This is to see what happens if I add a new post to the hacked site.
Test post
December 31st, 2011Valley Watchdog 3
September 23rd, 2010State Government withholds critical LEP information
The legitimacy of Local Environment Plans (LEPs) for councils in Northern NSW is under a cloud following failure of the State Government to provide a completed Far North Coast Regional Conservation Plan (RCP), a critical planning document for the LEP process.
The State Government made it clear in 2006 that the Regional Conservation Plan was essential to proper planning yet here we are in 2010 and the plan is nowhere to be seen. Read the rest of this entry »
Article 1
September 1st, 2010
Dr Vanessa Wong takes samples at Rocky Mouth Creek after the 2009 flood.
Research solves fish-kill mystery
Coraki, November 1, 2009 – Researchers have pinpointed the cause of fish kills which often follow floods on the Richmond River floodplain.
Studies during the past 20 years have shown that a large amount of deoxygenated water flows into the Richmond estuary system as floodwaters drain away, but its source has been unclear.
Acid run-off from oxidised acid-sulfate soil also has been suspected of causing the kills. Evidence now shows this is not the case.
A two-year study, led by Southern Cross University (SCU) environmental scientist Dr Vanessa Wong, is complete and the results are due to be published soon. Read the rest of this entry »
Marny’s Gulf Stream 1
June 10th, 2010
Australian Seabird Rescue (ASR) cofounder and president Marny Bonner is off to the Gulf of Mexico to assist with wildlife rescue in the wake of the BP Horizon oil spill.
She and ASR South Coast founder Julie Clarke will assist with training and counselling of US rescue volunteers. They also aim to arrange a partnership with an appropriate local wildlife agency and source accommodation, transport and other logistics to enable an ASR rescue team to depart for the US as soon as possible.
This blog will contain her occasional posts from the Gulf rescue frontline. Read the rest of this entry »
Donella’s Desk 1
February 11th, 2010
Community Input: A part of good governance.
The Local Government Act 1993 predominantly sets out what Local Government is to do, how some things are to be done, and the responsibilities of various stakeholders.
For example:
CHAPTER 2 – WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF THIS ACT?
CHAPTER 3 – WHAT IS A COUNCIL’S CHARTER?
CHAPTER 4 – HOW CAN THE COMMUNITY INFLUENCE WHAT A COUNCIL DOES?
Chapter 4 notes as follows from the LGA web site “Under this Chapter, meetings of the council and its committees are required, as a general rule, to be open to the public.
The Chapter provides for public access to information held by councils. Read the rest of this entry »
Valley Watchdog 2
January 31st, 2010Evans Head goes to Ballina
I attended a meeting of Ballina Shire Council on Thursday, its first meeting for 2010. What a pleasure!
The venue was good with gallery seats not far from the councillor table. It was a meeting ‘in-the- round’ with some of the intimacy of a Padua theatre as the gallery seats were higher than the councillors’ table. You felt as if you were part of the meeting, not isolated in some public gallery far away from the action, as is the case with the Richmond Valley Council Chambers layout where there is, sadly, a barrier between the public and councillors, making it very much a ‘them-and-us’ arrangement.
While the public part of the meeting went from 9am until 4:30 with a 40-minute lunch break and 20 minutes for morning tea, a long day to sit and listen, it was well worth the effort. After 12 years of attendance at Richmond River Shire Council meetings and the amalgamated Richmond Valley Council it was refreshing to see a well run meeting where the level of debate was an order of magnitude better than you will ever see at Richmond Valley Council meetings. Read the rest of this entry »
Valley Watchdog 1
January 24th, 2010
Return of the Dog
Since the demise of the Richmond River Sun last year there’s been no vehicle to put a regular ‘Valley Watchdog’ column to the people of the Richmond Valley Council area and it looks as if this is not about to change. The Sun is not about to come up tomorrow (with apologies to the philosopher David Hume).
Judging by the feedback (heavy pestering is closer to the mark!!) from a number of readers it’s time to resurrect the Valley Watchdog.
Quite apart from the pestering there is, in my view, a real need for some critical reporting on the activities of local, state and federal governments.
The popular media frequently serves up the spin-doctored or ‘sexed up’ (thank you Tony Blair) press releases of government without critical comment or review. Often the article is just a ‘cut and paste’ from the release with appropriate quotes inserted to make it look as it there has been a genuine interview when it is not so. The quotes are in the release. Not a word is exchanged over the phone or face-to-face. Read the rest of this entry »