Melbourne recycle your water

The local council at Swan Hill has passed a motion asking the Premier of Victoria to make Melbourne recycle it's water, then it wouldn't have to take water from the Swan Hill area.
Here is the article. And reproduced below. I have been saying this for a few years now.

Woof.

Call for recycling instead of pipeline

• 
  
• Email
• Printer friendly version
• Normal font
• Large font

Royce Millar
October 30, 2007

Advertisement

MELBOURNE should recycle its water rather than piping fresh water over the Dividing Range from the drought-stricken communities along the Goulburn River.

That is the view of Swan Hill's council. This week it will ask the Municipal Association of Victoria's state conference to back its call for the State Government to invest in recycling for Melbourne instead of building the north-south, or Sugarloaf, pipeline.

The Swan Hill motion notes that water recycling works well overseas and that purification technology is advanced and "could offer long-term solutions" to Melbourne's burgeoning water demands.

It also doubts the Brumby Government's guarantee to limit the volume of water diverted from the Goulburn to Melbourne to 75 gigalitres a year. "Unfortunately, political history demonstrates such guarantees have a limited life," it says.

The council's motion is likely to get wide rural backing but it is not clear whether it will secure the metropolitan support necessary for success at the association's meeting.

Senior local government figures are understood to be anxious that a successful resolution could embarrass the Brumby Government.

Municipal association president Dick Gross could not be contacted yesterday.

Some Melbourne councillors have already backed the Swan Hill campaign. Moonee Valley Mayor and Greens member Ben Opie said he supported the motion because much more needed to be done to boost levels of water re-use and harvesting in Melbourne.

Cr Opie said local councils were introducing recycling and other water measures but projects were limited.

"Local government budgets don't stretch far enough," he said.

Swan Hill Mayor Gary Norton said his council supported irrigation upgrades to reduce water seepage and evaporation "but we don't like the trade-off", meaning the pipeline.

He said it was not clear whether he would have the numbers to get his motion up on Friday. "But win or lose, we've got the message out there," Cr Norton said.

The State Government backed the pipeline as part of a two-pronged, $4.9 billion water strategy announced this year that also includes the controversial desalination plant at Williamsons Beach, near Wonthaggi.

Under the pipeline plan, up to 450 billion litres of water would be saved through a $2 billion upgrade of the 80-year-old Goulburn irrigation system, including the lining of open channels and installation of automated channel control.

Melbourne would receive 75 gigalitres of the water and the remainder would be shared between the environment and agriculture. The water would be piped 70 kilometres from the Goulburn River, near Yea, to Sugarloaf Reservoir, north-east of Melbourne.

Revolution

Over the last 500 years or so there have been a number of revolutions. In this context the main aim for human kind has been to free themselves from enslavement and oppression. The biggest of the revolutions have been to free the populous of oppressors like Kings and Emperors. Who in turn have extended their power via hierarchical power bases with brutal regimes in place to make them work.
These types of thoughts got me thinking about the present need for change. Climate change is going to impact on our lives like the Kings and Queens of yesteryear. There are in place big organisations that are trying to preserve the status quo for their own good. Our politicians have also become the lackeys for these powerful Organisations. They lobby and pollies listen. Elections are fought on the favours of big business.
So for the revolution to happen we need to sideline big business and find a new way of deciding what is important for our future. Because we are not going to get the answers from self interested large businesses that only want profits for their shareholders.
Woof.

Soar Panels ????

Here is an Article in The Age about Australia loosing it's solar panels.

Woof.

Tax Cuts

Why has Howard announced such large tax cuts. Does he want to buy my vote? If so he is going about it the wrong way.
There used to be a saying about a government that gives large tax breaks, it has either over taxed you in the first place, or isn't giving you value for money in providing services, such as Health, Education, etc.
Some of the most pressing needs at the moment are climate change, water, and alternative energy sources. If as a government you can't find ways of spending those tax cuts on improving those areas, you are bereft of ideas.
This election should be about the next 10 to 20 years a crucial time in our history. If you looked at the governments, 'steady as you go,' approach you wouldn't believe there was a problem.

So buck up Mr. Howard get with the message, Solar panel plan, Alternative energy base load plan, A water plan for the Southern states of Australia, reduce our carbon footprint plan. ETC ETC.

We don't want you to run this election on your past, you have been a conservative 1950s man. Step up or ship out.

In fact I hope you loose your seat to Maxime Mckew. You didn't know when to retire, and you have shown yourself to be really dirty when it comes to politics.
Woof.

John Howard's Road to Damascus

John Howard's road to Damascus, started yesterday when he woke up to the fact that indigenous people of Australia have been wronged, how wronged and how he will deal with his awakening is yet to be seen.

A cynic may say that with only two sleeps, before he calls a general election is a bit opportunistic, but Gerard Henderson [ a political commentator] says no. It is the real John Howard saying he wants the constitution to acknowledge the Aboriginal people. He hasn't accepted the stolen generation report and done nothing to advance Aboriginal causes in Australia. In fact he has hindered any real advancement. Now he brings it up on the eve of an election.

On another religious subject. The Health Minister Tony Abbott is getting into a stouch with the church leaders over work place reform, and whether it is christian to have laws that favour the employers over the employees. Have a read from The Age article.
Woof.

Governments on the wane

Governments that are on the wane can behave in strange a weird ways. The current crop of ministers, who are in the dying days of the Howard government are doing the same.

Firstly there is the Joe the Workplace Minister he his criticising a report into workplace agreements a big issue in the peoples minds at the moment, and all he can do is rubbish the author and researchers for the report. In fact he
The treasurer Peter thinks his opponent Wayne to be an unlikeable person so therefore a non starter as a treasurer, this personal opinion is supposed to be important. It is a bit like a school yard comment.
The Health minister tries to link running and funding of hospitals to a spurious Union link, and doesn't make much sense at all.
Lastly, Kevin the immigration minister says no more Sudanese refugees, because they can't assimilate into Australian life. But when he tries to justify his decision he just sounds racist.

The way that politics is played out has some traits to it that make you wonder.

One is that it is portrayed as bigger than it actually is. so we have an over blown sense of its relevance.

Two the mix of governance and political survival is blurred in many areas, including funding of political parties and the spending of public money on quasi Government information.

Here is the Link to the Age article that outlined some of the above.

Woof.

Footy it's the same the world over

Footy in an election year. What pisses me off is that politicians become footy fans on or around grand final time. Especially in an election year.
John Howard has announced he intends to go to both codes of grand final this year. Firstly the Australian Rules footy. AFL that's today Saturday here in Melbourne. And tomorrow he heads off to Sydney for the Rugby League NRL grand final. Whether he has any true interest about the outcome, is neither here nor there, it is seen as a, must be seen at, event. So I imagine the Leader of the opposition, Kevin Rudd will also be seen somewhere in public making his predictions and giving his support.

One wise spark wrote in the letter page of The Age, that he wondered if it was tax payers money that will pay for the airline tickets and accommodation, I think the Prime minister should pay for his own ticket. Cause really who wants to be bothered with a senior pollie at a footy match.

On another note. We need to reuse our rain water as a community and stop using tap water to water the gardens.
Woof.

Are you Experienced

Are you Experienced was the question Jimmy Hendrix asked us all back in 1967, 40 years ago. Well that is the line coming out of the coalition parties here in our election year that is truly upon us.
Of course, it is as usual, a load of old bollocks, on behalf of the seasoned old farts known as the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

I don't remember it being a prerequisite, to being a member of parliament or a cabinet minister, that you have experience in the job. In fact you often can't have experience because you have to be elected at a parliamentary election before you can sit as a politician.

I don't have any statistics on how many cabinet ministers were ministers before they were ministers or prime ministers, if you understand what I mean. It is very easy to say, especially when you have been in office for 11 years. The opposition wont of been in power and therefore no experience in office. [Where's that rocket scientist when you need him?]

John Howard was asked a question about the cut in interest rates in America and immediately launched into a political spiel about the need for experience in times of financial uncertainty.

You can just tell the mantra that will be pushed out every time the government is asked to comment on anything. From the oppositions policies, [supposedly bereft of any substance] or broader issues like the financial woes of the U.S.A. or the decline in the share market. The government ministers will say, 'It will all be a lot worse under a Labor government, because they are a bunch of inexperienced ex Union officials.'

[Watch out lock up your sons and daughters, ex union officials worse than communists]

As I said awhile back, I just want them to call this election and get it over with. It is going to be so dirty [especially from the prime minister]. He is now a desperate man fighting for his last gasp of political air. Even his own parliamentary seat is in doubt. He could be the first prime minister in 80 years to loose his seat.
Woof.

Maggie Thatcher had it too.

Why is it that politicians are the last to realise they are on the nose and should step aside? Around the time that Maggie Thatcher was rolled someone commented that politicians are the last to see that they are no longer wanted. It is like a tide of change has to build a head of steam for it to wash back to the politician.

It goes a bit like this.

Firstly and few members of the public start to say things about the prime minister, just chatting away in the pub. What a dork he/she is couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery sort of thing. This becomes a nightly event. Every time their head comes on the TV there are calls to get him off! etc. Then maybe a year later perhaps months depending on the electoral cycle, a journalist, probably not strictly a political journalist. Writes a piece criticising the prime ministers autocratic way or lack of policy or bias, whatever the criticism it starts a ball rolling, and before you can say, jack knife, the serious journos are in on the act, and they can really lay the boot in. Where as for 2 to 3 years they have been considered in their reporting, they all of a sudden pull the plug on fair play and reveal private conversations and the rot has started.

Finally some back benchers in the prime ministers party start to whine about their leader.

He is out of touch, he can't win the next election, looming up on the calender.

Even then the stubborn, weary, not so wise prime minister, doesn't get it. He says he is going to work harder, he will win on his record, experience over inexperience. ETC ETC.

By then the change has already happened, it is only a matter of time. The bulk of the swinging electorate have swung away and made their decision so no contest.

Why prime ministers have to be pushed I really don't know. Except to say, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Now lets have the election we have to have.
Woof.


Any additional comments can be sent to mark_brickel@hotmail.com

Petrol Prices

Here in Melbourne like most mainland states in Australia, the price of petrol goes up every week and down again. And guess what, all the petrol outlets go up together and down again. When they have been accused of collusion, they say, 'they don't price fix and they are just discounting fuel to benefit the consumers.' But of course they have to put it back up again to make money. They also say the price of fuel is based on the Singapore crude price.

Having set the scene, we have an enquiry by the Australian Competition Consumer Commission (ACCC) that started a week or so ago, for the government, into fuel pricing, it is an ongoing enquiry and it hasn't reported yet.

The NRMA a motoring body like the RACV have released their own findings that show since the announcement of the enquiry, the major petrol companies have actually reduced the cost of fuel, and the typical cycle of high to low pricing has stayed in the low zone much longer.

[This is despite a rise in Singapore crude, which normally produces an immediate price rise at the bowser.]

The NRMA draws the conclusion that the petrol suppliers have been ripping us off [we all knew that, but couldn't prove it] and are now deliberately keeping the price lower to look good in the eyes of the enquiry. In fact the NRMA have called for the price of fuel to be regulated like, gas, electricity and water. That is a big call for a motoring organisation.
I have heard that if big business is allowed to control over 60% of the economy we would have real problems to contend with. Governments are there to, in part, protect us from the excesses of big business. Are the Shells and BPs of the world making smaller profits since the price rise in world oil? I don't think so.
Woof.


Any additional comments can be sent to mark_brickel@hotmail.com