So, we’re back to worrying about RARA – rural and regional Australia. Thanks to the newly acquired political leverage of the two country independents, we’re now being told the regions haven’t been given their fair share and, in future, ”equity principles” should prevail.
There’s a lot of righteous indignation on the part of many country people and, I suspect, quite a bit of sympathy on the part of city folk. But there are also a lot of misconceptions.
Many people have the impression there has been a continuous flow of people leaving the country for the big city. It’s not that simple. The capital cities’ share of Australia’s population hasn’t been increasing.
While there has been a flow of people leaving inland regions for the cities, there’s also been a flow of people – particularly the retired – leaving the cities for coastal regions. So many coastal towns and cities (such as Rob Oakeshott’s Port Macquarie) have been growing strongly. Their problem is not declining population but keeping up with the increasing needs of an ever-bigger population.
Even with the inland regions it’s not simply a matter of everyone leaving for the big city. In many cases it’s people leaving small towns and villages for bigger regional centres (such as Tony Windsor’s Tamworth).
admin /12 September, 2010
“Timber giant concedes defeat in decades-old logging war” – The Age, Friday September 10.
Dear NEVILLE,
Friday’s headline in The Age was one to remember. After years of fighting to protect Tasmania’s precious old growth forests we’ve finally convinced Gunns to get out of the business of native forest logging.
The writing has been on the wall for Gunns for some time now, and this victory is thanks to your efforts and those of our partners at organisations like The Wilderness Society and Environment Tasmania.
GetUp members have funded full page newspaper ads in Australia and abroad. We’ve mobilised shareholders and customers to influence the ANZ bank and scare off all other Australian banks from financing a destructive pulp mill.
GetUp members like you then took the fight to the world’s biggest financial markets with ads in European and Asian newspapers. Over the years we’ve written to Environment Ministers, placed thousands of phone calls and sent tens of thousands of emails to our politicians to keep this campaign alive.
admin /10 September, 2010
Outdoor diners need smoke-free protection
Media release: 10 September 2010
The Greens are calling on the NSW Cabinet to agree to a ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas (‘State mulls uniform ban on outdoor smoking’ SMH 10 September, page 2, http://bit.ly/smh100910).
Greens Health Services spokesperson John Kaye said: “Since 2005 evidence has been mounting that second hand smoke in outdoor settings can result in significant exposure to nicotine and other dangerous chemicals.
“Al fresco diners deserve the same protection from other people’s cigarette smoke that indoor diners have come to expect.
