From New Scientist:
The east coast of Australia has been drenched by floods and torrential rains, even as recent bush fires affecting much of the country continued to burn. Four people are known to have died as Australians get a further taste of extreme weather that is predicted to become more common as the planet warms.
The deluge came as a storm that started as tropical cyclone Oswald just north of Australia was dragged south over most of the east coast by a low-pressure system extending all the way to New South Wales, says Richard Wardle of the Bureau of Meteorology in Queensland. As it hit land, Oswald lost its cyclone status but remained a “vigorous” storm, Wardle says.
With no low-pressure zone further east to pull Oswald out to sea, the storm stayed over land, moving slowly south and dumping huge amounts of rain on coastal communities. Bundaberg, a town in Queensland, experienced its worst-ever flood as the storm lingered nearby for nearly 24 hours, leading to the evacuation of 7500 people from their homes. In Brisbane, the floods were almost as bad as those that devastated the city two years ago.
election on
wow an eight month campaign
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced that this year’s federal election will be held on September 14.
Ms Gillard made the announcement during a speech to the National Press Club.
As part of her agreement with Independent MPs Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, Ms Gillard agreed to hold the election in either September or October.
Saw that myself… Already collecting footage to remind people of the kind of character Abbott is – as I did leading into crazy Chris Monckton’s return to Aust this week.
I swear, it seems as a collective we retain as much information as a gold fish.
Moth, add this one to your collection…..
lol… no, that’s not Abbott, that’s the other one. But that’s fine, I don’t blame you for getting them mixed up! On the tax, yes, I plan to compare his original claim that a simple tax on carbon would be the best solution to the problem to his later, hysterical (and later still proven unmerited) scaremongering over the “big fat tax on everyone that would ruin Australia”
He is an amazing spin doctor – perhaps why you got them mixed up?
Maybe we should include some footage of the empty paddock where Whyalla stood until the wrecking ball went through Australia’s economy. Just for Skeptikal.
lol.. good idea! BHP shut up shop and moved the whole town.. all that remains is a sole tumble weed.. sigh, such a shame..
Abbott looks almost alluring when you study Gillard’s record with clinical disinterest. What an amazing choice!
I’m happy if a big eared, ultra manly man in his buggie smugglers does it for you, but I’d prefer my national leaders driving by secular, critically derived science, over junk science and ignorance. But hey, let’s vote how we’ll vote and we’ll see if Australia really is dumb enough to let him and Joe Hockey ruin Australia for the average Aussie
And, just for Skeptikal, more evidence of the wrecking ball demolishing the Australian economy:
http://www.smh.com.au/business/barely-any-inflation–if-youre-an-employee-20130130-2dkba.html
We’ll all be rooned!!
Great article thanks Zoot.
You also have the IMF paper that recently showed that the last Coalition period, the Howard era, was Australia’s most wasteful.
I don’t know… The carbon tax; falling skies that never was or documented wasteful Liberal leadership – not to mention reforms in favour of employers over employees and changes to tertiary education support and effectively dissolved university unions (a complete contrast to what he experienced in his own uni days).
A carbon tax is ok. Tony said so in this video. http://www.carbontax.net.au/julia-gillard-no-carbon-tax/
Most interesting. The strategy is designed to put Abbott in spot light for a long, long time and hope he delivers Mitt Romney style gaffes.
Abbott just assumes a ‘small target’ low profile, the corrupt Rightwing MSM collaborates (as in ignoring the Ashby conspiracy, just as they ignored the Grech conspiracy)and lies through his teeth, in the David Cameron ‘Greenest ever UK Government’ manner or John Howard’s ‘non-core promise’ fashion, and it will be a doddle. And don’t forget Dullard’s gift for putting her dainty little feet into it.
The longest suicide party in history.
Just catching up on the Queensland Enviroment and heritage web site regarding climate change, virtually nothing since May 2012 when the Bligh government’s research was edited by the incoming newman government,
This will be again repeated by Abbott who has vowed to also close down the office of climate change.
You can bet your life on that. From the evidence of the extreme, dare one say fanatical, activities of the recent generation of hard Right regimes in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, destruction of environmentalism has become an absolute paramount drive for the Right. This was only to be expected because the Right’s response, from the dawn of time, to opposition has always been to up the ante. The clear fact that climate destabilisation is upon us has produced a Pavlovian reaction of snarling and salivating, (led by the Murdoch sewer), the destruction of environmental law, the defunding of environmental groups, the crusade, in league with Big Business thugs and ‘The Australian’ (ground zero for Rightwing malevolence in this country)against ‘green tape’ (ie ALL environmental protection)the active sabotage of renewable energy and the hard pushing of coal and gas. The Death Wish of the Right in full goose-stepping majesty. The ‘Triumph of the Swill’.Soon to be led by our predestined Great Leader, Tony ‘Climate Change is Crap’ Abbott. You gotta laugh!
QLD LNP
Queensland Coastal Plan – State Planning Policy 3/11: Coastal Protection suspended from operation on 8 October 2012
The Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning has made the Draft Coastal Protection State Planning Regulatory Provision (the Draft SPRP). This provision took effect on 8 October 2012 and suspends the operation of the State Planning Policy 3/11: Coastal Protection (Coastal SPP)
The State Policy for Coastal Management (PDF, 734K)* is still in effect.
Further information and copies of the Draft SPRP are available from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning website. If you have any questions about the effect of the Draft SPRP or wish to comment on its content, please email info@dsdip.qld.gov.au and use the following subject heading: ‘Coastal SPRP’.
Information on the suspended Coastal SPP 3/11 can be found belo
Has anyone seen the full context of the brief video that Skeptical posted. According to the Australian published the day before the election, Gillard said that she would rule out a “Carbon Tax” but not an emissions trading scheme.
Here is a link to the article: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/julia-gillards-carbon-price-promise/story-fn59niix-1225907522983
Note the sub heading: “JULIA Gillard says she is prepared to legislate a carbon price in the next term.”
So before the election she said that she would not rule out an Emissions Trading Scheme, then after the election she legislated for an Emissions Trading Scheme. I am sort of confused about where the lie is.
So my question is, did Gillard go on to make the same distinction in the video as she made in the newspaper article?
Looking at the length of the video I would say that Skeptical had cut that bit out
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/why-julia-gillard-didnt-lie-about-her-carbon-tax-plans-before-election/story-e6frerdf-1226421929786
But surely Skeptical wouldn’t have done that. I’m certain that Skeptical just seeks the truth – merely wanting the full unbridled story from which Skeptical can solve reality. Surely Skeptical isn’t about presenting half the story to give a biased perception.