you wouldn't read about it!

There are three screens in front of me.

four corners is on TV: The Gina Rhinehart episode.

I am banging on the keyboard of my computer.

A twitter feed is on my phone beside me....

Some of my favourite people on twitter are journalists......but I am gravitating towards following people who reinforce my own view of the world.

I deliberately follow a few people who have a different view of the world, just to challenge "group think".

Day by day, I am watching from the sidelines as traditional business models for receiving news, views, information and entertainment are collapsing.  

So ....we need new business models.

How do I stay informed?

How much will I have to pay?

How do journalists earn livelihoods, if we all stop reading newspapers, listening to commercial radio or watching commercial television?

Labor's Identity crisis

I may be everything that John Birmhingham thinks makes the Labor party doomed (doomed he says).

 My grandparents were fair dinkum working class.  Dad's dad was a Firey.  Mum's dad worked for the water board.  My grandmothers could not vote or could not drink in a public bar.  Once they married, it was expected that they would give up their careers and stay at home to raise my respective parents, my Aunts & my Uncles.

My parents climbed the ladders of opportunity.  Dad obtained a cadetship and worked as a Health Inspector, eventually climbing to run Building and Town Planning sections of Municipal Authorities.

Mum also climbed a ladder. She gained a scholarship to be a teacher.

As a child, I watched Mum bang her head on glass ceilings.  She needed twice the experience and three times the qualifications to break into administration.  She taught by day and studied at night.

My siblings and I (through no fault of our own) were the kids of professionals. The lower tiers of our maslow's hierarchy of human needs was met.   We were raised in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, on a farm, surrounded by rainforest & close to beaches & all sorts of wilderness.

My parents took me off to Sunday School, where I learnt about Missionaries.  I watched slides shows of poor people in developing communities.  I did not want to save them.  I did want them to access to clean water and designated, sustainable places to poo.

So as an adult, I must be what JB refers to as soft left!  I am a Greenie (though not a Green). I am a humanitarian.  I work as a mercenary contractor for a Municipal Authority and run a floundering social enterprise.

So on Labor Day, 2012.  I am working from home, with the dual responsibilities of child care & provider.  I would have liked to have marched with the Labour movement today, but I am not sure I belong.

keep your friends close & your enemies closer

The new Newman ministry (via Ryan Moore)

The newly elected QLD State Government has not yet updated it website/s with details of the new cabinet or the departmental changes that are currently taking place.

In order to get a handle on a ever changing context of Environmental Law in QLD, it would be prudent to attend (or send your colleagues to) ASBG’s one day intensive Environmental Workshop on regulation, reporting and management.

http://www.asbg.net.au

The following is a list of the newly announced Qld State Government Cabinet.

CABINET MINISTERS
Campbell Newman - Premier and Cabinet
Jeff Seeney - Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
Tim Nicholls - Treasurer and Minister for Trade
Lawrence Springborg - Minister for Health
John-Paul Langbroek - Minister for Education, Training and Employment
David Gibson - Minister for Police and Community Safety
Jarrod Bleijie - Attorney General and Minister for Justice
Scott Emerson - Minister for Transport and Main Roads
Bruce Flegg - Minister for Housing and Public Works
John McVeigh - Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Andrew Powell - Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection
Andrew Cripps - Minister for Natural Resources and Mines
Mark McArdle - Minister for Energy and Water Supply
David Crisafulli - Minister for Local Government
Tracy Davis - Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
Ros Bates - Minister for Science, IT, Innovation and the Arts
Steve Dickson - Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing
Jann Stuckey - Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and Commonwealth Games
Jack Dempsey - Minister for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander & Multicultural Affairs and Assisting the Premier

ASSISTANT MINISTERS
Lisa France (Pumicestone) - Assistant Minister for Natural Resources and Mines
Tim Mander (Everton) - Assistant Minister for Sport and Racing
Chris Davis (Stafford) - Assistant Minister for Health
Gavin King (Cairns) - Assistant Minister for Tourism
Steve Minnikin (Chatsworth) - Assistant Minister for Public Transport
Rob Molhoek (Southport) - Assistant Minister for Child Safety
Ian Walker (Mansfield) - Assistant Minister for Planning Reform
Deb Frecklington (Nanango) - Assistant Minister for Finance, Administration and Regulatory Reform
David Kempton (Cook) - Assistant Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Saxon Rice (Mount Coot-tha) - Assistant Minister for Technical and Further Education
Robert Cavallucci (Brisbane Central) - Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs

PARLIAMENTARY ROLES
Fiona Simpson - Speaker
Glen Elmes - Deputy Speaker/Chairman of Committees
Ray Stevens - Leader of the House
Vaughan Johnson - Chief Whip
Rosemary Menkens - Senior Whip
Ted Sorensen Deputy Whip
Tarnya Smith Deputy Whip

Politicians with Passion

Remember when Peter Garrett used to sing political songs and make political statements?

Remember the power & the passion?

This week I had a chat with Capt Quirk, the current Lord Mayor of Brisbane....

When I asked him what he was passionate about.....he responded with:

"Racehorses".....

People, wasting away in paradise
Going backwards, once in a while
Takin' your time, give it a try
What do you believe, what do you believe
What do you believe is true?
And nothing they say makes a difference this way
Nothing they say will do

You take all the trouble that you can afford
At least you won't have time to be bored x2

Oh, the power and the passion
Oh, the temper of the time
Oh, the power and the passion
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line

Sunburned faces around, with skin so brown
Smiling, zinc cream and crowds, Sundays the beach never a cloud
Breathing eucalypt, pushing panel vans
Stuff and munch junk food
Laughing at the truth, cos Gough was tough til he hit the rough
Hey Uncle Sam and John were quite enough

Too much of sunshine too much of sky
It's just enough to make you wanna cry x2

Oh, the power and the passion
Oh, the temper of the time
Oh, the power and the passion
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line

I see buildings, clothing the sky, in paradise
Sydney, nights are warm
Daytime telly, blue rinse dawn
And Dad's so bad he lives in the pub, it's a underarms and football club
A flat chat Pine Gap, in every home a Big Mac,
And no one goes outback, that's that

You take what you get, you get what you please
Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees
It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees

Oh, the power and the passion
Oh, the temper of the time
Oh, the power and the passion
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line
(repeat)

Did you happen to see Lateline on Thursday night? Paul Keating was interviewed about his perspective on putting a price on pollution.


If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a moment to watch former Prime Minister Keating’s interview about economic reform.



After watching former Prime Minister Paul Keating, it is worth having a look at Can Do roping in his family to passionately tell us he has a plan (but then telling us nothing about what the plan is). It is hysterical......

Campaign Ruby - a review

It was my Dad's birthday in March.

What does one get one's benevolent father, who (by his own admission) has everything he wants or needs?

I had a chat to my Mum and threatened to get Dad a copy of Jessica Rudd's first novel. My family has a history of buying each other presents that we would want for our respective selves.

Mum received a milkshake maker for one of her birthdays. Anyway, cutting to the chase, Mum thought "Campaign Ruby" might be inappropriate for my Dad. She thought is may be a little risqué or perhaps too Mills & Boonish. So Mum struck preemptively and bought "Campaign Ruby" for me.

I was hooked from the start. Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of reading it through the night. I have a beloved wife & a 20 month old daughter who consume almost all of my waking moments (apart from the 40 hours a week that I spend peering down sewers). My family are my world & I have very little time these days for recreational reading.

So I read "Campaign Ruby" in installments. A half hour over lunch. Another half hour in the evening before acute hypersomnia would kick in. Like Bobby Sands through an hour glass, so are they days of our lives.....

Con-current to my interest in "Campaign Ruby", our illustrious former Lord Mayor announced his intentions to run for the seat of Ashgrove.

So I found myself filling out an application to join the Labor Party. After three years of waging a futile campaign against 32 000 tonnes of CO2e during construction and an estimated annual GHG emissions for the operation of the project are 18 120 tonnes CO2-e (averaged over a 12 year period from time of opening) from the Northern Link Road Tunnel.

So I followed Ruby Stanhope around a fictional campaign trail, as homework for an eminent campaign for the seat of #Ashgrove.

I found myself completely engaged in the world depicted by Jessica Rudd. I wanted to write letters to Max Masters (the Leader of the Opposition - also known as the LOO), supporting his immigration policy. I also wanted to scream when I realised that Ruby Stanhope - Former Senior Analyst (Emerging Markets) had no appreciation of ecological limits to growth.

I found it refreshing to read a novel with such great characters. The women were real women. The men were realistic men (with limited fashion sense, something I could relate to). My favourite character was Ruby's niece - Clem also known as Clementine Genevieve Gardner-Stanhope. My least favourite character was Ruby's brother-in-Law, Mark because I know blokes like that.

So, I basically I am saying that "Campaign Ruby" is definitely worth the read. It is not the "Brigit Jone's Diary" I was expecting and although Ruby swears like a trooper and sleeps with an egomaniac, the sex is not gratuitous. Thankfully, there is not too much information. The insights (and/or incites) into politics are fascinating and accessible, even to those without much interest in politics.

If @Taezar were to ask me HowmanyPandas? I would have to say six out of five Pandas. I will be interested to hear what my Mum thinks. Now I am waiting for the sequel- #RubyBlues

Jess Rudd reports on twitter: "First draft of #RubyBlues is almost ready to submit *throws air punch*"

I cannot wait.......but I guess i will have to.

the sustainable business weekly QLD Edition [Environment Protection Penalties, Enviro Politics]

It has been a huge week in Queensland Environmental politics.

The Queensland Parliament has passed a bill overhauling the penalties in the Environment Protection Laws.

One of the drivers of this change was to ensure that the cost of the fines exceeded the costs of proper disposal.

The Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Act allows courts to issue a range of new sanctions, including "monetary benefit orders" that require polluters to pay fines equivalent to any financial gain they obtained as a result of their illegal activity.

NortonRose will help ASBG unpack & examine the implications of these changes for businesses in the Environmental Management Workshop in May. We shall also examine the best ways to “stay out of trouble” with the environmental regulator.




The Campaign


As New South Wales goes to the polls this weekend, Queensland has suddenly found itself in an election campaign.

The Queensland State Elections are not actually due until mid/late 2012. The Queensland Government has been assuring us that the reconstruction of Queensland is a priority and there will not be an early election.

Brisbane’s current Lord Mayor, Campbell Newman, stood on a soap box outside Suncorp Stadium and announced that he was standing for pre-selection for the State seat of Ashgrove.

If Campbell Newman wins pre-selection for Ashgrove (in a one horse race), he will resign as Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor and the Brisbane City Council will be forced to appoint a new Lord Mayor from among the current batch of Councillors. Councillor Graham Quirk is the nominee for replacement Lord Mayor.

Mr Newman is not moving from Ann Street to George Street for the wood chop. He wants the top job. However, while there are still a few hurdles in his way, the Liberal National Party has already started an election campaign based on the premise that Campbell Newman will be Premier.

The likelihood of Campbell Newman NOT winning the Seat of Ashgrove is not only possible, it is probable.

The incumbent member for Ashgrove is the Honourable Kate Jones, a Government Minister for Environment and Resource Management. The margin of the seat of Ashgrove is 7.1%.

So until the next election Environment and Resource Management policy are going to be front & centre in the election campaign we have (even without a election announcement).




Landfill Levy

The first shot fired by the Campbell Newman at Kate Jones has been about the State Government’s proposed Landfill Levy.

The irony is that Council of Mayors in South East Queensland (led by Campbell Newman) have been intrinsically involved in the design of the Levy and fought tooth and nail to have Municipal Authorities exempt from the levy.

The levy will be cumbersome to manage, trying to determine the difference between Municipal & Commercial Waste.

Campbell Newman has attacked Ashgrove MP Kate Jones over her proposed landfill levy and said he had aspirations to “go down and sort out George Street”.


Water Wars

There is no doubt that Campbell Newman will escalate the blame game for the price of water.



Coal Seam Gas

Some believe the next point of differentiation between Campbell Newman & Kate Jones will be over the Coal Seam Gas Industry.

There is a lot of political mileage to be made if Campbell is seen to be advocating on behalf of landholders.

To date the Queensland Government has been opening doors for the Coals Seam Gas Industry, adopting an adaptive management regime. This means that approvals can be modified to ensure the environment is protected if strict monitoring requirements detect any unexpected or unacceptable impacts.

There is speculation that Campbell Newman will take a more prescriptive approach with managing the industry. Up until now, there has been very little opposition from the Queensland State Opposition to Coal Seam Gas.
The breakaway conservative QLD party and the Queensland Greens are pushing for a moratorium on any more Coal Sean Gas Development.

Stradbroke Island

For better or for worse, the Queensland State Government has brought forward the timetable for the cessation of sand mining on Stradbroke Island.





The Carbon Price Debate



In Canberra this week, there has been very little progress towards gaining any details of the proposed Carbon Price.

Question time in Parliament & the Senate was more like a “Rock & Roll” wrestling match, with mixed messages about the Government & the Opposition’s actual positions on pricing carbon.

Bryan Dawe and John Clarke have provided an elegant summary of the current state of play.

some love to cook, I cook to love

I am inspired by passionate people.

I am inspired by people who are actually making a difference.

I am way impressed with the work of Danielle Crismani (also known as DigellaBakes) the founder of Baked Relief

According to Digella:

On Monday 10 Jan 2011 I hashtagged #bakedrelief to rally support for volunteers working on Brisbane floods. It got BiG!

As the water recedes and the mud is washed away from South East Queensland & when the dust settles over Christchurch, I wonder if BakedRelief could ever become BakedDevelopment.

Let me explain.

In the circles that I mix in international development we distinguish between emergency relief and development assistance.

Emergency Relief is often the essential but short term band aid solutions, in response to an immediate crisis.

I believe Development Assistance (when done properly & effectively) is about bringing communities out of poverty, whilst promoting ecological sustainability, resilience and self reliance.

In my short terms exposure to working in international development assistance, I have come to believe that many developing communities have more to offer me, than I have to offer them.

For the time being, I am limited geographically to working in my own community, whilst I raise infant/s. I spend a lot of my time at the moment as a part-time, stay-at-home Dad.

One of my duties is to cook for both my baby and my beloved wife.

Some people love to cook. I hate it. I am not very skilled at it. I understand a great deal of the theory but I am really quite hopeless in the kitchen.

I have no attention to detail.

I have a tendency to short-cut, leave out essential ingredients or substitute ingredients.

I have no appetite. I often forget to eat. For me, eating is a chore and cooking more so.

However, my attitudes are changing.

I am trying to learn to cook. I cook to demonstrate my love for my beloved wife & child in a tangible way.

If I say that I love them, but feed them pig slop, then there is no proof of the pudding in the eating.

I love my wife. I love my child. I love my planet.

I am taking the time to think about the food that I buy, the meals that I prepare as a demonstration of that love.

It is alleged that Jesus said words to the effect:

"What father among you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of the fish?

My daughter has not asked me for bread yet. She just screams when she is hungry or points at things and says "mummy, mummy, mummy".

My wife does not ask me for bread either. She just expects that, after a twelve hour day of vocational pursuits, I would be considerate enough to have a meal on the table, when she walks in the door.

If the food I prepare is an act of love. Then I am challenged to think about where it has come from. Who are farmers who grow the food? Do I love them?

Do I show my appreciation to those who grow, process and deliver my food? Do I even know where my food comes from?

Do I love the land? Do I love my country?

In a democratic society, every purchasing decision is a vote. Everything I buy is an exertion of my political will.

Do I support the trans-national companies or do I support family businesses? Do I support sustainable farming practices? Do I believe in fair trade?

For over a year, I have been buying a box of mixed fruit & vegetables from Food Connect, every second week. .......but Food Connect is only half the picture. I need to learn to cook.

That is where I see a need for BakedDevelopment.

By way of allegory, BakedRelief might give a man a fish so he can eat for a day.

BakedDevelopment might teach a man how to cook a fish, to demonstrate his love for his wife & child. BakedDevelopment might help a man choose a fish that is not an endangered species, so that there are still fish to eat when his daughter grows up.