in The Journal of European Social Policy earlier this month, used data drawn from European and British social surveys and an analysis of British elections to explore the relationship between housing affordability – house prices relative to incomes – and the demand for redistributive and housing policy.
Authors Ben Ansell, a professor at Nuffield College and the University of Oxford, and Asli Cansunar, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, found consistent evidence that declining affordability, driven by increasing house prices, decreases support for interventionist housing policy, especially among homeowners across Europe, and increased votes for the conservative party in the UK.
The beneficiaries of unaffordability, who they noted were those who own property, will prefer to keep policies and parties in place that keep prices high and rising, they concluded. However, while citizens on aggregate become less supportive of intervention, this masked a growing polarisation in preferences between renters and owners in less affordable regions.
Mr Coates said the research design was plausible in the European context, and that poor affordability would likely impact the preferences of political constituents. However, it was not clear if the politics would play out the same way in Australia, noting that at the last election, when Labor was promising changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, the electorates that swung to Labor tended to be those of higher income earners, while lower income electorates swung toward the Coalition.
However, Mr Coates also noted it was inner city working-class suburbs that had won big in the “housing lottery” as prices climbed over the years, as they were the group with the largest share of their wealth in housing, while the wealth of higher income earners was typically more diversified.
Mr Coates added there was a clear trend in Australia, though, of wealthier areas being more resistant to increased housing supply, but this was driven by multiple factors and not just potential concern of downward pressure on property prices.
“The real question in the Australian context, where there are clearly more house owners than renters making housing policy transformation really hard, is whether there is enough interest from baby boomers … sufficiently worried about whether their kids can ever buy, that leans them more to reform.
“Or whether the solution [they reach] is to double down … by giving [their children] more access to the bank of mum and dad [to get into the market].”
Mr Coates said both tax reform and increased supply would be key to improving housing affordability in Australia, and worried about staunch proponents of either approach downplaying the other at the current inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia, when both were clearly needed.
Independent economist Saul Eslake said supply side reforms were only part of the solution and the federal government needed to back away from policies that inflate housing demand, and had been pursued by both sides of government, such as first-home buyer grants, negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.
It was a tragedy that Labor had walked away from proposed changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax, he noted, with the opportunity for such reform now possibly gone for a generation.
A greater focus on building more social housing was also needed, with both parties allowing the proportion of such housing to decline egregiously over the decades.
Appearing before the affordability inquiry last month, he asked members of the committee whose interests they were most concerned about: the 11 million Australians who already own at least one property, and the more than two million who own more than one, or the minority, albeit a growing minority, who have been unable to buy. He noted their answer would determine what they recommended to Parliament, with their report expected early in 2022.
Mr Eslake said while politicians shed “crocodile tears” for young Australians struggling to get onto the property ladder, there was a huge gulf between what they say and do. However, Mr Eslake, who also referenced Howard’s comments, acknowledged most homeowners did not want to see government action that would stop the value of their property going up.
“There is a very large constituency that is resolutely opposed to anything that would dampen the rate of house price inflation, yet that is surely at the heart of what you have to do if you’re going to solve the affordability issue.”
Mr Eslake said it was unclear if Australians had become any more opposed to redistribution policy as affordability declined, but noted that while Australia had quite a progressive income tax transfer system, wealth was taxed very lightly compared to other countries.
Any polarisation in preferences between renters and owners was less obvious locally, Mr Eslake added, saying he was often surprised that there was not more anger from young Australians about the way in which the market has been rigged against them by their parents’ generation. But even if they were to adapt their voting behaviour, he said, who would they vote for, with no big reforms on the table from either party.
The last federal election showed the concern homeowners had for housing reform.
Economist Jim Stanford, director of The Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, said that in the context of declining housing affordability it made sense for homeowners to be more cautious about their future and reforms, as they could feel more insecure in their situation, but was sceptical of the paper’s suggestion that they had benefited from unaffordability, noting few could sell off property without needing to buy elsewhere.
Many would also worry about their children and see that their kids did not “have a hope in hell” of buying a decent property, if poor affordability continued.
“I don’t think they are better off, even middle-class homeowners would be better off with a policy that thought of a housing as a more basic service. I don’t accept that they have made money off this boom [and just want] to continue to,” he said.
However, the last federal election had shown the concern homeowners had for housing reform, Dr Stanford said, noting that rightly or wrongly, those who saw themselves as housing investors could be influenced by scare campaigns against policies that made a lot of sense, like Labor’s proposed change to negative gearing.
“The government tried to portray it as a tax on homeowners, which is nonsense, but given how the election unfolded everyone is going to be curious about what they propose in this election, that experience sort of ratified the point … with this article.”
Dr Stanford said a big part of the solution would be building up Australia’s supply of non-market housing, which governments had basically walked away from over the last generation, with the time right for an ambitious plan to build more social and affordable housing.
Housing Minister Michael Sukkar and shadow minister for housing and homelessness, Jason Clare, were contacted for comment.
Australia to get the first of its nuclear submarines FIVE YEARS ahead of schedule as America fast-tracks $90billion project in face of rising tensions with China
Rising tensions with China have fast-tracked the delivery of the first Australian nuclear submarine under the $90billion deal with the USA and the UK.
Australia now looks set to launch its first nuclear-powered submarine five years ahead of schedule as the West braces for confrontation with China.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has revealed the UK and US are 'pulling out all the stops' to speed up the massive project.
The controversial deal - which saw Australia abandon its contract with France for a fleet of diesel submarines - could now see the new subs coming into operation in the first half of the 2030s.
They were originally not expected to join the Australian naval fleet until 2040 at the earliest, but the US Defense Department is pushing to bring the timeline forward.
It comes as fears grow of a stand-off between the West and China over Taiwan, with Australian pledging to support any US response if the situation escalates.
'I think we are advancing at a quicker pace than what we could have imagined even at the time of the announcement,' Mr Dutton told The Australian.
'There has been no game-playing, no roadblocks, they are pulling out all stops to make this work. It’s a capability that we want to acquire quickly and we are in those discussions right now.'
He added: ' I think it’s the Americans’ desire to see us with capability much sooner than 2040 and obviously options are being explored at the moment.
'I believe very much we can realise the capability in the first half of the 2030s and we are absolutely working towards that and I am only encouraged, not discouraged, out of the conversations we have had.'
Mr Dutton also hinted the submarines could even be built in Australia, despite the current lack of suitable shipyard facilities or nuclear power knowledge.
Australia has yet to decide if they will be using the US Virginia Class nuclear submarine design or the UK's similar Astute Class.
But any move to manufacture them in Australia will require training shipyard workers, new equipment and specialist nuclear experts.
Some experts have predicted that may not be possible within the new shortened timeframe to rush the submarines into service.
However moving production to Australia may be inevitable as Mr Dutton said the UK and US had limited spare production capacity to build the Australian submarines.
And he said work was already underway with the international partners on designing local shipyards.
The new timeframe now matches the original plan for the introduction of the axed French submarines which were due to come into service in 2035.
Australia's current Collins Class submarines would need major overhauls to extend their service life beyond 2038, making it vital to get the nuclear subs in the water as soon as possible.
The deal with the US and UK is for eight nuclear submarines, and they are likely to be built in Adelaide if the plan to manufacture them locally goes ahead.
China branded the AUKUS deal as 'extremely irresponsible" and has now pushed its backing for a nuclear-free treaty for south-east Asia.
A Chinese government official Lijian Zhao said the deal will 'intensify regional tensions, provoke a military arms race and threaten regional peace and stability.'
Mr Dutton said the rhetoric against Australia should be seen as just part of China's attacks on all the other nations which oppose it and speak up against them.
He added: 'We want a productive and fruitful friendship with China. 'But we have values that we adhere to and we will not deviate from those values and adherence to international law.'
Climate, the far-Left and the devilish problem facing the Greens
Rachel Griffiths, the Golden Globe-winning Australian actress, is no stranger to prompting public debate through outrageous stunts.
In 1997 the Muriel’s Wedding star famously paraded semi-naked outside Melbourne’s Crown Casino in protest of a state government she claimed was “raping” the city of its dignity, compassion and sense of community. When asked by a journalist why she felt the need to be topless, Griffiths replied: “If I didn’t flash my tits, you wouldn’t have put me in the paper.”
It’s what makes Griffiths’ most recent political commentary all the more interesting.
When the Australian Greens party announced a proposal to ban horse racing and impose a 1 per cent levy on all bets to fund a transition, Griffiths was outraged.
“When the planet is melting this will not help you save it. Focus on carbon emissions/boosting infrastructure and you might make a difference,” she wrote on Instagram this week.
She said a ban on the nags would only alienate any Greens voter who was over 40 living outside all but six inner-city postcodes and “help re-elect a government you won’t have a voice in”. Griffiths, who coincidentally now plays a crossbench MP in ABC political drama Total Control, neatly highlights the challenge the Greens have in the coming months.
It is an increasingly contested space for minor parties to find relevance, cut-through and, importantly, air-time. It will be even harder as the election looms with several climate-focused, progressive, independent candidates stealing their limelight as they fight for seats that not so long ago the Greens had hoped they might one day win.
In Melbourne the Greens vote in both Higgins and Kooyong leapfrogged Labor in recent years and put them both firmly in the targets of Adam Bandt’s party. But the independent push is now costing them members, donors and likely volunteers at voting booths on election day.
And so once again chances of winning any of the 10 or so lower house seats identified on the party’s regular triennial hit list are already looking bleak.
The Greens vote has for more than 15 years now been highly influenced by the wider context of the public debate and the issues which voters perceive the election to be about. Loyalty levels of its voters are well below those of the major parties, but if issues which are strongly associated with the Greens are front-and-centre then they can be assured of some success. If not, things go backwards.
While the Greens have often targeted “soft” Labor voters, they’ve found there are equally a lot of “soft” Greens voters that they can - and often do - lose at each election.
Which begs the question, what is the relevance of the Greens at the next federal election? Can they ever again match the almost 12 per cent of the vote achieved under Bob Brown in 2010 or has their influence peaked?
On Sunday this masthead reported that businessman Graeme Wood, who has poured more than $2 million into their campaigns over the past decade, had grown frustrated with the party. The founder of online travel company Wotif said they needed a “shot in the arm” because the party’s support had not increased in the past decade.
Wood isn’t the only big donor over the Greens. David Rothfield, an environmental campaigner and philanthropist who donated half a million dollars to the Greens, Labor, and activist group Get Up, has quit the party. He’s joined the “Voices of” movement to oust incumbent Liberal MP Tim Wilson in the seat of Goldstein.
Former Wallaby [Rugby footballer] David Pocock, who is tight with a number of Greens figures, is standing as an independent for the Senate in the ACT. Those close with him say he stands a better chance of being elected without the baggage of the party and is assured of their preferences in a jurisdiction where the Greens vote is north of 17 per cent.
Pocock, outspoken on social justice issues and was once arrested after chaining himself to a digger at a NSW coal mine protest in Leard State Forest, says he is open to receiving money from businessman Simon Holmes a Court’s Climate 200 fund, a war chest of as much as $20 million to bankroll candidates who are cutting the Greens lunch.
The party can take credit for consolidating its 10 per cent of the vote over a decade but has all but dealt itself out of negotiations by regularly ruling out deals with the Coalition. The handful of times it was prepared to reach deals with a conservative government it was torn apart with bitter internal feuding.
So, why would Anthony Albanese agree to a power-sharing deal if he can’t win a majority at the next election? He knows Bandt would always back a Labor government on supply.
Bandt hopes to make the Greens the biggest third party in the Senate’s history by adding two seats at the next election. But when he promises he’ll win extra lower house seats and influence government policy, that’s what he will be judged on.
The Greens’ long-term issue is that they’ve become the natural home of anyone who is concerned about climate, but also of the far left. And when their broader policies alienate those who care about the climate but aren’t of the far left, that’s when a Climate 200-backed independent might be a more appealing choice.
The State Government has determined Paradise Dam will be completely rebuilt following detailed investigations and extensive safety works.
It comes after work to lower the dam’s spillway and install the temporary crest were completed earlier this year amid ongoing concerns about the dams structural capacity.
Minister for Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water, Glenn Butcher said the dam would be rebuilt to full capacity.
“From the start of this process we’ve said the solution must deliver water security and safety for the people of Bundaberg – this option delivers both,” Mr Butcher said.
“We’ve heard from the Deputy Prime Minister and other Federal Government representatives that they’re open to providing funding for this project.
“We’ve been working with them collaboratively and will continue those discussions. “Further details about the project will be released in the new year.”
Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith thanked the Bundaberg community for its patience. “I know this has been a tough time for our community and the agricultural sector,” he said. “I’m really proud of how our community has come together to work with the Government to find a solution on this project.
“I can also confirm today that irrigators will not be asked to pay the cost of returning the dam wall to full height.
“These works, once underway, will be a significant undertaking that will also create hundreds of jobs in our region.
Australia's calmest Covid expert Dr Nick Coatsworth SLAMS doomsday predictions as he delivers a Christmas message to Aussies on how we can beat Omicron
One of Australia's leading doctors has reiterated calls for calm and is urging everyone to learn to live with Covid-19 amid surging case numbers.
Former chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth has come out firing in recent days to slam doomsayers' predictions fearing the worst after new modelling revealed Australia could have up to 200,000 new daily infections within weeks.
He supports plans by several state governments to reinstate some restrictions as Omicron cases surge but says social responsibility also needs to play a part.
Dr Coatsworth says it's now time to live with the disease, despite Sydney recording 5,715 new cases on Thursday - a jump of nearly 2,000 more than the day before, and Melbourne reporting 2,005 cases - 502 more than Wednesday.
'Moving beyond the outrage, I think the modelling released without context creates a lot of fear and fear leads to people not doing things they would normally do,' Dr Coatsworth told the Today show on Thursday. 'It's a counter productive way to manage Covid-19.
'I think there was a wide range of possibilities and we now accept as a community that 200,000, that upper limit, will not happen and we can move forward from that.'
He supports moves to extend mask mandates in Victoria and QR codes reintroduced in all NSW venues but stressed to viewers that early studies show Omicron is a milder strain and that vaccination is the best defence.
'A disease that is being increasingly milder, for which, if we'll get a booster, we'll be more protected than the primary course, for which we have the best treatments we've got available for any respiratory virus,' he said.
'We're now asking the police to enforce mask mandates for retailers, not to allow people into their shops unless they've got a mask on. I think that's the question, that's the framing we have to put around this.
'It is not so much the indoor mask mandates and the QR codes, it's that we need to stop ourselves from asking for more.
'We need to hold the line and remember all those things I just said about how much better our situation is than it was in 2020.'
On Wednesday night, Dr Coatsworth clashed with The Project co-host Lisa Wilkinson over whether enough is being done to combat surging Covid cases by rejecting demands for mask mandates and ridiculing cautious doctors.
The Project host claimed it was a 'no-brainer' to reintroduce indoor face mask mandates given new modelling predicted Australia could have 200,000 new infections a day by the end of January.
But Dr Coatsworth argued the grim forecast was 'extraordinarily unlikely' and it should be up to Australians to make their own decisions about how they protected themselves.
The Canberra physician's position was buoyed hours later by a major report from South Africa, where Omicron originated, that found the new variant was 80 per cent less likely to cause hospital admission than Delta.
He doubled down on his stance the next morning.
'Do we continue along the path of government intervention or continue along the path of social responsibility?' Dr Coatsworth said.
'Maybe Omicron is not the time, maybe we need to get back into mandates but very soon we need to move into living with Covid and the social responsibility that comes with that.'
He echoed calls by Australian chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly for travel PCR tests for interstate arrivals in states such as Queensland to be abandoned to relieve the overwhelming demand on NSW testing clinic which are under enormous strain.
'They're putting people in queues who don't need to be there and stopping us from finding there and stopping us from finding the cases,' Dr Coatsworth said.
'If we can't find people who have COVID-19, they can't be isolated and it will continue to spread within the community.'
Despite being the face of Australia's vaccine rollout, Dr Coatsworth slammed a controversial proposal considered by the NSW government to force unvaccinated patients fork out for their own medical expenses during Covid-related hospital admissions.
He then issued a impassioned plea for everyone to get vaccinated and the third booster shot as soon as they can.
'I think that we have a principle in Australia of universal medical care regardless of your life choices, be they ones we would take or ones we wouldn't,' he said.
'I will, as a practising doctor, continue to provide care to any patient with COVID-19 that comes in the door.
'What I would say to the unvaccinated is keep an open mind. This is a severe disease for the unvaccinated. You don't want to be that person who asks for the vaccine just before they get the tube down their throat in intensive care.'
But he did have some praise for the 'outstanding leadership of NSW government, which is looking at a proposal to mail out free at-home rapid antigen tests.
The reef is thriving -- despite all the Greenie gloom
Peter Ridd:
The Australian Institute of Marine Science recently released its annual survey of coral on the Great Barrier Reef. It shows spectacularly good results. For all three major regions of the reef, once data uncertainties are considered, there has never been more coral since records began in the mid-1980s.
This despite three supposedly catastrophic and unprecedented hot water bleaching events in the past five years.
This great news about the reef poses only a minor problem for those science and management institutions that have convinced the world that the reef is on its last legs. They use three strategies: first, ignore the data and hope nobody points out the great news; second, discredit the good news with “fact checks”; and finally, contrive a spurious but apparently plausible reason that the good news is actually bad news.
Ignoring the good news was on display last month in the latest reef-doom story when the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian all quoted an eminent reef scientist who stated that only 2 per cent of the reef had not bleached in the past few decades.
The implication was that bleaching was unprecedented and had destroyed almost the entire reef. The fabulous coral statistics this year were not mentioned by any of those articles.
Bleaching, cyclones and starfish plagues, which all occasionally kill parts of the reef, are akin to bushfires on land. They are completely natural and reset the ecosystem, which rapidly recovers, and are a necessary and important feature of many Australian ecosystems. I could guess that roughly 2 per cent of western Queensland was not affected by a bushfire in the past half century. That would be a good thing, certainly not worthy of concern. Neither should it be for the reef.
To counter the latest good news about the reef, as reported in The Australian, the fact-check gods of Facebook also swung into action. They deemed that the coral has actually declined in the past decade. So what does the AIMS data, which was cited in the fact check, actually show about the change in coral since 2011?
For the northern region, the amount of coral this year is excellent and about the same today as in 2011; for the central region, it has roughly doubled; and for the southern region it has almost tripled. There is a significant uncertainty in the data because of the difficulty of measuring such a vast system, and the measurements are partly subjective in nature, but there is absolutely no doubt that the fact-checkers are extraordinarily wrong.
They appear to be incapable of reading simple graphs.
The final strategy is to turn good news into bad. AIMS and other reef science institutions such as James Cook University Coral Reef Centre dismiss the obviously fabulous coral statistics by arguing that it is only the fast-growing corals that have regrown.
But they ignore that it is the fast-growing corals, the delicate staghorn and plate corals, that were killed in the first place by cyclones, bleaching and starfish plagues. So of course it is the fast-growing corals that have recovered.
In 2012, when the reef hit record lows of coral after a couple of very destructive cyclones, these institutions did not say: “Don’t worry, it is only the fast-growing corals – they will be back.” Instead, AIMS published a paper stating that, without intervention, the reef would likely crash much further by 2022. This is yet another failed prediction of the imminent death of the reef in the past 50 years.
Back in the early ’70s, scientists were claiming that plagues of crown-of-thorns starfish, a native Australian species, not an introduced pest, would totally destroy the reef. The plagues came and went, and we now know from geological evidence that the plagues have occurred across millennia.
The amount of coral on the reef fluctuates dramatically with time. The one thing that remains the same are the dire predictions of the loss of the reef. The other thing that remains the same is the reality that the reef is one of the most pristine, best protected, and brilliant ecosystems on Earth.
Early next year Environment Minister Sussan Ley must prepare an updated report on why UNESCO should not declare the Great Barrier Reef as endangered. She will be up against activist scientists, environmental groups and public servants. And in the background the false gods of big tech turn a huge increase in the amount of coral into a decline. Institutions such as AIMS and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority that downplay the excellent condition of the reef will be a further problem.
After 50 years of doomsaying about the reef, and its stubborn refusal to die, how much longer will we have to wait before a government will audit the science institutions that have been scaring our children?
Glencore’s proposed $1.5bn coalmine site home to over a dozen threatened species, government told
Mining giant Glencore has defended its plans to dig a $1.5bn coalmine in Queensland after telling the federal government more than a dozen threatened species could be on the site.
Environmentalists said the Valeria mine would destroy habitat for threatened species and threaten farmland, and put a question mark over the company’s climate goals.
But Glencore said it was yet to decide if it would commit financially to the project, which would have to fit within its commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
That goal, the company has said, also includes the burning of the coal the company sells. In 2019, the company said it would not increase its coal production after pressure from investors.
Company documents say the mine would produce between 14m and 16m tonnes of coal a year from six open-cut pits in the Bowen Basin with an expected lifespan of 35 years.
According to documents sent to the federal government this month, there are four plants and nine animals that are considered threatened but that could be present at the mine site.
There are also three threatened ecological communities that would be affected, with some of those areas needing to be cleared.
Surveys carried out between 2019 and 2021 recorded hundreds of species, including 334 plants, 132 birds, 34 mammals, 37 reptiles, 16 fish, 10 frogs and 10 introduced species.
Koalas, greater gliders and squatter pigeons that are all considered to be vulnerable to extinction were recorded at the site.
Koalas and greater gliders were also seen in areas the company would use to build a 67km rail line.
The company said the project covered 29,501 hectares with about 10,364 hectares that would need to be cleared for the mine, workers’ camp, and access road.
The company has sent five documents to the federal government – covering the mine and other infrastructure including roads and rail – that will now be considered by the environment minister under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
‘Considerable concern’: Karen Andrews warns of rising threat of Muslim extremism
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews says the threat of extremism in Australia will rise as international borders reopen following the re-emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Andrews is in Indonesia to meet with Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Mahfud MD and to enhance counter-terrorism ties with Australia’s near neighbour.
Andrews believes there is a need to deepen the countries’ level of collaboration and information sharing in the current regional security landscape.
“The ability for people to travel more freely over the coming months is going to be significant,” she said.
“The more we are able to do with neighbours … specifically Indonesia … the better prospects that we have and being able to deal with the travel and counter-terrorism and manage the threat.”
She told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Wednesday that two things in particular “have caused us considerable concern”.
“One is the fact that during COVID, people have had more time at home online, and are becoming radicalised. And there is evidence in Australia that the age at which these people are becoming radicalised is getting younger and younger.
“The second issue is the changes in Afghanistan. People are trying to leave Afghanistan. Potentially, they will come via Indonesia and may well look to come to Australia.
“But also there are people in Indonesia, and in Australia, who we are very much aware of, who are very interested in travelling to Afghanistan to take up arms there. That threat to us has been made more potent as those travel restrictions ease and our borders reopened.”
Andrews is being flanked by Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan in Jakarta, on the final leg of an overseas tour that also took in the United States and Sri Lanka.
Jakarta and Canberra renewed a joint commitment to fight terrorism during a visit by Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton in September.
Both Australia and Indonesia have urged the Taliban, which reclaimed power in August, not to allow Afghanistan to once again become a breeding ground for terrorism.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, has undertaken a major crackdown on suspected members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaeda-linked terror organisation behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Police there have arrested dozens of members of the militant network in recent months. They have said they foiled plans for a fresh attack on Independence Day last August.
The arrests by the counter-terrorism squad Detachment 88 include that of Ahmad Zain An-Najah, a senior member of the Ulema Council, Indonesia’s top body of Islamic scholars. He and two associates were last month charged with establishing a charity organisation that diverted cash to JI.
A report in September by the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, however, said Islamic State cells in Indonesia posed a greater threat than JI, which no longer has active links with al-Qaeda.
Andrews, meanwhile, said the government was treating seriously reports of further illegal fishing by Indonesian vessels off the north-west coast of Western Australia.
Indonesia last month briefly suspended a joint maritime operation with Australia over the Australian Border Force’s burning of three Indonesian fishing boats.
Andrews would not say whether ABF reserved the right to torch more boats it they were found fishing illegally but added: “We need to send a strong message that we take this seriously”.
“We are aware that in [that] particular part of the ocean there are a large number of illegal fishers working in that area,” she said. “Our position is we don’t want illegal fishing to take place in the first instance.
“We will provide warnings. We have provided warnings in the past to illegal fishing to make sure that they remove themselves from the area. In most instances, that actually takes place.”
Calls for calm as it's revealed ZERO patients with Omicron have been admitted to ICU in Australia
Not a single Covid patient in Australia's ICU wards has the Omicron variant even a month after the mutant strain arrived on our shores.
Panic is setting in across the country as cases rise at an astronomical rate, worst in NSW which had a record 3,057 new infections on Tuesday.
But Health Minister Greg Hunt downplayed the seriousness of the latest Covid outbreak, insisting 'you are less likely to go to hospital with Omicron and you are less likely to lose your life with Omicron'.
'But having said that, the best protection is to be vaccinated. And if you are eligible and due for your booster, now's the time to come forward.'
A national cabinet meeting on Wednesday between state and federal leaders is set to map out the festive season for Australia, with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet pushing to reduce booster wait times from five months to four.
There are 37 Aussies who have been hospitalised with Omicron, but none have yet been admitted to ICU, something experts say is thanks to high vaccination rates.
Mr Perrottet wants Australians to be able to get third third shot four months after their second after health advice it protects against to new variant.
Melbourne researchers have turned one of the world's most-used drugs into a nasal spray which they hope could prevent COVID-19 transmission
Northern Health medical divisional director Don Campbell said he had a "crazy idea" that the blood-thinning drug heparin could stop the virus growing in cells.
But it wasn't until his wife asked "well, what are you going to do about it?" that he got to work.
Nearly two years later, with the help of researchers at Melbourne, Monash and Oxford Universities, his team has been able to replicate international findings that heparin can block the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent infection.
The spray coats the nose but does not go down into the lungs. The researchers say it is cheap, easy to distribute and is expected to be effective against mutant strains of the virus including the Omicron variant.
"It won't matter if a new variant comes along, this drug will block that protein from infecting the cells," Professor Campbell said.
"I'm very confident that we can demonstrate that it will work, and people will be using this before they go to the shops and before they go to school."
Household contacts to be part of trial
The treatment has received $4.2 million from the Victorian government to undergo clinical trials.
Over the next six months, 340 Victorian households will be given the heparin nasal spray or a placebo, within hours of their household contact testing positive, to reduce transmission.
"The treatment will be given to household family contacts of the persons who get COVID, and we will also give it to the person who is infected," Professor Campbell said.
"We want to get to them within 24 hours of the diagnosis being known and we are confident we can do that."
Heparin is the second most-widely used drug on earth and is stable at room temperature for more than three months, meaning it can be widely distributed.
Director of the Lung Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, Gary Anderson, said the spray would be easy to use — two puffs each nostril, three times a day.
Professor Anderson is excited about the science behind the treatment, describing it as "cool".
"When [COVID] first gets into the nose it binds to a molecule called heparan and if it mutates that binding site it can't bind," he said.
"Heparin is so close in structure to heparan that it binds on and paralyses the virus, so it stops it infecting and also stops it spreading to others."
"One of the wonderful things about heparin is it is already available on the market as an approved product for another purpose, it doesn't require refrigeration and can be stored in plastic vials so it can be distributed very widely and effectively," Professor McIntosh said.
"We are not proposing this as an alternative to a vaccination, it is a supplement for people who can't be vaccinated, but we do imagine it will be very widely used."
The nasal spray treatment is one of seven local coronavirus treatment research projects that will share in $13 million of funding from the Victorian government.
Victorian Medical Research Minister Jaala Pulford said it's hoped the heparin nasal spray can be manufactured locally.
"Coronavirus is not going away any time soon and our amazing researchers are doing work that stands to make a real difference," Ms Pulford said.
"These projects will benefit not just Victorians but people around the world."
Tasmanian mother offered zoo pass after disclosing daughter's allegations of sexual abuse to school
A single mother whose daughter was allegedly sexually abused by an older boy on school grounds was offered a year-long family pass to a zoo by the school.
The abuse is alleged to have happened last year in a school building and in the family's driveway, and was occasionally witnessed by the woman's son.
Both the daughter and the son have intellectual disabilities.
Elaine — whose real name cannot be used to protect the children involved — said the response from the Education Department since the alleged abuse was disclosed earlier this year had left her in "absolute disbelief".
She is facing homelessness in four weeks as she struggles to secure a new property for a fresh start.
"[My children are] checking locks, they're in my bed every night having night terrors," Elaine said. "They're asking me where they're moving and where they'll go to school and I can't give them an answer because I don't know."
Elaine's daughter, who the ABC will call Rose, disclosed the alleged abuse in July this year, telling her mum it happened over several months when she was seven.
Elaine contacted the school, police and family paediatrician, and waited about 10 days to hear from an Education Department representative.
She said police told her the boy's parents were refusing to allow him to be interviewed, meaning the case was unlikely to proceed.
Within a month, the boy returned to school, while her children were placed in online learning and offered a pass to ZooDoo.
Tasmania's Education Department has spent decades ignoring students, shielding abusers and seeking to protect itself from legal, financial and reputational risks, an independent inquiry finds.
Elaine said the professional supports offered did not cut it and was worried the boy had perpetrated abuse against other children.
"I respect they have [child protection organisation] Bravehearts to encourage children to speak up but when they speak up nothing is being done," she said.
"It's automatic damage control … I was warned the Department of Education's go-to tactic was to gaslight, but I've been in absolute disbelief."
A review into sexual abuse in public schools, commissioned by the state government and released earlier this year, found student-on-student abuse was "significantly more prevalent" than adult-on-student abuse.
However, according to professors Stephen Smallbone and Tim McCormack, most policies focused on prohibiting sexual abuse perpetrated by school employees.
"In one sense this disparity of treatment is both understandable and appropriate," the report said.
"The problem with the disparity of course is that principals and other staff have little guidance on how to respond to allegations of peer sexual abuse."
Police closed Rose's file without laying charges.
In a statement, Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Higgins said the force had teams of detectives dedicated to investigating sexual assault.
"When dealing with alleged child offenders for any crime, investigators are bound by legislation regarding criminal responsibility," he said.
New gas-fired plant for the Hunter Valley gets state approval
A controversial $600 million gas power plant proposed for Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley has won NSW government planning approval despite its critics saying it is unneeded and will increase the state’s emissions.
The development is being funded by the federal government and comes after Energy and Emission Reductions Minister Angus Taylor called on the private sector to provide an extra 1000 MWh of power capacity to protect against price rises when the Liddell power plant closes in 2023.
On Monday evening the state government confirmed it had secured approval, after the planning department earlier issued and then withdrew statements saying it had been approved.
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said the application was approved following rigorous assessment and consideration of community feedback.
“This project will improve energy reliability and security in the National Energy Market as it brings on renewable energy from wind and solar farms, and transitions away from coal-fired power generation over the next 10-15 years,” the spokesperson said.
“The project will provide on-demand energy when the grid needs it and will only operate on average two per cent over a year.”
Critics and some energy analysts say the 660MW it will contribute to the network is unnecessary given the amount of new renewable energy capacity being brought online.
“If it was necessary, the market would have called for it, but it didn’t,” Tony Wood, head of the energy program at the Grattan Institute think tank said. “That is why it is being publicly funded.”
Earlier this month NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean, who has developed a policy based on replacing fossil energy with renewable, also voiced scepticism about the project.
“If the federal government wants to invest in the industries of the past, good luck to them. I’m not going to knock back half a billion dollars worth of Commonwealth funding,” he was reported as saying by the Cessnock Advertiser.
The plant will be owned and run by the federal government’s power company Snowy Hydro.
Earlier this year, then-chairwoman of the Energy Security Board, Dr Kerry Schott, told the Guardian the plant was unlikely to hold prices down because there were cheaper alternative energy sources and the private sector won’t build it. “Because it doesn’t stack up”, she said.
Nic Clyde, the NSW spokesman of the Lock the Gate Alliance, which campaigns against the expansion of the gas and coal industry said the project was a “$610 million white elephant that will waste scarce public funding that is desperately needed elsewhere, and that will drive up energy prices, not bring them down”.
After final federal government approval, construction is expected to begin in early 2022 with the plant to be up and running in mid-2023, ahead of the closure of the Liddell power station.
Face of Australia's vaccine rollout Dr Nick Coatsworth SLAMS Covid doomsayers and claims worrying reports about Omicron are 'inaccurate'
One of Australia's leading doctors has slammed the worst predictions about Omicron, claiming preliminary data on the new Covid-19 strain is 'encouraging'.
Australia's ex-deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth has hit out at a host of doomsayer experts fearing the worst as another wave of the virus looms.
The one thing about the variant he doesn't find encouraging is how infectious Omicron is.
'The people who are most worried about this in the scientific community were saying its early days four weeks ago and are still saying this. And both can't be true,' Dr Coatsworth told News Corp.
University of NSW modelling has suggested NSW could have up to 25,000 new cases a day by February.
However, Dr Coatsworth slammed that figure as not 'accurate' as he weighed into claims by clinical immunologist Dr Dan Suan that the state was 'sleepwalking into an Omicron disaster'.
'People who take Dan's position believe that the peak will be enormous. UNSW modelling says 25,000 a day, I just don't think that's accurate,' he said.
'The key period will be the next seven days. We will be able to see how many of the 2500 odd testing positive every day are actually going into hospital.'
Around 261 NSW cases were being treated in hospital on Monday while 33 were intensive care, a slight increase from 24 hours earlier.
Of the almost 25,000 cases in the UK on the weekend, just 85 people were in hospital while seven deaths were recorded.
Dr Coatsworth has also lashed out at Dr Omar Khorshid in recent days after the Australian medical Association president gave a dire warning about the impact on the healthcare system if cases continue to explode.
Dr Khorshid tweeted on Saturday: 'Even if Omicron turns out to be mild in vaccinated people, an explosion of cases will have a devastating effect on healthcare- GPs looking after community cases, furloughing of exposed workers and of course the unknown proportion who will need to be treated in hospital.'
Dr Coastworth hit back in a lengthy reply, claiming by the AMA has 'rarely been positive or hopeful' throughout the pandemic.
'This adopts the 'a small percentage of a huge number is still a big number' fallacy that has swept through #covid19aus and #auspol since Omicron emerged,' he commented.
'It assumes no changes to control measures in a vaccinated population. Yes, it will be devastating if we don't adapt.'
'Adapt the policies. Don't furlough as many staff as we did pre-vaccine. Test to stay at work in healthcare facilities. Use check in at high risk events. Message empowerment not restrictions. Masks if hospitalisations go up. Boosters for vulnerable as a priority.'
'Recognise that control measures are less effective for omicron, it's now about bolstering the health system. Stop branding anyone who takes a different view as 'let it rip', its not a thing now we have vaccines.'
Peter FitzSimons is slammed for 'disgusting' comments which sparked vile Twitter pile-on
Veteran journalist Peter FitzSimons has come under fire after suggesting Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny's visit to the Tasmanian jumping castle tragedy site was a political move.
The former Wallaby [footballer] fired up his Twitter account to weigh in on photos of the prime minister and his wife laying flowers outside Hillcrest Primary School, in Devonport, on Saturday.
Mr Morrison was pictured comforting Mrs Morrison as she broke down while paying tribute to five children killed when a freak gust of wind blew a jumping castle 10 metres into the air.
'To me this seems to be more a matter for the Governor-General to arrive expressing the nation's grief and shock, rather than the PM?' FitzSimons tweeted.
FitzSimons was one of several commentators who questioned the prime minister's motives, with some left-wing advocates accusing Mr Morrison of turning the event into a 'media circus'.
But FitzSimons' comment quickly backfired - with Australians jumping on the journalist and insisting he was the one politicising the memorial visit.
'Peter FitzSimons you really are a grubby left piece of garbage to politicize this tragedy. Just STFU [shut the f*** up] you clown and have some respect,' one person tweeted.
'You and your followers are disgusting! F*** you all! Five children are dead in my state! We are grieving and all you can bloody do is tweet about politics,' another said.
'Your a dead set low life piece of s***. How could you even dare to make a political play as you have on something so heartbreaking for all down here in Tasmania if not all decent Australians. Your comment is the reflection of your sadistic self entitlement. POS 100%,' someone else posted.
Others claimed FitzSimons' reaction would have been the complete opposite had the prime minister hailed from the opposition, with some citing his previous praise of NZ Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's response to tragedies.
Australian Jew-haters ask Sydney Festival to refuse Israeli sponsorship
Israel’s embassy in Canberra is reported to have given $20,000 to the Festival allowing it to present a performance highlighting work of Israeli Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.
The Sydney Herald reports a coalition representing Sydney’s Arab community and others are calling on patrons and performers to boycott next January’s Sydney Festival
In a letter to the Sydney Festival written on behalf of 12 Palestine support groups from across Australia, BDS Australia wrote: “We write to express our deep concern at the 2022 Festival of Sydney’s acceptance of sponsorship from the Israeli government via the Israeli Embassy, Canberra as a Star Partner and as a sponsor of the Sydney Dance Company’s festival event, Decadance.
We ask that you seriously reconsider the Sydney Festival’s association with the State of Israel and stand with the Palestinian people and with international law by refusing to accept any sponsorships from or collaborations with Israel until such time as Palestine is free.”
The letter also pointed out: “The signatories to this letter are members of Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Australia which supports the 2005 call by 170 Palestinian civil society organisations for BDS as a peaceful and non-violent means to pressure the State of Israel to end the illegal military occupation and colonisation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem from 1967; to end the crippling blockade of Gaza which has been in operation since 2006; and to allow the internationally recognized Right of Return to Palestinian refugees to the land and homes from which Israel forcibly expelled them in 1948; and to ensure equal rights for all Palestinians living in Israel according to international law and human rights conventions.”
NSW Shadow Arts Minister Walt Secord has written to the Sydney Festival and the Sydney Dance Company: “As Deputy Chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel, the NSW Patron of the Labor Israel Action Committee and as NSW Shadow Minister for the Arts, I write to express my deep concern about calls for the Sydney Festival and the Sydney Dance Company to reject Israeli government sponsorship as part of the extremist BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.
I ask you to reject these calls. Such moves have been repeatedly rejected in NSW and Australia as well as at the local government level.
An economic boycott is abhorrent and mendacious and it is counter-productive to fostering a two-State solution for Israel and the Palestinian people.
I acknowledge how difficult the past two years have been for your organisations – and I have been one of the strongest supporters of COVID support to the arts sector – so I am sure that the last thing you wish to do is to be drawn into distant geopolitical issues.
The language used in the letter to your organisations from BDS Australia is beyond repugnant and replete with outright lies and shocking exaggerations.
An examination of the organisations that purport to sign the letter reveals that they represent a minuscule (but vocal) minority. Most Australians would be outraged at this one-sided, myopic targeting of Israel.
Australia to increase local urea production in new deal
Panic over
The federal government has signed an agreement with fertiliser manufacturer Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL) to significantly increase the production of local urea.
Urea is a critical component of diesel exhaust fluid AdBlue, which is used in diesel engines in trucks, large passenger buses, mining equipment, and agricultural vehicles.
Angus Taylor, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, said the announcement will provide the trucking industry with certainty.
“Australia currently has adequate stocks of AdBlue stock on hand, but this agreement with IPL will enable domestic production of TGU or supply of an AdBlue product to domestic manufacturers to ensure current supply chain disruptions don’t impact on Australian businesses.”
The agreement will see IPL undertake a manufacturing assessment to produce technical grade urea and expand production at its Gibson Island Plant in Brisbane.
Taylor and Jeanne Johns, CEO and MD of IPL, said the ramping up in production will not impact the supply of fertiliser grade urea for Australian Farmers.
Currently IPL’s Brisbane Gibson Island plant produces mostly fertiliser grade urea, with a small portion used to make AdBlue solution, supplying around 10 per cent of the Australian market.
“We’re very pleased our domestic manufacturing expertise can be mobilised and we’re working together with the Federal Government to expand supply of this critical material that we all rely on to keep Australia moving,” said Johns.
Australia has also managed to secure 5000 tonnes of refined urea, roughly a month’s worth of AdBlue, from the Indonesian Government, which will arrive in January.
Dan Tehran, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, said Australia is leverage its strong relationships with international partners to open new supply sources to meet our future needs for refined urea.
“By working closely with our partners, we have been able to secure this critical supply for Australia. We will continue to strengthen our close relationships around the world to support and further Australia’s interests.”
Nasal spray developed by Australian scientists STOPS cancer patients catching Covid with a bigger trial to find if it can be the next weapon to fight the pandemic
Another one of those evil nasal sprays. But this one uses a well recognized therapeutic ingredient so will be harder to dismiss
A trial for a nasal spray that has prevented cancer patients getting Covid-19 could be a new weapon to fight the pandemic.
Some 175 patients have tested the drug by taking daily doses of a nasal spray containing cancer drug interferon developed by scientists at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
None of the participants in the C-SMART trial have contracted Covid so far, despite several waves of the virus plunging Melbourne into six lockdowns.
Scientists are seeking more volunteers to take part in the free trial, which will be expanded to Austin and St Vincent's hospitals in Melbourne, along with Westmead Hospital in western Sydney.
Anyone with a past or current cancer diagnosis is eligible to take part in the four month trial.
Scientists hope the nasal spray will be an extra protection for vulnerable patients until better preventions are developed.
'We have not had any patient on the trial actually report back to us that they have developed Covid infection,' National Centre for Infections in Cancer director Professor Monica Slavin told the Herald Sun.
'But we have had about 10 per cent of people on the trial sending in a swab due to some sort of viral illness.
'We know that there are groups of patients, because of the immune system being suppressed, that don't make a good response to the vaccination.'
But it hasn't all been smooth sailing for the trial, which began a year ago.
Scientists were forced to press pause on the trial for five months earlier this year when access to chemicals and sending samples of the drug for testing were hampered by international border closures.
The expanded trial will determine whether the drug can also prevent other respiratory viral illnesses.
Studies have shown cancer patients make up 10 per cent of severe Covid-19 cases, and about 20 per cent of those who die from it, according to the trial's website.
They are also more likely to rapidly develop severe infections and be admitted to ICU compared to cases without cancer.
Omicron is an inferior variant of Covid and the worst of the surging outbreak will be over for Australia within weeks, top expert claims
Australia's Omicron outbreak will peak in just a few weeks and new restrictions will only be necessary if hospital cases 'go through the roof', a top Covid expert predicts.
Australian National University professor Peter Collignon said the new strain appeared to be milder or no worse than previous ones even though it spread quicker.
He said Australia is seeing a spike in cases due to the Christmas party season, with people enjoying 'high-risk activities' such as eating and drinking in pubs and clubs.
'I suspect we'll have more numbers over the next week or two,' he said.
'I suspect [cases] will go up until the first or second week of January, then it will gradually go down or at least stay stable, then next winter it will go up again.'
Professor Collignon said the growth in cases in Britain and the US was primarily because 'they are going into winter'.
'But the big note there, as well as here, we are not seeing huge numbers of hospital admissions,' he said.
'Yes you can get mild disease more frequently or even reasonably frequently even if you're vaccinated... but the real crunch is the deaths of people and hospital admissions, and they're not going up because vaccines work.'
Professor Collignon said the new Omicron wave was 'the new reality' for the next four or five years. 'Omicron spreads a bit more but it doesn't seem to be worse in severity of disease so this is what we've got to expect,' he said.
'Provided we keep the hospitalisations down, that's good news because it means we can get on with life without that huge risk hanging over our heads.'
He said re-imposing Covid restrictions in NSW such as mask wearing indoors, as Queensland and Tasmania did, would only be necessary if hospitalisations 'go through the roof'.
'The main precaution we should be taking is to be outdoors more than indoors. Outdoors there's much less transmission than indoors,' he said.
'Have a barbecue during the day instead of a dinner at night. Avoid crowded indoor venues as much as you can decrease the time you go there.
'If you have people unwell make sure nobody is unwell who comes over, they should be getting tested and not coming over.'
Thousands of Australians face spending Christmas locked in their homes as Omicron seeps though the country, sending patients and their close contacts into isolation.
Health officials in NSW admitted they have no clue how many cases of the highly infectious mutant strain are active in the state because it is too expensive and time consuming to test each case for its strain - but there are likely thousands.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has so far refused to bring back any restrictions despite mounting pressure, just days after removing density limits and allowing the unvaccinated the same freedoms as those who've had the jab.
The daily infection rate in the state soared to a record 2,566 cases on Sunday with another 21 admitted to hospital. There were 2,501 more cases on Monday.
High-priced coal and LNG sets Australia up for $380 billion windfall
A nation that has a whole continent to itself is bound to find underground riches somewhere
Surging prices for Australian coal and LNG coupled with record exports of iron ore will deliver almost $400 billion worth of resource exports to the nation this year that will translate into stronger economic growth.
Figures to be released today by the Industry, Resources and Energy Department show that over the past three months, expected exports for minerals and energy have been revised upwards by $30.6 billion with the largest risks posed by China’s economy and a possible global lift in interest rates to deal with higher inflation.
Strong LNG exports are tipped to help Australian resource exports reach $380 billion this financial year.
Strong LNG exports are tipped to help Australian resource exports reach $380 billion this financial year.
In 2020-21, the resources sector exported a record $310 billion of product, topped by an all-time high $153 billion worth of iron ore. Mineral exports were worth $228.6 billion, and energy exports were worth $81.2 billion.
In its December quarter export report, the department expects total resource exports this year to reach $379.2 billion. In its September report, it had forecast $348.6 billion.
The big change has been in energy with exports from commodities such as thermal coal and LNG now tipped to reach $170.7 billion. Last quarter they had been forecast to reach $128.6 billion.
High prices for both metallurgical and thermal coal are expected to press exports of these to $54 billion and $35 billion respectively. In September, they were tipped to bring in $33 billion and $24 billion.
It’s a similar story for LNG with better prices a key factor in lifting forecast exports to $63 billion. In September, LNG exports had been predicted to reach $56 billion.
Better prices for oil mean exports of crude are tipped to jump by more than 75 per cent to $13 billion in 2021-22.
Copper, aluminum, alumina, lithium and zinc exports have all been revised upwards.
The only major export revised down is iron ore, due to an expected fall in prices, but it will still bring in $118 billion.
The department said there were ongoing positives for the mining sector, with capital spending expected to rise. It reached $1 billion in the September quarter, the fifth consecutive quarterly rise, and 25 per cent higher than its recent low set in June last year.
“In the coming two years, it is likely that the resources and energy sectors will make a significant contribution to real GDP growth, as producers lift output and exports in response to high prices and margins,” the department found.
The lift is expected to flow into 2022-23. Total resource exports are now forecast to reach $310.6 billion after being tipped to reach $299 billion in the September report.
It did caution that there were risks ahead tied to China which remains Australia’s most important export market. Another risk related to the state of the global economy, with concerns mounting world interest rates will be pushed up to deal with higher inflation.
“Higher global interest rates — in response to persistent inflation — pose a downside risk to global economic activity and hence the resource and energy export forecasts,” it said.
Resources Minister Keith Pitt said the figures showed the importance of the sector to the national economy as well as the regions.
“These are outstanding results that will provide further jobs and opportunities in our regions and benefit all Australians,” he said.
“Hundreds of new projects in the pipeline, including 60 new or expanded coal mines, will deliver thousands of new jobs, especially in regional areas. The higher forecast earnings are expected to keep the benefits flowing to the broader community, including through royalties the states use to pay for the hospitals, roads and schools, the services we all rely on.”
Greenie thugs protected by Leftist Qld. government
Protesters are hurling sex slurs at female miners, chasing staff in cars and even flying in booze at Adani’s Carmichael coal site.
Cashed-up activists are hurling sex slurs at female mine workers, chasing staff in cars and even flying in booze as part of an almost daily confrontation of abuse and intimidation at Adani’s Carmichael coal site
The tension created by environmental protesters is putting lives at risk, CEO Lucas Dow said, with staff forced to wear body-worn cameras and the mine company forced to spend $9000 a day on security to keep workers safe.
The “outrageous” display of abuse included one female worker being called a “slut” by activists, merely for going to work.
Protesters also chartered a helicopter stocked with beer and wine to their camp.
In another shocking act, activists drove a 4WD at a female staffer as conflicts become more aggressive in what Mr Dow describes as attempts to “create a confrontation with our people for their PR cameras”.
With protest activity dragging into its fourth month, Mr Dow said it was “outrageous” the Queensland Police Service and state government were valuing the sensitivities of activists above worker safety.
“They’ve verbally abused and threatened our employees, often targeting women, they recently chased one of our female workers in a four-wheel-drive, and flew a helicopter onto the mine to deliver supplies including alcohol to their camp,” he said.
“We’ve made several complaints to the Queensland Police Service about the presence of the activists and their behaviour, however, after nearly four months, police refuse to move them on.
“This is outrageous given the camp is within 200m of our operational open-cut mining pit.”
A spokesman for Queensland police acknowledged they had received several complaints relating to incidents involving people associated with the camp.
“The Queensland Police Service continues to investigate these complaints as part of an overall engagement and negotiation strategy,” he said.
The spokesman said the service would ensure public safety while working towards an appropriate resolution.
“The QPS also acknowledges the response to these issues are complex, we have and will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders,” he said.
About 10 million tonnes of coal will be extracted each year from Adani’s $2bn Carmichael Mine in central Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
Following a decade of controversy and rigorous approvals construction of the mammoth mine, which will employ 2000 workers, started in June 2019.
Mr Dow questioned why protesters were exempt from strict site rules imposed on workers, and called for the government to step in and protect miners.
“It’s the behaviour of the professional activists using it that makes a mockery of the workplace health and safety laws the tens of thousands of people who make up the resources industry abide by every day,” he said.
“Like any other business in Queensland that operates within the law and within its approvals and conditions we expect our government to enforce the rule of law and protect our operations and our people from premeditated activist intimidation, harassment, or sabotage – that shouldn’t be too much to ask.”
Queensland Resources Council chief executive officer Ian Macfarlane called for tougher penalties for protesters who illegally disrupt mining activities and abuse and harass workers.
“It’s no exaggeration to say people’s lives are being placed in danger – not only the lives of protesters, but that of honest, hardworking people whose workplace safety is being threatened on a regular basis,” he said.
“Protesters are entitled to lawfully express their views, but they’re not entitled to abuse or harass people or to disrupt our workplaces and make them unsafe just because they don’t like our industry.
“The constant harassment, abuse and law-breaking happening on Queensland mine sites and at port and rail facilities has got to stop.”
Resources Minister Scott Stewart said Adani could apply to the Land Court for an order to have people removed from their lease. “Those people then have to show why they shouldn’t be removed, Bravus have been informed of this multiple times,” he said.
Mr Dow argued Mr Stewart’s proposal to file proceedings in the Land Court was an abrogation of responsibility.
“The failure of the Queensland Government to propose an immediate and effective solution shows a lack of leadership by politicians who are more worried about protecting inner-city seats from the Greens than protecting hard working people in Queensland’s coal communities,” he said.
Police Minister Mark Ryan declared he would not order the Queensland Police Service to act, but acknowledged investigations into the protest activity were ongoing.
“While people have the right to protest, they don’t have the right to do so in such a manner that impinges upon the rights of others to go about their lawful business,” he said.
“The fact is Queensland has some of the toughest laws in the nation and protesters who damage certain types of infrastructure could go to jail for 14 years and face substantial fines.
“I am advised the Queensland Police Service is continuing to investigate this matter.”
How a simple house renovation left a celebrated professor with just DAYS to live
I think this is a bum steer. To develop a disease after something that happened 32 years ago is certainly consistent with mesothelioma but the principal symptom of mesothelioma is lung damage and resultant breathing difficulties. It is not reported that she suffered such symptoms. But even if she did, it is not what she is dying from. She has an inoperable cancer on her spine. Linking that to mesothelioma is tendentious. Cancer can have many causes
To declare a personal interest: 35 years ago I bought a large old house that was completely clad in fibro (Fibrous cement sheeting, where the fibre is asbestos). I took every last bit of it off and replaced it with pine chamfer boards. Neither I nor the person who helped me have any symptoms of mesothelioma. We both breathe as freely as we ever did
A loving wife and accomplished professor dying from asbestos-related cancer has pleaded for Australians to 'wake up' to the dangers hidden in the home renovations craze which has taken off during the pandemic.
Gillian North, 61, is in the final days of a harrowing mesothelioma fight and being cared for at home at home at Thirroul south of Sydney by her twin sister Jocelyn and her husband Martin.
They do not expect her to live to see Christmas.
A leading academic who had a career in law, accounting and at Deakin University, Ms North has written an incredible 18 research papers about asbestos dangers and reforms.
Ms North is convinced she developed the fatal disease after being exposed to asbestos while during home renovations in the United Kingdom 32 years ago and in Australia 25 years ago.
While Ms North admits it's not '100 per cent' certain she developed the cancer from home renovations, she said 'nobody can be certain of their exposure'.
'But I know of no other possible cause,' she said. She was diagnosed by her local GP in 2019, at 58, after developing a nagging cough.
After undergoing chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery Ms North got a two-year reprieve until X-rays showed an inoperable tumour against her spine. She has been steadily deteriorating since mid-2021.
Any exposure to asbestos fibres or dust is widely regarded to be the main cause of mesothelioma, a cancer which attacks tissues around major organs.
The disease is regarded one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 94 per cent of Australian sufferers dying within five years.
While asbestos was banned in 2003, it remains in place in public buildings, including schools, and houses and unit blocks.
China-made wind turbines crack sparking outrage they weren't made locally
Chinese-made wind turbines on Australia's biggest wind farm have cracked, sparking outrage that the project didn't use locally made machinery.
Nineteen of 40 turbines inspected at the Stockyard Hill wind farm, in Victoria's central highlands, are defective and will take months to fix, according to the Australian Manufacturing Worker's Union.
Another 109 turbines were yet to be inspected and it was feared they could also be damaged.
The massive wind farm, which is Australia's biggest, was operating for less than five months.
The AMWU, which found the damage in inspections, savaged the federal government for not forcing the project's developers to buy Australian-made turbines.
'The federal government sat on it's hands while our largest wind farm imported towers from China instead of supporting local jobs,' it said. 'Shame on the federal government for not mandating local content.'
The project was started by Windpower Australia, then sold to Origin Energy, which sold it to Xinjiang Goldwind, a Chinese-owned company, for $110 million.
Goldwind, which owns or operates nine wind and solar farms in Australia, is part of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co, the world's biggest wind turbine manufacturer, based in Beijing.
Goldwind is listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges, but 40 per cent of its top 10 investors are owned by the ruling Chinese Communist Party
Origin is contracted to buy 530MW of power from Goldwind until 2030 for up to 425,000 Victorian homes from the wind farm.
It was completed in 2020 and only began operation in July this year.
The union insisted Australian manufacturers should be 'front and centre' in green energy projects.
'Earlier this year workers from local wind tower manufacturer Keppel Prince met with local member [Trade Minister] Dan Tehan to urge him to mandate local content in major projects like wind farms. 'He did nothing.'
The union found the damage, which is on the 'top cover housing key mechanics' behind the blades, when it inspected the turbines.
It claims repairs will take up to 76 weeks 'and they still haven't inspected all of the towers'.
Queensland bush kids are falling behind in key NAPLAN test
Country kids tend to have lower IQs worldwide so this gap is to be expected
Queensland kids in the bush are falling behind in basic literacy and numeracy levels, with less than half of students in remote locations meeting the national minimum standard in key areas.
Alarming 2021 NAPLAN data released today has revealed the performance gap between students in country and city areas is widening, with experts blaming a lack of extra resources and qualified teacher shortages.
Meanwhile girls are surging ahead of boys in reading levels, though boys continue to outperform their female classmates in numeracy.
Just 39 per cent of Year 9 Queensland kids in very remote locations were recorded as meeting the national minimum standard in writing in 2021, and only 54 per cent in remote areas. By comparison, 80 per cent of kids in metropolitan areas met the standard.
In Year 7 writing just 45 per cent of students met the standard in very remote locations and 67 per cent in remote, compared with almost 90 per cent of city kids.
Year 5 bush kids were also well behind their peers, with less than two-thirds meeting the national minimum standard in reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy compared with about 95 per cent of students located in metropolitan areas.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief executive David de Carvalho said the gap between remote and metro areas was “disappointing”, and it was one of the reasons why a national standardised testing regime was important.
“(NAPLAN) does actually provide this kind of information and shine a light on these kinds of issues,” he said.
“And it does provide the opportunity to do a deeper dive, particularly in the school level practices or jurisdictional practices, to find out what’s working.”
ACARA’S general manager of assessment and reporting Peter Titmanis said the gap between remote areas and metropolitan areas in particular was “really significant”, and in some cases was close to about three years of learning.
Across the country, students from major cities outperformed students from regional areas in numeracy, reading and writing, with the gap in numeracy and reading gradually widening between 2016 and 2021 for most year levels.
The gap between boys and girls in primary school was also widening, with the gender divide larger in high school than in primary school.
UNSW Professor of Education Policy Pasi Sahlberg said there were a “cocktail of reasons” why kids in the bush were falling behind their city peers, including access to extra assistance like private tutoring, and a shortage of qualified teachers in key subjects.
“There’s big issues in the number of out of field teachers in rural and remote locations teaching out of field – it’s much higher than in the cities,” he said. “For many kids, they have had these teachers for a long time.”
Professor Sahlberg said while the location divide was “nothing to be happy about”, what was occurring in Queensland was also happening in the rest of the country, and across the globe.
“Australia is becoming more unequal, including in education,” he said. “I hope more policy makers would wake up and realise how important it is to address these inequalities, it’s the No. 1 education issue to try and fix.”
Piracy and illegal fishing concerns grow as foreign boats return to marine park
The WA government is urging the Commonwealth to "step up" and halt the surge in illegal foreign fishing boats harvesting seafood in a pristine marine park.
Fresh footage obtained by the ABC shows Indonesian crews have returned to the Rowley Shoals Marine Park within weeks of a crackdown that resulted in boats being burnt at sea.
The footage, shot by a local charter operator in late November, shows Indonesian sailors waving and smiling at the camera.
Western Australian Fisheries Minister Don Punch says it is unacceptable.
"It's a serious matter, as it has a big impact on the marine ecology of the Rowley Shoals, but also on the charter boat tourism that's happening in the area," he said.
"It's a matter we have taken up with the federal government, and I've had conversations with the Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews.
"But unfortunately it's still happening, and we need the federal government to step up and take control of the situation."
Wet season 'free for all'
Government data shows the number of foreign fishing boats is continuing to surge. So far this financial year, 231 boats were intercepted, with 29 seized and destroyed. That compares with just four boats in the 2019-20 financial year.
The situation is complicated by the multiple government agencies involved. The Rowley Shoals are within a WA government marine park, but the federal Australian Border Force is primarily responsible for keeping foreign vessels out of Australian waters.
Local skippers are worried the illegal fishing will intensify in coming months, due to the northern wet season.
It's understood the WA government boats that usually patrol the Kimberley marine parks have headed south for maintenance, as the monsoon season makes it dangerous to be at sea.
In a statement, the Australian Border Force said its surveillance and enforcement will continue throughout the summer.
"The Australian Border Force is actively responding to reports of foreign fishing vessels in the vicinity of Rowley Shoals," the statement said.
"Maritime Border Command operations will continue throughout the monsoon season, noting adverse conditions also impacts on illegal fishers."
Piracy concerns
But locals believe the Indonesian fishermen have the determination, desperation and equipment to continue fishing amid the wet season storms.
Kimberley Marine Tourism Association chair Jig Albert says the situation poses several risks.
"Our operators are massively concerned because the Indonesians are netting, walking on the reefs, collecting trepang, harvesting shark and — what's really disturbing — is they're taking the giant clams, which take years and years to grow," Mr Albert said.
"There's also the concern about biosecurity hazards like COVID-19.
"And these people are really desperate, so there's the risk of piracy as well."
One veteran Kimberley skipper, who didn't want his charter business to be identified, told the ABC the Indonesian crews seem organised and well-resourced. "Some of them are well set-up, with good boats, solar panels and GPS navigators," he said.
"They know what they're doing and they know what they're after. "If it's allowed to keep going, they'll realise it's open slather, and they will wipe the joint out [of marine life]."
ABC host Leigh Sales shares her astonishing virus theory as the virus tidal wave hits just before Christmas
Leigh Sales has shared her theory for why Covid case numbers may be rising ahead of Christmas. The ABC host questioned whether high testing numbers prompted by travel requirements are behind the recent spike in NSW.
'Queues for covid testing in Sydney are suddenly long, partly because of people needing a test to travel,' she wrote on Twitter. 'Is it possible that's why case numbers are up - catching more asymptomatic people who otherwise would be invisible?'
Testing numbers have been steadily climbing in NSW, reaching 104,501 on Wednesday, the highest figure since October 13.
South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania are requiring negative tests for inter-state entry.
It comes as the number of Covid-19 cases in NSW is expected to increase again after the highest count in more than three months, with predictions they could hit 25,000 infections a day in January.
The state reported 1,360 cases from 104,501 tests on Wednesday, prompting NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to repeat his call for the focus to shift to people in hospitals and ICU, of which there were 166 and 24 respectively.
While hospitalisations generally lag infection spikes, Mr Perrottet has 'complete confidence' the hospital system will cope thanks to the state's 93.2 per cent full vaccination coverage.
The Omicron variant is believed to be behind an increasing number of cases, with Newcastle and Sydney seeing a surge.
Australian businesses are desperate for staff - but instead of going back to mass immigration, we should END the dole and get lazy Aussies off their backsides, writes MARK LATHAM
Sometimes in politics you can only shake your head in amazement as to how public policy is made.
For nearly 30 years our governments have been spending billions of dollars supposedly to make young Australians 'job ready' through vocational training.
Now, in the post-Covid economic recovery, we are being told there are 50,000 fruit picking jobs, 30,000 hospitality vacancies and 15,000 trades and construction jobs in NSW that can only be filled by foreign workers.
Pacific Islanders have been brought in for the farm harvest - while the other positions will be filled by going back to big immigration numbers of 200,000 per annum.
Meanwhile, some parts of western Sydney and country NSW have youth unemployment rates of 30 and 40 percent.
How hard is it to ensure Australians get first crack at the jobs?
The immigration program should be designed, first and foremost, for the benefit of people who live here now, not new arrivals.
Australia has a one-off opportunity to reduce unemployment to zero and slash the cost of the dole for taxpayers.
Yet the Federal and State Governments are blowing it through their obsession with 'Big Immigration' and going soft on welfare abuse.
There are so many job vacancies at the moment, anyone who says they can't find work is not really looking for it.
The only possible barrier for some is a vaccination requirement, but in many NSW workplaces this ended today (December 15) with the abolition of vaccine passports.
Bringing workers from overseas puts pressure on housing prices and adds to urban congestion. It floods the labour market and holds down wages.
The logical alternative is to end the dole.
We can't have permanent youth unemployment in Australia, a generation who think that work is optional and taxpayers will carry them forever.
Ending the dole would be a culture shock to these job snobs, a wake up call about the necessity of work.
It would end the labour shortages quick smart, save the government vast amounts of money and avoid an over-reliance on overseas workers.
If young people in particular got off their backsides they would find work tomorrow on farms and in cafes, restaurants and pubs.
What's wrong with these Liberals – Morrison, Treasurer Frydenberg and Premier Perrottet – that they only see the soft option as viable? Why have they lost the ability and backbone to make tough but effective decisions for Australia?
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has unleashed a vicious spray on Australia’s climate change deniers, labelling the conspiracy theorists as “crackers” and “mad”.
Speaking at the Australian National University on Wednesday, Mr Turnbull warned that controversial viewpoints were no longer a punchline, insisting those who denied the environmental impacts of fossil fuels now held real power over Australia’s future.
“There used to be a time where we would say 17 per cent of people believe the world is flat, Elvis is still alive, and martians are present and living among us,” he said.
“And you‘d sort of shrug that off as being mildly amusing.”
“But when you have people disbelieving facts … you have, not eccentric points of view, but positions that have real consequences.”
The former PM then turned his attention to his political rivals, taking a subtle dig at John Howard and Tony Abbott as he recounted “an example of craziness” about climate change.
Mr Turnbull said he had tried to convince prominent conspiracy theorist and Sydney businessman Maurice Newman that climate change was real, but Mr Newman was too insane to listen.
“I was spending some time with Maurice Newman – a good friend of John Howard‘s and Tony Abbott’s,” he said. “I said to Maurice: ‘what if I asked one of our top climate scientists to summarise in one page, what the key (climate) points are, basically an exposition of atmospheric physics’.”
But when Mr Turnbull presented the evidence of global warming to Mr Newman, he said the powerful businessman responded with a rant claiming Australia’s universities, media, and government organisations were all in on the same evil conspiracy about fake climate change.
“It sounds crackers, but we are dealing in an age where there is a lot of madness about,” Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Turnbull urged the Morrison government to rein in its own conspiracy theorist MPs, insisting Australia was now running out of time to avoid a climate catastrophe.
“We’ve been caught by this poisonous political Troika that has bedevilled climate policy in Australia for so long,” he said.
“We‘ve got a long term problem, but we don’t have a lot of time to address it. “We’ve got to get cracking between now and 2030
Just two in 10 Australian motorists plan to buy electric vehicles
Australia’s efforts to reduce transport emissions are in jeopardy, as new data reveals just 16 per cent of motorists intend to make their next car purchase an electric vehicle.
Despite earlier research finding Australia must phase out petrol cars by 2035 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, a new survey by Compare The Market finds more than half of motorists may buy another one.
The comparison firm asked 1000 Australians when they plan to replace their current vehicle and found 70 per cent will be in the market for a new car by 2025.
But fewer than two in 10 said they would buy an EV, and a further 49 per cent said they were still undecided.
Those findings are ominous because new cars last 14 years on average, meaning the vehicles motorists buy today will affect Australia’s carbon budget as the nation moves towards net-zero emissions by 2050.
That was a major conclusion from a Grattan Institute report earlier this year, which said Australia must make EVs cheaper to speed up the transition away from petrol and diesel cars.
“Electric vehicles will become more accessible to more people in the future, but with many Australians planning their next car purchase during the next few years, we might not see improved prices in time,” Compare The Market’s Stephen Zeller said of the new survey data on Wednesday.
“It would seem that for the majority of Australians, an electric vehicle might still be one more car purchase away, but their next petrol car might well be their last.”
Worryingly, more than a third of survey respondents in New South Wales and Victoria (Australia’s largest states) said their next purchase will not be an electric vehicle. That’s more than twice the number who said they would buy an EV.
Jake Whitehead, research fellow at the University of Queensland and an expert on EV policies, said he was unsurprised by the survey’s findings. Dr Whitehead said inadequate government policies mean EVs are still too expensive in Australia to entice more buyers to make the switch.
“We shouldn’t read too much into just one survey, but the undecided group is a big opportunity,” he told The New Daily.
Dr Whitehead said his research shows the majority of Australians are interested in buying an EV. But a lack of choice is discouraging many from making the leap.
“The policy settings aren’t in place to encourage that undecided group to definitively purchase an electric vehicle,” he said.
Though growing quickly, electric vehicle sales accounted for less than 2 per cent of total light vehicle sales in the first half of 2021, according to data from the Electric Vehicle Council.
The global average is 4.2 per cent, while other comparable economies like the UK have achieved rates above 10 per cent in the past year.
One reason for that is choice. Australians can choose between just over 30 EV models right now, but Britons can choose between more than 130.
Dr Whitehead said Australia needs a national EV sales target to encourage manufacturers to sell more models Down Under.
He said the current patchwork of state government policies isn’t enough to bridge the gap and ensure Australia sells its last petrol car by 2035.
“It’s a major risk for all states as well as the country in achieving [emissions] reduction targets,” he said. “We need a major transition and the longer you delay, the more disruptive it becomes.”
Official ABS data shows the unemployment rate dived from 5.2 in October to 4.6 per cent in November, after lockdowns had ended in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.
The drop came despite a massive increase in the percentage of people in work or looking for it, with a whopping 366,100 extra people estimated to have been in work last month.
AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said the participation rate of 66.1 per cent marked a big difference between the post-COVID recovery in Australia and the US.
"The near-record participation rate contrasts with that in the US where it is running well below pre-COVID levels," he noted.
"This suggests that the Great Resignation is less of an issue in Australia, although labour shortages are still an issue here."
Other labour market indicators were also positive, with underemployment dropping from 9.5 to 7.5 per cent and hours worked up 4.5 per cent.
Dr Oliver said all the indications were that the current jobs recovery would continue, with "businesses having to scramble for workers in some industries and not wanting to let them go".
"Strong levels for job postings and hiring intentions point to a continuing tightening in the labour market," he added.
The numbers were almost totally driven by the rapid rebound in employment in New South Wales and Victoria as key sectors such as hospitality, tourism, recreation and personal services were allowed to trade again with minimal restrictions.
"The easing of restrictions in both New South Wales and Victoria had a large influence on the national figures, with employment in the two states increasing by 180,000 people and 141,000 people between October and November," said the bureau's head of labour statistics, Bjorn Jarvis.
Australian government ditches South African travel ban after Omicron fears
The Australian government has eased the ban on arrivals from eight Southern African nations, as restrictions in NSW and Queensland begin to ease going into the holiday period.
Today Australia also reopened to vaccinated travellers from Japan and Republic of Korea and opening to international skilled and student cohorts, humanitarian, working holiday makers and provisional family visa holders.
The government imposed restrictions on travel from hotspot nations upon detection of the Omicron variant in the region last month.
In a statement, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly today stated the existing border rules were no longer proportionate or effective due to the global spread of the new variant.
“At this stage there are no direct flights from Southern Africa to Australia and only Australian citizens, permanent residents, immediate family members, parents and eligible visa holders are able to enter Australia,” he said.
Countries where the travel ban has been ditched include South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi and Eswatini.
“In line with other countries including the United Kingdom, the border measures under the Biosecurity Act 2015 restricting travellers who have been in the 8 Southern African countries from entering Australia has now ceased,” Prof Kelly confirmed.
Ubuntu is best known as a computer operating system so that is a weird name for an alternative medicine site. I guess ubuntu is an alternative to Windows. It's originally an African word meaning mercy
A Byron Bay woman is taking legal action after she was allegedly sacked for getting the COVID jab.
Lainie Chait was working as a client care consultant for the Newcastle-based Church of Ubuntu (COU).
The group promotes and sells alternative health remedies including hemp products.
Ms Chait said she lost her job in October, when it became known she was vaccinated.
"For the past 25 years I've been going 'I don't want, I don't need the Western approach', but in this particular scenario I did," she said.
Ms Chait said she supported freedom of choice in healthcare and was shocked to learn she was being dismissed for making a personal decision to be vaccinated.
"It seems extremely hypocritical and I think there are a lot of people in the wellness industry that are hypocrites," she said. "Because really, you're in the industry to help people, not judge them.
"A lot of the customers that come to them are vaccinated, so why are you still serving customers that are vaccinated and not employing people that are vaccinated? "That part I don't get, and that's the hypocrisy that pisses me off the most."
The ABC has seen a letter sent to Ms Chait when she was dismissed.
It laid out the reasons behind the decision, describing Ms Chait as a highly valued subcontractor with the Ubuntu Wellness Clinic Newcastle, who was also recognised as a full member of the Church of Ubuntu.
It cited frustration with the NSW Government's "enforced medical apartheid" and "a highly disproportionate response to the Sars Cov 2 virus".
"As a consequence of this ... the Church Of Ubuntu has taken a position that no committee members or full members can be accepted if they consciously chose to, and then complete injections, with any of the current or future planned injections purported to protect from the COVID-19/Sars Cov 2 virus.
"It is the position of the COU that to receive the COVID-19/Sars Cov 2 injection consciously and deliberately with intent is in contradiction with our Constitution and contrary to our position on what is required of us by our Lord God and Creator.
"As a consequence Lainie can no longer be a full member of the COU. She can however in keeping with the Ubuntu Philosophy still remain as an associate member if she chooses.
Mark Swivel, from Barefoot Law, said the decision went completely against the current trend of vaccine mandates. He said the case might hinge on whether his client was classified as an employee or a contractor.
"The upshot of it is that we're in the Fair Work Commission," Mr Swivel said. "The dispute about whether someone is an employee or a contractor is a really common one that the Fair Work Commission deals with, so that's a perfectly normal part of it.
"Then the question of whether the dismissal was fair, well I think it's a fairly open and shut case.
"We were supposed to have a conciliation recently but the organisation did not appear, so we're now looking for a new date.
Westpac’s chairman says the bank won’t pull the plug on fossil fuel projects anytime soon
At the bank’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, Westpac chairman John McFarlane ruled out pulling the plug on fossil fuels projects, which he said will continue to be around for “some time”, despite saying it would become easier to cut them off.
“But given this is Australia, it’s not the right answer. This country does need us to finance various sectors, including electricity generation,” he said.
“We know gas will be with us for some time for base load [power]. We’re not going to be able to deal with renewables immediately.”
In a set of prepared remarks, McFarlane defended the bank’s performance on climate change, reminding shareholders that the bank has “the greatest exposure to greenfield renewables and the least to fossil fuel extraction” of the four major banks.
But that didn’t stop shareholders peppering the chairman with demands for a wind-down on fossil fuels lending, which they said flies in the face of the bank’s commitment to support net-zero emissions by 2050.
As it stands, Westpac has committed to winding down all fossil fuel financing by 2030, but has yet to outline a plan for getting there. Until then, McFarlane said, the bank is trying to straddle a “middle ground”.
“In all honesty, we are doing a reasonable job, and we are doing a better job than some of our competitors,” he said.
McFarlane said formal criteria for reducing fossil fuel funding, which could include a new set of targets, will not come until at least 2023.
“Further research is underway to develop Paris-aligned sector financing strategies and portfolio targets for six of our most climate-exposed sectors representing most of our emissions,” he said.
“Our analysis will consider the latest developments from the International Energy Agency and the IPCC.”
Analysts over at the environmental banking lobby group Market Forces, however, said the bank is having it both ways.
The group, which was responsible for one of two resolutions calling for better disclosure of fossil fuel lending, said Westpac has failed to square up its policies and practices, with its commitments to the Paris Agreement, and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Early last year, Westpac opened its chequebook to Whitehaven Coal, which secured $110 million from the bank. Come November, went back to the sector, this time to the major oil and gas company, Santos, which was able to secure $US25 million in funding.
Shareholders questioned McFarlane on the issue, which has been made worse by the fact that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and ANZ have each wound down funding for new coal and gas projects like Whitehaven.
But that doesn’t mean they’re beyond reproach on the issue. Both ANZ and NAB are expected to face similar questions when their annual general meetings take place on Friday.
What to do with our most successful vax researcher for decades? Sack him
The South Australian government has declared there will be no more “exemptions” from mandates for people who take part in clinical trials. So workers taking a locally made vaccine, called Covax-19, will have to take approved vaccines as well or get sacked. It doesn’t matter what their antibody count is, or whether it might even be risky to follow up Covax with a different vaccine. It’s not about their health, don’t you know?
Covax-19 is a traditional old fashioned protein vaccine. It’s still the old WuFlu spike, though without the furin cleavage sequence (which probably makes it safer). It’s been approved for use in Iran, and given to two million people there, remarkably with apparently no incidence of myocarditis or blood clots. Perhaps that’s the problem — it’s a threat to the current vaccines?
Since Prof Nikolai Petrovski tested Covax on himself before testing it on others, he may have to be sacked for not also getting vaccinated with an approved vaccine. He is no longer allowed to attend Flinders University or the Flinders Medical Centre, according to the ABC.
Great way to promote Australian science: Let bureaucrats decide which vaccine the Professors of vaccines should take. What could possibly go wrong?
ABC Radio: South Australians taking part in a COVID-19 vaccine trial will no longer be exempt from state government mandates affecting schools, aged care and health care centres.
The problem, it seems, was that Covax-19 was too popular.
A number of prominent local social media platforms have been advocating for people to avoid having vaccines approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) by signing up to planned COVAX-19 clinical trials.
And we wouldn’t want people to have a choice, would we?
It’s not that Petrovsky’s vax didn’t work or caused harm. It was because people might be signing up to avoid getting Pfizer, Moderna or Astrazenica. And if that were the case, surely the solution would be to rush supplies of Covax to Australia? It’s what the hesitant people want after all. But that’s not what the SA government suggested.
Like a Christmas present for Pfizer?
With these rules newcomer-vaccines will find it harder to get trial participants as people are forced out of the early trials with draconian threats.
I guess we wouldn’t want to accidentally discover a better vaccine when we’ve ordered 100 billion boosters already in secret contracts that may have given away the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Who needs Australian made vaccines, Australian expertise, and Australian profits? It’s so much better to have supply lines to Marburg and Massachusetts with vaccines approved through secret data by the FDA.
For what it’s worth, even with all the hurdles bureaucrats are putting in the way, the people are working to make this happen. So the GoFundMe campaign for this vaccine has raised $782,000 and thousands of people have signed up to participate.
Works in Iran:
By way of update, 2 million doses of our vaccine have now been safely distributed through immunization centres in Iran. There have been no reports of anaphylaxis, myocarditis or blood clotting, which given the extremely large number of doses administered is extremely reassuring.
Trial Ethics and TGA applications are both submitted and we will let you know when we hear anything further. We have added a link to a recent interview of Prof. Petrovsky for your interest. We are now 3/4 of the way to our target.
NAPLAN: Principals and teachers say it is ineffective and outdated, in Australian Education Union survey
Parents and education experts have hit out at principals and teachers after a survey slammed the national NAPLAN tests as being “ineffective and outdated”.
Australian Parents Council President Jenni Rickard also rejected claims in the survey by the Australian Education Union that the tests increased teachers’ workload, saying NAPLAN was about recording a “point in time” and there should be no prepping.
Ms Rickard said NAPLAN was also valuable to parents as an independent assessment and &##8220;a mechanism to ensure government departments are accountable and transparent”.
“It works as a test of the whole system from the bottom to the top,” she said.
The Australian Education Union surveyed more than 260 public school principals and nearly 3000 teachers across the country,
It found 73 per cent of principals believe NAPLAN increases teacher workloads; 86 per cent said the tests contribute to students’ stress and anxiety and 59 per cent said they make no difference to student outcomes.
More than 60 per cent of teachers said NAPLAN – undertaken by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 – was an ineffective diagnostic tool.
Education author Dr Kevin Donnelly criticised the AEU for its long history of opposing tests such as NAPLAN, saying it did not want schools to be held accountable for the billions invested and the fact students’ results in international tests were going backwards.
“We need NAPLAN to monitor and evaluate whether standards are improving or not,” Dr Donnelly said.
But AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said “NAPLAN is not fit for purpose in our schools” and should be scrapped and replaced with classroom-based and teacher-led assessments, along with sample-based testing.
Whites Hill State College Principal Andrew Beattie, based in Queensland, said NAPLAN caused “performance anxiety” among the children, especially in Year 5, as their results could determine which high school they went to.
He said many hours were wasted teaching children how to do the “unique” exam, instead of teaching them numeracy and literacy.
New analysis of this year’s NAPLAN results out on Wednesday shows students in Years 3 and 5 reading, Year 5 numeracy, and Years 3 and 5 spelling have significantly improved nationally since the tests began in 2008, but these improvements were not reflected in every demographic group, according to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
“We can now also see that the main group of students who fell behind the national average in Years 7 and 9 reading and Years 3 and 7 numeracy, compared to the base year, were students whose parents did not complete Year 12,” ACARA CEO David de Carvalho said
He defended NAPLAN, saying it allowed parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community to determine whether or not young Australians are developing the necessary literacy and numeracy skills.
Acting Federal Education Minister Stuart Robert added that NAPLAN has been critical to tracking student educational outcomes, especially during Covid.
A NSW Coroner has slammed a request by NSW Health to delay an inquest while it works to improve interstate patient transfers, four years after a teenager was left to die at Broken Hill Hospital without a single hospital in Adelaide willing to admit him.
Alex Braes is believed to have died from a type of flesh eating bacteria, known as necrotising fasciitis, after he was turned away three times from Broken Hill Hospital’s emergency department in 2017.
After he was finally admitted, Alex was stranded for hours awaiting medical evacuation to the city, with no hospitals in Adelaide willing to receive him and no pilot available to fly him to Sydney.
On Tuesday, an inquest heard Alex would have been more likely to have secured a bed in Adelaide if he was South Australian, and there had been an “extraordinary” bed shortage at the time due to the relocation of the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The NSW Ministry of Health was due to have a senior bureaucrat appear at the inquest to be grilled about the retrieval issues on Thursday.
However, the department’s lawyer requested the appearance be postponed because a meeting has been scheduled for Friday where a memorandum of understanding will be finalised with South Australian health bureaucrats to improve the situation.
“I have to say that given the amount of time that’s elapsed since Alex died, we would have greatly hoped to have a memorandum of understanding in place well before now,” Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan responded.
“I’m sure that’s what Alex’s parents would feel,” she said, as they nodded in agreement. “That’s very disappointing in itself.”
Dr Roy Fischer, who arranges medical retrievals on behalf of the South Australian Ambulance Service, detailed his efforts to find an ICU bed for Alex in Adelaide.
Dr Fischer said doctors in Broken Hill told him they had a working diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, a type of blood clot.
Alex was actually in septic shock due to a bacterial infection.
While both scenarios required urgent evacuation to a metropolitan centre, a blood clot could first be treated with medication in Broken Hill, while the flesh-eating bacteria could not because it required major surgery.
Dr Fischer said with hindsight, the hospitals may have responded with more urgency if they’d realised Adam couldn’t be treated at all in Broken Hill.
“The possibility of an improvement may have muddied the water somewhat,” he said.
Dr Fischer said he could not access Alex’s medical records or see him via a telehealth hook-up because of his location interstate.
There was also a lengthy process in South Australia for retrieving interstate patients, involving sourcing a bed before arranging transport and then organising a quote to be accepted by the receiving hospital.
The process had since been fast-tracked, but at the time of Alex’s death a quote could take up to half an hour, Dr Fischer said.
The same protracted process did not apply for people from South Australia.
“Is that a satisfactory situation, that a patient is treated differently based on state borders rather than their clinical needs?” the counsel assisting the coroner, Kirsten Edwards, asked.
“No,” Dr Fischer replied.
Dr Fischer said the drawn-out interstate transfer process meant in some situations it was quicker to send Broken Hill patients to Sydney, despite it being twice as far as Adelaide.
“By the time you had things like the quote … it eats into the difference quite significantly,” Dr Fischer said.
Motorists could be hit with a CBD tax and inner-city parking become even more expensive as the cost of traffic jams in Brisbane streets climbs
Slapping motorists with increased parking fees and a tax to enter the CBD would do more to alleviate traffic congestion than cutting public transport fares, which would only discourage people from walking or cycling to work, according to a new report.
They are part of the findings from a Productivity Commission report to be released on Wednesday.
The arrival of electric vehicles and the Morrison Government’s own EV policy means it is “critical” road user charges are implemented, it warned.
An overhaul of public transport fare prices, road user charges for entering the CBD at peak times, as well as charges per kilometre for certain peak traffic corridors, were among the recommendations.
The “social cost” of avoidable road congestion in Brisbane has hit $1400 per person, the report estimated.
It found the public transport fare price increases were not keeping up with the cost of running public transport, which Productivity Commission chair Michael Brennan said would eventually hurt government and council budgets.
“That has put service quality and frequency at risk, and these are the things that matter most to the users of the system,” Mr Brennan said.
The commission was unapologetic in its calls for road user charges, noting it was “oft-repeated and largely ignored”.
“Well-designed road user pricing could better target congestion and act as a funding source,” it stated.
It also said increasing parking fees, particularly during peak times, would do more to reduce congestion than encouraging more people to use public transport with lower fares.
“A 10 per cent increase in parking charges reduces car use by between about two and 13 times more than the reduction achieved by a 10 per cent decrease in public transport prices,” it found.
“By reducing demand for parking, higher fees can also reduce ‘cruising’ to find spare spots, which can also be a major source of road congestion.”
It also argued that road user charges, instead of cheaper peak public transport fares, would push more people into walking or cycling. “Lowering peak fares has the perverse effect of discouraging walking and cycling,” it stated.
Lowering public transport fares to encourage people back on to public transport after Covid-19 should also not be considered, as it would “savage revenue” without increasing patronage, it found.
This is a sophisticated presentation. Basically, inflation destroys people's savings, which is a very bad thing, but the writer below points out that other things tend to counteract that. Wages rise and stockmarket values rise.
But she is too optimistic. The principal protection that savers have is rising interest rates on their savings. And if interest rates rose in such a way as to give both a return on capital and an inflation counterbalance, that would be fine.
But with recent negigible interest rates being offered on savings, it is clear that interest rates often do neither of those things. So in practice inflation is a serious robber, hitting mostly small savers, The big fish have their money in the stockmarket, either directly or via index funds
Superannuation offers an "out" for the small saver but many superannuation funds are very poor performers, sometimes even giving negative returns
Concerns about inflation look set to dominate the global economic outlook in 2022.
But despite pandemic related shortages pushing up prices for some things like furniture, cars and fuel, the global inflation bogey man is more imagined than real, at this stage.
Financial markets, of course, love nothing more than a general fret-fest about rising prices. What investors are really scared about, however, is not that prices will rise, per se, but that they’ll rise either faster or slower than they’ve factored into their models for valuing shares.
For example, Americans found out on Friday they are facing the highest rate of consumer price inflation since 1982. Prices rose 6.8 per cent over the year to November, driven by higher fuel, food and housing prices. But sharemarkets rallied on the news, as it was in line with their expectations.
Workers, too, commonly fear inflation. Frustration with the rising “cost of living” is a perennial election issue. But again, if they stopped to think about it, it’s not actually inflation that workers fear, but that their wages might not rise fast enough to keep them ahead of the rising cost of living.
Of course, if inflation was such a terrible thing in and of itself, you’d expect governments would try to eradicate it altogether – to keep prices absolutely stable. But they don’t.
In fact, making sure that economies generate a bit of inflation is the explicit goal of central banks around the world. Our Reserve Bank, for example, has an explicit target to keep consumer prices rising at between 2 and 3 per cent on average, over time.
If inflation runs too high, you can be sure they’ll jack up interest rates to cool activity and prices. But if inflation dips too low – as it has in recent times - they’ll also intervene to cut lending rates to ensure people borrow and spend more to push up prices again. Importantly, they’ll also look through any temporary swings in prices and be guided by underlying trends.
I remember once asking a central banker why they didn’t just aim to keep prices stable. Why is inflation necessary at all?
The answer was essentially that a little bit of inflation is better than the alternative: of deflation. Deflation – a phenomenon where prices fall over time - is unambiguously bad.
When people think prices will be cheaper tomorrow, they will delay making purchases, leading to a widespread “consumer strike” which is bad for the economy.
Far better, then, to err on the side of running things too hot, than too cold.
A little bit of inflation also helps to lubricate the wheels of capitalism in various ways.
Let me explain.
If prices are not rising, it can be very noticeable when a company decides to lift prices for the goods or services they provide. If they face supply disruptions which increase their costs, however, companies may need to lift prices to maintain profitability. The alternative, if they can’t increase prices, could be to lay off workers or otherwise cut their wages bill.
So, an environment OF rising prices can help to provide the cover needed for companies to pass on higher costs to survive.
A bit of inflation can also help companies straining to reduce their wages bill by simply lifting worker wages by less than rising prices – i.e. deliver a real pay cut. That’s not great for workers, but nor is losing their job instead.
For borrowers, inflation can also be beneficial.
As we’re about to find out on Thursday in the mid-year budget update, the Australian government has accumulated significant debts during COVID.
It’s ok. We’ve done it before. And we’ll no doubt do it again. The answer to high levels of debt, historically, has been to simply let an expanding economy and rising inflation “inflate” away the real value of the debt incurred. That is, we should pursue policy settings which help the economy and prices to grow so fast, that the debt is worth less, in relative terms, tomorrow than it is today.
Mortgage holders also benefit if rising inflation pushes wages higher, reducing the size of their debt relative to their income.
Before COVID, of course, it had become clear workers lacked the degree of bargaining power they once had to push for higher wages, whether due to declining rates of unionisation, the rise of labour-replacing technologies or more competition from cheaper offshore workers.
But during COVID, I have observed a noticeable shift in thinking from our central bank to be even more determined to ensure workers get the pay rises they are due before interest rates are returned to more normal levels.
‘Remarkable’ recovery not enough to bring budget back to health
As governor Phil Lowe said on Tuesday, future interest rate rises “will require the labour market to be tight enough to generate wages growth that is materially higher than it is currently”. Furthermore: “This is likely to take some time.” Get it?
Our Reserve Bank won’t be lifting official interest rates until it is confident workers are enjoying the sorts of pay rises that would also assist in meeting higher mortgage repayments.
And as we return to life pre-pandemic, that might still be some time away. You can relax about inflation for now.
Macabre Qld crimes that show need for real life sentences
Retired judge Clive Wall is often asked why people don’t spend more time in jail. He was known as Judge Dread, because of his desire to put criminals in jail. Even in retirement, Clive Wall is vocal about the revolving door policy in Queensland courtrooms and prisons, saying victims are being forgotten, writes Peter Gleeson.
Retired District Court judge Clive Wall spends a fair bit of time at his Southport bowls club, and there is one question he is constantly asked – why are people not spending time in jail anymore?
Judge Wall – also known as Judge Dread because of his strong desire to jail criminals – believes people are “sick and tired’’ of the constant revolving door policy being applied to sentencing in Queensland.
“I think from a sentencing perspective, far too much onus is placed on the accused, rather than the victim or victims,’’ he says. “The balance has been tipped in the favour of the accused.’’
But what of the worst of the worst?
There are some crimes that grip a state and because of the wide publicity, become part of the criminal folklore in Queensland.
They are macabre, brutal and it is clear that the individual responsible has a dark, sinister side that is chilling and frightening.
The memories and images of those incidents, replayed over and over, are disturbing and it poses the question about whether they are mad or bad, or both.
Against that backdrop, surely it’s time to have a conversation about what constitutes a proper life sentence in Queensland?
Recently, we saw an application for parole from Barry Watts knocked back, 33 years after he and Valmae Beck murdered Sian Kingi at Noosa. She was just 12 at the time.
The parole board rejected the application, a trend likely to continue. When sentenced, the judge recommended no parole.
Watts abducted Sian Kingi, before raping, torturing and murdering the young girl who had been riding home from school. Would you want Watts out in society right now? Near your school? There are other notorious killers who are seared into the conscience of most Queenslanders.
Gerard Baden-Clay displayed an arrogance and indifference to killing his wife Allison that shocked hardened detectives. Lead investigator Mark Ainsworth was staggered at Baden-Clay’s nonchalance, revealing much about his personality. He is said to have little remorse.
Brett Peter Cowan abducted Daniel Morcombe from a bus stop and killed him near the Glasshouse Mountains. Cowan was convicted of the murder of the teenager and was sentenced to life in prison.
Max Sica was convicted of the brutal murders of three young siblings. He can apply for parole in 2047. Surely in these cases, where families and friends of the loved ones genuinely fear a return to society by these killers, life should mean life.
When you look at the history of these cases, the brutality of the killings, and the denial still in place, it must disqualify them from ever leaving prison.
Under the current judicial system, a judge can recommend no parole, but doesn’t have the legal carriage to enforce a term where the person dies in jail.
Judge Wall believes a “throw the key away’ mentality to heinous crimes would have strong support in Queensland. “The community would support life being life in extreme circumstances but it’s up to the politicians and they are a different breed,’’ he says.
Maybe it’s time we started thinking more about the pain and suffering of the victims and their families, rather than pander so much to the accused.
A significant stoush has erupted over Australia’s migration plan, with a minister labelling Anthony Albanese as ‘weak’ for opposing it
Skilled migrants are a net benefit. But too many in the past -- particularly Muslims -- have been unskilled and welfare dependent
Australia will allow skilled migrants and students back into the country on December 15 after the emergence of the Omicron variant caused the government to put a two week pause on the reopening plan, which was due to come into effect on December 1.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed on Saturday they expected an extra 120,000 migrants than initially forecast in May last year to enter the country.
Mr Albanese told Sky News he wanted to prioritise giving Australians the skills to fill jobs. “We’ve become too reliant upon temporary migration rather than training Australians up for the jobs that are available,” he said.
Mr Tehan slammed Mr Albanese as “weak” for not backing the migration policy. “All the experience shows that (migration) actually helps with Australian jobs, because the more skills you have got the more businesses can operate, the more that they can employ, and if they can’t get access to those specialist skills often it means they can’t put extra jobs on,” he said.
“So it’s a matter of getting the policies right.
“And Anthony Albanese, we don’t know what he actually stands for.
“He sort of, he says one thing one day, he says one thing another.
“What we do know is that he is pretty weak when it comes to these types of of decisions and what he says one day does not mean that that’s what he’ll do the next.”
Black sheep finally finds place in wool industry, thanks to consumer thirst for all-natural fibres
Most wool growers try very hard to keep black wool out of their flocks. But some farmers have been bucking that trend and are purposely breeding black merino sheep.
Black or coloured wool does not need to be dyed and with demand growing for all-natural products, the one-time outcasts of the flock have become hot property.
Sophie and Tom Holt run nearly 30,000 sheep at Coonong Station in the Riverina.
Ms Holt started a separate black merino flock and has been processing their wool in Australia, running a wool retail business with her two friends Maggie Lahore and Kimmy Falls.
Ms Lahore was a station hand at Coonong and now works remotely in the business from her home in Argentina, while Ms Falls runs a livestock transport company in the Riverina with her husband.
"We're three working mothers and three good friends, who had an idea to process coloured and white wool domestically," Ms Holt said.
Early on, they were told it could not be done with much of Australia's wool processed overseas.
But they have since found processors to work with, their black wool products are running out the door, with blankets selling for more than $500.
Tucker Carlson Interviews Australian Senator Forced Into COVID Camp Despite Multiple Negative Tests
The tyrannical measures adopted by the Australian government to combat the coronavirus have turned the country into a police state at lightning speed.
On Thursday, South Australian Sen. Alex Antic joined Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to explain how, despite multiple negative COVID-19 test results, he was sent to a coronavirus quarantine detention camp.
According to ABC News, a new law went into effect in South Australia on Nov. 23. Unvaccinated travelers are only allowed back into the state with an “exemption” and they must quarantine for two weeks.
Since Antic refuses to divulge his vaccine status, it’s likely authorities believe he is unvaccinated.
Antic told Carlson, “I have been concerned about some of the powers that have been gifted to the unelected bureaucracy in this country for a long period of time. I’ve spoken about them quite forcefully.”
Antic was working in Canberra, New South Wales, when he was informed that upon his return to South Australia, he was to report to a “medi-hotel” — a hotel that has been converted into a detainment facility — in Adelaide.
“That was completely out-of-step with other people’s experiences, completely out-of-step with what had been done in my previous trips to Canberra and back,” Antic said.
“Here’s the kicker,” Antic said: Ten minutes after he was told he would be going to the quarantine facility, he received a call from a journalist who knew all of the details. Hmmm.
This symbiotic relationship between the government and the media is reminiscent of the U.S. government’s connection with the legacy media. Remember how a CNN camera crew happened to arrive at Roger Stone’s home just before the FBI raided it?
“When I arrived at the airport, there was a camera crew and a photographer and a journalist all there to capture it,” Antic told Carlson. “I’ve never been more concerned about the things going on in this country.”
Antic has also learned that he will be receiving a $4,000 bill from the Australian government to cover the costs associated with his stay at the “hotel.”
“This is the lesson for the United States. Parliaments all over the country in Australia have gifted unrivaled powers to their bureaucrats. And they did so on the basis that we were told it was two weeks to flatten the curve. They never did so on the basis that there were going to be two years to keep people locked down and mandate vaccinations,” he said.
“The bureaucrats everywhere across the world — but certainly in Australia it’s true — they never like to get out of the warm bed of power and coercive control.”
Antic is speaking the truth. The pandemic has brought out the worst instincts in public officials around the globe, elected and unelected alike.
Universities need to raise international student fees, says professor
Associate Professor Salvatore Babones, a higher education commentator and sociologist at the University of Sydney, compared per-student revenue for domestic and international students and found overseas students contributed just $500 more.
But at many universities, including the universities of NSW, Wollongong and Melbourne, the domestic per-student revenue was higher than the average cost of an international degree. For UNSW, revenue from a domestic place is almost $5000 more.
However, Dr Babones included government research funding in his calculation of the revenue from domestic students, which others in the sector said should be considered separately and substantially inflated the domestic figure.
International students pay varying amounts for their degrees. For example, a double postgraduate degree in communications and project management at Bond University costs $82,710. A bachelor of economics at Sydney University costs $147,500, while a graduate diploma in management at UTS costs $45,000.
Dr Babones calculated the average 2019 revenue for each domestic student, using state and federal government contributions and fee revenue, at $28,984 and the average international student revenue at $29,529.
He argued research funding should be included because being taught by people who are also researchers is what makes a university different to a teaching institution.
Dr Babones said universities used domestic revenue to cover fixed and essential costs, while international revenue, which is less reliable, is used to cover variables. But he said international students should also be paying for fixed costs.
“I think at a minimum there should be a floor placed on international student fees, they should have a minimum tuition equal to the average amount paid on behalf of domestic students,” he said.
“They should be paying at least the same. They are at some universities. But at many universities they are paying much less. International students are not carrying the full cost of their education.”
However, Australian National University higher education analyst Andrew Norton questioned the inclusion of research funding in the domestic student revenue, saying most universities regarded that as an independent activity.
“There’s no relationship between research funding and domestic coursework numbers,” he said. “If you look at income derived from domestic course work students, it works out at just under $20,000 [per student].”
The chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, Phil Honeywood, said international students’ tuition fees were an average of about three times those of a domestic student.
“We’ve got international students paying $100,000 a year for some degrees,” he said. “I know how carefully our vice-chancellors weigh the markets before changing the fees. We want to incentivise our students to come back here.
“[International fee revenue] cross-subsidises research and cross-subsidises capital works. A problem we’ve got, too, is without international student postgraduates, a lot of our research can’t be conducted.
“We just don’t have the STEM [science, technology, engineering, maths] because we just don’t have the STEM course graduates among our domestic cohorts. Many of our projects rely on a combination of overseas students.”
Is Albanese running a small-target strategy or simply all at sea?
So here is a simple question, the first of two: what is the backlog of policies that the Morrison government has failed to put in place? Most voters, I suspect, will not have a clear answer. That is because most voters – and especially swinging voters, the ones the parties desperately need – don’t go around obsessively cataloguing the failures of a government. They will be able to point to mistakes in the past – like vaccinations, like Hawaii – but this is not the same as something that needs to be done but hasn’t been done yet.
Here is the second question: if Labor is elected, what will the new Albanese government achieve in its first term?
The beauty of the two questions, of course, is that the answers to each should be the same. The way a smart opposition reminds voters of a government’s failures is to promise to address those failures itself. Six months (or fewer) out from an election, is there a single Labor policy you could state with any clarity? Perhaps you could say that Labor will do more on climate than the government. You might know it believes in an integrity commission and the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Something about childcare, maybe.
In recent weeks Anthony Albanese has begun saying the government, on climate, has “a vibe, but they don’t have a policy”. This is entirely fair; unfortunately, in most areas, it can be said of Labor too.
Hunting for comparisons with other elections is always fraught. The differences can easily trip you up. This may be even more true right now: we are living in extraordinary times.
Here is another area we have barely begun to grapple with. Last week, we got news that Australia’s fertility rate had fallen to its lowest on record – a result partly of COVID-19, but also, it seems, of economic insecurity and anxiety about climate change. And another: the see-sawing between low and high inflation, the sense that the economy no longer runs in ways we understand.
Mostly, though, it feels as if Labor simply hasn’t worked out what it wishes the Coalition government had spent the past eight years doing. And if it hasn’t figured that out, how will most voters?
ATAR score no longer relevant to rising number of students given early university entry
The anxious wait for the postman carrying a yellow envelope or suffering through the slow lag as a webpage loads final Year 12 marks was a rite of passage for generations.
Whether it was called the TER (Tertiary Entrance Rank), UAI (University Admissions Index) or ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank), university admission hung on that all-important number.
The days of waiting on these much-anticipated scores could well be on their way out with a massive rise in the number of early round offers being made to students nationally.
Figures compiled by the ABC show some universities have more than doubled their number of early offers, with many delivered before final exams have even begun.
While the institutions have long had early rounds of offers, the programs were given a kick along by COVID-19 as universities tried to adjust for the disadvantages of remote learning.
Now early offers look set to stay, with a growing number of universities finding that not only do they alleviate final exam stress, they also recruit better students.
At the Australian Catholic University, offers have nearly tripled, up from 3,000 last year to nearly 9,000 this year.
At the University of Canberra, they've doubled between 2019 and 2021, with up to 2,000 offers already made for study next year.
Charles Darwin University has had similar success, jumping from 548 to 963 offers between last year and this year,.
At Griffith University, offers are up more than 6 per cent this year.
South Australia's Flinders University has made 2,026 offers for next year, up from just 181 back in 2019.
In Victoria, La Trobe University has also had strong growth in offers, going from 2,287 pre-pandemic to 3,032.
But it's the Western Sydney University (WSU) that's been the stand-out performer, with early offers rising from 7,000 in 2019 to 15,000 in 2020.
It's made 9,000 offers so far for 2022, but expects numbers to rise as its program remains open until January.
Early offers have benefits for unis and students
The sharp increase in early offers is spread across the range of disciplines, including health sciences and education to law and criminology.
Largely attributed to the pandemic, the rise is, however, seen by others in the industry also as evidence of a sector competing for market share among school-leavers.
There are reports of universities encouraging their new recruits to officially enrol before main-round offers have been rolled out so they can lock in the best student talent.
Australian Catholic University Provost Belinda Tynan said it had moved into early offers in response to students' desires to organise family and work-life elements before the university year began. "Our early offer students can receive their study timetable as early as October the year before," she said.
University of Western Sydney's Angelo Kourtis oversees its early admissions program and said that, for WSU, it was an acknowledgement the ATAR could be a "blunt instrument" for measuring student ability. "We recognise that students are more than just the ATAR," he said.
"We think it actually disadvantages many students, especially students from regions."
Early admission selection criteria can include individual subject and exam marks, Year 11 results, or the portfolio work of creative arts students.
"If a student wants to do an arts degree, then we will look at their performance and things like history and English and languages and other related subjects," Mr Kourtis said.
The program at La Trobe University also recognises a student's contribution to their community.
Flinders University has also continued a practice it began in response to the pandemic in 2020, and makes early offers based on Year 11 results.
"Schools have told us that the early admission scheme allows students to focus on specific subjects for their particular university degree rather than simply achieving a high ATAR score — really helping to take the pressure off," said interim deputy vice-chancellor (students) Deborah West.
It's not just domestic school-leavers reaping the benefits, either.
Charles Darwin University made 1,254 offers to international students for next year, up from 750 pre-pandemic.
Early admission leads to better outcomes
Mr Kourtis said WSU's internal analysis showed early admission programs often recruited better students overall.
The university compared typical applicants with those admitted through early admission, and found early entrants went on to achieve a higher grade point average than their peers in more than 50 per cent of courses.
"We found their performance is as good, and in some instances better, than students who were admitted solely on the basis of the year 12 result," Mr Kourtis said. "What these programs do is actually challenge the primacy of the end-of-year-12 exams or the ATAR."
The University of Canberra has had a similar experience.
"With early offers, we are continuing to see very strong academic outcomes from students who have entered through this approach," its deputy vice-chancellor (academic) Geoff Crisp said.
She should be free to decide what to put into her own body. J.S. Mill argued that ownership of one's own body is the most basic liberty
Federal One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has told a crowd of “pro-choice” business owners she has no intention of getting vaccinated against Covid-19, saying she is “not putting that s*** in my body”.
Senator Hanson was a guest speaker at a “businesses for choice” event in Ipswich on Thursday night. The group behind the forum describes itself as wanting to “support like-minded patriotic and conservative representatives, irrespective of party affiliation”.
In her remarks, Ms Hanson said she would not listen to bureaucrats, the United Nations or the World Health Organisation “pushing their own agenda” to “take away my freedom”.
However she insisted she was “not an anti-vaxxer”.
The vast majority of Australians have chosen to get vaccinated against Covid, with Ms Hanson’s own state Queensland passing its 80 per cent double-vaxxed threshold this week. At the national level, 93 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 have received at least one dose and 89 per cent are fully vaccinated.
“I’ll tell you honestly: I haven’t had the jab, I don’t intend to have the jab, I’m not putting that s*** in my body,” Ms Hanson said in footage obtained by Channel 9.
The crowd responded with applause.
“I’ve taken that stance and that is my choice,” she continued. “I’m not an anti-vaxxer, but I am very careful what I put into my body. I felt that I’ve kept pretty good health all my life, and I intend to keep it that way.
“I don’t intend to listen to bureaucrats or politicians, or UN or WHO pushing their own agenda and take away my freedoms, my rights, my choices when that’s why I’m fighting this issue and so should you.”
The Greens have dehumanised women to align with their political agenda, writes Vikki Campion
In the final sitting week of the year, the Greens sought to cancel the word “woman” from new laws, to appease 0.06 per cent of the birthing population who identify as men.
Seeking to “omit the word woman” and insert “pregnant person” 23 times, Greens MP Abigail Boyd also sought to “resist the creep towards foetal personhood”.
Revealing their legislative skillset ends at the copy-paste shortcut on a keyboard, the Greens even sought to cancel women from a bill that by its very nature requires the XX chromosome to be relevant - Zoe’s law - which means offenders whose criminal acts cause the loss of an unborn child face longer sentences.
After at least four attempts at similar reforms in the past, the law creates two offences, each adding up to three years to sentences for crimes that result in the loss of a foetus, recognising the loss of an unborn child as a unique injury to a pregnant woman.
So how do the Greens pretend to care about women when they want to wipe womanhood from legislation?
There are plenty of other issues where Ms Boyd recognises the reality of chromosomes, anatomy and assigned sex, including on the number of incarcerated Indigenous women, underreported sexual assaults on women and the pay inequality between women’s and men’s professional sports.
A leaked email obtained by The Courier-Mail has revealed that on July 23 this year, principal adviser in the Premier’s office Ross MacLeod sent an email reading; “Hello FYI, WH committee has deferred decision on listing the reef as “in danger”. Will consider again early next based on updates provided by Australia. Good result and vindicates Queensland position as per below.”
It’s not known what Mr MacLeod was referring to when he said “Queensland position as per below”.
Denise Spinks, who was Ms Palaszczuk’s deputy COS, responded about an hour later saying, “Good! Brings it before fed election … perfect time to fleece them!”
Ms Spinks CC’d in a raft of people including the address for the Premier’s policy team and Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon’s COS Nick Heath.
It followed a decision that day by the World Heritage Committee to not list the reef as “in danger”, with the decision instead deferred until 2023.
The federal government now has to prove its actions are helping improve the reef’s health and demonstrate why it shouldn’t be listed in danger.
Opposition environment and Great Barrier Reef spokesman Sam O’Connor said the Premier had been “caught red handed trying to politicise” the reef.
“The Great Barrier Reef is Queensland’s most precious natural asset but the Premier cares more about the political angle,” he said.
Warmists versus conservationists in North Queensland
Wind farms wrecking the natural environment
While environmental campaigners like Steve Nowakowski remain committed to renewable energy, a Background Briefing investigation has found growing community backlash over the locations chosen for projects in North Queensland.
Local conservation groups and peak climate bodies are sounding the alarm over plans to build green energy projects in forests that predate white settlement, along corridors bordering World Heritage Areas, and on properties previously targeted for conservation protection, rather than on cleared and degraded land.
If all current proposals were to be approved, an estimated 13,332 hectares of remnant vegetation would be cleared statewide. Around 90 per cent of the land clearing will be in North Queensland.
There are currently 48, large-scale renewable energy projects that have been completed, commenced or slated for Queensland, with some of the largest facilities to be built along the electricity transmission networks that traverse the Coral Sea coast.
These transmission lines provide convenient access to the national energy grid but sometimes cut through ecologically valuable land.
“We’ve got this big wall of steel coming through along the transmission line along the western side of the Great Dividing Range, hugging the western side of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area,” Steve says.
According to James Cook University adjunct professor and evolutionary biologist, Dr Tim Nevard, Far North Queensland is one of Australia’s most biodiverse regions and many of the sites chosen for wind farms are “wholly inappropriate”.
“Biodiversity is the buffer at the end of the tracks that stops the runaway train of climate change from bursting through,” Dr Nevard says.
“Destroying biodiversity in order to have greater amounts of wind energy is a complete oxymoron. It’s ridiculous. So we shouldn’t be doing it.”
Soaring numbers of university students, unregistered teachers fronting classrooms to plug shortages
This reminds me of the Whitlam era in the 60s and 70s when there was another big teacher shortage. At that time I got a job teaching in a NSW High School despite having no teacher qualifications at all. But I had a degree
In 2021, 320 teachers were granted Permission To Teach (PTT) approvals by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) — an increase from 211 in 2020 and 178 in 2019.
Of the 320 approvals this year, 272 were for pre-service teachers in Queensland, with 222 working in state schools and 98 in non-state schools.
A PTT application can be considered when a school is unable to find an appropriate registered teacher for a specific teaching position and can be granted for up to two years.
QCT director Deanne Fishburn said the majority of PTTs were granted for one year or less.
"Teachers approved under PTT are restricted to teaching specific subjects and year levels in the nominated school only," she said.
"Importantly, applicants must also be suitable to teach and have the knowledge, qualifications, skills or training reasonably considered by the QCT to be relevant to the position."
Ms Fishburn said pre-service teachers who were granted PTT were generally in the final stages of their teacher education program and were continuing their studies while teaching.
A Department of Education spokesperson said the number of PTT applications represented a small fraction of the broader teaching workforce.
"The majority of approved PTTs engaged by the department are in the final stages of their Initial Teacher Education programs, and about to graduate as a qualified teacher," they said. "This is a normal occurrence each year."
Queensland Teachers' Union president Cresta Richardson said using PTT to fill shortages should be a last resort. "We really should be producing enough quality candidates — and I'm not saying they're not quality people — but we really should be attracting enough people to universities, getting them through and supporting them as teachers," she said.
It comes amid concerns of further workforce shortages due to the Queensland government's vaccine mandate for any staff entering an educational setting, including schools.
Independent Education Union QLD/NT branch secretary Terry Burke said both schools and employees were waiting on clarity regarding the health direction arrangements and advocated for consultation.
Ms Richardson said the union was working with the department on understanding how the directive would be implemented.
"If we apply what's happened in Victoria and New South Wales, we would assume that there will be a very small proportion of people who may choose to remain unvaccinated," she said.
"Where there are numbers or support required, we'll be working with the department on how best to support those school communities to ensure teaching and learning can continue for students in those schools."
Contingency plan
An Education Department spokesperson said all Queensland state schools had contingency plans in place and were well prepared for any disruptions that might occur.
"Principals and their school teams have been planning for these scenarios for almost two years, and are ready to deliver programs that best meet the needs of their school communities," the spokesperson said.
"The department will continue to follow advice from Queensland's Chief Health Officer and Queensland Health to help manage the impacts of COVID-19 on students, staff, and their families."
Soaring demand for relief teachers
This year, the department increased the number of casual relief teachers available to schools to meet rising demand.
"The department continues to track the number of offers made to relief teachers to fill short-term demand within schools to cover the impacts from seasonal cold and flu, as well as managing public health advice, such as 'Feel Sick, Stay Home, Get Tested', which is now a standard practice in the workplace," the spokesperson said.
"The department continues to work towards offering more full-time and permanent employment to teachers within a school, or cluster of schools. and remains consistent with the government's commitment to employment security for public servants."
The spokesperson said the department had managed more than 200,000 relief teacher requests, filling 95 per cent.
"The requests that were not filled can be attributed to late notice of the request by school, geographical location and availability of the relief teacher for that day," the spokesperson said.
Starfish are the real danger to the reef, not global warming
Some of the tastiest reef fish might be in shorter supply in the future after scientists found they help protect coral by eating crown-of-thorns starfish.
Researchers have looked at decades of data on fish takes and the prevalence of the coral-eating starfish on the Great Barrier Reef.
It turns out there's a striking relationship between starfish numbers and the biomass of some fish commonly harvested for seafood.
"We found very strong relationships between the two, where the more fish you harvest, the higher crown-of-thorns starfish numbers were," says Frederieke Kroon, an ecologist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
"We found that for emperors, for tropical snappers, and for rockcods."
It's long been known that some fish like to eat crown-of-thorns starfish but the study led by Dr Kroon is the first to explore how fisheries harvests may affect starfish numbers.
Part of the study looked at how fish and starfish abundance differed between green-zone reefs, where fishing is banned, and blue-zone reefs where commercial and recreational fishing is allowed.
On closed reefs, the biomass of emperors, snappers and rock cods was 1.4 to 2.1 times higher and starfish densities were nearly three times lower.
"It's well known that no-take marine reserves increase fish biomass and diversity of large fishes and previous studies have suggested marine reserves could also influence starfish numbers," Dr Kroon says.
"But our study provides strong evidence there are fewer crown-of-thorns starfish on reefs with more predatory fish."
Dr Kroon says many factors are believed to contribute to outbreak proportions of crown-of-thorns starfish.
Understanding that the removal of predatory fish is one of them should help reef managers refine what they do to suppress starfish numbers. That might include altering the way fishing activities are managed.
"The next step could be to look at which reefs are particularly important in crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks by being highly connected, spreader reefs," Dr Kroon says.
"There's already quite good information about which reefs they are.
"Then we can look at how they are managed for fisheries, and make that more targeted ... so we can basically use the fish to help us keep starfish numbers down."
<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-21/erin-brockovich-sounds-alarm-over-pfas-as-new-qld-sites-emerge/11606772">Erin Brokovich</a> made good coin out of this scare
A major study on the effects of toxic chemicals that leaked into the groundwater of regional towns near Australian air force bases has found there is no conclusive evidence of increased risk of cancer or disease.
Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) were asked to conduct a three-year study into the health risks of living with the chemicals in Katherine in the Northern Territory, Oakey in Queensland and Williamtown in New South Wales.
The chemicals, known as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), were widely used in firefighting foams on defence force bases until the early 2000s.
All three communities were exposed to contaminated groundwater and were told to limit their consumption of local fish and fruit, following historic use of PFAS at nearby Defence Force bases.
Teams analysed 2,587 blood samples, including more than 600 from residents living in Katherine, and found there was clear evidence of elevated levels of PFAS and increased psychological distress.
Researchers also found there was an association between higher levels of PFAS and high levels of cholesterol in residents living in Williamtown, compared to people living in three comparison communities without toxic contamination.
People living in Katherine and Williamtown included in the study were found to have a higher prevalence of elevated uric acid, which is a marker of poor kidney function.
ANU lead researcher Martyn Kirk said one-third of residents described being "very" or "extremely'"concerned about their health, while one in five people had serious concerns about their mental health.
But he said the study's findings were consistent with previous research that could not conclusively identify causative links between PFAS and adverse health outcomes.
"The main factors associated with people having higher levels of PFAS in their blood were the length of time they had lived in the town, whether they regularly drank bore water or ate locally grown foods, and if they had worked with firefighting foams in the past," Professor Kirk said.
Early last year, the largest environmental class action Australia had ever seen was won by residents in Katherine, Oakey and Williamtown. They sued the Australian government, arguing their property values plummeted because of the contamination.
The class action was filed by Shine Lawyers, which enlisted the support of American activist Erin Brockovich, who has previously told the ABC that PFAS "should be concerning for all of us". Ms Brockovich has highlighted studies in Europe and the US linking PFAS with some cancers and thyroid disease.
The ANU study looked at years of health records, and included the findings from a series of focus groups involving a small sample size of 180 people, including 69 participants from Aboriginal communities in Katherine.
ANU associate professor Rosemary Korda said researchers noted higher rates of some health conditions in PFAS-affected communities, but said it could not be ruled out "that these findings were due to chance or important factors that we couldn't measure".
The report said residents described feeling "trapped" or "stuck" in their homes and discussed the psychological stress and anxiety they experienced living in an area with PFAS contamination.
Many of the study's participants said they were worried about cancers and aggravation of existing health conditions.
The research was commissioned by the Australian government's Department of Health, and included international experts on epidemiology, environmental chemistry, cancer and statistics.
The report's findings have not reassured some residents in the community of Katherine, about 300 kilometres from Darwin.
Peter John Spafford, who worked as the only GP in Katherine for a decade, said PFAS had impacted the health of his patients.
He said the study's sample size was small, and he hoped further research would be carried out.
"I think there is a serious conflict of interest between the funding [by the federal government] of this and the outcomes," Dr Spafford said.
The court was told the incident started when Mr Mahmoud and a friend were ejected by a security guard for riding their bikes inside the shopping centre.
After seeing what happened, Reah told the teenagers that he was watching them, waved a stick at them, and then, as they were cycling off, yelled racist abuse.
Bottles were then thrown at his vehicle, prompting Reah to get in the car and chase Mr Mahmoud through the dimly-lit car park, at speeds of up to 60 kilometres an hour.
The teenager was knocked down, thrown under the vehicle and run over, suffering extensive injuries including fractures to his thigh, pelvis, shoulder blade and ribs and a punctured lung.
Reah stopped his car but left it to bystanders to help Mr Mahmoud while he went looking for his dog.
He later lied to police and told them his brakes had failed.
Justice Bruno Fiannaca said Reah had been "fuelled by anger" when he drove at Mr Mahmoud after "unnecessarily" becoming involved in the original incident, which had escalated the situation.
"I am satisfied your intervention was motivated, at least in part, by a racist attitude which contributed to your offending," he told the 51-year-old.
"I am satisfied you were (then) angry and wanted to exact revenge for the fact they had thrown bottles at your car. "You deliberately drove at Mr Mahmoud and hit him."
He also noted that Reah had failed to take responsibility for his actions and continued to do so.
The court heard Mr Mahmoud's injuries had affected his ability to walk and run, and it was likely he would suffer long-term consequences such as arthritis.
Mr Mahmoud, who is now 20, was not in court for the sentencing, but members of his family and the Eritrean community were, including his uncle Gamal Ahmedin.
The Northern Territory is giving Australia a bad name
Articles such as the one below have appeared on many sites in America. It is never mentioned that the NT is not typical of Australia as a whole. It is also not mentioned that the harsh measures were designed to deal with the Territory's large and unco-operative Aboriginal population
UPDATE of 10 Dec: The Northern Territory will scrap its border restrictions on December 20, its government has announced.
Since the first cases of COVID were discovered in every country, the ruling class of each has tried to orchestrate different levels of control.
The worst global pandemic in a century is bad enough. However, corrupt leaders have used it as an exercise in power. Lockdowns have destroyed economies, including the personal lives of people everywhere. Indirect consequences caused by lockdowns have been devastating.
Mask mandates have done nothing to help curb surges, but stolen personal freedoms. Vaccine mandates are now an increasingly used way of trying to force people to conform. However, possibly one of the most startling acts of authoritarian control is happening in Australia.
In one of the freest democracies outside the United States of America, Australians are being punished for opposing any COVID order leveled by the government. Despite a higher percentage of vaccinated people getting sick again, the unvaccinated are being punished.
In America, Joe Biden continues to falsely insist that any new surge in COVID cases is the fault of anyone who is unvaccinated. This completely ignores a wealth of data suggesting natural immunity after recovering from COVID may reduce second infection chances to virtually zero.
These authoritarian government mandates and tyrannical orders are not about the pandemic. Each and every order is about power and control. Governments are using the misfortune caused by a deadly virus to force people into conformity.
In Australia, the unvaccinated are being shipped off to internment camps. Not since the horrific acts of the Nazis have we witnessed such an abuse of humanity. Video footage from one of these internment camps has been leaked.
The video shows boundary lines that these imprisoned Australians must stay within. They are restricted to when and where they can even do laundry. The audio portion of the video mentions explicitly that if an imprisoned person crosses a particular line, they will be fined $5,000.
The woman questioning a creepy medical-gowned Gestapo-like guard was informed the reason “doesn’t have to make sense.” As with the underlying principle behind mandates, such as those imposed by Joe Biden and liberal-run U.S. states, people should shut up and do as they’re instructed.
Do not ask questions. We must follow orders and just conform. Increasingly, videos are leaking out of these Australian detention camps through social media. Images clearly resemble wartime prisons used to hold people against their will.
One Australian woman broke silence over her ordeal. Hayley Hodgson moved away from Melbourne to get away from the continuous lockdowns there. Living in Darwin, she thought she was free to make her own choices. She was not.
The spiral of circumstances that led to Hodgson being imprisoned against her will started when a friend tested positive for COVID. Authorities showed up at her front door. Investigators had run the license plate number of Hodgson’s scooter.
They informed her she had been recorded as having had “close contact” with her now COVID infected friend. She was asked if she had recently taken a COVID case. Believing this private information was none of their business, she lied.
That exercise in personal medical freedom eventually landed Hodgson in a COVID internment camp. As she was hauled away, all she was told is that the orders came from “higher ups”. Hodgson was tossed in a rented fan and hauled away to Howard Springs.
There she remained for the full 14-days, regardless that she tested negative multiple times. Obviously, her time detained was not about being a health threat, but about resisting government authority. Remember, this happened in Australia, not Russia.
These were healthcare professionals and law enforcement personnel in a democratic republic. The liberals in America will use the same tactics if they are not stopped. Joe Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandates will fling open a door to government intrusiveness that we will never get closed.
The videos of what is going on in Australia are startling. They prove to what lengths the ruling class elite will go to exercise power. Americans must not rest on their laurels. This could bleed into our country in an instant. It already has. The left wants to seize permanent control of power.
They want control of educating our children. The left wants full federal control over elections. They’re pushing for a socialist welfare state in America. Now they want control over our medical decisions.
These leaked videos clearly show internment camps in an otherwise free nation. This is not a joke. Americans must take these assaults on personal freedom seriously. If not, we will soon find ourselves living in a country that looks nothing like the free republic we all cherish.
The biggest battery in the southern hemisphere is operating in Victoria.
Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio on Wednesday officially launched the $84 million Big Battery, located at Moorabool near Geelong.
Owned and operated by French renewable energy giant Neoen, the battery has the capacity of 300 megawatts and 450 megawatt-hours - making it more than double the size of billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla big battery built in South Australia in 2017.
Labor touts business support for emissions target
The Victorian battery also uses the Telsa technology and made global headlines when it caught fire during testing in July.
An investigation found the blaze, which went for four days, was most likely sparked by a coolant leak causing short-circuits. It prompted Tesla to upgrade its global fleet of Megapack batteries.
Ms D'Ambrosio said the battery would safeguard the state's energy supply in the summer, reduce energy prices and support the government's emissions reduction plan.
"The Victorian Big Battery will deliver cleaner, cheaper and more reliable power and help us reach our ambitious target of halving emissions by 2030," she said.
A top medical expert has issued a dire warning about the newest Covid variant on The Project – leaving host Waleed Aly “petrified.”
A top US epidemiologist has issued a dire warning to those unconcerned about the new Omicron Covid variant rapidly spreading across the globe, describing the notion that it’s a milder version of the disease as a “sweet little lie”.
Appearing on Monday’s episode of The Project, epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding’s worrying predictions clearly rattled host Waleed Aly
Feigl-Ding told The Project hosts that, with a new variant circulating, Australians should be vaccinating children “as soon as possible”.
“There’s been a lot of misinformation last year that kids can’t be infected, kids are immune – that’s not true. If anything, the Delta variant is much more severe in children, hospitalisation rates are much higher, and that’s before Omicron,” he said.
“Kids do get sick, kids do get hospitalised and they do die. Please protect them against Omicron – vaccinating them is of the highest urgency.”
Feigl-Ding described early evidence out of South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first reported, as “very alarming”.
Over the weekend, government adviser Waasila Jassat told reporters in the Johannesburg area, where the virus is spreading widely, there has been “quite a sharp increase” in hospital admissions “across all age groups but particularly in the under-fives”.
“Hospitalisations are absolutely soaring,” said Feigl-Ding.
“Hospitalisations in children are about sixfold higher than previous waves. Omicron is not mild in any way … It’s already outpacing the previous waves, even despite higher vaccination rates. The data is very bad, and we have to not try to want to believe in the sweet little lies that we hear that it’s mild – it’s not.”
Project panellist Peter Helliar asked where we might be in the life of this pandemic, prompting a dispiriting answer from Feigl-Ding, who says the pandemic is “far from over,” pointing to what he called a “vaccine apartheid” in regions like southern Africa, where new variants are able to emerge in populations with low vaccination rates.
“We’re eventually going to shoot ourselves in the foot, because another variant like omicron – or worse – will arise, and it will restart the whole pandemic system,” he said.
Feigl-Ding noted that World Health Organisation had already announced they may switch to using stars and constellations if they run out of Greek letters to name Covid variants
Not all medical experts share Feigl-Ding’s views on Omicron – one leading voice even believes Omicron could, counterintuitively, spell “the end of Covid”.
“I actually think there is a silver lining here, and this may signal the end of Covid-19, with it attenuating itself to such an extent that it is highly contagious but does not cause severe disease. That’s what happened with Spanish flu,” said Dr Richard Friedland, CEO of the Netcare Group, which operates more than 50 hospitals in South Afric
COVID to have ‘life-long impact on population’ as fertility crashes to record low
Uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to Australia’s fertility rate falling to its lowest level on record with warnings it may never recover, leaving the nation with a recession-sized hole in its population make-up.
Through 2020, 294,369 births were registered across the country, a 3.7 per cent or 11,500 fall on 2019. The fertility rate dropped almost 5 per cent to an all-time low of 1.58 births per woman, a fall larger than Australia experienced during the darkest years of the Great Depression.
It was the lowest number of births registered in the country since 2007 and down by 6.6 per cent on the peak number of births recorded in 2018.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the biggest falls were in Victoria, where there were 3846 fewer births, a 4.9 per cent drop, and in South Australia where births also fell by 4.9 per cent or 952.
Across NSW, there was 3.4 per cent fall, or 3330 babies. Tasmania defied the trend, up by 1 per cent or 54 births.
Demographer Liz Allen from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods said the nation’s fertility rate had been falling for the past 50 years, but a range of factors were now making it even more difficult for prospective parents to start a family.
She said the financial insecurity caused by the COVID recession now overlaid ongoing issues including the high cost of housing, which required both parents to work to raise enough money to buy a home, anxiety over climate change and growing gender equality.
COVID would weigh on the nation’s population profile forever.
“Potential parents are being hammered on all sides, and struggling to survive in a climate that directly translates into missing children,” she said.
“Potential parents’ active choices to start a family or the size of that family is slipping away from them and that will have long-term repercussions for them and for the country.
“People have postponed having children and we could see a lift next year, but I suspect that what we have seen is a life-long impact on our population.”
The lowest fertility rate in NSW is across Sydney’s CBD and inner south. It has fallen by 24 per cent to less than one over the past decade. While the number of people living in the area has climbed by more than 92,500 since 2010, the number of babies born to local residents has fallen by 328.
It’s a similar story in the city’s west. While Parramatta’s population has swelled by 100,569 over the past 10 years, the number of babies born has fallen by 134.
The largest fall in fertility nationally has occurred in Melbourne’s inner city, down almost 28 per cent since 2010. The fertility rate is a national-low of 0.91. Across Melbourne’s inner suburbs there have been falls in fertility of more than 20 per cent over the past decade.
All these areas, however, have recorded large population increases over the period, driven by internal and overseas migration.
Not one part of Melbourne now has a fertility rate above 2, with falls in growing areas such as the south-east and western suburbs.
Across Australia only one region – the north-west of Western Australia, which has a large Indigenous population – has recorded an increase in fertility rates since 2010.
Debt, deficit and grey haired: COVID-19 upends economic future
The bureau’s demography director, Beidar Cho, said the fall in fertility could be attributed to COVID-19 disruptions.
She said not only had the fertility rate fallen, but the median age of mothers had lifted to a high of 31.6 years. The highest median age is 32.4 years in the ACT while the youngest mothers are in the Northern Territory at 30.3 years.
“The long-term decline in fertility of younger mums as well as the continued increase in fertility of older mums reflects a shift towards later childbearing,” she said.
Craig Kelly: MP banned from Facebook but appointed to parliament’s social media inquiry
This would appear to be a recognition that what Kelly says is not far out. What he says has strong academic authority. It is just not mainstream. But the mainstream changes so that is no discredit to Kelly. He just keeps a badly needed debate alive
The federal MP Craig Kelly – who has been permanently banned from Facebook and criticised for the online distribution of “seriously misleading” information about Covid-19 vaccines – has been appointed to a parliamentary committee looking into social media and online safety.
The appointment has raised eyebrows among other members of the committee after the former Liberal, turned Palmer United party MP, was banned from Facebook and Instagram in April this year over posts promoting hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin and questioning the effectiveness of masks.
In September, the Therapeutic Goods Administration also issued a statement saying its lawyers had written to Kelly over text messages the party had sent to millions of Australians. The TGA alleged the party had breached copyright and demanded it stop distributing “incomplete extracts” of adverse event reports relating to Covid vaccines which the TGA believed could be “seriously misleading”.
Kelly has since called for the social media companies to be reined in, and argued Facebook’s move was in contempt of parliament and amounted to improper interference.
The then Speaker Tony Smith dismissed that claim, stating there was no evidence that the ban was targeted at Kelly in his capacity as a member of parliament.
Since Kelly joined the United Australia party, YouTube’s parent company Google has also faced pressure to remove the party’s account. Labor’s national secretary, Paul Erickson, wrote to Google in September raising concerns that the UAP was using its platform to undermine confidence in Australia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, citing videos in which Kelly questioned the safety of Covid vaccines and promoted ivermectin.
The party has spent close to $3m on ads on YouTube since August, far more than any other political party in Australia over the same period.
The parliamentary inquiry was announced by Scott Morrison this week as part of the government’s ongoing focus on large tech companies. The committee will be chaired by the Liberal MP Lucy Wicks, and report back in February, before the next federal election.
The terms of reference for the committee are broad. It will review “the range of online harms that may be faced by Australians on social media and other online platforms, including harmful content or harmful conduct”, what impact algorithms have, identity verification and age verification policies, online safety for children, and data collection.
The committee consists of eight members, with five from the government, and three from the opposition or crossbench.
On Thursday, Kelly along with the Labor MPs Tim Watts and Sharon Claydon were added to the committee in a motion in the House of Representatives by the assistant minister to the deputy prime minister, Kevin Hogan.
The crossbench ultimately decides which of its members are put up on committees, meaning it was not a decision of government members to appoint Kelly to the committee.
Many people, like me, are starting to wake up to the fact that things are not what they seem in Australia. For years now, we have all been fed the line that Australia is a democratic ‘meritocracy’ where those who reach the top, do so as a product of their own gifts, talent, intelligence or hard work – none of which is even remotely true.
Most people operating at the top of Australia’s elite circle of power are part of a far more nepotistic and insidious system altogether – one where hard work and talent matters much less than who are connected to, or even who your father, mother, or sibling was, or who you are married to.
Take Boris Johnson in the UK, whose father, Stanley Johnson, was an influential Conservative Party politician and later, a member of the European Parliament, European Commission and World Bank. Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was of course the famous Prime Minister of Canada, whose two administrations bridged the 1960, 1970s and 1980s.
Jacinda Ardern is the daughter of Ross Ardern, a NZ High Commissioner to Cook Islands and more recently, Administrator of Tokelau. His brother, Ian, is Head of the Mormon Church in New Zealand and Pacific region.
Scott Morrison’s Great Aunt was Mary Gilmore, who once founded a utopian socialist colony in Paraguay with the socialist William Lane.
Morrison’s older brother, Alan, serves as Chair of AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) Committee on Paramedicine and Chair of the government’s Health Services Working Group.
Then there is Jane Halton, who Morrison appointed as head of the government’s National Covid-19 Co-ordination Commission. Jane is the daughter of Charles Halton, a British Military Scientist brought to Australia in 1973 by Gough Whitlam to overhaul the country’s transport system, and who served as Secretary of Defence and Secretary of the Department of Communications under Hawke and Keating.
Daughter Jane is now the CHAIR OF CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), set up and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust and World Economic Forum in 2015. Jane was part of Event 201, a pandemic exercise organised and funded by John Hopkins, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations and the World Economic Forum in October 2019.
Jane’s husband is Trevor Sutton, Deputy of the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Chair of the Governing Council of Statistics for the Asian and Pacific region. Trevor heads the Statistical Business Transformation Group which received a $256 million investment program to radically transform how ABS collects, processes and disseminates information, data and statistics.
In 2016, ABS data collection and survey systems were awarded to Accenture, a partner of ID2020 and GAVI. Trevor is a Member of the Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation of which Jane Halton is also a Board Member, and which receives funding from the Gates Foundation and WHO.
Trevor Sutton’s brother is Dr Brett Sutton. Dr Sutton is the Chief Health Officer of Victoria, who advises Dan Andrews Government on public health and pandemic response measures. Interestingly, Jane Halton also has a brother, Philip Halton, who is Deputy Commissioner of QBCC, Queensland’s building and construction regulator.
These are just a few examples but there are many more – some are well-known, while others are tightly guarded secrets.
Moorooka State School parents in fight to keep principal Jordan Burke
One hopes the bureaucratic shitheads take notice of this. A popular principal is a treasure
A Brisbane school community has launched an eleventh-hour campaign to keep their “beloved” principal, the school’s third in two years, after they received notice he would not be receiving a new contract for 2022.
According to a petition launched by a concerned Moorooka State School parent, the community was recently “blindsided by the bureaucratically motivated removal of its beloved principal,” Jordan Burke.
“The school’s third principal in two years, Mr Burke dedicated himself to our school over the last 12 months in a way that was appreciably over and above what was required in his job description,” the petition said.
“In return, he has been justifiably popular with students and parents alike.
“The Department of Education has undertaken to remove Mr Burke on the basis that our school has grown and he is no longer the best person for the job.
“We say otherwise.
“Our kids are upset and confused about the removal of their principal, and we as parents are angry that the department has not given any weight at all to the benefits of consistency in our kids’ educational environment, and concerned that our voice has not been accurately represented in the recruitment process for our principal.”
An Education Queensland representative confirmed that the decision to move on from Mr Burke was driven by the school’s recent growth from 349 students in 2018 to 435 this year.
“Moorooka State School has grown rapidly over the past few years and has recently been reclassified by the department into a higher classification level,” the representative said.
“In Term 4 of this year the department ran a merit recruitment and selection process as required by policy.
“A principal from another school was identified as the most suitable applicant from that process and will commence the role in Term 1 next year.
“These are operational matters and the Minister for Education has no role in the selection or appointment of principals.”
A current Moorooka State School parent told the Southern Star Mr Burke brought “stability” to the school after four principals in five years, three of them in the past two years.
“Our understanding was that principal Burke was to be our principal long-term,” she said. “Principal Burke’s sense of community and excitement for the school’s future was always evident, and we were looking forward to 2022 (and beyond) with him leading the school, and finally getting the chance to implement new ideas.
“The frequent turnover of principals, and more recently vice-principals, means this diverse school community has had to cope with multiple changes (on top of Covid-19), and the associated uncertainty and loss of momentum as each new principal takes time to get to know the school staff, teachers, students and school community before implementing any plans.”
A petition to keep Mr Burke on as principal has garnered 439 signatures at the time of publication.
Researchers to put successful schools under the microscope
They will discover that the best schools are the most orderly
A team of university researchers will study the state’s best schools to work out the secrets of their success, so others can learn from them.
The NSW Department of Education and three universities - NSW, Canberra and Charles Sturt - have established The Ambassador Schools Research Centre, in a project believed to be among the first of its kind in the world.
The department has revealed six ambassador schools, and more will follow. They include Fairvale and Macarthur Girls’ High Schools, and Auburn North, Millthorpe, Bonnyrigg Heights and Huntington Public Schools.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said each had an x-factor that made them an outstanding school, and distilling that would help others.
“This research will provide us with an understanding of how we spread this success across the state, helping teachers improve their classroom practices and lifting student outcomes,” she said.
UNSW Professor Kim Beswick said the universities involved had a wide range of experience, from Indigenous and regional education to professional development of teachers and early childhood learning.
“We’ve got pretty much all the important bases covered, and lots of experience of working with schools and trying to find out what works,” she said.
“We’ve suggested really rigorous approaches, but a key feature of this research is that it’s going to be co-designed with the department … but also with the principals of the ambassador schools.
“They’ll get a say in the sorts of data they would like to see collected. They’ll be able to inform us of their context and what they think is working.”
By 2023, the researchers expect to have an idea of the most effective approaches in those schools, and hope to help other schools implement them in 2024.
Labor sets up a clash with the Greens on climate change
Labor has set up a clash with the Greens on climate change in a bid to assure voters it will not change its 43 per cent target to cut greenhouse gas emissions if it wins the election, insisting the Parliament would have to pass the goal or vote it down.
Anxious to quash a scare campaign about a higher target, Labor climate spokesman Chris Bowen ruled out a negotiation with the Greens on the figure in the event of a hung Parliament despite Coalition claims he would have to overhaul his policy.
Mr Bowen also rebuffed calls from the Greens to close coal-fired power stations and phase out coal exports by arguing nothing in the Labor policy would bring forward closures or hurt exporters who were exposed to competition from overseas.
The Labor pledge is to introduce a bill to Parliament that specifies the 43 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 on the levels of 2005 and to refuse to accept changes by the Greens, with the lower house rejecting amendments to the target in the Senate.
The Labor stance seeks to avoid repeating the party’s deal with the Greens in 2010, when the Gillard government legislated a price on carbon after ruling out a carbon tax before the election, and challenges the Greens to avoid a repeat of a pivotal vote in 2009 when the minor party vetoed an emissions trading scheme because it wanted a more ambitious policy.
Asked if Labor would negotiate on the target to secure support from the Greens, Mr Bowen said: “No.”
Labor is promising to make its target a formal commitment to the United Nations if it wins power, saying it is willing to legislate the goal while the Coalition could not do the same because conservatives would block a bill that cemented increasing the government’s 26 to 28 per cent target to its forecast 35 per cent emissions reduction by 2030.
But with Greens leader Adam Bandt calling for a 75 per cent cut in emissions by that year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed a Labor government would have to give in to the Greens on climate.
“For Labor to legislate if they were to form government they would have to do that with the support of the Greens,” he said, while campaigning in the seat of Wentworth in eastern Sydney.
“So 43 per cent is just the opening bid for Labor. And you know what the Greens’ target is, it’s 75 per cent. So vote Labor, you vote Greens and you vote for the Greens targets.”
Mr Morrison was reminded of the disagreements within his backbench, however, when a journalist asked if he backed a call from Dave Sharma, the Liberal member for Wentworth, to cut emissions by 40 to 45 per cent by 2035.
“That’s not the government’s policy. I respect Dave’s commitment to this area,” Mr Morrison said.
In the first lengthy explanation of the Labor plan since it was announced last Friday, Mr Bowen said the modelling for the policy assumed the government could only achieve a 30 per cent reduction by 2030 and the additional Labor measures would take the figure to 43 per cent and no further.
Mr Bowen rejected speculation the Labor target would rise to 48 per cent in the event the government was able to reach the upper range of its stated 30 to 35 per cent forecast.
While Greenpeace and the Greens have dismissed the goal as too low, Australian National University professor Mark Howden said the number was in line with the agreement at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow last month to cut emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 on the levels of 2010.
Professor Howden, the director of the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, said the 43 per cent reduction against the 2005 numbers meant a total reduction of 267.84 million tonnes since 2005. The UN goal meant a total reduction of 269.59 million tonnes from 2010.
“So the amount of reduction in emissions in absolute terms that these two policies/goals require is almost identical, and so it is fair to say that the Labor Party emission reduction policy is in accord with the Glasgow Pact of 45 per cent reductions against 2010 emissions by 2030,” he said.
The modelling for the Labor policy, conducted by economics firm RepuTex, says the policy would create 64,000 direct and 540,000 indirect jobs by 2030 and triggered a claim from former ACTU president Jennie George in The Australian that the figure was “so high as to make it unbelievable” because the multiplier effect was too great.
Mr Bowen rejected that complaint and said the modelling applied a multiplier in each sector of the economy rather than across the board.
“There’s direct jobs, there’s indirect jobs and of course there’s job impacts from just the improved energy supply,” he said. “But that modelling stands up to scrutiny from anyone.”
Asked how many jobs would be lost, Mr Bowen said the modelling showed a total gain.
“As a result of Labor’s policies, not one,” he said. “The modelling makes clear Labor’s policies create jobs. The modelling also accepts the government’s modelling that global decarbonisation is going to have an impact on Australia.”
Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the difference in the two goals, from the government’s 35 per cent forecast to Labor’s 43 per cent target, required “very significant” policies including a carbon tax on industry. Labor has ruled out a carbon tax.
Australian farm production tipped to break records this financial year
Another step away from the food shortages that Greenies are always predicting
Australian farmers will break records this year as the value and volume of their food and fibre climbs to historic highs, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).
With the price of grain climbing and unprecedented prices being paid at livestock sales all year, ABARES analysts have raised their forecast for total farm production to $78 billion this financial year.
Exports are also tipped to hit a record-breaking $61 billion.
The increased value of production is being driven in large part by the poor seasonal conditions experienced by competitors like Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina, and the United States.
Those conditions have dented the supply of wheat, barley and canola, driving prices up.
The substantial volumes of production have not been badly affected by the recent heavy rain and floods in New South Wales and Queensland.
The main impact of the wet weather will be to downgrade the quality of the crop, from human to animal-grade feed.
The La Nińa conditions on the east coast will set farmers up for another good year in 2022, filling the soil with moisture, keeping irrigation water costs low and ensuring there is plenty of feed growing for livestock.
But farmers will face higher prices to grow their crops with prices for fuel, fertiliser, and farm chemicals all rising.
Despite this, ABARES tips farm cash income to hit a record $30.6 billion, off the back of the larger volumes of food and fibre produced in 2021-2022.
In a separate analysis, Rabobank predicts the rising cost of key farming inputs will constrain production next year.
The specialist food and agribusiness bank warned this would add to the inflation of food prices and could lead to social unrest.
Federal district launches interest-free loans for electric cars to boost uptake
Drivers in the Australian Capital Territory can now apply for zero-interest loans designed to boost the uptake of electric vehicles, as industry groups call for similar programs to be adopted across the country.
The loans will be available under the ACT government’s sustainable household scheme, which offers interest-free loans for solar panels, battery storage technology and other sustainable equipment. Electric vehicles were added to the program on Monday.
Anyone who holds a valid ACT driving licence or owns a home in the territory can apply for 10-year zero-interest loans of up to $15,000. This in addition to other benefits such as a stamp duty exemption for new electric vehicle purchases.
Shane Rattenbury, the ACT minister for water, energy and emissions reduction, said the territory wanted to send a strong signal it was embracing the transition to electric cars, both domestically and to carmakers abroad.
“The key message here for the external audience is for automakers to say – look at Canberra, get the vehicles into the ACT,” he said.
“We’ve got a keen market here. We know people want to purchase these vehicles. We need to see more models at lower prices.”
Rattenbury, who drives an electric vehicle, said the federal government “has not been strong supporters of EVs” so it was important for state and territory governments to make their intentions clear.
“Nationally, we do have a problem,” Rattenbury. “When you talk to the automakers, they’re hesitant to bring vehicles to Australia because they’re unclear about government policy.”
The program is being organised in a staged process with a small number of electric vehicle suppliers participating initially. More will be added over time.
Dr Jake Whitehead, head of policy at the Electric Vehicle Council, welcomed the development, saying it could save drivers thousands of dollars in interest payments and improve access to electric cars.
“If you own an EV long enough, it’s a cheaper option over time,” he said.
“What this loan facility enables you to do is get those savings up front.”
Energy company AGL calculated the cost of running an electric vehicle and found it was $1,346 cheaper than running a petrol car, although this result can change depending on location and whether solar panels are used to charge.
Whitehead called for interest-free loans to be rolled out across Australia, but said additional policies must also be introduced as well to supercharge uptake.
The wonderful thing about Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese promising to propel the nation towards a net zero emissions target at a point in time somewhere over the rainbow is that neither of them are going to be around when these magical years are finally upon us.
In the finest traditions of the political art they can promise whatever they want, safe in the knowledge that it’s a fanciful figure plucked from the air and designed to shimmer like a distant mirage for the duration of the election campaign.
Climate change has become political capital and Labor and the Coalition are now both fixated upon being seen to be doing something – anything – to save the nation from the apocalypse that we are assured, thanks to computer modelling, threatens it.
The Climate Council’s Tim Flannery knows a thing or two about computer modelling, having confidently predicted that drought conditions would become permanent in eastern Australia.
“Water is going to be in short supply across the eastern states,” he warned. “One morning in the not-too-distant future in one of the major cities, taps will be turned on and instead of water, there will only be a whistling in the pipes. Not a drop. Totally dry,” he announced.
I turned on the taps at our place last week as the rain pelted down and indeed there was a whistle. It turned out to be the kettle.
Next year, and the PM and the Opposition Leader must hope that it will occur before polling day to vindicate their shining net zero targets, the Arctic ice cap will disappear.
We know this because back in 2005, Mr Flannery peered into his computer screen and announced that within 15 years, the ice cap would melt.
It stubbornly refused to do so last year, covering an area of 14 million square kilometres, so if our man Flannery is right then apart from whistling taps, 2022 is going to be the year of the Big Melt.
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society was unfazed by the dogged refusal of the Arctic ice to disappear and recently gave Mr Flannery a medal for his “dogged determination” to communicate the critical science of climate change. Well done, sir!
’Ticking time bomb of inequality’ to put owning a home beyond the reach of children born today
Rubbish! This galah has rightly noted the big increase in house prices but is oblivious that home unit prices have not followed suit. Home unit prices have increased much less. And the way apartment towers keep popping up there should soon be downward pressure on unit prices. Home unit prices should remain affordable even when house prices do not. Home unit living can be perfectly congenial
Australian kids born in major capitals today face a “ticking time bomb of inequality” that could force them to rent for life as homeownership becomes an inherited luxury.
That’s the prediction from a leading futurist, who has warned the government may need to level the playing field as the bank of mum and dad drives entrenched wealth between Australians and their homeownership dreams.
It comes as newborn babies can take their first steps on the property ladder before they can walk, with fractional property investment now open to minors via BrickX.
Global futurist at the Thinque think tank Anders Sorman-Nilsson said while Australia’s cultural affinity with homeownership was driving markets like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane today, it would price out more and more residents in the coming decades.
“You may (in the future) only be able to afford your own home in Sydney and Melbourne if your mum and dad are taking out some of the equity in their own home to help,” Mr Sorman-Nilsson said.
“This could be a ticking time bomb of inequality. So there will have to be something done to ensure that this Australian dream will remain.”
Affordability issues already mean large parts of Sydney are out of reach for many buyers.
He noted some countries had implemented wealth and inheritance taxes to stem the impact of intergenerational gifts such as the hundreds of thousands of dollars some parents offered to help their kids into a home.
Price growth might be alleviated as greater “digital democracy” made knowledge-based jobs more accessible in regional areas, but it was still likely many kids born today will never own a home.
“You will see new European-style housing arrangements, with people who rent for life or rentvest – buying an investment property, but renting where they want to live,” he said.
Proptrack (realestate.com.au’s research division) economic research director Cameron Kusher said price growth over the past 30 years was unlikely to repeat in the coming decades as it had been buoyed by falling interest rates, which were more likely to now rise.
But Mr Kusher said even a conservative estimate would put home price growth ahead of inflation, which typically rises as wages do, meaning today’s prices could still be doubled in 30 years time when newborns would be looking to buy.
“Most parents will help via their property increasing in price,” Mr Kusher said. “But unfortunately homeownership has been falling, so not everyone will be able to do that.”
He said parents might consider shares or fractional property purchases to help their kids
NSW government overturns decision to block coal mine expansion
The New South Wales government has been accused of being “captured” by the coal industry after it overturned a planning commission decision to block a mine expansion that it found could cause irreversible damage to drinking water and release significant heat-trapping gas.
The deputy premier, Paul Toole, and planning minister, Rob Stokes, declared on Saturday the Dendrobium mine expansion near Wollongong – proposed by BHP spin-off South32 – was “state significant infrastructure” due to its role providing coal for the Port Kembla steelworks.
It reversed a planning commission decision in February to reject the proposal, which would have allowed the company to extract an extra 78m tonnes of coal from two areas near the Avon and Cordeaux dams. The dams supply water to metropolitan Sydney and the Macarthur, Illawarra and Wollondilly regions.
The state government did not mention the water supply or emissions in its statement about the mine expansion. Toole said Dendrobium was a critical source of coking coal for the Port Kembla steelworks and declaring it significant infrastructure would “provide thousands of workers with greater certainty on the future of their jobs”. He said the mine contributed $1.9bn to the state’s economy each year.
The NSW government also confirmed it had ruled out future coal exploration in the Hawkins and Rumker areas in the state’s central west, a step flagged by Guardian Australia last month.
South32 said it welcomed the government’s decision. A company spokesperson said it “marks an important step” and would allow a submission for an alternate mine plan to that rejected by the planning commission.
“We continue to consider our options to determine the best path forward for Illawarra Metallurgical Coal, to continue to supply metallurgical coal for local steel production and support local jobs and investment,” it said.
The Dendrobium declaration means South32 can submit an environmental impact statement for community feedback and assessment by the planning department. The department previously recommended the independent planning commission approve the project as its benefits would “significantly outweigh its residual costs, and that it is in the public interest”.
It has been supported by Bluescope Steel, which claimed “green steel” – made using hydrogen and renewable energy – was decades away and it wanted to use an existing blend of coking coal until 2048.
Dan Gocher, director of climate and environment at shareholder activist organisation the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, said the Dendrobium decision “reeks of state capture”
Australia’s Omicron travel ban is ‘discrimination’, South African diplomat says
The ban does sound like closing the door after the horse has bolted. What does it achieve?
South Africa’s high commissioner to Australia, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said the ban needed to be overturned due to large numbers of Omicron cases being detected in other continents and not just in parts of Africa.
“We believe it is discrimination, because the only difference is these countries [on the travel ban list] are on the African continent,” he told ABC Radio on Monday. “The ban is unfair, there is no evidence the ban works, the World Health Organization confirms that.”
The travel ban to nine southern African nations was announced in the wake of the Omicron variant being detected. It also led to a two-week delay to the entry of visa holders without a medical exemption, which is now set to take place from 15 December.
Despite the pause on international arrivals, 250 fully vaccinated students will arrive on Monday in Sydney as part of a New South Wales government pilot program. The arrivals will still need to isolate in student accommodation for three days.
There have been 15 cases of Omicron detected in NSW, while two have been identified in the Australian Capital Territory and one in the Northern Territory.
The finance minister, Simon Birmingham, said while the government had been cautious about the arrival of Omicron, the steps were necessary to assess the situation.
̶#8220;It seems that plenty of advisers are indicating that vaccines continue to provide strong levels of protection, and it is why people should get vaccinated if they haven’t done so already,” Birmingham told ABC TV.
“We’re now at the point where we’re one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world.”
Scholarship program fails to attract NSW teachers as staff prepare to strike for first time in a decade
Until they bite the bullet of bringing back effective discipline in classes, government schoolrooms will remain a workplace environment that attracts only the desperate
A New South Wales government program aimed at convincing professionals to become maths teachers attracted only six people last year, five of whom dropped out before their scholarships were complete.
As the state’s public school teachers prepare for their first strike in almost a decade on Tuesday, new figures have cast doubt on the success of the government’s attempts to address teacher shortages in NSW without significantly increasing pay.
In 2019, the state government announced the Teach.Maths NOW scholarship to lure current undergraduates and industry professionals with a background in pure or applied mathematics to become teachers.
But the program has struggled to attract and retain applicants. Despite funding for 160 placements, the program was only offered to 53 people in its first two years. Now, new figures obtained by the Guardian show the program has also failed to keep many of the industry professionals who did apply.
According to the government, only six industry professionals were among the intake for the Teach.Maths NOW scholarship in 2020. Of those, all but one dropped out of the program “citing a number of reasons including changes in circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic”, the government said.
The government said it had made substantial changes to the program, and in 2021, 13 of the 17 industry professionals who signed up for the scholarship remained, but the struggle to attract and keep teachers through Teach.Maths NOW underscores a larger problem.
The NSW Department of Education has warned that a significant shortage of teachers – particularly in subjects such as maths and science – is affecting the quality of students’ learning. But the state government has rejected the claim of the teachers’ union that inadequate salaries are leading to declining enrolments in education degrees and an increase in the number of teachers leaving the profession.
That’s set the stage for the first teachers’ strike in almost a decade on Tuesday. Staff will defy an order from the Industrial Relations Commission and walk off the job as part of a campaign to see wages increase by 5% with an extra 2.5% to recognise experience.
The government has offered a 2.5% pay increase in line with its longstanding cap on wages for public servants and has rejected the argument that the department’s staff issues are related to pay.
The education minister, Sarah Mitchell, said: “It is unfortunate but not surprising the [NSW Teachers] Federation continues to attack a staffing strategy, informed by credible research, which seeks to build a sustainable pipeline of quality teachers through various initiatives including increasing pay and financial incentives.”
“At no point has the federation engaged in any proactive conversations on how to improve staffing in hard-to-staff regional areas.
“Arguing that the only way to attract more people to teaching is a pay increase wilfully ignores the complexities of the modern profession and genuine independent research on the issue.”
It appears that everyone entering the NT has to undergo imprisonment in them. A good reason to stay away from the NT
Hayley Hodgson, a 26-year-old Australian woman, recounted her two-week confinement in a COVID-19 quarantine camp in an interview Thursday.
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“You feel like you’re in prison. You feel like you’ve done something wrong. It’s inhumane what they’re doing,” Hodgson said in an interview with UnHerd. “You are so small, they just overpower you.”
Hodgson told UnHerd that she was ordered to quarantine at the Centres for National Resilience in Howard Springs, Darwin, after one of her friends tested positive for COVID-19.
“Police officers blocked my driveway,” she said. “I walked out and I said, ‘What’s going on? Are you guys testing me for COVID? What’s happening?’ They said, ‘No, you’re getting taken away. And you have no choice. You’re going to Howard Springs.’”
Hodgson said the officers told her that they had received orders from “higher up” to take her to the facility and that she was not permitted to “self-isolate” at home.
The officers told Hodgson that if she didn’t voluntarily go with them, they’d put her “in the back of the [police] van,” she said.
Once she arrived at the facility, Hodgson was told she would have to stay there for two weeks, according to Unherd. She was reportedly tested three times throughout her confinement, and each time she tested negative for the virus.
While inside the facility, Hodgson said she had very little contact with others and was treated poorly by the staff.
“They don’t come and say anything. They don’t check up; they don’t do anything. You get delivered your meals once a day. And you are just left,” she said.
At one point, staff reportedly offered to sedate Hodgson with Valium to calm her down after she complained about the camp’s conditions. Hodgson said she lost her job during her stay and was never informed of any rights she had or put in contact with a lawyer.
Howard Springs is one of two “mandatory supervised quarantine facilities” in the Northern Territory, according to a government website.
While in quarantine, a person must “stay in the person’s allocated room, including on any veranda space allocated to the room, unless permitted by an [authorized] officer,” according to the website.
Huge changes to school start and finish times could come to Australia
Radical changes could be made to the average school day in New South Wales as part of an effort from the state government to support working parents and reduce traffic congestion.
The overhaul would mean principals can offer options to parents other than the standard 9am-3pm school day.
During a speech at the annual Bradfield Oration, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet suggested school times should be changed to better suit the lives of working families.
'Despite the progress we have made, so many public services are still designed around government, not around the people we are here to serve,' he said on Thursday.
'Education should be designed around our children, not simply around the schools themselves.'
He used the speech to declare his plans to bring NSW into the '21st Century' by leading a modern government that 'doesn't accept the status quo'.
At one point the Premier directly challenged Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, asking if the existing school day was fit for working parents. 'Why does the school day run from 9am to 3pm — and does it still suit the lives of busy working families?' asked Mr Perrottet.
His speech has reignited debate over whether the traditional 9am-3pm school day should be overhauled to provide flexibility for families.
In June, the government staggered the start and finish times of public schools as part of a push to modernise the traditional school day and reduce traffic congestion.
The bold plan allowed schools to participate in trials where principals could offer parents options that differed from the standard 9am to 3pm school day.
Alternatives include a 7am to 1pm day, or extended after-school care.
NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos previously claimed most schools across the state already offered varied school hours.
'The majority of schools do not operate between nine and three [o'clock], there's all sorts of variations,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
'There are schools with nine-day fortnights, or four-day weeks. But these matters are not straightforward and require significant consultation to achieve a consensus across a broad parent body and staff body, all of whom are impacted.'
Merrylands East Public in the city's west already operates an 8am to 1.15pm school day.
The scheme could also see an ease of pressure on Sydney's heavily-congested roads by staggering when students are picked up and dropped off from school.
The cost of Sydney's traffic congestion to the state economy is estimated to reach $13.1billion by 2031, according to the NSW Productivity Commission.
Albo's economic REVOLUTION: Labor leader launches 'most comprehensive climate policy EVER' - claiming he'll create 600,000 jobs and slash the price of power - so is it too good to be true?
Anthony Albanese has announced Labor's climate change policy which he will take to the Australian public at next year's election.
His plan will create 604,000 jobs and slash average household energy prices by $275 a year by 2025 and $378 by 2035, according to Labor-commissioned modelling.
The policies will reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, a slightly less ambitious target than Bill Shorten's 45 per cent aim which Mr Albanese called a 'mistake' earlier this year.
The Coalition's target is to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels, although latest projections show the nation is on track for a 30-35 per cent reduction.
Labor's plan involves a $20billion upgrade of the electricity grid to improve transmission, rolling out 85 solar banks and 400 community batteries around the nation and investing in 10,000 'new energy apprentices' alongside a $10million New Energy Skills Program.
A future Labor government would also spend $3billion on renewables manufacturing and deploying low-emissions technologies and remove taxes on electric cars to make them cheaper.
Mr Albanese said five out of every six new jobs created under the plan will be in regional Australia. Some 64,000 are direct jobs while 540,000 are indirect jobs created as a side-effect of the policies.
The plan will not negatively impact traditional fossil fuel jobs and will not bring forward power station closures, Mr Albanese said. But it will increase the share of renewables in the National Electricity Market to 82 per cent by 2030.
The Labor leader said the Coalition had failed to take action on climate change for eight years. 'This is the Government that is frozen in time while the world warms around it,' he said.
Labor's policy document says it will spend $100million to deliver an initial 85 solar banks around Australia.
That will mean some 25,000 households that are unable to install rooftop solar can access solar energy.
'The success of this initiative will spark additional private investment to deliver solar to even more homes,' the document says.
The plan also says 400 new community batteries costing a total of $200million will provide shared power storage for up to 100,000 households.
Labor will also introduce a tradeable carbon credits policy for 215 of the biggest emitting facilities in Australia to incentivise them to reduce their emissions.
Desperate Queensland principals have turned to social media in a bid to plug dire staff shortages to ensure school kids have teachers in the classroom next year.
Education insiders have told The Courier-Mail that principal stress about staff shortages, particularly in Queensland’s rural and remote schools, has been exacerbated by the state government’s “last minute” implementation of a Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Questions have been raised about the timing of this week’s announcement of the mandate, which has ordered teachers and staff to be double-dose vaccinated by January 23 – the day before term 1 begins.
One school leader told The Courier-Mail while the mandate was not “completely unexpected”, the timing less than two weeks before the end of the state school year had made planning for 2022 “a challenge”.
Another leader, based in a regional Queensland state high school, said they had been “left scrambling” after being unclear about the vaccination status of “three to four” senior teachers, a week before the end of term 4.
The Courier-Mail understands state and Catholic school sector bodies emailed staff this week to request they register their “intent to vaccinate status” as soon as possible, in an attempt to plan for anticipated teaching shortfalls.
Complicating matters was that many Queensland private schools, who also fall under the vaccination mandate, have already finished for the year.
A Department of Education spokesman confirmed the measure, and said in order to “enable compliance with the direction, the (department) is undertaking ongoing communication with all school-based staff including surveying staff”.
But some schools are already reportedly facing staff walkouts, with others in race against time to find staff for term 1.
Police search for missing campers over after remains found
This episode really grieves me. For two elderly people to have found love for one another is wonderful. And their discretion in not hurting their families with knowledge of it is also praiseworthy. But it cost them their lives at the hands of a brute. Two elderly people would have been no match for him when they were attacked
Victorian Police say they have finished searching an area of bushland in relation to missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
The hunt, which saw officers uncover human remains earlier this week, was conducted north of Dargo, almost 400km east of Melbourne, but has now wrapped up.
"Victoria Police has now concluded the search in bushland north of Dargo," Victoria Police said in a statement.
"As this matter is before the courts, we will not be facilitating any interviews in relation to the investigation."
Locals helped police bring a large excavator and a bobcat to the remote search site, which is about 15km north of Dargo in Victoria's alpine region.
Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, have been missing since they vanished while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 20 last year.
Pilot Greg Lynn, 55, was charged with two counts of murder last week. He's been remanded in custody and will face court in May next year.
However you look at it, it is excluding people on the basis of their race
Aborigine group have today been granted exclusive use to parts of one of Queensland’s most renowned group of tropical islands.
Traditional owners will gain exclusive access to live and hunt on parts of the Keppel Islands under a landmark Native Title determination over the tropical northern Queensland area.
Federal Court of Australia Justice Rangiah on Friday recognised the Woppaburra People as Native Title Holders over 567 sqkm of land and water off the eastern coast of Queensland – which comprises the Great Keppel and North Keppel Islands.
The determination will give the Woppaburra People the ability to enjoy parts of the area to the exclusion of all others, and the non-exclusive rights to hunt, fish and gather from the area, take natural resources for personal domestic and non-commercial communal purposes.
Great Keppel Island sits about 15km off the coast of Yeppoon in the southern Great Barrier Reef.
South Australian environment minister says he wants to quit because he's sick of dealing with 'crazy lefty activists' and 'Greta Thunbergs' who spout 'myths and nonsense'
I sympathize. The total lack of reality contact among the Green/Left gets very wearing
The South Australian environment minister wants out of his portfolio because he's sick of dealing with 'crazy leftie activists' and 'Greta Thunbergs'.
David Speirs told a private Liberal Party fundraiser on Monday night that he liked his portfolio but needed a 'refresh' because he was worn down by climate activists.
The 36-year-old lost a deputy leadership vote last week but asked those attending the fundraiser to 'lobby' Premier Steven Marshall on his behalf for another post.
'The crazy leftie activists, they do wear you down after a while so I think every few years you need to see a bit of a refresh because there's only so many times you can deal with the Greta Thunbergs of South Australia,' he said, according to the Adelaide Advertiser.
He said the SA Government was doing positive, concrete work on climate change such as moving to renewable energy, but activists tended to spout 'nonsense'.
'I think there's a lot of noise and crap around climate change because all the ills of the world are put in the climate change basket by the left of politics. There are a lot of myths and nonsense,' he said.
He said while countries like India and China needed to vastly reduce their emissions, Australia - which emits comparatively little pollution - could still show leadership in practical ways.
Shadow environment minister Susan Close said Mr Speirs comments were unfit for someone running the environment portfolio and his 'disparaging comments proves' he should not be minister.
Mr Speirs responded in parliament on Tuesday when questioned about the fundraiser speech. 'I may have said something like that, absolutely,' he said.
'But I believe I was making a comparison between the practical response to the great challenges of climate change and the poster-waving activism which doesn't lead to outcomes, such as gluing oneself to Flinders Street.'
In October, eight Extinction Rebellion protesters were arrested after gluing themselves to Adelaide CBD streets during peak hour.
'I'm not sure you get your message across when you disrupt and inconvenience so many people who potentially support your cause,' SA police commissioner Grant Stevens said of the protest
Allegations of nepotism, bullying and cover-ups within the Education Department have been aired in Queensland Parliament.
Opposition education spokesman Christian Rowan has also revealed claims that school students were forced to squat in a corner as punishment for talking.
Dr Rowan has called on Education Minister Grace Grace and her director-general to investigate the matters immediately, saying he was “deeply shocked” and “gravely concerned”.
Dr Rowan told Parliament the alleged incidents, understood to have happened from 2018-20, had been raised with him by a former employee of the department and another public servant who is currently on sick leave within the department.
The allegations relate to the department but specifically its Integrity and Employee Relations Unit.
Dr Rowan said the complainants had sought whistleblower protection through him.
“Allegations from the two complainants included workplace bullying, maladministration, nepotism, and cover-ups within the Department of Education specifically related to complaints about teachers that were effectively dismissed without due process and investigation,” he said.
“I am very concerned about the specific allegations of alleged criminal conduct, including the fabrication of evidence, hacking, and reprisal action against public servants.”
Dr Rowan said one claim that shocked him, and would “equally shock all Queensland parents” involved a teacher allegedly committing a “heinous act against several students”.
“The teacher allegedly admitted to forcing children into inappropriate physical acts including forcing students to squat in a corner as a punishment for simply talking,” he said.
Dr Rowan said the public servant spoke to the Office of the Human Rights Commission and that it was confirmed the alleged actions of the teacher “were an act of torture, and should be addressed accordingly”.
“It was reported to me that no reprisal action was taken against the teacher by the Department of Education, and when the investigator pursued the issue, he was put on a performance management plan, and reprisal action commenced against this public servant,” he said.
Dr Rowan said the complainants had referenced to him documented examples of bullying and provided evidence of departmental procedures not being followed.
“On the basis of the information that has been provided to the Liberal National Party Opposition, and in view of countless other reported failings, it is absolutely clear that the Queensland State Labor Government is failing to deliver the world-class education system that Queenslanders deserve,” he said.
Dr Rowan said the matters needed to be investigated as soon as possible.
I’ve had 7 police officers from Brisbane drive 5 hours to warn me not to put this into the media
Palaszczuk was caught having sex with 2 Queensland police officers on minister Tom Barton’s desk before she became premier & it was proven by a CMC investigation which fully substantiated the complaint of commissioned officer superintendent Dominic McHugh who made the complaint so Palaszczuk is guilty of salary fraud criminal charges plus she used taxpayers money to buy the champagne for her to get inebriated on in her drunken sex orgy with 2 Queensland police officers who were allowed to resign.
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Covid treatment that could be a lifesaver for thousands of Australians is FINALLY approved
Medical regulators have approved a new antibody treatment for COVID-19 as the prime minister urged for calm over the Omicron variant.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration granted approval for the use of tocilizumab, a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19 who require oxygen.
It's the fourth treatment for the virus given the green light for use by the administration.
The treatment has been shown to reduce inflammation by blocking receptors and slowing the effects of the virus.
'Tocilizumab has been shown to decrease duration of hospitalisation, risk of being placed on medical ventilation and risk of death for those with severe COVID-19,' the administration said in a statement.
'Tocilizumab is not intended to be used as a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19.'
The treatment had previously been approved for use to treat inflammatory conditions and types of arthritis.
A Queensland parliamentary committee has called for a commission of inquiry into the structure of the state's anti-corruption watchdog after finding it breached its duty to remain independent and impartial.
The Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee (PCCC) also found the Crime and Corruption Commission's (CCC) discretion to charge eight Logan City councillors with fraud in 2019 miscarried "because all material considerations and evidence were not taken into account and weighed".
The bipartisan committee — which oversees the CCC — has been examining the watchdog's investigation and decision to charge the group of councillors with fraud relating to former council chief executive Sharon Kelsey's dismissal.
The fraud charges, which prompted the entire council's dismissal, were discontinued in a Brisbane court in April, almost two years later.
In a damning report, tabled in state parliament on Thursday, the committee also found that CCC chair Alan MacSporran did not ensure the watchdog acted independently and impartially, a "serious" failing that reflected "poorly" on the CCC.
In final submissions in October, counsel assisting had suggested the possibility of recommending parliament terminate Mr MacSporran's appointment.
PCCC chair Jon Krause told the house they did not proceed with that recommendation and said they were of the view "this report speaks for itself".
"This report outlines serious findings, and related recommendations, that speak to these issues, including by making findings about where the CCC has failed in the role entrusted to it by this parliament, on behalf of all Queenslanders," he said.
"The committee makes these findings in full awareness of their gravity, but cognisant also of the need to ensure that where things have gone awry in the past, findings are made in seeking to prevent similar occurrences in the future."
'Acted outside its specific powers'
The parliamentary inquiry was launched earlier this year in response to a complaint by the CEO of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), alleging the CCC had inappropriately interfered in civil proceedings concerning Ms Kelsey's termination, and inappropriately used its powers to charge the then-councillors with fraud.
The CCC had alleged the councillors acted together to sack Ms Kelsey, who had reported allegations of possible misconduct about the then-mayor to the watchdog.
But earlier this year, the fraud charges were dropped and Ms Kelsey also lost her unfair dismissal case in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.
Among the PCCC's 14 findings were that the CCC "acted outside its specific powers in the Crime and Corruption Act" by assisting Ms Kelsey as a public interest discloser within the civil proceedings process of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.
"The committee finds that the totality of the steps taken by the Crime and Corruption Commission to assist Ms Kelsey in her Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) proceeding, including with respect to her desire for reinstatement, breached its duty to act, at all times, independently and impartially pursuant to section 57 of the Crime and Corruption Act 2001," the report said.
It also found the watchdog involved itself in the QIRC proceeding and sought to make documents it had obtained under compulsion available to her in that proceeding. "The inference may be drawn that this was done for the purpose of Ms Kelsey's reinstatement as chief executive officer," the report said.
The committee also found the CCC's discretion to charge the seven Logan City councillors and mayor with fraud was "affected by a desire to assist Ms Kelsey" and that discretion "miscarried" because all material considerations and evidence were not taken into account and weighed.
The PCCC noted the conduct of Detective Sergeant Andrew Francis to be "an example of and symptomatic" of the culture of the CCC.
The committee detailed a number of recommendations, including that the state government appoint a senior counsel to head a commission of inquiry — or similar — to review the structure of the CCC.
Other recommendations included that the CCC "engage in reform of culture" and the state government consider a requirement that the CCC obtain the recommendation of the Director of Public Prosecutions, or a senior independent legal adviser, before charging serious criminal offences regarding corruption.
Local Government Association renews call for resignation
Mr Krause told parliament that Queensland needs an "effective, independent, impartial watchdog on public sector corruption and major crime".
He also spoke about how a number of people had "cautioned" him about "pushing too hard" in inquiring into the CCC. "It was put across that this could have consequences," he said.
"The fact that these matters are even raised with me, are in the consciousness of people who are interested in these matters, and that they would say such things is highly concerning in itself."
In a statement, LGAQ president Mark Jamieson described the report's findings as "sobering reading for all Queenslanders."
"The Crime and Corruption Commission heralds great power in this state. Queenslanders need its actions to always be objective, independent and beyond reproach," he said.
"We therefore call on the CCC chair to act in the interests of the future of this important institution and stand down
Labor party to dump fuel emissions plan in next step on climate
Labor will dump a contentious plan to set new fuel standards for millions of motorists in a bid to neutralise a growing political attack from Prime Minister Scott Morrison ahead of a bigger fight on climate change.
The vehicle emission standard will be formally dropped when Labor leader Anthony Albanese signs off on the party’s climate policy with shadow ministers, as they prepare for a caucus briefing this Friday on the coming election campaign.
Mr Albanese will launch Labor’s bid for power at a campaign rally in Sydney this weekend to start a blitz through marginal electorates before Christmas, readying the party for the official election contest early next year.
The climate policy, including Labor’s target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, is being restricted to a small group of shadow cabinet members before climate spokesman Chris Bowen speaks at the National Press Club on Monday.
While some caucus members are pressing for a target that trumps Mr Morrison’s forecast to cut emissions by 35 per cent by 2030 on 2005 levels, others warn against an ambitious goal that exposes the party to attack over the impact on household costs.
The Labor policy on fuel standards was part of a package in the 2019 election campaign to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles so they would make up 50 per cent of new car sales by 2030, a target that triggered a war of words with Mr Morrison.
The Prime Minister claimed at the time the Labor policy sought to “end the weekend” and said last month the policy tried to “force” customers to switch to electric vehicles, misrepresenting the plan, which set only an aspirational target.
Mr Morrison said on November 11 Labor wanted to “put up your petrol prices” although the policy only called for consultation on changes and did not name a timetable for the new standard.
Even so, Labor will drop this element of its policy package to blunt the Coalition scare campaign.
While the most recent Resolve Political Monitor in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age found Labor’s primary vote was 32 per cent, slightly down from 33.3 per cent at the last election, the party’s internal polling suggests it is doing much better.
Child murderers and serial killers could be denied parole for decades under new Queensland laws
Child murderers and serial killers serving life sentences could be denied any bid for parole for potentially decades under new laws passed in Queensland.
The laws will give the president of Parole Board Queensland the power to make a "restricted prisoner declaration", blocking certain inmates from obtaining parole for up to 10 years, with no limit on the number of bans made.
State parliament passed the legislation on Tuesday evening despite concerns from the legal community the parole board sat "behind closed doors" and the powers "should only be vested in a court".
Described as the "toughest" parole laws in the nation, the state government said the measures were designed to limit unnecessary trauma for victims' families and the community caused by regular parole applications.
Under the new framework, the president of the board, an independent body, will have the discretion to declare that specific inmates – those sentenced to life for multiple murders or for murdering a child – must not be considered for parole for up to 10 years.
In a statement, Police Minister Mark Ryan said the government had carefully considered the rights of everyone concerned and it made no apology for taking this course of action.
The legislation was tabled in September amid the latest parole application by convicted murderer Barrie John Watts, who killed 12-year-old Sian Kingi in 1987. His bid was ultimately refused in October.
LNP Member for Ninderry, Dan Purdie — a former police officer —tabled in parliament earlier this year a petition with more than 70,000 signatures calling for Watts to be kept behind bars.
"This legislation is the direct legacy of that journey," he said. "The Kingis' pain and suffering will never go away, nor will the Morcombes be spared the trauma of losing their son Daniel at the evil hands of Brett Cowan.
"At least now these two Sunshine Coast families, and indeed families of victims all over Queensland, can be assured that there will be a legislative pathway to keep convicted killers and multiple murderers from ever menacing the community again."
Australian Ministers back vaccination rate to cushion consumer confidence
NSW Jobs and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres has insisted the emergence of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant should not dash hopes of a strong summer of trade.
As the state imposed tougher compliance measures for overseas arrivals on Tuesday, Treasurer Matt Kean said NSW remained committed to easing restrictions on December 15 in addition to a precautionary approach to handling the new variant threat.
“We need to reopen as quickly and as safely as possible. I am confident that we can continue to bounce back better from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
The comments were echoed by Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, who said the state’s world-leading vaccination rates and digital infrastructure gave NSW room to deal with new variants.
“It may be that QR codes are with us longer, if necessary, but that’s the beauty of being a contemporary society,” he said.
“We do have more levers at our disposal to combat variants ... and we’re a lot more advanced than we were with Delta.”
Among NSW residents aged 16 and over, 92.4 per cent are fully vaccinated, while 76.5 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds have had both jabs.
Across the hospitality sector, businesses hoping for a Christmas boom period say the government’s calls for calm appeared to be reaching consumers, with no evidence of mass cancellations.
Wes Lambert, chief executive officer of peak body Restaurant & Catering Australia, said neither operators nor patrons were expected to give up on newly regained freedoms until directed to by the government. “As far as the industry can tell, patrons aren’t spooked by the news of the Omicron variant at this time and we haven’t heard of any mass cancellations just yet.”
Mr Lambert said the federal government’s decision to delay the arrival of more than 200,000 visa holders, including around 160,000 international students and 50,000 skilled workers, was “deeply troubling” given the skills shortage weighing on the hospitality sector. There are currently about 100,000 job vacancies in the sector Australia-wide.
“This perfect storm of high consumer demand and low staff will lead to more restaurants and cafés being shut down over the Christmas period due to the lack of staff,” Mr Lambert said.
Mr Ayres said the two-week delay to the arrival of international students and workers was an appropriate precautionary decision by the federal government, but acknowledged the pressure it would place on small businesses.
“We know there will be constraints in the workforce for many months and finding workers will continue to be a challenge. So, the sooner we can re-engage with the global economy, the better.”
He said it was too soon to start thinking about additional restrictions. “But absolutely our approach should be different to the Delta outbreak. We have high rates of vaccination, and a lot more resilience in our communities,” Mr Ayres said.
Government could intervene in wharf disputes ahead of Christmas
Australia’s ports face significant government intervention to end industrial action that could see goods and food imports locked up on docks ahead of Christmas if an agreement isn’t reached.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also foreshadowed a Productivity Commission inquiry into the efficient running of Australia’s ports, warning “inefficient ports are a tax on all of us”.
The Prime Minister said the government was keeping a close watch on the industrial action at Patrick Terminals, which has been paused until at least December 10, noting it had the potential to disrupt economic activity in addition to COVID-19 related pressures globally, with global shipping costs remaining high.
“We encourage the parties to this dispute to negotiate in good faith to resolve their issues. At the same time, I can assure you that the government will take action, if needed, to protect the Australian economy from serious harm,” Mr Morrison said. If the strikes restart in December the government would likely join Patrick to apply to the Fair Work Commission to bring an end to the dispute before Christmas.
The Maritime Union of Australia has been negotiating with Patrick, which is the largest port stevedoring firm in the country, on a new pay deal for almost a year. The process has seen repeated waves of legal industrial action that have contributed to periodic delays at its facilities.
Patrick has accused the union of trying to retain and build on clauses that effectively require the company to get workers’ agreement for new hires at some facilities while the union argues it is trying to maintain decent working conditions and job security for its members.
In late October Patrick asked the Fair Work Commission to tear up the enterprise agreement altogether on the basis it was unsustainable for its business. While it has committed to retaining some pay and holiday provisions on an interim basis, that would give Patrick a decisive upper hand in negotiations.
At the time, the union’s national secretary Paddy Crumlin said it was an intimidatory, bullying attack on the union. “It is being done in such a way as to try to defame the workforce in a most disgraceful fashion by distorting public perceptions of a legally sanctioned bargaining process,” Mr Crumlin said.
“The disagreements between the two parties are easily resolved and have been achieved within the industry with other stevedoring companies without them resorting to this type of character assassination.”
In early November the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a major report showing that extremely restrictive deals between port operators and the union were cutting into productivity along with the union’s industrial campaign, damaging other businesses further down the supply chain.
Mr Morrison said that, in light of the report, the government was examining broader issues associated with the relative productivity of Australian ports.
“Ports are the gateway for our economy. Inefficient ports are a tax on all of us. Coalition governments ... have always understood this, and have always been prepared to take action to ensure our ports can serve our economy as best as they possibly can,” he said.
Yippee! Power crisis forces China to buy Aussie coal for first time in a YEAR
Crippling power shortages in China have forced the communist regime to back down from their ban on Australian coal.
Beijing blocked the commodity in November last to punish Canberra for suggesting and international inquiry should be held into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Chinese campaign of economic coercion - which also saw similar bans on key export sectors like barley, wine, cotton, seafood, timbre and copper - was meant to punish Australia for speaking out.
But the economic threat spectacularly back-fired on the authoritarian nation leaving China with widespread blackouts heading into winter, as it generates more than half of it's electricity through coal.
Tough-talking Wolf Warrior diplomats quietly softened their stance with tens-of-millions shivering and in the dark - allowing in 2.8 million tonnes of Australian coal in last month.
Commonwealth Bank Global Markets Research analyst Vivek Dhar on Tuesday said it 'looks to be a pragmatic move by Chinese policymakers'.
'Australian coal that was sitting at port stockpiles were cleared by Chinese customs last month to address an acute shortage in China's coal and power sector,' he said.
As well as being a concern for residents, financial firm Goldman Sachs estimated about 44 per cent of industrial activity was affected by power shortages.
The Chinese economy was hit with a perfect storm that compounded the energy crisis after it blocked dozens of coal ship from entering Chinese ports, leaving sailors stranded for months.
President Xi Jinping recently imposed price caps and restrictions on energy suppliers just before the cost of coal skyrocketed.
Metallurgical coal jumped from about $100 a tonne when the ban was introduced to $274 a tonne in October.
'Every million tonnes of coal has recently been costing China's steel mills more than US$400 million, compared with around US$250 million paid by steel mills everywhere else,' David Uren wrote last month in a paper for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
'The difference is entirely explained by China's embargo on Australian coal.
'Since China's mills use almost two million tonnes of coal every day, the premium it pays above coal costs in the rest of the world adds up to about US$2 billion a week.'
For the notes appearing at the side of the original blog see HERE
Pictures put up on a blog sometimes do not last long. They stay up only as long as the original host keeps them up. I therefore keep archives of all the pictures that I use. The recent archives are online and are in two parts:
Most pictures that I use in the body of the blog should stay up throughout the year. But how long they stay up after that is uncertain. At the end of every year therefore I intend to put up a collection of all pictures used on the blog in that year. That should enable missing pictures to be replaced. The archive of last year's pictures on this blog is therefore now up. Note that the filename of the picture is clickable and reflects the date on which the picture was posted. See here
An Indigenous influencer has hit back at internet trolls accusing her of pretending to be Aboriginal because of her light skin and blue eyes - saying 'it doesn't matter how much milk you put in coffee, it's always going to be coffee'.Kate Maree Cooper, a 22-year-old TikTok star from central New South Wales, posted a scathing reply to people questioning her heritage on social media on Thursday morning.She responded to a comment after a user accused her of 'thinking she's Indigenous... but just isn't', saying it was unjustified and hurtful.'It's not ok, I identify as an Aboriginal woman,' she said.Kate, who has amassed nearly 370,000 followers on TikTok, said she's a proud member of the Wirdajuri mob, Indigenous Australians from central NSW.She regularly posts content referring to her Aboriginal roots, and says her appearance shouldn't take away from her traditions.'Just because I have fairer skin, blue eyes and dye my hair blonde, doesn't take away that I'm Aboriginal,' she said.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10354107/Australian-Aboriginal-woman-blonde-hair-fair-skin-attacked-trolls-Indigenous-roots.html*************************************************Greenie hate on displayOld Parliament House has suffered 'incalculable damage' after a fire ripped through the entrance to the historic landmark, with Scott Morrison branding the destruction 'disgusting' and 'appalling'.Within hours of the building going up in flames on Thursday, Greens senator Lidia Thorpe posted a tweet - which was hastily deleted - remarking 'the colonial system is burning down'.She was quickly slammed for the post, in which she appeared to celebrate the destruction and told followers 'Happy New Year everyone'.The entrance to the building was engulfed in flames after a smoking ceremony demanding Aboriginal Sovereignty in Canberra grew out of control - with some claiming it was spread intentionally.Emergency crews arrived to douse the flames, but not before the fire had caused extensive damage to its heritage doors, the portico and the building's exterior.Demonstrators were heard shouting 'let it burn', amid a tense stand-off with police who used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.The smoking ceremony, which was approved by authorities as part of a protest, was to blame for the blaze while police begin to investigate how the chaos escalated.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10355685/Damage-Old-Parliament-House-Canberra-Indigenous-rights-protest.html*****************************************ANZ bank’s climate policies stand up to scrutiny after activist attackA bid by Friends of the Earth and three bushfire victims to have ANZ censured over its climate change disclosures and actions has failed, with a determination handed down that the bank’s actions are consistent with international guidelines.In early 2020, Friends of the Earth and Jack Egan, Joanna Dodds and Patrick Simons lodged a complaint with the Australian National Contact Point (ANCP) – a government office responsible for promoting adherence to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.The complaint alleged “aspects of ANZ’s disclosures, target-setting and scenario analysis’’ breached the OECD’s guidelines, and that it had failed to be fully transparent about its “indirect emissions”, or those it contributes to by financing the fossil fuel industry.Following a failed mediation on the issue, an examiner looked at the bank’s disclosure practices, and had found that while there is ambiguity in the guidelines, ANZ had been “undertaking actions and conduct consistent with (them)’’.At the time the complaint was lodged, Mr Egan, who on New year’s Eve 2019 lost his home at North Rosedale, south of Bateman’s Bay in NSW to a bushfire, said holding large corporations to account on climate change was deeply personal.“I saw our front deck catch on fire … the flames of the deck were licking into the window spaces and around the doors,” he said.While he acknowledged Australia had always had droughts and bushfires, he said he was convinced global warming played a role in the severity of the drought and the fierceness of the blazes.“Many scientists are saying this is well-predicted and it’s a consequence of the global heating,” he said.The complaint was based on a similar one brought by Friends of the Earth Netherlands against ING Bank, which it said resulted in the bank committing to stronger climate action.Friends of the Earth said at the time ANZ “remains the biggest financier of fossil fuels among the big four Australian banks, and it has neglected a number of opportunities to improve its direct and indirect environmental impact’’.“ANZ’s lack of full disclosure about its climate change impacts prevents consumers from making informed decisions about whether or not to engage with the bank,’’ the complaint said.The determination from the ANCP said the guidelines themselves did not mention climate change, and greenhouse gas emissions featured in only two paragraphs, which said organisations should seek to improve the environmental performance of themselves and their supply chain, and also “encourage” broad disclosure practices in areas where reporting standards are still evolving.“There is limited explicit direction about climate change in the guidelines,’’ the determination says.“There is, however, potential relevance from the guidelines’ statement that an enterprise’s environmental management system should include ‘where appropriate, targets … consistent with relevant national policies and international environmental commitments’.’’It was recognised in the determination that climate change reporting was evolving in Australia, with the ASX, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission addressing the corporate management of climate risk.https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/financial-services/anzs-climate-policies-stand-up-to-scrutiny-after-activist-attack/news-story/92baedcb13baf973aaf2e3bd0b56a677************************************************Suspected fraud cases prompt calls for research integrity watchdogAustralia’s top scientists have called for a research integrity watchdog to oversee investigations into allegations of research misconduct at publicly funded institutions, declaring the age of self-regulation is over.The Australian Academy of Science is in discussions with the government over its proposal for a national oversight body to work with any institution that has used public funds to conduct research, including universities, think tanks and the private sector, following a spate of academic research scandals.It would have statutory authority to handle allegations of serious research misconduct such as fabrication, falsification and plagiarism, leaving issues that fell below that threshold to the governing institutions, and hear appeals if the institutions were deemed not to have dealt with matters fairly or in a timely manner.The academy’s secretary of science policy, Ian Chubb, a former chief scientist and vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, said he was not suggesting universities were in the business of concealing research misconduct, but the rising number of Inspectors-General and Ombudsmen reflected a general distrust for self-regulation and growing support for independent oversight.“The era of self-regulation is further in the past than you might like to believe,” Professor Chubb said. “We’re proposing that there be an Australian system for investigating research misconduct that has some real substance to it.”The academy has engaged Universities Australia, which represents Australia’s 39 universities and has given in principle support to the proposal.“Universities Australia is actively interested in how the quality and integrity of Australian research can be secured and improved,” chief executive Catriona Jackson said.Australia and New Zealand are unusual among Western nations for not having an office of research integrity, a version of which exists in the UK, Japan, China, Canada, the United States and 23 European countries.The proposal for a national oversight body follows a string of allegations regarding image manipulation in scientific papers that have embroiled UNSW, the University of Sydney and Macquarie University and the referral of one of Australia’s top cancer scientists to Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission.But scientists have been trying to promote an office of research integrity for years. In late 2017, it was discussed at a meeting that involved representatives from the Australia Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Chief Scientist and the office of Health Minister Greg Hunt. People with close knowledge of the meeting said although major research bodies supported the proposal, it was actively opposed by Universities Australia and later shelved.Professor Chubb said the current model was developed after fellows of the academy raised the issue in May last year. Cases would have to be triaged so the office would only handle the most serious matters, and it was expected to cost around $5 million, though it was uncertain how many cases would emerge.Among those who raised their concerns was University of Melbourne scientist Peter Brooks, who was commissioned by UNSW in 2013 to investigate a complaint of research misconduct against a senior researcher.“The terms of reference were incredibly tight, so we couldn’t deviate from those,” Professor Brooks said.Professor Brooks concluded the professor had committed misdemeanours that fell short of research misconduct, but unearthed other issues during his investigation that the university chose to refer to separate committees, none of which were allowed to make findings about a pattern of behaviour.“It was a very, very disappointing and unfortunate situation,” Professor Brooks said.Each of the five committees cleared the professor of research misconduct, finding the breaches were the result of genuine error or honest oversight. UNSW said in a statement the findings were later considered together by a further external independent panel and still found not to constitute research misconduct.Professor Brooks, who has conducted several investigations into academic misconduct, said the tertiary education system was so reliant on overseas students and research funding that universities could ill afford to lose senior researchers.At the same time, there were financial and career incentives to researchers who publish prolifically or publish in journals that are classified as high impact. This created conditions for academics to perform sloppy or even fraudulent research. Other scientists then read the papers and spend years trying to reproduce the experiments or develop them further.“The opportunity costs are enormous because that costs money that could have been used for legitimate research,” Professor Brooks said. “And often they’ve been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, so it’s a really serious issuehttps://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/suspected-fraud-cases-prompt-calls-for-research-integrity-watchdog-20211214-p59hhh.html************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************30 December, 2021Queensland Covid cases surge to 1,589 with 80 per cent of them Omicron but NONE in ICU - as rapid antigen tests are allowed for visitorsQueensland has recorded 1,589 new cases of Covid but only eight patients are in hospital and none in the ICU.Another 93 people in hospital who tested positive to the virus are hospitalised, but they being treated for unrelated health conditions.Chief health officer John Gerrard said 80 per cent of the 6,368 active cases in the state were the Omicron variant, and it appeared to be more dominant in Queensland than other states.'Case numbers are going to rise very rapidly in the next few weeks,' he said.'It has a downside in that it's much more contagious than Delta but on the good side it does appear to be a milder disease, particularly for those who are vaccinated.'Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was notably absent from Wednesday's Covid update press conference as Police Minister Mark Ryan fronted the media alongside Dr Gerrard and Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.She announced earlier that the state would drop its requirement of a PCR test for entry from January 1, in the face of pressure from other states.Mr Ryan said that from today, those who wished to come into Queensland within the next 72 hours would therefore be able to use a rapid antigen test as a valid test to enter the state.The move will immediately relieve pressure on testing queues in NSW and Victoria.No test will be required after Queensland reaches 90 per cent of its 16 years and over population with two doses of a Covid vaccine. The state currently sits at 86.14 per cent of people doubled dosed.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10351189/Annastacia-Palaszczuk-defends-decision-dropping-PCR-test-entry-Queensland.html*****************************************Australian company that can make MILLIONS of rapid antigen tests a year is tied up in red tape while the country cries out for an alternative to hours-long PCR queuesAn Australian company that can produce millions of Covid-19 rapid antigen tests can do nothing to help the country's testing crisis due to red tape.Brisbane biotechnology company AnteoTech3 has developed its own 15-minute test that is already regularly used in the US and Europe.But the Therapeutic Goods Administration is yet to give the company the green light to sell its kits in Australia.With thousands of Australians queueing up all day to get a PCR test, only to then wait up to another five days for results, chief executive Derek Thomson said the red tape was adding to the delays.'We've always said that rapid testing has a place to be used to control the pandemic and now we're seeing that play out,' he told the Courier Mail.The nasal swabs tests are more than 97 per cent accurate, Mr Thomson said, and are done by a health professional and not at home.'We believe governments should use rapid tests instead of PCR tests for screening of people who are wanting to travel as they do in Europe,' he added.'There's too much stress on the PCR testing system in all Australian states and it's really not necessary to go to the full extent of doing a PCR test when you've got rapid tests readily available now.'Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk backflipped on her demand for PCR tests from interstate travellers on Wednesday morning.Those entering the Sunshine State from hotspots can from January 1 provide a negative rapid antigen test instead of having to queue all day for a PCR result.But rapid tests are hard to come by with the kits flying off pharmacy shelves.Pharmacy Guild Australia President Professor Trent Twomey said there would be 'scattered supply shortages' of RATs until January 15, before stores would then be 'awash' with testing kits.Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said she was 'sure' the federal government was speaking to the TGA about approving different rapid tests.'We absolutely want to see Queensland businesses be able to produce and provide them in Queensland but it has to be approved - it has to meet our standards and that is up to the TGA whether it does that or not,' she said.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10351535/AnteoTech-make-millions-rapid-antigen-tests-gain-approval-TGA.html********************************************Is solar energy really green?As the world continues to push towards net zero emissions, more large-scale solar farms will be built in Australia.But why are they being built on productive agricultural land and are how credible are claims about toxic contamination?The Clean Energy Council (CEC) is forecasting a massive increase in the number of solar panels in the short term.The amount of solar power installed in Australia has doubled in the past three to four years, and the CEC is forecasting it will double again in the next couple of years.Concern is globalAchim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Program, said solar panels were adding significantly to the world's non-recycled waste mountain."But it also poses a growing threat to human health and the environment due to the hazardous elements it contains," Mr Steiner said.Australia is adding to that mountain by sending 40,000 old panels a year in containers to markets in developing countries.While that trade provides cheap panels for poorer nations, the UN is concerned that many of them will end up in landfill overseas.The vast majority of solar panels are made of thin silicon wafers using refined silicon dioxide.It is the same chemical compound as sand, which is used in making glass, so it is harmless.The solar cells are connected by thin strips of tin and copper which is sealed and protected under glass.Almost all of the materials can be recycled and there are several new plants in development that will be able to turn old panels into reusable materials.There are, however, a small number of panels that were made in the past using cadmium, which is highly toxic and associated with serious health problems.Some panels are also made with nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a gas that is associated with global warming.A South Korean study from 2020 raised concerns about contamination from solar panels that are "released into the environment during their disposal or following damage, such as that from natural disasters."The United States wants to address the problem as well, with a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory from March 2021 pointing to a lack of incentives for recycling companies and confusing and conflicting state regulations.Are solar farms taking over productive farm land?The NSW government has set up five renewable energy zones in regional areas where it is promoting the development of solar farms close to large populations and the existing electricity grid.That means productive farming land is sometimes used to build large-scale solar plants, and farmer Bianca Schultz right is in the firing line.She owns a property next door to the proposed Walla Walla site in the Riverina in south-west NSW, while the Culcairn project borders her other boundary."There's been talk of heat island effects and heavy metal leachate, [while] the visual impact is a large concern for us being directly across the road," she said.Ms Schultz said the property was used in the past for grazing livestock, making hay, and cropping. She thinks that turning it into an industrial-scale solar plant with just a few employees for maintenance will negatively affect the local economy."The on-flow effect on the transport companies, the grain merchants, the rural merchants; it's taking away a lot from our community," she said.https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-12-30/solar-panel-contamination-regional-australia/100559830***********************************************A former Queensland councillor exonerated of fraud has spoken out against the Crime and Corruption Commission after being asked to act as a witness in a separate trialTrevina Schwarz, a former Logan City councillor, was one of eight councillors to lose their jobs after fraud charges were laid in 2019.Earlier this year, the councillors were cleared of all charges, prompting the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee, the governing watchdog of the CCC, to examine what went wrong.Ms Schwarz said she was relieved the charges had been dropped, but the damage to her career and reputation had already been done. "My family and I were so excited for this Christmas, this was to be our first Christmas of many to have this cloud lifted from upon us," she said."I'm a person of high integrity and to be charged with the scandalous charge of fraud … I was extremely shameful of something I didn't do."Last week, Ms Schwarz said she was contacted by the CCC and asked to act as witness in next year's trial of former Logan City Council mayor Luke Smith.Mr Smith is being accused of corruption and perjury after allegedly accepting a power boat from a political donor to progress the development approval of a hotel.Ms Schwartz was contacted by the CCC as a potential witness."I believe it's highly inappropriate and potentially a conflict for a staff member of the CCC, particularly one that was involved in our case and in the parliamentary inquiry, to be contacting us," Ms Schwarz said.The Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee has called for a Royal Commission into the CCC and the resignation of chair Alan MacSporran.https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/former-queensland-councillor-speaks-out-against-ccc/ar-AASb6S9?ocid=winp1taskbar************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************29 December, 2021‘Her views no longer aligned’: Anglicans defend sacking of gay teacherThe Anglican Church has defended the sacking of a gay Sydney schoolteacher this year, saying she was not terminated because of her sexuality but because she believes Christians should be able to enter same-sex relationships.Steph Lentz was lawfully sacked in January from Covenant Christian School in Belrose, in Sydney’s north-east, after telling the school the previous year she was a lesbian – as first reported by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in August.In a submission last week to a parliamentary inquiry on the federal government’s Religious Discrimination Bill, the Sydney Anglican Diocese used Ms Lentz’s subsequent public remarks to justify her removal from the school.It quoted two opinion pieces she wrote for the Herald and The Age in which she said she was sacked “because of my belief that a person can be a Christian and be gay” and acknowledged “in relation to sexuality, the school’s statement of belief and my view do not align”.The submission’s author, the Right Reverend Michael Stead, who chairs the Anglican Diocese of Sydney’s religious freedom reference group, argued Ms Lentz was not “sacked for being gay”, and called that interpretation a “sensationalist headline”.“Correctly understood, the teacher’s sexuality is not the key issue in this case,” he wrote.“A heterosexual teacher who held the same theological views on sexuality and relationships, and therefore was unable to sign the statement of belief, would also have had his or her employment terminated. Conversely, there are those in the LGBTIQ+ community who self-identify as ‘celibate gay Christians’ who would be able to sign the school’s statement of belief.”Ms Lentz is Anglican, but Covenant Christian School is non-denominational and has no connection to the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Rev Stead said he commented on her case because it had recently received media attention.“Ms Lentz has changed her religious beliefs, and (as she herself acknowledges) her beliefs were no longer consistent with beliefs of the school. So the issue was not about her same-sex attraction but her inability to sign the school’s statement of belief, and to teach that from a place of personal conviction,” Rev Stead told the Herald and The Age on Tuesday.“Where a religious body has clearly set out its core doctrines in a statement of belief that is available to employees and prospective employees, it is entirely reasonable that the body should be able to require employees to endorse those beliefs.”Ms Lentz said the statement of belief she signed did not contain any doctrine on homosexuality. She agreed a heterosexual teacher who was unable to sign up to the school’s views on sexuality was liable to be dismissed – as allegedly occurred with Victorian teacher Rachel Colvin in 2019 – but said that was “no less problematic in my view”.Existing provisions that allow religious schools to sack or expel LGBTIQ teachers and students are not dealt with by the Religious Discrimination Bill, and have been referred for a separate legal inquiry. However, some government MPs want those provisions removed or amended as a precondition for passing the bill.In its submission, the Anglican Diocese of Sydney explicitly supports the removal of provisions that allow religious schools to expel gay students. This is “a right that religious schools do not want, and do not use”, Rev Stead writes.“The exemptions in the Sex Discrimination Act are too broad, and give religious bodies the right to do many things that they do not, in fact, do, and are not wanted or required to conduct their affairs in a way consistent with their religious ethos.”The church also contends that when a religious body’s doctrine clashes with the beliefs of an individual, the religious body’s views should prevail.To do otherwise “would lead to tyranny of the majority by many minorities, forcing a religious body to accept mutually contradictory doctrines concurrently”.Ms Lentz said that approach was characterised by “fear and hubris” and that accepting diverse religious beliefs “could provoke a re-examination of the issues, leading to mutually beneficial progress”.https://www.smh.com.au/national/her-views-no-longer-aligned-anglicans-defend-sacking-of-gay-teacher-20211227-p59kdt.html**************************************Adani's first Carmichael Mine coal export shipment imminent after years of campaigns against itThe first coal shipment from central Queensland Carmichael Mine is about to leave Australian shores after years of controversy, international media coverage and environmental campaigning against the facility.Bravus Mining and Resources, the Australian arm of Adani, today confirmed the shipment had been assembled at the North Queensland Export Terminal in Bowen.Bravus CEO David Boshoff celebrated the milestone, calling it a "big moment"."From day one, the objectives of the Carmichael Project were to supply high-quality Queensland coal to nations determined to lift millions of their citizens out of energy poverty and to create local jobs and economic prosperity in Queensland communities in the process" Mr Boshoff said."With the support of the people of regional Queensland we have delivered on that promise."The shipment comes amid continuing protests against the mine and follows years of fierce campaigning from environmental activists.The Australian Conservation Foundation said the mine made "a mockery" of Australia's emissions targets.And, locally, scuba diving guide and Whitsunday Conservation Council spokesperson Tony Fontes said he felt "despair and anger"."Both state and federal governments supported Adani in opening the mine,and ensuring that the Great Barrier Reef is not going to survive this century" Mr Fontes said."[But] one would hope that in the very near future, there will not be a market for thermal coal."And it's unfortunate that people that are working in the industry have been misled by the government suggesting that there's a long-term future in working in thermal coal."However, Bravus insisted Australian coal would have a role alongside renewables for decades "as part of an energy mix that delivers reliable and affordable power with reduced emissions intensity".In 2016, the Wangan and Jagalingou people voted 294 to one in favour of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with Adani. Subsequent challenges against the ILUA were dismissed in court.Mine opponents now represent a small portion of traditional owners who, since signing the agreement, have been working with Bravus.Bravus said the first shipment of coal would be loaded and dispatched, subject to the port's shipping schedule. It did not say when the shipment would leave or where it was going."The first export shipment is of a commercial scale and is going to a customer, with further details remaining commercial in confidence" it said.The company plans to produce 10 million tonnes of coal a year from the mine, to be sold to customers in the Asia-Pacific region at 'index adjusted pricing'.https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-12-29/adani-ships-first-coal/100729834************************************************A major Queensland university has become the latest institution to introduce a Covid-19 vaccine mandate, insisting anyone attending its campuses must be fully-vaccinated from early next yearQueensland’s largest university has mandated anyone attending its campuses must be fully-vaccinated against Covid-19 from early next year, as the state continues to experience a record number of infections.The University of Queensland has announced from February 14th 2022, anyone attending the institution’s campuses, facilities or sites must be fully vaccinated, unless they hold a valid exemption.The institution has also issued a warning that students who do not get vaccinated could face “disciplinary” policies if they fail to comply in certain circumstances.From early January, UQ staff and students would be requested to declare their vaccination status, which must be completed by the end of February 13th.“UQ has a diverse community that attends our locations every day – often in close settings,” an online post from the university stated.“An outbreak of Covid-19 would pose a significant health risk to this community and substantially impact our teaching, research and community engagement services.”UQ is not the first Sunshine State institution to implement such a mandate for students and staff.Earlier this month Griffith University announced it would require anyone attending its campuses to be fully vaccinated from February 18.At the time Vice-Chancellor Professor Carolyn Evans warned students they could potentially be unable to finish their degrees unless they were vaccinated.The UQ statement went on to say while the vaccine may not “prevent you from getting Covid-19”, it would “reduce the severity and duration of the illness, hospitalisation rates and transmission”.“Vaccination will be a key measure for the University to minimise the impacts from the inevitable spread of Covid-19 next year,” it read.UQ also said there were some exemptions from the mandate, including people who were under the age of 16, people performing urgent and essential health and safety work, or those responding to an emergency.But a statement from the university also warned that students could face penalties or disciplinary actions if they failed to adhere to the direction.“Where alternative workplace or study practices cannot be implemented, and the student is required to attend a UQ location to undertake their studies, the student may need to consider their enrolment options,” the statement read.“A student’s failure to comply may be considered as misconduct, and may result in student disciplinary proceedings, which may, in turn, lead to penalties being imposed pursuant to UQ’s student disciplinary policies.”https://www.couriermail.com.au/coronavirus/major-qld-uni-introduces-vax-mandate/news-story/42bfd74eca67e9e7bee7993fea8848bf*****************************************Sydney Festival boycott a blunt instrument that blocks voices of dissentThis week’s fracas at the Sydney Festival over the inclusion of Decadance, a renowned dance piece in the repertoire of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company, and the festival’s sponsorship by the Israeli embassy, has followed a familiar script.In response to the sponsorship, some artists have now withdrawn from the festival, with Khaled Sabsabi saying he was doing so “out of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause”.Israel’s largest contemporary dance company, Batsheva is hailed as one of the most important in the world today, having developed its acclaim over the last 30 years during choreographer Ohad Naharin’s time at the helm. During these decades, the company and Naharin himself have pushed every boundary, challenged every taboo, and remain a national treasure.Naharin’s movement language “Gaga” is world renowned and productions using the dance vocabulary are popular around the globe. Decadance itself has been performed for more than two decades.As one of Israel’s most well regarded cultural exports, Naharin’s productions are both an obvious inclusion in global events like the Sydney Festival and a way to attract much needed funding for the arts from a local embassy. Equally, it is a hot target for supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement which seeks to isolate and pressure the state of Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians.There is nothing out of hand illegitimate – and certainly not inherently antisemitic – about a boycott of Israel. This is particularly so when the call comes from Palestinians themselves whose personal and collective experiences with the conflict trump claims they might be unfairly and disproportionately targeting Israel for opprobrium.Stories of injustice, as well as the voices of those speaking up against that injustice, are extremely important to amplify on our stages here in Australia. As a blunt instrument which blocks access to important Israeli artists like Naharin, the BDS movement is a counterproductive tool.I want Australians to see the beautiful art that Naharin creates, of course, but mostly I want us to get to hear his views.Like countless other Israeli artists, Naharin is one of the most articulate, persuasive and prominent critics of 54 years of Israeli government policies in the occupied territories.He has raised funds for leading civil rights organisation the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and participated in public demonstrations for Breaking the Silence, an organisation of military veterans who have taken it upon themselves to persuade Israelis of the price paid for the continuing occupation.Which brings us to the deep irony of what’s happening now. In speaking out against the occupation he “earned” a spot in a despicable McCarthyist campaign peddled by Israel’s ultra-nationalist right-wing and politicians against progressive artists.Other Israeli icons like Amos Oz and David Grossman were on that list, as was singer Achinoam Nini, a Jewish-Israeli artist known for her stirring Eurovision collaboration with Palestinian Mira Awad and her broader activism for Jewish-Arab equality.Five years ago, the organisation I run, the New Israel Fund (NIF), brought Nini to perform in Australia where her performances were protested by right-wing Jewish groups because of her peace and coexistence work, while the BDS movement continues to consider her problematic as an Israeli singer and musician.Platforming these anti-occupation activists and their art can be a very effective tool to help Israelis and others around the world who hold attachments to the place and its people understand the injustice of the occupation.A cultural boycott which targets them – either directly or by opposing those who fund them – shrinks the discourse, limits the access that influential allies of Palestinians have to the public square, and reduces the pressure within Israel to take serious steps to end the conflict.Given how much the Israeli government’s policies conflict with Naharin’s own political positions, a meaningful act of subversion could be to play up that divergence.Little would frustrate the right-wing pro-Israel lobby more than flipping the story into a discussion about how the shining lights of Israeli society – the products of which Israelis are most proud to showcase to the world, to prove itself a worthy member of the family of Western democratic nations – are also the most damning critics of the deep, dark occupation-shaped hole the country is in.Art is always deeply political and should remain so. Responses which claim it shouldn’t be, hinting that antisemitism is at play, or which use Israel’s new relationships with human rights abusing Gulf dictatorships as a point of reference, do not positively contribute to the discourse around Israel-Palestine or provide a constructive environment for its resolution.At the New Israel Fund our theory of change – to realise our mission of equality and justice for all – hinges on strategic, impactful investment in civil society organisations at the forefront of the campaign for Palestinian human rights and the realisation of Israel’s founding vision as a liberal democracy.Success in those efforts will only come when more Israelis realise the toll that half a century of government policies continue to have on Palestinians, and how much they contribute to the degradation of democratic values, norms and institutions inside Israel.There is a place for pressure on Israelis and their institutions to bring about change. People like Ohad Naharin have a big role to play in applying that pressure at home and abroad – but they most definitely should not be its targets.https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-festival-boycott-a-blunt-instrument-that-blocks-voices-of-dissent-20211223-p59jx1.html************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************28 December, 2021Queensland scraps day-five testing for visitorsQueensland has scrapped day five COVID-19 tests for interstate travellers as cases spike.Six cases were in hospital for COVID-19-related symptoms and 83 others were in hospital for other illnesses.There were no people in the intensive care unit, while 976 patients were currently receiving care at home.The percentage of Queensland’s population who had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination was 90.49, while 86.14 per cent were fully vaccinated.Ms D’Ath also announced the scrapping of the day-five testing requirements, following scrutiny over long waiting times of up to three hours.“Based on the data we have, I welcome the advice of the Chief Health Officer [John Gerrard] that we can move away from that test,” she said.“The Chief Health Officer has advised us that the data that we have received just in the last 24 hours can show that we are seeing only about 0.6 per cent positive cases coming from those day-five tests.”Dr Gerrard said those rates were extremely low.“I have given a very strong recommendation to the Premier that I believe that performing the day-five test is unnecessary and that these resources are better used elsewhere to test people with symptoms and for other reasons to require testing,” Dr Gerrard said.Interstate travellers were still required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result within the 72 hours before entering Queensland.Dr Gerrard said despite the large number of cases, there were few patients with COVID-19-related symptoms in hospital. “This indicates that the vaccines are working,” he said.Dr Gerrard urged people to stay home while waiting for their COVID-19 test result. “We have noticed that when people get this report some of them are going straight to the emergency department, even if they are quite well,” he said.“This is causing a little bit of a problem in some of our emergency departments, and it’s not necessary. “Please go to the emergency department only if you have significant symptoms like breathlessness or chest pain.https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/queensland-records-1158-cases-as-state-scraps-day-five-testing-20211228-p59kgj.html************************************************Queensland hugely popular: ‘No one anticipated 400k visitors’Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today the Government would be bolstering staff numbers at the state’s testing centres following days of long lines at clinics.She admitted officials had never anticipated that 400,000 people would apply to enter the state when borders reopened earlier this month.Interstate travellers also must have evidence of a negative CPR test 72 hours before entering Queensland – but Ms Palaszczuk again today signalled that could also change to a rapid antigen test, with a decision to be made by January 1.Meanwhile, the Premier announced bookings for children aged 5 to 11 to get their vaccine would open from December 27 ahead of school resuming after the summer holidays. Children won’t be able to get the vaccine though until January 10.“We’ve seen an excellent uptake in vaccination from children aged 12 to 15 and we expect a similar positive response from parents of younger kids,” Ms Palaszczuk said. Children will receive two doses, administered eight weeks apart.Earlier, Queensland has recorded 784 new cases of Covid-19, with the State Government now opening bookings for under-12s to get a coronavirus vaccine.There are four people in hospital, with one – an 85-year-old man – described as moderately to severely unwell. He is not in intensive care.Ms Palaszczuk said the health system was coping well with Omicron outbreaks, but that the government would monitor the situation carefully. A total of 72 health and hospital staff have now tested positive to Covid-19, with 350 in quarantine.https://www.couriermail.com.au/coronavirus/qld-covid19-update-annastacia-palaszczuk-to-share-latest-coronavirus-news/news-story/2c6d596ed1798620cd8eaf96b239175e************************************************How China’s trade war with Australia backfiredEconomic sanctions of any kind rarely have much successAustralia hasn’t broken. Eighteen months after Beijing launched its trade war against Canberra, its economic impact was negligible. And the world’s resolve has only hardened.“I think China’s preference would have been to break Australia. To drive Australia to its knees,” US National Security Council Indo-Pacific affairs advisor Kurt Campbell said earlier this month. “I don’t believe that’s going to be the way it’s going to play out.”It already hasn’t.“The bottom line: Beijing’s attempt to bully Canberra has been a spectacular failure,” says USAsia Centre research director Jeffrey Wilson.And because of Australia’s example, Beijing faces a growing backlash in 2022.“If this is what decoupling from China looks like, Australia’s resilience suggests the costs are far lower than many have assumed,” added Dr Wilson. “That fact will not be lost on other countries that have differences with China.”The attempt at economic coercion began in April 2020. Beijing was incensed that Prime Minister Scott Morrison had made a public call for a wide-ranging investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan. It risked damaging the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) reputation.So it attempted to silence him. And set an example of what happens to nations that contradict the CCP. Australia’s $150 billion export market with China was its weakest link. So it was hit with a trade war.Barley. Beef. Coal. Copper. Cotton. Gas. Lobster. Sugar. Timber. Wheat. Wine. Wool. All were suddenly subject to various tariff, dumping, hygiene and quality challenges. In essence, China stopped buying them.But Beijing’s seemingly reflexive wolfish aggression triggered an unanticipated response. Former Australian diplomat Philip Eliason says it triggered a “sacred values” response. That’s why Australia was so willing to dig in its heels, regardless of the cost.And that cost has turned out to be unexpectedly small.Concern about the economic cost of standing up for such principles is declining. As one market closes its doors, others tend to open elsewhere on the international stage.Australian Treasury estimates put the cost of Beijing’s sanctions at some $5.4 billion. But at least $4.4 billion of that was recovered through finding new markets.For example, China switched its coal purchase to Russia and Indonesia. That left their previous buyers out in the cold. So, the likes of South Korea and Japan simply turned to Australia.“(This led) Australian coal producers’ export earnings to rise this year — not exactly the effect China had in mind,” Dr Wilson concluded. “While the adjustment process is not pain-free, it is far less costly — and less of a deterrent to political action — than most assume.”And the value of Australia’s exports to China grew – thanks to surging iron ore prices – over the past year. It’s not in Beijing’s interests to interrupt the flow of that strategically vital resource.“Australia’s experience offers an important lesson: Trade decoupling does not automatically mean trade destruction,” said Dr Wilson. “Indeed, Australia’s resilience may now be inspiring others to take a stand.”https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/how-chinas-trade-war-with-australia-backfired/news-story/45175246c2cf0111fb6bfd4e3af690fe*************************************************Aussie wine icon Penfolds’ genius move amid brutal trade war with ChinaThe relationship between Canberra and Beijing first began to sour in 2016, resulting in a diplomatic freeze – but things stepped up a notch last year, when around a dozen Australian goods exports were slapped with tariffs.Coal, barley, beef, timber, lobster and wine have been among the casualties, and earlier this month, we learnt just how crushing the spat has been.According to an eye-opening report from the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) in early December, Australia’s exports across 12 key commodities impacted by Beijing’s sanctions plummeted by a staggering $17.3 billion in the first nine months of 2021, compared with 2019.Professor James Laurenceson, the director of ACRI at UTS, told news.com.au many Australian brands and livelihoods had been devastated by the ongoing trade war.“When you start looking to the longer term, a lot of the cost will depend on whether the Chinese market continues to outperform alternate markets as it has done for the past 20 years – for example, research shows that for the past 15 years, China has added 60 million people to the middle class every year, and that far exceeds anywhere else – India is nowhere near that,” he said.“So when we’re locked out of the Chinese market, diversification is all well and good, but all we can try and do is sell to smaller, slower-growing markets, and that comes at a cost.“In 2017 an Australian government foreign policy white paper forecasted that China’s economy would add more new purchasing power than the US, Japan, India and Indonesia combined, and if that’s true, it does suggest the cost from being locked out and having that disruption to the Chinese market is going to rise over time.”Aussie icon’s ‘clever’ moveProf Laurenceson said the impact on some commodities such as coal and barley were less severe as sales were simply able to be diverted elsewhere.But other industries like wine were beginning to “really struggle” – although he said some Australian brands, such as the iconic Penfolds, had taken some “really clever” steps to stay in the game.“Penfolds is a flagship Australian wine brand, and guess what they are doing? They are still selling in China, and they are sourcing product in California rather than the Barossa Valley,” he said.“So it’s an Australian brand going into China, but the product is not actually Australian – California grape growers are benefiting from that trade now, and we will see more and more Australian companies do things like that – and good for them, they are keeping the brand afloat, but it comes at a price to the Australian economy.Meanwhile, Prof Laurenceson said it was a similar story with the rock lobster industry, which was locked out of China last November.While the industry feared a looming disaster at the time, fishers simply started selling to Hong Kong instead, with the lobsters then smuggled into China via a so-called “grey route”, which meant that “sales have hardly been affected” by the sanctions.Prof Laurenceson said sadly, he didn’t believe the trade war would be resolved any time soon.“I see no reason for China to suddenly turn around and change tack – Kurt Campbell, Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific tsar, said in a speech to the Lowy Institute recently that he expects in time China will re-engage with Australia, ‘on Australia’s terms’, but why would China choose to re-engage on Australian terms?” he said.“If anything, this deadlock would end with a mutual agreement, but this idea China would come with its cap in its hand begging to have us back is utterly ridiculous to me.“The prospect of Beijing doing a 180 degree turn is almost zero.”Prof Laurenceson said while many nations currently had issues with China, Australia was unique in the sheer range of sanctions it faced.“New Zealand, Korea, Japan – what really sets them apart is … the way they manage diplomacy with more caution,” he said.https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/aussie-wine-icon-penfolds-genius-move-amid-brutal-trade-war-with-china/news-story/8ae2924d13af1682e0da8d092a0df8c5**********************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************27 December, 2021Only a handful of Covid patients in ICU have Omicron and most are unvaccinated with underlying health conditions as Delta drives hospitalisations - not the new variantThe first major study into Omicron in Australia has revealed the new variant is responsible for very few hospitalisations and the majority of those are unvaccinated.NSW Health released data on who is actually sick with Covid even as cases surge, finding Delta is responsible for most of the state's severe cases.Most of the patients being treated in intensive care are unvaccinated, many with underlying health conditions.There are 52 people in ICU, 34 of whom are unvaccinated. That rose slightly to 55 by Monday morning.All but a handful of these patients are infected with the Delta variant rather than the new Omicron strain, which early studies indicate is less severe.'Everybody in NSW is probably going to get Omicron at some stage. Everyone in Australia,' NSW Health minister Brad Hazzard said.'From early indications NSW Health believe the majority of ICU Covid patients have the Delta variant. Health are seeking to confirm this through additional tests.'Despite another 6,324 new infections on Monday, officials encouraged people to live life normally as studies indicate Omicron isn't as serious as its predecessors.Covid patients need to be cleared by a medical professional before leaving isolation, but Mr Hazzard said Australians could manage it with rapid antigen tests, plenty of fluids, and paracetamol.Mr Hazzard also pleaded with Australians to only get a PCR test if they had symptoms or were directed to as a close contact, and instead to use rapid antigen.He said the time delay at overwhelmed clinics meant results would take so long, residents could catch the virus between testing and getting results.'If you have a test today and then you are visiting Aunty Mabel in three or four days, it may well be that by then, you are positive,' he said.'A far simpler, far quicker measure would be simply to be get a rapid antigen test… preferably half an hour or an hour beforehand.'If you're not particularly sick, you probably don't need to be doing very much except probably taking some Panadol if you've got a temperature and making sure you're drinking plenty of fluids.'Free rapid tests will be rolled out from 2022 onwards at the NSW government looks to normalise living with the virus.'Take personal responsibility, socially distance, follow the rules that are in place … but we are about instilling confidence in our people, confidence has been key,' Premier Dominic Perrottet said.'Whether that's consumer confidence, business confidence.'We are going to get through it… let's not look at the negative, let's look at the positive.'https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10346119/First-Australian-Omicron-study-shows-ICU-unvaccinated-Delta-strain.html******************************************‘Very interested’: Israel eyes closer security ties with AustraliaIsraeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has opened the door to deepening security ties with Australia and the Five Eyes spying network to counter Iran’s cyber attacks and combat terrorism.Mr Lapid said Australian law enforcement agencies now had the opportunity to hunt Hezbollah’s global terror network after the Morrison government last month declared the Lebanese group a terrorist organisation.In an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Mr Lapid said Israel was “very interested in deepening our ties with Australia and with all countries in the Indo-Pacific”.Mr Lapid said striking a free trade agreement with Australia was also a priority which would “expand trade and help create jobs in both our countries”, and floated the prospect of direct flights between the two countries.His comments suggest that Israel wants to become more relevant in the Indo-Pacific region amid escalating tensions between China and the United States.In recent years, there have been calls from many national security experts for an expansion of the Five Eyes spy network - which includes Australia, the United States, Britain, New Zealand and Canada - with Japan and Israel named as potential additions.Mr Lapid said Israel already had extensive ties with Five Eyes nations, including an “incredibly close intelligence-sharing and security partnership with our closest ally, the United States”, but would look to deepen the relationships.“We’re focused on continuing to deepen these ties through their existing frameworks and agreements, and we would consider any other options for expanding these ties should they present themselves,” he said.Australia in November listed all of Lebanese political party and militant group Hezbollah as a terrorist entity, making it a criminal offence to be a member.Mr Lapid, who spoke with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne last month, said Israel was “interested in deepening our security cooperation with Australia” in light of the move.“A major first step in this regard was Australia’s decision just last month to declare the entirety of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation,” he said.Australia to back international definition of anti-Semitism“Australia is one of a number of countries around the world to do so in just the past two years, and the decision will give Australian law enforcement agencies the tools necessary to fight Hezbollah’s global terror network.“We are glad that Australia has come to the right conclusion that Hezbollah is a cruel terrorist organisation which endangers the citizens of all countries.”He said countering Iran’s state-sponsored cyber attacks and its support for “brutal dictators and terrorist proxies” should also be a priority for both countries after signing a memorandum of understanding on cyber security in 2019.“In the cyber realm, Iran and its proxies frequently attack security, economic, and even civilian infrastructure in countries all around the world,” he said. “As a global cyber security leader, Israel certainly has expertise and experience to share with Australia. And we know Australia is today prioritising and making record investments in cyber security, which will offer even more ways for Israel to learn from Australia as well.”The Israel-Palestine conflict continued to be a source of tension in the Australian Labor Party this year after an outbreak of violence in May which included protests, rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas and Israeli airstrikes targeting the Gaza Strip. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese in July slammed a Labor motion backed by former NSW premier Bob Carr calling for a boycott of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, saying it was counterproductive and not supported by anyone in his party room.Asked whether divisions within the broader ALP movement were a concern, Mr Lapid said Australia’s friendship towards Israel had “thrived under the leadership of governments left, right and centre in Israel, and led by both parties in Australia”.”Our friendship is also based on shared values including commitments to human rights and the fundamental elements of democracy – a free press, an independent judiciary, a strong civil society, and religious freedom,” he said.He also said Israel was “grateful” for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition on “antisemitism”.Critics of the definition, including the Palestinian movement and human rights groups, have warned it could be used to stifle legitimate debate about the Israeli government and threatens freedom of speech.Mr Lapid said Mr Morrison’s decision was “yet another example of Australia’s consistent friendship towards Israel and the Jewish people, which also includes standing up against horrendous bias against Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, in international institutions such as the United Nations”.https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/very-interested-israel-eyes-closer-security-ties-with-australia-20211222-p59jl1.html*********************************************As Omicron COVID cases continue to surge, the race is on to find a variant-proof vaccineIn a state-of-the-art science lab, nestled into the genteel slopes of the NSW Southern Highlands, a group of genetically engineered mice have become frontline soldiers in the fight against COVID-19.The mice have been inoculated with carrier proteins – used as the early building blocks of a new generation of vaccine — that scientists hope will make them resistant to any variant of SARS-CoV-2.While still very early days, the goal is to create a variant-proof vaccine that is effective against not just the coronavirus mutations we have grappled with so far, but anything the virus throws at us in the months and years ahead.“We are using some pretty cutting-edge technology,” says Deborah Burnett, a vet-turned-research officer with the Garvan Institute’s Immunogenomics Lab. “If the COVID-19 pandemic had happened even five years ago we would not have been able to do the kind of work we are doing now.”As COVID-19 cases surge through the community with bleak predictions on how high the numbers will go, and the sheer anxiety of living with so much uncertainty — will you encounter COVID on a trip to the supermarket? How sick are you likely to become if infected? Who might you unknowingly transmit it to? Will hospitals cope? – the steady progress of science continues to offer hope.Universal vaccines are the next great goal in efforts to control COVID-19, and Burnett and the Garvan Institute are not the only ones focused on their promise.Vaccine researchers in the US and Norway, for example, are also progressing with variant-proof vaccine candidates.And at Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sarah Palmer and Eunok Lee are doing promising research into a variant-proof COVID booster shot.The question now, Palmer says, is not so much how do we fight SARS-CoV-2, but "how do we fight a variant?""I think the best way to fight these variants is to develop a universal booster," Palmer says.Back in the Southern Highlands, Burnett explains that the mice used in the trials are raised in a controlled, pathogen-free environment so their immune system has not been primed by exposure to any other viruses.The mice are not given COVID-19, rather they are immunised with different carrier proteins sourced from a database of 192,000 different coronaviruses and mutations. Burnett then studies individual cells to determine what antibodies the mice have made from a lab at Garvan's Darlinghurst research hub in Sydney."We have access to these amazing mice that have been genetically engineered to make fully human antibody responses to vaccination,” she says."These mice really are quite ground-breaking technology and the next best thing you can have to a human. They give us ability to explore things that were previously very difficult to study in anything other than human trials."The Garvan mouse trials, being undertaken in collaboration with UNSW’s RNA and Kirby institutes, uncovered a surprising finding: immunisation with proteins from related viruses like SARS-CoV-1, or bat viruses, generated a more significant antibody response to key sites than using proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19.“This was a pretty surprising and key finding and potentially suggests that maybe the ideal vaccine targets we should be using to protect people from COVID-19 could actually be proteins derived from related viruses rather than from the actual virus that causes COVID-19,” Burnett says.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-27/covid-19-variant-proof-universal-vaccine-sars-cov-2/100724488***************************************Bad examples from AmericaAs soon as Wall Street decided America had an inflation problem and would soon be putting up interest rates, our local geniuses decided we’d soon be doing the same.Small problem – we don’t have a problem with inflation. Our money market dealers know more about the US economy than they know about their own. To them, we’re just a smaller, carbon copy of America. If you’ve seen America, you’ve seen ’em all.The Americans have a lot of people withdrawing from the workforce – leaving jobs and not looking for another – which they’re calling the ‘Great Resignation’. Wow. Great new story. So, some people in our media are seizing any example they can find to show we have our own ‘Great Resignation’.Small problem. Ain’t true. Following the rebound from the first, nationwide lockdown in 2020, our “participation rate” – the proportion of the working-age population participating in the labour force by have a job or actively looking for one – hit a record high. With the rebound from this year’s lockdowns well under way, the rate’s almost back to the peak.A lot of America’s problems arise from the “hyperpolarisation” of its politics. Its two political tribes have become more tribal, more us-versus-them, more you’re-for-us-or-against-us. The two have come to hate each other, are less willing to compromise for the greater good, and more willing to damage the nation rather than give the other side a win. More willing to throw aside long-held conventions; more winner-takes-all.The people who see themselves as the world’s great beacon of democracy are realising they are in the process of destroying their democracy, brick by brick – fiddling with electoral boundaries and voting arrangements, and stacking the Supreme Court with social conservatives.Donald Trump continues to claim the presidential election was rigged, and many Republicans are still supporting him.It’s not nearly that bad in Australia, but there are some on the ‘Right’ trying to learn from the Republicans’ authoritarian populism playbook.When your Prime Minister starts wearing a baseball cap it’s not hard to guess where the idea came from. Or when the government wants to require people to show ID before they can vote, or starts stacking the Fair Work Commission with people from the employers’ side only. Enough.https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/this-isn-t-america-so-please-stop-acting-like-a-yank-20211226-p59k6a.html************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************26 December, 2021Nadia Bokody: Sex dwindles at Christmas, but you can save itI am not sure we should be getting sex advice from a lesbian but what Nadia says below does sound pretty right to meAbout a month ago, my girlfriend brought me home to meet her parents. The trip did not go well.Stress and sleep deprivation bubbled over into a terse exchange during lunch, and ultimately, a not altogether discreet argument.My ineptitude at moderating my emotions in tense situations meant that, instead of putting my best foot forward, I quite likely left her family with the impression our relationship is more problematic than an episode of And Just Like ThatOf course, we aren’t perfect. I cry often over small things, have a propensity to be unnecessarily dramatic (if you haven’t texted me back in 13 minutes, I’m already holding a focus group)My girlfriend can be snappy when she’s in a bad mood, consistently leaves clusters of long black hair in my bathtub, and says “I love you” when we’re sitting together on the couch – at which point, I usually turn and realise she’s speaking to her dog.Regardless of our flaws, we’re very happy most of the time. Blissful, even. Which makes it all the more frustrating that, for the few short days we were with her family, we were the least palatable version of ourselves.That’s the thing about stress, though. It has a habit of bringing out the worst in us, and it’s usually our intimate relationships that bear the brunt.The real deathblow? This often translates to a drop-off in physical intimacy.I got to thinking about this recently because, with arguably the most anxiety-inducing time of year upon us, research shows we’re all feeling more frazzled and less amorous than ever toward our partners – women, especially.A Stanford University study that looked at over half a million women’s annual sexual activity logs confirmed there’s a steep decline in our interest in sex around Christmas.And it makes perfect sense.After all, who wants to get it on when they’re still fuming about the fact they received an ironing board cover instead of the necklace they explicitly circled in that conspicuously left out Michael Hill catalogue??Thankfully, there’s a cure for festive sexlessness, and the specific kind of anxiety that comes with wanting to reassure your girlfriend’s parents their daughter isn’t saddled with a neurotic argument-monger (or, you know, at least not the latter).Connective acts like holding hands, extended eye contact and kissing are all linked to decreased cortisol and a boost in the feel-good, calming hormone oxytocin (which, incidentally, also helps us feel more bonded with our partnersIronically, the more of these non-sexual activities you participate in, the greater likelihood there is you’ll end up getting it on under the mistletoe after all. Because the calmer we feel, the easier it is to become sexually aroused.All that said, on what is supposed to be a day of peace and love, we should also probably cut our partners some slack if they’re not exemplifying Christmas cheer.https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/sex/nadia-bokody-sex-dwindles-at-christmas-but-you-can-save-it/news-story/c36ef2cd266db2bff72a697e7a77dfc7*********************************************‘Not if, but when’: Uncomfortable Covid truth Australians have to faceAs countless Christmases sit ruined by a renewed spike in Covid-19 cases following the arrival of the Omicron strain, a large number of Australians seem to be asking the same thing: will I eventually get coronavirus, no matter what precautions I take?One expert has said it’s now almost inevitable that we will all come into contact with Covid-19.“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” he said.After almost two years of the pandemic, just over 1 per cent of Australians (282,589) have contracted the virus, but the latest strain has experts worried about the potential for an exponential rise in cases.The good news from the early scientific consensus is that while Omicron is easier to catch than earlier strains of the coronavirus, it’s effects are less severe.The first official UK report into Omicron revealed the risk of hospitalisation is between 50 to 70 per cent lower than those with the Delta variant.In South Africa, virus watchers are tentatively declaring the latest wave has already hit its peak.Francois Venter, a medical professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, predicted that at the current rate of decline Omicron would “be pretty much gone” from all of South Africa by the end of January.The figures bode well for Australia, where cases have surged to record levels in recent days, but we are still yet to see similar increases in hospitalisations or deaths.Despite the positive results, Australians still remain cautious with several forced into isolation and locked out borders on the eve of the Christmas season.‘Not a matter of if, but when’Medical director for infection prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System, Dr Bernard Camins believes Australians have to come to terms with the fact they will be exposed to someone carrying the virus in the future.“I’ve been telling this to anyone who would listen: It’s not a matter of if you get exposed to the Omicron variant or any other variant of the coronavirus, it’s a matter of when,” he said. “Everyone will run into somebody with a Covid infection,” reported NBC.However, Dr Otto Yang of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA says just because you are exposed, it does not mean you will definitely contract the virus, regardless of the strain.“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that everybody will get Covid-19,” he told the US Today Show. “I would prefer not to learn to live with Covid. I would prefer to get rid of it, and theoretically, it’s possible.“The scenario that I’m hoping will play out is that the numbers of Covid cases are reduced drastically to the point that there are small outbreaks here and there that are easily contained and most of the population is not being exposed.”Early hope that a double dose of the vaccine would severely reduce the chances of catching and spreading the virus have been dashed after NSW recorded a record high number of 6200 daily cases on Christmas Day, with a statewide vaccination rate of 93.5 per cent.Dr Yang has encouraged the population to get their booster shots for the best possible protection against the Omicron strain.“It’s looking very much like people who get a booster have protection against getting it,” he continued, adding there will “always be a possibility” for you to contract the virus regardless of vaccination status.Director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Dr Rochelle Walensky said “there are going to be breakthrough cases of Omicron, but they will be certainly milder if you’re vaccinated and boosted”.“Certainly, your outcome is going to depend on your vaccination status. We will see that those who are vaccinated and boosted will have less severe outcomes, less risk of mortality.”Prime Minister Scott Morrison has encouraged Australians to get their third vaccine dose after authorities moved the interval between jabs from six to five months.Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) head Professor John Skerritt told reporters that “unfortunately the answer is we’ll have to wait and see”.https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/not-if-but-when-uncomfortable-covid-truth-aussies-have-to-face/news-story/1cecef5b3c3b63e47ef021b3d8d945d9******************************************‘Kisses are out’: New Year’s Eve Covid-19 warning for Sydney and MelbourneFor the second year in a row, NSW residents are looking at a pared back New Year’s Eve – but now with health recommendations that you shouldn’t even have a midnight kiss.Last year, the Northern Beaches Covid-19 cluster forced Sydney revellers to have just five guests over at their homes on December 31.This time around, there are no restrictions on how many people you can invite to your end of year bash, but epidemiologists are warning people to be sensible in what could end up being a superspreader event.In particular, a cheeky midnight smooch is not recommended as Omicron cases surge past 6000 a day in the state.And Victorians haven’t been spared either, as surging coronavirus cases also spark concerns across the state.“Hugs and kisses are out this year but big smiles are in,” University of Sydney infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy, told The Daily Telegraph.Former World Health epidemiologist Adrian Esterman joked to the publication: “If both parties wear a face mask when they kiss, we’ll be pretty safe.”However, there was a ring of truth to what he said, with one expert even going a step further and calling for face masks to be worn outside.Epidemiologist Professor Nancy Baxter told The Herald Sun: “It’s better to not go at all, or to watch the fireworks from the car, but if you do go, make a wise decision and wear masks outdoors because you won’t be socially distanced.”Earlier this week, NSW and Victoria both reintroduced face mask mandates as case numbers continued to mount across the two states.In NSW, anyone over the age of 12 has to wear a face mask at all indoor settings except inside a private home. Victoria has the same rule except for people from the age of eight years old onwards.Face masks must also be worn in the southern state will at all major events where there are more than 30,000 people present.It’s not all bad news for New Year’s Eve, though.Another epidemiologist thinks holding an event outdoors is a huge game changer which bodes well for the end of year festivities. If you are outside you have much better ventilation.“If you have got masks on and you aren’t close to people, if you are careful not to hug and/or kiss your family, but just … give them a big smile, you can do a bunch of stuff that makes it safer outside and I think they [big events] can go ahead.”He added in warning: “I think people should be as careful as possible. I know about a family event at Christmas yesterday. They did all of the right things and already someone is positive.”https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/kisses-are-out-new-years-eve-covid19-warning-for-sydney-and-melbourne/news-story/4a241721b3c9640f8f3f973b24e804ab********************************************Australia's vaccine certificates not accepted in some EU countriesThe Australian Government's International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC) is designed to open doors in foreign lands, but it might not work for all doors.The certificate contains a QR code in a format adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. That QR code can be read by airlines and immigration authorities to prove you've been vaccinated, but many restaurants, bars, indoor entertainment venues, galleries, museums and other places in Europe also require proof of vaccination status, and the ICVC might not do that.In The Netherlands for example, you need a coronavirus pass to enter the Van Gogh Museum, obtained via the country's CoronaCheck app, but those vaccinated outside the EU only qualify if they are a Dutch national or were vaccinated in Aruba, Curacao or St MaartenAustria has the Grune Pass, the green passport, and according to the pass' website (gruenerpass.gv.at): "Persons who have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 can prove this with officially recognised vaccination passes such as … the e-vaccination passport." The ICVC would appear to qualify, but that might not cut the mustard with the maitre'd at die Wilderin restaurant in Innsbruck.However some countries make it easier. In France, foreign nationals can apply for a COVID Certificate, a passe santaire, at selected pharmacies, provided they can prove they've been vaccinated with an approved vaccine, and all those administered in Australia are (diplomatie.gouv.fr).According to the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy will accept the ICVC as the equivalent of its Green Pass, allowing you to drink and dine in bars and restaurants (esteri.it). There's a good chance a restaurant in Bologna or an art gallery in Bari might not know that, so better carry the ministry's injunction as proof.This problem is not insurmountable. The EU has a Digital COVID Certificate that allows free travel across its borders and entry to indoor venues. That certificate is available to non-EU citizens vaccinated outside the EU provided their country is a member of the EU's Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC) program. Several non-European countries are, including Panama, Ukraine and, since mid-November, New Zealand, but not Australia.https://www.traveller.com.au/australias-vaccine-certificates-not-accept-in-some-eu-countries-h207gy************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************25 December, 2021Warship Construction Hits Major Delay as Faulty Aluminum Imported from China Found“It was made in China” is a phrase that is often used to explain why something is shoddily made, or cheap.The Royal Australian Navy is now experiencing this firsthand after getting poor-quality aluminum from China, which is now prohibiting the launch of new patrol boats.In March, shipbuilders announced a delay due to the botched materials, which are believed to have been sourced from Wuhan, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.Austal, the shipbuilder company awarded a contract to supply the navy with six vessels, said that “the aluminium had been independently certified by a globally accredited certification company prior to arriving at Austal,” according to the ABC.But upon checking the aluminum, a company spokesperson it was problematic.“A random spot check subsequently conducted by Austal indicated that it did not meet Austal’s quality requirements,” the Austal spokesperson said.This will cost the Australian navy tens of millions of dollars since it will now have to keep its older fleet working. The ABC estimated that it will cost an extra $44 million to keep the old fleet afloat.China’s faulty materials are now costing everyone in Australia.“As always, taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for their stuff-ups, and our Defence personnel are left without the capabilities they need, when they need it,” Shadow Assistant Defence Minister Pat Conroy said, according to the ABC.It should come as no surprise that China’s materials are lacking in quality. This year, China has been struggling with its aluminum production and has scaled it back in many ways.As China has supposedly tried to scale back on energy consumption and emissions, the aluminum industry was one of the first to suffer, the South China Morning Post reported.This spiked prices to a 13-year high. It also, apparently, made quality plummet.Australia should have taken the crises in China into account before ordering supplies for their navy from the communist nationhttps://flagandcross.com/warship-construction-hits-major-delay-as-faulty-aluminum-imported-from-china-found/**************************************************Queensland records 765 new COVID-19 cases, no-one in intensive careQueensland has recorded 765 new cases overnight — another daily case record — with 151 of those cases confirmed as the Omicron strain, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath says.Health authorities are currently looking at how rapid antigen testing kits can be used, Ms D'Ath says. There were 33,971 tests recorded and there was now 2,147 active cases in the state.There are only five people being treated in hospital due to mild and moderate symptoms from the virus. Ms D'Ath said a person who was being treated in an intensive care unit has now been moved out.There has been 90.36 per cent of eligible Queenslanders aged 16 and over who have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 85.88 per cent are double vaccinated.Ms D'Ath said the number of people in quarantine had decreased and she understood the challenges of spending Christmas in isolation."We thank those … people who are in quarantine, who are probably missing time with family and friends today," she said."We know it's difficult but we are so grateful for what you're doing, and I just want to reinforce [that to] all those people interstate who have done the right thing and got their PCR tests."https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-25/qld-coronavirus-covid19-records-765-new-cases/100724668********************************************Federal government’s Christmas Eve veto of research projects labelled ‘McCarthyism’The Morrison government has been accused of using the cover of Christmas to politicise research funding, after a federal minister vetoed grants for six recommended projects.Proposed research relating to climate activism and China were among the projects recommended through Australian Research Council processes but blocked by the acting education minister, Stuart Robert.Robert has argued the projects he rejected “do not demonstrate value for taxpayers’ money nor contribute to the national interest” – but the decision, announced on Christmas Eve, has drawn criticism from education figures and the federal opposition.The vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, Prof Brian Schmidt, said that in a liberal democracy it was “completely inappropriate for grants to be removed by politicians, unless the grant rules were not followed”.The Victorian Labor senator Kim Carr said the government was using Christmas Eve to “sweep under the carpet” its “further politicisation of the ARC and research” in Australia.Carr, a former minister for research under the Rudd and Gillard governments, tweeted: “Their McCarthyism subverts research which was recommended by the ARC.”The winning Discovery Projects for next year were finally revealed on Friday, with a report published on the ARC website saying it had received 3,096 applications for funding commencing in 2022.The report said 587 of those projects had been approved for funding, totalling $259m over five years.“Of the unsuccessful applications in 2022, 51 were found not to meet eligibility requirements and six were recommended to, but not funded by the minister,” the report said.A spokesperson for Robert said the minister had approved “98.98%” of the 593 Discovery Projects the ARC recommended, but had not accepted the following six:Robert’s spokesperson said the minister “believes those rejected do not demonstrate value for taxpayers’ money nor contribute to the national interest”.“After going through a peer review process, it is clear to the minister the application of the national interest test is not working in every case,” the spokesperson said.“This test should ensure taxpayer-funded Australian government research funding is directed to areas of national importance and delivers public value. It’s why in his letter of expectation the minister asked the ARC to strengthen the test.”https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/24/federal-governments-christmas-eve-veto-of-research-projects-labelled-mccarthyism************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************24 December, 2021Why won’t governments fix housing affordability?Because they CAN'T. No government has ever found a way. And the reason is simple. Housing is a commodity like everything else that is bought and sold. And anything that is bought and sold is governed by the law of supply and demand. If the demand outstrips supply, the price will rise. So it follows that there is only one way to get the price of housing down. You have to increase the supply of itBut governments put up lots of obstacles to block an increase in supply, -- principally land use restrictions. And local governments are big on both lande use restricions and building restrictions. So local governments have to be stamped on to increase the supply of housing. And that is politically dynamite any time it is attempted. Existing homeowners like the restrictions. They keep "riff raff" out of their neighbourhoodsRapidly rising property prices have led to increasing concerns around affordability, but support for government intervention may actually decline as affordability worsens, a new paper suggests.Authors of the study argue that homeowners seek to protect their property price gain from being taxed away or undermined by growing housing supply, resulting in less support for government intervention in housing market inequality.While based on European data, local experts and economists say it points to the challenge of rolling out reforms to improve housing affordability when more people, and voters, are homeowners than not.Grattan Institute household finances program director Brendan Coates said the politics of improving housing affordability was fraught because most voters already owned a house or investment and mistrust any change that might dent property prices.“The interest of homeowners tends to outweigh the interest of renters. There’s that classic adage from John Howard who [as prime minister] said that no one is complaining in the streets about their house value going up,” Mr Coates said.The political consequences of housing (un)affordability, published in The Journal of European Social Policy earlier this month, used data drawn from European and British social surveys and an analysis of British elections to explore the relationship between housing affordability – house prices relative to incomes – and the demand for redistributive and housing policy.Authors Ben Ansell, a professor at Nuffield College and the University of Oxford, and Asli Cansunar, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, found consistent evidence that declining affordability, driven by increasing house prices, decreases support for interventionist housing policy, especially among homeowners across Europe, and increased votes for the conservative party in the UK.The beneficiaries of unaffordability, who they noted were those who own property, will prefer to keep policies and parties in place that keep prices high and rising, they concluded. However, while citizens on aggregate become less supportive of intervention, this masked a growing polarisation in preferences between renters and owners in less affordable regions.Mr Coates said the research design was plausible in the European context, and that poor affordability would likely impact the preferences of political constituents. However, it was not clear if the politics would play out the same way in Australia, noting that at the last election, when Labor was promising changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, the electorates that swung to Labor tended to be those of higher income earners, while lower income electorates swung toward the Coalition.However, Mr Coates also noted it was inner city working-class suburbs that had won big in the “housing lottery” as prices climbed over the years, as they were the group with the largest share of their wealth in housing, while the wealth of higher income earners was typically more diversified.Mr Coates added there was a clear trend in Australia, though, of wealthier areas being more resistant to increased housing supply, but this was driven by multiple factors and not just potential concern of downward pressure on property prices.“The real question in the Australian context, where there are clearly more house owners than renters making housing policy transformation really hard, is whether there is enough interest from baby boomers … sufficiently worried about whether their kids can ever buy, that leans them more to reform.“Or whether the solution [they reach] is to double down … by giving [their children] more access to the bank of mum and dad [to get into the market].”Mr Coates said both tax reform and increased supply would be key to improving housing affordability in Australia, and worried about staunch proponents of either approach downplaying the other at the current inquiry into housing affordability and supply in Australia, when both were clearly needed.Independent economist Saul Eslake said supply side reforms were only part of the solution and the federal government needed to back away from policies that inflate housing demand, and had been pursued by both sides of government, such as first-home buyer grants, negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount.It was a tragedy that Labor had walked away from proposed changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax, he noted, with the opportunity for such reform now possibly gone for a generation.A greater focus on building more social housing was also needed, with both parties allowing the proportion of such housing to decline egregiously over the decades.Appearing before the affordability inquiry last month, he asked members of the committee whose interests they were most concerned about: the 11 million Australians who already own at least one property, and the more than two million who own more than one, or the minority, albeit a growing minority, who have been unable to buy. He noted their answer would determine what they recommended to Parliament, with their report expected early in 2022.Mr Eslake said while politicians shed “crocodile tears” for young Australians struggling to get onto the property ladder, there was a huge gulf between what they say and do. However, Mr Eslake, who also referenced Howard’s comments, acknowledged most homeowners did not want to see government action that would stop the value of their property going up.“There is a very large constituency that is resolutely opposed to anything that would dampen the rate of house price inflation, yet that is surely at the heart of what you have to do if you’re going to solve the affordability issue.”Mr Eslake said it was unclear if Australians had become any more opposed to redistribution policy as affordability declined, but noted that while Australia had quite a progressive income tax transfer system, wealth was taxed very lightly compared to other countries.Any polarisation in preferences between renters and owners was less obvious locally, Mr Eslake added, saying he was often surprised that there was not more anger from young Australians about the way in which the market has been rigged against them by their parents’ generation. But even if they were to adapt their voting behaviour, he said, who would they vote for, with no big reforms on the table from either party.The last federal election showed the concern homeowners had for housing reform.Economist Jim Stanford, director of The Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, said that in the context of declining housing affordability it made sense for homeowners to be more cautious about their future and reforms, as they could feel more insecure in their situation, but was sceptical of the paper’s suggestion that they had benefited from unaffordability, noting few could sell off property without needing to buy elsewhere.Many would also worry about their children and see that their kids did not “have a hope in hell” of buying a decent property, if poor affordability continued.“I don’t think they are better off, even middle-class homeowners would be better off with a policy that thought of a housing as a more basic service. I don’t accept that they have made money off this boom [and just want] to continue to,” he said.However, the last federal election had shown the concern homeowners had for housing reform, Dr Stanford said, noting that rightly or wrongly, those who saw themselves as housing investors could be influenced by scare campaigns against policies that made a lot of sense, like Labor’s proposed change to negative gearing.“The government tried to portray it as a tax on homeowners, which is nonsense, but given how the election unfolded everyone is going to be curious about what they propose in this election, that experience sort of ratified the point … with this article.”Dr Stanford said a big part of the solution would be building up Australia’s supply of non-market housing, which governments had basically walked away from over the last generation, with the time right for an ambitious plan to build more social and affordable housing.Housing Minister Michael Sukkar and shadow minister for housing and homelessness, Jason Clare, were contacted for comment.https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/why-won-t-governments-fix-housing-affordability-20211222-p59jlb.html*************************************************Australia to get the first of its nuclear submarines FIVE YEARS ahead of schedule as America fast-tracks $90billion project in face of rising tensions with ChinaRising tensions with China have fast-tracked the delivery of the first Australian nuclear submarine under the $90billion deal with the USA and the UK.Australia now looks set to launch its first nuclear-powered submarine five years ahead of schedule as the West braces for confrontation with China.Defence Minister Peter Dutton has revealed the UK and US are 'pulling out all the stops' to speed up the massive project.The controversial deal - which saw Australia abandon its contract with France for a fleet of diesel submarines - could now see the new subs coming into operation in the first half of the 2030s.They were originally not expected to join the Australian naval fleet until 2040 at the earliest, but the US Defense Department is pushing to bring the timeline forward.It comes as fears grow of a stand-off between the West and China over Taiwan, with Australian pledging to support any US response if the situation escalates.'I think we are advancing at a quicker pace than what we could have imagined even at the time of the announcement,' Mr Dutton told The Australian.'There has been no game-playing, no roadblocks, they are pulling out all stops to make this work. It’s a capability that we want to acquire quickly and we are in those discussions right now.'He added: ' I think it’s the Americans’ desire to see us with capability much sooner than 2040 and obviously options are being explored at the moment.'I believe very much we can realise the capability in the first half of the 2030s and we are absolutely working towards that and I am only encouraged, not discouraged, out of the conversations we have had.'Mr Dutton also hinted the submarines could even be built in Australia, despite the current lack of suitable shipyard facilities or nuclear power knowledge.Australia has yet to decide if they will be using the US Virginia Class nuclear submarine design or the UK's similar Astute Class.But any move to manufacture them in Australia will require training shipyard workers, new equipment and specialist nuclear experts.Some experts have predicted that may not be possible within the new shortened timeframe to rush the submarines into service.However moving production to Australia may be inevitable as Mr Dutton said the UK and US had limited spare production capacity to build the Australian submarines.And he said work was already underway with the international partners on designing local shipyards.The new timeframe now matches the original plan for the introduction of the axed French submarines which were due to come into service in 2035.Australia's current Collins Class submarines would need major overhauls to extend their service life beyond 2038, making it vital to get the nuclear subs in the water as soon as possible.The deal with the US and UK is for eight nuclear submarines, and they are likely to be built in Adelaide if the plan to manufacture them locally goes ahead.China branded the AUKUS deal as 'extremely irresponsible" and has now pushed its backing for a nuclear-free treaty for south-east Asia.A Chinese government official Lijian Zhao said the deal will 'intensify regional tensions, provoke a military arms race and threaten regional peace and stability.'Mr Dutton said the rhetoric against Australia should be seen as just part of China's attacks on all the other nations which oppose it and speak up against them.He added: 'We want a productive and fruitful friendship with China. 'But we have values that we adhere to and we will not deviate from those values and adherence to international law.'https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10341127/Australia-nuclear-submarine-early-90billion-project-China-tensions-rise.html*******************************************Climate, the far-Left and the devilish problem facing the GreensRachel Griffiths, the Golden Globe-winning Australian actress, is no stranger to prompting public debate through outrageous stunts.In 1997 the Muriel’s Wedding star famously paraded semi-naked outside Melbourne’s Crown Casino in protest of a state government she claimed was “raping” the city of its dignity, compassion and sense of community. When asked by a journalist why she felt the need to be topless, Griffiths replied: “If I didn’t flash my tits, you wouldn’t have put me in the paper.”It’s what makes Griffiths’ most recent political commentary all the more interesting.When the Australian Greens party announced a proposal to ban horse racing and impose a 1 per cent levy on all bets to fund a transition, Griffiths was outraged.“When the planet is melting this will not help you save it. Focus on carbon emissions/boosting infrastructure and you might make a difference,” she wrote on Instagram this week.She said a ban on the nags would only alienate any Greens voter who was over 40 living outside all but six inner-city postcodes and “help re-elect a government you won’t have a voice in”. Griffiths, who coincidentally now plays a crossbench MP in ABC political drama Total Control, neatly highlights the challenge the Greens have in the coming months.It is an increasingly contested space for minor parties to find relevance, cut-through and, importantly, air-time. It will be even harder as the election looms with several climate-focused, progressive, independent candidates stealing their limelight as they fight for seats that not so long ago the Greens had hoped they might one day win.In Melbourne the Greens vote in both Higgins and Kooyong leapfrogged Labor in recent years and put them both firmly in the targets of Adam Bandt’s party. But the independent push is now costing them members, donors and likely volunteers at voting booths on election day.And so once again chances of winning any of the 10 or so lower house seats identified on the party’s regular triennial hit list are already looking bleak.The Greens vote has for more than 15 years now been highly influenced by the wider context of the public debate and the issues which voters perceive the election to be about. Loyalty levels of its voters are well below those of the major parties, but if issues which are strongly associated with the Greens are front-and-centre then they can be assured of some success. If not, things go backwards.While the Greens have often targeted “soft” Labor voters, they’ve found there are equally a lot of “soft” Greens voters that they can - and often do - lose at each election.Which begs the question, what is the relevance of the Greens at the next federal election? Can they ever again match the almost 12 per cent of the vote achieved under Bob Brown in 2010 or has their influence peaked?On Sunday this masthead reported that businessman Graeme Wood, who has poured more than $2 million into their campaigns over the past decade, had grown frustrated with the party. The founder of online travel company Wotif said they needed a “shot in the arm” because the party’s support had not increased in the past decade.Wood isn’t the only big donor over the Greens. David Rothfield, an environmental campaigner and philanthropist who donated half a million dollars to the Greens, Labor, and activist group Get Up, has quit the party. He’s joined the “Voices of” movement to oust incumbent Liberal MP Tim Wilson in the seat of Goldstein.Former Wallaby [Rugby footballer] David Pocock, who is tight with a number of Greens figures, is standing as an independent for the Senate in the ACT. Those close with him say he stands a better chance of being elected without the baggage of the party and is assured of their preferences in a jurisdiction where the Greens vote is north of 17 per cent.Pocock, outspoken on social justice issues and was once arrested after chaining himself to a digger at a NSW coal mine protest in Leard State Forest, says he is open to receiving money from businessman Simon Holmes a Court’s Climate 200 fund, a war chest of as much as $20 million to bankroll candidates who are cutting the Greens lunch.The party can take credit for consolidating its 10 per cent of the vote over a decade but has all but dealt itself out of negotiations by regularly ruling out deals with the Coalition. The handful of times it was prepared to reach deals with a conservative government it was torn apart with bitter internal feuding.So, why would Anthony Albanese agree to a power-sharing deal if he can’t win a majority at the next election? He knows Bandt would always back a Labor government on supply.Bandt hopes to make the Greens the biggest third party in the Senate’s history by adding two seats at the next election. But when he promises he’ll win extra lower house seats and influence government policy, that’s what he will be judged on.The Greens’ long-term issue is that they’ve become the natural home of anyone who is concerned about climate, but also of the far left. And when their broader policies alienate those who care about the climate but aren’t of the far left, that’s when a Climate 200-backed independent might be a more appealing choice.https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/climate-the-far-left-and-the-devilish-problem-facing-the-greens-20211222-p59jm9.html************************************************Paradise Dam will be rebuilt to full capacityThe State Government has determined Paradise Dam will be completely rebuilt following detailed investigations and extensive safety works.It comes after work to lower the dam’s spillway and install the temporary crest were completed earlier this year amid ongoing concerns about the dams structural capacity.Minister for Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water, Glenn Butcher said the dam would be rebuilt to full capacity.“From the start of this process we’ve said the solution must deliver water security and safety for the people of Bundaberg – this option delivers both,” Mr Butcher said.“We’ve heard from the Deputy Prime Minister and other Federal Government representatives that they’re open to providing funding for this project.“We’ve been working with them collaboratively and will continue those discussions. “Further details about the project will be released in the new year.”Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith thanked the Bundaberg community for its patience. “I know this has been a tough time for our community and the agricultural sector,” he said. “I’m really proud of how our community has come together to work with the Government to find a solution on this project.“I can also confirm today that irrigators will not be asked to pay the cost of returning the dam wall to full height.“These works, once underway, will be a significant undertaking that will also create hundreds of jobs in our region.https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/bundaberg/paradise-dam-will-be-rebuilt-to-full-capacity/news-story/70dc1716b8725863f721912c4182b6b9************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************23 December, 2021Australia's calmest Covid expert Dr Nick Coatsworth SLAMS doomsday predictions as he delivers a Christmas message to Aussies on how we can beat OmicronOne of Australia's leading doctors has reiterated calls for calm and is urging everyone to learn to live with Covid-19 amid surging case numbers.Former chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth has come out firing in recent days to slam doomsayers' predictions fearing the worst after new modelling revealed Australia could have up to 200,000 new daily infections within weeks.He supports plans by several state governments to reinstate some restrictions as Omicron cases surge but says social responsibility also needs to play a part.Dr Coatsworth says it's now time to live with the disease, despite Sydney recording 5,715 new cases on Thursday - a jump of nearly 2,000 more than the day before, and Melbourne reporting 2,005 cases - 502 more than Wednesday.'Moving beyond the outrage, I think the modelling released without context creates a lot of fear and fear leads to people not doing things they would normally do,' Dr Coatsworth told the Today show on Thursday. 'It's a counter productive way to manage Covid-19.'I think there was a wide range of possibilities and we now accept as a community that 200,000, that upper limit, will not happen and we can move forward from that.'He supports moves to extend mask mandates in Victoria and QR codes reintroduced in all NSW venues but stressed to viewers that early studies show Omicron is a milder strain and that vaccination is the best defence.'A disease that is being increasingly milder, for which, if we'll get a booster, we'll be more protected than the primary course, for which we have the best treatments we've got available for any respiratory virus,' he said.'We're now asking the police to enforce mask mandates for retailers, not to allow people into their shops unless they've got a mask on. I think that's the question, that's the framing we have to put around this.'It is not so much the indoor mask mandates and the QR codes, it's that we need to stop ourselves from asking for more.'We need to hold the line and remember all those things I just said about how much better our situation is than it was in 2020.'On Wednesday night, Dr Coatsworth clashed with The Project co-host Lisa Wilkinson over whether enough is being done to combat surging Covid cases by rejecting demands for mask mandates and ridiculing cautious doctors.The Project host claimed it was a 'no-brainer' to reintroduce indoor face mask mandates given new modelling predicted Australia could have 200,000 new infections a day by the end of January.But Dr Coatsworth argued the grim forecast was 'extraordinarily unlikely' and it should be up to Australians to make their own decisions about how they protected themselves.The Canberra physician's position was buoyed hours later by a major report from South Africa, where Omicron originated, that found the new variant was 80 per cent less likely to cause hospital admission than Delta.He doubled down on his stance the next morning.'Do we continue along the path of government intervention or continue along the path of social responsibility?' Dr Coatsworth said.'Maybe Omicron is not the time, maybe we need to get back into mandates but very soon we need to move into living with Covid and the social responsibility that comes with that.'He echoed calls by Australian chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly for travel PCR tests for interstate arrivals in states such as Queensland to be abandoned to relieve the overwhelming demand on NSW testing clinic which are under enormous strain.'They're putting people in queues who don't need to be there and stopping us from finding there and stopping us from finding the cases,' Dr Coatsworth said.'If we can't find people who have COVID-19, they can't be isolated and it will continue to spread within the community.'Despite being the face of Australia's vaccine rollout, Dr Coatsworth slammed a controversial proposal considered by the NSW government to force unvaccinated patients fork out for their own medical expenses during Covid-related hospital admissions.He then issued a impassioned plea for everyone to get vaccinated and the third booster shot as soon as they can.'I think that we have a principle in Australia of universal medical care regardless of your life choices, be they ones we would take or ones we wouldn't,' he said.'I will, as a practising doctor, continue to provide care to any patient with COVID-19 that comes in the door.'What I would say to the unvaccinated is keep an open mind. This is a severe disease for the unvaccinated. You don't want to be that person who asks for the vaccine just before they get the tube down their throat in intensive care.'But he did have some praise for the 'outstanding leadership of NSW government, which is looking at a proposal to mail out free at-home rapid antigen tests.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10337541/Dr-Nick-Coatsworth-slams-doomsday-Covid-predictions-tells-Aussies-fear.html**************************************************The reef is thriving -- despite all the Greenie gloomPeter Ridd:The Australian Institute of Marine Science recently released its annual survey of coral on the Great Barrier Reef. It shows spectacularly good results. For all three major regions of the reef, once data uncertainties are considered, there has never been more coral since records began in the mid-1980s.This despite three supposedly catastrophic and unprecedented hot water bleaching events in the past five years.This great news about the reef poses only a minor problem for those science and management institutions that have convinced the world that the reef is on its last legs. They use three strategies: first, ignore the data and hope nobody points out the great news; second, discredit the good news with “fact checks”; and finally, contrive a spurious but apparently plausible reason that the good news is actually bad news.Ignoring the good news was on display last month in the latest reef-doom story when the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian all quoted an eminent reef scientist who stated that only 2 per cent of the reef had not bleached in the past few decades.The implication was that bleaching was unprecedented and had destroyed almost the entire reef. The fabulous coral statistics this year were not mentioned by any of those articles.Bleaching, cyclones and starfish plagues, which all occasionally kill parts of the reef, are akin to bushfires on land. They are completely natural and reset the ecosystem, which rapidly recovers, and are a necessary and important feature of many Australian ecosystems. I could guess that roughly 2 per cent of western Queensland was not affected by a bushfire in the past half century. That would be a good thing, certainly not worthy of concern. Neither should it be for the reef.To counter the latest good news about the reef, as reported in The Australian, the fact-check gods of Facebook also swung into action. They deemed that the coral has actually declined in the past decade. So what does the AIMS data, which was cited in the fact check, actually show about the change in coral since 2011?For the northern region, the amount of coral this year is excellent and about the same today as in 2011; for the central region, it has roughly doubled; and for the southern region it has almost tripled. There is a significant uncertainty in the data because of the difficulty of measuring such a vast system, and the measurements are partly subjective in nature, but there is absolutely no doubt that the fact-checkers are extraordinarily wrong.They appear to be incapable of reading simple graphs.The final strategy is to turn good news into bad. AIMS and other reef science institutions such as James Cook University Coral Reef Centre dismiss the obviously fabulous coral statistics by arguing that it is only the fast-growing corals that have regrown.But they ignore that it is the fast-growing corals, the delicate staghorn and plate corals, that were killed in the first place by cyclones, bleaching and starfish plagues. So of course it is the fast-growing corals that have recovered.In 2012, when the reef hit record lows of coral after a couple of very destructive cyclones, these institutions did not say: “Don’t worry, it is only the fast-growing corals – they will be back.” Instead, AIMS published a paper stating that, without intervention, the reef would likely crash much further by 2022. This is yet another failed prediction of the imminent death of the reef in the past 50 years.Back in the early ’70s, scientists were claiming that plagues of crown-of-thorns starfish, a native Australian species, not an introduced pest, would totally destroy the reef. The plagues came and went, and we now know from geological evidence that the plagues have occurred across millennia.The amount of coral on the reef fluctuates dramatically with time. The one thing that remains the same are the dire predictions of the loss of the reef. The other thing that remains the same is the reality that the reef is one of the most pristine, best protected, and brilliant ecosystems on Earth.Early next year Environment Minister Sussan Ley must prepare an updated report on why UNESCO should not declare the Great Barrier Reef as endangered. She will be up against activist scientists, environmental groups and public servants. And in the background the false gods of big tech turn a huge increase in the amount of coral into a decline. Institutions such as AIMS and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority that downplay the excellent condition of the reef will be a further problem.After 50 years of doomsaying about the reef, and its stubborn refusal to die, how much longer will we have to wait before a government will audit the science institutions that have been scaring our children?https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/too-much-coral-is-not-enough-but-its-not-good-either/news-story/2d2c3c604a0c598fc593e9632a3d01d9**********************************************Glencore’s proposed $1.5bn coalmine site home to over a dozen threatened species, government toldMining giant Glencore has defended its plans to dig a $1.5bn coalmine in Queensland after telling the federal government more than a dozen threatened species could be on the site.Environmentalists said the Valeria mine would destroy habitat for threatened species and threaten farmland, and put a question mark over the company’s climate goals.But Glencore said it was yet to decide if it would commit financially to the project, which would have to fit within its commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.That goal, the company has said, also includes the burning of the coal the company sells. In 2019, the company said it would not increase its coal production after pressure from investors.Company documents say the mine would produce between 14m and 16m tonnes of coal a year from six open-cut pits in the Bowen Basin with an expected lifespan of 35 years.According to documents sent to the federal government this month, there are four plants and nine animals that are considered threatened but that could be present at the mine site.There are also three threatened ecological communities that would be affected, with some of those areas needing to be cleared.Surveys carried out between 2019 and 2021 recorded hundreds of species, including 334 plants, 132 birds, 34 mammals, 37 reptiles, 16 fish, 10 frogs and 10 introduced species.Koalas, greater gliders and squatter pigeons that are all considered to be vulnerable to extinction were recorded at the site.Koalas and greater gliders were also seen in areas the company would use to build a 67km rail line.The company said the project covered 29,501 hectares with about 10,364 hectares that would need to be cleared for the mine, workers’ camp, and access road.The company has sent five documents to the federal government – covering the mine and other infrastructure including roads and rail – that will now be considered by the environment minister under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/20/glencores-proposed-15bn-coalmine-site-home-to-over-a-dozen-threatened-species-government-told************************************‘Considerable concern’: Karen Andrews warns of rising threat of Muslim extremismHome Affairs Minister Karen Andrews says the threat of extremism in Australia will rise as international borders reopen following the re-emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.Andrews is in Indonesia to meet with Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Mahfud MD and to enhance counter-terrorism ties with Australia’s near neighbour.Andrews believes there is a need to deepen the countries’ level of collaboration and information sharing in the current regional security landscape.“The ability for people to travel more freely over the coming months is going to be significant,” she said.“The more we are able to do with neighbours … specifically Indonesia … the better prospects that we have and being able to deal with the travel and counter-terrorism and manage the threat.”She told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Wednesday that two things in particular “have caused us considerable concern”.“One is the fact that during COVID, people have had more time at home online, and are becoming radicalised. And there is evidence in Australia that the age at which these people are becoming radicalised is getting younger and younger.“The second issue is the changes in Afghanistan. People are trying to leave Afghanistan. Potentially, they will come via Indonesia and may well look to come to Australia.“But also there are people in Indonesia, and in Australia, who we are very much aware of, who are very interested in travelling to Afghanistan to take up arms there. That threat to us has been made more potent as those travel restrictions ease and our borders reopened.”Andrews is being flanked by Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan in Jakarta, on the final leg of an overseas tour that also took in the United States and Sri Lanka.Jakarta and Canberra renewed a joint commitment to fight terrorism during a visit by Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton in September.Both Australia and Indonesia have urged the Taliban, which reclaimed power in August, not to allow Afghanistan to once again become a breeding ground for terrorism.Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, has undertaken a major crackdown on suspected members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaeda-linked terror organisation behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.Police there have arrested dozens of members of the militant network in recent months. They have said they foiled plans for a fresh attack on Independence Day last August.The arrests by the counter-terrorism squad Detachment 88 include that of Ahmad Zain An-Najah, a senior member of the Ulema Council, Indonesia’s top body of Islamic scholars. He and two associates were last month charged with establishing a charity organisation that diverted cash to JI.A report in September by the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, however, said Islamic State cells in Indonesia posed a greater threat than JI, which no longer has active links with al-Qaeda.Andrews, meanwhile, said the government was treating seriously reports of further illegal fishing by Indonesian vessels off the north-west coast of Western Australia.Indonesia last month briefly suspended a joint maritime operation with Australia over the Australian Border Force’s burning of three Indonesian fishing boats.Andrews would not say whether ABF reserved the right to torch more boats it they were found fishing illegally but added: “We need to send a strong message that we take this seriously”.“We are aware that in [that] particular part of the ocean there are a large number of illegal fishers working in that area,” she said. “Our position is we don’t want illegal fishing to take place in the first instance.“We will provide warnings. We have provided warnings in the past to illegal fishing to make sure that they remove themselves from the area. In most instances, that actually takes place.”https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/considerable-concern-karen-andrews-warns-of-rising-threat-of-extremism-20211221-p59jdj.html***********************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************22 December, 2021Calls for calm as it's revealed ZERO patients with Omicron have been admitted to ICU in AustraliaNot a single Covid patient in Australia's ICU wards has the Omicron variant even a month after the mutant strain arrived on our shores.Panic is setting in across the country as cases rise at an astronomical rate, worst in NSW which had a record 3,057 new infections on Tuesday.But Health Minister Greg Hunt downplayed the seriousness of the latest Covid outbreak, insisting 'you are less likely to go to hospital with Omicron and you are less likely to lose your life with Omicron'.'But having said that, the best protection is to be vaccinated. And if you are eligible and due for your booster, now's the time to come forward.'A national cabinet meeting on Wednesday between state and federal leaders is set to map out the festive season for Australia, with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet pushing to reduce booster wait times from five months to four.There are 37 Aussies who have been hospitalised with Omicron, but none have yet been admitted to ICU, something experts say is thanks to high vaccination rates.Mr Perrottet wants Australians to be able to get third third shot four months after their second after health advice it protects against to new variant.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10332293/Calls-calm-revealed-ZERO-Covid-patients-Omicron-variant-admitted-ICU.html*************************************************Melbourne researchers have turned one of the world's most-used drugs into a nasal spray which they hope could prevent COVID-19 transmissionNorthern Health medical divisional director Don Campbell said he had a "crazy idea" that the blood-thinning drug heparin could stop the virus growing in cells.But it wasn't until his wife asked "well, what are you going to do about it?" that he got to work.Nearly two years later, with the help of researchers at Melbourne, Monash and Oxford Universities, his team has been able to replicate international findings that heparin can block the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent infection.The spray coats the nose but does not go down into the lungs. The researchers say it is cheap, easy to distribute and is expected to be effective against mutant strains of the virus including the Omicron variant."It won't matter if a new variant comes along, this drug will block that protein from infecting the cells," Professor Campbell said."I'm very confident that we can demonstrate that it will work, and people will be using this before they go to the shops and before they go to school."Household contacts to be part of trialThe treatment has received $4.2 million from the Victorian government to undergo clinical trials.Over the next six months, 340 Victorian households will be given the heparin nasal spray or a placebo, within hours of their household contact testing positive, to reduce transmission."The treatment will be given to household family contacts of the persons who get COVID, and we will also give it to the person who is infected," Professor Campbell said."We want to get to them within 24 hours of the diagnosis being known and we are confident we can do that."Heparin is the second most-widely used drug on earth and is stable at room temperature for more than three months, meaning it can be widely distributed.Director of the Lung Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, Gary Anderson, said the spray would be easy to use — two puffs each nostril, three times a day.Professor Anderson is excited about the science behind the treatment, describing it as "cool"."When [COVID] first gets into the nose it binds to a molecule called heparan and if it mutates that binding site it can't bind," he said."Heparin is so close in structure to heparan that it binds on and paralyses the virus, so it stops it infecting and also stops it spreading to others.""One of the wonderful things about heparin is it is already available on the market as an approved product for another purpose, it doesn't require refrigeration and can be stored in plastic vials so it can be distributed very widely and effectively," Professor McIntosh said."We are not proposing this as an alternative to a vaccination, it is a supplement for people who can't be vaccinated, but we do imagine it will be very widely used."The nasal spray treatment is one of seven local coronavirus treatment research projects that will share in $13 million of funding from the Victorian government.Victorian Medical Research Minister Jaala Pulford said it's hoped the heparin nasal spray can be manufactured locally."Coronavirus is not going away any time soon and our amazing researchers are doing work that stands to make a real difference," Ms Pulford said."These projects will benefit not just Victorians but people around the world."https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-22/melbourne-researchers-trial-use-of-common-drug-to-combat-covid/100717224*****************************************Tasmanian mother offered zoo pass after disclosing daughter's allegations of sexual abuse to schoolA single mother whose daughter was allegedly sexually abused by an older boy on school grounds was offered a year-long family pass to a zoo by the school.The abuse is alleged to have happened last year in a school building and in the family's driveway, and was occasionally witnessed by the woman's son.Both the daughter and the son have intellectual disabilities.Elaine — whose real name cannot be used to protect the children involved — said the response from the Education Department since the alleged abuse was disclosed earlier this year had left her in "absolute disbelief".She is facing homelessness in four weeks as she struggles to secure a new property for a fresh start."[My children are] checking locks, they're in my bed every night having night terrors," Elaine said. "They're asking me where they're moving and where they'll go to school and I can't give them an answer because I don't know."Elaine's daughter, who the ABC will call Rose, disclosed the alleged abuse in July this year, telling her mum it happened over several months when she was seven.Elaine contacted the school, police and family paediatrician, and waited about 10 days to hear from an Education Department representative.She said police told her the boy's parents were refusing to allow him to be interviewed, meaning the case was unlikely to proceed.Within a month, the boy returned to school, while her children were placed in online learning and offered a pass to ZooDoo.Tasmania's Education Department has spent decades ignoring students, shielding abusers and seeking to protect itself from legal, financial and reputational risks, an independent inquiry finds.Elaine said the professional supports offered did not cut it and was worried the boy had perpetrated abuse against other children."I respect they have [child protection organisation] Bravehearts to encourage children to speak up but when they speak up nothing is being done," she said."It's automatic damage control … I was warned the Department of Education's go-to tactic was to gaslight, but I've been in absolute disbelief."A review into sexual abuse in public schools, commissioned by the state government and released earlier this year, found student-on-student abuse was "significantly more prevalent" than adult-on-student abuse.However, according to professors Stephen Smallbone and Tim McCormack, most policies focused on prohibiting sexual abuse perpetrated by school employees."In one sense this disparity of treatment is both understandable and appropriate," the report said."The problem with the disparity of course is that principals and other staff have little guidance on how to respond to allegations of peer sexual abuse."Police closed Rose's file without laying charges.In a statement, Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Higgins said the force had teams of detectives dedicated to investigating sexual assault."When dealing with alleged child offenders for any crime, investigators are bound by legislation regarding criminal responsibility," he said.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-22/mother-in-disbelief-over-response-to-abuse-allegation/100700430*************************************************New gas-fired plant for the Hunter Valley gets state approvalA controversial $600 million gas power plant proposed for Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley has won NSW government planning approval despite its critics saying it is unneeded and will increase the state’s emissions.The development is being funded by the federal government and comes after Energy and Emission Reductions Minister Angus Taylor called on the private sector to provide an extra 1000 MWh of power capacity to protect against price rises when the Liddell power plant closes in 2023.On Monday evening the state government confirmed it had secured approval, after the planning department earlier issued and then withdrew statements saying it had been approved.A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said the application was approved following rigorous assessment and consideration of community feedback.“This project will improve energy reliability and security in the National Energy Market as it brings on renewable energy from wind and solar farms, and transitions away from coal-fired power generation over the next 10-15 years,” the spokesperson said.“The project will provide on-demand energy when the grid needs it and will only operate on average two per cent over a year.”Critics and some energy analysts say the 660MW it will contribute to the network is unnecessary given the amount of new renewable energy capacity being brought online.“If it was necessary, the market would have called for it, but it didn’t,” Tony Wood, head of the energy program at the Grattan Institute think tank said. “That is why it is being publicly funded.”Earlier this month NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean, who has developed a policy based on replacing fossil energy with renewable, also voiced scepticism about the project.“If the federal government wants to invest in the industries of the past, good luck to them. I’m not going to knock back half a billion dollars worth of Commonwealth funding,” he was reported as saying by the Cessnock Advertiser.The plant will be owned and run by the federal government’s power company Snowy Hydro.Earlier this year, then-chairwoman of the Energy Security Board, Dr Kerry Schott, told the Guardian the plant was unlikely to hold prices down because there were cheaper alternative energy sources and the private sector won’t build it. “Because it doesn’t stack up”, she said.Nic Clyde, the NSW spokesman of the Lock the Gate Alliance, which campaigns against the expansion of the gas and coal industry said the project was a “$610 million white elephant that will waste scarce public funding that is desperately needed elsewhere, and that will drive up energy prices, not bring them down”.After final federal government approval, construction is expected to begin in early 2022 with the plant to be up and running in mid-2023, ahead of the closure of the Liddell power station.https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/new-gas-plant-for-the-hunter-valley-gets-state-approval-20211221-p59j8y.html************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************21 December, 2021Face of Australia's vaccine rollout Dr Nick Coatsworth SLAMS Covid doomsayers and claims worrying reports about Omicron are 'inaccurate'One of Australia's leading doctors has slammed the worst predictions about Omicron, claiming preliminary data on the new Covid-19 strain is 'encouraging'.Australia's ex-deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth has hit out at a host of doomsayer experts fearing the worst as another wave of the virus looms.The one thing about the variant he doesn't find encouraging is how infectious Omicron is.'The people who are most worried about this in the scientific community were saying its early days four weeks ago and are still saying this. And both can't be true,' Dr Coatsworth told News Corp.University of NSW modelling has suggested NSW could have up to 25,000 new cases a day by February.However, Dr Coatsworth slammed that figure as not 'accurate' as he weighed into claims by clinical immunologist Dr Dan Suan that the state was 'sleepwalking into an Omicron disaster'.'People who take Dan's position believe that the peak will be enormous. UNSW modelling says 25,000 a day, I just don't think that's accurate,' he said.'The key period will be the next seven days. We will be able to see how many of the 2500 odd testing positive every day are actually going into hospital.'Around 261 NSW cases were being treated in hospital on Monday while 33 were intensive care, a slight increase from 24 hours earlier.Of the almost 25,000 cases in the UK on the weekend, just 85 people were in hospital while seven deaths were recorded.Dr Coatsworth has also lashed out at Dr Omar Khorshid in recent days after the Australian medical Association president gave a dire warning about the impact on the healthcare system if cases continue to explode.Dr Khorshid tweeted on Saturday: 'Even if Omicron turns out to be mild in vaccinated people, an explosion of cases will have a devastating effect on healthcare- GPs looking after community cases, furloughing of exposed workers and of course the unknown proportion who will need to be treated in hospital.'Dr Coastworth hit back in a lengthy reply, claiming by the AMA has 'rarely been positive or hopeful' throughout the pandemic.'This adopts the 'a small percentage of a huge number is still a big number' fallacy that has swept through #covid19aus and #auspol since Omicron emerged,' he commented.'It assumes no changes to control measures in a vaccinated population. Yes, it will be devastating if we don't adapt.''Adapt the policies. Don't furlough as many staff as we did pre-vaccine. Test to stay at work in healthcare facilities. Use check in at high risk events. Message empowerment not restrictions. Masks if hospitalisations go up. Boosters for vulnerable as a priority.''Recognise that control measures are less effective for omicron, it's now about bolstering the health system. Stop branding anyone who takes a different view as 'let it rip', its not a thing now we have vaccines.'https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10330315/Nick-Coatsworth-slams-Covid-doomsayers-claims-reports-Omicron-inaccurate.html*********************************************Peter FitzSimons is slammed for 'disgusting' comments which sparked vile Twitter pile-onVeteran journalist Peter FitzSimons has come under fire after suggesting Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny's visit to the Tasmanian jumping castle tragedy site was a political move.The former Wallaby [footballer] fired up his Twitter account to weigh in on photos of the prime minister and his wife laying flowers outside Hillcrest Primary School, in Devonport, on Saturday.Mr Morrison was pictured comforting Mrs Morrison as she broke down while paying tribute to five children killed when a freak gust of wind blew a jumping castle 10 metres into the air.'To me this seems to be more a matter for the Governor-General to arrive expressing the nation's grief and shock, rather than the PM?' FitzSimons tweeted.FitzSimons was one of several commentators who questioned the prime minister's motives, with some left-wing advocates accusing Mr Morrison of turning the event into a 'media circus'.But FitzSimons' comment quickly backfired - with Australians jumping on the journalist and insisting he was the one politicising the memorial visit.'Peter FitzSimons you really are a grubby left piece of garbage to politicize this tragedy. Just STFU [shut the f*** up] you clown and have some respect,' one person tweeted.'You and your followers are disgusting! F*** you all! Five children are dead in my state! We are grieving and all you can bloody do is tweet about politics,' another said.'Your a dead set low life piece of s***. How could you even dare to make a political play as you have on something so heartbreaking for all down here in Tasmania if not all decent Australians. Your comment is the reflection of your sadistic self entitlement. POS 100%,' someone else posted.Others claimed FitzSimons' reaction would have been the complete opposite had the prime minister hailed from the opposition, with some citing his previous praise of NZ Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's response to tragedies.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10330225/Peter-FitzSimons-slammed-disgusting-comment-following-Tasmanian-jumping-castle-tragedy.html*************************************************Australian Jew-haters ask Sydney Festival to refuse Israeli sponsorshipIsrael’s embassy in Canberra is reported to have given $20,000 to the Festival allowing it to present a performance highlighting work of Israeli Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.The Sydney Herald reports a coalition representing Sydney’s Arab community and others are calling on patrons and performers to boycott next January’s Sydney FestivalIn a letter to the Sydney Festival written on behalf of 12 Palestine support groups from across Australia, BDS Australia wrote: “We write to express our deep concern at the 2022 Festival of Sydney’s acceptance of sponsorship from the Israeli government via the Israeli Embassy, Canberra as a Star Partner and as a sponsor of the Sydney Dance Company’s festival event, Decadance.We ask that you seriously reconsider the Sydney Festival’s association with the State of Israel and stand with the Palestinian people and with international law by refusing to accept any sponsorships from or collaborations with Israel until such time as Palestine is free.”The letter also pointed out: “The signatories to this letter are members of Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Australia which supports the 2005 call by 170 Palestinian civil society organisations for BDS as a peaceful and non-violent means to pressure the State of Israel to end the illegal military occupation and colonisation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem from 1967; to end the crippling blockade of Gaza which has been in operation since 2006; and to allow the internationally recognized Right of Return to Palestinian refugees to the land and homes from which Israel forcibly expelled them in 1948; and to ensure equal rights for all Palestinians living in Israel according to international law and human rights conventions.”NSW Shadow Arts Minister Walt Secord has written to the Sydney Festival and the Sydney Dance Company: “As Deputy Chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel, the NSW Patron of the Labor Israel Action Committee and as NSW Shadow Minister for the Arts, I write to express my deep concern about calls for the Sydney Festival and the Sydney Dance Company to reject Israeli government sponsorship as part of the extremist BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.I ask you to reject these calls. Such moves have been repeatedly rejected in NSW and Australia as well as at the local government level.An economic boycott is abhorrent and mendacious and it is counter-productive to fostering a two-State solution for Israel and the Palestinian people.I acknowledge how difficult the past two years have been for your organisations – and I have been one of the strongest supporters of COVID support to the arts sector – so I am sure that the last thing you wish to do is to be drawn into distant geopolitical issues.The language used in the letter to your organisations from BDS Australia is beyond repugnant and replete with outright lies and shocking exaggerations.An examination of the organisations that purport to sign the letter reveals that they represent a minuscule (but vocal) minority. Most Australians would be outraged at this one-sided, myopic targeting of Israel.https://www.jwire.com.au/boycott-divestment-and-sanctions-bds-australia-asks-sydney-festival-to-refuse-israeli-sponsorship/***********************************************Australia to increase local urea production in new dealPanic overThe federal government has signed an agreement with fertiliser manufacturer Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL) to significantly increase the production of local urea.Urea is a critical component of diesel exhaust fluid AdBlue, which is used in diesel engines in trucks, large passenger buses, mining equipment, and agricultural vehicles.Angus Taylor, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, said the announcement will provide the trucking industry with certainty.“Australia currently has adequate stocks of AdBlue stock on hand, but this agreement with IPL will enable domestic production of TGU or supply of an AdBlue product to domestic manufacturers to ensure current supply chain disruptions don’t impact on Australian businesses.”The agreement will see IPL undertake a manufacturing assessment to produce technical grade urea and expand production at its Gibson Island Plant in Brisbane.Taylor and Jeanne Johns, CEO and MD of IPL, said the ramping up in production will not impact the supply of fertiliser grade urea for Australian Farmers.Currently IPL’s Brisbane Gibson Island plant produces mostly fertiliser grade urea, with a small portion used to make AdBlue solution, supplying around 10 per cent of the Australian market.“We’re very pleased our domestic manufacturing expertise can be mobilised and we’re working together with the Federal Government to expand supply of this critical material that we all rely on to keep Australia moving,” said Johns.Australia has also managed to secure 5000 tonnes of refined urea, roughly a month’s worth of AdBlue, from the Indonesian Government, which will arrive in January.Dan Tehran, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, said Australia is leverage its strong relationships with international partners to open new supply sources to meet our future needs for refined urea.“By working closely with our partners, we have been able to secure this critical supply for Australia. We will continue to strengthen our close relationships around the world to support and further Australia’s interests.”https://www.c-store.com.au/australia-to-increase-local-urea-production-in-new-deal/************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************20 December, 2021Nasal spray developed by Australian scientists STOPS cancer patients catching Covid with a bigger trial to find if it can be the next weapon to fight the pandemicAnother one of those evil nasal sprays. But this one uses a well recognized therapeutic ingredient so will be harder to dismissA trial for a nasal spray that has prevented cancer patients getting Covid-19 could be a new weapon to fight the pandemic.Some 175 patients have tested the drug by taking daily doses of a nasal spray containing cancer drug interferon developed by scientists at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.None of the participants in the C-SMART trial have contracted Covid so far, despite several waves of the virus plunging Melbourne into six lockdowns.Scientists are seeking more volunteers to take part in the free trial, which will be expanded to Austin and St Vincent's hospitals in Melbourne, along with Westmead Hospital in western Sydney.Anyone with a past or current cancer diagnosis is eligible to take part in the four month trial.Scientists hope the nasal spray will be an extra protection for vulnerable patients until better preventions are developed.'We have not had any patient on the trial actually report back to us that they have developed Covid infection,' National Centre for Infections in Cancer director Professor Monica Slavin told the Herald Sun.'But we have had about 10 per cent of people on the trial sending in a swab due to some sort of viral illness.'We know that there are groups of patients, because of the immune system being suppressed, that don't make a good response to the vaccination.'But it hasn't all been smooth sailing for the trial, which began a year ago.Scientists were forced to press pause on the trial for five months earlier this year when access to chemicals and sending samples of the drug for testing were hampered by international border closures.The expanded trial will determine whether the drug can also prevent other respiratory viral illnesses.Studies have shown cancer patients make up 10 per cent of severe Covid-19 cases, and about 20 per cent of those who die from it, according to the trial's website.They are also more likely to rapidly develop severe infections and be admitted to ICU compared to cases without cancer.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10326809/Volunteers-wanted-nasal-spray-trial-developed-Melbourne-scientists-prevents-Covid.html*******************************************Omicron is an inferior variant of Covid and the worst of the surging outbreak will be over for Australia within weeks, top expert claimsAustralia's Omicron outbreak will peak in just a few weeks and new restrictions will only be necessary if hospital cases 'go through the roof', a top Covid expert predicts.Australian National University professor Peter Collignon said the new strain appeared to be milder or no worse than previous ones even though it spread quicker.He said Australia is seeing a spike in cases due to the Christmas party season, with people enjoying 'high-risk activities' such as eating and drinking in pubs and clubs.'I suspect we'll have more numbers over the next week or two,' he said.'I suspect [cases] will go up until the first or second week of January, then it will gradually go down or at least stay stable, then next winter it will go up again.'Professor Collignon said the growth in cases in Britain and the US was primarily because 'they are going into winter'.'But the big note there, as well as here, we are not seeing huge numbers of hospital admissions,' he said.'Yes you can get mild disease more frequently or even reasonably frequently even if you're vaccinated... but the real crunch is the deaths of people and hospital admissions, and they're not going up because vaccines work.'Professor Collignon said the new Omicron wave was 'the new reality' for the next four or five years. 'Omicron spreads a bit more but it doesn't seem to be worse in severity of disease so this is what we've got to expect,' he said.'Provided we keep the hospitalisations down, that's good news because it means we can get on with life without that huge risk hanging over our heads.'He said re-imposing Covid restrictions in NSW such as mask wearing indoors, as Queensland and Tasmania did, would only be necessary if hospitalisations 'go through the roof'.'The main precaution we should be taking is to be outdoors more than indoors. Outdoors there's much less transmission than indoors,' he said.'Have a barbecue during the day instead of a dinner at night. Avoid crowded indoor venues as much as you can decrease the time you go there.'If you have people unwell make sure nobody is unwell who comes over, they should be getting tested and not coming over.'Thousands of Australians face spending Christmas locked in their homes as Omicron seeps though the country, sending patients and their close contacts into isolation.Health officials in NSW admitted they have no clue how many cases of the highly infectious mutant strain are active in the state because it is too expensive and time consuming to test each case for its strain - but there are likely thousands.NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has so far refused to bring back any restrictions despite mounting pressure, just days after removing density limits and allowing the unvaccinated the same freedoms as those who've had the jab.The daily infection rate in the state soared to a record 2,566 cases on Sunday with another 21 admitted to hospital. There were 2,501 more cases on Monday.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10326859/Omicron-inferior-variant-Covid-worst-Australia-weeks-expert-claims.html*********************************************High-priced coal and LNG sets Australia up for $380 billion windfallA nation that has a whole continent to itself is bound to find underground riches somewhereSurging prices for Australian coal and LNG coupled with record exports of iron ore will deliver almost $400 billion worth of resource exports to the nation this year that will translate into stronger economic growth.Figures to be released today by the Industry, Resources and Energy Department show that over the past three months, expected exports for minerals and energy have been revised upwards by $30.6 billion with the largest risks posed by China’s economy and a possible global lift in interest rates to deal with higher inflation.Strong LNG exports are tipped to help Australian resource exports reach $380 billion this financial year.Strong LNG exports are tipped to help Australian resource exports reach $380 billion this financial year.In 2020-21, the resources sector exported a record $310 billion of product, topped by an all-time high $153 billion worth of iron ore. Mineral exports were worth $228.6 billion, and energy exports were worth $81.2 billion.In its December quarter export report, the department expects total resource exports this year to reach $379.2 billion. In its September report, it had forecast $348.6 billion.The big change has been in energy with exports from commodities such as thermal coal and LNG now tipped to reach $170.7 billion. Last quarter they had been forecast to reach $128.6 billion.High prices for both metallurgical and thermal coal are expected to press exports of these to $54 billion and $35 billion respectively. In September, they were tipped to bring in $33 billion and $24 billion.It’s a similar story for LNG with better prices a key factor in lifting forecast exports to $63 billion. In September, LNG exports had been predicted to reach $56 billion.Better prices for oil mean exports of crude are tipped to jump by more than 75 per cent to $13 billion in 2021-22.Copper, aluminum, alumina, lithium and zinc exports have all been revised upwards.The only major export revised down is iron ore, due to an expected fall in prices, but it will still bring in $118 billion.The department said there were ongoing positives for the mining sector, with capital spending expected to rise. It reached $1 billion in the September quarter, the fifth consecutive quarterly rise, and 25 per cent higher than its recent low set in June last year.“In the coming two years, it is likely that the resources and energy sectors will make a significant contribution to real GDP growth, as producers lift output and exports in response to high prices and margins,” the department found.The lift is expected to flow into 2022-23. Total resource exports are now forecast to reach $310.6 billion after being tipped to reach $299 billion in the September report.It did caution that there were risks ahead tied to China which remains Australia’s most important export market. Another risk related to the state of the global economy, with concerns mounting world interest rates will be pushed up to deal with higher inflation.“Higher global interest rates — in response to persistent inflation — pose a downside risk to global economic activity and hence the resource and energy export forecasts,” it said.Resources Minister Keith Pitt said the figures showed the importance of the sector to the national economy as well as the regions.“These are outstanding results that will provide further jobs and opportunities in our regions and benefit all Australians,” he said.“Hundreds of new projects in the pipeline, including 60 new or expanded coal mines, will deliver thousands of new jobs, especially in regional areas. The higher forecast earnings are expected to keep the benefits flowing to the broader community, including through royalties the states use to pay for the hospitals, roads and schools, the services we all rely on.”https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/high-priced-coal-and-lng-sets-australia-up-for-380-billion-windfall-20211219-p59irf.html**********************************************Greenie thugs protected by Leftist Qld. governmentProtesters are hurling sex slurs at female miners, chasing staff in cars and even flying in booze at Adani’s Carmichael coal site.Cashed-up activists are hurling sex slurs at female mine workers, chasing staff in cars and even flying in booze as part of an almost daily confrontation of abuse and intimidation at Adani’s Carmichael coal siteThe tension created by environmental protesters is putting lives at risk, CEO Lucas Dow said, with staff forced to wear body-worn cameras and the mine company forced to spend $9000 a day on security to keep workers safe.The “outrageous” display of abuse included one female worker being called a “slut” by activists, merely for going to work.Protesters also chartered a helicopter stocked with beer and wine to their camp.In another shocking act, activists drove a 4WD at a female staffer as conflicts become more aggressive in what Mr Dow describes as attempts to “create a confrontation with our people for their PR cameras”.With protest activity dragging into its fourth month, Mr Dow said it was “outrageous” the Queensland Police Service and state government were valuing the sensitivities of activists above worker safety.“They’ve verbally abused and threatened our employees, often targeting women, they recently chased one of our female workers in a four-wheel-drive, and flew a helicopter onto the mine to deliver supplies including alcohol to their camp,” he said.“We’ve made several complaints to the Queensland Police Service about the presence of the activists and their behaviour, however, after nearly four months, police refuse to move them on.“This is outrageous given the camp is within 200m of our operational open-cut mining pit.”A spokesman for Queensland police acknowledged they had received several complaints relating to incidents involving people associated with the camp.“The Queensland Police Service continues to investigate these complaints as part of an overall engagement and negotiation strategy,” he said.The spokesman said the service would ensure public safety while working towards an appropriate resolution.“The QPS also acknowledges the response to these issues are complex, we have and will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders,” he said.About 10 million tonnes of coal will be extracted each year from Adani’s $2bn Carmichael Mine in central Queensland’s Galilee Basin.Following a decade of controversy and rigorous approvals construction of the mammoth mine, which will employ 2000 workers, started in June 2019.Mr Dow questioned why protesters were exempt from strict site rules imposed on workers, and called for the government to step in and protect miners.“It’s the behaviour of the professional activists using it that makes a mockery of the workplace health and safety laws the tens of thousands of people who make up the resources industry abide by every day,” he said.“Like any other business in Queensland that operates within the law and within its approvals and conditions we expect our government to enforce the rule of law and protect our operations and our people from premeditated activist intimidation, harassment, or sabotage – that shouldn’t be too much to ask.”Queensland Resources Council chief executive officer Ian Macfarlane called for tougher penalties for protesters who illegally disrupt mining activities and abuse and harass workers.“It’s no exaggeration to say people’s lives are being placed in danger – not only the lives of protesters, but that of honest, hardworking people whose workplace safety is being threatened on a regular basis,” he said.“Protesters are entitled to lawfully express their views, but they’re not entitled to abuse or harass people or to disrupt our workplaces and make them unsafe just because they don’t like our industry.“The constant harassment, abuse and law-breaking happening on Queensland mine sites and at port and rail facilities has got to stop.”Resources Minister Scott Stewart said Adani could apply to the Land Court for an order to have people removed from their lease. “Those people then have to show why they shouldn’t be removed, Bravus have been informed of this multiple times,” he said.Mr Dow argued Mr Stewart’s proposal to file proceedings in the Land Court was an abrogation of responsibility.“The failure of the Queensland Government to propose an immediate and effective solution shows a lack of leadership by politicians who are more worried about protecting inner-city seats from the Greens than protecting hard working people in Queensland’s coal communities,” he said.Police Minister Mark Ryan declared he would not order the Queensland Police Service to act, but acknowledged investigations into the protest activity were ongoing.“While people have the right to protest, they don’t have the right to do so in such a manner that impinges upon the rights of others to go about their lawful business,” he said.“The fact is Queensland has some of the toughest laws in the nation and protesters who damage certain types of infrastructure could go to jail for 14 years and face substantial fines.“I am advised the Queensland Police Service is continuing to investigate this matter.”https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/adani-miners-face-sex-slurs-abuse-from-cashedup-activists/news-story/13aa402d18265a7494659829c8d41965************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************19 December, 2021How a simple house renovation left a celebrated professor with just DAYS to liveI think this is a bum steer. To develop a disease after something that happened 32 years ago is certainly consistent with mesothelioma but the principal symptom of mesothelioma is lung damage and resultant breathing difficulties. It is not reported that she suffered such symptoms. But even if she did, it is not what she is dying from. She has an inoperable cancer on her spine. Linking that to mesothelioma is tendentious. Cancer can have many causesTo declare a personal interest: 35 years ago I bought a large old house that was completely clad in fibro (Fibrous cement sheeting, where the fibre is asbestos). I took every last bit of it off and replaced it with pine chamfer boards. Neither I nor the person who helped me have any symptoms of mesothelioma. We both breathe as freely as we ever didA loving wife and accomplished professor dying from asbestos-related cancer has pleaded for Australians to 'wake up' to the dangers hidden in the home renovations craze which has taken off during the pandemic.Gillian North, 61, is in the final days of a harrowing mesothelioma fight and being cared for at home at home at Thirroul south of Sydney by her twin sister Jocelyn and her husband Martin.They do not expect her to live to see Christmas.A leading academic who had a career in law, accounting and at Deakin University, Ms North has written an incredible 18 research papers about asbestos dangers and reforms.Ms North is convinced she developed the fatal disease after being exposed to asbestos while during home renovations in the United Kingdom 32 years ago and in Australia 25 years ago.While Ms North admits it's not '100 per cent' certain she developed the cancer from home renovations, she said 'nobody can be certain of their exposure'.'But I know of no other possible cause,' she said. She was diagnosed by her local GP in 2019, at 58, after developing a nagging cough.After undergoing chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery Ms North got a two-year reprieve until X-rays showed an inoperable tumour against her spine. She has been steadily deteriorating since mid-2021.Any exposure to asbestos fibres or dust is widely regarded to be the main cause of mesothelioma, a cancer which attacks tissues around major organs.The disease is regarded one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 94 per cent of Australian sufferers dying within five years.While asbestos was banned in 2003, it remains in place in public buildings, including schools, and houses and unit blocks.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10314705/Asbestos-Gillian-Norths-dying-message-final-days.html************************************************China-made wind turbines crack sparking outrage they weren't made locallyChinese-made wind turbines on Australia's biggest wind farm have cracked, sparking outrage that the project didn't use locally made machinery.Nineteen of 40 turbines inspected at the Stockyard Hill wind farm, in Victoria's central highlands, are defective and will take months to fix, according to the Australian Manufacturing Worker's Union.Another 109 turbines were yet to be inspected and it was feared they could also be damaged.The massive wind farm, which is Australia's biggest, was operating for less than five months.The AMWU, which found the damage in inspections, savaged the federal government for not forcing the project's developers to buy Australian-made turbines.'The federal government sat on it's hands while our largest wind farm imported towers from China instead of supporting local jobs,' it said. 'Shame on the federal government for not mandating local content.'The project was started by Windpower Australia, then sold to Origin Energy, which sold it to Xinjiang Goldwind, a Chinese-owned company, for $110 million.Goldwind, which owns or operates nine wind and solar farms in Australia, is part of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co, the world's biggest wind turbine manufacturer, based in Beijing.Goldwind is listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges, but 40 per cent of its top 10 investors are owned by the ruling Chinese Communist PartyOrigin is contracted to buy 530MW of power from Goldwind until 2030 for up to 425,000 Victorian homes from the wind farm.It was completed in 2020 and only began operation in July this year.The union insisted Australian manufacturers should be 'front and centre' in green energy projects.'Earlier this year workers from local wind tower manufacturer Keppel Prince met with local member [Trade Minister] Dan Tehan to urge him to mandate local content in major projects like wind farms. 'He did nothing.'The union found the damage, which is on the 'top cover housing key mechanics' behind the blades, when it inspected the turbines.It claims repairs will take up to 76 weeks 'and they still haven't inspected all of the towers'.A further 109 turbines are yet to be inspected.https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/china-made-wind-turbines-crack-sparking-outrage-they-werent-made-here/ar-AARPqrt**************************************************Queensland bush kids are falling behind in key NAPLAN testCountry kids tend to have lower IQs worldwide so this gap is to be expectedQueensland kids in the bush are falling behind in basic literacy and numeracy levels, with less than half of students in remote locations meeting the national minimum standard in key areas.Alarming 2021 NAPLAN data released today has revealed the performance gap between students in country and city areas is widening, with experts blaming a lack of extra resources and qualified teacher shortages.Meanwhile girls are surging ahead of boys in reading levels, though boys continue to outperform their female classmates in numeracy.Just 39 per cent of Year 9 Queensland kids in very remote locations were recorded as meeting the national minimum standard in writing in 2021, and only 54 per cent in remote areas. By comparison, 80 per cent of kids in metropolitan areas met the standard.In Year 7 writing just 45 per cent of students met the standard in very remote locations and 67 per cent in remote, compared with almost 90 per cent of city kids.Year 5 bush kids were also well behind their peers, with less than two-thirds meeting the national minimum standard in reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy compared with about 95 per cent of students located in metropolitan areas.Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief executive David de Carvalho said the gap between remote and metro areas was “disappointing”, and it was one of the reasons why a national standardised testing regime was important.“(NAPLAN) does actually provide this kind of information and shine a light on these kinds of issues,” he said.“And it does provide the opportunity to do a deeper dive, particularly in the school level practices or jurisdictional practices, to find out what’s working.”ACARA’S general manager of assessment and reporting Peter Titmanis said the gap between remote areas and metropolitan areas in particular was “really significant”, and in some cases was close to about three years of learning.Across the country, students from major cities outperformed students from regional areas in numeracy, reading and writing, with the gap in numeracy and reading gradually widening between 2016 and 2021 for most year levels.The gap between boys and girls in primary school was also widening, with the gender divide larger in high school than in primary school.UNSW Professor of Education Policy Pasi Sahlberg said there were a “cocktail of reasons” why kids in the bush were falling behind their city peers, including access to extra assistance like private tutoring, and a shortage of qualified teachers in key subjects.“There’s big issues in the number of out of field teachers in rural and remote locations teaching out of field – it’s much higher than in the cities,” he said. “For many kids, they have had these teachers for a long time.”Professor Sahlberg said while the location divide was “nothing to be happy about”, what was occurring in Queensland was also happening in the rest of the country, and across the globe.“Australia is becoming more unequal, including in education,” he said. “I hope more policy makers would wake up and realise how important it is to address these inequalities, it’s the No. 1 education issue to try and fix.”https://www.couriermail.com.au/education-queensland/queensland-bush-kids-are-falling-behind-in-key-naplan-test/news-story/bf667851cc24335a3f5603dc3a2462ad**********************************************Piracy and illegal fishing concerns grow as foreign boats return to marine parkThe WA government is urging the Commonwealth to "step up" and halt the surge in illegal foreign fishing boats harvesting seafood in a pristine marine park.Fresh footage obtained by the ABC shows Indonesian crews have returned to the Rowley Shoals Marine Park within weeks of a crackdown that resulted in boats being burnt at sea.The footage, shot by a local charter operator in late November, shows Indonesian sailors waving and smiling at the camera.Western Australian Fisheries Minister Don Punch says it is unacceptable."It's a serious matter, as it has a big impact on the marine ecology of the Rowley Shoals, but also on the charter boat tourism that's happening in the area," he said."It's a matter we have taken up with the federal government, and I've had conversations with the Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews."But unfortunately it's still happening, and we need the federal government to step up and take control of the situation."Wet season 'free for all'Government data shows the number of foreign fishing boats is continuing to surge. So far this financial year, 231 boats were intercepted, with 29 seized and destroyed. That compares with just four boats in the 2019-20 financial year.The situation is complicated by the multiple government agencies involved. The Rowley Shoals are within a WA government marine park, but the federal Australian Border Force is primarily responsible for keeping foreign vessels out of Australian waters.Local skippers are worried the illegal fishing will intensify in coming months, due to the northern wet season.It's understood the WA government boats that usually patrol the Kimberley marine parks have headed south for maintenance, as the monsoon season makes it dangerous to be at sea.In a statement, the Australian Border Force said its surveillance and enforcement will continue throughout the summer."The Australian Border Force is actively responding to reports of foreign fishing vessels in the vicinity of Rowley Shoals," the statement said."Maritime Border Command operations will continue throughout the monsoon season, noting adverse conditions also impacts on illegal fishers."Piracy concernsBut locals believe the Indonesian fishermen have the determination, desperation and equipment to continue fishing amid the wet season storms.Kimberley Marine Tourism Association chair Jig Albert says the situation poses several risks."Our operators are massively concerned because the Indonesians are netting, walking on the reefs, collecting trepang, harvesting shark and — what's really disturbing — is they're taking the giant clams, which take years and years to grow," Mr Albert said."There's also the concern about biosecurity hazards like COVID-19."And these people are really desperate, so there's the risk of piracy as well."One veteran Kimberley skipper, who didn't want his charter business to be identified, told the ABC the Indonesian crews seem organised and well-resourced. "Some of them are well set-up, with good boats, solar panels and GPS navigators," he said."They know what they're doing and they know what they're after. "If it's allowed to keep going, they'll realise it's open slather, and they will wipe the joint out [of marine life]."https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-18/illegal-fishing-by-indonesian-boats-in-australian-waters/100709288************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************17 December, 2021ABC host Leigh Sales shares her astonishing virus theory as the virus tidal wave hits just before ChristmasLeigh Sales has shared her theory for why Covid case numbers may be rising ahead of Christmas. The ABC host questioned whether high testing numbers prompted by travel requirements are behind the recent spike in NSW.'Queues for covid testing in Sydney are suddenly long, partly because of people needing a test to travel,' she wrote on Twitter. 'Is it possible that's why case numbers are up - catching more asymptomatic people who otherwise would be invisible?'Testing numbers have been steadily climbing in NSW, reaching 104,501 on Wednesday, the highest figure since October 13.South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania are requiring negative tests for inter-state entry.It comes as the number of Covid-19 cases in NSW is expected to increase again after the highest count in more than three months, with predictions they could hit 25,000 infections a day in January.The state reported 1,360 cases from 104,501 tests on Wednesday, prompting NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to repeat his call for the focus to shift to people in hospitals and ICU, of which there were 166 and 24 respectively.While hospitalisations generally lag infection spikes, Mr Perrottet has 'complete confidence' the hospital system will cope thanks to the state's 93.2 per cent full vaccination coverage.The Omicron variant is believed to be behind an increasing number of cases, with Newcastle and Sydney seeing a surge.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10314501/Covid-Sydney-ABC-host-Leigh-Sales-says-travel-tests-pushing-cases.html*****************************************Australian businesses are desperate for staff - but instead of going back to mass immigration, we should END the dole and get lazy Aussies off their backsides, writes MARK LATHAMSometimes in politics you can only shake your head in amazement as to how public policy is made.For nearly 30 years our governments have been spending billions of dollars supposedly to make young Australians 'job ready' through vocational training.Now, in the post-Covid economic recovery, we are being told there are 50,000 fruit picking jobs, 30,000 hospitality vacancies and 15,000 trades and construction jobs in NSW that can only be filled by foreign workers.Pacific Islanders have been brought in for the farm harvest - while the other positions will be filled by going back to big immigration numbers of 200,000 per annum.Meanwhile, some parts of western Sydney and country NSW have youth unemployment rates of 30 and 40 percent.How hard is it to ensure Australians get first crack at the jobs?The immigration program should be designed, first and foremost, for the benefit of people who live here now, not new arrivals.Australia has a one-off opportunity to reduce unemployment to zero and slash the cost of the dole for taxpayers.Yet the Federal and State Governments are blowing it through their obsession with 'Big Immigration' and going soft on welfare abuse.There are so many job vacancies at the moment, anyone who says they can't find work is not really looking for it.The only possible barrier for some is a vaccination requirement, but in many NSW workplaces this ended today (December 15) with the abolition of vaccine passports.Bringing workers from overseas puts pressure on housing prices and adds to urban congestion. It floods the labour market and holds down wages.The logical alternative is to end the dole.We can't have permanent youth unemployment in Australia, a generation who think that work is optional and taxpayers will carry them forever.Ending the dole would be a culture shock to these job snobs, a wake up call about the necessity of work.It would end the labour shortages quick smart, save the government vast amounts of money and avoid an over-reliance on overseas workers.If young people in particular got off their backsides they would find work tomorrow on farms and in cafes, restaurants and pubs.What's wrong with these Liberals – Morrison, Treasurer Frydenberg and Premier Perrottet – that they only see the soft option as viable? Why have they lost the ability and backbone to make tough but effective decisions for Australia?https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10310271/MARK-LATHAM-wants-cut-Centrelink-push-Aussies-work-amid-Covid-skills-shortages.html************************************************The miserable ghost is a dogmatic WarmistIt fits with his Leftist leaningsFormer Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has unleashed a vicious spray on Australia’s climate change deniers, labelling the conspiracy theorists as “crackers” and “mad”.Speaking at the Australian National University on Wednesday, Mr Turnbull warned that controversial viewpoints were no longer a punchline, insisting those who denied the environmental impacts of fossil fuels now held real power over Australia’s future.“There used to be a time where we would say 17 per cent of people believe the world is flat, Elvis is still alive, and martians are present and living among us,” he said.“And you‘d sort of shrug that off as being mildly amusing.”“But when you have people disbelieving facts … you have, not eccentric points of view, but positions that have real consequences.”The former PM then turned his attention to his political rivals, taking a subtle dig at John Howard and Tony Abbott as he recounted “an example of craziness” about climate change.Mr Turnbull said he had tried to convince prominent conspiracy theorist and Sydney businessman Maurice Newman that climate change was real, but Mr Newman was too insane to listen.“I was spending some time with Maurice Newman – a good friend of John Howard‘s and Tony Abbott’s,” he said. “I said to Maurice: ‘what if I asked one of our top climate scientists to summarise in one page, what the key (climate) points are, basically an exposition of atmospheric physics’.”But when Mr Turnbull presented the evidence of global warming to Mr Newman, he said the powerful businessman responded with a rant claiming Australia’s universities, media, and government organisations were all in on the same evil conspiracy about fake climate change.“It sounds crackers, but we are dealing in an age where there is a lot of madness about,” Mr Turnbull said.Mr Turnbull urged the Morrison government to rein in its own conspiracy theorist MPs, insisting Australia was now running out of time to avoid a climate catastrophe.“We’ve been caught by this poisonous political Troika that has bedevilled climate policy in Australia for so long,” he said.“We‘ve got a long term problem, but we don’t have a lot of time to address it. “We’ve got to get cracking between now and 2030https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/malcolm-turnbull-lashes-climate-deniers-taking-a-dig-at-political-rivals-for-being-friends-with-conspiracy-theorists/news-story/06c9fa820a0427c1eb07f5d167f7f7a1********************************************Just two in 10 Australian motorists plan to buy electric vehiclesAustralia’s efforts to reduce transport emissions are in jeopardy, as new data reveals just 16 per cent of motorists intend to make their next car purchase an electric vehicle.Despite earlier research finding Australia must phase out petrol cars by 2035 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, a new survey by Compare The Market finds more than half of motorists may buy another one.The comparison firm asked 1000 Australians when they plan to replace their current vehicle and found 70 per cent will be in the market for a new car by 2025.But fewer than two in 10 said they would buy an EV, and a further 49 per cent said they were still undecided.Those findings are ominous because new cars last 14 years on average, meaning the vehicles motorists buy today will affect Australia’s carbon budget as the nation moves towards net-zero emissions by 2050.That was a major conclusion from a Grattan Institute report earlier this year, which said Australia must make EVs cheaper to speed up the transition away from petrol and diesel cars.“Electric vehicles will become more accessible to more people in the future, but with many Australians planning their next car purchase during the next few years, we might not see improved prices in time,” Compare The Market’s Stephen Zeller said of the new survey data on Wednesday.“It would seem that for the majority of Australians, an electric vehicle might still be one more car purchase away, but their next petrol car might well be their last.”Worryingly, more than a third of survey respondents in New South Wales and Victoria (Australia’s largest states) said their next purchase will not be an electric vehicle. That’s more than twice the number who said they would buy an EV.Jake Whitehead, research fellow at the University of Queensland and an expert on EV policies, said he was unsurprised by the survey’s findings. Dr Whitehead said inadequate government policies mean EVs are still too expensive in Australia to entice more buyers to make the switch.“We shouldn’t read too much into just one survey, but the undecided group is a big opportunity,” he told The New Daily.Dr Whitehead said his research shows the majority of Australians are interested in buying an EV. But a lack of choice is discouraging many from making the leap.“The policy settings aren’t in place to encourage that undecided group to definitively purchase an electric vehicle,” he said.Though growing quickly, electric vehicle sales accounted for less than 2 per cent of total light vehicle sales in the first half of 2021, according to data from the Electric Vehicle Council.The global average is 4.2 per cent, while other comparable economies like the UK have achieved rates above 10 per cent in the past year.One reason for that is choice. Australians can choose between just over 30 EV models right now, but Britons can choose between more than 130.Dr Whitehead said Australia needs a national EV sales target to encourage manufacturers to sell more models Down Under.He said the current patchwork of state government policies isn’t enough to bridge the gap and ensure Australia sells its last petrol car by 2035.“It’s a major risk for all states as well as the country in achieving [emissions] reduction targets,” he said. “We need a major transition and the longer you delay, the more disruptive it becomes.”https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2021/12/15/electric-vehicles-buying/************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************16 December, 2021Unemployment drops as COVID lockdowns end, employers snap up staffThis would be a good result for Australia even in normal times. Britain has had very good results too -- at 4.2% The current US jobless rate was 4.2% in November.Official ABS data shows the unemployment rate dived from 5.2 in October to 4.6 per cent in November, after lockdowns had ended in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.The drop came despite a massive increase in the percentage of people in work or looking for it, with a whopping 366,100 extra people estimated to have been in work last month.AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said the participation rate of 66.1 per cent marked a big difference between the post-COVID recovery in Australia and the US."The near-record participation rate contrasts with that in the US where it is running well below pre-COVID levels," he noted."This suggests that the Great Resignation is less of an issue in Australia, although labour shortages are still an issue here."Other labour market indicators were also positive, with underemployment dropping from 9.5 to 7.5 per cent and hours worked up 4.5 per cent.Dr Oliver said all the indications were that the current jobs recovery would continue, with "businesses having to scramble for workers in some industries and not wanting to let them go"."Strong levels for job postings and hiring intentions point to a continuing tightening in the labour market," he added.The numbers were almost totally driven by the rapid rebound in employment in New South Wales and Victoria as key sectors such as hospitality, tourism, recreation and personal services were allowed to trade again with minimal restrictions."The easing of restrictions in both New South Wales and Victoria had a large influence on the national figures, with employment in the two states increasing by 180,000 people and 141,000 people between October and November," said the bureau's head of labour statistics, Bjorn Jarvis.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-16/unemployment-drops-as-covid-lockdowns-end/100705098**********************************************Australian government ditches South African travel ban after Omicron fearsThe Australian government has eased the ban on arrivals from eight Southern African nations, as restrictions in NSW and Queensland begin to ease going into the holiday period.Today Australia also reopened to vaccinated travellers from Japan and Republic of Korea and opening to international skilled and student cohorts, humanitarian, working holiday makers and provisional family visa holders.The government imposed restrictions on travel from hotspot nations upon detection of the Omicron variant in the region last month.In a statement, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly today stated the existing border rules were no longer proportionate or effective due to the global spread of the new variant.“At this stage there are no direct flights from Southern Africa to Australia and only Australian citizens, permanent residents, immediate family members, parents and eligible visa holders are able to enter Australia,” he said.Countries where the travel ban has been ditched include South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi and Eswatini.“In line with other countries including the United Kingdom, the border measures under the Biosecurity Act 2015 restricting travellers who have been in the 8 Southern African countries from entering Australia has now ceased,” Prof Kelly confirmed.https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/health-safety/australian-government-ditches-south-african-travel-ban-after-omicron-fears/news-story/01beb7d75bc522ca9b669eef8e66849f********************************************Bigoted alternative medicine group
Ubuntu is best known as a computer operating system so that is a weird name for an alternative medicine site. I guess ubuntu is an alternative to Windows. It's originally an African word meaning mercyA Byron Bay woman is taking legal action after she was allegedly sacked for getting the COVID jab.Lainie Chait was working as a client care consultant for the Newcastle-based Church of Ubuntu (COU).The group promotes and sells alternative health remedies including hemp products.Ms Chait said she lost her job in October, when it became known she was vaccinated."For the past 25 years I've been going 'I don't want, I don't need the Western approach', but in this particular scenario I did," she said.Ms Chait said she supported freedom of choice in healthcare and was shocked to learn she was being dismissed for making a personal decision to be vaccinated."It seems extremely hypocritical and I think there are a lot of people in the wellness industry that are hypocrites," she said. "Because really, you're in the industry to help people, not judge them."A lot of the customers that come to them are vaccinated, so why are you still serving customers that are vaccinated and not employing people that are vaccinated? "That part I don't get, and that's the hypocrisy that pisses me off the most."The ABC has seen a letter sent to Ms Chait when she was dismissed.It laid out the reasons behind the decision, describing Ms Chait as a highly valued subcontractor with the Ubuntu Wellness Clinic Newcastle, who was also recognised as a full member of the Church of Ubuntu.It cited frustration with the NSW Government's "enforced medical apartheid" and "a highly disproportionate response to the Sars Cov 2 virus"."As a consequence of this ... the Church Of Ubuntu has taken a position that no committee members or full members can be accepted if they consciously chose to, and then complete injections, with any of the current or future planned injections purported to protect from the COVID-19/Sars Cov 2 virus."It is the position of the COU that to receive the COVID-19/Sars Cov 2 injection consciously and deliberately with intent is in contradiction with our Constitution and contrary to our position on what is required of us by our Lord God and Creator."As a consequence Lainie can no longer be a full member of the COU. She can however in keeping with the Ubuntu Philosophy still remain as an associate member if she chooses.Mark Swivel, from Barefoot Law, said the decision went completely against the current trend of vaccine mandates. He said the case might hinge on whether his client was classified as an employee or a contractor."The upshot of it is that we're in the Fair Work Commission," Mr Swivel said. "The dispute about whether someone is an employee or a contractor is a really common one that the Fair Work Commission deals with, so that's a perfectly normal part of it."Then the question of whether the dismissal was fair, well I think it's a fairly open and shut case."We were supposed to have a conciliation recently but the organisation did not appear, so we're now looking for a new date.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-16/byron-bay-church-of-ubuntu-worker-covid-vaccination/100703588*******************************************Westpac’s chairman says the bank won’t pull the plug on fossil fuel projects anytime soonAt the bank’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, Westpac chairman John McFarlane ruled out pulling the plug on fossil fuels projects, which he said will continue to be around for “some time”, despite saying it would become easier to cut them off.“But given this is Australia, it’s not the right answer. This country does need us to finance various sectors, including electricity generation,” he said.“We know gas will be with us for some time for base load [power]. We’re not going to be able to deal with renewables immediately.”In a set of prepared remarks, McFarlane defended the bank’s performance on climate change, reminding shareholders that the bank has “the greatest exposure to greenfield renewables and the least to fossil fuel extraction” of the four major banks.But that didn’t stop shareholders peppering the chairman with demands for a wind-down on fossil fuels lending, which they said flies in the face of the bank’s commitment to support net-zero emissions by 2050.As it stands, Westpac has committed to winding down all fossil fuel financing by 2030, but has yet to outline a plan for getting there. Until then, McFarlane said, the bank is trying to straddle a “middle ground”.“In all honesty, we are doing a reasonable job, and we are doing a better job than some of our competitors,” he said.McFarlane said formal criteria for reducing fossil fuel funding, which could include a new set of targets, will not come until at least 2023.“Further research is underway to develop Paris-aligned sector financing strategies and portfolio targets for six of our most climate-exposed sectors representing most of our emissions,” he said.“Our analysis will consider the latest developments from the International Energy Agency and the IPCC.”Analysts over at the environmental banking lobby group Market Forces, however, said the bank is having it both ways.The group, which was responsible for one of two resolutions calling for better disclosure of fossil fuel lending, said Westpac has failed to square up its policies and practices, with its commitments to the Paris Agreement, and net-zero emissions by 2050.Early last year, Westpac opened its chequebook to Whitehaven Coal, which secured $110 million from the bank. Come November, went back to the sector, this time to the major oil and gas company, Santos, which was able to secure $US25 million in funding.Shareholders questioned McFarlane on the issue, which has been made worse by the fact that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and ANZ have each wound down funding for new coal and gas projects like Whitehaven.But that doesn’t mean they’re beyond reproach on the issue. Both ANZ and NAB are expected to face similar questions when their annual general meetings take place on Friday.https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/news/westpac-s-chairman-says-the-bank-won-t-pull-the-plug-on-fossil-fuel-projects-anytime-soon-because-this-is-australia/ar-AARP8yI?ocid=BingHPC************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************15 December, 2021What to do with our most successful vax researcher for decades? Sack himThe South Australian government has declared there will be no more “exemptions” from mandates for people who take part in clinical trials. So workers taking a locally made vaccine, called Covax-19, will have to take approved vaccines as well or get sacked. It doesn’t matter what their antibody count is, or whether it might even be risky to follow up Covax with a different vaccine. It’s not about their health, don’t you know?Covax-19 is a traditional old fashioned protein vaccine. It’s still the old WuFlu spike, though without the furin cleavage sequence (which probably makes it safer). It’s been approved for use in Iran, and given to two million people there, remarkably with apparently no incidence of myocarditis or blood clots. Perhaps that’s the problem — it’s a threat to the current vaccines?Since Prof Nikolai Petrovski tested Covax on himself before testing it on others, he may have to be sacked for not also getting vaccinated with an approved vaccine. He is no longer allowed to attend Flinders University or the Flinders Medical Centre, according to the ABC.Great way to promote Australian science: Let bureaucrats decide which vaccine the Professors of vaccines should take. What could possibly go wrong?ABC Radio: South Australians taking part in a COVID-19 vaccine trial will no longer be exempt from state government mandates affecting schools, aged care and health care centres.The problem, it seems, was that Covax-19 was too popular.A number of prominent local social media platforms have been advocating for people to avoid having vaccines approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) by signing up to planned COVAX-19 clinical trials.And we wouldn’t want people to have a choice, would we?It’s not that Petrovsky’s vax didn’t work or caused harm. It was because people might be signing up to avoid getting Pfizer, Moderna or Astrazenica. And if that were the case, surely the solution would be to rush supplies of Covax to Australia? It’s what the hesitant people want after all. But that’s not what the SA government suggested.Like a Christmas present for Pfizer?With these rules newcomer-vaccines will find it harder to get trial participants as people are forced out of the early trials with draconian threats.I guess we wouldn’t want to accidentally discover a better vaccine when we’ve ordered 100 billion boosters already in secret contracts that may have given away the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Who needs Australian made vaccines, Australian expertise, and Australian profits? It’s so much better to have supply lines to Marburg and Massachusetts with vaccines approved through secret data by the FDA.For what it’s worth, even with all the hurdles bureaucrats are putting in the way, the people are working to make this happen. So the GoFundMe campaign for this vaccine has raised $782,000 and thousands of people have signed up to participate.Works in Iran:By way of update, 2 million doses of our vaccine have now been safely distributed through immunization centres in Iran. There have been no reports of anaphylaxis, myocarditis or blood clotting, which given the extremely large number of doses administered is extremely reassuring.Trial Ethics and TGA applications are both submitted and we will let you know when we hear anything further. We have added a link to a recent interview of Prof. Petrovsky for your interest. We are now 3/4 of the way to our target.https://joannenova.com.au/2021/12/what-to-do-with-our-most-successful-vax-researcher-for-decades-sack-him*******************************************NAPLAN: Principals and teachers say it is ineffective and outdated, in Australian Education Union surveyParents and education experts have hit out at principals and teachers after a survey slammed the national NAPLAN tests as being “ineffective and outdated”.Australian Parents Council President Jenni Rickard also rejected claims in the survey by the Australian Education Union that the tests increased teachers’ workload, saying NAPLAN was about recording a “point in time” and there should be no prepping.Ms Rickard said NAPLAN was also valuable to parents as an independent assessment and &##8220;a mechanism to ensure government departments are accountable and transparent”.“It works as a test of the whole system from the bottom to the top,” she said.The Australian Education Union surveyed more than 260 public school principals and nearly 3000 teachers across the country,It found 73 per cent of principals believe NAPLAN increases teacher workloads; 86 per cent said the tests contribute to students’ stress and anxiety and 59 per cent said they make no difference to student outcomes.More than 60 per cent of teachers said NAPLAN – undertaken by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 – was an ineffective diagnostic tool.Education author Dr Kevin Donnelly criticised the AEU for its long history of opposing tests such as NAPLAN, saying it did not want schools to be held accountable for the billions invested and the fact students’ results in international tests were going backwards.“We need NAPLAN to monitor and evaluate whether standards are improving or not,” Dr Donnelly said.But AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said “NAPLAN is not fit for purpose in our schools” and should be scrapped and replaced with classroom-based and teacher-led assessments, along with sample-based testing.Whites Hill State College Principal Andrew Beattie, based in Queensland, said NAPLAN caused “performance anxiety” among the children, especially in Year 5, as their results could determine which high school they went to.He said many hours were wasted teaching children how to do the “unique” exam, instead of teaching them numeracy and literacy.New analysis of this year’s NAPLAN results out on Wednesday shows students in Years 3 and 5 reading, Year 5 numeracy, and Years 3 and 5 spelling have significantly improved nationally since the tests began in 2008, but these improvements were not reflected in every demographic group, according to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).“We can now also see that the main group of students who fell behind the national average in Years 7 and 9 reading and Years 3 and 7 numeracy, compared to the base year, were students whose parents did not complete Year 12,” ACARA CEO David de Carvalho saidHe defended NAPLAN, saying it allowed parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community to determine whether or not young Australians are developing the necessary literacy and numeracy skills.Acting Federal Education Minister Stuart Robert added that NAPLAN has been critical to tracking student educational outcomes, especially during Covid.https://www.couriermail.com.au/education-queensland/naplan-principals-and-teachers-say-it-is-ineffective-and-outdated-in-australian-education-union-survey/news-story/d5d9917a475ac0afdc9d65c545bca6e0********************************************Medical bureaucracy kills kidA NSW Coroner has slammed a request by NSW Health to delay an inquest while it works to improve interstate patient transfers, four years after a teenager was left to die at Broken Hill Hospital without a single hospital in Adelaide willing to admit him.Alex Braes is believed to have died from a type of flesh eating bacteria, known as necrotising fasciitis, after he was turned away three times from Broken Hill Hospital’s emergency department in 2017.After he was finally admitted, Alex was stranded for hours awaiting medical evacuation to the city, with no hospitals in Adelaide willing to receive him and no pilot available to fly him to Sydney.On Tuesday, an inquest heard Alex would have been more likely to have secured a bed in Adelaide if he was South Australian, and there had been an “extraordinary” bed shortage at the time due to the relocation of the Royal Adelaide Hospital.The NSW Ministry of Health was due to have a senior bureaucrat appear at the inquest to be grilled about the retrieval issues on Thursday.However, the department’s lawyer requested the appearance be postponed because a meeting has been scheduled for Friday where a memorandum of understanding will be finalised with South Australian health bureaucrats to improve the situation.“I have to say that given the amount of time that’s elapsed since Alex died, we would have greatly hoped to have a memorandum of understanding in place well before now,” Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan responded.“I’m sure that’s what Alex’s parents would feel,” she said, as they nodded in agreement. “That’s very disappointing in itself.”Dr Roy Fischer, who arranges medical retrievals on behalf of the South Australian Ambulance Service, detailed his efforts to find an ICU bed for Alex in Adelaide.Dr Fischer said doctors in Broken Hill told him they had a working diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, a type of blood clot.Alex was actually in septic shock due to a bacterial infection.While both scenarios required urgent evacuation to a metropolitan centre, a blood clot could first be treated with medication in Broken Hill, while the flesh-eating bacteria could not because it required major surgery.Dr Fischer said with hindsight, the hospitals may have responded with more urgency if they’d realised Adam couldn’t be treated at all in Broken Hill.“The possibility of an improvement may have muddied the water somewhat,” he said.Dr Fischer said he could not access Alex’s medical records or see him via a telehealth hook-up because of his location interstate.There was also a lengthy process in South Australia for retrieving interstate patients, involving sourcing a bed before arranging transport and then organising a quote to be accepted by the receiving hospital.The process had since been fast-tracked, but at the time of Alex’s death a quote could take up to half an hour, Dr Fischer said.The same protracted process did not apply for people from South Australia.“Is that a satisfactory situation, that a patient is treated differently based on state borders rather than their clinical needs?” the counsel assisting the coroner, Kirsten Edwards, asked.“No,” Dr Fischer replied.Dr Fischer said the drawn-out interstate transfer process meant in some situations it was quicker to send Broken Hill patients to Sydney, despite it being twice as far as Adelaide.“By the time you had things like the quote … it eats into the difference quite significantly,” Dr Fischer said.https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/sa-wouldn-t-accept-dying-teenager-after-misdiagnosis-muddied-water-20211214-p59hjy.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed*******************************************Motorists could be hit with a CBD tax and inner-city parking become even more expensive as the cost of traffic jams in Brisbane streets climbsSlapping motorists with increased parking fees and a tax to enter the CBD would do more to alleviate traffic congestion than cutting public transport fares, which would only discourage people from walking or cycling to work, according to a new report.They are part of the findings from a Productivity Commission report to be released on Wednesday.The arrival of electric vehicles and the Morrison Government’s own EV policy means it is “critical” road user charges are implemented, it warned.An overhaul of public transport fare prices, road user charges for entering the CBD at peak times, as well as charges per kilometre for certain peak traffic corridors, were among the recommendations.The “social cost” of avoidable road congestion in Brisbane has hit $1400 per person, the report estimated.It found the public transport fare price increases were not keeping up with the cost of running public transport, which Productivity Commission chair Michael Brennan said would eventually hurt government and council budgets.“That has put service quality and frequency at risk, and these are the things that matter most to the users of the system,” Mr Brennan said.The commission was unapologetic in its calls for road user charges, noting it was “oft-repeated and largely ignored”.“Well-designed road user pricing could better target congestion and act as a funding source,” it stated.It also said increasing parking fees, particularly during peak times, would do more to reduce congestion than encouraging more people to use public transport with lower fares.“A 10 per cent increase in parking charges reduces car use by between about two and 13 times more than the reduction achieved by a 10 per cent decrease in public transport prices,” it found.“By reducing demand for parking, higher fees can also reduce ‘cruising’ to find spare spots, which can also be a major source of road congestion.”It also argued that road user charges, instead of cheaper peak public transport fares, would push more people into walking or cycling. “Lowering peak fares has the perverse effect of discouraging walking and cycling,” it stated.Lowering public transport fares to encourage people back on to public transport after Covid-19 should also not be considered, as it would “savage revenue” without increasing patronage, it found.https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/congestion-tax-not-cheaper-public-transport-needed-report/news-story/bdca3856852e82737822d18922bfd63e************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************14 December, 2021Fear not: a bit of inflation is no bad thingJessica IrvineThis is a sophisticated presentation. Basically, inflation destroys people's savings, which is a very bad thing, but the writer below points out that other things tend to counteract that. Wages rise and stockmarket values rise.But she is too optimistic. The principal protection that savers have is rising interest rates on their savings. And if interest rates rose in such a way as to give both a return on capital and an inflation counterbalance, that would be fine.But with recent negigible interest rates being offered on savings, it is clear that interest rates often do neither of those things. So in practice inflation is a serious robber, hitting mostly small savers, The big fish have their money in the stockmarket, either directly or via index fundsSuperannuation offers an "out" for the small saver but many superannuation funds are very poor performers, sometimes even giving negative returnsConcerns about inflation look set to dominate the global economic outlook in 2022.But despite pandemic related shortages pushing up prices for some things like furniture, cars and fuel, the global inflation bogey man is more imagined than real, at this stage.Financial markets, of course, love nothing more than a general fret-fest about rising prices. What investors are really scared about, however, is not that prices will rise, per se, but that they’ll rise either faster or slower than they’ve factored into their models for valuing shares.For example, Americans found out on Friday they are facing the highest rate of consumer price inflation since 1982. Prices rose 6.8 per cent over the year to November, driven by higher fuel, food and housing prices. But sharemarkets rallied on the news, as it was in line with their expectations.Workers, too, commonly fear inflation. Frustration with the rising “cost of living” is a perennial election issue. But again, if they stopped to think about it, it’s not actually inflation that workers fear, but that their wages might not rise fast enough to keep them ahead of the rising cost of living.Of course, if inflation was such a terrible thing in and of itself, you’d expect governments would try to eradicate it altogether – to keep prices absolutely stable. But they don’t.In fact, making sure that economies generate a bit of inflation is the explicit goal of central banks around the world. Our Reserve Bank, for example, has an explicit target to keep consumer prices rising at between 2 and 3 per cent on average, over time.If inflation runs too high, you can be sure they’ll jack up interest rates to cool activity and prices. But if inflation dips too low – as it has in recent times - they’ll also intervene to cut lending rates to ensure people borrow and spend more to push up prices again. Importantly, they’ll also look through any temporary swings in prices and be guided by underlying trends.I remember once asking a central banker why they didn’t just aim to keep prices stable. Why is inflation necessary at all?The answer was essentially that a little bit of inflation is better than the alternative: of deflation. Deflation – a phenomenon where prices fall over time - is unambiguously bad.When people think prices will be cheaper tomorrow, they will delay making purchases, leading to a widespread “consumer strike” which is bad for the economy.Far better, then, to err on the side of running things too hot, than too cold.A little bit of inflation also helps to lubricate the wheels of capitalism in various ways.Let me explain.If prices are not rising, it can be very noticeable when a company decides to lift prices for the goods or services they provide. If they face supply disruptions which increase their costs, however, companies may need to lift prices to maintain profitability. The alternative, if they can’t increase prices, could be to lay off workers or otherwise cut their wages bill.So, an environment OF rising prices can help to provide the cover needed for companies to pass on higher costs to survive.A bit of inflation can also help companies straining to reduce their wages bill by simply lifting worker wages by less than rising prices – i.e. deliver a real pay cut. That’s not great for workers, but nor is losing their job instead.For borrowers, inflation can also be beneficial.As we’re about to find out on Thursday in the mid-year budget update, the Australian government has accumulated significant debts during COVID.It’s ok. We’ve done it before. And we’ll no doubt do it again. The answer to high levels of debt, historically, has been to simply let an expanding economy and rising inflation “inflate” away the real value of the debt incurred. That is, we should pursue policy settings which help the economy and prices to grow so fast, that the debt is worth less, in relative terms, tomorrow than it is today.Mortgage holders also benefit if rising inflation pushes wages higher, reducing the size of their debt relative to their income.Before COVID, of course, it had become clear workers lacked the degree of bargaining power they once had to push for higher wages, whether due to declining rates of unionisation, the rise of labour-replacing technologies or more competition from cheaper offshore workers.But during COVID, I have observed a noticeable shift in thinking from our central bank to be even more determined to ensure workers get the pay rises they are due before interest rates are returned to more normal levels.‘Remarkable’ recovery not enough to bring budget back to healthAs governor Phil Lowe said on Tuesday, future interest rate rises “will require the labour market to be tight enough to generate wages growth that is materially higher than it is currently”. Furthermore: “This is likely to take some time.” Get it?Our Reserve Bank won’t be lifting official interest rates until it is confident workers are enjoying the sorts of pay rises that would also assist in meeting higher mortgage repayments.And as we return to life pre-pandemic, that might still be some time away. You can relax about inflation for now.https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/fear-not-a-bit-of-inflation-is-no-bad-thing-20211213-p59h59.html***********************************************Macabre Qld crimes that show need for real life sentencesRetired judge Clive Wall is often asked why people don’t spend more time in jail. He was known as Judge Dread, because of his desire to put criminals in jail. Even in retirement, Clive Wall is vocal about the revolving door policy in Queensland courtrooms and prisons, saying victims are being forgotten, writes Peter Gleeson.Retired District Court judge Clive Wall spends a fair bit of time at his Southport bowls club, and there is one question he is constantly asked – why are people not spending time in jail anymore?Judge Wall – also known as Judge Dread because of his strong desire to jail criminals – believes people are “sick and tired’’ of the constant revolving door policy being applied to sentencing in Queensland.“I think from a sentencing perspective, far too much onus is placed on the accused, rather than the victim or victims,’’ he says. “The balance has been tipped in the favour of the accused.’’But what of the worst of the worst?There are some crimes that grip a state and because of the wide publicity, become part of the criminal folklore in Queensland.They are macabre, brutal and it is clear that the individual responsible has a dark, sinister side that is chilling and frightening.The memories and images of those incidents, replayed over and over, are disturbing and it poses the question about whether they are mad or bad, or both.Against that backdrop, surely it’s time to have a conversation about what constitutes a proper life sentence in Queensland?Recently, we saw an application for parole from Barry Watts knocked back, 33 years after he and Valmae Beck murdered Sian Kingi at Noosa. She was just 12 at the time.The parole board rejected the application, a trend likely to continue. When sentenced, the judge recommended no parole.Watts abducted Sian Kingi, before raping, torturing and murdering the young girl who had been riding home from school. Would you want Watts out in society right now? Near your school? There are other notorious killers who are seared into the conscience of most Queenslanders.Gerard Baden-Clay displayed an arrogance and indifference to killing his wife Allison that shocked hardened detectives. Lead investigator Mark Ainsworth was staggered at Baden-Clay’s nonchalance, revealing much about his personality. He is said to have little remorse.Brett Peter Cowan abducted Daniel Morcombe from a bus stop and killed him near the Glasshouse Mountains. Cowan was convicted of the murder of the teenager and was sentenced to life in prison.Max Sica was convicted of the brutal murders of three young siblings. He can apply for parole in 2047. Surely in these cases, where families and friends of the loved ones genuinely fear a return to society by these killers, life should mean life.When you look at the history of these cases, the brutality of the killings, and the denial still in place, it must disqualify them from ever leaving prison.Under the current judicial system, a judge can recommend no parole, but doesn’t have the legal carriage to enforce a term where the person dies in jail.Judge Wall believes a “throw the key away’ mentality to heinous crimes would have strong support in Queensland. “The community would support life being life in extreme circumstances but it’s up to the politicians and they are a different breed,’’ he says.Maybe it’s time we started thinking more about the pain and suffering of the victims and their families, rather than pander so much to the accused.https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/peter-gleeson/retired-judge-clive-wall-is-often-asked-why-people-dont-spend-more-time-in-jail/news-story/9ba26d66401895cf08a3fd549bec11ce************************************************A significant stoush has erupted over Australia’s migration plan, with a minister labelling Anthony Albanese as ‘weak’ for opposing itSkilled migrants are a net benefit. But too many in the past -- particularly Muslims -- have been unskilled and welfare dependentAustralia will allow skilled migrants and students back into the country on December 15 after the emergence of the Omicron variant caused the government to put a two week pause on the reopening plan, which was due to come into effect on December 1.Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed on Saturday they expected an extra 120,000 migrants than initially forecast in May last year to enter the country.Mr Albanese told Sky News he wanted to prioritise giving Australians the skills to fill jobs. “We’ve become too reliant upon temporary migration rather than training Australians up for the jobs that are available,” he said.Mr Tehan slammed Mr Albanese as “weak” for not backing the migration policy. “All the experience shows that (migration) actually helps with Australian jobs, because the more skills you have got the more businesses can operate, the more that they can employ, and if they can’t get access to those specialist skills often it means they can’t put extra jobs on,” he said.“So it’s a matter of getting the policies right.“And Anthony Albanese, we don’t know what he actually stands for.“He sort of, he says one thing one day, he says one thing another.“What we do know is that he is pretty weak when it comes to these types of of decisions and what he says one day does not mean that that’s what he’ll do the next.”https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/greg-hunt-shoots-down-concerns-astrazeneca-does-not-protect-aussies-against-omicron/news-story/d407a3ee1532b212e976db8a7ddd9953*******************************************Black sheep finally finds place in wool industry, thanks to consumer thirst for all-natural fibresMost wool growers try very hard to keep black wool out of their flocks. But some farmers have been bucking that trend and are purposely breeding black merino sheep.Black or coloured wool does not need to be dyed and with demand growing for all-natural products, the one-time outcasts of the flock have become hot property.Sophie and Tom Holt run nearly 30,000 sheep at Coonong Station in the Riverina.Ms Holt started a separate black merino flock and has been processing their wool in Australia, running a wool retail business with her two friends Maggie Lahore and Kimmy Falls.Ms Lahore was a station hand at Coonong and now works remotely in the business from her home in Argentina, while Ms Falls runs a livestock transport company in the Riverina with her husband."We're three working mothers and three good friends, who had an idea to process coloured and white wool domestically," Ms Holt said.Early on, they were told it could not be done with much of Australia's wool processed overseas.But they have since found processors to work with, their black wool products are running out the door, with blankets selling for more than $500.https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-12-09/black-sheep-find-their-place-in-the-wool-industry/100634494************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************13 December, 2021Tucker Carlson Interviews Australian Senator Forced Into COVID Camp Despite Multiple Negative TestsThe tyrannical measures adopted by the Australian government to combat the coronavirus have turned the country into a police state at lightning speed.On Thursday, South Australian Sen. Alex Antic joined Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to explain how, despite multiple negative COVID-19 test results, he was sent to a coronavirus quarantine detention camp.According to ABC News, a new law went into effect in South Australia on Nov. 23. Unvaccinated travelers are only allowed back into the state with an “exemption” and they must quarantine for two weeks.Since Antic refuses to divulge his vaccine status, it’s likely authorities believe he is unvaccinated.Antic told Carlson, “I have been concerned about some of the powers that have been gifted to the unelected bureaucracy in this country for a long period of time. I’ve spoken about them quite forcefully.”Antic was working in Canberra, New South Wales, when he was informed that upon his return to South Australia, he was to report to a “medi-hotel” — a hotel that has been converted into a detainment facility — in Adelaide.“That was completely out-of-step with other people’s experiences, completely out-of-step with what had been done in my previous trips to Canberra and back,” Antic said.“Here’s the kicker,” Antic said: Ten minutes after he was told he would be going to the quarantine facility, he received a call from a journalist who knew all of the details. Hmmm.This symbiotic relationship between the government and the media is reminiscent of the U.S. government’s connection with the legacy media. Remember how a CNN camera crew happened to arrive at Roger Stone’s home just before the FBI raided it?“When I arrived at the airport, there was a camera crew and a photographer and a journalist all there to capture it,” Antic told Carlson. “I’ve never been more concerned about the things going on in this country.”Antic has also learned that he will be receiving a $4,000 bill from the Australian government to cover the costs associated with his stay at the “hotel.”“This is the lesson for the United States. Parliaments all over the country in Australia have gifted unrivaled powers to their bureaucrats. And they did so on the basis that we were told it was two weeks to flatten the curve. They never did so on the basis that there were going to be two years to keep people locked down and mandate vaccinations,” he said.“The bureaucrats everywhere across the world — but certainly in Australia it’s true — they never like to get out of the warm bed of power and coercive control.”Antic is speaking the truth. The pandemic has brought out the worst instincts in public officials around the globe, elected and unelected alike.https://flagandcross.com/tucker-carlson-interviews-australian-senator-forced-into-covid-camp-despite-multiple-negative-tests/*******************************************Universities need to raise international student fees, says professorAssociate Professor Salvatore Babones, a higher education commentator and sociologist at the University of Sydney, compared per-student revenue for domestic and international students and found overseas students contributed just $500 more.But at many universities, including the universities of NSW, Wollongong and Melbourne, the domestic per-student revenue was higher than the average cost of an international degree. For UNSW, revenue from a domestic place is almost $5000 more.However, Dr Babones included government research funding in his calculation of the revenue from domestic students, which others in the sector said should be considered separately and substantially inflated the domestic figure.International students pay varying amounts for their degrees. For example, a double postgraduate degree in communications and project management at Bond University costs $82,710. A bachelor of economics at Sydney University costs $147,500, while a graduate diploma in management at UTS costs $45,000.Dr Babones calculated the average 2019 revenue for each domestic student, using state and federal government contributions and fee revenue, at $28,984 and the average international student revenue at $29,529.He argued research funding should be included because being taught by people who are also researchers is what makes a university different to a teaching institution.Dr Babones said universities used domestic revenue to cover fixed and essential costs, while international revenue, which is less reliable, is used to cover variables. But he said international students should also be paying for fixed costs.“I think at a minimum there should be a floor placed on international student fees, they should have a minimum tuition equal to the average amount paid on behalf of domestic students,” he said.“They should be paying at least the same. They are at some universities. But at many universities they are paying much less. International students are not carrying the full cost of their education.”However, Australian National University higher education analyst Andrew Norton questioned the inclusion of research funding in the domestic student revenue, saying most universities regarded that as an independent activity.“There’s no relationship between research funding and domestic coursework numbers,” he said. “If you look at income derived from domestic course work students, it works out at just under $20,000 [per student].”The chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, Phil Honeywood, said international students’ tuition fees were an average of about three times those of a domestic student.“We’ve got international students paying $100,000 a year for some degrees,” he said. “I know how carefully our vice-chancellors weigh the markets before changing the fees. We want to incentivise our students to come back here.“[International fee revenue] cross-subsidises research and cross-subsidises capital works. A problem we’ve got, too, is without international student postgraduates, a lot of our research can’t be conducted.“We just don’t have the STEM [science, technology, engineering, maths] because we just don’t have the STEM course graduates among our domestic cohorts. Many of our projects rely on a combination of overseas students.”https://www.smh.com.au/education/universities-need-to-raise-international-student-fees-says-professor-20211210-p59gn1.html***************************************Is Albanese running a small-target strategy or simply all at sea?So here is a simple question, the first of two: what is the backlog of policies that the Morrison government has failed to put in place? Most voters, I suspect, will not have a clear answer. That is because most voters – and especially swinging voters, the ones the parties desperately need – don’t go around obsessively cataloguing the failures of a government. They will be able to point to mistakes in the past – like vaccinations, like Hawaii – but this is not the same as something that needs to be done but hasn’t been done yet.Here is the second question: if Labor is elected, what will the new Albanese government achieve in its first term?The beauty of the two questions, of course, is that the answers to each should be the same. The way a smart opposition reminds voters of a government’s failures is to promise to address those failures itself. Six months (or fewer) out from an election, is there a single Labor policy you could state with any clarity? Perhaps you could say that Labor will do more on climate than the government. You might know it believes in an integrity commission and the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Something about childcare, maybe.In recent weeks Anthony Albanese has begun saying the government, on climate, has “a vibe, but they don’t have a policy”. This is entirely fair; unfortunately, in most areas, it can be said of Labor too.Hunting for comparisons with other elections is always fraught. The differences can easily trip you up. This may be even more true right now: we are living in extraordinary times.Here is another area we have barely begun to grapple with. Last week, we got news that Australia’s fertility rate had fallen to its lowest on record – a result partly of COVID-19, but also, it seems, of economic insecurity and anxiety about climate change. And another: the see-sawing between low and high inflation, the sense that the economy no longer runs in ways we understand.Mostly, though, it feels as if Labor simply hasn’t worked out what it wishes the Coalition government had spent the past eight years doing. And if it hasn’t figured that out, how will most voters?https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/is-albanese-running-a-small-target-strategy-or-simply-all-at-sea-20211211-p59grm.html******************************************ATAR score no longer relevant to rising number of students given early university entryThe anxious wait for the postman carrying a yellow envelope or suffering through the slow lag as a webpage loads final Year 12 marks was a rite of passage for generations.Whether it was called the TER (Tertiary Entrance Rank), UAI (University Admissions Index) or ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank), university admission hung on that all-important number.The days of waiting on these much-anticipated scores could well be on their way out with a massive rise in the number of early round offers being made to students nationally.Figures compiled by the ABC show some universities have more than doubled their number of early offers, with many delivered before final exams have even begun.While the institutions have long had early rounds of offers, the programs were given a kick along by COVID-19 as universities tried to adjust for the disadvantages of remote learning.Now early offers look set to stay, with a growing number of universities finding that not only do they alleviate final exam stress, they also recruit better students.At the Australian Catholic University, offers have nearly tripled, up from 3,000 last year to nearly 9,000 this year.At the University of Canberra, they've doubled between 2019 and 2021, with up to 2,000 offers already made for study next year.Charles Darwin University has had similar success, jumping from 548 to 963 offers between last year and this year,.At Griffith University, offers are up more than 6 per cent this year.South Australia's Flinders University has made 2,026 offers for next year, up from just 181 back in 2019.In Victoria, La Trobe University has also had strong growth in offers, going from 2,287 pre-pandemic to 3,032.But it's the Western Sydney University (WSU) that's been the stand-out performer, with early offers rising from 7,000 in 2019 to 15,000 in 2020.It's made 9,000 offers so far for 2022, but expects numbers to rise as its program remains open until January.Early offers have benefits for unis and studentsThe sharp increase in early offers is spread across the range of disciplines, including health sciences and education to law and criminology.Largely attributed to the pandemic, the rise is, however, seen by others in the industry also as evidence of a sector competing for market share among school-leavers.There are reports of universities encouraging their new recruits to officially enrol before main-round offers have been rolled out so they can lock in the best student talent.Australian Catholic University Provost Belinda Tynan said it had moved into early offers in response to students' desires to organise family and work-life elements before the university year began. "Our early offer students can receive their study timetable as early as October the year before," she said.University of Western Sydney's Angelo Kourtis oversees its early admissions program and said that, for WSU, it was an acknowledgement the ATAR could be a "blunt instrument" for measuring student ability. "We recognise that students are more than just the ATAR," he said."We think it actually disadvantages many students, especially students from regions."Early admission selection criteria can include individual subject and exam marks, Year 11 results, or the portfolio work of creative arts students."If a student wants to do an arts degree, then we will look at their performance and things like history and English and languages and other related subjects," Mr Kourtis said.The program at La Trobe University also recognises a student's contribution to their community.Flinders University has also continued a practice it began in response to the pandemic in 2020, and makes early offers based on Year 11 results."Schools have told us that the early admission scheme allows students to focus on specific subjects for their particular university degree rather than simply achieving a high ATAR score — really helping to take the pressure off," said interim deputy vice-chancellor (students) Deborah West.It's not just domestic school-leavers reaping the benefits, either.Charles Darwin University made 1,254 offers to international students for next year, up from 750 pre-pandemic.Early admission leads to better outcomesMr Kourtis said WSU's internal analysis showed early admission programs often recruited better students overall.The university compared typical applicants with those admitted through early admission, and found early entrants went on to achieve a higher grade point average than their peers in more than 50 per cent of courses."We found their performance is as good, and in some instances better, than students who were admitted solely on the basis of the year 12 result," Mr Kourtis said. "What these programs do is actually challenge the primacy of the end-of-year-12 exams or the ATAR."The University of Canberra has had a similar experience."With early offers, we are continuing to see very strong academic outcomes from students who have entered through this approach," its deputy vice-chancellor (academic) Geoff Crisp said.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-13/covid-sparks-more-early-university-offers-pre-atar-year-12-exams/100683026************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************12 December, 2021Pauline Hanson’s Covid vaccine sprayShe should be free to decide what to put into her own body. J.S. Mill argued that ownership of one's own body is the most basic libertyFederal One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has told a crowd of “pro-choice” business owners she has no intention of getting vaccinated against Covid-19, saying she is “not putting that s*** in my body”.Senator Hanson was a guest speaker at a “businesses for choice” event in Ipswich on Thursday night. The group behind the forum describes itself as wanting to “support like-minded patriotic and conservative representatives, irrespective of party affiliation”.In her remarks, Ms Hanson said she would not listen to bureaucrats, the United Nations or the World Health Organisation “pushing their own agenda” to “take away my freedom”.However she insisted she was “not an anti-vaxxer”.The vast majority of Australians have chosen to get vaccinated against Covid, with Ms Hanson’s own state Queensland passing its 80 per cent double-vaxxed threshold this week. At the national level, 93 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 have received at least one dose and 89 per cent are fully vaccinated.“I’ll tell you honestly: I haven’t had the jab, I don’t intend to have the jab, I’m not putting that s*** in my body,” Ms Hanson said in footage obtained by Channel 9.The crowd responded with applause.“I’ve taken that stance and that is my choice,” she continued. “I’m not an anti-vaxxer, but I am very careful what I put into my body. I felt that I’ve kept pretty good health all my life, and I intend to keep it that way.“I don’t intend to listen to bureaucrats or politicians, or UN or WHO pushing their own agenda and take away my freedoms, my rights, my choices when that’s why I’m fighting this issue and so should you.”https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/not-putting-that-in-my-body-pauline-hansons-covid-vaccine-spray/news-story/ce533b8be928e0cfb3e2a62f67929cad**************************************The Greens have dehumanised women to align with their political agenda, writes Vikki CampionIn the final sitting week of the year, the Greens sought to cancel the word “woman” from new laws, to appease 0.06 per cent of the birthing population who identify as men.Seeking to “omit the word woman” and insert “pregnant person” 23 times, Greens MP Abigail Boyd also sought to “resist the creep towards foetal personhood”.Revealing their legislative skillset ends at the copy-paste shortcut on a keyboard, the Greens even sought to cancel women from a bill that by its very nature requires the XX chromosome to be relevant - Zoe’s law - which means offenders whose criminal acts cause the loss of an unborn child face longer sentences.After at least four attempts at similar reforms in the past, the law creates two offences, each adding up to three years to sentences for crimes that result in the loss of a foetus, recognising the loss of an unborn child as a unique injury to a pregnant woman.So how do the Greens pretend to care about women when they want to wipe womanhood from legislation?There are plenty of other issues where Ms Boyd recognises the reality of chromosomes, anatomy and assigned sex, including on the number of incarcerated Indigenous women, underreported sexual assaults on women and the pay inequality between women’s and men’s professional sports.It’s just pregnancy where women must be omitted.https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/the-greens-have-dehumanised-women-to-align-with-their-political-agenda-writes-vikki-campion/news-story/0f3153a6a38bcd53150c843616d68de0*************************************The reef as a political footballA leaked email obtained by The Courier-Mail has revealed that on July 23 this year, principal adviser in the Premier’s office Ross MacLeod sent an email reading; “Hello FYI, WH committee has deferred decision on listing the reef as “in danger”. Will consider again early next based on updates provided by Australia. Good result and vindicates Queensland position as per below.”It’s not known what Mr MacLeod was referring to when he said “Queensland position as per below”.Denise Spinks, who was Ms Palaszczuk’s deputy COS, responded about an hour later saying, “Good! Brings it before fed election … perfect time to fleece them!”Ms Spinks CC’d in a raft of people including the address for the Premier’s policy team and Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon’s COS Nick Heath.It followed a decision that day by the World Heritage Committee to not list the reef as “in danger”, with the decision instead deferred until 2023.The federal government now has to prove its actions are helping improve the reef’s health and demonstrate why it shouldn’t be listed in danger.Opposition environment and Great Barrier Reef spokesman Sam O’Connor said the Premier had been “caught red handed trying to politicise” the reef.“The Great Barrier Reef is Queensland’s most precious natural asset but the Premier cares more about the political angle,” he said.https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/state-government-staffers-email-slammed-as-politicising-great-barrier-reef/news-story/ba028c78f15deb599643f82ad7b0c868*************************************Warmists versus conservationists in North QueenslandWind farms wrecking the natural environmentWhile environmental campaigners like Steve Nowakowski remain committed to renewable energy, a Background Briefing investigation has found growing community backlash over the locations chosen for projects in North Queensland.Local conservation groups and peak climate bodies are sounding the alarm over plans to build green energy projects in forests that predate white settlement, along corridors bordering World Heritage Areas, and on properties previously targeted for conservation protection, rather than on cleared and degraded land.If all current proposals were to be approved, an estimated 13,332 hectares of remnant vegetation would be cleared statewide. Around 90 per cent of the land clearing will be in North Queensland.There are currently 48, large-scale renewable energy projects that have been completed, commenced or slated for Queensland, with some of the largest facilities to be built along the electricity transmission networks that traverse the Coral Sea coast.These transmission lines provide convenient access to the national energy grid but sometimes cut through ecologically valuable land.“We’ve got this big wall of steel coming through along the transmission line along the western side of the Great Dividing Range, hugging the western side of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area,” Steve says.According to James Cook University adjunct professor and evolutionary biologist, Dr Tim Nevard, Far North Queensland is one of Australia’s most biodiverse regions and many of the sites chosen for wind farms are “wholly inappropriate”.“Biodiversity is the buffer at the end of the tracks that stops the runaway train of climate change from bursting through,” Dr Nevard says.“Destroying biodiversity in order to have greater amounts of wind energy is a complete oxymoron. It’s ridiculous. So we shouldn’t be doing it.”https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-12/queensland-wind-farms-clearing-bushland/100683198************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************10 December, 2021Soaring numbers of university students, unregistered teachers fronting classrooms to plug shortagesThis reminds me of the Whitlam era in the 60s and 70s when there was another big teacher shortage. At that time I got a job teaching in a NSW High School despite having no teacher qualifications at all. But I had a degreeIn 2021, 320 teachers were granted Permission To Teach (PTT) approvals by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) — an increase from 211 in 2020 and 178 in 2019.Of the 320 approvals this year, 272 were for pre-service teachers in Queensland, with 222 working in state schools and 98 in non-state schools.A PTT application can be considered when a school is unable to find an appropriate registered teacher for a specific teaching position and can be granted for up to two years.QCT director Deanne Fishburn said the majority of PTTs were granted for one year or less."Teachers approved under PTT are restricted to teaching specific subjects and year levels in the nominated school only," she said."Importantly, applicants must also be suitable to teach and have the knowledge, qualifications, skills or training reasonably considered by the QCT to be relevant to the position."Ms Fishburn said pre-service teachers who were granted PTT were generally in the final stages of their teacher education program and were continuing their studies while teaching.A Department of Education spokesperson said the number of PTT applications represented a small fraction of the broader teaching workforce."The majority of approved PTTs engaged by the department are in the final stages of their Initial Teacher Education programs, and about to graduate as a qualified teacher," they said. "This is a normal occurrence each year."Queensland Teachers' Union president Cresta Richardson said using PTT to fill shortages should be a last resort. "We really should be producing enough quality candidates — and I'm not saying they're not quality people — but we really should be attracting enough people to universities, getting them through and supporting them as teachers," she said.It comes amid concerns of further workforce shortages due to the Queensland government's vaccine mandate for any staff entering an educational setting, including schools.Independent Education Union QLD/NT branch secretary Terry Burke said both schools and employees were waiting on clarity regarding the health direction arrangements and advocated for consultation.Ms Richardson said the union was working with the department on understanding how the directive would be implemented."If we apply what's happened in Victoria and New South Wales, we would assume that there will be a very small proportion of people who may choose to remain unvaccinated," she said."Where there are numbers or support required, we'll be working with the department on how best to support those school communities to ensure teaching and learning can continue for students in those schools."Contingency planAn Education Department spokesperson said all Queensland state schools had contingency plans in place and were well prepared for any disruptions that might occur."Principals and their school teams have been planning for these scenarios for almost two years, and are ready to deliver programs that best meet the needs of their school communities," the spokesperson said."The department will continue to follow advice from Queensland's Chief Health Officer and Queensland Health to help manage the impacts of COVID-19 on students, staff, and their families."Soaring demand for relief teachersThis year, the department increased the number of casual relief teachers available to schools to meet rising demand."The department continues to track the number of offers made to relief teachers to fill short-term demand within schools to cover the impacts from seasonal cold and flu, as well as managing public health advice, such as 'Feel Sick, Stay Home, Get Tested', which is now a standard practice in the workplace," the spokesperson said."The department continues to work towards offering more full-time and permanent employment to teachers within a school, or cluster of schools. and remains consistent with the government's commitment to employment security for public servants."The spokesperson said the department had managed more than 200,000 relief teacher requests, filling 95 per cent."The requests that were not filled can be attributed to late notice of the request by school, geographical location and availability of the relief teacher for that day," the spokesperson said.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-09/preservice-teachers-rushed-through-registration-to-meet-demand/100683334*******************************************Fish can help ward off starfish outbreaksStarfish are the real danger to the reef, not global warmingSome of the tastiest reef fish might be in shorter supply in the future after scientists found they help protect coral by eating crown-of-thorns starfish.Researchers have looked at decades of data on fish takes and the prevalence of the coral-eating starfish on the Great Barrier Reef.It turns out there's a striking relationship between starfish numbers and the biomass of some fish commonly harvested for seafood."We found very strong relationships between the two, where the more fish you harvest, the higher crown-of-thorns starfish numbers were," says Frederieke Kroon, an ecologist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science."We found that for emperors, for tropical snappers, and for rockcods."It's long been known that some fish like to eat crown-of-thorns starfish but the study led by Dr Kroon is the first to explore how fisheries harvests may affect starfish numbers.Part of the study looked at how fish and starfish abundance differed between green-zone reefs, where fishing is banned, and blue-zone reefs where commercial and recreational fishing is allowed.On closed reefs, the biomass of emperors, snappers and rock cods was 1.4 to 2.1 times higher and starfish densities were nearly three times lower."It's well known that no-take marine reserves increase fish biomass and diversity of large fishes and previous studies have suggested marine reserves could also influence starfish numbers," Dr Kroon says."But our study provides strong evidence there are fewer crown-of-thorns starfish on reefs with more predatory fish."Dr Kroon says many factors are believed to contribute to outbreak proportions of crown-of-thorns starfish.Understanding that the removal of predatory fish is one of them should help reef managers refine what they do to suppress starfish numbers. That might include altering the way fishing activities are managed."The next step could be to look at which reefs are particularly important in crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks by being highly connected, spreader reefs," Dr Kroon says."There's already quite good information about which reefs they are."Then we can look at how they are managed for fisheries, and make that more targeted ... so we can basically use the fish to help us keep starfish numbers down."https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/fish-can-help-ward-off-starfish-outbreaks/ar-AARB6vq?ocid=winp1taskbar****************************************No evidence in support of the great PFAS panic<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-21/erin-brockovich-sounds-alarm-over-pfas-as-new-qld-sites-emerge/11606772">Erin Brokovich</a> made good coin out of this scareA major study on the effects of toxic chemicals that leaked into the groundwater of regional towns near Australian air force bases has found there is no conclusive evidence of increased risk of cancer or disease.Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) were asked to conduct a three-year study into the health risks of living with the chemicals in Katherine in the Northern Territory, Oakey in Queensland and Williamtown in New South Wales.The chemicals, known as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), were widely used in firefighting foams on defence force bases until the early 2000s.All three communities were exposed to contaminated groundwater and were told to limit their consumption of local fish and fruit, following historic use of PFAS at nearby Defence Force bases.Teams analysed 2,587 blood samples, including more than 600 from residents living in Katherine, and found there was clear evidence of elevated levels of PFAS and increased psychological distress.Researchers also found there was an association between higher levels of PFAS and high levels of cholesterol in residents living in Williamtown, compared to people living in three comparison communities without toxic contamination.People living in Katherine and Williamtown included in the study were found to have a higher prevalence of elevated uric acid, which is a marker of poor kidney function.ANU lead researcher Martyn Kirk said one-third of residents described being "very" or "extremely'"concerned about their health, while one in five people had serious concerns about their mental health.But he said the study's findings were consistent with previous research that could not conclusively identify causative links between PFAS and adverse health outcomes."The main factors associated with people having higher levels of PFAS in their blood were the length of time they had lived in the town, whether they regularly drank bore water or ate locally grown foods, and if they had worked with firefighting foams in the past," Professor Kirk said.Early last year, the largest environmental class action Australia had ever seen was won by residents in Katherine, Oakey and Williamtown. They sued the Australian government, arguing their property values plummeted because of the contamination.The class action was filed by Shine Lawyers, which enlisted the support of American activist Erin Brockovich, who has previously told the ABC that PFAS "should be concerning for all of us". Ms Brockovich has highlighted studies in Europe and the US linking PFAS with some cancers and thyroid disease.The ANU study looked at years of health records, and included the findings from a series of focus groups involving a small sample size of 180 people, including 69 participants from Aboriginal communities in Katherine.ANU associate professor Rosemary Korda said researchers noted higher rates of some health conditions in PFAS-affected communities, but said it could not be ruled out "that these findings were due to chance or important factors that we couldn't measure".The report said residents described feeling "trapped" or "stuck" in their homes and discussed the psychological stress and anxiety they experienced living in an area with PFAS contamination.Many of the study's participants said they were worried about cancers and aggravation of existing health conditions.The research was commissioned by the Australian government's Department of Health, and included international experts on epidemiology, environmental chemistry, cancer and statistics.The report's findings have not reassured some residents in the community of Katherine, about 300 kilometres from Darwin.Peter John Spafford, who worked as the only GP in Katherine for a decade, said PFAS had impacted the health of his patients.He said the study's sample size was small, and he hoped further research would be carried out."I think there is a serious conflict of interest between the funding [by the federal government] of this and the outcomes," Dr Spafford said.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-10/pfas-study-katherine-williamtown-oakey-finds-no-cancer-link/100690484**************************************Arrogant black Muslim in a heap of troubleThe court was told the incident started when Mr Mahmoud and a friend were ejected by a security guard for riding their bikes inside the shopping centre.After seeing what happened, Reah told the teenagers that he was watching them, waved a stick at them, and then, as they were cycling off, yelled racist abuse.Bottles were then thrown at his vehicle, prompting Reah to get in the car and chase Mr Mahmoud through the dimly-lit car park, at speeds of up to 60 kilometres an hour.The teenager was knocked down, thrown under the vehicle and run over, suffering extensive injuries including fractures to his thigh, pelvis, shoulder blade and ribs and a punctured lung.Reah stopped his car but left it to bystanders to help Mr Mahmoud while he went looking for his dog.He later lied to police and told them his brakes had failed.Justice Bruno Fiannaca said Reah had been "fuelled by anger" when he drove at Mr Mahmoud after "unnecessarily" becoming involved in the original incident, which had escalated the situation."I am satisfied your intervention was motivated, at least in part, by a racist attitude which contributed to your offending," he told the 51-year-old."I am satisfied you were (then) angry and wanted to exact revenge for the fact they had thrown bottles at your car. "You deliberately drove at Mr Mahmoud and hit him."He also noted that Reah had failed to take responsibility for his actions and continued to do so.The court heard Mr Mahmoud's injuries had affected his ability to walk and run, and it was likely he would suffer long-term consequences such as arthritis.Mr Mahmoud, who is now 20, was not in court for the sentencing, but members of his family and the Eritrean community were, including his uncle Gamal Ahmedin.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-09/jason-reah-jailed-for-six-years-after-running-over-teen/100615542************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************9 December, 2021The Northern Territory is giving Australia a bad nameArticles such as the one below have appeared on many sites in America. It is never mentioned that the NT is not typical of Australia as a whole. It is also not mentioned that the harsh measures were designed to deal with the Territory's large and unco-operative Aboriginal populationUPDATE of 10 Dec: The Northern Territory will scrap its border restrictions on December 20, its government has announced.Since the first cases of COVID were discovered in every country, the ruling class of each has tried to orchestrate different levels of control.The worst global pandemic in a century is bad enough. However, corrupt leaders have used it as an exercise in power. Lockdowns have destroyed economies, including the personal lives of people everywhere. Indirect consequences caused by lockdowns have been devastating.Mask mandates have done nothing to help curb surges, but stolen personal freedoms. Vaccine mandates are now an increasingly used way of trying to force people to conform. However, possibly one of the most startling acts of authoritarian control is happening in Australia.In one of the freest democracies outside the United States of America, Australians are being punished for opposing any COVID order leveled by the government. Despite a higher percentage of vaccinated people getting sick again, the unvaccinated are being punished.In America, Joe Biden continues to falsely insist that any new surge in COVID cases is the fault of anyone who is unvaccinated. This completely ignores a wealth of data suggesting natural immunity after recovering from COVID may reduce second infection chances to virtually zero.These authoritarian government mandates and tyrannical orders are not about the pandemic. Each and every order is about power and control. Governments are using the misfortune caused by a deadly virus to force people into conformity.In Australia, the unvaccinated are being shipped off to internment camps. Not since the horrific acts of the Nazis have we witnessed such an abuse of humanity. Video footage from one of these internment camps has been leaked.The video shows boundary lines that these imprisoned Australians must stay within. They are restricted to when and where they can even do laundry. The audio portion of the video mentions explicitly that if an imprisoned person crosses a particular line, they will be fined $5,000.The woman questioning a creepy medical-gowned Gestapo-like guard was informed the reason “doesn’t have to make sense.” As with the underlying principle behind mandates, such as those imposed by Joe Biden and liberal-run U.S. states, people should shut up and do as they’re instructed.Do not ask questions. We must follow orders and just conform. Increasingly, videos are leaking out of these Australian detention camps through social media. Images clearly resemble wartime prisons used to hold people against their will.One Australian woman broke silence over her ordeal. Hayley Hodgson moved away from Melbourne to get away from the continuous lockdowns there. Living in Darwin, she thought she was free to make her own choices. She was not.The spiral of circumstances that led to Hodgson being imprisoned against her will started when a friend tested positive for COVID. Authorities showed up at her front door. Investigators had run the license plate number of Hodgson’s scooter.They informed her she had been recorded as having had “close contact” with her now COVID infected friend. She was asked if she had recently taken a COVID case. Believing this private information was none of their business, she lied.That exercise in personal medical freedom eventually landed Hodgson in a COVID internment camp. As she was hauled away, all she was told is that the orders came from “higher ups”. Hodgson was tossed in a rented fan and hauled away to Howard Springs.There she remained for the full 14-days, regardless that she tested negative multiple times. Obviously, her time detained was not about being a health threat, but about resisting government authority. Remember, this happened in Australia, not Russia.These were healthcare professionals and law enforcement personnel in a democratic republic. The liberals in America will use the same tactics if they are not stopped. Joe Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandates will fling open a door to government intrusiveness that we will never get closed.The videos of what is going on in Australia are startling. They prove to what lengths the ruling class elite will go to exercise power. Americans must not rest on their laurels. This could bleed into our country in an instant. It already has. The left wants to seize permanent control of power.They want control of educating our children. The left wants full federal control over elections. They’re pushing for a socialist welfare state in America. Now they want control over our medical decisions.These leaked videos clearly show internment camps in an otherwise free nation. This is not a joke. Americans must take these assaults on personal freedom seriously. If not, we will soon find ourselves living in a country that looks nothing like the free republic we all cherish.https://steadfastclash.com/the-latest/shocking-hidden-camera-footage-from-inside-forced-quarantine-camps-in-australia/******************************************Victorian Big Battery switched onThe biggest battery in the southern hemisphere is operating in Victoria.Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio on Wednesday officially launched the $84 million Big Battery, located at Moorabool near Geelong.Owned and operated by French renewable energy giant Neoen, the battery has the capacity of 300 megawatts and 450 megawatt-hours - making it more than double the size of billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla big battery built in South Australia in 2017.Labor touts business support for emissions targetThe Victorian battery also uses the Telsa technology and made global headlines when it caught fire during testing in July.An investigation found the blaze, which went for four days, was most likely sparked by a coolant leak causing short-circuits. It prompted Tesla to upgrade its global fleet of Megapack batteries.Ms D'Ambrosio said the battery would safeguard the state's energy supply in the summer, reduce energy prices and support the government's emissions reduction plan."The Victorian Big Battery will deliver cleaner, cheaper and more reliable power and help us reach our ambitious target of halving emissions by 2030," she said.https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victorian-big-battery-switched-on/ar-AARzXPI?ocid=winp1taskbar************************************************A pessimistic view of omicronA top medical expert has issued a dire warning about the newest Covid variant on The Project – leaving host Waleed Aly “petrified.”A top US epidemiologist has issued a dire warning to those unconcerned about the new Omicron Covid variant rapidly spreading across the globe, describing the notion that it’s a milder version of the disease as a “sweet little lie”.Appearing on Monday’s episode of The Project, epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding’s worrying predictions clearly rattled host Waleed AlyFeigl-Ding told The Project hosts that, with a new variant circulating, Australians should be vaccinating children “as soon as possible”.“There’s been a lot of misinformation last year that kids can’t be infected, kids are immune – that’s not true. If anything, the Delta variant is much more severe in children, hospitalisation rates are much higher, and that’s before Omicron,” he said.“Kids do get sick, kids do get hospitalised and they do die. Please protect them against Omicron – vaccinating them is of the highest urgency.”Feigl-Ding described early evidence out of South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first reported, as “very alarming”.Over the weekend, government adviser Waasila Jassat told reporters in the Johannesburg area, where the virus is spreading widely, there has been “quite a sharp increase” in hospital admissions “across all age groups but particularly in the under-fives”.“Hospitalisations are absolutely soaring,” said Feigl-Ding.“Hospitalisations in children are about sixfold higher than previous waves. Omicron is not mild in any way … It’s already outpacing the previous waves, even despite higher vaccination rates. The data is very bad, and we have to not try to want to believe in the sweet little lies that we hear that it’s mild – it’s not.”Project panellist Peter Helliar asked where we might be in the life of this pandemic, prompting a dispiriting answer from Feigl-Ding, who says the pandemic is “far from over,” pointing to what he called a “vaccine apartheid” in regions like southern Africa, where new variants are able to emerge in populations with low vaccination rates.“We’re eventually going to shoot ourselves in the foot, because another variant like omicron – or worse – will arise, and it will restart the whole pandemic system,” he said.Feigl-Ding noted that World Health Organisation had already announced they may switch to using stars and constellations if they run out of Greek letters to name Covid variantsNot all medical experts share Feigl-Ding’s views on Omicron – one leading voice even believes Omicron could, counterintuitively, spell “the end of Covid”.“I actually think there is a silver lining here, and this may signal the end of Covid-19, with it attenuating itself to such an extent that it is highly contagious but does not cause severe disease. That’s what happened with Spanish flu,” said Dr Richard Friedland, CEO of the Netcare Group, which operates more than 50 hospitals in South Africhttps://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/the-project-guests-dire-warning-about-omicron-variant/news-story/161cf63fadd6e0fca08cc6c1efc9e7ac********************************************COVID to have ‘life-long impact on population’ as fertility crashes to record lowUncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to Australia’s fertility rate falling to its lowest level on record with warnings it may never recover, leaving the nation with a recession-sized hole in its population make-up.Through 2020, 294,369 births were registered across the country, a 3.7 per cent or 11,500 fall on 2019. The fertility rate dropped almost 5 per cent to an all-time low of 1.58 births per woman, a fall larger than Australia experienced during the darkest years of the Great Depression.It was the lowest number of births registered in the country since 2007 and down by 6.6 per cent on the peak number of births recorded in 2018.The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the biggest falls were in Victoria, where there were 3846 fewer births, a 4.9 per cent drop, and in South Australia where births also fell by 4.9 per cent or 952.Across NSW, there was 3.4 per cent fall, or 3330 babies. Tasmania defied the trend, up by 1 per cent or 54 births.Demographer Liz Allen from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods said the nation’s fertility rate had been falling for the past 50 years, but a range of factors were now making it even more difficult for prospective parents to start a family.She said the financial insecurity caused by the COVID recession now overlaid ongoing issues including the high cost of housing, which required both parents to work to raise enough money to buy a home, anxiety over climate change and growing gender equality.COVID would weigh on the nation’s population profile forever.“Potential parents are being hammered on all sides, and struggling to survive in a climate that directly translates into missing children,” she said.“Potential parents’ active choices to start a family or the size of that family is slipping away from them and that will have long-term repercussions for them and for the country.“People have postponed having children and we could see a lift next year, but I suspect that what we have seen is a life-long impact on our population.”The lowest fertility rate in NSW is across Sydney’s CBD and inner south. It has fallen by 24 per cent to less than one over the past decade. While the number of people living in the area has climbed by more than 92,500 since 2010, the number of babies born to local residents has fallen by 328.It’s a similar story in the city’s west. While Parramatta’s population has swelled by 100,569 over the past 10 years, the number of babies born has fallen by 134.The largest fall in fertility nationally has occurred in Melbourne’s inner city, down almost 28 per cent since 2010. The fertility rate is a national-low of 0.91. Across Melbourne’s inner suburbs there have been falls in fertility of more than 20 per cent over the past decade.All these areas, however, have recorded large population increases over the period, driven by internal and overseas migration.Not one part of Melbourne now has a fertility rate above 2, with falls in growing areas such as the south-east and western suburbs.Across Australia only one region – the north-west of Western Australia, which has a large Indigenous population – has recorded an increase in fertility rates since 2010.Debt, deficit and grey haired: COVID-19 upends economic futureThe bureau’s demography director, Beidar Cho, said the fall in fertility could be attributed to COVID-19 disruptions.She said not only had the fertility rate fallen, but the median age of mothers had lifted to a high of 31.6 years. The highest median age is 32.4 years in the ACT while the youngest mothers are in the Northern Territory at 30.3 years.“The long-term decline in fertility of younger mums as well as the continued increase in fertility of older mums reflects a shift towards later childbearing,” she said.https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/covid-to-have-life-long-impact-on-population-as-fertility-crashes-to-record-low-20211208-p59ftu.html************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************8 December, 2021Craig Kelly: MP banned from Facebook but appointed to parliament’s social media inquiryThis would appear to be a recognition that what Kelly says is not far out. What he says has strong academic authority. It is just not mainstream. But the mainstream changes so that is no discredit to Kelly. He just keeps a badly needed debate aliveThe federal MP Craig Kelly – who has been permanently banned from Facebook and criticised for the online distribution of “seriously misleading” information about Covid-19 vaccines – has been appointed to a parliamentary committee looking into social media and online safety.The appointment has raised eyebrows among other members of the committee after the former Liberal, turned Palmer United party MP, was banned from Facebook and Instagram in April this year over posts promoting hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin and questioning the effectiveness of masks.In September, the Therapeutic Goods Administration also issued a statement saying its lawyers had written to Kelly over text messages the party had sent to millions of Australians. The TGA alleged the party had breached copyright and demanded it stop distributing “incomplete extracts” of adverse event reports relating to Covid vaccines which the TGA believed could be “seriously misleading”.Kelly has since called for the social media companies to be reined in, and argued Facebook’s move was in contempt of parliament and amounted to improper interference.The then Speaker Tony Smith dismissed that claim, stating there was no evidence that the ban was targeted at Kelly in his capacity as a member of parliament.Since Kelly joined the United Australia party, YouTube’s parent company Google has also faced pressure to remove the party’s account. Labor’s national secretary, Paul Erickson, wrote to Google in September raising concerns that the UAP was using its platform to undermine confidence in Australia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, citing videos in which Kelly questioned the safety of Covid vaccines and promoted ivermectin.The party has spent close to $3m on ads on YouTube since August, far more than any other political party in Australia over the same period.The parliamentary inquiry was announced by Scott Morrison this week as part of the government’s ongoing focus on large tech companies. The committee will be chaired by the Liberal MP Lucy Wicks, and report back in February, before the next federal election.The terms of reference for the committee are broad. It will review “the range of online harms that may be faced by Australians on social media and other online platforms, including harmful content or harmful conduct”, what impact algorithms have, identity verification and age verification policies, online safety for children, and data collection.The committee consists of eight members, with five from the government, and three from the opposition or crossbench.On Thursday, Kelly along with the Labor MPs Tim Watts and Sharon Claydon were added to the committee in a motion in the House of Representatives by the assistant minister to the deputy prime minister, Kevin Hogan.The crossbench ultimately decides which of its members are put up on committees, meaning it was not a decision of government members to appoint Kelly to the committee.https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/03/craig-kelly-mp-banned-from-facebook-appointed-to-parliaments-social-media-inquiry***********************************************Hidden connections of Australia's power elitesMany people, like me, are starting to wake up to the fact that things are not what they seem in Australia. For years now, we have all been fed the line that Australia is a democratic ‘meritocracy’ where those who reach the top, do so as a product of their own gifts, talent, intelligence or hard work – none of which is even remotely true.Most people operating at the top of Australia’s elite circle of power are part of a far more nepotistic and insidious system altogether – one where hard work and talent matters much less than who are connected to, or even who your father, mother, or sibling was, or who you are married to.Take Boris Johnson in the UK, whose father, Stanley Johnson, was an influential Conservative Party politician and later, a member of the European Parliament, European Commission and World Bank. Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was of course the famous Prime Minister of Canada, whose two administrations bridged the 1960, 1970s and 1980s.Jacinda Ardern is the daughter of Ross Ardern, a NZ High Commissioner to Cook Islands and more recently, Administrator of Tokelau. His brother, Ian, is Head of the Mormon Church in New Zealand and Pacific region.Scott Morrison’s Great Aunt was Mary Gilmore, who once founded a utopian socialist colony in Paraguay with the socialist William Lane.Morrison’s older brother, Alan, serves as Chair of AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) Committee on Paramedicine and Chair of the government’s Health Services Working Group.Then there is Jane Halton, who Morrison appointed as head of the government’s National Covid-19 Co-ordination Commission. Jane is the daughter of Charles Halton, a British Military Scientist brought to Australia in 1973 by Gough Whitlam to overhaul the country’s transport system, and who served as Secretary of Defence and Secretary of the Department of Communications under Hawke and Keating.Daughter Jane is now the CHAIR OF CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), set up and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust and World Economic Forum in 2015. Jane was part of Event 201, a pandemic exercise organised and funded by John Hopkins, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations and the World Economic Forum in October 2019.Jane’s husband is Trevor Sutton, Deputy of the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Chair of the Governing Council of Statistics for the Asian and Pacific region. Trevor heads the Statistical Business Transformation Group which received a $256 million investment program to radically transform how ABS collects, processes and disseminates information, data and statistics.In 2016, ABS data collection and survey systems were awarded to Accenture, a partner of ID2020 and GAVI. Trevor is a Member of the Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation of which Jane Halton is also a Board Member, and which receives funding from the Gates Foundation and WHO.Trevor Sutton’s brother is Dr Brett Sutton. Dr Sutton is the Chief Health Officer of Victoria, who advises Dan Andrews Government on public health and pandemic response measures. Interestingly, Jane Halton also has a brother, Philip Halton, who is Deputy Commissioner of QBCC, Queensland’s building and construction regulator.These are just a few examples but there are many more – some are well-known, while others are tightly guarded secrets.https://www.kickstartqueensland.com.au/news/hidden-connections-of-power-elites/********************************************Moorooka State School parents in fight to keep principal Jordan BurkeOne hopes the bureaucratic shitheads take notice of this. A popular principal is a treasureA Brisbane school community has launched an eleventh-hour campaign to keep their “beloved” principal, the school’s third in two years, after they received notice he would not be receiving a new contract for 2022.According to a petition launched by a concerned Moorooka State School parent, the community was recently “blindsided by the bureaucratically motivated removal of its beloved principal,” Jordan Burke.“The school’s third principal in two years, Mr Burke dedicated himself to our school over the last 12 months in a way that was appreciably over and above what was required in his job description,” the petition said.“In return, he has been justifiably popular with students and parents alike.“The Department of Education has undertaken to remove Mr Burke on the basis that our school has grown and he is no longer the best person for the job.“We say otherwise.“Our kids are upset and confused about the removal of their principal, and we as parents are angry that the department has not given any weight at all to the benefits of consistency in our kids’ educational environment, and concerned that our voice has not been accurately represented in the recruitment process for our principal.”An Education Queensland representative confirmed that the decision to move on from Mr Burke was driven by the school’s recent growth from 349 students in 2018 to 435 this year.“Moorooka State School has grown rapidly over the past few years and has recently been reclassified by the department into a higher classification level,” the representative said.“In Term 4 of this year the department ran a merit recruitment and selection process as required by policy.“A principal from another school was identified as the most suitable applicant from that process and will commence the role in Term 1 next year.“These are operational matters and the Minister for Education has no role in the selection or appointment of principals.”A current Moorooka State School parent told the Southern Star Mr Burke brought “stability” to the school after four principals in five years, three of them in the past two years.“Our understanding was that principal Burke was to be our principal long-term,” she said. “Principal Burke’s sense of community and excitement for the school’s future was always evident, and we were looking forward to 2022 (and beyond) with him leading the school, and finally getting the chance to implement new ideas.“The frequent turnover of principals, and more recently vice-principals, means this diverse school community has had to cope with multiple changes (on top of Covid-19), and the associated uncertainty and loss of momentum as each new principal takes time to get to know the school staff, teachers, students and school community before implementing any plans.”A petition to keep Mr Burke on as principal has garnered 439 signatures at the time of publication.https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/southeast/moorooka-state-school-parents-in-fight-to-keep-principal-jordan-burke/news-story/a7c7bd310e36e6856663df4df2059a4e*********************************************Researchers to put successful schools under the microscopeThey will discover that the best schools are the most orderlyA team of university researchers will study the state’s best schools to work out the secrets of their success, so others can learn from them.The NSW Department of Education and three universities - NSW, Canberra and Charles Sturt - have established The Ambassador Schools Research Centre, in a project believed to be among the first of its kind in the world.The department has revealed six ambassador schools, and more will follow. They include Fairvale and Macarthur Girls’ High Schools, and Auburn North, Millthorpe, Bonnyrigg Heights and Huntington Public Schools.Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said each had an x-factor that made them an outstanding school, and distilling that would help others.“This research will provide us with an understanding of how we spread this success across the state, helping teachers improve their classroom practices and lifting student outcomes,” she said.UNSW Professor Kim Beswick said the universities involved had a wide range of experience, from Indigenous and regional education to professional development of teachers and early childhood learning.“We’ve got pretty much all the important bases covered, and lots of experience of working with schools and trying to find out what works,” she said.“We’ve suggested really rigorous approaches, but a key feature of this research is that it’s going to be co-designed with the department … but also with the principals of the ambassador schools.“They’ll get a say in the sorts of data they would like to see collected. They’ll be able to inform us of their context and what they think is working.”By 2023, the researchers expect to have an idea of the most effective approaches in those schools, and hope to help other schools implement them in 2024.https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/researchers-to-put-successful-schools-under-the-microscope-20211208-p59fxm.html************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************7 December, 2021Labor sets up a clash with the Greens on climate changeLabor has set up a clash with the Greens on climate change in a bid to assure voters it will not change its 43 per cent target to cut greenhouse gas emissions if it wins the election, insisting the Parliament would have to pass the goal or vote it down.Anxious to quash a scare campaign about a higher target, Labor climate spokesman Chris Bowen ruled out a negotiation with the Greens on the figure in the event of a hung Parliament despite Coalition claims he would have to overhaul his policy.Mr Bowen also rebuffed calls from the Greens to close coal-fired power stations and phase out coal exports by arguing nothing in the Labor policy would bring forward closures or hurt exporters who were exposed to competition from overseas.The Labor pledge is to introduce a bill to Parliament that specifies the 43 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 on the levels of 2005 and to refuse to accept changes by the Greens, with the lower house rejecting amendments to the target in the Senate.The Labor stance seeks to avoid repeating the party’s deal with the Greens in 2010, when the Gillard government legislated a price on carbon after ruling out a carbon tax before the election, and challenges the Greens to avoid a repeat of a pivotal vote in 2009 when the minor party vetoed an emissions trading scheme because it wanted a more ambitious policy.Asked if Labor would negotiate on the target to secure support from the Greens, Mr Bowen said: “No.”Labor is promising to make its target a formal commitment to the United Nations if it wins power, saying it is willing to legislate the goal while the Coalition could not do the same because conservatives would block a bill that cemented increasing the government’s 26 to 28 per cent target to its forecast 35 per cent emissions reduction by 2030.But with Greens leader Adam Bandt calling for a 75 per cent cut in emissions by that year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed a Labor government would have to give in to the Greens on climate.“For Labor to legislate if they were to form government they would have to do that with the support of the Greens,” he said, while campaigning in the seat of Wentworth in eastern Sydney.“So 43 per cent is just the opening bid for Labor. And you know what the Greens’ target is, it’s 75 per cent. So vote Labor, you vote Greens and you vote for the Greens targets.”Mr Morrison was reminded of the disagreements within his backbench, however, when a journalist asked if he backed a call from Dave Sharma, the Liberal member for Wentworth, to cut emissions by 40 to 45 per cent by 2035.“That’s not the government’s policy. I respect Dave’s commitment to this area,” Mr Morrison said.In the first lengthy explanation of the Labor plan since it was announced last Friday, Mr Bowen said the modelling for the policy assumed the government could only achieve a 30 per cent reduction by 2030 and the additional Labor measures would take the figure to 43 per cent and no further.Mr Bowen rejected speculation the Labor target would rise to 48 per cent in the event the government was able to reach the upper range of its stated 30 to 35 per cent forecast.While Greenpeace and the Greens have dismissed the goal as too low, Australian National University professor Mark Howden said the number was in line with the agreement at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow last month to cut emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 on the levels of 2010.Professor Howden, the director of the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, said the 43 per cent reduction against the 2005 numbers meant a total reduction of 267.84 million tonnes since 2005. The UN goal meant a total reduction of 269.59 million tonnes from 2010.“So the amount of reduction in emissions in absolute terms that these two policies/goals require is almost identical, and so it is fair to say that the Labor Party emission reduction policy is in accord with the Glasgow Pact of 45 per cent reductions against 2010 emissions by 2030,” he said.The modelling for the Labor policy, conducted by economics firm RepuTex, says the policy would create 64,000 direct and 540,000 indirect jobs by 2030 and triggered a claim from former ACTU president Jennie George in The Australian that the figure was “so high as to make it unbelievable” because the multiplier effect was too great.Mr Bowen rejected that complaint and said the modelling applied a multiplier in each sector of the economy rather than across the board.“There’s direct jobs, there’s indirect jobs and of course there’s job impacts from just the improved energy supply,” he said. “But that modelling stands up to scrutiny from anyone.”Asked how many jobs would be lost, Mr Bowen said the modelling showed a total gain.“As a result of Labor’s policies, not one,” he said. “The modelling makes clear Labor’s policies create jobs. The modelling also accepts the government’s modelling that global decarbonisation is going to have an impact on Australia.”Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the difference in the two goals, from the government’s 35 per cent forecast to Labor’s 43 per cent target, required “very significant” policies including a carbon tax on industry. Labor has ruled out a carbon tax.https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-sets-up-a-clash-with-the-greens-on-climate-change-20211206-p59f68.html***********************************************Australian farm production tipped to break records this financial yearAnother step away from the food shortages that Greenies are always predictingAustralian farmers will break records this year as the value and volume of their food and fibre climbs to historic highs, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).With the price of grain climbing and unprecedented prices being paid at livestock sales all year, ABARES analysts have raised their forecast for total farm production to $78 billion this financial year.Exports are also tipped to hit a record-breaking $61 billion.The increased value of production is being driven in large part by the poor seasonal conditions experienced by competitors like Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina, and the United States.Those conditions have dented the supply of wheat, barley and canola, driving prices up.The substantial volumes of production have not been badly affected by the recent heavy rain and floods in New South Wales and Queensland.The main impact of the wet weather will be to downgrade the quality of the crop, from human to animal-grade feed.The La Nińa conditions on the east coast will set farmers up for another good year in 2022, filling the soil with moisture, keeping irrigation water costs low and ensuring there is plenty of feed growing for livestock.But farmers will face higher prices to grow their crops with prices for fuel, fertiliser, and farm chemicals all rising.Despite this, ABARES tips farm cash income to hit a record $30.6 billion, off the back of the larger volumes of food and fibre produced in 2021-2022.In a separate analysis, Rabobank predicts the rising cost of key farming inputs will constrain production next year.The specialist food and agribusiness bank warned this would add to the inflation of food prices and could lead to social unrest.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-07/abares-tips-record-breaking-year-for-australian-farm-production/100676500**********************************************Federal district launches interest-free loans for electric cars to boost uptakeDrivers in the Australian Capital Territory can now apply for zero-interest loans designed to boost the uptake of electric vehicles, as industry groups call for similar programs to be adopted across the country.The loans will be available under the ACT government’s sustainable household scheme, which offers interest-free loans for solar panels, battery storage technology and other sustainable equipment. Electric vehicles were added to the program on Monday.Anyone who holds a valid ACT driving licence or owns a home in the territory can apply for 10-year zero-interest loans of up to $15,000. This in addition to other benefits such as a stamp duty exemption for new electric vehicle purchases.Shane Rattenbury, the ACT minister for water, energy and emissions reduction, said the territory wanted to send a strong signal it was embracing the transition to electric cars, both domestically and to carmakers abroad.“The key message here for the external audience is for automakers to say – look at Canberra, get the vehicles into the ACT,” he said.“We’ve got a keen market here. We know people want to purchase these vehicles. We need to see more models at lower prices.”Rattenbury, who drives an electric vehicle, said the federal government “has not been strong supporters of EVs” so it was important for state and territory governments to make their intentions clear.“Nationally, we do have a problem,” Rattenbury. “When you talk to the automakers, they’re hesitant to bring vehicles to Australia because they’re unclear about government policy.”The program is being organised in a staged process with a small number of electric vehicle suppliers participating initially. More will be added over time.Dr Jake Whitehead, head of policy at the Electric Vehicle Council, welcomed the development, saying it could save drivers thousands of dollars in interest payments and improve access to electric cars.“If you own an EV long enough, it’s a cheaper option over time,” he said.“What this loan facility enables you to do is get those savings up front.”Energy company AGL calculated the cost of running an electric vehicle and found it was $1,346 cheaper than running a petrol car, although this result can change depending on location and whether solar panels are used to charge.Whitehead called for interest-free loans to be rolled out across Australia, but said additional policies must also be introduced as well to supercharge uptake.https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/06/act-launches-interest-free-loans-for-electric-cars-to-boost-uptake*******************************************Absurd Climate of fearThe wonderful thing about Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese promising to propel the nation towards a net zero emissions target at a point in time somewhere over the rainbow is that neither of them are going to be around when these magical years are finally upon us.In the finest traditions of the political art they can promise whatever they want, safe in the knowledge that it’s a fanciful figure plucked from the air and designed to shimmer like a distant mirage for the duration of the election campaign.Climate change has become political capital and Labor and the Coalition are now both fixated upon being seen to be doing something – anything – to save the nation from the apocalypse that we are assured, thanks to computer modelling, threatens it.The Climate Council’s Tim Flannery knows a thing or two about computer modelling, having confidently predicted that drought conditions would become permanent in eastern Australia.“Water is going to be in short supply across the eastern states,” he warned. “One morning in the not-too-distant future in one of the major cities, taps will be turned on and instead of water, there will only be a whistling in the pipes. Not a drop. Totally dry,” he announced.I turned on the taps at our place last week as the rain pelted down and indeed there was a whistle. It turned out to be the kettle.Next year, and the PM and the Opposition Leader must hope that it will occur before polling day to vindicate their shining net zero targets, the Arctic ice cap will disappear.We know this because back in 2005, Mr Flannery peered into his computer screen and announced that within 15 years, the ice cap would melt.It stubbornly refused to do so last year, covering an area of 14 million square kilometres, so if our man Flannery is right then apart from whistling taps, 2022 is going to be the year of the Big Melt.The Royal Scottish Geographical Society was unfazed by the dogged refusal of the Arctic ice to disappear and recently gave Mr Flannery a medal for his “dogged determination” to communicate the critical science of climate change. Well done, sir!https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/mike-oconnor/opinion-climate-of-fear-wont-work-at-the-ballot-box/news-story/3f555deb79c85f8d8750673b180a9527************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************6 December, 2021’Ticking time bomb of inequality’ to put owning a home beyond the reach of children born todayRubbish! This galah has rightly noted the big increase in house prices but is oblivious that home unit prices have not followed suit. Home unit prices have increased much less. And the way apartment towers keep popping up there should soon be downward pressure on unit prices. Home unit prices should remain affordable even when house prices do not. Home unit living can be perfectly congenialAustralian kids born in major capitals today face a “ticking time bomb of inequality” that could force them to rent for life as homeownership becomes an inherited luxury.That’s the prediction from a leading futurist, who has warned the government may need to level the playing field as the bank of mum and dad drives entrenched wealth between Australians and their homeownership dreams.It comes as newborn babies can take their first steps on the property ladder before they can walk, with fractional property investment now open to minors via BrickX.Global futurist at the Thinque think tank Anders Sorman-Nilsson said while Australia’s cultural affinity with homeownership was driving markets like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane today, it would price out more and more residents in the coming decades.“You may (in the future) only be able to afford your own home in Sydney and Melbourne if your mum and dad are taking out some of the equity in their own home to help,” Mr Sorman-Nilsson said.“This could be a ticking time bomb of inequality. So there will have to be something done to ensure that this Australian dream will remain.”Affordability issues already mean large parts of Sydney are out of reach for many buyers.He noted some countries had implemented wealth and inheritance taxes to stem the impact of intergenerational gifts such as the hundreds of thousands of dollars some parents offered to help their kids into a home.Price growth might be alleviated as greater “digital democracy” made knowledge-based jobs more accessible in regional areas, but it was still likely many kids born today will never own a home.“You will see new European-style housing arrangements, with people who rent for life or rentvest – buying an investment property, but renting where they want to live,” he said.Proptrack (realestate.com.au’s research division) economic research director Cameron Kusher said price growth over the past 30 years was unlikely to repeat in the coming decades as it had been buoyed by falling interest rates, which were more likely to now rise.But Mr Kusher said even a conservative estimate would put home price growth ahead of inflation, which typically rises as wages do, meaning today’s prices could still be doubled in 30 years time when newborns would be looking to buy.“Most parents will help via their property increasing in price,” Mr Kusher said. “But unfortunately homeownership has been falling, so not everyone will be able to do that.”He said parents might consider shares or fractional property purchases to help their kidshttps://www.realestate.com.au/news/ticking-time-bomb-of-inequality-to-put-owning-a-home-beyond-the-reach-of-children-born-today/*****************************************NSW government overturns decision to block coal mine expansionThe New South Wales government has been accused of being “captured” by the coal industry after it overturned a planning commission decision to block a mine expansion that it found could cause irreversible damage to drinking water and release significant heat-trapping gas.The deputy premier, Paul Toole, and planning minister, Rob Stokes, declared on Saturday the Dendrobium mine expansion near Wollongong – proposed by BHP spin-off South32 – was “state significant infrastructure” due to its role providing coal for the Port Kembla steelworks.It reversed a planning commission decision in February to reject the proposal, which would have allowed the company to extract an extra 78m tonnes of coal from two areas near the Avon and Cordeaux dams. The dams supply water to metropolitan Sydney and the Macarthur, Illawarra and Wollondilly regions.The state government did not mention the water supply or emissions in its statement about the mine expansion. Toole said Dendrobium was a critical source of coking coal for the Port Kembla steelworks and declaring it significant infrastructure would “provide thousands of workers with greater certainty on the future of their jobs”. He said the mine contributed $1.9bn to the state’s economy each year.The NSW government also confirmed it had ruled out future coal exploration in the Hawkins and Rumker areas in the state’s central west, a step flagged by Guardian Australia last month.South32 said it welcomed the government’s decision. A company spokesperson said it “marks an important step” and would allow a submission for an alternate mine plan to that rejected by the planning commission.“We continue to consider our options to determine the best path forward for Illawarra Metallurgical Coal, to continue to supply metallurgical coal for local steel production and support local jobs and investment,” it said.The Dendrobium declaration means South32 can submit an environmental impact statement for community feedback and assessment by the planning department. The department previously recommended the independent planning commission approve the project as its benefits would “significantly outweigh its residual costs, and that it is in the public interest”.It has been supported by Bluescope Steel, which claimed “green steel” – made using hydrogen and renewable energy – was decades away and it wanted to use an existing blend of coking coal until 2048.Dan Gocher, director of climate and environment at shareholder activist organisation the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, said the Dendrobium decision “reeks of state capture”https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/06/captured-by-coal-nsw-government-overturns-decision-to-block-mine-expansion*******************************************Australia’s Omicron travel ban is ‘discrimination’, South African diplomat saysThe ban does sound like closing the door after the horse has bolted. What does it achieve?South Africa’s high commissioner to Australia, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said the ban needed to be overturned due to large numbers of Omicron cases being detected in other continents and not just in parts of Africa.“We believe it is discrimination, because the only difference is these countries [on the travel ban list] are on the African continent,” he told ABC Radio on Monday. “The ban is unfair, there is no evidence the ban works, the World Health Organization confirms that.”The travel ban to nine southern African nations was announced in the wake of the Omicron variant being detected. It also led to a two-week delay to the entry of visa holders without a medical exemption, which is now set to take place from 15 December.Despite the pause on international arrivals, 250 fully vaccinated students will arrive on Monday in Sydney as part of a New South Wales government pilot program. The arrivals will still need to isolate in student accommodation for three days.There have been 15 cases of Omicron detected in NSW, while two have been identified in the Australian Capital Territory and one in the Northern Territory.The finance minister, Simon Birmingham, said while the government had been cautious about the arrival of Omicron, the steps were necessary to assess the situation.̶#8220;It seems that plenty of advisers are indicating that vaccines continue to provide strong levels of protection, and it is why people should get vaccinated if they haven’t done so already,” Birmingham told ABC TV.“We’re now at the point where we’re one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world.”https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/06/australias-omicron-travel-ban-is-discrimination-south-african-diplomat-says**********************************************Scholarship program fails to attract NSW teachers as staff prepare to strike for first time in a decadeUntil they bite the bullet of bringing back effective discipline in classes, government schoolrooms will remain a workplace environment that attracts only the desperateA New South Wales government program aimed at convincing professionals to become maths teachers attracted only six people last year, five of whom dropped out before their scholarships were complete.As the state’s public school teachers prepare for their first strike in almost a decade on Tuesday, new figures have cast doubt on the success of the government’s attempts to address teacher shortages in NSW without significantly increasing pay.In 2019, the state government announced the Teach.Maths NOW scholarship to lure current undergraduates and industry professionals with a background in pure or applied mathematics to become teachers.But the program has struggled to attract and retain applicants. Despite funding for 160 placements, the program was only offered to 53 people in its first two years. Now, new figures obtained by the Guardian show the program has also failed to keep many of the industry professionals who did apply.According to the government, only six industry professionals were among the intake for the Teach.Maths NOW scholarship in 2020. Of those, all but one dropped out of the program “citing a number of reasons including changes in circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic”, the government said.The government said it had made substantial changes to the program, and in 2021, 13 of the 17 industry professionals who signed up for the scholarship remained, but the struggle to attract and keep teachers through Teach.Maths NOW underscores a larger problem.The NSW Department of Education has warned that a significant shortage of teachers – particularly in subjects such as maths and science – is affecting the quality of students’ learning. But the state government has rejected the claim of the teachers’ union that inadequate salaries are leading to declining enrolments in education degrees and an increase in the number of teachers leaving the profession.That’s set the stage for the first teachers’ strike in almost a decade on Tuesday. Staff will defy an order from the Industrial Relations Commission and walk off the job as part of a campaign to see wages increase by 5% with an extra 2.5% to recognise experience.The government has offered a 2.5% pay increase in line with its longstanding cap on wages for public servants and has rejected the argument that the department’s staff issues are related to pay.The education minister, Sarah Mitchell, said: “It is unfortunate but not surprising the [NSW Teachers] Federation continues to attack a staffing strategy, informed by credible research, which seeks to build a sustainable pipeline of quality teachers through various initiatives including increasing pay and financial incentives.”“At no point has the federation engaged in any proactive conversations on how to improve staffing in hard-to-staff regional areas.“Arguing that the only way to attract more people to teaching is a pay increase wilfully ignores the complexities of the modern profession and genuine independent research on the issue.”https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/06/scholarship-program-fails-to-attract-nsw-teachers-as-staff-prepare-to-strike-for-first-time-in-a-decade************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************5 December, 2021Australian Woman Recounts Harrowing Experience of Being Held in COVID-19 Quarantine CampThe official description of these jails is hereIt appears that everyone entering the NT has to undergo imprisonment in them. A good reason to stay away from the NTHayley Hodgson, a 26-year-old Australian woman, recounted her two-week confinement in a COVID-19 quarantine camp in an interview Thursday.nbsp;
“You feel like you’re in prison. You feel like you’ve done something wrong. It’s inhumane what they’re doing,” Hodgson said in an interview with UnHerd. “You are so small, they just overpower you.”Hodgson told UnHerd that she was ordered to quarantine at the Centres for National Resilience in Howard Springs, Darwin, after one of her friends tested positive for COVID-19.“Police officers blocked my driveway,” she said. “I walked out and I said, ‘What’s going on? Are you guys testing me for COVID? What’s happening?’ They said, ‘No, you’re getting taken away. And you have no choice. You’re going to Howard Springs.’”Hodgson said the officers told her that they had received orders from “higher up” to take her to the facility and that she was not permitted to “self-isolate” at home.The officers told Hodgson that if she didn’t voluntarily go with them, they’d put her “in the back of the [police] van,” she said.Once she arrived at the facility, Hodgson was told she would have to stay there for two weeks, according to Unherd. She was reportedly tested three times throughout her confinement, and each time she tested negative for the virus.While inside the facility, Hodgson said she had very little contact with others and was treated poorly by the staff.“They don’t come and say anything. They don’t check up; they don’t do anything. You get delivered your meals once a day. And you are just left,” she said.At one point, staff reportedly offered to sedate Hodgson with Valium to calm her down after she complained about the camp’s conditions. Hodgson said she lost her job during her stay and was never informed of any rights she had or put in contact with a lawyer.Howard Springs is one of two “mandatory supervised quarantine facilities” in the Northern Territory, according to a government website.While in quarantine, a person must “stay in the person’s allocated room, including on any veranda space allocated to the room, unless permitted by an [authorized] officer,” according to the website.https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/12/03/australian-woman-recounts-harrowing-experience-of-being-held-in-covid-19-quarantine-campThere is another report on these camps here:https://www.westernjournal.com/three-covid-detainees-escape-quarantine-camp-arrested-foot-chase/*************************************************Huge changes to school start and finish times could come to AustraliaRadical changes could be made to the average school day in New South Wales as part of an effort from the state government to support working parents and reduce traffic congestion.The overhaul would mean principals can offer options to parents other than the standard 9am-3pm school day.During a speech at the annual Bradfield Oration, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet suggested school times should be changed to better suit the lives of working families.'Despite the progress we have made, so many public services are still designed around government, not around the people we are here to serve,' he said on Thursday.'Education should be designed around our children, not simply around the schools themselves.'He used the speech to declare his plans to bring NSW into the '21st Century' by leading a modern government that 'doesn't accept the status quo'.At one point the Premier directly challenged Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, asking if the existing school day was fit for working parents. 'Why does the school day run from 9am to 3pm — and does it still suit the lives of busy working families?' asked Mr Perrottet.His speech has reignited debate over whether the traditional 9am-3pm school day should be overhauled to provide flexibility for families.In June, the government staggered the start and finish times of public schools as part of a push to modernise the traditional school day and reduce traffic congestion.The bold plan allowed schools to participate in trials where principals could offer parents options that differed from the standard 9am to 3pm school day.Alternatives include a 7am to 1pm day, or extended after-school care.NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos previously claimed most schools across the state already offered varied school hours.'The majority of schools do not operate between nine and three [o'clock], there's all sorts of variations,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.'There are schools with nine-day fortnights, or four-day weeks. But these matters are not straightforward and require significant consultation to achieve a consensus across a broad parent body and staff body, all of whom are impacted.'Merrylands East Public in the city's west already operates an 8am to 1.15pm school day.The scheme could also see an ease of pressure on Sydney's heavily-congested roads by staggering when students are picked up and dropped off from school.The cost of Sydney's traffic congestion to the state economy is estimated to reach $13.1billion by 2031, according to the NSW Productivity Commission.https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/huge-changes-to-school-start-and-finish-times-could-come-to-australia/ar-AARpfBu*****************************************Albo's economic REVOLUTION: Labor leader launches 'most comprehensive climate policy EVER' - claiming he'll create 600,000 jobs and slash the price of power - so is it too good to be true?Anthony Albanese has announced Labor's climate change policy which he will take to the Australian public at next year's election.His plan will create 604,000 jobs and slash average household energy prices by $275 a year by 2025 and $378 by 2035, according to Labor-commissioned modelling.The policies will reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, a slightly less ambitious target than Bill Shorten's 45 per cent aim which Mr Albanese called a 'mistake' earlier this year.The Coalition's target is to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels, although latest projections show the nation is on track for a 30-35 per cent reduction.Labor's plan involves a $20billion upgrade of the electricity grid to improve transmission, rolling out 85 solar banks and 400 community batteries around the nation and investing in 10,000 'new energy apprentices' alongside a $10million New Energy Skills Program.A future Labor government would also spend $3billion on renewables manufacturing and deploying low-emissions technologies and remove taxes on electric cars to make them cheaper.Mr Albanese said five out of every six new jobs created under the plan will be in regional Australia. Some 64,000 are direct jobs while 540,000 are indirect jobs created as a side-effect of the policies.The plan will not negatively impact traditional fossil fuel jobs and will not bring forward power station closures, Mr Albanese said. But it will increase the share of renewables in the National Electricity Market to 82 per cent by 2030.The Labor leader said the Coalition had failed to take action on climate change for eight years. 'This is the Government that is frozen in time while the world warms around it,' he said.Labor's policy document says it will spend $100million to deliver an initial 85 solar banks around Australia.That will mean some 25,000 households that are unable to install rooftop solar can access solar energy.'The success of this initiative will spark additional private investment to deliver solar to even more homes,' the document says.The plan also says 400 new community batteries costing a total of $200million will provide shared power storage for up to 100,000 households.Labor will also introduce a tradeable carbon credits policy for 215 of the biggest emitting facilities in Australia to incentivise them to reduce their emissions.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10270195/Anthony-Albanese-unveils-Labors-election-climate-change-plan.html****************************************Dire teacher shortages rattle Qld schoolsDesperate Queensland principals have turned to social media in a bid to plug dire staff shortages to ensure school kids have teachers in the classroom next year.Education insiders have told The Courier-Mail that principal stress about staff shortages, particularly in Queensland’s rural and remote schools, has been exacerbated by the state government’s “last minute” implementation of a Covid-19 vaccine mandate.Questions have been raised about the timing of this week’s announcement of the mandate, which has ordered teachers and staff to be double-dose vaccinated by January 23 – the day before term 1 begins.One school leader told The Courier-Mail while the mandate was not “completely unexpected”, the timing less than two weeks before the end of the state school year had made planning for 2022 “a challenge”.Another leader, based in a regional Queensland state high school, said they had been “left scrambling” after being unclear about the vaccination status of “three to four” senior teachers, a week before the end of term 4.The Courier-Mail understands state and Catholic school sector bodies emailed staff this week to request they register their “intent to vaccinate status” as soon as possible, in an attempt to plan for anticipated teaching shortfalls.Complicating matters was that many Queensland private schools, who also fall under the vaccination mandate, have already finished for the year.A Department of Education spokesman confirmed the measure, and said in order to “enable compliance with the direction, the (department) is undertaking ongoing communication with all school-based staff including surveying staff”.But some schools are already reportedly facing staff walkouts, with others in race against time to find staff for term 1.https://www.couriermail.com.au/education-queensland/dire-teacher-shortages-rattle-qld-schools/news-story/3bc1f8232acf5899dbf21030ffa0c5bd************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************3 December, 2021Police search for missing campers over after remains foundThis episode really grieves me. For two elderly people to have found love for one another is wonderful. And their discretion in not hurting their families with knowledge of it is also praiseworthy. But it cost them their lives at the hands of a brute. Two elderly people would have been no match for him when they were attacked
Victorian Police say they have finished searching an area of bushland in relation to missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay.The hunt, which saw officers uncover human remains earlier this week, was conducted north of Dargo, almost 400km east of Melbourne, but has now wrapped up."Victoria Police has now concluded the search in bushland north of Dargo," Victoria Police said in a statement."As this matter is before the courts, we will not be facilitating any interviews in relation to the investigation."Locals helped police bring a large excavator and a bobcat to the remote search site, which is about 15km north of Dargo in Victoria's alpine region.Mr Hill, 74, and Ms Clay, 73, have been missing since they vanished while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 20 last year.Pilot Greg Lynn, 55, was charged with two counts of murder last week. He's been remanded in custody and will face court in May next year.https://www.9news.com.au/national/missing-campers-police-search-for-missing-campers-russell-hill-and-carol-clay-over-after-remains-found-earlier-this-week/154b815f-d3d0-4606-a71c-bb35dd97906b*******************************************Racism in QueenslandHowever you look at it, it is excluding people on the basis of their raceAborigine group have today been granted exclusive use to parts of one of Queensland’s most renowned group of tropical islands.Traditional owners will gain exclusive access to live and hunt on parts of the Keppel Islands under a landmark Native Title determination over the tropical northern Queensland area.Federal Court of Australia Justice Rangiah on Friday recognised the Woppaburra People as Native Title Holders over 567 sqkm of land and water off the eastern coast of Queensland – which comprises the Great Keppel and North Keppel Islands.The determination will give the Woppaburra People the ability to enjoy parts of the area to the exclusion of all others, and the non-exclusive rights to hunt, fish and gather from the area, take natural resources for personal domestic and non-commercial communal purposes.Great Keppel Island sits about 15km off the coast of Yeppoon in the southern Great Barrier Reef.https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sections-of-popular-qld-islands-to-be-offlimits-after-native-title-win/news-story/93f7e714dfd7d1cd907e887d6de3ffa6********************************************South Australian environment minister says he wants to quit because he's sick of dealing with 'crazy lefty activists' and 'Greta Thunbergs' who spout 'myths and nonsense'I sympathize. The total lack of reality contact among the Green/Left gets very wearingThe South Australian environment minister wants out of his portfolio because he's sick of dealing with 'crazy leftie activists' and 'Greta Thunbergs'.David Speirs told a private Liberal Party fundraiser on Monday night that he liked his portfolio but needed a 'refresh' because he was worn down by climate activists.The 36-year-old lost a deputy leadership vote last week but asked those attending the fundraiser to 'lobby' Premier Steven Marshall on his behalf for another post.'The crazy leftie activists, they do wear you down after a while so I think every few years you need to see a bit of a refresh because there's only so many times you can deal with the Greta Thunbergs of South Australia,' he said, according to the Adelaide Advertiser.He said the SA Government was doing positive, concrete work on climate change such as moving to renewable energy, but activists tended to spout 'nonsense'.'I think there's a lot of noise and crap around climate change because all the ills of the world are put in the climate change basket by the left of politics. There are a lot of myths and nonsense,' he said.He said while countries like India and China needed to vastly reduce their emissions, Australia - which emits comparatively little pollution - could still show leadership in practical ways.Shadow environment minister Susan Close said Mr Speirs comments were unfit for someone running the environment portfolio and his 'disparaging comments proves' he should not be minister.Mr Speirs responded in parliament on Tuesday when questioned about the fundraiser speech. 'I may have said something like that, absolutely,' he said.'But I believe I was making a comparison between the practical response to the great challenges of climate change and the poster-waving activism which doesn't lead to outcomes, such as gluing oneself to Flinders Street.'In October, eight Extinction Rebellion protesters were arrested after gluing themselves to Adelaide CBD streets during peak hour.'I'm not sure you get your message across when you disrupt and inconvenience so many people who potentially support your cause,' SA police commissioner Grant Stevens said of the protesthttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10258363/Whinging-politician-lashes-crazy-leftie-activists-Greta-Thunbergs.html********************************************Education Qld whistleblower claims bullying, nepotism, classroom tortureAllegations of nepotism, bullying and cover-ups within the Education Department have been aired in Queensland Parliament.Opposition education spokesman Christian Rowan has also revealed claims that school students were forced to squat in a corner as punishment for talking.Dr Rowan has called on Education Minister Grace Grace and her director-general to investigate the matters immediately, saying he was “deeply shocked” and “gravely concerned”.Dr Rowan told Parliament the alleged incidents, understood to have happened from 2018-20, had been raised with him by a former employee of the department and another public servant who is currently on sick leave within the department.The allegations relate to the department but specifically its Integrity and Employee Relations Unit.Dr Rowan said the complainants had sought whistleblower protection through him.“Allegations from the two complainants included workplace bullying, maladministration, nepotism, and cover-ups within the Department of Education specifically related to complaints about teachers that were effectively dismissed without due process and investigation,” he said.“I am very concerned about the specific allegations of alleged criminal conduct, including the fabrication of evidence, hacking, and reprisal action against public servants.”Dr Rowan said one claim that shocked him, and would “equally shock all Queensland parents” involved a teacher allegedly committing a “heinous act against several students”.“The teacher allegedly admitted to forcing children into inappropriate physical acts including forcing students to squat in a corner as a punishment for simply talking,” he said.Dr Rowan said the public servant spoke to the Office of the Human Rights Commission and that it was confirmed the alleged actions of the teacher “were an act of torture, and should be addressed accordingly”.“It was reported to me that no reprisal action was taken against the teacher by the Department of Education, and when the investigator pursued the issue, he was put on a performance management plan, and reprisal action commenced against this public servant,” he said.Dr Rowan said the complainants had referenced to him documented examples of bullying and provided evidence of departmental procedures not being followed.“On the basis of the information that has been provided to the Liberal National Party Opposition, and in view of countless other reported failings, it is absolutely clear that the Queensland State Labor Government is failing to deliver the world-class education system that Queenslanders deserve,” he said.Dr Rowan said the matters needed to be investigated as soon as possible.https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/education-qld-whistleblower-claims-bullying-nepotism-classroom-torture/news-story/616a393a2dc6925c97b6f89bb7fd58b6**********************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************2 December, 2021An interesting emailMelanie Ryan [sweetkitty05@gmail.com] wrote:I’ve had 7 police officers from Brisbane drive 5 hours to warn me not to put this into the mediaPalaszczuk was caught having sex with 2 Queensland police officers on minister Tom Barton’s desk before she became premier & it was proven by a CMC investigation which fully substantiated the complaint of commissioned officer superintendent Dominic McHugh who made the complaint so Palaszczuk is guilty of salary fraud criminal charges plus she used taxpayers money to buy the champagne for her to get inebriated on in her drunken sex orgy with 2 Queensland police officers who were allowed to resign.***************************************Covid treatment that could be a lifesaver for thousands of Australians is FINALLY approvedMedical regulators have approved a new antibody treatment for COVID-19 as the prime minister urged for calm over the Omicron variant.The Therapeutic Goods Administration granted approval for the use of tocilizumab, a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19 who require oxygen.It's the fourth treatment for the virus given the green light for use by the administration.The treatment has been shown to reduce inflammation by blocking receptors and slowing the effects of the virus.'Tocilizumab has been shown to decrease duration of hospitalisation, risk of being placed on medical ventilation and risk of death for those with severe COVID-19,' the administration said in a statement.'Tocilizumab is not intended to be used as a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19.'The treatment had previously been approved for use to treat inflammatory conditions and types of arthritis.https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10264303/Covid-19-treatment-approved-Australia-Scott-Morrison-rules-lockdowns-amid-Omicron-spread.html*******************************************Crooked corruption watchdog in QueenslandMacSporran must gohttps://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/30261552479f1fe0de023cfd97e2f495?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=1075&cropW=1613&xPos=583&yPos=62&width=562&height=400MacSporranA Queensland parliamentary committee has called for a commission of inquiry into the structure of the state's anti-corruption watchdog after finding it breached its duty to remain independent and impartial.The Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee (PCCC) also found the Crime and Corruption Commission's (CCC) discretion to charge eight Logan City councillors with fraud in 2019 miscarried "because all material considerations and evidence were not taken into account and weighed".The bipartisan committee — which oversees the CCC — has been examining the watchdog's investigation and decision to charge the group of councillors with fraud relating to former council chief executive Sharon Kelsey's dismissal.The fraud charges, which prompted the entire council's dismissal, were discontinued in a Brisbane court in April, almost two years later.In a damning report, tabled in state parliament on Thursday, the committee also found that CCC chair Alan MacSporran did not ensure the watchdog acted independently and impartially, a "serious" failing that reflected "poorly" on the CCC.In final submissions in October, counsel assisting had suggested the possibility of recommending parliament terminate Mr MacSporran's appointment.PCCC chair Jon Krause told the house they did not proceed with that recommendation and said they were of the view "this report speaks for itself"."This report outlines serious findings, and related recommendations, that speak to these issues, including by making findings about where the CCC has failed in the role entrusted to it by this parliament, on behalf of all Queenslanders," he said."The committee makes these findings in full awareness of their gravity, but cognisant also of the need to ensure that where things have gone awry in the past, findings are made in seeking to prevent similar occurrences in the future."'Acted outside its specific powers'The parliamentary inquiry was launched earlier this year in response to a complaint by the CEO of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), alleging the CCC had inappropriately interfered in civil proceedings concerning Ms Kelsey's termination, and inappropriately used its powers to charge the then-councillors with fraud.The CCC had alleged the councillors acted together to sack Ms Kelsey, who had reported allegations of possible misconduct about the then-mayor to the watchdog.But earlier this year, the fraud charges were dropped and Ms Kelsey also lost her unfair dismissal case in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.Among the PCCC's 14 findings were that the CCC "acted outside its specific powers in the Crime and Corruption Act" by assisting Ms Kelsey as a public interest discloser within the civil proceedings process of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission."The committee finds that the totality of the steps taken by the Crime and Corruption Commission to assist Ms Kelsey in her Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) proceeding, including with respect to her desire for reinstatement, breached its duty to act, at all times, independently and impartially pursuant to section 57 of the Crime and Corruption Act 2001," the report said.It also found the watchdog involved itself in the QIRC proceeding and sought to make documents it had obtained under compulsion available to her in that proceeding. "The inference may be drawn that this was done for the purpose of Ms Kelsey's reinstatement as chief executive officer," the report said.The committee also found the CCC's discretion to charge the seven Logan City councillors and mayor with fraud was "affected by a desire to assist Ms Kelsey" and that discretion "miscarried" because all material considerations and evidence were not taken into account and weighed.The PCCC noted the conduct of Detective Sergeant Andrew Francis to be "an example of and symptomatic" of the culture of the CCC.The committee detailed a number of recommendations, including that the state government appoint a senior counsel to head a commission of inquiry — or similar — to review the structure of the CCC.Other recommendations included that the CCC "engage in reform of culture" and the state government consider a requirement that the CCC obtain the recommendation of the Director of Public Prosecutions, or a senior independent legal adviser, before charging serious criminal offences regarding corruption.Local Government Association renews call for resignationMr Krause told parliament that Queensland needs an "effective, independent, impartial watchdog on public sector corruption and major crime".He also spoke about how a number of people had "cautioned" him about "pushing too hard" in inquiring into the CCC. "It was put across that this could have consequences," he said."The fact that these matters are even raised with me, are in the consciousness of people who are interested in these matters, and that they would say such things is highly concerning in itself."In a statement, LGAQ president Mark Jamieson described the report's findings as "sobering reading for all Queenslanders.""The Crime and Corruption Commission heralds great power in this state. Queenslanders need its actions to always be objective, independent and beyond reproach," he said."We therefore call on the CCC chair to act in the interests of the future of this important institution and stand downhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-02/qld-ccc-pccc-crime-corruption-commission-logan-council/100669010******************************************Labor party to dump fuel emissions plan in next step on climateLabor will dump a contentious plan to set new fuel standards for millions of motorists in a bid to neutralise a growing political attack from Prime Minister Scott Morrison ahead of a bigger fight on climate change.The vehicle emission standard will be formally dropped when Labor leader Anthony Albanese signs off on the party’s climate policy with shadow ministers, as they prepare for a caucus briefing this Friday on the coming election campaign.Mr Albanese will launch Labor’s bid for power at a campaign rally in Sydney this weekend to start a blitz through marginal electorates before Christmas, readying the party for the official election contest early next year.The climate policy, including Labor’s target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, is being restricted to a small group of shadow cabinet members before climate spokesman Chris Bowen speaks at the National Press Club on Monday.While some caucus members are pressing for a target that trumps Mr Morrison’s forecast to cut emissions by 35 per cent by 2030 on 2005 levels, others warn against an ambitious goal that exposes the party to attack over the impact on household costs.The Labor policy on fuel standards was part of a package in the 2019 election campaign to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles so they would make up 50 per cent of new car sales by 2030, a target that triggered a war of words with Mr Morrison.The Prime Minister claimed at the time the Labor policy sought to “end the weekend” and said last month the policy tried to “force” customers to switch to electric vehicles, misrepresenting the plan, which set only an aspirational target.Mr Morrison said on November 11 Labor wanted to “put up your petrol prices” although the policy only called for consultation on changes and did not name a timetable for the new standard.Even so, Labor will drop this element of its policy package to blunt the Coalition scare campaign.While the most recent Resolve Political Monitor in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age found Labor’s primary vote was 32 per cent, slightly down from 33.3 per cent at the last election, the party’s internal polling suggests it is doing much better.https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-dump-fuel-emissions-plan-in-next-step-on-climate-20211130-p59dkj.html************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************1 December, 2021Child murderers and serial killers could be denied parole for decades under new Queensland lawsChild murderers and serial killers serving life sentences could be denied any bid for parole for potentially decades under new laws passed in Queensland.The laws will give the president of Parole Board Queensland the power to make a "restricted prisoner declaration", blocking certain inmates from obtaining parole for up to 10 years, with no limit on the number of bans made.State parliament passed the legislation on Tuesday evening despite concerns from the legal community the parole board sat "behind closed doors" and the powers "should only be vested in a court".Described as the "toughest" parole laws in the nation, the state government said the measures were designed to limit unnecessary trauma for victims' families and the community caused by regular parole applications.Under the new framework, the president of the board, an independent body, will have the discretion to declare that specific inmates – those sentenced to life for multiple murders or for murdering a child – must not be considered for parole for up to 10 years.In a statement, Police Minister Mark Ryan said the government had carefully considered the rights of everyone concerned and it made no apology for taking this course of action.The legislation was tabled in September amid the latest parole application by convicted murderer Barrie John Watts, who killed 12-year-old Sian Kingi in 1987. His bid was ultimately refused in October.LNP Member for Ninderry, Dan Purdie — a former police officer —tabled in parliament earlier this year a petition with more than 70,000 signatures calling for Watts to be kept behind bars."This legislation is the direct legacy of that journey," he said. "The Kingis' pain and suffering will never go away, nor will the Morcombes be spared the trauma of losing their son Daniel at the evil hands of Brett Cowan."At least now these two Sunshine Coast families, and indeed families of victims all over Queensland, can be assured that there will be a legislative pathway to keep convicted killers and multiple murderers from ever menacing the community again."https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-01/qld-prison-parole-laws-passed-queensland/100662520******************************************Australian Ministers back vaccination rate to cushion consumer confidenceNSW Jobs and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres has insisted the emergence of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant should not dash hopes of a strong summer of trade.As the state imposed tougher compliance measures for overseas arrivals on Tuesday, Treasurer Matt Kean said NSW remained committed to easing restrictions on December 15 in addition to a precautionary approach to handling the new variant threat.“We need to reopen as quickly and as safely as possible. I am confident that we can continue to bounce back better from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.The comments were echoed by Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, who said the state’s world-leading vaccination rates and digital infrastructure gave NSW room to deal with new variants.“It may be that QR codes are with us longer, if necessary, but that’s the beauty of being a contemporary society,” he said.“We do have more levers at our disposal to combat variants ... and we’re a lot more advanced than we were with Delta.”Among NSW residents aged 16 and over, 92.4 per cent are fully vaccinated, while 76.5 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds have had both jabs.Across the hospitality sector, businesses hoping for a Christmas boom period say the government’s calls for calm appeared to be reaching consumers, with no evidence of mass cancellations.Wes Lambert, chief executive officer of peak body Restaurant & Catering Australia, said neither operators nor patrons were expected to give up on newly regained freedoms until directed to by the government. “As far as the industry can tell, patrons aren’t spooked by the news of the Omicron variant at this time and we haven’t heard of any mass cancellations just yet.”Mr Lambert said the federal government’s decision to delay the arrival of more than 200,000 visa holders, including around 160,000 international students and 50,000 skilled workers, was “deeply troubling” given the skills shortage weighing on the hospitality sector. There are currently about 100,000 job vacancies in the sector Australia-wide.“This perfect storm of high consumer demand and low staff will lead to more restaurants and cafés being shut down over the Christmas period due to the lack of staff,” Mr Lambert said.Mr Ayres said the two-week delay to the arrival of international students and workers was an appropriate precautionary decision by the federal government, but acknowledged the pressure it would place on small businesses.“We know there will be constraints in the workforce for many months and finding workers will continue to be a challenge. So, the sooner we can re-engage with the global economy, the better.”He said it was too soon to start thinking about additional restrictions. “But absolutely our approach should be different to the Delta outbreak. We have high rates of vaccination, and a lot more resilience in our communities,” Mr Ayres said.https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/ministers-back-vaccination-rate-to-cushion-consumer-confidence-20211130-p59dfw.html******************************************Government could intervene in wharf disputes ahead of ChristmasAustralia’s ports face significant government intervention to end industrial action that could see goods and food imports locked up on docks ahead of Christmas if an agreement isn’t reached.Prime Minister Scott Morrison also foreshadowed a Productivity Commission inquiry into the efficient running of Australia’s ports, warning “inefficient ports are a tax on all of us”.The Prime Minister said the government was keeping a close watch on the industrial action at Patrick Terminals, which has been paused until at least December 10, noting it had the potential to disrupt economic activity in addition to COVID-19 related pressures globally, with global shipping costs remaining high.“We encourage the parties to this dispute to negotiate in good faith to resolve their issues. At the same time, I can assure you that the government will take action, if needed, to protect the Australian economy from serious harm,” Mr Morrison said. If the strikes restart in December the government would likely join Patrick to apply to the Fair Work Commission to bring an end to the dispute before Christmas.The Maritime Union of Australia has been negotiating with Patrick, which is the largest port stevedoring firm in the country, on a new pay deal for almost a year. The process has seen repeated waves of legal industrial action that have contributed to periodic delays at its facilities.Patrick has accused the union of trying to retain and build on clauses that effectively require the company to get workers’ agreement for new hires at some facilities while the union argues it is trying to maintain decent working conditions and job security for its members.In late October Patrick asked the Fair Work Commission to tear up the enterprise agreement altogether on the basis it was unsustainable for its business. While it has committed to retaining some pay and holiday provisions on an interim basis, that would give Patrick a decisive upper hand in negotiations.At the time, the union’s national secretary Paddy Crumlin said it was an intimidatory, bullying attack on the union. “It is being done in such a way as to try to defame the workforce in a most disgraceful fashion by distorting public perceptions of a legally sanctioned bargaining process,” Mr Crumlin said.“The disagreements between the two parties are easily resolved and have been achieved within the industry with other stevedoring companies without them resorting to this type of character assassination.”In early November the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a major report showing that extremely restrictive deals between port operators and the union were cutting into productivity along with the union’s industrial campaign, damaging other businesses further down the supply chain.Mr Morrison said that, in light of the report, the government was examining broader issues associated with the relative productivity of Australian ports.“Ports are the gateway for our economy. Inefficient ports are a tax on all of us. Coalition governments ... have always understood this, and have always been prepared to take action to ensure our ports can serve our economy as best as they possibly can,” he said.https://www.smh.com.au/national/government-could-intervene-on-wharf-disputes-ahead-of-christmas-20211130-p59dku.html********************************************Yippee! Power crisis forces China to buy Aussie coal for first time in a YEARCrippling power shortages in China have forced the communist regime to back down from their ban on Australian coal.Beijing blocked the commodity in November last to punish Canberra for suggesting and international inquiry should be held into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.The Chinese campaign of economic coercion - which also saw similar bans on key export sectors like barley, wine, cotton, seafood, timbre and copper - was meant to punish Australia for speaking out.But the economic threat spectacularly back-fired on the authoritarian nation leaving China with widespread blackouts heading into winter, as it generates more than half of it's electricity through coal.Tough-talking Wolf Warrior diplomats quietly softened their stance with tens-of-millions shivering and in the dark - allowing in 2.8 million tonnes of Australian coal in last month.Commonwealth Bank Global Markets Research analyst Vivek Dhar on Tuesday said it 'looks to be a pragmatic move by Chinese policymakers'.'Australian coal that was sitting at port stockpiles were cleared by Chinese customs last month to address an acute shortage in China's coal and power sector,' he said.As well as being a concern for residents, financial firm Goldman Sachs estimated about 44 per cent of industrial activity was affected by power shortages.The Chinese economy was hit with a perfect storm that compounded the energy crisis after it blocked dozens of coal ship from entering Chinese ports, leaving sailors stranded for months.President Xi Jinping recently imposed price caps and restrictions on energy suppliers just before the cost of coal skyrocketed.Metallurgical coal jumped from about $100 a tonne when the ban was introduced to $274 a tonne in October.'Every million tonnes of coal has recently been costing China's steel mills more than US$400 million, compared with around US$250 million paid by steel mills everywhere else,' David Uren wrote last month in a paper for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.'The difference is entirely explained by China's embargo on Australian coal.'Since China's mills use almost two million tonnes of coal every day, the premium it pays above coal costs in the rest of the world adds up to about US$2 billion a week.'https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/power-crisis-forces-china-to-buy-aussie-coal-for-first-time-in-a-year/ar-AARiS2f************************************Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)***************************************
