Coal Seam Gas - Anne Dean's Queensland experience.

I am a part time member of CSG Free Shoalhaven I attend meetings when I can. One of the people I have met through this group is Anne Dean. Now don't let Anne tell you she is ordinary - for she is not and she is one of the driving forces behind the local group.

Anne and her husband recently took a trip to Queensland and of course you just cant avoid coal seam gas mining when you are in western Queensland.

Anne has put her thoughts down on paper and given me permission to print them below along with some of her great pictures ~ you can really feel the emotion in Anne's writing and I can feel how confronting this trip was for her.

Please share this post with any and everyone especially those interested in protecting our land and water from gas mining ~ we really cant eat coal or drink gas.

Thanks Anne for sharing your experience with us ~

Hi Guys  

I would have probably  met some of you at our  Community  Forum in May. For  those who don’t know me.                                            (IM ANNE DEAN)

I’ve been involved in the ANTI  CSG movement  for a little over 3 years now. My partner and I are new to the Shoalhaven, retiring here 18 months ago. We thought the Shoalhaven was not only the most beautiful area in the country but that  CSG mining and fracking wouldn’t be  a threat here; and this was a major reason why we retired  here from Sydney.

My daughter Melinda Wilson runs the Western Sydney,  and  Blacktown, No CSG Groups as well as  the Protect the Kimberly FB  SITE.

I want to speak to you tonight .  Not to  give you a travelog about the last 2 and a half  months we have just spent,  driving around Queensland in our caravan. BUT  rather,  to pass on to you all that we experienced and learned about The Coal  &  Coal Seam Gas (mining)  industry; and the terrible impact it’s having on people and communities in QUEENSLAND. It’s quite HORRIFIC  and for us  NOT to share our experiences ;  is just  NOT AN OPTION.

We all  need to mobilize and prepare for what is coming our way. AND we need to create a HUGE  resistance group to make sure we stop, what is happening in Queensland, happening in our state of New South Wales, and more specifically in our local Shoalhaven

We  visited  Tara, Chinchilla , Kogan GAS FIELDS. We talked to local people  who lived there . They were all  happy to tell us about the terrible destruction  Coal Seam Gas mining and Fracking has caused to their health & their local area.  We weren’t  able to meet Debbi Orr because one of her neighbours told us, she was at the hospital ,  the day we were there ;  with her youngest child and new baby, AND that all her six children along with children from 26 OTHER  local families; are suffering   from contamination that no one can   explain;  or take responsibility for;   but which all started when the CSG drilling started;  and is consistent with the symptoms being suffered by children overseas where CoAL SEAM GAS  drilling and fracking has been in full production for over a decade.

We saw the Condamine river, which bubbles like a spa,  and still no one will take responsibility, telling us it’s  a natural occurrence which just  happened to start when Coal Seam Gas  drilling and Fracking started.

The majority of Coal Seam Gas  Mining around Tara, Chinchilla and Kogan  is done back from the main roads, along a dirt track,  mainly away from view , among the trees, and can only be found by  people specifically looking for it

But  around  Miles, Roma and  Wandoan   there are drilling Rigs everywhere , massive holding  ponds, thousands of pipes stacked everywhere    all brazenly visible from the road.  It’s absolutely HUGE. And the roads linking all these towns are  jam packed  with huge industrial mining trucks  and water carriers. Which operate 24/7.

We travelled  to  Mt Isa  where the huge coal   mine is at the end of the main street in the  CBD spewing coal smoke directly onto the population  as they go about their daily  shopping.  The negative health impacts on the people of the town are  documented on the internet

We  drove  to ,Cloncurry, and  Bowen,   and down the east coast of Queensland..

The  saddest experience we had was to drive through Gladstone to Curtis Island. Here there has been no attempt to disguise the absolute desecration and destruction, caused by the mining companies  everywhere.

 It was such a terrible sight that it brought a  tear  to my eye.

I could not believe humans could have such little regard for the land, the environment and the planet.

AT  Charleville we visited the Cosmos Observatory and saw how the planet evolved. We also  looked at the stars and other planets and learned all about space travel.

At Port Macquarie we visited Sea Acres and walked around the tree top walk, learning all about the rainforest and how the vegetation  coexists  and regenerates.

At Cairns we took a glass bottom boat to Green Island to view the spectacular Great Barrier Reef The world Heritage listed, and UNESCO protected reef, is the most diverse living organism and ecosystem in the world. Mining companies plan to remove 3 million cubic metres  of the reef  and the sea bed to build the largest coal export terminal worldwide. Unless stopped  we are going  to lose the worlds most truly precious gem to a temporary & damaging  mining solution.

But  probably the highlight of our trip would have been the 5 hours we spent at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, while we were at the Sunshine Coast. .. As well as being a tribute to Steve’s , much to short life;  it  focuses  on Steve’s work saving  animals and precious wildlife . Not only protecting them, but also ensuring the environment they  occupy is kept pristine for them to inhabit and enjoy a future  Before the daily midday show in the crocoseum , Bindi, Bob and  their mother Terri spoke digitally to the audience on a HUGE screen;  against the destruction being caused to the country and the environment  by  BIG  MINING  ,.

 IT WAS VERY POWERFUL.

Once  we reached the Gold Coast I met up with some  Lock the Gate    friends that I had met through chats on facebook ;  and   joined them  in a peaceful  protest  in front of local Liberal  candidate  Steve Ciobo’s  office in Cheveron Island  Wonderful  caring passionate people who have formed a chapter of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas

When we got to Byron Bay we drove 20 kms  to Bangalow and attended an   “Auzzies Against Fracking”  event at the Bangalow Bowling Club . There were over 300 people present . Some I knew from  Facebook or the Mayday Rally last year;  others I had never met,  but they welcomed us;  all the way from the Shoalhaven.

IT WAS AN INSPIRATIONAL NIGHT

Artists all entertained for free;   Swamp  Stompers  ,Lil LIL ,  Kevin Borich , Wolfe Mother,  Leo Sayer.   Many others spoke by electronic hook up.  Celebrities  from all fields,  stating their ANTi CSG messages on an overhead screen. There were hundreds of them.

I met  Dayne  Pratzky who stood up and spoke about  his life, living  in a Gas Field. He told us all he  holds a Certificate of Title for a 100 acres  property, that is worthless. It was HORRIFIC.

But in spite of the somber message of  Coal Seam Gas  mining; and Fracking which had united everyone; it was a night of music , dancing and  celebration  Celebration  of community; and the camaraderie   that has brought  everyone  together in this common fight.

ANTI COAL SEAM GAS PEOPLE ARE THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE I HAVE EVER MET.

Across the country;  people are  forming  Knitting Nannas Against Gas Groups. Senior people sitting outside Politicians  Offices or Mining Company offices; knitting in yellow and black.  Of course when anyone asks  them  what  it’s  all about , that person very swiftly   receives  an Anti CSG flier, or DVD  and are asked to sign a petition. The Knitting Nannas  are growing from strength to strength and are shortly to release a video about their activities.

Younger  people are joining, or forming  ‘Gals Against Gas’  or ‘Burlesque Babes’. (Groups)  Cheer squads; dressed  up and performing dancing routines  to promote the Anti CSG.movement.

People are organising  concerts, (like the one we attended)  picnics, stalls,  bike rides, horse rides,  human signs and Rallies.  All kinds of events to highlight the Anti Coal Seam Gas  cause ,  raise awareness and keep the movement on the boil.

Everywhere we went we saw LOCK THE GATE ,   No COAL SEAM GAS  and Vote 1 GREENS. Signs.

With the recent change of government it is more important than ever that we are united and strong in our resistance, because the new Federal Government is very pro  Mining and BIG BUSINESS and has already told us they plan to streamline mining approvals and roll them out as quickly as possible.

We all know that we are the good guys in this battle. The evidence is everywhere about the terrible destruction  Coal and Coal Seam Gas mining   causes.   And we know  THAT IF WE ALL  stand together  UNITED and STRONG;  IN THE END  WE WILL PREVAIL..

BUT are  WE READY? Because if we value our country, state and local region , we definitely need to get ourselves   READY….  and  QUICKLY.

 

Thank you very much

Well Done Joanna Gash - Tree Vandals and the big banner

I'm very pleased to see Joanna Gash get behind the community campaign to get some banners up in areas that have suffered at the hands of tree vandals.

This week the Town and Country insert in the local paper carried the following article on its front page. I've scanned it in two parts so I hope it is readable.

The last Council just couldn't bring itself to get tough on vandals and take the step of putting up some sort of screen.

I think you will agree when Council works closely with the community the results are good. This banner is slightly opaque and the photo of the vegetation is really great.

Meanwhile on the same day- I received a yellow envelope from a solicitor demanding that I remove a blog post discussing tree vandalism on the very same site on which the banner is located. I have taken the "offensive" blog down and seeling legal advice.

Goodbye scenic protection in Narrawallee

Once upon a time- Shoalhaven City Council talked to the residents of the Milton /Ulladulla/ Narrawallee area and resolved to create a scenic protection zone to maintain the seaside village feel of the area and to stop urban sprawl from creating a super suburb Mollywalleedullaton.

That scenic area is once more under threat as Hanson Pty Ltd try to horse trade their environmental land that is zoned for housing for their scenic protection zoned land for housing.

Image taken from the flora and fauna report of the applicant contained on Shoalhaven City Councils Website. the pink portion is were the new subdivision is going and the lime green is the area known as Garrods Lagoon
 

This issue has been a vexed one for some time. As you can see from the diagram above Hanson own the area rimmed with green and pink. The green area is a sensitive water course and the bushland in this section effectively and naturally treats storm water run of before it runs into Narrawallee inlet. You could build homes in here but it would have a hugely negative impact on the lake.

Up in the pink section there was approval to subdivide a further low density housing section that was advised to the residents as being 19 new home blocks with a vegetated buffer separating the two.

The State Government brought in legislation that allows for trading called Voluntary Planning Agreements and in an effort to break the gridlock of the Narrawallee issue council entered into an agreement that allowed Hanson Pty Ltd to get a higher yield on the pink section while placing the green section into conservation. But it seems that the developer isn't seeking a fair trade but trying to maximise the options by requesting a 45 lot subdivision.

Looking at the aerial map though doesn't tell the whole story. For it doesn't show what land is already approved for subdivision and new projects which will bring about a drastic reduction in the bushland around Narrawallee.

There have been a few submissions calling for the subdivision to be at least scaled back to the original intent.

Although the Flora and Fauna reports claim that the impact of clearing 6 hectares in this location is negligible and a strict plan of management should be adhered to when clearing occurs. The report fails to cover the cumulative impact in this location in respect to the projects that already have approval.

Having the lagoon area put into conservation is a win, it was once described to me as the lakes 'kidneys', but do we really understand the cumulative impacts that will occur in this area should more land clearing happen?

Some residents on Leo Drive suffered from further water inundation when the last lot of clearing was carried out 18 months ago- bushland destroyed, large trees turned into mounds of chip and not one block has been sold. Seems like a real lack of understanding of ecological systems to me. 

When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money.

Previous blogs on Narrawallee

http://amandashoalhavengreens.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/leo-drive-losses-wildlife.html

and our young people held a forum to raise awareness about alternative planning

http://amandashoalhavengreens.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/future-is-in-our-hands-alternative.html

Bend over backwards for developers and ignore community: New faces same old pattern

Monday nights special development meeting and the complete lack of strategy from the Gash-ites is now entrenched.

As I previously blogged- the Local Environment Plan is about setting the future for development in the Shoalhaven and should not be time for awarding either spot rezoning's (like they did on Friday) or creating preposterous guidelines like they did yesterday.

Last nights meeting was looking primarily at Height of Building Mapping across the city. This has been a significant issue with the community and received the most volume of correspondence than any other single item.

Of course people are concerned that Shoalhaven City Council would height map the city at a  homogenous 11meters.

During the last round of negotiations a compromise was set that mapped heights agreed on through development control plans into the local environment plan.

An example of this is the 'sit down in front' principle that maps certain areas of foreshore at 6.5 meters to enable view sharing. Another example is 23meters in Nowra business area.

At last nights meeting Council spent 40 mins debating the needs of one developer with an aim to set height controls on his block of land at 13m which is 2m above  the city average. This block is beside the shops at St Georges Basin and is surrounded by residential subdivision.

A 13m development at this site will look like a pimple on a pumpkin-out of place and potentially unattractive. The proponent made an almost incoherent argument to justify his 13 m extension but it boiled down to it just wasn't economically viable unless it was 13m high!!!!!

I would put it to him that he shouldn't be building something that will be so out of character with the village and that is what will make it unviable- no one will want it!

Its not like Council had to award 13m last night- for just like every other person in the Shoalhaven he can put in a separate planning proposal which would go through rigorous community consultation.

Meanwhile while they were trying to work out how to give this 13m 'gift' to the developer they completely ignored the communities pleas to cap the residential area at 8.5m but left it at 11m which opens the gate for all sorts of 'pimples' to develop in essentially the seaside village of Huskisson- talk about shooting the Goose that lays the Golden Egg!!

But then it seems as though strategic vision isn't the strong point of this new batch of Councillors which is completely at odds with the indications that they have given the community.

"of course tourism is a valuable industry'

"oh I completely agree with your assertions'

But in the end the votes don't line up with the talk- say one thing- vote in the opposite way. And of course the ubiquitous one rule for the community who have already invested their combined millions in the area - and another rule for a favoured few.

Breath Amanda breath...........................

Tell the community weve rezoned land!- NO WAY

At Fridays Special Development meeting to consider the Local Environment Plan, Gashites refused to support an amendment that would see neighbours and community groups advised of zoning changes.

An example of this is the zoning change awarded to the Vincentia Golf Club- who have in their ownership a parcel of land that is zoned for environmental purposes. I have not been on the land but when you see an arial photograph you can see that is heavily vegetated with perhaps a creek running through it. I would be happy enough to consider it a conservation zone.

The Club put forward a submission requesting the zone be changed to RE2 private recreation to facilitate future expansion of the club.

This particular request has only been available for a sharp eyed council watcher to find in business papers since around the 15 July and frankly many wouldn't be looking or expecting such a change to happen as it was not advertised with the mapping and the golf course did not raise it in the first round of the environment plan submission.

I raised the issue and failed to gain any support- not even a seconder to at least NOTIFY the neighbours and the community group that covers the area. On the scale of community consultation NOTIFY is a valid form of communication not consultation.

The Gashites thought I was trying to derail a process and didn't seem to understand that it was merely a courtesy letter I was asking for. I tried again later in the meeting and still no luck.

For a council that stated very loudly in their election campaign that they wanted to have a strong consultative manner for working with the community they either don't understand what it means or have re written the definition.

So a rezoning decision has been made and yet very few people will know about it- I think that's a poor process- how about you?

Fridays meeting was an improvement from Wednesdays debacle. Gashites seemed to have read and understood the ramifications of awarding spot rezones. As previously discussed on this blog I have had many conversations with different Gashites who tell me how important they believe strategic planning is and how they recognise that the Shoalhaven's tourist industry is powered by our excellent environment. Yet there seems to be little understanding that making a rezoning happen in isolation to a plan and some proper investigations sets a bad precedent and crate unplanned disasters into the future.

lets see how today goes.

Fools Gold / Development at any cost mentality reigns supreme in the Shoalhaven

sorry bout the fast and dirty adaptation of the Frederick County road sign :)
 

Shoalhaven Open for Business-

The question is when was it ever closed!!!!!

The Liberals are taking their tired old mantra to new heights encouraged all the way by the old master Greg Watson.

Seriously who believes that the Shoalhaven has been closed-the old dominating Watson regime was in power for many years and had a develop at any cost mantra and this 'new Gash Council' is no different.

Clr Patricia White is chairing the special development meetings that are considering the latest round of submissions on the Local Environment Plan.

White wanted to hold the meetings in a super meeting over one weekend a sure recipe for disaster as fatigue and forgetfulness would fuel poor decision making and a very poor way to encourage community participation.

Mind you watching the dynamics of the chamber and the reliance on Watson's advice is sickening and perhaps fatigue would have produced better outcomes.

It has even been reported to me that in a desperate bid to make sure the Gashites didn't change the very scant and poor aims and objectives of the plan they invoked the Findley / Greens characterisation argument.

That's the argument were Watson and Guile make out that it is Findley's / The Greens fault that not much has happened in the city for years. HELLO when have the Greens actually been in 'power' in the Shoalhaven?

Millions of dollars of projects have been approved over the last 10 years and many of them languish not because the Greens caused it, but I would argue that the proposals were far to intense and simply not palatable in a low key area like the Shoalhaven-its a supply and demand type of issue.

So when previous develop at any cost Councils approved proposals that are outside development controls- push height limits too far and building set backs into impact zones they encourage a 'fools gold' mentality and people should shoulder some responsibility for their decisions.

The argument the Conservatives throw back is - well the developer knows best- what's viable / what's not. Sure they know what's best for their business but if the governing body actually had a vision other than the develop at any cost one- then development expectations would be more in line with the expected market and the existing community- people don't live here because they want it to be like Shellharbour! The Shoalhaven has many different characteristic's and that's why planning to suit them is so important.

Meanwhile back at the meetings Councillors are making poor decisions despite best efforts to try and explain why they shouldn't. I accept that there is more than one way to make decisions, but I also maintain that we have a community of people who care about the city they live in and Council should do its utmost to include them in every step of the planning process. NOT present unwieldy business papers and carry out poor consultation procedures.

I advised Clr White that this process is poor prior to them adopting it- seems it fell on deaf ears. Clr White has run for Council a couple of times before and she spent no time in the chamber during the last Planning phase to see what worked- yet her infinite wisdom didn't support what was a much better process last time around.

It's not over yet so I will keep you posted.

A month away- but nothing has changed

I've spent a month in the charming company of friends, camping along the east coast of Australia- an amazing adventure with many stories to tell.

So I'm back in the Shoalhaven feeling refreshed and relaxed and ready to be a little bit more friendly towards my Council colleagues.

Or so I thought.

That glowing feeling lasted about 20 mins into yesterdays policy resources and reserves committee, when It dawned on me that this Council has reached new heights of brainlessness and the grand puppet master Greg Watson is back yanking the conservatives strings ( not that he really went any where).

This was followed up be reading some distressing emails from the LEP review group.

During last nights meeting I put forward a motion that nominated Gash, Wells, Guile and myself as voting delegates for the upcoming Local Government Conference. I thought that was a reasonable reflection of the mix on Council.

The Local Government conference is a place were the members (local councils) give advice to a state body ( the association) to lobby state and federal government on behalf of Councils. The associations position is voted on via motions at conference and its highly political.

So the puppet masters opening salvo was don't send Findley she will tow the Greens party line and not support Shoalhaven motions  which in the past have been very ordinary and often criticised by other non Green Councillor who I have met through the independents network.

Of course Wells jumped on this comment as he thought I had voted against a Shoalhaven motion at the last conference, I asked that the motion be referred to the executive to check for validity as there was an active court case on the issue at the time.

At the last Conference the Gashites didn't call a pre conference meeting to discuss the business paper or even their position on the Shoalhaven motions which had been formulated not by them but the outgoing conservative Gareth Ward. They had no understanding or backgrounding on the motions. So they either thought they knew what they were doing or left it to others to do a job for them.

I had two motions at conference that were successfully supported by conference ( they forget the good bits) and these motion were supported by an overwhelming majority not by a division.

Clr Robertson who I have found to be fair minded- didn't want to support my motion "not because of the people being put forward" but because he wasn't sure about who was going-I told the meeting on three occasions that I would be attending. He shattered his own argument about two mins later when he voted for delegates that didn't include me- so Clive it definitely was about the people then?

 So one of those who I though was fair minded and more inclined towards equity showed his true "blue" colours and the Puppet master Watson smugly walked away with a voting right.

The hypocrisy of the situation is astounding- the Local Government act enshrines that there should be no binding caucus amongst local government members DO YOU HEAR THAT GASHITES- NO BINDING CAUCUS. yet here was a meeting of Council that was trying to bind its members to a position for conference!!!! and then later in the meeting saying that a referendum vote was completely based on a conscience vote.

Blah these people make me sick with their blatant hypocrisy and in some instances what can only be described as downright forked tongue double speak. I've seen almost all of them now say one thing in a public forum and vote completely the opposite in Council.

So the Puppet master Watson pulls their strings, even though they wanted to end the Watson regime that was supposedly ruining the Shoalhaven just 11 months ago, surely Watson is rubbing his hands with glee as the dominant faction swallow his bait and vote accordingly.

If  the Gashites even listen to a small proportion of my debate they would actually understand that I'm not as hard left as Watson would have them believe- but hey they don't listen to the community so why would they listen to me.

Is Crime in Australia really getting worse?

Sometimes my studies overlap what's going on in my real world, so I eagerly took on the following question that appeared in one of my subject question lists. I could have added so much more for there is a huge amount of material on this topic but I was limited to 1500 -+,

Enjoy.....

Question: Is crime really getting worse in Australia, or is it a figment of excessive surveillance, moral panic and the media?

If you get your news from any of the major media outlets such as newspapers, radio and free to air television, most days will have an update that has a crime related issue. These issues can relate to the actual occurrence of crime, court outcomes or political responses to crime. Reporting of crime can make us feel as though we live in a crime riddled world, that it is unsafe to walk our streets and contributes to our overall feelings of moral panic. This essay aims to examine if crime really is getting worse, is it a figment of our imaginations fuelled by excessive surveillance, moral panic and the incessant chatter of media outlets. This essay is not written in any way to devalue the victims experience and acknowledges the range of pain and damage that victims carry for all of their life.

Crime is recorded by a number of data sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) who produces different data sets that look at specific crime data for specific areas and take a broader approach by including crime statistics in publications such as the ‘Australian Year Book’. The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIoC) synthesises data taken from these credible sources to produce Australian Crime: facts and figures. The aim of the publication is to give an overview of what has been happening to Australian crime figures throughout the year with some longitudinally comparison since 1993 (AIoC, 2011). The AIoC report selects the following profiles for reporting, homicide, assault, sexual assault, robbery, motor vehicle theft, other theft, drug arrests, federal charges, unlawful entry with intent, and fraud and deception related crimes (AIoC 2011). The AIoC provides details on the logistics of crime and crime categories such as crimes against males and females. Some of the crime categories are broken down into sub categories such as murder and manslaughter, in the murder category there has been a steady downward trend with the usual highs and lows that comes with record keeping eg. in 1993 murders were just under 300 in the calendar year, in 1999 it peaked at 344 and has decreased by 3% per year and stood at 229 recorded for 2010 ( AIoC 2011pp 16/179).  Manslaughter in the same period has remained steady with under 50 crimes recorded each year since 1993(AIoC, 2011pp16). The AIoC provides on-line research tools including longitudinal graphs on crime categories; these graphs clearly show an increase in assaults but a decline in the theft of motor vehicles (AIoC. 2013). The AIoC reports ‘Highlights’ that violent crime and property crime incidents are decreasing.  The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BoCSaR) in their brief ‘An update of long term trends in property and violent crime NSW 1990-2012’ correlates with the AIoC and comes to the following conclusion.        

 ‘In the period since 1990, assault and sexual assault rates recorded significant long term upward trends whilst the other eight offences analysed in this report were trending down or stable. The 2012 recorded sexual assault rate was marginally above the previous highs of 2009 and 2010 and the rate since 2000 has recorded a significant uptrend. Apart from sexual assault, the remaining nine offence types have recorded significant downtrends in recorded rates since 2000. The three robbery and three property crime rates have all recorded falls of more than 55% since 2000.’ (NSW bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, April 2013)

‘Is crime getting worse in Australia?’ A brief investigation of statistics reveals that finding an answer is complex as there are many categories of crime and locations for crimes to be committed. However if we take the overall conclusions and highlights from annual or topical publications such as those produced by AIoC and BoCSaR we can arrive confidently to make a  broad statement that crime is in fact decreasing in Australia other than the category of assault which is increasing and is often fuelled by alcohol abuse.

Acts of crime in particular violent crime such as assault, shootings and murder are often subject to dissemination through the mass media and in our high speed digital age we are often ‘witness’ to these violent acts committed in our own and other western countries in a rapid fashion. In reporting violent crime we are often subjected to ‘eyewitness accounts’ video clips and journalist reports. Crime is a staple in our ‘news’ diet. Williams and Dickinson (1993) argue that the over representation of some categories of crime in newspapers is partially responsible for perceptions held by the public that crime is rampant and much higher than the statistics reveal, they describe this as ‘fear of crime’ which is a form of moral panic. Williams and Dickinson are cognisant that Newspapers are not the sole basis for opinion forming, their research reached an indecisive but indicative conclusion that ‘papers that report the most crime…in the most salient fashion (visually and stylistically) have readers with the highest level of ‘fear of crime’(Williams and Dickinson 2003 pp51). American researchers Gilliam and Iyengar found that television that relied on a ‘crime script’ such as the news has a socialising effect on its audience and that the audience was more likely to demand ‘more punitive policies’ to deal with crime (Gilliam, and Iyengar, 2000, pp571). Although Gilliam and Iyengar focused much of their work around attitudes towards ‘race’ we can draw many similarities here in Australia in regards to racial prejudices and mainstream news.

The 2005 the Cronulla riots is an example of racial prejudicing in the media. Poynting (2006) is forthright in his criticism of Australian media for ‘whipping up hysteria’ in the week before the racial clash that involved around five thousand people on Cronulla beach. Poynting believes the evidence is ‘clear cut’ that the media incited a racial hate crime and cites the actions of the tabloid paper Daily Telegraph as conducting a ‘classic morally outraged campaign’ (Poynting, 2006). The article goes on to reveal how radio and newsprint outlets continued to contribute to the moral panic after the riots and how the government responded with a ‘law and order’ auction (Poynting, 2006).

In response to constant reporting which gives the consumer of daily news the impression that crime is increasing, Governments have reacted to the induced moral panic by declaring that they are tough on ‘law and order’. Macionis and Plummer describe this heightened demand for tough law and order as ‘penal populism’ a ‘punitive stance towards crime…that politicians can benefit from exploiting this belief’ (2012,pp602). Macionis and Plummer also argue that to maintain moral panic and drive a penal populist belief requires ‘creating enemies, scapegoats and images of threatening people, welfare scroungers, immigrants… a sense of a dangerous world’ (2012p 602).  The threat of ‘illegal immigrants’ is one of the current drivers for moral panic in Australia.

One government reaction to get tough on law and order is to support further installations of Closed Circuit television (CCTV). The use of private and publicly funded CCTV according to Macionis and Plummer has grown in intensity so that we now live in a ‘surveillance society’ (2012,pp597). CCTV gives a community a sense of safety; even though it’s benefits are limited with the best results for crimes such as car theft. Wilson and Sutton argue that CCTV is best suited to confined spaces and the long term benefits in open street situations need to be measured against displacement effects (Wilson and Sutton, 2004). Wilson and Sutton go on to say that statistics on the number of surveillance cameras in Australia and their effectiveness is lacking and needs to balance between being fit for purpose and rights for privacy (2004). With so many cameras in operation both publicly and privately we are assured of one thing-that there is more grist for the media mill.

Crime statistics may relate to volume not severity and once passed through the justice system may change. According to the credible sources at BoCSaR and AIoC there has generally been a steady decline in crime, however statistics do show an increase in assault. Even though it may be difficult to show a completely definitive causal link between the media and the population’s fear of crime there is enough prima facie material to make a broad statement that Australia’s violent crime such as assault is on the rise, but it is over amplified by the presence of surveillance, the media’s insatiable appetite for ‘news’, moral panic and the political response to penal populist belief which seems to create a self-perpetuating loop. Other crime categories are on the decline but that doesn’t sell ‘news’ or help reinforce moral panic.

 

 

 

 

References

 

Australian Government Institute of Criminology 2012,  Australian Crime: Facts and Figures 2011, http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/0/B/6/%7B0B619F44-B18B-47B4-9B59-F87BA643CBAA%7Dfacts11.pdf.

Gilliam FD Jr. and Iyengar S, 2000, Prime Suspects: The Influence of Local Television News on the Viewing Public, American Journal of Political Science, Vol 44, No 3, July 2000. Accessed online via JSTOR May 2013.

Macionis JJ and Plummer K, 2012, Sociology, A Global Introduction (5^th Edition), Pearson Education Limited, England, UK.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Issue paper number 84, April 2013, An update of long-term trends in property and violent crime in New South Wales: 1990-2012, http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/BB84.pdf/$file/BB84.pdf

Poynting, S 2006 What caused the Cronulla riot? In Race and Class, Vol48 Issue 1, pp 85-92 7/2006 accessed online via Sage journals, May 2013.

 

Williams P and Dickinson J, 1993, Fear of Crime: Read all about it? The Relationship between Newspaper Crime Reporting and Fear of Crime. British Journal of Criminology, Vol 33 No1, Winter 1993

Wilson D and Sutton A, 2004, Watched Over or Over Watched? Open Street CCTV in Australia, The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology,  Vol37 No 2, 2004,  pp211-230

Coal Seam Gas- Finally Shoalhaven City Council see that the truth is not a jobs rich future

There has been so much written this week on the issue of coal seam gas that I was almost going to leave it of the blog list.

But I just couldn’t!

I’ve blogged before on Shoalhaven Councillors who were unwilling to support the different coal seam gas motions that I have presented to Council. Council once even used the classic bury the motion tactic by calling a briefing (the majority of times briefings are legit). The briefing was given by the Department of Primary Industry and was full of glowing praise for the governments’ ability to regulate the gas mining industry. The DPI reps gave an undertaking to Council to consult should the license be renewed- of course they didn’t it was lip service at its worst.

This current crop of Councillors didn’t support the motion I put up in October which was basically requesting the State Government to protect our valuable farm land through the strategic land use plan. My suggestion then was met with blank stares from Councillors on a steep learning curve.

I will give them the benefit of that doubt because to their credit they came around and supported both motions that I put up last week and another motion that was brought through the policy resources and reserves committee on nominating exclusion zones.

I resurrected the motions to Council on the back of the public meeting held in Gerringong instigated by 94 year old activist Ken O'Hara and supported by the Kiama Greens. 350 people turned up to that meeting from all walks of life and the speakers list was incredibly knowledgeable activists and parliamentarian Jeremy Buckingham from The Greens. I seized the opportunity to tell the meeting that to date Shoalhaven Council had balked at passing a strong comment on coal seam gas. My call to action was that they wrote to the Mayor and Councillors seeking their commitment to join this campaign.

The next morning I put together two notices of motion one strong and the other just reaffirming a previous commitment to the Southern Councils Group statement. This time around I didn’t bother adding complex background documents and providing numerous maps, I had done this the last time and hoped that in the intervening period that the Councillors had done their own investigation into the issue. Clr Watson had given them the warning to ‘watch me and my Green propaganda’ and I’m sure some have taken his ‘dire warning’ seriously.

When the Council meeting finally came around I really wasn’t sure how the Councillors would vote, I hadn’t lobbied or made pleas to them during other meetings, I did however support the motion that staff had put up the previous week to ask the state government to voluntarily exclude some residential zones from gas mining.

It did feel like a great moment when all but one hand was raised to support the motion that had been mildly amended by the other Councillors. So the final motion read…

Shoalhaven Council write to the Premier Mr Barry O Farrell to express support for the following.

A freeze on CSG exploration and mining.

An inquiry into the impact on CSG development.

A ban on fracking.

A ban on CSG development in drinking water catchments and on prime agricultural land and all residential land in the Shoalhaven.

Council also call on the NSW State Gov to voluntarily exclude the Shoalhaven from Coal Seam mining exploration and revoke the recent renewal of PEL469 to Leichardt Resources/Planet Gas as they failed to meet the conditions of the license.

The other motion to reaffirm Councils support for the Southern Councils Group statement on Coal Seam Gas was also supported.

Up until that point the Council really hadn’t heard much from the community on the issue, even though community conversations were talking about how wrong it was that an exploration license has been issued in the first place. The community campaign against CSG is building in the Shoalhaven with a forum to be held on 14 May, I hope some of the Councillors can attend so they can witness firsthand the passion that this issue inspires and unites people from all walks of life.

Milton Ulladulla District Mountain Bike Club and the Burrill Lake Forestry Land

Another project I've been gently chipping away got a green light this week.

Council agreed to 'Proceed to acquire Lot 94 DP 755972 from Forestry Corporation of NSW for a future land use such as a mountain bike track or future land to enhance southern entry opportunities to Burrill Lake to Ulladulla'.

MUD Mountain Bike Club have been keen to get a track established at the Burrill LAke sight for some time now. They have surveyed the area and drafted up some plans for a course that would be suitable for children and beginners or just a pleasant forest ride for us total novies.

The project was first brought to my attention around 2010 via a number of members including Adam Smith, Peter Kastelain and Bart Salafia.

I hope the acquisition happens quickly so the group have the opportunity to get the track ready for the spring season.

In the same motion council voted to assist the club where possible in negotiations to sure up a land use agreement at another site in Ulladulla. Things are looking positive for the mountain bikes this week.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/182833168400458/

Local Environment Plan- Post exhibition consideration process

Yep its a long title that basically means council will be looking at all of the submission made during the exhibition period and trying to decide what has strategic merit and should be incorporated in this round of changes to the Local Environment Plan.

Ive written many blog posts on this subject for it has been a long and difficult task.

Here are some links to my past posts.

Planning Minister Throws Out Spot Rezoning.

So Much Happening So Little Time to report!  this is a brief on the intensity of special development meetings.

Council Fears Community Scrutiny in LEP deliberations.

Shoalhaven Schools not for Sale.


Ok enough of my back catalogue and back to the issue at hand. A report was presented for Councils consideration that sought to contemplate all of the issue in 2 meetings that would be a full day each and that the decisions reached in these meeting would be final. Now that sounds very efficient but the task at hand is complex and the outcomes of potential decisions have long reaching effects that need to be considered. Community access to the meetings is also a priority as many people have a need and a right to participate in the process.

Thankfully many Councillors thought that 2 full days was an impossible so save the following dates.

Wednesday 17 July 2013
Thursday 18 July 2013
Wednesday 24 July 2013
Monday 29 July
Wednesday 31 July

All the meetings will start at 4pm in the Council chambers- keep an eye out for any changes to the schedule.

$100 million to reinvigorate the Illawarra - how would you spend it?

Picture taken from http://www.sjb.com.au/projects/malvern-hill to provide some context of what urban renewal could aspire to be in around the hospital precinct.

Council sent out this week Mayoral minute about lunch time on Tuesday and I was shocked at the content.

The Mayor was requesting that Council support a $10mill(approx.) multi storey car park for Nowra as the number one project when we apply for our slice of this funding.

The multi storey car park is a project that Council has just agreed to put into its long term financial plan and has come about through pressure from shop keepers and building owners in the Nowra CBD. I have a problem with the location I think its wrong to build it on the Berry Street all day car park- It should be in another location-but that is a different story.

I was shocked that this was the most exciting plan we could come up with to attract government investment for jobs creation in the Shoalhaven. Surely there are more exciting projects / programs that could have a long lasting impact and generate sustainable employment.

The Shoalhaven Business chamber southern chapter met last night to discuss the budget and I asked them to put on their thinking caps and to lobby that the funding not have a narrow set of guidelines and make the maximum number of applications eligible. A few projects were suggested straight away- Ulladulla Industrial Lands, more berthing and boating facilities in the Ulladulla Harbour and some educational programs to help get people trained for our local economy.

One suggestion that I am putting up is an urban redevelopment plan for the residential area near the Nowra hospital bounded by Shoalhaven, Hyam and Mandalay Ave -it could even extend out to Bridge St. Such a plan would need some funding to make sure the zoning was right, funds to create a concept/master plan and some work with the NSW government to start to try and create a land package from some of the Department of Housing stock that exists in that area. There could also be a voluntary sales process for any private landholders to sell their blocks into the package.

Of course this would have to be done sensitively and with the needs of the existing residents a priority- I certainly don't want this to be an exercise of exorcising people from their homes.

So the aim then would be to create a medium density mixed use precinct that has plenty of office space for health service providers and complementary practitioners. Penthouse apartment living for the Doctors ( and perhaps shared with Military personnel), some affordable housing or community managed apartments, and some student accommodation- a real mix that provides support to the ever growing medical hub that is happening around the hospital especially when cancer care comes on board.

Now this may happen organically- but Council has a real opportunity to try and fast track it and plan it so that it fits in with the other master planning that has recently been done. It could even be the opportunity to have infrastructure improved in this area.

Its a plan that fits directly with the South Coast Regional strategy and it helps contain urban sprawl.

The flow on effects would be terrific as there would be more employment not only in health related fields but in the secondary supports and services such as secretarial, cleaning and sustenance. BY having more people employed in the area means more indirect spending locally. With an increased density of people living close to the Nowra CBD and the entertainment centre there would be flow on effects there to.

The cancer care centre will attract many more people to our region and we need to be ready to support them and the teams of health care professionals that will be required. Shoalhaven can be proactive in bringing this about or not.

This project suggestion is by no means the only project, and its not the first time I've mentioned it in Council, but unless we don't think of more 'blue sky' options then we will be stuck with parking lots that will have a low impact on long term unemployment. It would be even better if we could get multiple and diverse projects funded from the $100 million. I hope that at least my 'stirring' in the local media will bring about more thought about we should be aiming for with this possible windfall funding.