My name is Mr Koala and I would like to thank some of the readers of this blog for their very generous donation:
M (from the NT) donated $50
P (from SA) donated $50
J (from NSW) donated $100
So Jen and I have $200 from our recent fundraising drive. Thank you!
IN the old days they would have just bound her, thrown her into the lake, and waited to see if she floated. That was how one viewer responded to the vicious dunking of Jennifer Marohasy by Jonathan Holmes on their Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Media Watch program on March 19, 2012.
Dr Marohasy just wants to restore the Murray River’s estuary, but the pushback from the ABC ’s Media Watch program was personal and aggressive.
My name is Koala and I’ve been studying a complaint about that Media Watch program made by Bob Fernley Jones, a retired professional engineer, to the ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs (A&CA). As Mr Fernley Jones explains: Media Watch ignored all the evidence in condemning Dr Marohasy and broke its own rules and standards. Mr Fernley Jones made it easy for the A&CA by listing all the standards that have been breached.
But according to the A&CA, Jonathan Holmes was just expressing their opinions, and under the Editorial Policies, there is no requirement for accuracy in their opinion. So the A&CA has rejected this complaint from Mr Fernley Jones. What a nonsense ruling!
Even a Koala can see that Mr Holmes was very naughty and nasty.
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Media Watch of 19 March 2012 (What’s in a Name),
By Bob Fernley Jones
SUMMARY:
These complaints concern extreme bias and errors of fact as communicated by Jonathan Holmes in the ABC Media Watch program of March 19, 2012 entitled ‘What’s in a Name’. The show very obviously broke key ABC Editorial Policies in these ways:
A. Jonathan Holmes presented his personal interest views in a gross subjective manner
B. Critical information was withheld from the viewers
C. There was no balance and group-think was apparent in the Media Watch team
D. The scientific consensus on the Lower Murray estuary was seriously misrepresented
E. The program overtly attacked the reputation of two Australian scientists, Jennifer Marohasy and Peter Ridd, and also the Australian Environment Foundation
F. ABC Media Watch should issue an apology to Dr Marohasy, Professor Ridd, the Australian Environment Foundation and the public
DARRYL Read is a fourth year psychology honors student at the University of New England in Australia. His research project involves surveying citizens near proposed or established wind developments, worldwide. His interest in this area of research began after speaking with rural residents living in Crookwell, New South Wales (NSW), which has the oldest wind project in Australia.
According to Mr Read the conversations enabled him to gain an understanding of the range of issues surrounding wind developments. Following those talks he says he began to read wind articles in the media and most of these stories failed to identify the issues and genuine concerns of the residents:
“IN the beginning my study was designed to gain an understanding of the structure and strength of both positive and negative attitudes toward wind energy developments. The initial plan was for the survey to be distributed throughout the renewable energy precincts in NSW. Following the launch of the questionnaire earlier this month, the study has caught the attention of various pro-wind organizations and individuals who have attempted to discredit the study.
NEW Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, orders ex-Queensland Premier’s husband, Greg Withers, to kill green schemes. That’s according to an article in today’s The Australian:
“The showpiece of the Gillard government’s $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program is now in jeopardy, after Mr Newman yesterday pulled the plug on $75 million in state funding pledged for the $1.2bn Solar Dawn solar thermal project near Chinchilla, west of Brisbane.
“[Federal] Resources Minister Martin Ferguson yesterday suggested the federal government might withdraw its own $464m contribution, promised only last month…
“Mr Newman yesterday declared his LNP government would axe seven other green schemes, on the grounds the carbon tax would make them redundant…
“Mr Newman has given the job of dismantling the programs to the bureaucrat who set them up – Greg Withers, who is married to Ms Bligh.
“We want him to unravel those programs ’cause he’s the bloke who set them up…
I live in Queensland, a very large, resource rich northern state. For too many years we’ve had Labor governments that have run with very populist themes and policies. And we’ve had Chief Scientists that have actively ignored evidence to implement Labor politics. [1]
Tonight Queensland Labor was annihilated at the ballot box and will likely be left with just seven seats in the 89-seat parliament. Yes. Annihilated.
Like many Queenslanders I was so excited about voting today. I was so pleased to be a part of a democracy and to know that ordinary people voting together could and would change the government and decisively. And yes we did.
Next year there is a federal election. If only federal Labor government would learn from this Queensland Labor defeat and start reversing its most inane and ignorant policies now… like the carbon tax.
There has been comment that federal Labor is in for as convincing a defeat. But a big difference is that the federal Opposition doesn’t have clear alternative policies or a popular leader.
Indeed on the big issues that matter to me, like climate change and the Murray Darling, the Australian Liberal party has policy that is as embarrassing and ignorant as that of the current federal Labor party.
I may have been excited about voting in Queensland today for Campbell Newman. But unless Tony Abbot, as the alternative Prime Minister, starts articulating sensible alternative policies on the issues that really matter federally he won’t be getting my vote next year.
And on the issue of the carbon tax…
There may not have been many people at the no carbon tax rally in Canberra last Thursday, but weren’t the penguin costumes great. [2]
What this and so many related issues need at the federal level is an articulate and committed opposition. But go to the federal Liberal home page and click on the environment policy and this is what you get: “Tony Abbott and the Liberals stand for real action to tackle the complex challenges of climate change, energy security and water scarcity.”
There is no water scarcity: the drought broke with flooding rains about 18 months ago. We need a federal government that acknowledges the need to plan for natural climate variability. We don’t need subsidies for businesses that want to sequest carbon as proposed by Mr Abbot.
Read more and it gets worst. http://www.liberal.org.au/Issues/Environment.aspx
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1. Deceit in the Name of Conservation
https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Review55-1DeceitinNameConservation.pdf
2. Much thanks to Jim S. for the photograph and for being there.
For years now I’ve been writing about the barrages, really sea dykes, that block inflows from the Southern Ocean making the vast shallow coastal lagoons at the end of the Murray River completely dependent on Murray River inflows. Without the dykes the sea would push in each autumn and for longer periods during drought.[1]
Somewhat disappointingly for me there is not one state or federal politician who will take up this issue of the Lower Lakes and in particular how the current management of Lake Alexandrina as an artificial freshwater oasis is unsustainable.
That was my message to Labor, Liberal, National and Greens Senators and MPs representing voters from across the Murray Darling when I visited Canberra in July last year. My trip was funded by Johnny Kahlbetzer from Twynam Agricultural Group. My message was that:
1. The health of a river system is more than the quantity of water flowing downstream;
2. Current management of Lake Alexandrina as an artificial freshwater oasis is unsustainable; and
3. Restoring the Murray River’s estuary must be a priority in any Murray Darling Basin Plan.
[Read more…] about Honest Politician Needed to Champion Removal of Murray Mouth Barrages
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.
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