This opinion piece only scratches the surface of the enormous problems we have here in Canberra with planning and development. The whole of the planning system has been corrupted by decades of bad management and the development of a culture that has residents as the enemy to be tricked and out manoeuvred. Click here for my piece in City News.
Already the positive spin has commenced in the media portraying how wonderful this dreadful government is. Click here for my piece on this election campaign for 2020
How sad! Yet another glossy ACT Government planning document that is a waste of time and effort – click here for my piece on this CRAPP in City News
For residential representatives in Canberra, the last few months have been very onerous due to the simultaneous release of a load of government consultation documents as well as the usual tricky development applications (DA) that need to be consumed and feedback provided. Click here for my piece on this.
You can tell when residents are hitting the government where it hurts – when the press coverage from the government turns to spin – and more spin. There is no doubt that this is a response to the successes the pesky residents of Downer have had in getting attention through their brilliant “Don’t Dump on Downer” grassroots campaign. Click here.
WHAT happens within the ACT government’s planning and development portfolios points to how the ACT Greens/Labor coalition is travelling. Click here for my piece in City News
Canberra has a reasonably new City Renewal Authority. It does not come cheap. Problem being people just do not know why it exists. Here’s my take on this – in City News.
Congratulations to all the residents who care and work hard on planning matters – endlessly. The shocking thing is that those in government, on all sides, now take it as normal that they are not trusted and respected. It is not something anyone should simply live with.
I wrote for City News on this topic – click here.
This is a slightly revised version of a previous post of mine previously written as the government moved to close the public housing along Northbourne Avenue in Canberra as part of its Urban Clearances programs
we are being Turnbulled – over and over again.
A good article summing up the state of politics, where truth is an option to be discarded.
click on the image for this very interesting view on Brexit
Yet again the media has misunderstood what Pauline Hanson said!
It is definitely time for all forms of peaceful and concerted actions to adjust our democratic structures to deal with the damage being done by forces that have resulted in Trump and his cronies being where they are.
the democracy experiment continues – but will it get beyond the influence of neoliberalism
oh how we wish we could believe the Minister and the building industry spokespersons – of course here in Canberra we have the laws in place! But – we all know better than that.
A lot has been written about the ACT Government’s announcement to establish small government housing estates on community-zoned land in Weston Creek suburbs.
I have already reviewed this book – click here.
However I cannot stop pondering the challenge this story throws up for anyone interested in equity, fairness, and the role of the media in so many aspects of our daily lives.
If we had a real media, this story would have been totally different. Instead what happened here was the total manipulation of the media and through them members of the public, by all forms of malicious groups of people and individuals.
It was on hearing certain phrases used over and over again on Australian TV programs talking about the 2016 US election campaign that I became suspicious that we were witnessing a lazy press.
Almost daily the media was taking the same phrases and words and using them over and over again – with no evidence that they could be accurate except that they were the words and phrases being used by most journalists and commentators at the time.
On the basis we were supposed to accept their words as fact.
Australians are again being subject to being Turnbulled. Yet Again.
Following the resignation of their highly paid CEO, it seems that our postal services need to recover some of the revenue it has been paying out in the last few years.
Two stories that point to the big problem we have here in Australia.
Click on the image for a piece about a load of garbage- or what Turnbull is now saying.
There’s so much wrong with the democracy experiment at the moment. But is good that a few journalists are seeing the issues that must be dealt with.
Click on the image to read about the worst of Boris
The government cuts the funding and now complains! Click here for the reality check – fact check – on why it happened – and who is really to blame. Yep – we have been Turnbulled again!
JOHN MENADUE. Privatisation and the hollowing out of MedicareHere’s an article that deals with the lies being told by the present Prime minister on Medicare. Click here.
click on the photo above to learn more about Turnbull – FIZZA.
“You light him up, there’s a bit of a fizz, but then nothing… nothing.”
there’s more…
Australia is being Turnbulled over and over again. When will the country get rid of this pretend government – that is really a committee of the IPA?
The whole truckies pay debate has been yet another example of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) running the agenda.
Here’s a wonderful example of how the media and the public are being fooled and used by Top Hat Turnbull in his government’s dubious efforts to destroy the union movement. As blogged by Vince O’Grady, here is a post titled: ” More Egregious words used by the liberals. Disgraceful falsification of the facts.” Click here
Australia is being Turnbulled, again
click on the image above for the story from The Huffington Post
One of these images is of an ass. One of these images is of a painting.
There is something that makes certain people believe that if they attend loads of committee meetings that they are actually doing something useful. Whereas the truth is that all they are doing is attending loads of committee meetings.
The other day Sydney Airport was evacuated because someone had been busy reading his iPad and had accidentally walked through the exit door and thus set off all forms of alarms. As I drive around town I notice that cars are often either slow to take off from traffic lights or at times commence wavering all over the place as the driver is trying to manage their iPhone at the same time.
Most days the news is too predictable in that most sources simply churn out whatever the others are churning out.
The security at the Museum of Contemporary of Art (MCA) in Sydney is usually very attentive and they are very helpful if you ask them anything. Today while visiting we noticed a fault.
Tourist walks off pier while browsing on Facebook
no need for further comment – click on the image.
An interesting few words from Damon Young on the machines that distract some people. Damon likes to observe – here’s one of his people observations. I think that too often I have observed his subject.
An ordinary suburban cafe, with an ordinary sullen teenage waitress and faux-friendly barista. The tables are unvarnished barrels. The cups are marmalade jars. And the coffee is bitter, weak and overpriced.
Do you now a Patrick Henderson?
Patrick Henderson attends meetings called to carry out the business of the gallery for which he is a company director.
When Patrick sits at the table he remains very alert to the presence of his mobile and aware that there may be emails, text messages and tweets that require his attention.
Patrick’s commitment to these distractions is such that he cannot ignore them. Because of his lack of control of the technology, poor Patrick has become one of the many who are physically present somewhere but are rarely mentally completely there.