Feedback
From: Michael Cranny
Email: michael.cranny@gmail.com
Date posted: 22:05, 11 03 2010
Message: Geoff Lake is reported in the 12 March newsletter as presenting the challenges we face if the forecast of 60 per cent increase in Australia's population to 36 million by 2050 is realised.
Unfortunately, Geoff and most politicians seem to think that such large population increases are sustainable in the long term and that a big and bigger Australia is somehow invitable and highly desirable. I hate to shatter our president's vision but a bigger Australia is not sustainable on just about any environmental and social justice measure that you may care to nominate.
Our large and constant intake of new migrants should not be on 'policy auto-pilot,' continuing up regardless of our declining arable land, our limited water capacity and our stressed, carbon generating energy resources.
Add to this the still unresolved failure of all levels of government and developers to provide the necessary public infrastructure to accommodate bigger populations in our cities and we have a very serious problem in the making.
From: Martin
Email: boycetrus@gmail.com
Date posted: 00:18, 21 08 2009
Message: Any plans to publish an RSS feed of ALGA News?
From: Ian Stanley
Email: stanleyi@hobartcity.com,au
Date posted: 02:58, 19 06 2009
Message:
As a regular recipient of the document I attempt to read it on or soon after arrival on my screen(rather than print it) However the format or layout of the document makes it almost painful to read. I receive e-news from other institutions that is formatted better and much easier to read. Is there some way of changing it so that it is more enjoyable to read? That is get rid of the two column format.
From: Cr Jackie Fristacky
Email: jackie.fristacky@yarracity.vic.gov.au
Date posted: 06:44, 03 02 2009
Message: I was confused that in the latest edition of ALGA News you had Paul Bell's name as ALGA President and Geoff Lake's Picture.
From: Mick Turner
Email: greentechshow@gmail.com
Date posted: 18:07, 26 09 2008
Message: Re GreenTECH 08
http://www.greentechshow.com.au
Please review our website with the request to get a mention in your next enews and events calendar
Eco Regards
Mick Turner
GreenTECH CEO
From: Andrew McLernon
Email: andrew.mclernon@attglobal.net
Date posted: 06:00, 10 10 2007
Message: Dear Editor, just a suggestion on the newsletter, which is wonderful, apart from the format: two column format is nice in hardcopy but it is cumbersome to read directly off the screen, especially of a laptop. Or am I doing something wrong?
Cheers
From: Smithy
Email: smithy50@gmail.com
Date posted: 01:44, 15 06 2007
Message: I am disgusted by whoever chose to glorify and promote the so called Maryborough pub crawl in the latest edition of ALGA News. It is absolutely irresponsible that Maryborough Council promotes this alcoholic binge drinking sesssion, but worse that ALGA News decided to further the damage. Binge drinking is one of the worst health problems in Australia today. It contributes massively to serious domestic violence, unemployment and vandalism in the areas adjacent to alcohol outlets - the latter costing a huge amount in rectifications costs to local government and rate payers. Binge drinking and pub crawls are the most dangerous form of alcohol abuse in Australia. ALGA News should publish an immediate apology for its poor editorial taste in running this article in a humourous fashion, which only glorifies this insidious disease and whoever was the person responsible for the decision to include it should be subject to a poor performance warning.
From: Cr Paul Rasmussen
Email: paul@australia-house.com.au
Date posted: 20:57, 15 02 2007
Message: PART 1 of my feedback message...
Hi, Message for Cr Bell. Your 'From President' column of 16 Feb 07 talks about the 'facts' which emerged from the PM's summit on water.
Sadly, the so called 'interesting fact: that 70 per cent of all water use in Australia is for farm irrigation.....' is just so wrong for coastal river systems that it is scary, and I am very dissapointed that it gets 'propagated' so widely through newsletters.
Fact for the Hawkesbury Nepean river system: 97% of ALL fresh water is extracted for Sydney URBAN use - 97%! HN irrigators (ie farmers who grow 85% of all the fresh food for Sydney's ever expanding population) use less than 3% of the water and much of that water is sewerage treatment plant (STP) effluent water put into the HN river channel. Less than 5% of the fresh water removed is returned as 'dirty' STP water It is this water farmers use for food production.
Please see PART 2 below...
From: Cr Paul Rasmussen
Email: paul@australia-house.com.au
Date posted: 20:53, 15 02 2007
Message: PART 2 of my feedback message.
....
The 70% 'meaningless' fact could be ignored except that it has become so well ingrained that great pressure is now placed on the HN irrigators to 'get efficient and give up some of that 70% water they use'....and if we don't we are not doing our bit...because EVERYBODY knows we use 70% of all water in Australia. Great!
It is gold plated (il)logic like that which has got us to where we are today with water management in Australia. Too many people going to too many conferences.
So, HN irrigators, ie food growers for Sydney, face enourmous pressure to keep even the 3% of 'dirty' water they currently use, why? because of the 70% 'fact' has such a strangle hold on our collective mind....and new water industry competition laws recently enacted. Water Industry 'players' can now get access to the STP water and 'sell' it to other users - golf courses, pools etc etc! So what that means is that not only has Sydney drained the HN river to the extent of 97% of all fresh water, but now the water industry 'players' are about to drain even the dirty water from the river! Now that is good policy planning based on 'scientific' and irrefutable facts!
Hope this helps.
From: Cr Paul Rasmussen
Email: paul@australia-house.com.au
Date posted: 20:17, 15 02 2007
Message: Hi, I have just spent a considerable amount of time typing in a comment re the latest newsletter and without warning when I clicked the 'add comment' your system told me that I had exceeded 1500 words and to go back and try again?
That would not be so bad except when I went back ALL of what I had just written was deleted?
What sort of system is that? Why not tell me upfront that I have 1500 words as a limit? 99.99% of 'feedback' form system have a 'calculator' which counts down the characters left to avoid just this fraustration! Please!
From: John Christian
Email: johnxtian@ni.net.nf
Date posted: 20:09, 19 12 2006
Message: Watawieh yorlyi,(hello how are you )
As an indigenous Norfolk Islander, I was appalled to see Paul Bell's endorsement of Minister Jim Lloyd's attempted take over of Norfolk Island.
A few facts on Norfolk which Paul has never visited, The island is self funded with its own tax system having a living standard higher then Australia. No homeless people and no poverty. An independent report by Econotech showed that the island is not going broke but would have if it followed the Accumen report put together by Min Lloyd's department. The move was completely undemocratic with no right of vote or referendum given to the island people. It would have destroyed a unique culture and and an ethnic people who have a language and values completely different to Australia. Considering the recent events on Palm Island where it appears an Australian police officer may face no charges on the beating death of an indigenous Australian, We islanders were worried particularly after we had experienced discrimination from Australian officials prior to self government in 1979.
No there is nothing appealing about have your democratic rights ignored, having your culture and language disappear and being subjected to administration by people living overseas. It is simply the same pathetic colonialistic empire building attitude that the English had before Australia won its right to self government.
From: Michael Cranny
Email: michael.cranny@blacktown.nsw.gov.au
Date posted: 20:02, 16 11 2006
Message: In view of the recent High Court decision that gave a very broad interpration of the federal government's corporations power, in relation to Industrial Relations laws, does the ALGA Executive plan to explore the feasibility of bringing local government throughout Australia under a national Australian Local Government Act?
It is very frustrating that with some of the most prominent successful motions of the National General Assembly of Local Government, that very little in the way of follow up seems to happen. Take for example the 2003 policy decision: 'That the federal government be requested to commission the Productivity Commission to conduct a public inquiry on the anticipated productivity savings from vertical rationalisation of the current three-tier system of government.'
Regards,
Michael Cranny
From: kate lamb
Email: kate.lamb@willoughby.nsw.gov.au
Date posted: 06:06, 07 11 2006
Message: Dear Clr Bell
Liked your editorial, especially the bit about doing what we can to reduce private car use. I was really pleased to see the Cycling Promotion Fund take a trade stand at the recent NSW LG Conference - supporting Councils to promote this healthy, environmentally friendly form of transport (& recreation!). Whilst cycling may not be THE solution to our problems, I'm very sure its part of it and that LG can make a big difference to its uptake. Hope the National Conference will assist too!
regards
Kate Lamb (Clr)
From: Kelvin Tori
Email: kelvint@melton.vic.gov.au
Date posted: 20:31, 30 07 2006
Message: In ALGA NEWS of 21/7/06 reference was made to report on local govt financincing commissioned by ALGA, from PwC.
Are the terms of reference, or scope, of this project available for Councils to peruse?
Kel Tori
GM Corporate
Melton Shire Council
From: Scott Lyall
Email: scottl@kab.org.au
Date posted: 21:26, 27 07 2006
Message: Dear ALGA NEWS
Please let me know who we should speak with regarding a press release promoting KAB Week in your next issue. KAB Week commences late August and we have a specific section of the website set up for local councils.
Scott Lyall
National Executive Officer
Keep Australia Beautiful
GPO Box 193, Canberra ACT 2601
0419 016 401, scottl@kab.org.au, www.kab.org.au