Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

Just seen the Network Ten news here in Queensland. I believe that Peter Beattie is single handedly destroying Labor's chances of winning office at the federal election.

“Some of the plan’s elements have been drastically moderated since first announced and that has principally been due to the force of public criticism levelled at them. Much of that criticism has been constructive and has helped save the Government from its own rhetoric. But the Government still appears to see any critic as an enemy that needs to be demonised and Parliament as a rubber stamp. The arrogance of the Government is palpable”: Law Council President Tim Bugg

Webdiary has done a bit of work on bad and allegedly corruptly procured development over the years. This is an issue that brings people together now matter who they vote for.

"STEVE BRACKS must be applauded for putting his family first. His actions make him a role model as a proud and devoted family man." Family First

"Old forests usually have deeper more complex root systems. They capture rain and transport it deep into the soil and store it, they are not putting on a huge amount of bulk, they have done most of their growing, so they store more water than they use. The soil in such a forest is less compacted there is an increase in humic acid and as a result the soil holds more water. In dryer times when there is less rain, the old tree root systems are able to move the water up through the soil. But what is truly remarkable is that this water actually makes its way into creeks and streams and flows on down the rivers. So one of the main functions of an old forest is that it maintains water supply in dry times. It amazes me that the Government agencies still haven’t worked out that there is a connection between the groundwater and the surface water." Susie Russell

The trouble is that if there is no "Australian connection" the "terror scares" in Glasgow and London then the story being used to provide public support for the incredible amount of security that Sydney is about to endure will have much less credibility with the public.  The intense APEC security is more likely to be regarded with suspicion.

At last! I've just noticed that an alternative plan to Howard's plan to solve child abuse in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities has been proposed.  It's by the Combined Aboriginal Organisations of the NT. Now we've got 2 plans to compare. What do you think?

In their present form the proposals miss the mark and are unlikely to be effective. There is an over-reliance on top-down and punitive measures, and insufficient indication that additional resources will be mobilised where they are urgently needed; to improve housing, child protection and domestic violence supports, schools, health services, alcohol and drug rehab programs. These issues have been raised by many Indigenous leaders over many years.

The aim of the following recommendations should be plain from the report. They are offered to the Chief Minister in the knowledge that the safety of children is everybody’s business, not just that of government. Parents have responsibilities too.

Prime Minister why have you judged it necessary to take control of land bestowed under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act? "Because we don't believe we can effectively implement these changes without taking that authority."

These notes were prepared by Ed Haber for the Third Voice Alliance ...

Shining brilliantly in Rolls-Royce's online media room is the two-week-old press kit for a great story that didn't even make it to Google News, let alone into Australian print. It's how Cheney's Men and Rolls Royce have signed a A$50 million deal with the Australian Navy to service and maintain the amphibious ships HMAS Success, Tobruk, Manoora and Kanimbla (links courtesy of RR)

"In an election campaign that has struggled to be the main story for most of its duration the fate of the minor parties has been one of the most interesting features. The new system of proportional representation in the Upper House gives independents and minors a better chance than they have ever had to gain representation in the parliament. Yet the implications are different for each.": Tony Phillips

"With the Spring racing carnival finally out of the way Victorians are beginning to wake up to the fact that there is an election on November 25th. Only now have the two major parties held their election launches, despite having been in campaign mode for weeks. And it is now that I feel some obligation to provide a starting point for some Webdiary coverage of the event.": Tony Phillips

"The other evening I lay awake listening to blood regurgitating in my weakened heart. I began to ponder the lot of others whose quality of life was also impaired. How many people were in a similar or a worse condition?": Kevin Maguire

"Financial donations to political parties and candidates are potentially one of the most corrupting forces in our political system. The Local Government and Shires Association calls upon the Federal Government to convene a National Summit to develop a national strategy to fundamentally reform, in a coordinated manner, all the financial donations legislation for all 3 levels of Australian government; ie: federal, all state governments and all local councils."

"As Halliburton-KBR is accused of massive construction overcharges in Iraq I wonder how much the Adelaide office has been involved. For around five years Adelaide was the Halliburton/KBR's Global Headquarters for Infrastructure. As this was in the period before and after the Coalition's occupation of Iraq, you'd have to assume that a lot of the contentious paperwork would have passed through this building on its way from Iraq to Houston.": Richard Tonkin

"There is an ongoing underlying crisis for democracy in Queensland, and that is that there is no opposition, and that situation is for the time being entrenched institutionally." Hamish Alcorn

"I'm pretty sure we've stuffed something up for somebody. I'd give my right arm to know the full extent of plans for this area, and how they might relate to the national defence picture. Maybe there's nothing in it, and all of the above pieces of trivia have no connection to each other."

"With St Patrick's Day falling on the eve of the South Australian election, I'm having a think before I go for a drink, and I'm thinking that this election campaign has turned into the worst kind of Irish joke." Richard Tonkin

"Queenslanders in 2005 discovered that their public health system was chronically underfunded, poorly run and in some cases it provided dangerous and even deadly services for those who turned to its hospitals for attention. Two Commissions of Inquiry (the first shut because of the apprehended bias of its Commissioners) and a wide-ranging administrative inquiry were instituted after a whistleblower nurse, Ms Toni Hoffman, told her local MP about the disastrous surgical exploits of an overseas-trained doctor, Dr Jayant Patel, who had become infamously known to some of his colleagues as Dr Death." David Solomon