Musical Dispatch from the Front- Listen!- December 2017

G’day,

Many a Dispatch has alluded to the failure of mainstream Australia to listen to Indigenous Australia.

From a 2014 Dispatch: “…I saw David Suchet’s retrospective on his 25 years of portraying Agatha Christie’s Poirot. David Suchet kept switching from himself to his Poirot persona. At one point he quotes Poirot in his Belgian/French accent: “I hear what you say, I listen to what you mean”

If only the multitude who have descended upon remote Aboriginal Australia to impose Stronger Futures and to Close the Gap would follow Poirot’s example. They come and organise endless meetings at which they push their agendas. If only they didn’t just hear what is being said, but listened to what is meant…”

Thus UNSW lecturer Caroline Wake’s review in The Conversation headed “Barbara and the Camp Dogs turns pub theatre into an impassioned call to listen to Indigenous Australians”, was right up my alley. It runs to 23^rd December at the Belvoir St. Theatre.

https://belvoir.com.au/whats-on/

Ursula Yovich stars as Barbara….
Ursula Yovich “Dance me to the end of love”…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPdizunoAB8

I think I’ve mentioned once before that I don’t consider quoting myself as plagiarism, so here is a comment I submitted to the Article in the Conversation….

“What a timely piece- This morning, paraphrasing Yothu Yindi, ‘I saw it on the Television’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf-jHCdafZY  …Yothu Yindi- Treaty…

There was Malcolm Turnbull, jubilant about the passage into law of Same Sex Marriage. Not surprising, being the politician he is, he took a fair bit of the credit. He even asserted that Australia was the land of the “Fair Go”. Senator Brandis was also jubilant.

This article mentions Malcolm Turnbull’s betrayal in relation to his rejection of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The “Fair Go” he invoked on today’s occasion, was not at all evident in that rejection. It wouldn’t be so bad, if his rationale for rejecting the Uluru statement wasn’t based on a blatant lie- the statement cobbled together at great expense by a broad section of Indigenous Australia never asked for a third tier of Government. They simply asked for a Voice. A voice with constitutional protection so it couldn’t be silenced at the whim of Government (such as happened to ATSIC under John Howard)

The attack on Indigenous Australia is multi-pronged and under the radar.

At the end of October Senator Brandis wrote to the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service. CAALAS was advised that North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency Ltd. will be the funded provider in the southern region of the Northern Territory. As of next year (2018) there will be “fly in fly out” lawyers attending to the legal needs of Central Australian Aborigines.

“… I acknowledge CAALAS’ long history in providing legal assistance services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Central Australia…” wrote Senator Brandis when delivering his death knell to CAALAS, A bit pedantic on my part, but I wasn’t aware there was such as “The Torres Strait Islander people of Central Australia”

The fight for rights worldwide is punctuated by iconic music, theatre and writing. Barbara and the Camp Dogs combines all three!

Long after the details of Native Title and John Howard’s treacherous 10-point plan are lost into the mists of communal amnesia, Yothu Yindi’s “Treaty” and Midnight Oil’s “beds are burning” will continue to resonate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpkGvk1rQBI  Midnight Oil- Beds are Burning…

Music is one of the most powerful weapons available to those silenced. That is why such as the Taliban ban (no pun intended) music and dancing.

As that song from the U.S. anti-segregation movement said ‘We shall Overcome someday”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkNsEH1GD7Q Joan Baez – We shall Overcome

All they were asked for was, a Voice with Constitutional protection, all they’re giving is nothing.

But they can’t stop the music…..

A couple of pertinent songs by Patrick Davies  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtj3ayme1Io

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFAdylvx34c

And then (dare I mention it) there is that song from my parent’s generation…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAw0Ri4FSdM The Internationale…

Anyway, cheer up you mob…. Here’s some up lifting music….

Rumaal – Maati Baani ft. Bhutta Khan…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpMp1b9dxcQ

Who cares if we can’t understand a word!

Frank

Real Leadership demonstrates Real Mateship.

There’s trouble in parliament. And Paradise aint lookin too hot either.  It seems that big money is clouding the judgement of our elected representatives.

Sam is misunderstood for looking after his mates.

Before we continue, we should like to remind you that in spite of repeated attempts, and at vast expenditure of our depleted resources, we at pcbycp have not been able, (yet) to secure funding from the Chinese Communist Party for our ventures. WE are very keen to build a new corporate headquarters with gaming lounge, jacuzzi and health facility. We also have offered esteemed , (some may same glorious) members of the communist party a free pcbycp neck tie, (each comes with an inbuilt listening device and recording system) to ensure that they are kept up to date with the most current pcbycp musings, and a carte de visite, to most federal, state and local government representatives with their attendant banking details. In this way we hope to further streamline the planning process, to ensure that their funds, secured from state enterprises are safely invested in a sovereign state where the RULE OF LAW is respected.

So our dissapointment for being overlooked by second tier politicians who offer nothing much more than a crumpled tram ticket is bitterly dissapointing. We are disgusted that our entreaties to offer access to all politicians of any colour, and the offering of free accomodation for family members and travel vouchers have been eschewed and trumped by members of the Minerals Council, the Australian Business Council and Vice Chancellors from all the major universities. And disgusted that our plan to fast track resources, (Our Long March Investment portfolio) has been railroaded by the Murdoch press who’ve come up with their own shabby version, variously described as NBN.

The fact is, Dastyari and Robb haven’t gone far enough.

Robb looks after mates but doesn’t have “funny sounding name”, a sign of TRUE MATESHIP!

Thay are shirking their responsibilities to the party and by doing so inadvertently mocking the eternal presence of chairman Mao, who famoulsy saved China from the unelected kleptocracy to give it to his mates. In the spirit of mateship we beg the CCP to have another crack at PCBYCP.

We are loyal, and understand real politik. And unlike members of both parties, very happy to be upfront about where our donations come from. And, even further, once processed, where they go.

Gareth and Ali, Proving real-politik can be FUN

So let’s be honest about political donations, and understand one binding principle of Australian politics, money talks. And we agree wholeheartedly that dissidents, who don’t have much money get way too much say on stupid things like democracy and human rights. That’s the good thing about having Andrew Robb on board. A safe pair of hands he understands real-politik like Gareth did over the coprses of all those East Timorese.

And if we’re to be respected on the international stage, we are honour bound to do our own heavy lifting and ensure that political parties tow the line and do what’s best for those who don’t call Australia home. But have an intuitive understanding of Australian Tax Policy.

Drinking over the corpses of ” silly ” free thinking” East Timorese.

Dear reader, breathlessly we ask you to read this latest missive from our respected correspondent from the near north, Mr Lew Skannen, who asks the reason why?

The reason why ? Pratt Industries. 2 billion plus profit. Paid no tax. Big  donor to Liberal and labor parties. .

Following WW2 and the horrors of the Depression, Keynes and Roosevelt et al. set about ensuring that a repeat performance of the ’29 crash and the appalling poverty that followed would not happen again.

Exxon Mobil. Ditto

Adani. Ditto

As a consequence we, as war babies or thereabouts, our whole generation, grew up in that protective cocoon. Society cared about us and looked after our health and welfare.We felt we lived in a safe and caring society.Nowadays, in 2017 there is much less of this warmth about, particularly in Britain and the US. Instead of a feeling of warmth and caring there is undoubtedly now a feeling of alienation and betrayal.

Transurban. Ditto

There’s an interesting parallel in this between society and the family. We here at Sog.Bot.( Institute of Strategic Planning)  through fostering, spent years dealing with the fallout when a family disintegrates. Drugs, alcohol and simple neglect utterly deprive children of that warmth and love so essential to their early development. Irrational behaviour, neuroses, psychosis and all sorts of other horrors are plain to see in these kids and the truly terrible thing to observe is the fact that those kids, no matter how hard you try, will literally never get over that early trauma..Their personalities are so warped by this simple lack of compassion that they can’t even begin to grasp how society works. Society, however unfashionable it may be to admit it, is held together by warmth, compassion and love. In a violent, booze or drug-ridden family, where these qualities are not on offer, a neglected child must devote every second of its time to survival. The child sadly carries that survival instinct, that ‘me versus the world’ warped instinct, into adulthood.

Lowly politician turned lobbyist, practises salute for his country.

Our children,the children of our post-war generation grew up in a society that was being remade, Socialism became a dirty word, John Maynard Keynes safeguards were, we were told, entirely unsuited to today’s economics. Capitalism was king, From Edward Heath onwards, through Reagan, Thatcher, Clinton and Bush, all of Keynes’ protective measures were slowly stripped away.Obsessive greed, that most powerful drug, promptly betrayed the populace and bankrupted the nation. Young adults in the 80s and 90s, were left at first bewildered and then betrayed.

I talked about parallels earlier. In the dysfunctional family, neglected, unloved children behave oddly, irrationally and in extreme cases, psychotically. Extrapolating from that, it does not seem at all unreasonable to suggest that post- Keynes populations, feeling either neglected, uncared for, or indeed even abandoned by their governments, might behave precisely as the unloved child does. So, if the argument holds, then a whole generation of people, rendered psychologically incapable of making a rational decision, might begins to make wholly irrational decisions instead.

Inspirational leader, make benefit glorious Julie Bishop Foundation.

This form of unloved dementia has, I feel, produced the re-emergence of Fascism, mass bombings and shootings, given power to Breitbart and the so-called ‘alt right’, created Brexit and put a fascist in the White House. This is not the fault of the people. It is directly attributable to successive governments, seduced by the glamour of money, failing in their responsibility to those who have elected them. This is contemptible behaviour. of the most egregious kind.

Yet there is light. We’ve had forty years of laissez faire capitalism which has ended predictably in disaster. Yet there is Bernie Sanders in the US and Jeremy Corbin in England who are attracting thousands of young people with their ‘return to Keynes’ socialist ideas. Young people are demanding, ever more strongly, that government get back to the job of taking their responsibilities to their people seriously.

Andrew Robb, esteemed former Minister for Trade and Investment indicates depth of loyalty to the Australian body politic.

It is nearly ninety years since the ’29 Crash. That means that we may not have another ninety years before the next mega- disaster arrives. I don’t know about the rest of you but I am heartily sick of listening to ‘experts’ from the Chicago School of Economics, the Institute of Public Affairs, the Murdoch Press and a million other ill informed robber barons who know as much about economics as my arse knows about pocket billiards.These people do not care about us. Their only interest is profit. Yet these people, these carpetbaggers have the ear of governments and they will, if it helps, bring down that government in the name of profit. It is time for a government with courage enough to sling these leeches out when next they roll up with their larceny plans disguised as economic policy.

I look forward to that day with unalloyed pleasure.
Hallellujah, brother! Let it be!

Without apology we repost this gem from Lionel Fogarty

SAINTS ARE HOMELESS

The poor not homeless cause they have souls richest.
Fortune are homeless, tunes are homeless,
Homeless be the resistances
Homing babies don’t cry
Homeless be the rich of explores
Renting and owners be a homeless
Souls of cold are homeless
Soulful houses are hot with that foods want by the homeless.
Now prayers don’t work for homeless
A camp tent disappear, when a house no tiles to walk on.
Beds all lay sensible as inflict a strategy by all homeless survival.
Resistance are many homeless when they are exhibited.
Homage strange ungirth bring sad eyes handled by transgressor.
Love can not be a molesting,’ we got it better to live”
Home made invader on our homeless are tears not seen to comfort the living.
Home sweet homes must look at the big pictures.
Poor fairest bring all your morning happy when rhythms are lullaby as if the house is earth.
Home swear will not cover the hot cold seasons our homeless needs.
Religions are using the unhoused people for forgotten bush realization.
Pain comes passion at the men who needs a home to home his women’s.
Society eternity seems to want a keep homeless at bay at no stay.
Gifts are given, yet the homeless can’t pay rent or play ownership no more at doors gates close, a whole history roofs side walls seems fallen by the homeless callings.
My people housed know they not full housed cause our people’s live air think even eat as homeless.
Land taken made us homeless.
The trees roots are arms of our brothers and sisters homeless.
They say why don’t them get it together.
Well knock pale the rising sun light on homeless.
We’ll find music is beat best in homeless songs.
Always not be homeless for the crowed will intake,
Swift perfect lives make no homeless we run through years of rain in the sun shining.
Their feeling are not homeless when not housed don’t mean they lost.
Homes many are lonely than the homeless song on songs.
Let the peace be the piss over fires that don’t warm the homeless kinds.
The gold’s are the homeless
The futures are all homeless
Just don’t be up you one’s of a housed care.
Don’t cares are right wing bad bodies mouths.
We pity the stay on owners who will not house the homeless.
Most homeless have peaces unity and loves over money wearing sparkling.
Most homeless do soul the soulless even smart talk the politic of it all.
Most homeless are friends without friends.
We must not feel sadden for the homeless are a real worlds.

LIONEL G FOGARTY 2013 2 JULY TUESDAY TIME 8.30 MERTON VIC

Vison Splendid

Hola amigos,

Eduardo Galeano’s ‘Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World’ (in Spanish ‘Patas Arriba: la Escuela del Mundo al Revés’) was the source of last Dispatch’s favourite graffiti. Here’s another: “Cuando teniamos todas las respuestas, nos cambiaron las preguntas” (When we had all the answers, they changed the questions)

Makes me think of the Uluru Statement.

A song worth repeating- He’s been up all night Moving the goalposts- Billy Bragg….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdTrLQcqb4

At the beginning of Carol Travis and Elliot Aronson’s book ‘Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)- Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts’, Henry Kissinger is quoted responding to charges that he committed war crimes in his role in the United States’ actions in Vietnam, Cambodia and South America in the 1970’s:

“Mistakes were quite possibly made by the administrations in which I served”

It is indeed un mundo al revés… in which we live, in 1973 Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Louis armstrong give peace a chance 1969…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm_F0i176d8 (I know… have used this before… but hey! You don’t have to listen….)

After reading this book I vowed to own up to my mistakes and to try and refrain from seeking self justification. I fucked up…. Full stop.

In 1928 Henry Ford tried to convert a large chunk of Amazonian tropical rain forest into a rubber plantation. Henry Ford had a vision splendid. Fordlândia, as it became known was a dream which turned into a nightmare.

Four decades later, a custom-built pulp factory was towed from Japan around Cape Horn and up the Amazon at a cost of millions of dollars. Daniel K. Ludwig’s dream to convert a large chunk of Amazonian tropical forest into paper turned into a nightmare.

I’ll See You In My Dreams ( Django Reinhardt)…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNRHHRjep3E

Quite clearly Henry Ford and Daniel K. Ludwig never read Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’, and if they have, didn’t understand it, nor care.

One of the earlier jobs I was sent to as a geologist, was to supervise a drilling programme in the Fitzroy Trough of the Canning Basin. A company owned by Daniel K. Ludwig was searching for coal. DKL companies controlled an iron ore deposit at Nimingarra near Newman and manganese deposits at Woodie Woodie near Nullagine. The aim was to find an energy source (this pre-dated the discovery of the offshore North West Shelf gas fields) to produce lump iron ore with a high manganese content. Daniel K. Ludwig aimed at shipping this niche product to Europe. We all thought DKW was mad. No one shipped iron ore all the way to Europe.

The largest privately owned fleet of bulk carriers in the world belonged to DKL.

Six years later on our return from Canada whilst visiting a gold mine in Northern Ontario, I met another young geologist who had also worked for a DKL company- doing what? Looking for phosphates in Morocco.

Australian agriculture consumes huge quantities of phosphate fertilizer. The British Phosphate Commission mines on Christmas Is., Nauru and Ocean Is. were being exhausted. Australian phosphate exploration had not yet been successful.

Just picture the scene:

In North West Australia:

A coal mine running at a loss- paying no taxes

An iron ore mine running at a loss- paying no taxes

A manganese mining operation running at a loss- paying no taxes

An industrial operation producing manganese rich lump iron ore at a loss- paying no taxes

Panamanian and Liberian registered bulk carriers fully loaded to Europe, generating tax free profits.

A Moroccan phosphate mine running at a loss- paying no taxes

And the cream on top! Fully loaded bulk carriers back-loading phosphate to Australia, generating yet more tax free profits.

Incidentally DKL had negotiated tax free status (in exchange for 9% of profits) for his Brazilian venture.

So who said DKL was mad? He had a vision splendid.

If DKL were alive today (he died in 1992) it is likely he’d be heavily involved in palm oil production and transportation (converting inter alia, tropical rainforests into palm plantations ).

In Australia he’d be a top contender to finance Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in exchange for getting to carry the products of the world’s largest coal mine (run at a loss and paying no taxes).

Laundries and Textiles are the world’s largest industries. They operate out of places like Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Seychelles, Cayman Islands, Panama, and not surprising Bermuda, Guernsey and Jersey. Their main product? Emperor’s clothes, successfully marketed under such labels as “Free Trade”, “Level Playing Field”, “Jobs and Growth” “Trickle Down”, “Closing the Gap” and “Democracy”.

So what has all this to do with Yuendumu?

Companies mining on Aboriginal Land in Central Australia came under pressure from the Land Council to comply with local participation clauses in the agreements they had entered into to obtain access to the land. Then Director of the Central Land Council, Tracker Tilmouth had insisted that as local Indigenous employment efforts had failed dismally, participation in the form of equity should be tried. (Last month Alexis Wright’s book ‘Tracker Tilmouth: the Vision Splendid’ was published, I have yet to read it, but have no doubt that it is a splendid read).

In 2002 Yuendumu Mining Company (YMC) entered into a Joint Venture agreement with a major mining contractor. In return for acting as a local recruiting agency we got 5% equity in a 3-year $40M open cut contract. Assuming not unreasonable profits of 10%, we should have received 5% of $4M i.e. $200,000. What we did receive was $2K.

One of the clauses in the agreement was that the contractor was to retain 5.4% to cover overheads (administration, legal costs etc.). This seemed perfectly reasonable. I’d worked for companies where 10-15% overhead (management) fees were considered fair and normal. So you can imagine our surprise when the contract consistently and coincidentally generated surpluses of 5.3% regardless of production rates. We got 5% of nothing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zOjRlVpAOQ ……Dire Straits, Money for Nothing…

Thus one of the biggest mistakes I made as the manager of YMC, was to fail to learn from my experiences, and from jokes. I fucked up….full stop!

You know the joke: “Accountant! What is our profit?”… “What would you like it to be?”

Shalom,

Frank

This years Christmas shall be very exciting. We at pcbycp are not into celebrating a monotheistic cultural ritual with ancient spiritual significance. We eschew such orthodoxies. We also eschew any other attempt to bowdlerise the tradition with the saccharine and emotionally hollowing “Happy Holidays”. No indeed, not, this is not for us. We are celebrating Christmas as only clean living Australians can do, and that is by hot footing it to Coles, Woolies and Aldi for some of the fantastic pre Christmas bargains that will (doubtless!!) make this Christrmas truly worth remembering,

Did you know that Coles Christmas Ham is on special? An incredible 50% off over the chrissy period, and mince pies in one dozen packs are on special for two for the price of one. And just as you’re reeling, the knockdown price on Christmas Pudding is $5.99 for the Big Sister self saucing and a fantastic offer, with Plumrose Christmas Pudding coming in at a staggering 4.95, and the incredible price of two for $8.00.

Not to be outdone, Woolies is offefing Christmas Hams, (real ham) at $6.90 per kilo, and an unbelievable 50% off all Christmas items until December 15th. There is a huge special on litre bottles of Diet Coke at 1.50 each, and a special offering of $10.00 per dozen. But hurry! This limited offer runs out in on December 20th and there’s a limit on only two items per person.

Still it’s exceptional value and Christmas Crackers are on special at $2.95 per dozen. Can you believe that? A full dozen christmas crackers with authentically, (as approved by the Chinese Communist Party propoganda department) transcribed Christmas jokes. And there’s the up-market fancy christmas crackers at an incredible $9.95, for the box of two dozen and each purchase comes with a free 20 metre long string of Christmas lights. Door garlands in pink green and fluoro are a steal at $5.99, and antlers, santa hats, elves and Father Risdale gowns are all going out at a crazy 3.95 each.

At Kmart Games and christmas stockings are priced to sell. On top of the desirables list is the autographed, “Finding Father Risdale” Board game a steal at $25.95. And a free copy of the Archbishop Frank Little Bio, “I turned a blind eye” for $7.95, and an additional $12.95 for hardback. There’s specials on the “Burkes Backyard”, anatomical calendar, thrown out at a crazy $2.95, and each calendar comes with a freee Where’s (Don’s) Willy poster. Hours of fun and laughter for the whole family as we enjoy the Chrtistmas spirit and family fun.

And finally Aldi, is seling the complete “Banking Royal Commission findings”, (limited boxed editon) at $24.95, and on special for a ridiculous $19.95 the complete, Kevin Rudd, (all seventeen volumes) as landfill or insulation for households for $5.95. So it’s fun and laughter all round. LGBTI Christmas Trees at a ridiculous $12.95, turn them upside down and it’s an illuminated “No Vote”, with Corey Bernardii mascot. And once again, the message is; “Have a Merry Christmas and bugger humanity”! And, in between this tsunami of bargains, think of the eternal Christmas Message; “Consume for Christ”.

And savour this special day

Dear Reader, this is not the “Finding Father Risdale” Board Game.

Untul the Boxing Day Sales when the cash registers run riot!!!

PM Demonstrates leadership on BANKS!! And deploys “Serious Face” 2#

We at pcbycp are very glad about the Banks Royal Commmission. Primarily, (and this is the most important point), Because we need another Royal Commission.

Mr and Mrs Mumndad Investor. After the banks had diddled them, this was all they had left!!!

Royal Commission’s are what keep the legal industry going. Without Royal Commission’s, already obscenely highly paid sinecured, ex judges, magistrates and legal hacks would be struggling to keep up the payments on their third or fourth beach property. This is why the banks asked the government to have a Royal Commission. Retired Q.C’s and former Magistrates are just not getting paid enough. And it’s plain to see this restriction of “rivers of gold” is having a trickle down effect upon the economy. These banks are just struggling on what they’re earning now. And since the practise of sending ordinary mums and dads broke with dodgy life insurance and investment schemes has been stilled, (some of them actually topped themselves), there’s still a bit of fat to be gained by priming the legally led economy.

Af that’s the problem. There’s no fat left in the mum and dad investors, they’re all hocked to the eyeballs. They wanted it, and the banks gave em the lot, including the kitchen sinks. And now they’re hurting. They’ll hurt more if interest rates rise, so there’s only one thing the public clamour for; Blame the banks!

The foreign investors have run out of puff also. That’s a double whammy. Until early this year the banks were creaming it, and no-one seemed to mind. But now, wages have stiffed, no one can afford a fourth investment property. And for young people, (under the age of forty) a house in the city is just a pipe- dream.

Typical villainous banker scheming funds from Mum and Dad Investors.

Timely then, to have a Royal Commission and take a good long hard look at the banks, the chicanery, the skullduggery, the foetid pool of high finance. And lift the lid on the snide, mendacious, obfuscation and bastardry of bank execs. And, the banks are imploring the government to do so. Yes indeed we need to look into all of this with a fine tooth comb, and give the public what they want. Yes indeed Its the high water mark for the banks. And they better know once and for all that this is the bitter end.

Not for them, but for the union movement. Those union industry superfunds are well run, they return good profit to ordinary workers. That’s a bloody good reason to close em down. Those workers could be more efficiently fleeced by the big four banks, and Malcolm  was incidentally, (in case you didn’t know) a former banker. Great news for investors, great news for the banking industry and great news for the shareholders of Banks.

Reformed scheming banker. Turned to christianity. And a righteous path in the Liberal Party Kew Branch.

Malcolm, by holding a Royal Commission is demonstrating leadership. Decisive leadership. Though the Royal Commissions terms of reference are more knobbled than a New South Wales greyhound, we know that it’ll be fun and wildly entertaining. The duration of the Commission, (less than twelve months) will ensure that we’ all get a laugh and we know that the findings, at the end of it all, wont be the dead mum and dad investors, the ripped off wasteland of broken mariages and crippled enterprises riven by shonky spiv banking execs, but the union movement, or some other sacrificial self parodying scape-goat.

Good on ya Malcolm . Can we have another Royal Commission soon?

Howsabout the nationality and citizen debacle. Could we put that one up to the Queen for approval?

Is she a citizen?

Anyone for Tennis?

Hola,

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, or so I was told when “doing” high school geometry.

The people in power have at their beck and call, research departments, advisors, experts, PR people etc.

Us at the Front Line do not have such advice, let alone the power. We are at a tremendous disadvantage.

Some of you may be aware of the grave injustice Australia perpetrated on Timor-Leste when negotiating the boundaries that defined the respective shares of the Greater Sunrise Gas Field.

The Green’s Bob Brown was a lone voice in raising objections to Australia’s ungenerous greedy policies in relation to hydrocarbons in the Timor Gap.

Much more recently, Australia was revealed to have bugged East Timor’s Cabinet Deliberations on the negotiations. As if the Goliath and David relationship between the two nations wasn’t enough, Australia the land of the “Fair Go” resorted to dirty tricks. Goliath had been sprung and was forced to eat humble pie and offer a greater share of the pie.

ABC News 3^rd September:
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague today announced the parties reached an agreement on Wednesday over the disputed territory, which contains large oil and gas deposits worth an estimated $40 billion.

As I mentioned above I don’t have expert advice at my fingertips. The following therefore has a fair deal of deductions and assumptions. I’ll gladly stand corrected if it isn’t 100% accurate.

A gas pipeline is proposed to link the North South pipeline which joins the Mereenie and Palm Valley gas fields to power generators in Darwin with power generators at Newmont’s Tanami Gold Mining Operations. The Amadeus Basin to Darwin pipeline crosses the Tanami Road around 20Km East of Napperby Creek (where Tilmouth Well Roadhouse has been built).

Newmont’s Mine at Callie near the Granites as a result of deep drilling is now believed to have a 20 year mine life in contrast to the 4 year mine life it has been operating under. “Mine life” is based on proven reserves and projected production rates which in turn are based on maximum return on investment projections.

The gas contracts with the Power and Water Authority will or already have expired as Darwin switches to gas from Impex’s huge off-shore Ichthys field.

Put simply, gas at half the cost of the diesel used by Newmont’s Tanami operations would yield far greater gas sales to the owner of the Amadeus Basin gas fields than selling no gas at all. Such is known as a win-win situation. Of course there are many other factors involved not least the cost and profitability of the pipeline.

The pipeline construction, operation and ownership is a third “business” which would join in the price negotiations. All three parties would bring experts to the table and after fierce negotiations come up with contracts which will be a win-win-win scenario.

So far so good- except sky-hooks have not yet been invented and a pipeline runs on land (or the sea floor). It just happens to be Aboriginal land. One would think a wonderful opportunity to inject some real wealth into Remote Aboriginal Australia, to enable it to be involved in defining and “Closing the Gap”. But neo-liberal capitalism doesn’t function that way. Just look at the Timor Gap.

The pipeline is proposed to run along the Tanami Road. Is this the shortest distance between the North South pipeline and power generation at the Newmont Mine?

Not by a long shot! How many millions would be saved by using the shortest route? Offering the Traditional Owners of the shortest route, say half the savings, in a perfect world would make sense. It would be a win-win-win-win situation!

Just as Australia missed the opportunity to be generous and do the right thing by the new nation of Timor-Leste, so are the proponents of the pipeline missing the opportunity to be generous and do the right thing by the unrecognised Warlpiri Nation. 

How so? you ask… The Tanami Road runs in the middle of an easement through Aboriginal Land which gives the Northern Territory Government control of access.

The people of the NT (black and white) can expect no more than peppercorn rent from access for the pipeline, and it will make no difference who is in power.

All the same the pipeline proponents are going through the motions of obtaining “consent”. So far in Yuendumu we’ve had two meetings organized by the Central Land Council. The CLC, bearers of the poison chalice.

Both meetings, I’m told, descended into noisy chaos as those attending competed for the expected bounty. I suspect the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is nothing but a pipedream.

A Notice headed “Decision Meeting for the Proposed Tanami Gas Pipeline Agreement” contained the following:

“… The CLC  held an information meeting in Yuendumu on 26 September 2017 and traditional owners told the CLC to continue talking with the company about the project. The CLC wants to present information on the discussions with the company and take instructions from traditional owners on the terms and conditions negotiated with the company.

Make of that what you will. To me it reeks of a fait accompli.

I repeat a song from the other side of the world …. Calexico’s Across the Wire….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkryXbJ14dE

…. Those with so much, No show of heart …

Neo-liberal capitalism is not distinguished by its generosity nor desire to “do the right thing”. It has no show of heart.

Chau,
Frank

PS- Have I told you what is my favourite graffiti? From a book by my favourite Latin American writer- Eduardo Galeano-:

“Basta de hechos, Queremos promesas” (Enough of deeds, we want promises!)

ANOTHER POST SCRIPT

Gremlins disappeared the highlighted bit. (re-highlit above, in red by the postmaster)

I think most if not all of you were able to read between the lines….such being a pre-requisite skill when deriving the most from these Dispatches.

I offer further clarification:

Yuendumu is 290Km north-west of Alice Springs

Napperby creek crosses the Tanami Road 100Km south east of Yuendumu. The north-south pipeline crosses the Tanami Road on the Alice Springs side of Napperby Creek.

The Tanami Road is on Anmatjere land from the pipeline to app. 10Km east of Yuendumu. Thereafter it is on Warlpiri land all the way to Newmont’s Gold Mine and beyond.

The shortest distance new pipeline I think would be mostly if not all on Warlpiri land.   

The Granites is 260Km north-west from Yuendumu. The Callie mine is 35Km west of the Granites.

Between the Granites and the West Australian border there is a lot of Gold exploration happening by several companies.

If successful, these companies would most likely negotiate access to this supply of gas. There would be big winners. The “natives” will again be little winners.

As a Canadian drilling supervisor on an oil drilling rig I worked on used to say “Better’n a smack in tha moosh with a cold mackerel”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8XeDvKqI4E

Chau again,
Frank

Endangered in the inner North.

The Northcote by-election statistics are stunning, and perhaps worth a detailed look. Afghan hound ownership increased by 15 % over the past five years, pushing out those who own Labradors, Aussie Terriers and Jack Russell’s by a further 25 basis points. Those who own more than two dogs rose considerably with Chihuahas, Toy poodles and Shitsu’s showing substantial gains in inner city high rises which coincides with a drop-off in ownership of Tabby’s and ginger domestic cats. Of further interest, the ownership of budgies in cages, and cockies has also shown steep decline in the Northcote, Fairfield and Brunswick west areas, and seems to be confined solely to the fringe of older Housing Commission flats fronting the Merri Creek boundary.

People with an affiliction for religon has declined across the entire electorate, whilst those who perceive to have a belief system other than god has risen markedly. Druids, practitioners of other cults, Steinerism, Montesorri – ism and Pilates have skyrocketed, with nodes of intense activity along the High Street and Plenty Road Corridors.

Pilates, the “Power of One” triumphs over Team Sports.

Similarly fitness establishments and wholistic food and wellbeing centres have also burgeoned, with latest figures showing a complete vanquishment of the corner milkbar and smaller mixed business. At current predictions, fish and chip shops will cease to exist. And meat pies will only be obtainable on special consignment with medical certification. Only pilates and mediation yoga will endure along the shopping strips, and all other day to day household items will have to be transported via Uber, Amazon and what’s left of Coles and the Woollworth’s Franchise.

Ancient customs will slowly die out.

Engagingly whlst home ownership is unnafordable within the electorate, and the rate of long term renters is up, the established and documented incidence of Yak, Orangutan or Nepalese fighting poodle adoptions is on the rise, with sponsorships at record levels. Support for asylum seekers has gone through the roof whilst dual or single occupancy of single dwellings is peaking at stratospheric levels. Bicycle ownership has increased along with installation of Rooftop solar and the ratio of one Vespa per person per household. Traditional local pubs have closed down. Barrista employment opportunities are off the scale. With an accordant dimunition in the participation on traditional methods of socialising. The decline of Cricket, footy and community sports group participation have been offset by wholistic well-being, pilates, yoga and U3a participation in acordance with record sales of self- help literature and mindfullness guides. Whilst incidental sales of Subaru Foresters and Porsche Touareg’s continue to climb.

Labor protects sinecures for lacklustre pollies who don’t know how many houses they own.

Surprisingly the Labor Party has not changed its policy of putting party hacks and cronies into the pre selection, and believe same ol same ol principles of second rate rusted on “yes men and women” a long term sensible aprroach of doing nothing and hope the public are ignorant enough to think that ‘same ol’ is an important political strategy. Whilst the Liberals don’t even bother fielding a candidate. And the word for the future, ‘barrista’. A barrista led recovery is imminent and all the indicies are “ Up”.

Which is exceptionally good news for housing prices. With all that greenism and the knowledge that Malcolm ‘Climate-denyer’ Roberts has been put to the electoral sword, house prices can only go up. Not good for the losers, those who must rent for all eternity, but by not owning a house they too can prove their green credentials by not owning a car, and giving up their car space for those of us who have a third car, a hybrid, which must be kept out of the sun. Or the paint will fade.