The Courier-Mail reports that the average annual houshold electricity bill will rise nearly 14% or $276 next year, on top of the huge increases Queenslanders have already copped since the privatisation and deregulation that former Premier Beattie assured them will result in reduced charges. In spite of acknowledging this and population growth to have been the cause, the Courier-Mail editorial failed to argue against the continuation of either.

See also: "Exposing Queensland Government population growth duplicity" of 1 Apr 09, "Courier Mail spins news of 79% opposition to fire sale to reveal its privatisation colours" of 11 Dec 09, "The Courier Mail beats the drum for more Queensland population growth" of  Jan 07.

What you can do: Queensland citizens can sign the e-petition calling for the resignation of the Queensland Government and new elections. See "Anti-privatisation e-petition calls on Queensland government to resign" for further information.

Many Queenslanders, appalled at their state Government's blatant disregard for their wishes not to sell AU$15billion of worth of publicly owned assets, actually look to Rupert Murdoch's Courier-Mail newspaper to stand up to what has to be amongst the most inept and despotic of state governments in Australia's history. However, the dishonest spin encompassed in the title of the story "Asset Sale Anger on the wane"₁, together with the sub-heading "Christmas boost for Bligh", reveals that newspaper's true colours on that issue.

Update, 10 Dec 09: The Australian endorses Bligh Government's disregard of the will of 79% of Queenslanders
Further update, 11 Dec 09: The Courier-Mail changes tack from weasel pro-privatisation arguments to outright support for privatisation.

See also: "Queensland Rail workers strike against theft of public assets" of 9 Dec 09, "Media contempt for facts in NSW electricity privatisation debate" of 28 Sep 08.

Continuously increasing mass immigration leading to growth of the Australian population to 35 million and beyond is now official Australian state dogma. In other words, 14 million - more than was the population of this country when I was a child in the 1960's - is to be deliberately added.

Whilst Brisbane's Courier Mail rightly recently exposed the ecological vandalism of Consolidated Rutile on North Stradbroke Island, it and the rest of the Queensland newsmedia, have largely ignored a proposed extension of sand and gravel mining on the nearby mainland, which may prove to be even more harmful for the Moreton Bay region. Local residents are determined to fight the expansion, but apart from newsmedia indifference, also face a local council and a state government so far resolved to put the interests of corporate greed above the interests of the local community and the environment.

See also: "Bald Hills Flats under threat", an excellent six minute YouTube broadcast published on 9 Aug 09 (also embedded in this article), "Residents launch campaign to fight quarry plan" by Joel Gould and Miranda Forster in the Pine Rivers Press of 20 Aug 09, "Parents blast plan to mine sand and gravel near school" by Tanya Chilcott in the Courier Mail of 20 Aug 09 (almost identical copy to be found here), "North Stradbroke Island eaten away by sand mininig" by Greg Stolz in the Courier Mail of 15 Aug 09.

Why does Greenpeace insist on giving its supporters' money to a company which has done inestimable wilful damage to democracy, journalism and the environment in Australia and throughout the world?

Originally published on stopmurdoch.blogspot.com.

In response to the Queensland state Government's threat to conduct a "Shock Doctrine" style asset fire sale, James Sinnamon, who stood as an independent anti-privatisation candidate in the recent Queensland state elections sent an e-mail to the Murdoch-owned Courier Mail newspaper, which pointed out the Queensland Government had not gained any mandate to sell any publicly owned assets. Copies were sent to every state member of Parliament including Treasurer Andrew Fraser and Premier Anna Bligh.

Update: (27 May 09) (1) A Courier Mail online poll, published on 27 May had 91% of respondents answer 'No' to the question, "Should the state Government sell public assets to help the Budget?"
(2) Although the Courier Mail published a number of letters concerning privatisation, all opposed, mine was not included.

See also: "Open letter to Anna Bligh and Andrew Fraser asking that any planned privatisations be put to the public at forthcoming elections" of 17 Feb 09, "Brisbane's local ABC radio fails to hold Anna Bligh to account over privatisation" of 28 May 09, "Brisbane ABC suppresses alternative candidates in state elections despite listener dismay with major parties" of 30 Apr 09.

On 25 March Madonna King, the morning presenter of Brisbane's local ABC radio station gave her listeners a small glimpse of how the Queensland Government's frenzy of road construction is destroying the lives of many ordinary citizens. However, the case of those standing up to the Government was undermined when she stated that 'you can't stop progress', a view which curiously echoes what was stated in the previous day's editorial in the Courier Mail, which her husband is editor of.

Appendices: Housing resumption resources, E-mail to Madonna King inviting a response to this article. See also: "Roads to hell: My home is my castle" in the Southern Star of 24 Feb 09, Forum discussion on "Weekend Reflections" of 27 Mar 09 on johnquiggin.com.

Rupert Murdoch never misses an opportunity to loudly preach to his captive Australian audience his message that this country must continue its rapid immigration-driven population growth. However, even his own media outlets have implicitly acknowledged that because governments have followed this very advice in the past, England and even parts of Australia have become intolerably overcrowded.

See also: "English expats make Moreton the only Bay in the village" in the Courier Mail of 10 Jan 09, "Rupert Murdoch urges Aust to open door to migrants" in the Courier Mail of 5 Feb 09, "Honour for Frank Lowy, king of the malls" in the Australian of 6 Feb 09, "How the growth lobby threatens Australia's future" of 24 Jan 09 (also published on Online Opinion with forum discussion).

Andrew Bolt of Murdoch's Herald Sun newspaper Melbourne in his article "Melbourne is wrecked and full" of 30 January 2009 pointed out to his readers how population growth deliberately encouraged by the Victorian Government in recent years had placed too great a strain on Melbourne's infrastructure, causing it to fail during the recent heat wave.

Yet, the Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper, also owned by Rupert Murdoch, adamantly refuses to question past and future planned population growth ...

See also: "How the growth lobby threatens Australia's future" of 24 Jan 09, "Courier Mail manipulates reporting of water recycling to demand early election" of 5 Jan 09, "Andrew Bolt: Why add 1.5 million when Victorian infrastructure can't cope with current population?" of 31 Jan 09.

Queensland's Courier Mail newspaper, which supported the Beattie Government's anti-democratic forced local government amalgamations in 2007 is now breaking the news to Queensland taxpayers and ratepayers that the amalgamations, made at the behest of the Property Council of Australia will, indeed, cost them dearly, exactly as amalgamation opponents had predicted.

On 28 December Queensland's Courier Mail called for early state elections alleging that Anna Bligh's back down before "uninformed agitators" in shelving its plans to introduce water recycling has shown her government to be "timid" and "tired". However, the evidence shows that Bligh's backflip was soundly based. So, what is the real reason for the Courier Mail's own backflip on the question of early elections?

Contents: Why the sudden need for an early election in Queensland?, Courier Mail's misreporting of water recycling issue, Even the Australian sides with the 'uninformed agitators' against the Courier Mail, Courier Mail's misreporting of water recycling no aberration, Courier Mail seeks electoral putsch in Queensland, The Australian's attempt to manipulate the NSW Parliament, What can be done?.
See also: "Reclaim Our Democracy: Boycott Murdoch" (after) 6 June 08 in the Spring Hill Voice, the Spring Hill Voice's Media Page (including a promotion of this article), "Media contempt for facts in NSW electricity privatisation debate" of 18 Sep 08.
The title of this article was originally "Courier Mail manipulates reporting of water recycling to demand early election" - JS, 12 mar 08

Is the Letters Editor of Brisbane's Murdoch-owned Courier Mail newspaper apprehensive at the geo-political themes included in the latest James Bond Movie?

See also: "007 Bolivian socialist?" in the New Statesman of 14 Nov 2008 and discussion

A letter, which appeared in Brisbane's Courier Mail of Saturday 18 October, notes that European renters can enjoy long term leases which allows them to raise their children knowing that they will be able to go to the same school. This allows their children to grow up to become balanced successful adults and helps create stable communities.

The collapse of the global house of credit-cards and consequent stalling of demand for our mineral wealth is beginning to show up how truly unproductive our economy has become after decades of 'reform'. How can we begin to repair the damage?

Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper believes that we should be grateful that Howard left Rudd a budget surplus but is silent about Howard's massive environmental, social, skills, balance of trade deficits and our record domestic debt.

In an article Brisbane house prices tipped to fall 10 per cent in the Courier Mail of Thursday 31 July 08, property analysts differed over to what extent Australia's current record high immigration rate can counter the reduction of demand for Brisbane's hyper-inflated housing caused by the credit crisis.

See also: Brisbane's housing unaffordability crisis spun by ABC to promote property lobby interests of 23 June 2008.

Why has the Courier Mail in its editorial of 23 June advocated that the Rudd Government adopt Brendan Nelson's proposal to cut fuel excise even though such a measure would deny the Government millions in needed revenue and have negligible effect at the bowser in comparison to the demand-driven rise in the price of oil?

At the elections of 15 March pro-developer councils were trounced in Redland City and on the Sunshine Coast, but this popular rejection of over-development means little to the State Labor Government of Anna Bligh and the property developers she serves.

See also: More chickens of population growth come home to roost in Queensland of 14 May 08, How to end the Queensland economy's addiction to population growth? of 26 Apr 08, Courier-Mail beats up on public for complaining about cost of 'progress' of 14 Apr 08, The Australian laments outcome of Queensland local government elections of 30 Mar 08.

"One of the questions that is not put in the political process by either side of politics, let alone answered, is: Towards what are we striving to grow?" - Brendan Nelson.
for more, read "When growth turns into a monster" by Ross Gittins

Had the promises of the growth merchants over past decades been realised, Queenslanders, having had their population more than double from 2 million in 1972 to its current 4,258,351, would today be enjoying a blissful carefree existence together with unprecedented prosperity. Somehow, it has turned out differently and, almost every day, Queenslanders are greeted in the Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper with ever more stories which chronicle their declining quality of life.

One of many reports about the ongoing and worsening rental crisis in Brisbane, is the article "Wanted: a Room to rent," in Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper of 29 April 2008. The article reports trends where both co-tenancy and room-by-room tenancy is increasing.

See also: "Rent gouging threatens Brisbane inner city retail community", "The Courier Mail beats the drum for more Queensland population growth"

I was moved to republish the article after I read, with dismay, in the Courier Mail, yet another of many dispiriting stories about the rental accommodation crisis, one of many predictable consequence of that newspaper's aggressive past and ongoing promotion of population growth.

See also: Shared accommodation a necessity and no longer a choice for many in Brisbane

Murdoch's Queensland Courier Mail has long been in the business of marketing unacceptable development, but the April 9 2008 editorial read more like a medieval sermon on the benefits of floggings. What must Queenslanders have done to the Gods to provoke such punishment as

“freeways, chemical plants and new powerstations at their back door; transport corridors and dams which endanger the environment and destroy local communities”

... which the editorialist identifies as our inescapable and deserved fate?

Queensland's Premier Anna Bligh, Deputy Premier Paul Lucas and the developer Multiplex have all declined an opportunity to convince the Brisbane public of the merits of their plans to cover the northern third of the Brisbane River adjoining the CBD with a high-rise residential apartment complex.

Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper recently posed the question "Have these been the most boring elections?". This triggered an exchange of e-mails which began when Independent Mayoral candidate James Sinnamon wrote an open letter to the Courier Mail's City Hall reporter.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh acts out of character in order to save one of the few remaining icons of Queensland's history in Brisbane's CBD.

Brisbane's Courier Mail newspapers beat-up over lack of facilities for mega-sized luxury cruise ships, such as the Queen Victoria draws an (unpublished) response from Independent Mayoral candidate, James Sinnamon.