Starting on 26 August Michael Smith has a series of articles relating interesting history of Labor personalities over a decade or more associated with the water industry and the introduction of large scale seawater desalination to major Australian cities.
Newest on top. This is a long term interest of mine and I just wanted the links recorded in case readers know of new material to add.
That Candy Broad from Emily’s List – 28 Aug 2013
Bob Kernohan – most impressive witnesses – Robyn McLeod has a bit of explaining to do – 28 Aug 2013
Robyn McLeod’s missing years discovered! Every touch leaves its trace. -27 Aug 2013
School teacher to union rep to $300,000 PA Water Commissioner – 27 Aug 2013
The best friends met when Robyn McLeod worked in the water industry and Ms Gillard was an industrial lawyer – 27 Aug 2013
Robyn McLeod worked at Thiess, the AWU, the Labor Party, MEL and ADL Water – maybe she knows what workplace reform got done? – 26 Aug 2013
Warwick:
as you say fascinating. Apparently Robyn McLeod’s chief qualification for her $300,000 a year job, was the ability to spell desalination. She seems to have been what Mike Rann (the Premier with very little brain) wanted.
It does explain a lot about how SA got saddled with the Tim Flannery Memorial White Elephant** desalination plant, which is supposed to be able to supply 100% of Adelaide’s requirements. I note that even as the said plant is operating (to avoid expensive financial penalties) in an above average rainfall year, that SA is pumping more water from the Murray than it has for the last 3 years.
And the local paper reports that primary schools are facing an average increase in their water bill of $15,000 p.a.
** I am claiming the title for SA before Qld., NSW or Vic. can use it for their mistakes.
Reminded of WA’s Brian Burke corruption period, WA INC, only a lot worse. I’ve been following all of this at Smithy’s, it really is a story no novelist could make up! Burke was an amateur in comparison.
Here is a long archived interview with a former Perth Mayor, Burt Tudori where he outlines the start of WA’s Union corruption with Bob Hawke, Rob Cowles, who held a strike where only Union owned service stations in WA (Solo) were allowed to open. The cash proceeds were then spent on buying a nightclub for Transport Union Boss Cowles. This PDF is quite long but reads like a crime novel ‘a la’ Gillard, Wilson and co.
Tom, not sure if you have had a laugh from these audio tapes ex the WA CCC –
This article from The Australian helps remember those times.
Party’s over for Burke as secret deals exposed – Tony Barrass – The Australian
November 11, 2006
Very important facts for all intending (responsible) voters!!! …
As many of us know, the Australian Greens campaign strategies since their absolute beginnings broadly covers these four main “pressure points”. These are …
1. Caring for the country’s/planet’s flora and fauna;
2. Ensuring the two major parties have an ‘un-biased’ aka. ‘honest’ broker in the Senate;
3. Being a ‘warm and fuzzy’ alternative to the two major parties, eg. Boat People policy; &
4. Caring for those less fortunate than us – esp. people in developing countries. There are many eg’s. of this, but the best ones are …
•I. Immediately increasing our foreign aid budget to .7% of GDP. (approx. double current level);
•II. Fully supporting the UN’s. $100 bil./yr. “Green Fund” for developing countries (starts in six years & next IPCC. meet in Poland/Nov.);
•III. Immediately increasing Australia’s annual refugee intake from 23 000 to 30 000.
On the surface, of course they are all ever-so-laudable sentiments!! … However !! …
Clearly once you have a quick look at the below seven tenets of Greens behaviour in the last 12 months or so (in reverse-chronological order) … you may wish to seriously re-consider voting for the Greens ever again!!! …
1. German Green politician, Hans-Christian Strobele, wants to legalize incest: “Sex between siblings and other close relatives” (and implies incest is no worse than adultery). By Pierre Gosselin, www.notrickszone.com, 3/9/13;
2. New Europol report detailing multi-billion links between mafia & EU’s. renewables industry. By Peter Glover, trendingcentral.com, 5/8/13;
3. Indoctrination of teenagers at German Schools: All men are bad & “cause climate change”!! Ines Weller, a Bremen professor, claims “men produce more CO2 as they eat more meat, have bigger cars, and are less receptive to major life-style change in the interests of public good!” Claims backed up by physicist Gotelind Alber. (I am a Jew & think its safe to say that Joseph Goebbels would be very proud of his latest impersonaters.) By Pierre Gosselin, notrickszone.com, 23/7/13;
4. “Academic and journalistic research over the past five years shows the key role of Nazi figures in the (German Green’s) founding and development.” By Benjamin Weinthal, Jerusalem Post, 7/7/13;
5. The World Bank decrees that no longer will it loan money to developing countries for coal power stations (exc. in “rare circumstances”). Some people less charitable than myself may refer to this as a ‘darned good impersonation of the often mis-quoted Marie Antoinette’! … (“Let them eat cake!”) By Valerie Volcovici,reuters.com, 26/6/13;
6. MARK THIS DAY IN YOUR DIARY !! … “THE DAY THE GREENS SAY THEY WANT ALL YOUR SUPER. !!”Prof. Hans Schelln-huber, Dir. of Potsdam Instit. for Climate Impact Research & Chair. of anti-democratic WBGU. (German Advisory Council on Global Change) says in report to Germany’s Environ. Minister, Peter Altmaier, “(Green) energy only becomes viable (& only over mid-term) if there’s a state-ordered mass-scale plunder of the world’s private retirement accounts.” By Pierre Gosselin, notrickszone.com, 6/9/12; &
7. Victorian (Royal Commission in 2009) & Canberra (McLeod Inquiry in 2003) bushfire inquiries clearly state “property and life losses would not have been so great if more emphasis had been given controlled burning as a fuel-reduction strategy”. This is of course totally contrary to Green’s long-stated views against these kinds of policies and practices.
Now, more than anytime in a generation, is a time to … VOTE WITH THE HEAD (& NOT THE HEART)!!
Please ensure when you cast your vote, that you ensure the ‘non-conservation’ of the Australian Greens!!
It is extremely important that this “black-listing” of voting Greens inc. those that are going to preference Greens … i.e. esp. Labor, Palmer United and Julian Assange!!
This will most likely be the most important thing you’ll do for the whole of 2013!!
In the interests of your and my future, please pass this on to as many as possible (& asap.)
Most sincerely yours,
Lindsay Phillips
(ex Wilderness Society member, fund-raiser & publicist – early 1990’s)