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A Prod from the Deep North

Most of us bumble along from week to week. Each week has its thought points, and things done or things to do. I’ve bumbled along over the last week, here in Qld, here in the best State in the Federation, doing an excellent job of avoiding all of the things that I was supposed to do. Which left me time to notice a few things …

I notice that the Adani Mine is being promoted despite polls showing that the majority of the Australian population are against the approval. The trite national press is presenting it as a battle between the Yokel Qld, Us and the Progressive Southern Them, and that, quite frankly, is just a load of hogwash. It is a smokescreen blown out there to hide the fact that the majority of people do not want their taxpayer dollars gifted on a grand scale to prop up an uneconomic mine. Those soon to be wasted dollars would be better off spent sheltering the homeless and raising Newstart.

I notice that the appeal against the approval of the Sekisui mega-eyesore-resort at Yaroomba Beach here on the Sunshine Coast (yep … in the best State in the Federation) is slotted to be heard later this year in the Planning and Environment Court. In case you don’t know there were a record number of community objections against this multiple high-rise edifice, yet the Sunshine Coast Council flew in the face of sanity and community wishes and approved it. It brings up questions about the power of money to influence outcomes. It brings up questions about the power the Development Lobby still has here in Qld. It brings up questions about a certain legacy issue pertaining to Sekisui House … a particular $50,000 donation. Queensland, beautiful one day, covered in concrete the next.

I notice that Religious Freedom Legislation is raising its head again. I don’t need it. I freed myself from religion years ago. When you think about the fact that the overwhelming majority of Australians don’t attend Church then you are left holding the word Secular in your hands.

I notice that Ken Wyatt is the first Indigenous Man to be promoted to head Indigenous Affairs. I wish him well in his role. I hope he has the oomph to carve through and make a real difference. I hope his colleagues in government don’t get in his road. That latter hope is a pretty forlorn one.

As for the above photo … it was used to illustrate an article I wrote about Machine Intelligence (AI) and the implications for humanity. With a bit of thought-twisting it could just as easily have been used to describe the outcome of the last federal election. We now have dullard party machine-men in charge with intelligence copiously conspicuous by its absence. A lot of us got what we didn’t vote for. Greed trumped humanity.

Did I mention that Queensland is the best State in the Federation? Out of my window I can see blue ocean, blue sky, warmth, semi-tropical green (yeah, OK … some concrete too), and all sorts of interesting progressive type people milling about. If you live south of the border you are welcome to pop up and visit, and it cannot be said often enough, the best State in the Federation!

Keith Davis is a citizen journalist. He is an implacable foe of social injustice, and he is a strong believer in the inevitable implementation of a Universal Basic Income in Australia. He has a varied background, including print media publishing, not-for-profit group administration, and Indigenous sector project management. He fully supports the notion of Treaty. He writes from the heart, believes that whimsy and thoughts out of left-field have at least as much power as logic and reason, and does not limit himself to any one particular topic or theme.

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6 comments

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  1. Josephus

    Thank you for highlighting the obscene power of money to ruin our country. Time for civil disobedience, on this the anniversary of Tienanmen?

  2. wam

    My daughter lived in queensland for a few years. I used to walk, at 0600, in brilliant sunshine. Almost all the houses had lights peeping through the curtains in direct defiance of the sun’s light. The curtains in the house were extra heavy duty with lining and an inner net curtain ensuring that even when the curtain is drawn there is still a layer protecting the inside from the sun.
    The norm is different to that of other states.
    The southern invasion each winter confirms their insular status but is accepted as an economic necessity.
    This winter invasion by the green caravan was the exception promising economic disaster and queenslanders reacted with savage mindless ferocity. QED.
    PS The schools were different no exams my grandson came home with a reader number 11 when I went to school with him he was reading number 15 the teacher said school policy was to send the children home to read to the parents so a lower standard book meant fewer errors.

  3. Keitha Granville

    That this is the conundrum Keith (great name ) – why in the name of anything sane did all those QLD seats swing to the LNP/PHON/UAP ?? Insanity seems to run rampant throughout the country when money appears to support absurd planning ideas. We in TAS (actually the best State in the Federation by the way) have managed to dampen the enthusiasm of large concrete monolithic hotel builders and wilderness tourism invaders thus far. We also managed to stop a destructive dam years ago, a pulp mill and any number of other environmental disasters. Doesn’t seem to stop them, they keep trying. We have to keep on trying back at them.

  4. Kaye Lee

    As I mentioned elsewhere…

    Feb 22, 2019…..

    RESOURCES Minister Senator Matt Canavan has distanced himself from his brother’s multi-million dollar acquisition of a Central Queensland mine last week.

    Senator Canavan told the Senate recently his younger brother John had acquired a seven per cent interest in Rolleston mine.

    He also said as a result, his brother-in-law, Logan lawyer James Stokes, would acquire a just over 0.7 per cent interest in the mine.

    Last week, Japanese mining giant Itochu sold its wholly owned Australian subsidiary’s interest in the thermal coal mine.

    The company John Canavan is managing director of bought a 12.5 per cent stake in the Bowen Basin coal mine. Rolleston mine, 500km southwest of Mackay, was put on the market in August 2017.

    He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

  5. wam

    keitha;
    My golf partner is a townesville(named after a ‘blackbirder and one of the most racist of towns even for redneck Qld) man born and bred. His school friends, their kids and grand kids are doing it tough. Massive unemployment.
    To have vegan screaming women invade was traumatic and labor was the victim of their fear.
    I am convinced the incident filled trip was deliberately planned for the purpose of bolstering southern greenies votes.
    Sadly I can only remember bob brown as the destroyer:
    of climate change legislation and the confirming of the Rabbott;s leadership in 2009,
    of shorten’s election chances in 2019.

    The pain of this belief is exacerbated by the behaviour of the party under ninatale’s focus on ‘men’

    I cannot understand why any labor party member would not lay the major blame for the collapse of the poll predictions squarely on the timing of the convoy.and the actions of the participants.

    The caravan was a deliberate calculated cynical pecuniary driven exercise by pragmatic men.

    A terrible outcome was the loss of cathy and the win of Phillip Thompson

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