Decades overdue, but, nevertheless, welcome, the Greens are to introduce, into the Senate, a motion calling for the establishment of an independent National Inquiry into Australia's Population to 2050.

What you can do: contact your Senators (Qld, NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas, SA, WA, NT) and ask that they support this motion. Please let us know of any responses or lack of. Join, campaign and vote for, a party opposed to population growth. Put pro-growth parties last on your ballot form. See also: "Greens call for population inquiry" of 14 Mar 10 on ABC news Online, Greens' Senate media page, "Are the Greens a real alternative?" of 9 Mar 10, the Stable Population Party of Australia, the New Australia Party the Animal Justice Party.

Original newsletter sent out by Julianne Bell from Protectors of Public Lands, reporting on the Hearing of the Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration.

Hysteria in Victorian Parliament disrupts Hearing on Finance and Administration. Witness fails to appear, perhaps advised not to by Attorney General. Scandal surrounds the Victorian Department of Planning and the ability of Victorian Law to pursue the truth in Parliament. Report from several sources present at the events. Please submit your views to Parliament - see inside

Cumberland Plains Woodland has been listed as Critically Endangered Ecological Communities. It is believed that the basis for the Critically Endangered Listing was that CPW had been reduced in area by some 400 hectares. About 400 ha has been lost since CPW was first listed as endangered in 1997/98 and that amount lost has justified the next listing as critically endangered. Yet PM Howard gave Delfin permission to clear practically all the remaining 400 ha at the site in question. The Western Sydney Conservation Alliance is asking Garrett to reverse this terrible decision. Inside: Letter to Peter Garrett.

According to the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, the so called "Great Growth Debate" hosted by the Property Council of Australia in Brisbane on Friday 5 March 2010 was rigged in advanced to come out in favour the the continuation of "Business as Usual" rampant population growth that so suited its own members' interests at the expense of the broader community and our environment. (Originally published on 4 Mar 10 on scec.org.au.)

Please attend public forums against population growth, featuring Kelvin Thomson, Mark O'Connor and others. Brisbane: 8:30AM - 12:30PM, Saturday 13 March, Sunshine Coast: 2:00PM-4:30PM, Sunday 14 March.(See article for more details.)

“ In sisterhood is our strength” Monday March 8 is International Women's Day. The Rye Women's House at 3 Lyons Street, Rye, Victoria, Phone 59 855 955, on the Mornington Peninsula will be celebrating its silver anniversary. It is perhaps the oldest independent feminist institution of its kind in Victoria and it does an awesome International Women's Day. Please come along and experience the intellects, the humour, the politics, the music, the food... They mean what they say when they say, "The microphone is open to all women all day".

According to software engineer Arved von Brasch the danger posed by Senator Steven Conroy's Mandatory Internet Filtering is that it will confer upon the Federal Government the capacity to censor internet content it considers a threat, in exactly the same way that the Chinese Government now uses the same technology that Conroy proposes to introduce to censor views of its critics. Arved von Brasch also shows there are overwhelming reasons to reject the legislation on technical grounds alone.

Originally published as "The consequences of filtering", with discussion forum, on 4 Mar 10 Online Opinion. Republished under the terms of the Creative Commons License. See also: Internet censorship, Citizens Initiated Referenda and the Greens - an open letter of 23 Dec 09.
Includes Appendix: Why won't Greens move motion to put filtering to a referendum?

The Bligh Government has arrogantly proceeded with its privatisation plans despite over 80% of Queenslanders opposing the decision.

What you can do: Attend the protest at Brisbane's Roma Street Forum at 10:30AM on Tues 9 March.

See also: the Queensland Council of Union's "Queensland Not for Sale" campaign site, saveourpublicassets.org, "Labor wrecker of 2007 claims union anti-privatisation campaign a threat to re-election of federal Labor" of 28 Feb 10.

If you have anything you would like to raise, which is likely to be of interest to our site's visitors, which is not addressed by other articles, please add your comments here.

Key Comments: Melbourne's property market "boom" in record sales.

Previous Miscellaneous Comments page

The TRUTH comes out of Maddens office. Consultation is faked. This is what we have all know for a long time as we spend hours of our time working away putting in submissions.
Well it is official; they just tick the boxes, as in: "Consulted with the community - tick."
And this is Madden who wants to be Premier?

Originally published on 25 Feb 10. Updated on 28 Feb 10 with embedded videos (thanks to Marvellous Melbourne) showing Madden being grilled by the newsmedia.
See also: "Government email reveals plans to deceive" of 25 Feb 10 by Ryan Sheales on ABC Online, "Consultation with community a sham" of 27 Feb 10 on Marvellous Melbourne.

In November last year, Richard Gage, who represents 1059 qualified architects and engineers, who are calling for a new investigation of the 'collapses' of the three World Trade Center buildings on 11 September 2001, toured Australia. During the tour, he met and interviewed one of the architects he represents, Jan Utzon, son of the late Jørn Utzon, who designed Australia's iconic Sydney Opera House.

Originally published as "Jan Utzon A Compassionate Architect Who Cares About the Truth"on ae911truth.org on 23 Feb 10. See also: "Why Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should take another look at the 'image of the twin towers coming down'" of 30 Dec 09, "Utzon's son signs up for September 11 conspiracy theory" in the SMH of 25 Nov 09, "Science Show too quick to close discussion of World Trade Center collapses" of 24 Dec 08.

Listeners to ABC Brisbane local radio's Morning Show presenter Madonna King will often be moved almost to tears by her frequent impassioned exhortations against injustices inflicted upon ordinary people as a result of crime, political expediency or bureaucratic indifference. Yet, somehow this capacity for compassion does not extend to demanding humane treatment, let alone justice for a clearly innocent Australian woman, now rotting away in Bali's Kerobokan prison, diagnosed as clinically insane and at risk of losing her life.

See also: "What The Hell Is Schapelle Corby Still Doing In Jail?" of 29 Jan 10 on voxy.co.nz, "Schapelle Corby is innocent, and the Australian Government knows she is" of 6 Sep 09, "Schapelle Corby 'insane'" in the SMH of 24 Aug 09, "Schapelle Corby not the only Aussie languishing in foreign jail" by Madonna King in the Courier-Mail of 28 Aug 09, "Your support for clemency bid needed to save Schapelle's life" of 12 Feb 10, freeschapelle.com.au, schapellecorby.co.nz.

The combination of economic 'reforms', globalisation and high immigration have dramatically worsened circumstances for working Australians in recent years. However, the situation is vastly worse in the United States. David Seminara's exhaustively researched article describes the effect of the H2-B visa system for unskilled non-agricultural temporary workers. Australia does not (yet) have such a direct equivalent for non-agricultural workers, nevertheless, the general conclusions about the effects of one aspect of the high rate of immigration into the US remain highly relevant to the consideration of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's plans to dramatically increase Australia's population through immigration.

Original article, by David Seminera, published in February 2010 by the US Center for Immigration Studies. Also published there as a pdf file (400K).See also: Will Rudd Government's high immigration program turn Australia into Argentina? of 19 Jul 08.

If you have anything you would like to raise, which is likely to be of interest to our site's visitors, which is not addressed by other articles, please add your comments here.

Key comments: An Afternoon with Australian Icons about a fundraising event at the Revesby Workers Club on 23 May 2010 to raise funds to save Australia's iconinc kangaroo; Barrow Island WA, Anna Bligh gags population debate in parliament, Japanese minister to question Rudd over whaling threat, Victorian govt plans school merger against community wishes, Support petition calling for change of National Anthem, Beremboke puppy farm shame, Cruelty to animals is morally the same as cruelty to humans.

Against repeated previous promises, the Victorian Government of John Brumby is trampling over community and local govenment opposition to turn Melbourne into a junior version of Los Angeles without a proper cost-benefit analysis.

Article by Kenneth Davidson, a co-editor of Dissent Magazine, originally published as "Projects built at expense of community" in the Melbourne Age of 15 Feb 10.

In an address to the Australian War Memorial CEW Bean Foundation dinner on 15 October 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd claimed that our goals in Afghanistan had been "endorsed by the United Nations Security Council." Australian lawyer Kellie Tranter asks: was the war authorised by the Security Council, is it legal, and how many civilians have been killed?

Originally published on Online Opinion on 11 Feb 10. Other articles by Kellie Tranter include The thirst keeps growing in NSW of 19 Jan 10, Show them (and us) the money! of 8 Dec 09 about the idiocy of the Rudd Government's CPRS, Government, water and an arranged marriage of 2 Dec 09, Big Australia of 30 Oct 09, which asks how Rudd plans to ensure our the food and water security of 35 million Australians, Political stupidity and hydrocommerce madness of 20 May 09.
See also: Why Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should take another look at the "image of the twin towers coming down" of 30 Dec 09.

Over five years ago, against the overwhelming wishes and vigorous protests of local residents, Woolworths commenced construction of a supermarket in the heart of the rural Queensland town of Maleny. A dense and active network of platypus burrows was trashed in the process. In 2010, residents of rural New South Wales town of Mullumbimby are determined not to suffer a similar fate.

See also: "War on Woolworths escalates" by Digby Hildreth in the Northern Star of 16 Feb 10, "Mullumbimby acts to stop Woolies" on ABC Radio's The World Today of 15 Feb 10, "Supermarket battlefield" by Kate O'Neill in the Northern Star of 29 Sep 09. What you can do: Vote against Woolies in Northern Star online poll, Contact groups fighting against Woolworths, including Mullumbimby Forum at magicalmullum.com and the Mullumbimby Community Action Network at www.mullumaction.org and don't shop at Woolworths.

The Queensland government plans to move koalas from a site earmarked for residential development. To where in South East Queensland, with ever more of its bushland being bulldozed by the Labor Government's developer benefactors, and how the dislocated koalas can be expected to survive, let alone thrive, is unclear.

What you can do: Contact Premier Anna Bligh at premiers [ AT ] ministerial.qld.gov.au or Kate Jones the Qld Minister for 'Sustainability' at sustainability [ AT ] ministerial.qld.gov.au and demand they end the relocation.
See also: www.savethekoala.com, Conservationist says Narangba koala relocation a death warrant ("Anger at koala 'final solution'" in printed version) in the Courier-Mail of 19 Feb 10.

Originally published on the Queensland Greens web site on 10 Feb 09.
See also: "Clive Palmer, Queensland Government announce $69 Billion Coal project" in the Sunday Mail of 7 Feb 10.

The proposals set out in 'Modernising the Act' create a parallel planning system. We should reject this Review in total in the interests of democracy." (Mary Drost)
Inside is an emergency briefing for Victorians about the Victorian Draft Planning Bill.

When whalers aboard the Nisshin Maru trained their water cannon on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's Steve Irwin, they were shocked to find themselves on the receiving end of an even more powerful blast of frigid Southern Ocean water from a water cannon on the Steve Irwin. As a result, the Nisshin Maru and the rest of the Japanese whaling fleet are fleeing Northwest pursued by the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin without having killed a single whale in the three days since they were intercepted.

Originally published on www.seashepherd.org on 8 Feb 10. See also: "Bob Barker Rammed by Illegal Whaler" of 6 Feb 10, "Ban whaling vessels from using our ports" of 16 Jan 10, "Twilight Samurai pride clinging to a right to pillage distant whales in foreign oceans" of 7 Jan 10, "Japanese whaler rams and sinks anti-whaling vessel in Antartic" of 7 Jan 10.

Both the NSW and Australian Government have upgraded Cumberland Plain Woodland from Endangered to Critically Endangered. You would assume any development that proposed to clear over 200 ha of critically endangered bushland would be struggling to get approval. We can assume nothing these days in Australia. Here is another focus where Australians need to unite to help each other get back democracy and protect fauna and flora from the growth lobby. The community has fought to save this area for nearly 20 years.See also related articles.

The Australian has run yet another beat-up by KPMG corporate partner, Bernard Salt, trying desperately to justify continued high immigration. Mark O'Connor, author of Overloading Australia comments.

Following Gunns' complete abandonmment of its case which has tied up 20 Tasmanian anti-logging campaigners and their supporters for up to five years of their lives, Victorian Greens parliamentarian Sue Pennicuik MLC called for the Victorian Government to introduce legislation to prevent corporations from ever again similarly abusing the courts with Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits to harass citizen who organise to stop their environmentally destructive projects.

Adapted from media release originally published as "Gunns case shows we need anti-slapp laws in Victoria" on the Victorian Greens MPs web site, mps.vic.greens.org.au.
See also: "Gunns urged to drop 'Triabunna 13' case" of 3 Feb 10, "Gunns 20 in the dust" in the Hobart Mercury of 30 Jan 10, "Gunns settles with last pulp mill opponents" in the Australian of 30 Jan 10, "Gunns abandons legal chase" on ABC online of 30 Jan 10, "Gunns payout ends case" in the Age of 30 Jan 10.

New research suggest that just two collapsing West Antarctic glaciers could add another half a metre to sea levels this century making the Victorian and Queensland governments' "upper boundary" sea-level rise estimates of 0.8 metres by 2100 already obsolete.

Article originally published on climatecodered.blogspot.com on 24 jan 10.
See also: How the Murdoch press got it wrong on the Himalayan big melt of 21 Jan 10, A climate con: Analysis of the "Copenhagen Accord" of 24 Dec 09, ...

Recently, the Murdoch press have continued their campaign of climate denial and delay by giving front-page prominence to a five-day-old story attacking the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predictions of glacial melt in the Himalayan-Tibetan ranges by 2035.

Originally published on climateactioncentre.org.
See also: carbonequity.info, climatecodered.blogspot.com, Signs of change in the Himalayas as Copenhagen summit begin in the Guardian of 6 Dec 09, The Tragedy of the Himalayas in Time magazine of 7 Dec 09, Vanishing glaciers jolt smokestack China in The Sunday Times of 8 Nov 09, Himalayan sherpas bugged by the sight of house flies at 5,000m in the Guardian of 12 Oct 09, Tibet most harmed by global warming in the China Daily of 7 May 09, Black soot and the survival of Tibetan glaciers by James Hansen, GISS brief, Dec 09.

On Wednesday 20 January, South Australian State Independent MP David Winderlich is organising a massive protest outside a scheduled Federal Cabinet meeting to demand effective action to save the Murray-Darling. The recent inundations of the northern headwaters give this Government a rare opportunity to save the our dying river system, that is, if it has the political will to stand up to commercial interests who would, instead, divert this much-needed water for their own short-term gain.

When: 20th January 2009 at 4:30pm (assemble at 4pm)
Where: Norwood Morialta High School Oval, 505 The Parade Magill

Please phone (08) 8237 9278 or email benjamin.howieson [ AT ] parliament.sa.gov.au if you can help.
See also: "MDBA legally obliged to place the health of Murray Darling above all else" of 12 Jan 10, See also: "Canberra must deliver on promised audit of private water storages" of 7 Jan 10, fairwateruse.com.au.

Two years after it announced its plans to ravage the fertile Felton Valley south west of Toowoomba with coal mines and coal liquefaction plants Ambre Energy has yet to secure the necessary supply of water, provide plans to capture and store carbon and provide an Environmental Impact statement. Rob McCreath of Friends of Felton has called upon the Queensland Governemnt to intervene to reject Ambre Energy's plans so that farmers can proceed with their lives without any further uncertainty.

See also: "Felton farmers left in the dark" in the Toowoomba Chronicle of 12 Jan 10, "Farmers 'held hostage by mining plans'" in the Sydney Morning Herald of 11 Jan 10, "Agriculture v Mining - Friends of the Felton Valley and the Haystack Plain" on Brisbane ABC radio's Evenings with Steve Austin of 4 Jun 09, including audio files of debate (10 Mb) between John Cotter, the President of Agforce and the Chief Executive of Queensland Resources, Michael Roche and interview (10Mb) with Rob McCreath of Friends of Felton, "Farmers occupy Qld Premier's office to save Darling Downs from coal mining" of 2 Nov 08, "Rural town threatened by open cut coal-mine: Acland, Queensland" of 10 Jan 10, Friends of Felton web site at www.fof.org.au and blog site at www.friendsoffelton.blogspot.com.

Patty Casazza, Kristen Breitweiser, Mindy Kleinberg and Lorie Van Auken lost their husbands in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. To learn why their husbands died and how a recurrence could be prevented, they forced the Bush adminisration to hold the 9/11 Commission. More than 8 years after 9/11, they have learnt, to their dismay, that all the same excuses for the intelligence failures which led to 9/11 are being made again today in regard to the attempted terrorist attack of 25 December 2009 (12/25). As a consequence, air travellers may soon face further impositions, including health-threatening full body scans whilst those, whose incompetence put air travellers' lives at risk, go unpunished again.

Also published on 911blogger.com as "Statement of September 11th advocates in response to 12/25 terror attempt". See also: YouTube video of CNN interview of witnesses to well dressed people helping terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab aboard Flight 253 at Amsterdam Airport (also embedded as Appendix to article), "Flight 253: Anatomy of a Cover-Up" of 11 Jan 10 by Tom Burghardt on dissidentvoice.org (also published on 911blogger.com), "'Conspiracy or cock up?' White House reaction to ersatz bomber" of 8 jan 10 by Michael Collins on dailycensored.com (also published on agonist.org and 911blogger.com), "The Strange Case of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab" of 4 Jan 10 by Tom Burghardt on dissidentvoice.com (also published on 911blogger.com), "Airport Droids Attack Human Gene Pool" about the health risks posed by full body scanners of 29 Dec 09 on peaksurfer.blogspot.com (also published on culturechange.org), "DNA Full-body scanners used on air passengers may damage human DNA" of 11 Jan 10 on naturalnews.com, Passenger profiling at airports is unavoidable" in the Australian of 7 Jan 10.

What's on: Free Screening of 9/11 Press for Truth about the Jersey Girls' struggle against the cover-up of 9/11. Where: Brisbane City Council Central Library(266 George St); When: 1PM Saturday, 16 January.