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Category: News
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Crunch time for our uni’s – BILL SHORTEN
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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA CONSTITUTION ACT – SECT 28
This clause is vague. It implies the Governor General may dissolve the Parliament, but does not
spellout the conditions underwhich he may do so. It would cause a monumental Constitutional Crisis, Constutional Lawyers
should examine this clause very carefully
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA CONSTITUTION ACT – SECT 28
Duration of House of Representatives
Every House of Representatives shall continue for three years from the first meeting of the House, and no longer, but may be sooner dissolved by the Governor‑General.
AustLII: Copyright Policy | Disclaimers | Privacy Policy | Feedback
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Their secret… no longer a secret! TPP 350 org
Click here to enable desktop notifications for Gmail. Learn more Hide1 of 17Web ClipFunny Quote of the Day – Clare Boothe Luce – “The politicians were talking themselves red, white and blue in the face.”Their secret… no longer a secret!
Inboxx Charlie Wood – 350.org Australia <350@350.org> Unsubscribe
4:33 PM (2 hours ago)to meDear friends,
When someone publicly insists on pushing a bad idea, we try to make them stop. But when that bad idea is a secret, free trade agreement that could affect millions of people around the world, this becomes an urgent matter that all of us need to make public and then stop.
The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is one of those bad ideas. A really bad, secretive one, that threatens people’s sovereignty and environmental protections. Although negotiators are meeting right now in Honolulu to lock in an agreement on this disastrous deal, it’s all been kept secret — you can’t find much coverage in the news about what delegates are discussing because they are keeping quiet about it. So we thought we’d help put TPP in the media spotlight and send a message to delegates that people everywhere know what the TPP is and are standing against it:
Together with our partners in the movement, we’re helping to run a full page advertisement in the largest newspaper in Hawaii, right where TPP negotiators are meeting. Check it out:
Can you share this advertisement on Facebook and ask your friends to do the same?
TPP is being negotiated by 12 countries and would enable fossil fuel companies to sue governments over laws and policies that they allege reduce their profits. So if an international oil giant thinks a local law designed to protect communities from fossil fuel exploration is hurting their profits, they won’t think twice before taking nations to court.
But climate and environment is just one component of the deal. Thanks to leaked texts from Wikileaks, we know now that issues like online privacy, food standards and access to medicine would all become subject to corporate attacks. No wonder it’s all so secretive — this deal is only good for a few people, namely, the ones negotiating it.
It’s time to show negotiators in Hawaii that the people know what’s going on behind the walls — and are not happy about it. When they check the newspaper before heading to the meeting room, they will see our messages. And they will know that there’s strong opposition to their “free” trade agreement.
Let’s put TPP in the news for good, and send a global message to negotiators — a secret deal at the expense of the people and democracy is a no deal.
Onwards,
Charlie
* Countries participating in negotiations on TPP: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.
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Who wants CSG? James – GetUp!
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Inboxx James – GetUp!
4:26 PM (9 minutes ago)to me
Dear NEVILLE,
Dirty coal and Coal Seam Gas. Most of us don’t suport or want either of them, but right now a whopping 90% of us in NSW and 70% of us in Victoria, do business with the big three energy providers who are all heavily invested in dirty power: EnergyAustralia, Origin and AGL.
Australia’s biggest three energy companies are all dirty power companies, despite their attempts to portray a clean, green image to their customers. Worse still, they’re using that huge market influence to try to weaken Australia’s Renewable Energy Target, the policy that drives investment and jobs in the clean energy we so urgently need. At the same time, they’re pushing for the expansion of Coal Seam Gas (fracking) in the face of strong community opposition.
Just today, the NSW Environment Minister responded to reports that toxic chemicals contained in wastewater from AGL’s coal seam gas operations near Gloucester were discharged into Hunter Water’s sewage network, by saying: “It sounds like AGL has some very serious questions to answer.” [1]
Fortunately, we all have a choice about who we buy our power from. Ready to tell the Dirty Three Emergy companies to frack off?
To kick off a renewable energy revolution, GetUp has teamed up with Powershop, the company Greenpeace and the Total Environment Centre rate as the ‘greenest electricity retailer in Australia.’ [2] Thousands of GetUp members across Melbourne and regional Victoria have already reported their positive experiences of switching and saving money, and now members in NSW are joining this groundbreaking campaign as Powershop expands to take on the Dirty Three energy providers here too.
https://www.getup.org.au/nocsg
We know that Coal Seam Gas threatens community health, our water supply, farmland and our future. Now it’s time to show Australia’s Dirty Three power companies that it’s also bad for business.
People powered campaigns have already got business and politicians on the ropes. Our state governments are scrambling to appear sensitive to community opposition to CSG, repealing licences and issuing moratoriums.
Independent reports from Credit Suisse and Citigroup have warned that support for CSG could potentially damage energy company brands and cost them millions in lost customer revenue. [3]
Now it’s time to drive the message home. Join thousands of GetUp members saying no to dirty coal and CSG by switching to a better power company.
We don’t have to wait for others to lead. This is something positive and powerful we can do right now, and when we do it together, we change the energy market for the better.
Election promises come and go, PR disasters eventually fade from the headlines. But target their bottom line and together we can change the way energy companies do business, for good!
Here’s to standing up,
James and Michael, for the GetUp teamPS: Need a few more reasons to vote with your wallet?
- Better Power. Let’s switch to the greenest retailer in Australia, demonstrating public support for companies that back renewables and don’t support dirty power.
- Cheaper bills. The Victorian government’s Essential Services Commission found that Powershop is one of the cheapest retailers in Victoria [4]. Powershop’s research shows that the 5,500+ GetUp members who’ve already switched in Victoria are saving more than $500,000 collectively by taking up the 30 percent discount currently available from Powershop, and Powershop aims to be the cheapest provider in NSW as well.
- Fast and easy. Powershop’s online tool makes it easy to switch in less than 10 minutes. They do all the work and you don’t have to contact your existing provider.
- No risk. No lock in contracts or exit fees. Powershop doesn’t lock you into a contract. And don’t worry if you’re under contract, Powershop will even cover your exit penalty fee (up to $75) on your behalf.
- Grassroots renewables revolution. For each person that switches as part of the Better Power campaign, Powershop will make a small contribution to GetUp’s campaign to protect the Renewable Energy Target , support renewables and help stop the roll out of dirty and polluting CSG and coal in our communities.
Need extra reasons? Look through our FAQ here.
References
[1]”AGL mum over toxic CSG chemicals discharged into Hunter Water sewers”, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 14th, 2015
[2] Greenpeace Green Electricity Guide 2014
[3] Credit Suisse July 2014 analysis found that, in reference to AGL’s CSG operations: “A coordinated campaign targeting AGL’s electricity and gas customers and prospective customers could result in customer loss and costs to AGL.” Citi reseach stated in Feburary 2014: “we think there are early warning signs of negative connotations around Gloucester (CSG) impacting AGL in some retail customer segments. If these negative associations become more mainstream, walking away from/disposing of Gloucester may become the right option to protect the larger retail brand and earnings.” Citi Research.18 February 2015.
[4] Victorian government’s Essential Services Commission Energy Retailers’ Comparative Performance Report – Pricing, October 2014 -
The John James Newsletter 50 Inbox x
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Web Clip CNN.com Recently Published/Updated – Tough task ahead for Ferguson’s next police chief – 4 hours ago
The John James Newsletter 50
Inbox x John James
7:05 AM (2 hours ago) The John James Newsletter 50
14 March 2015YOU MAY NEED TO CUT AND PASTE THESE LINKS
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect
Mark TwainThe Arctic Ocean is coming close to complete summer meltdown
The apparent ‘pause’ in global warming has been no such thing. Instead the surplus heat – two Hiroshima bombs-worth a second – has been ‘buried’ deep in the Pacific Ocean. That’s because of two important climate cycles, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, has masked the warming. But soon they will tip the other way and the ‘Big Heat’ is set to begin – a five to ten year burst of rapid warming that will be most severe in the Arctic. “Nothing has been said by the IPCC. Nothing has been said in the mainstream media. Nothing has been said by the scientific community. This is a terrible omission.”
arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/save-the-arctic-sea-ice-while-we-still-can.htmlMarch 4 Arctic Sea Ice Extent Hits Record Low
There is little scope for Arctic sea ice extent to grow over the next few weeks, since the only areas where it could possibly expand would be the Pacific and the North Atlantic, the very areas that are under pressure from ocean heat and high surface temperatures. In other words, the situation looks set to deteriorate further.
arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/march-4-2015-arctic-sea-ice-extent-hits-record-low.htmlHow is it happening?
What is the mechanism behind accelerated warming of the Arctic Ocean, huge abrupt methane eruptions from the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean and skyrocketing temperatures?
http://news.euoa.net/category/natalia-shakhovaNaomi Klein: This changes everything
I denied climate change for longer than I care to admit. I knew it was happening, but stayed pretty hazy on the details and only skimmed most of the news stories, especially the really scary ones. I told myself the science was too complicated and that the environmentalists were dealing with it. And I continued to behave as if there was nothing wrong with the shiny card in my wallet attesting to my “elite” frequent flyer status.
www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/dont-look-away-now-the-climate-crisis-needs-you?CMP=ema_565Byron shire aims to lead Australia on zero emissions plan
“All revolutions start from the bottom up, and what is required is a revolution. Politicians will follow what action happens in the communities.” This had been the case in Europe, particularly Germany and Denmark, where “people power” had driven the major uptake of renewable energy. The plan is to incorporate land use, retrofitting of buildings, waste and transport – including electric vehicles – into the plan.
reneweconomy.com.au/2015/byron-shire-aims-to-lead-australia-on-zero-emissions-community-plan-90958Nuclear arsenals of the world – the GOOD NEWS
Rising, then pulling back from a Peak in the late 1980s, the number of nuclear warheads has dropped significantly, though more countries now possess them.
thebulletin.org/nuclear-notebook-multimediaUN: Impact on Africa if we keep to 2 degrees
The latest science suggests climate change adaptation measures could cost Africa $50 billion per year by the mid-century, and put up to 50 per cent of the continent’s population is at risk of undernourishment, even if efforts to prevent a 2°C temperature increase are successful. African nations do not have the domestic resources to head off this crippling economic cost.
https://newmatilda.com/2015/03/08/un-report-predicts-african-disaster-even-if-we-keep-global-warming-2-degreesAleppo: Notes from the Dark
With bombs exploding and under sniper fire, this film shows the life of Aleppo from the perspective of seven of its residents, struggling with the hardships of war: A social journalist, a street vendor, a cleric, an entrepreneur, a doctor from a field hospital, a shopkeeper – ordinary people with hopes and dreams.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2014/08/aleppo-notes-from-dark-20148412419590705.htmlBoko Haram Turns Robin Hood’s Strategy on Its Head
Boko Haram is now raising money by ignoring the rich and targeting the poor, an unusually cruel tactic that takes struggling innocents and pushes them over the financial cliff.
foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/05/boko-haram-turns-robin-hoods-strategy-on-its-head-nigeria-niger/
Health costs of hormone disrupting chemicals
Lower IQ, adult obesity and 5% of autism cases are all linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors found in food containers, plastics, furniture, toys, carpeting and cosmetics. “The shocking thing is that the major component of that cost is related to the loss of brain function in the next generation,”
www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/health-costs-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-150bn-a-year-europe-says-study?CMP=EMCENVEML1631Business Is Booming at Abu Dhabi’s Great Arms Bazaar
With conflicts raging from Ukraine to Syria to Yemen, there’s something for everyone at the world’s most important gun show. Business is booming. Defence spending grew 12.1 percent in the Middle East last year.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/06/the-death-merchants-do-abu-dhabi/Under the Dome: Trying To Save This Whole System We Call Home
My son lives in Shanghai and has an apartment on the 37th floor that should have a wonderful view over the city and far beyond. Unfortunately, you can barely see a couple of hundred meters and even that is murky. Some days you can barely make out buildings over the river. Whenever I visit I’m given a face-mask. Once in the car, I’m forbidden to open the windows. Every couple of hours we check the weather apps on our phone what is the pollution like and if it’s bad we get inside.
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2015/03/05/under-dome-trying-save-whole-system-we-call-home and
Only 1% of China’s 560 million urban residents breathe air that is safe by EU standards
www.china-mike.com/facts-about-china/facts-pollution-environment-energy/
The Staggering Cost of Israel to Americans
It seems that the US is paying Israel to buy its own Congress- some deal ??
Israel is among the world’s most affluent nations, with a per capita income similar to that of the European Union. Israel’s unemployment rate of 5.8% is better than America’s 7.3%, and Israel’s net trade, earnings, and payments is ranked 30th in the world while the US sits in last place at a dismal 193rd. Yet, Israel receives more aid than all the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean combined—which have a total population of over a billion people. And foreign aid is just one component of the staggering cost of US alliance with Israel.
www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/cost.htmlFour charts about mental illness
For years doctors have complained about the serious underfunding of mental health services. Most people think performing more surgeries and cutting waiting times in emergency departments wins elections, while making sure someone with schizophrenia is properly supported and medicated doesn’t.
www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-four-charts-that-will-terrify-you-if-you-or-anyone-you-love-has-a-mental-illness-20150309-13yswk.htmlto John -
[New post] NSW 2015 – gender breakdown of candidates
3 of 55Web ClipBest Cruises Latest Specials – Seabourn Cruise Line – Dalmation Coast & Greek Isles[New post] NSW 2015 – gender breakdown of candidates
Inboxx The Tally Room <donotreply@wordpress.com>
9:48 AM (16 minutes ago)to meNew post on The Tally Room
NSW 2015 – gender breakdown of candidates
by Ben Raue
Last night I summarised the numbers of candidates nominated by party in the upcoming NSW election after nominations closed yesterday.
Following up on that post, I’ve analysed the number of men and women running for each party, and what impact the election may have on gender balance in the next Parliament.
There are four parties running candidates in all 93 seats. In addition, the Liberal Party and the Nationals are running a candidate in every seat (and are not running against each other anywhere) – so there is a Labor, Greens, CDP, No Land Tax, and Coalition candidate in all 93 seats. These parties make up over 86% of the total number of candidates nominated.
http://cf.datawrapper.de/RWiut/1/
The Greens have done best in terms of number of women nominated, with 41 women out of 93 candidates, or 44.1%. Labor is running 34 women out of 93, or 36.6%.
There are a small number of Christian Democratic Party or No Land Tax (NLT) candidates for whom I haven’t been able to identify their gender. There are many CDP candidates without a photograph or biography available online, and the same is true for basically every NLT candidate. But overall these parties are close to Labor in terms of gender representation. The CDP is running at least 33 women and at least 58 men, with two unclear. NLT is running 34 women, 56 men, and three unclear.
The Coalition has the lowest proportion of women amongst their candidates. The Liberal Party is running 19 women and 55 men, or 25.7%. The Nationals are running four women and 19 men, or 21%. Overall, 24.7% of Coalition candidates in the lower house are women.
Smaller parties are running six women and ten men, while 15 women and 44 men are running as independents.
It’s possible to use this data to make some estimates about the gender balance in the new Parliament.
There was substantial progress in terms of gender balance from 1995 until 2003, with the number of women increasing from 15 to 23 and the number of men declining from 84 to 70.
The 2007 election resulted in a Legislative Assembly that included 26 women and 67 men. During that term, the number of women dropped to 24 women, due to the Cabramatta and Penrith by-elections being won by men after those seats were vacated by women.
At the 2011 election, the number of women in the Parliament dropped to 21, alongside 72 men. This partly reflected a shift in power from Labor to the Coalition, who usually have a more male-dominated party room.
Since the 2011 election, the gender balance has gotten slightly worse. Kristina Keneally was replaced by Ron Hoenig at the 2012 Heffron by-election, and Clover Moore was replaced by Alex Greenwich at the 2012 Sydney by-election. Labor’s Jodie Harrison won the 2014 Charlestown by-election, reversing part of that trend. There are now 20 women and 73 men in the Legislative Assembly.
http://cf.datawrapper.de/fuxuJ/2/
The trend for this election suggests that the number of women is likely to increase. To make this prediction, I made predictions about which party would win each seat. I predicted that Labor would retain all of their seats, and gain all Coalition seats on margins of less than 5%, as well as Charlestown which was won at last year’s by-election. I then classified as “in play” all Coalition seats of margins between 5% and 20%, as well as Balmain, Newtown, Sydney, Wollongong and Tamworth.
With these assumptions, I can predict that there will be at least 23 women in the next Legislative Assembly, and at least 60 men, with another ten seats where a man and a woman both have a chance of winning: Balmain, Bega, Gosford, Heathcote, Londonderry, Mulgoa, Penrith, Port Stephens, Strathfield and Sydney. The female candidate is the Labor candidate in most of these seats – except in Mulgoa, which is being contested by a Labor man and a Liberal woman, and Sydney, being contested by a Liberal woman and an independent man. This means that there are likely to be more women in the Assembly if Labor is more successful. If women win four of these ten seats, there will be a record number of women in the lower house.
So what about the Legislative Council? There are currently 13 women and 29 men in the upper house, which is the same as it was immediately after the 2011 election. The group facing election in 2015 (who were either elected in 2007 or filled a vacancy) includes eight women and thirteen men, while those whose terms don’t end until 2019 include five women and sixteen men.
It’s possible to take current polling to make estimates about the new Legislative Council. On current polling, the Coalition should win 8-9 seats, Labor should win 7-8 and the Greens should win 2-3. Polling isn’t detailed enough to tell us how the Christian Democrats and Shooters are performing, so I’ll assume that they’ll each win one seat, as they have at every election since 2003.
The Coalition ticket is dominated by men. The first nine candidates on the ticket include only one woman – the Nationals’ Bronnie Taylor, in fifth place. The highest ranked Liberal woman is Hollie Hughes, who is in tenth place and is unlikely to win a seat.
The Labor ticket includes three women in their top seven, along with a man in eight. The Greens will elect one woman and one man, and possibly a second man. Since all of the candidates in the undecided positions are men, it’s possible to make a prediction, on current polling, that the next Legislative Council will include 10 women and 42 men.
(It’s also worth noting that there are two MLCs whose terms don’t finish until 2019 who have resigned to run for the Legislative Assembly: Labor’s Penny Sharpe and Steve Whan. It’s unclear who will fill their seats – possibly someone who misses out on another seat in the upper or lower house, and it’s possible the vacating MLC could return if they are unsuccessful in their electorate. For this purpose I have assumed that seat is filled by someone of the same gender).
