Tony Abbott doing a pot-kettle-black at Victorian Liberal Party

Australian Liberal Party Prime Minister Anthony John ‘Tony’ Abbott decided to have a go at Victorian Labor Party Premier Daniel Michael ‘Dan’ Andrews with a silly one liner.

“If you can change your name, you can change your mind”  said ‘Tony’ of ‘Dan’ at the Victorian Liberal State Council meeting on 28 March 2015.

Tony not only goes by an abbreviated first name just like Dan, like Dan he uses his full name when required.

In addition, Tony comes from a family where his maternal grandfather underwent a surname change in or after 1916.

Definitely an infantile pot-kettle-black moment for Abbott.

Australian Prime Minister Abbott puts boot into delicate death row negotiations

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s use of aggressive megaphone diplomacy can only make matters worse for two Australian citizens on death row and their families back in Australia.

The Sydney Morning Herald 19 February 2015:

The Indonesian government has warned it does not respond to threats, after Prime Minister Tony Abbott reminded the country it had provided $1 billion in aid after the 2004 tsunami.

"Threats are not part of diplomatic language," Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told reporters. "And from what I know no one responds well to threats."

Earlier Mr Abbott said Australia would let Indonesia know in "absolutely unambiguous terms that we feel grievously let down" if the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran proceeded.

"Let's not forget that a few years ago, when Indonesia was struck by the Indian Ocean tsunami, Australia sent $1 billion worth of assistance, we sent a significant contingent of our armed forces to help in Indonesia with humanitarian relief and Australians lost their lives in that campaign to help Indonesia," he said.

Mr Nasir said there was  a saying in Indonesian "orang akan terlihat warna sebenarnya" (people will show their true colours).

"So I hope the statement (Mr Abbott) made doesn't show the true color of Australians.

Malay Mail Online 19 February 2015:

SYDNEY, Feb 19 — Prime Minister Tony Abbott today denied threatening Indonesia over the fate of two Australians on death row by linking their fate to aid, insisting he was simply pointing out the depth of ties between the neighbours.

As tensions mount in the bid to save Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Abbott yesterday said Jakarta should remember the significant monetary aid Canberra supplied in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 tsunami.

He urged Indonesia to reciprocate in Australia’s time of need, but the comments were coolly received in Jakarta with the foreign ministry warning that “threats are not part of diplomatic language”…..

Desmond John Euen produces a slide show of his $22.6 billion plan to destroy the Clarence River estuary along with the communities of Yamba, Iluka, Goodwin and Chatsworth

The Clarence River on the NSW North Coast is home to the small Port of Yamba.

The Clarence River supports two towns dependent on tourism (including recreational fishing) at its trained river mouth, Yamba and Iluka.

Both towns also have commercial fishing fleets that in combination comprise one of the largest fleets in NSW. The Lower Clarence region seafood industry generates an estimated $40-60 million annually.

This is Lloyds of London’s Australian ports information for the Port of Yamba at the mouth of the Clarence River on the NSW Far North Coast: 

Click on images to enlarge

This is Google Earth’s view of the restricted entrance to the Clarence River:

Excerpt from Port of Yamba Notice to Mariners, 12 January 2015:

These are the current upper range dimensions for vessels which can safely navigate the Clarence River lower estuary at high tide:

* 120m long

* 20m wide

* Draft having 10% Under Keel Clearance + 1.5m on approach and 10% Under Keel Clearance when underway.
Typical maximum draft appear to be 5m or under.

This is Desmond Euen’s fanciful proposal to blow up Dirrangun Reef (a significant Aboriginal mythological site under claim as part of the Lower Clarence River registered Native Title claim) and, dredge an 18m deep navigation channel from the river mouth up to Goodwin and Chatsworth islands, with twenty 18m deep berths at the proposed two terminals sites. Thereby permanently diminishing and perhaps irrevocably destroying the environmental, cultural and existing economic values of the Clarence River estuary system:

Full presentation slideshow here.

These are examples of the proposed Post Panamax container and bulk vessels, typically at least 366m long, 49m wide with a draught of 15.2m:

This is an example of the proposed Cape Size vessels, typically 280m long, 47m wide with a draft of 16m:

What such proposed large shipping will have to contend with if it actually could enter, berth and exit the Clarence River which is situated on an extensive flood plain:

9. Flood Conditions. Vessels that cannot be maintained at a safe berth will be required to clear the port before the onset of flood conditions. A flood may be associated with a weather system that produces sea conditions that close the port. Where this is possible early action will be taken to clear the port.

10. Impact. Floods can produce debris in the river making it unsuitable for safe navigation, propulsion and cooling systems use. Navigation aids can be displaced and river depths changed including the location of the navigation channels / best navigable water.

11. Tide heights will result in a positive residual tide and continuous ebb streams may occur regardless of tide heights and times. The port will work closely with the shipping industry to determine the likely impact and resume port operations and the earliest safe opportunity.

BACKGROUND

Des Euen, the ex-lorry driver from Queensland, has put forward a number of variations on his proposal for the Port of Yamba.

One he has taken to denying since 2013 is the plan to turn the port into a coal loading facility.

This is what Mr. Euen stated in an ABC News item on 27 May 2014:

"There has never been any plan by Australian Infrastructure Developments, or YPR Australia Pty Ltd to turn Yamba into a coal port.

"Not even in the equation.

"YPR Australia's intention is to turn Yamba Port into a container intermodal terminal, handling import-export cargoes that we daily need throughout Australia."

Yet this is what can still be found on his website to date at
http://www.ypraust.com.au/competitive-edge/ and http://www.ypraust.com.au/?s=competitive:

To make it perfectly clear here is the relevant passage again:

CSIRO map showing the Surat Basin which has existing and proposed new coal mines in the NSW section:

Just the sort of prime ministerial car required for driving among Australian crowds in 2015?

Is Prime Minister Tony Abbott harbouring a fear of the Australian populace so deep that he now needs an armoured car in each state and territory, plus a spare, in order to feel safe? Or does he just enjoy spending millions to bolster his perception of his own self-importance?

BMW 7 Series High Security: This is the world’s first armoured saloon to be fully compliant with the requirements for class VR7 ballistic protection (tested as per BRV 2009 guidelines)…..The optional Professional rear-seat entertainment system provides first-rate entertainment, with two 9.2-inch colour screens allowing the passengers to watch DVDs, follow the car’s progress via the navigation system or go on the Internet. The system is controlled via its own iDrive controller in the centre console. A special rear air conditioning system is also available, and the seat temperature too can be adjusted, with cool air being blown at the body through perforations in the leather. And to complete the relaxing effect, there is the optional new massage function in the rear-seat backrests. If space is the measure of all things, the long version continues to provide the ultimate comfort in terms of legroom.

The Sydney Morning Herald 14 January 2015:

Mr Abbott's new ride is one of nine BMW armoured cars the government has bought under a $6.3 million contract, replacing the 12-year-old prime ministerial limo fleet of customised Holden Caprices.

The BMW 7 Series High Security cars were first used at the G20, ferrying world leaders around Brisbane, but have been phased into regular use over the holiday period.

The new V-12 prime ministerial fleet will be spread across the country and, when not needed by Mr Abbott, will be available for visiting VIPs such as foreign leaders and dignitaries.

International Business Times Australia 15 January 2015:

The prime minister will now be taken to his itineraries inside the fifth generation BMW 7 Series High Security car, equipped with VR7 ballistic protection standard that was tested under the BRV 2009 guidelines. The car can protect Prime Minister Tony Abbott from three highest risk factors - attacks using strong rounded objects and handguns of up to a calibre of .44 Magnum, attacks using the automatic AK-47 and attacks using explosive devices and armour-piercing weapons….

it can shelter the prime minister from three possible risky situations - street crime, organised crime and explosions….

The contract with BMW involving the current fleet was the subject of an argument between Labor and the current regime. Apparently, Holden was not considered to be awarded the contract, while it was found that BMW did not even enter a bid in the original tender. 

Cartrade.com 16 January 2015:

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott gets a fifth generation BMW 7 Series High Security car .…..

The vehicle has been built using strengthened steel that has also been backed up by an interior that is made from sculpted synthetic fibers that are hard and stated to be heat resistant. The new vehicle gets additional safety features like inclusion of tyres that remain inflated even when punctured, a self-sealing petrol tank, an attack alarm along with an intercom system that allows the occupants to communicate with people outside without having to open the doors.

Business Insider 16 January 2014:

Abbott pulled up in his new ride at the Prime Minister’s XI cricket match in Canberra on Wednesday. 

Mark Carnegie wants compulsory civilian national service

Geelong Grammar School alumnus, millionaire founder of M.H. Carnegie & Co, entrepreneur, investor, corporate adviser, property developer, sometime Q&A panellist and business partner of John Singleton, Mark Carnegie, wants both your young and your old conscripted into his part-time civilian ‘army’ – at a huge, ongoing cost to the federal budget bottom line.

And it will be a huge cost considering there are over 11 million employed people in Australia – every one of which would have an employer with his/her hand out for compensation.

The Sydney Morning Herald 20 June 2014:

The occasion was the inaugural Di Gribble Argument, an event to honour the memory of the publisher who loved a good debate. Carnegie’s starting point was his assertion that ‘‘the current state of citizens’ engagement makes me terrified for the Australia we will leave for our children’’.

‘‘More and more people are disengaging completely from politics or becoming single-issue evangelists, a trend which can only lead to the dictatorship of the passionate minority,’’ he argued.

What followed was a lively discussion about the merits of Carnegie’s proposition that civic service, like jury duty, should be made compulsory for all, with employers paid the cost of releasing their workers for one week every few years, and greater demands made on the young and the old….

The Daily Examiner erects Coward's Castle

On 20 September 2013 The Daily Examiner published this rather silly and misleading, but otherwise unremarkable, letter to the editor:

Snapshot taken from The Daily Examiner digital edition

The letter’s subject matter did not indicate insider knowledge with regard to a contentious local issue or reveal circumstances of a highly personal nature to illustrate a point, which might perhaps at a stretch justify "Name supplied".

What this letter signalled was that the newspaper was abandoning the long held media policy that anonymity was not the default position in print editions. 
Anonymity via avatar/pseudonym may have become the default position for comments on a newspaper website because that is the default position of the Internet, but it clearly has not yet become industry policy for newspapers one holds in one's hand.

So anonymous political comment was again rearing its ugly skull where it shouldn't have been found - under a venerable print masthead. 

At least two readers^[1] independently wrote to The Daily Examiner about this letter to the editor and set out below are one of these emails and the reply received, with gleeful identity redactions in mock homage to the newspaper's new policy.

Because it turns out that the only criteria for being granted anonymity is that one be “a regular contributor” and “well known to The Daily Examiner”.

On that basis most regular letter writers could ask for anonymity.

Never one to let an opportunity pass me by I have since submitted a blanket request for anonymity myself, in order to participate on a level playing field within the confines of Coward’s Castle.

I suggest Fred Perring, John Edwards, and a slew of other regular print correspondents, all apply to have their names and addresses withheld.

After all, The Daily Examiner relies on correspondence from such people to create a regular letters section six days a week, so why should they be denied that which was so freely given to another.

Even the rather notorious Zussino might once more grace The Daily Examiner letters page under this very liberal policy, as he would no longer have to dream up so many pen names and fancy titles.

I’m sure many in the Clarence Valley would enjoy the ensuing confusion and endless identity guessing games at the breakfast table.

So what is actually known about the letter to the editor in question? It was sent as an email, the sender was not a Daily Examiner employee, he/she is a regular contributor of unspecified content, didn't want to be identified by readers - and he/she lacks a spine.

One wonders if this person is aware that anonymity may not last for long in a valley with closely linked communities.

One also has to wonder why APN’s Regional General Manager NSW would pen the weak excuse set out in the aforementioned email exchange:

From: Brent Rees [mailto:Brent.Rees@apn.com.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 2 October 2013 4:36 PM
To: [redacted]
Cc: Shannon Newley; jenna.cairney@dailyexaminer.com.au
Subject: RE: Letters to the editor policy and anonymous publication of political comment

Dear Ms [redacted],

Your email has been forwarded to me (Regional General Manager NSW).

APN’s rigour around validation of Letters to the Editor is bound by our code of ethics with regards accuracy, authenticity and respect of sources.

In the case of the letter you are referring to, I have established it was written by a regular contributor who on this occasion requested their name be withheld.

Given they are well known to The Daily Examiner, the request for anonymity was granted.

I trust this satisfies your enquiry.

Kinds regards,

Brent

	Brent ReesRegional General Manager NSW
	53 Moonee Street | Coffs Harbour | NSW | 2450 M 0417 200 090 F 02 6624 7265 brent.rees@apn.com.au | www.apnarm.com.au

From: [redacted]
Sent: Friday, 20 September 2013 11:00 AM
To: Shannon Newley
Cc: Jenna Cairney; Judy Lewis; Reception WilliamST
Subject: Letters to the editor policy and anonymous publication of political comment

Shannon Newley

Acting Editor

The Daily Examiner

20 September 2013

Copy to:

Jenna Cairney, Editor

Judy Lewis, Operations Manager

Peter Cosgrove, Chairman APN News & Media Board

Dear Ms. Newley,

Re: APN News & Media-The Daily Examiner publication policy in relation to Letters to the Editor and anonymous publication of political comment

I am seeking clarification of The Daily Examiner’s formal or informal policy concerning letters to the Editor, in light of the anonymous letter published under the heading “History of Women” in the 20 September 2013 print issue at Page 12. [See letter snapshot from the digital edition below]

I further ask:

(i) what is newspaper’s current formal or informal letter publication policy;

(ii) does this letter met the newspaper’s current policy;

(iii) does the newspaper’s current policy accord with any overarching APN News & Media policy concerning anonymous publication;

(iv) did the letter writer request anonymous publication; and

(v) what reasons if any were given if such a request was made.

I respectfully request a written explanation in reply, as a reasonable person could entertain the idea that this particular anonymous letter was written by an APN employee/The Daily Examiner staff member and, was published with the express intention of inciting further debate on the subject matter in the newspaper’s regular letters section.

Such a motive would not live up to either the ethical or good governance standards expected by readers of APN New & Media publications.

In anticipation and appreciation of your assistance with this matter.

Sincerely,

[redacted]

[redacted]

[1] It is my understanding that the second reader was promised feedback on her issues regarding the anonymous letter to the editor, but to date hasn't heard a word from The Daily Examiner.