If national interest is going to continue getting in the way of action on climate change, then nation-states will have to be done away with.

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“Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Santa,
And thanks for all the presents!”

And by the way, my Christmas lawn display lasted a whopping four days.

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We’ve gotta keep working to hold Rudd to account on climate change.

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After seeing this on wrongcards, I knew I’d found the perfect slogan for a lawn display of my own.

The fine print reads “He teaches us that gullibility is more likely to be rewarded than scepticism”.

Anyone want to hazard odds on the number of hours before someone either steals it, knocks it down, or sets it on fire?

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Even Mexico, a developing country which depends on industry, has set a 2050 target of 50%.

Damn we suck on this issue. Details at the BBC.

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No related posts.

Dennis Black have spent some time examining the available information and considering the issues raised.

We do not think we can unequivocally offer the absolute “yes/no” answer that the Stock Agents Association demanded. We have instead drafted the following statement.

Statement from Kieran Bennett and Dennis Black on the Wodonga Livestock Exchange

We believe it is important to support the continuation of a viable Livestock Exchange within the City of Wodonga.

We believe that council must work with stock agents, farmers and other stakeholders when making decisions on the future of the Livestock Exchange.

We believe that any decision should consider the:

• The needs of users of the facility,
• The financial risk to ratepayers,
• The environmental and social impacts of the facility, And
• Issues of Animal Welfare.

Based on the information contained in the independent reports commissioned by council, specifically the Huefner and GHD reports, it appears that councils current course of action is appropriate.
We want to see a process whereby stakeholders and the proposed private operator work together in the design of any new facility.

We are concerned that some stakeholders have been alienated from the decision making process. We are prepared to consider the ideas and proposals put forward by stakeholders. If these proposals better meet the criteria of: users need, ratepayers interest, environmental impact and animal welfare, we would be prepared to revisit councils decision.

To discuss this or any matter, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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The following information is from State Green’s MLC Greg Barber:

A proposed law before the State Parliament will clip the wings of any active citizen who runs for local council, by making it a ‘conflict of interest’ to vote on any matter on which they previously made a submission.

It is due to be voted on this coming Tuesday (28th) in the upper house and to stop it, you must urgently lobby the Liberal and National parties to vote for the Greens’ amendments.

Do you know anyone who is running for Council in the elections this November?

Are they active in a number of local community groups which are trying to convince governments to take action in their area?

Are they the sort of person who regularly attends Council meetings or writes submissions, until one day they got so fed up they decided to stand for council?

This is a law against those people.

It’s a law to discourage them from running, or to knock them out of voting if they are elected.

What’s wrong with this provision?

Councillors already have a responsibility to act in an ‘unbiased’ manner when dealing with certain types of decisions - such as applications for planning permits. This obligation arises out of common law and is well described in a government publication Ensuring Unbiased Democratic Council Decision Making (see link below).

The Government’s proposed new law goes much, much further.

Councillors can be banned from voting on any Council matter if they have previously chosen to:

(ii) make an objection or submission in relation to the matter.
* It doesn’t have to be a submission you made to the Council you are running for. If you made a submission to a state government review, your Council forming its position on the same review could be seen to be the same ‘matter’.

* It’s irrelevant what you said in your submission, whether for, against or neutral on a proposal. Writing the submission automatically gives you a conflict of interest.

* It doesn’t have to be a personal submission. You could be an office bearer of a group or other entity and be held responsible for the submission your group made.

Example: Katherine is a local councillor and also the Treasurer of the local Landcare group, who wrote a submission to the Minister for Water on a proposal to declare certain wetlands as protected. Later, the Minister writes to Katherine’s council asking them for their position on the matter. Katherine can’t vote.

* It could be a verbal submission you made by speaking at a council meeting. It doesn’t matter what you said, because the only necessary action is that you made a submission.

* It’s retrospective. Any submission you made in the past could knock you out of voting at any time on the future.

Example: Ian made a submission to his council’s proposed by-law on footpath trading rules. Some time later he is elected to council. Five years after the law was first created, Council considers running a review of the law. Councillor Ian can’t even vote on whether or not to review the law because he made a submission on the original version.

* It also applies to councillors attending briefings from staff members, not just formal council decision making meetings.

* It also applies to any Council employee who exercises powers under delegation.

If this Bill is passed, it will not lead to clarification of the law, it will create massive confusion. Elected Councillors face a breach of the Conflict of Interest provisions and fines if someone digs up a submission they wrote, possibly years ago.

It’s unnecessary. Existing legal provisions and guidelines cover this area. Clarifying the law is one thing, massively expanding its reach is another.

Please take action today by writing to the Liberal and National Leaders ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au AND peter.ryan@parliament.vic.gov.au and ask them to support the Greens amendments (see below) when the Bill comes to the Upper House.

Cheers,

Greg Barber MLC

Local Government Amendment (Councillor Conduct and Other Matters) Bill 2008

Section 78D

Indirect interest as a consequence of becoming an interested party

A person has an indirect interest in a matter if the person has become an interested party in the matter by—

(a) initiating civil proceedings in relation to the matter or becoming a party to civil proceedings in relation to the matter; or

(b) exercising a right under the common law, an Act or regulation to—

(i) lodge an appeal in relation to the matter; or

(ii) make an objection or submission in relation to the matter. [The Greens propose to delete this last line]

You can find the whole of the Local Government Amendment (Councillor Conduct and Other Matters) Bill 2008 at:
[link]

Ensuring Unbiased Democratic Council Decision Making:
[link]

If this amendment is passed, it would prevent a great number of people currently seeking election to Wodonga council from ever playing an active role in the council decision making process.

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The content that was located on this site has been archived here.

You can contact me at any time. My phone number is 0430509913, and my email address is kieranbennett@gmail.com

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