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.)

Acland was the site of the last underground coal-mine in Queensland's Darling Downs, closed in 1984. Now the town itself will disappear into the maw of a vast new open-cut coal-mine, and with it all the creatures that cannot get a ticket out - like the koalas and the trees. Mark Copland asks, "What is the price of progress - and who will bear the cost? He compares the treatment of Acland people to the treatment of the people on the Planet of Pandora in the film Avatar, where miners from earth were prepared to sacrifice almost anything in the pursuit of more of something, which ultimately, will never be enough. Copeland says, "I am sure when the Acland mine was first proposed there was never any mention of closing down a town."

Originally published as "Community must ask who bears the cost of progress" by Dr Mark Copland of the in the Tooowoomba Chronicle of 5 Jan 10 (URL of article unkown).
See also: Web site of the New Hope coal company: www.newhopecoal.com.au (including environmental impact statements, newsletters and assorted other pro-coal-mining propaganda); Friends of Felton web sites: www.fof.org.au, www.friendsoffelton.blogspot.com. (See article for links to other articles related to Acland.)

What you can do: Sign e-petition calling for resignation of Queensland Government. For further information, please read "Why Queenslanders must demand new state elections" of 8 Jan 10. The original candobetter.org name of this article was originally "The Pursuit of Unobtainium in Acland, Queensland."

Queensland Infrastructure and planning minister, and former Property Council advisor, Stirling Hinchliffe has been given unprecedented power under Queensland’s new and deceptively named Sustainable Planning Act to ride roughshod over local government planning. (Hoffman, Opinion, Courier Mail, 6-1-2010) Hoffman also says, "There is little, the electorate can do about this having voted Labor back in..." Not true. People can do something. They can sign this petition calling for the government to resign

Queensland: Beautiful one day; bulldozed the next. Bligh government's gung-ho populate and develop policy is ill-informed and will destroy the golden goose, not to mention all the other creatures and plants. The development lobby is impossible to satisfy. Its demands are unreasonable and unsustainable.

A Galaxy poll suggests "60 per cent of Queenslanders want the Government to take steps to limit the state's southeast population growth explosion." (December 07, 2009). Although Anna Bligh's government actively advertises for overseas and interstate immigrants, the Premier is quoted saying , '"she was yet to see "any sensible or legal way" to cap the population.' Population sociologist, Sheila Newman, responds: "Premier Bligh could start by ceasing to advertise for more interstate and international immigrants. Her statements implying that population caps are not possible are ridiculous, misleading and irresponsible. All societies have numerous democratic ways of controlling population, unless they are politically prevented from doing so by undemocratic governments like Anna Bligh's."

What you can do: If you are a Queensland resident and Australian citizen, please sign the petition here.

Grounds are that the government failed to inform people during the last Queensland State elections of their intentions to privatise Queensland assets to the value of $15billion.

If you are a Queensland resident and Australian citizen, please sign the petition.

How dare John Kelly of the despicable commercial kangaroo killing industry ask for handouts due to the fallout from Russia placing a ban on kangaroo meat imports! Our taxpayers should not be giving handouts to help "restructure" this vile and cruel industry.

In Queensland, after March 2010, many people who provide lifts to children, instead of leaving them to walk or catch a bus, face fines of $300 and three demerit points.

See also: "Car restraints to be mandatory for child passengers" in the Brisbane Times of 10 Sep 09, "Kids' seatbelt laws tightened" in the Courier Mail of 11 Sep 09, "Evidence boosts case for restraining kids in cars" by Transport Minister Rachel Nolan in My Sunshine Coast of 10 Sep 09, www.transport.qld.gov.au/childrestraints.

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.

In response to today's news that the Queensland government is still considering activating sleeper licences to the Cooper Creek system, the coordinator of Fair Water Use (Australia), Dr Ian Douglas, is today reported as saying: "The Rudd Government stands condemned for its failure to put an end to the dysfunctional and conflicting governance arrangements that have brought the Murray-Darling to its knees."

See also: "Qld Govt told to keep hands off SA water" on the ABC on 3 Aug 09, "Artesian basin water auction sells out environment and farmers" of  Jul 09, "'Last undefiled waterway' threatened" by Asa Wahlquist in The Australian of 13 Jul 09, fairwateruse.com.au.

Unions will stage a protest against privatisation outside the office of Rachel Nolan, the Queensland Minister for Transport.

Where: Booval Professional Centre, 125 Brisbane St Ipswich
When: From 2PM, Friday 31 July.

Also published on saveourpublicassets.org.

Dorothy Pratt, independent member for the rural Queensland state electorate of Nanango, in a speech to State Parliament on 18 June, tears apart the Queensland Government's justification for its fire sale of publicly owned assets and exposes its past mismanagement of the Queensland economy. Her informative and cogent speech is typical of of many that go unreported by the pro-privatisation Queensland newsmedia.

Also published on privatisationistheft.net.

Picket 9am Tues June 16 (Budget Day) @ Qld State Parliament, Cnr George & Alice Streets

See also: privatisationistheft.net

In a leaflet handed out at the protest against privatisation held outside the Queensland state Labor Party conference on Sunday 7 June 2009, James Sinnamon, who stood as an anti-privatisation independent candidate at the recent state elections, argues that the unions need to take decisive action against privatisation now. Delaying action can only make the fight against privatisation harder.

What you can do to prevent the theft of your property:
Sign the petition against privatisation;
Attend protests against privatisation outside Parliament House at 9:00am on Tuesday 16 June, the day that the Budget that is to contain the privatisation legislation, is to be put to the Queensland Parliament. Note: not on Monday 15 June as previously advertised.

Queensland State Treasure Andrew Fraser claims that he has no option but to sell off yet more state-owned assets in order to solve Queensland's financial crisis. In this article, Ellen Brown, author of "The Web of Debt" urges Arnold Schwarzenegger the Governor of California, which faces financial difficulties similar to those faced by Queensland, to follow the example of North Dakota, which has its own bank, in order to create money to lend itself in a manner no different to the way that private banks create money to lend Governments, but at interest rates much lower than would be charged by the private banks.

Original article published as "But Governor, You CAN Create Money! Just Form Your Own Bank." on 29 May 09 on Op Ed News
See also: "Revive Lincoln's monetary policy - an open letter to President Obama" of 9 Apr 09 by Ellen Brown (also published here), "Cash-starved states need to play the banking game:
North Dakota shows how" of 2 Mar 09, "Take back the power to create money from the private banking industry" - submission by Ellen Brown to President Barack Obama's Open Government Dialogue of   of 29 May 09.

Brisbane's local ABC radio morning presenter Madonna King failed to use knowledge that she had in her hands that would have demolished Queensland Premier Bligh's excuse for not raising the issue of privatisation during the recent state elections. When I tried to phone the ABC to put this knowledge directly to the Premier, I was cut off.

See also: ABC's response in "ABC dismisses complaint claiming privatisation not 'newsworthy' in 2009 Queensland elections" of 10 Jun 09, "Brisbane ABC suppresses alternative candidates in state elections despite listener dismay with major parties" of 30 Apr 09, "Queensland Government has no mandate to privatise" of 27 May 09.

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.

The Queensland government actively encourages population growth, yet, when the adverse and wholly predictable consequences become too obvious to deny, acts as if it had played no part in bringing about that population growth in the first place. Its deception of the Queensland public has been assisted for years by that state's newsmedia.

See also: Section "End Queensland Government encouragement of population growth" in the article "Why I am contesting the Queensland state elections as an independent" of 9 Mar 09, forum discussion on Weekend Reflections of 31 Mar 09 on johnquiggin.com, "Courier Mail, ABC back Department of Main Roads land grab" of 29 Mar 09.

In an open letter to Queensland's Premier Anna Bligh and Queensland's Treasurer Andrew Fraser, James Sinnamon, the Independent pro-democracy candidate for Mount Coot-tha asks for assurances that any plans to privatise any more public assets be put to the Queensland people at the forthcoming state elections.

The ultimate cause of the floods devastating much of North Queensland is past clearing of vegetation for grazing and monocultural cropping. If we are unable to sustain our population without inflicting such damage on our continent, why are our governments and business leaders determined to further increase our population?

Where: Outside Queensland Parliament, Cnr of George and Alice Streets
When: Tuesday, 10 February 2009 (Opening Day of Parliament)
Time: 9am - 11 am

For further information: www.qawf.org

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.

Recently released Freedom of Information (FOI) files reveal that senior Queensland State Government Departments are working behind the scenes to give hundreds of hectares of prime ocean-front public lands to a Rainbow Beach developer in return for land no longer suitable for development, because of erosion and climate change.

Merilyn Haines, spokesperson person for Queenslanders For Safe Water questioned Queensland Premier Anna Bligh's apparent stated intention to fill to capacity the Wivenhoe Dam, which was built, not as water storage dam, but as a flood minitagation dam following the catastrophic Brisbane floods of 1974.

Merilyn Haines will be standing as an independent candidate against Anna Bligh in her seat of South Brisbane at the next state elections.

It now seems these sacrifices were in vain, because in Queensland our present government is a dictatorship. One person, Anna Bligh, forcibly medicates us through our water supply with fluoride chemicals and we shall have water that has been sourced from sewerage whether we like it or not.

Queenslanders Against Water Fluoridation media release

What you can do: attend public meeting
Date: Saturday, 15th Nov, 2pm–5pm,at Ahimsa House, 26 Horan St, West End, Brisbane

As the truth about the hazards that recycled water, undemocratically imposed by the Beattie Government in 2007 on the Queensland public, poses to our health, emerge, the community group Queenslanders Against Water Fluoridation (www.qawf.org) plan to hold a public meeting in which experts and activists describe these hazards and discuss what to do stop them.

Date: Saturday, 15th November, Time: 2pm–5pm 
Venue: Ahimsa House26 HoranStreet, West End, Brisbane

Australian National University Emeritus Professor, Patrick Troy, an authority on water infrastructure, on the 29th October was widely reported with advice that it was not possible to prevent potentially harmful organisms from entering southeast Queensland's water supply when recycled sewage is added to it in February.

See also: "Queensland Premier Anna Bligh tells water plan critics she will drink recycled sewage" in the Australian of 31 Oct 08 (including readers' comments), www.qawf.org, "Disease expert warns on recycled sewage" in the Australian of 30 Oct 08, "Bligh says academic ill-informed on water claims" in the ABC on 29 Oct 08, "WA slow to recycle sewage as drinking water" in Perth Now of 29 Oct 08, "Recycled sewage 'will have bugs', Queensland Government warned" in the Australian of 29 Oct 08, "Flush then drink in the Sunshine State" in the Australian of 30 Oct 08, "Water talkfest simply a farce" by Bill Hoffman in the Sunshine Coast Daily of 15 Oct 08

The Queensland Government has threatened to fine the owners of the heritage listed "Keating House" $75,000 for allowing it to fall into disrepair, yet when large parts of historic Yungaba House, the responsibility of the Queensland Government itself, have been condemned as unsafe due to its own negligience, the problem was 'solved' by selling it off to a Singapore-based developer to be turned into a gated community, against heated community objections.

What you can do: attend Virtual Inaugural meeting of Immigrants' Memorial Association to be held 19 Oct 08.
What has been done: Protest at Community Cabinet at 12:45PM on Sunday 14 Sep at Belmont State School, Old Cleveland Road, Carindale to protest Minister Paul Lucas's decision to disallow the appeal.

Whilst the Bligh Government has scrapped the environmentally damaging shale oil mining project in the Whitsundays, a rural community further south faces the threats of an open cut coal-mine and coal-to-liquid plant in their midst. These projects could devastate one of this country’s most beautiful & fertile valleys, pollute the Murray Darling river system, destroy nationally significant populations of rare & endangered species, and produce huge quantities of Greenhouse gases.

See also: www.friendsoffelton.blogspot.com, Qld farmers want new rules for mining in Sunshine Coast Daily of 2 Sep 08.