SOS is not in the business of relaying anonymous mail, but this particular response was posted on the SOS, We Are Angry Blogg site as a response to the Wollemi Pine Special Edition story emailed on Sunday and as such, we feel that we must allow all our readers to see such a response and allow Minister Debus to respond publicly to refute this forthwith

We copy the response here as posted with a couple of slight spelling errors,but in no way has the content been altered

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In the mid 1990's I was studying the evolution, distribution and diversity of Australia's Araucaria (Wollemi Pine is a member ). I was specifically studying these magnificent tree species using DNA technologies. The purpose of the study was to identify regions of natural diversity to incorporate into forestry breeding programs and conserve our nation's heritage.

When the Wollemi Pine was first discovered it was kept a great secret. In the time just after it was discovered, I was approached by the people I now know to be accredited with the discovery of the Wollemi. They specifically asked me about the techniques that I had developed to work with the other ancient Araucaria species and talked excitedly about using these techniques on a species of "Banksia" they were interested in. Of course I was happy to help? Imagine my disappointment to discover they were acquiring my expert technologies to extract DNA from the Wollemi pine and send it over seas to other laboratories in the UK and USA for study. As soon as I heard about this ridiculous situation I immediately asked for a DNA sample to include in my own work and my request was in the first few instances refused. Surely an Australian scientist studying an Australian species should have been a first
priority? It astounds me even today that the expertise to study these Australian treasurers was right here in Australia, but they would rather send samples over seas. Now there are specimens for sale, history is repeating itself! Australian Natural Heritage should be first and foremost for the Australian people

These people are a bloody disgrace ! !

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Now as previously stated we at this point have no way of proving, or disproving the authenticity of this story - hence are obliged to advise our readers to keep mindful of this in their liberations of this issue Having said that, the actions of Mr Debus and his minion's leaves SOS leaning 95% for the anonymous writer as opposed to 5% for the Debus cabal.

Interesting is that who ever wrote to our SOS Blogg site must be well aware that those who stole their science will identify the writer and therefore the anonymity leaves us in a little quandary.

Mr Debus has to answer to these allegations and if they are true, he is now in the invidious position of having to spin his way out of his department's selling out another Australian first.

When SOS reported the blatant illegal sell off of Aboriginal and Australian Heritage without so much as a by your leave request of the public and interested parties, we never considered just how Mafioso our state governments have become. If this story is true, Mr Iemma has to fire both Minister Debus and NPWS Director Tony Fleming and if this is the truth and Premier Iemma does not do this, the battle lines are drawn for his government, for a man that will sell out his country can no longer be considered an Australian.

I would encourage the writer, please contact me via this anonymous email service as this would seem to be just a beginning.

Editor

Let me tell you about the toxic waste dump saga of the Bracks government
that goes back a couple of years to a small community town Baddaginni near
Violet Town situated on the water table that runs under the Goulburn Valley
area of Victoria renowned for quality fruit growing.

What was not predicted by one Peter Batchelor MP (puppet to the masters),
nor his fearless leader was the organisation and public solidarity that met
their little plan to dump toxic Melbourne in their rural cousins' back yard.
Within a matter of weeks the stammering and bullshit projected from the
halls of power ceased and those plans were scraped. The farmers in the
Valley need not look forward to oranges glowing at night from dangerous
toxins leaching into the water table proposed by this mentally challenged
government of Victoria.

Hurting from that common sense backlash, Premier Bracks, who does not shine
to constructive criticism, moves his attack forces.

So where do you think this is? Mildura !

The new target for toxic is yet another fruit growing region of
international renown providing massive markets for Victoria. So with this
"Fruit Fetish" set in place - his well worn fascist hat squarely on his
head - and ready to arm his flunkies with laws under his "legislate to
dictate" to get toxins into Mildura.

Now instead of glowing canned fruit that was extinguished by people power,
we can all look forward to a toxic light show emanating from the wine
cellars.

Could we see labels on export wine stating "Another Glowing Product of
Victoria"

If you think we are leading you up the path, then read this article from the
Melbourne Age Newspaper.

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By Jason Dowling - Melbourne AGE

State Politics

October 23, 2005

ONE of three independents who delivered Steve Bracks the premiership has
called the Government "miserable bastards" and accused Mr Bracks of
betraying him.

Russell Savage, the independent member for Mildura, is furious at the State
Government for pressing ahead with plans to build a toxic waste dump at
Nowingi, 50 kilometres south of Mildura.

He has vowed to openly campaign against the Government as the 2006 state
election looms.

Mr Savage said he had written to every Labor Party member in State
Parliament, and had a meeting with the Premier on Tuesday to try to convince
the Government to abandon the idea.

But he was turned down, and felt betrayed by the Premier.

"I put my trust in Steve Bracks, and that was the primary reason why I
supported them - I couldn't trust Jeff, but I trusted Steve," he said
yesterday in a reference also to former premier Jeff Kennett. "But these
miserable bastards can't do one little thing that is having a grave impact
on this electorate.

"Now I am going to actively go out there saying you cannot trust this
Government, you cannot trust this Premier."

Craig Ingram, the independent member for Gippsland East and another of the
three independents who delivered Mr Bracks government in the 1999 state
election, said he understood Mr Savage's anger.

"He was left with no alternative," he said. "They have sold him out, they
have thrown him to the wolves."

He said Mr Savage had campaigned for the return of the passenger rail
service to Mildura, which the Government had not delivered.

Instead, it had handed a toxic waste dump to Mildura.

But both independents said that if they had their time again, they would
still vote against Jeff Kennett.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~8~8~

So after subscriber and SOS investigators in Victoria searching for a
solution to this toxic problem, the following suggestion have been presented
using the IQ and logic from the bench mark of government.

a.. Underground tanks installed in bunkers that are close to Melbourne by
road or sea access while enjoying government security that already exists
for Mr Bracks. The place is suburban Williamstown the center of the Bracks
electorate.
a.. The Mornington Penisular buried in the forest.

But should we suggest a desert resting place like the Malley I guess that
would be out of the question for there are no fruit trees

How much has the Wollemi Pine cost to bring to prolific propagation as it appears has been done?

Are the new sciences involved in the propagation of this pine now legally protected?

What are the contract details in relation to the private firm/s involved with this propagation and intended marketing?

What clarity will be available to the public once retailing begins on royalties received, dispersed and spent?

With the possible pharmaceutical benefits from this pine species yet to be fully realised, what has been done about protecting such possible future discoveries, for and on behalf of the Australian People?

Will the Australian public be given absolute first preference to purchase all available stock for sale before any international buyers are even remotely considered?

Will the NPWS be directed to replant this tree in many areas of our National Parks for natural propagation purposes without using it as a tool to lock up vast tracks of land as they are want to do?

Mal Davies

Editor

Save Our Snowy News

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Mountain cattlemen to step up the fight for access to the Alpine National
Park

The mountain cattlemen have decided to strengthen and broaden their fight to
regain access for cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park
The President of the Mountain Cattlemen's Association of Victoria, Doug
Treasure said this following a meeting of mountain cattlemen at Mt Hotham on
Monday 17 October.

"We are too proud of our heritage to let it slip through our fingers. Our
supporters are urging us to continue the fight and they are committing
themselves to assisting in the campaign.

"We offered some compromise through the Federal Government's three state
alpine park plan but this has been rejected by the State Government. This
means any compromise is off the table and we will be going all out to regain
access to all licence areas in the Alpine National Park.

"The Federal Government did everything it could to help us, but in the end
the State Government reconfirmed its intention of destroying us."

"The Government claims that cattle can still graze on State Forest licenses
surrounding the Alpine National Park and we will be doing all we can to make
the most of these areas. The real difficulty will be trying to keep cattle
out of the Alpine National Park when the only boundary is an imaginary line
on the ground. In some cases it is just an unfenced road.

We will try to make this work but we think that relatively few cattle will
be on State Forest licenses.

"Our culture and heritage of alpine grazing is all but gone" Mr Treasure
explained. "The Mountain Cattlemen's Association believes that our heritage
is important to Australia, and want to ensure that the Man from Snowy River
legend is not snuffed out. Like any group, union or conservation
organisation in the community our cattlemen members will protest
individually and as an organisation at our treatment," Mr Treasure said.

"We gain immense resolve from the evidence around the world of domestic
animals grazing public land and high country in particular. Supporters are
providing us with evidence of cattle being returned to public land after a
period of exclusion.

We have strong support in the community. We are supported by the Australian
Government and the Victorian Liberal and National parties. The people who
oppose us are clearly in the minority. We derive great strength from the
breadth and depth of our support and feel that we would be betraying a trust
if we capitulated.

"Major protests are being planned, all with the single aim of regaining
access to the Alpine National Park. These events will involve a lot of
people, not just cattlemen. Many public land user groups are now very
worried that they will be next to go," Mr Treasure said.

"The official policy of the Association is that grazing should continue in
the Alpine National Park and we intend to fight for that outcome," Mr
Treasure concluded.

Contact for Doug Treasure 0427 456 353

October 18, 2005 The Daily Telegraph
==============================

SHOWING once again he is not the best man to have on your side in a
firestorm, ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, on whose watch Canberra burnt
two summers ago, has abandoned all ethical and security considerations in an
attempt to undermine the Federal Government's proposed anti-terrorism
legislation.

Having agreed with all other state and territory leaders to respect the
confidentiality of the draft anti-terrorism bill while it was under
discussion, Mr Stanhope, displaying all the maturity of a
wet-behind-the-ears student activist, promptly published the content on his
Toy Town government's website, and, in so doing made himself out to be some
sort of hero with the immature Left.

Responsible government requires responsible leadership - even more so with
the world locked in combat against the most lethal forms of terrorism.

But not from the knee-jerk populist Mr Stanhope. The lessons taught by New
York, Bali, Jakarta, Madrid and London have escaped the notice of this
former Beazley political staffer.

If security matters cannot be discussed in confidentiality, there is little
chance of ever meeting the terrorist threat. Mr Stanhope, has, of course, a
dismal record when it comes to protecting the malcontented public servants
in his fiefdom.

When bushfires threatened the ACT in January, 2003, his administration
rejected the concerned inquiries made by the NSW fire authorities and the
subsequent firestorm that swept through Canberra's suburbs destroyed more
than 500 houses, killed four people and left others with serious burns.

Scandalously, this self-proclaimed man-of-the-people then attempted to shut
down the coronial inquiry just as it began to raise questions which went to
the heart of his administration's failed decision-making process.

When later challenged about the ACT Government's failure to recognise the
gravity of the bushfire threat, he said famously: "I'm not a firefighter; I
don't have that experience."

No, indeed. Nor is there any evidence that he is an expert on terrorism but
he did say after being briefed by the heads of the security apparatus on the
new anti-terror laws: "Faced with blunt advice from the head of ASIO, from
the head of the Office of National Assessments and from the head of the
Australian Federal Police that we do indeed face grave circumstances in
Australia, it really isn't possible for any head of government to turn away
and to take some other advice or to make some personal judgment on how
serious the situation is. The situation is serious."

The meeting with the security chiefs, he said, "provided, I believe, a
strong justification for a range of new laws".

That was last month. Three weeks later, the populist politician has changed
his tune dramatically, telling a meeting of Muslim leaders in Canberra last
Friday: "Today I invite Canberra's Muslims to see for themselves the draft
legislation the Prime Minister has presented to the states and territories
for their consideration.

"I do not wish to deceive you. The laws to which I have agreed are
unpalatable laws. They are laws I never anticipated I would be called upon
to consider.

"I believe it is wrong and counterproductive for us to keep insisting that
this behaviour has no causal links to our invasion of Iraq. I also believe
that the anxiety and dislocation felt by Muslims can no longer be seen in
isolation from the West's behaviour in relation to Palestine."

Where Mr Stanhope's newfound knowledge of terrorism comes from is a mystery.

Perhaps he is being briefed by Michael Costello, who also worked on Mr
Beazley's staff and is now the $400,000-a-year head of the ACT's water and
electricity utility.

Fanatical Islamist terrorists began targeting infidels or poor observers of
the tenets of Islam long before the Iraqi conflict and without any reference
to Middle Eastern political structure.

Previously, Mr Stanhope restrained his half-baked political activism to
providing support for a juvenile staffer who stealthily crept around
Canberra shopping areas in the dead of night creating stultifyingly stupid
graffiti. Now he has brought his naive approach to bear on more serious
affairs.

The contrast between the stupefying response of this arch poseur to the
current global crisis and that of the 10 million or so brave Iraqis who
defied suicidal murderers to register their acceptance of Iraq's new
constitution last weekend is absolutely breathtaking.

Their enthusiasm in the face of dreadful threats matched that of the
millions of Africans a decade ago who queued for hours to vote for freedom
from apartheid in South Africa after years of oppression.

Like the South Africans, Iraqis believe they can stand up to those who want
to steal the keys of liberty and democracy.

How, given his absurd utterances, would Mr Stanhope and his fellow
doomsayers expect Australia to respond to the threat of international
terrorism against those he represents? With the same facile response he
mustered before the bushfires two years ago or with more steel?

His unprincipled abrogation of his agreement to participate in confidential
talks on a series of unexceptional proposals to deal with terrorism
certainly does not inspire confidence in his understanding of the gravity of
the situation the world now faces.

Nor do his views on Iraq and the Middle East indicate anything beyond arrant
populism.

He has committed a serious breach of trust and it would be perfectly
understandable should colleagues in the state and federal governments
exclude him from future confidential talks and briefings.

Letter to the Editor Please:

As an internationally entrenched byword, The Lucky Country is misunderstood
and therefore it misleads. His September obituaries suggest that
comparatively few people knew and even fewer really understood what it was,
that Donald Horne had actually written, nor why.

In ignorance, the handy cliché, taken at face value, implicitly promoted the
Midas Myth; and foolishly, in misinterpreting the words, we've missed Horne'
s message that "luck" as he saw it, was liable to perish in the hands of "a
well-educated population with too many PhDs".

Today, that "educated population" defensively uses [or is it more, that it
abuses and misuses authority] from its departmental power and position to
justify this spate of wanton destruction wrought mainly, through an
administrative contempt for the mandatory system of Due Process.

While Horne's 1964 harsh criticism of national complacency was lost in the
précis; it is rather, as we see it, in revealing the full text of his shrewd
observation of us, "being a lucky country run mainly by second rate citizens
who share its luck", that perhaps we've arrived ---- because an adage [in
the Constitution] says it all, "the building not tied to a firm foundation,
soon crumbles".

Elsewhere: Justice Michael Kirby has similarly defended the common, moral,
ethical and established doctrines for any property or personal right. He
explained that in a constitutional democracy there are fundamental
"untouchables" which can never be destroyed; yet a decade after 10th August
1995, in the greatest act of freehold planning and development treachery
[post 1788], we still live with the imposed, destructive public service, [or
is it] public-disservice-infallibility of an evil, alien culture, in a
perpetuating landuse repugnancy, foreign to any nations' sense of decency,
integrity, justice or fair-play.

Today, irreconcilable, inconsistent, primary landuse regulatory rules are
made and administered by 1econd-rate citizens who've unlawfully developed
whole of government interests, where the authoritative persons, buck-pass
these festering functions with practiced ease, to parasitically leach
economic-growth whilst getting a free ride on the back of the "nation's
earthly prosperity".

Any Landowner with Deed of Possession [whether Rural or Urban
Residential-Commercial] can only ever lose an existing development use-right
through ignoring Horne's message of complacency; and in accepting his
"byword" while not comprehending the qualification of his misread illusion.

Truth is: no singular Crown Registered "parcel" [in any constitutional
democracy] can ever be severed from its centuries old fee simple principle,
without a supporting referendum of the people.

The bullying environmental insistence [across all States] for the publicly
contrived severance of Vegetation and now Water from fee simple LAND [see
also COAG's National Water Initiative] is nothing more than second rate
deceit. Read your Crown Registered Deed of Agreement. TRUST it.

Finally: if one can set aside prejudice; bias and preconception; Mark Latham
reveals the obvious corruption [warts and all] of the entrenched deceit we
all know exists, in a far more honest and more brutal way than any
second-rate citizen will be likely to either admit or accept.

Though like a good deed shining in a naughty world, we [the people] will
have learned nothing if, near November 11th we leave it another 41 years to
learn just how vulnerable to social and democratic collapse, the "Lucky
Country is, in the hands of mainly second-rate citizens".

June Weston. JINDABYNE 2627

For the Constitutional Property Rights Association.

16-10-05

Ph: (02)645 62356

It's on again Victorian Liberals are rallying behind the High Country
Cattlemen showing that façade of solidarity we saw when they crossed the
floor to vote with the Bracks government to set in place the removal of
rural livelihoods and create another National Park in the Otway's that they
will not be able to service like the rest they are destroying.

Receiving only one contact from the Liberals after asking them to explain to
SOS readers why they voted FOR when the Nationals stayed faithful to the
rural community with a NO VOTE. Philip Davis MP did send me emails with
concern as to my spelling of his colleagues names along with other pathetic
spin. Visit http://www.essentialsecurity.com.au/attachments/davis.htm to
read this very sad saga, could be worth the trip to make an informed
decision or two.

It is so difficult to remain non-political at SOS when 90% of the reason we
are here is to help the people of the Snowy and Rural Australia. Most
subscriber stories along with our articles stem from these individuals who
have only political aspirations, pensions and self preservation as their
total goal in life.

The more we dig into the way Rural Australia is being treated by all
governments the sleazier it is becoming. Fear tactics, land grabbing,
clandestine deals and agendas show the truly greedy are hell bent on
annihilating the truly needy at any cost to the Australian public.

Mr Politician, Mr Bureaucrat, Bankers and Big Business - consider these two
stories.

1. "Once upon a time there were two journalists who worked for a major
newspaper in the USA. With help from their contact "Deep Throat" they
removed a president - the most powerful man in the world who thought he was
invincible".

2. "Once upon a time there was a growing uncontrolled people's internet news
service with many subscribers, volunteer investigators, and a network of
people expertise. With help from several "Deep Throat's" and a pissed off
public. well there is no ending JUST YET".

For those aspiring to stem the flow to or from SOS, we have set in place a
most sophisticated information backups off shore network - utilises
encryption yet to be cracked by the big CRAY computers used in the USA plus
a state of the art Attack Register so that we can keep in touch if you feel
lonely.

Editor

Souther Riverian News

By Christine Taylor

October 5 2005
THE camping rights protest scheduled for Pumps Beach is still going ahead
despite the threat of fines from the Rural Lands Protection Board for anyone
undertaking illegal activity on the reserve.

The protest, headed by local residents Jim Muirhead and Steve Thomas, will
begin at Pumps Beach, on the Lower Tocumwal Rd from 2pm this Saturday.

Mr Muirhead said the pair are staging the protest on behalf of locals and
tourists who have enjoyed the area and other areas to camp for many years
and are suddenly faced with the ban.

"This is definitely not going to be a riot and we are not having a go at the
RLPB or the shire, in fact we have personally invited them and other
dignitaries to attend.

"We are protesting for governing bodies, local departments, and local, state
and federal governments to take a look and reassess the ridiculous nature of
some of their laws," he said.

Mr Muirhead said the protest is about taking responsibility for your own
actions and that litigation has gone too far.

"We are basically protesting that we take responsibility for our own actions
and that laws banning such lifestyle activities as camping are ridiculous
and the onus should be on the person themselves and this needs to be
recognised.

"The RLPB have advised us, and we need to advise those attending, that
anyone caught breaking the law (such as camping after sunset) can be at risk
of a fine," he said.

Mr Muirhead said the issue is bigger than the fine.

"There are many of us that have committed to camping, though if anyone is
interested in having their say we are beginning our protest during daylight
hours and none of the activity is illegal.

"If anyone wants to leave and not camp, they can do so and just attend the
day session and it will be completely legal," said Mr Muirhead.

The protest is a planned family day with many activities.

While the official rally begins at 2pm, organisers have suggested people
bring down a picnic lunch and begin gathering earlier and enjoy the beach as
it is meant to be.

At 2pm the floor will open to any speakers, including the RLPB and Berrigan
Shire so that everyone can voice their opinion.

During the protest and rally there will also be some children's poetry
reading and music, including the national anthem.

"I want it to be known that this is a peaceful protest, though we do want
our voices to be heard.

"The issue is important to us and many other people and whilst the floor
will be open for anyone to have their say, no inappropriate behavior will be
tolerated.

"If the RLPB or shire turn up, we ask that people attending respect their
views,"Mr Muirhead said.

Murray RLPB Peter O'Shannassy has personally warned the protesters in an
email to Jim Muirhead that what they plan to do is an illegal activity.

Upon initially hearing of the protest, Mr O'Shannassy advised all involved
persons to be very careful.

"If they do camp there they will be doing something illegal and it will be
up to the board as to what they will do.

`Unfortunately if things such as this continue, the board may have no option
but to close the beach," Mr O'Shannassy said.

After the rally, concerned persons are still asked to show their support in
a protest campout if they are able.

There is much anticipated support, with local people discussing the protest
quite openly.

Organisers are hoping for a huge turn-up on the day.

"Numbers are looking good at this point and the more support the better," Mr
Muirhead said.

For further information on the protest or to show your support contact Jim
Muirhead on 5883 4022.

A visit to the Snowy National Park last week by one of our investigators has revealed massive fuel loads as we move into bushfire season. I also refer to our article from the last issue of SOS News concerning the massive wild dog problem from the National Park where wholesale slaughter of lambs just one week ago was carried out by these animals on the Montana property. We have in our archive photos time and date referenced of the fuel loads and dog attacks awaiting the pending cover-up when reality strikes.

Dipping into his bottomless pit of lies, contrived confirmations and whitewash, the highly paid Doctor of Spin and buck-passing has gushed forth this little gem published in the Lithgow Mecury Saturday, 8 October 2005

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has worked harder than ever to prepare for what's expected to be another difficult fire season, National Parks chief Tony Fleming said. With the bush fire danger period commencing last weekend in most areas of the state, Dr Fleming said staff had put in an unprecedented effort to be as well prepared as possible.

"Fire management is the top priority for the parks service, alongside controlling pest animals and weeds," Dr Fleming said.

"While no force on earth can prevent Summer bushfires from occurring in Australia, we're absolutely determined to pull out all stops in preparing for bushfires on NSW national parks, to minimise the threat they pose to the life and property of our neighbours.

"When it comes to fire preparation, staff have a heavy burden to shoulder - quite literally, when you consider that one of the fitness assessment tasks for remote area firefighters involves walking 4.8km in under 45 minutes while carrying backpacks weighing 20.4kg."
The Land newspaper published under "Funding Furore" stated that "a ban has been placed on volunteers fighting fires in the conservation areas of the Bangalow Belt South Bioregion as no fire management plan is in place".

I would say to Dr Fleming, there is a force on earth that can drastically reduce bushfires, they are the farmers with 170 years of experience which you arrogantly disregard in preference to pamphlet professors holding academic degrees from which we reaped the benefit in 2003. The major burden volunteer firefighters have is a dictatorial incompetent blatant lack of knowledge your department dish out.

If nothing else we have noted that your arrogance remains highly polished, your troops still march from blunder to blunder, and you have gleaned absolutely nothing from the 2003 disaster. In God we must now trust.

Should I hessitate to remind subscribers we are all awaiting Dr Fleming's reply to my letter of the 28th August inquiring as to "if helicopters were operating over the Snowy during this winter shooting Brumby's". Mr Bob Debus managed a reply. So Tony why are we still waiting?

It will require very deep digging into the bottomless pit for the Doctor of spin to get out of this one.

Editor

A weekend of toil by this editor has seen this change of our format from a
Newsletter to "Save Our Snowy News". Work has also been done on the webpage
which is going to be the hub of SOS with the Blog and SOS News running from
that base. This hub will have an extensive library and archive, merchandise,
free downloads, newsroom, kerosene radio, and much more. Traveling at one
man pace will see full operation around December while certain sections are
up and running now.
We have room at the site from anyone having difficulty with ISP's or
overcharging for internet hosting, so email us if you need help and we can
look at it for you.
The website, SOS News and the Blog are now running commercial advertising
for businesses, consider we have over 8000 subscribers and well on the way
to 9000. If you are interested in advertising with us 3 times a week in SOS
News or the Website or Blog, send me an email so we can discuss the very
cheap rates.

Mal Davies Editor

"The Land Newspaper"
By Lucy Skuthorp
Thursday, 6 October 2005

FUNDING and equipment shortfalls for the coming bushfire season have left
rural volunteers holding their breath, with farmers believing the growing
Rural Fire Service (RFS) bureaucracy in Sydney is robbing them of on the
ground funding for basic supplies.

While NSW Premier, Morris Iemma, last week praised the addition of new
highly trained fire jumpers to the State's arsenal of fire fighting
provisions, farmer volunteers have once again highlighted a shortage of
basic fire fighting equipment in brigades across the State.

According to Mr Iemma, the RFS is the world's largest and best prepared
volunteer fire service, with more than 69,000 volunteers.

For this financial year, the RFS budget has been set at $140 million, and
since 1995 the government has invested more than $1 billion into the
service, Mr Iemma said.

But farmers say little of that is being seen in their brigades, where it is
needed to update old equipment and address the reduced capability of
regional fire fighting which is aging and reducing in population.

At the same time, volunteers in the Pilliga area are maintaining their ban
on fighting fires in the newly declared conservation areas of the Brigalow
Belt South Bioregion as no fire management plan is in place.

In one region south-east of Coonabarabran, approximately 117 properties from
six brigades are sharing one fire truck, relying on 30 of their own trailers
to control a bushfire if it breaks out in their area.

At Nyngan, one fire truck has been designated to protect an area spanning
more than 300 kilometres.

The articles concerned was in the Upfront Opinion of "The Land" which
contained two articles one from an individual that visits earth on rare
occasions, the other from the program manager of the National Parks
Association NSW Tom Widdup who is sprouting all the predictable radical
crap. The sad part to all of this is these two are serious.It's worth a read
to broaden your horizon into stupidity.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In response to the article"Park to be Balranald's blessing" & Riverina asset
(The Land, October 6 page 10)I feel the remote location of Ian Lockhart at
Goodnight, via Balranald is a reflection of his remote knowledge about the
real world of NSW National Parks track record along with Tom Widdup's
predictable concrete minded synopsis.

What you can now look forward to in your new National Park will be:

a.. Out of control wild dogs in roaming packs slaughtering the parks wild
life, then moving to neighbouring farmer's live stock.
b.. Unsubstantiated findings that invoke unworkable environmental
restrictions forcing farmers to liquidate in a fire sale.
c.. Fuel loads that exceed comprehension ready for that guaranteed
ignition for a fire to not only wipe out the park but the farmers unlucky
enough to be adjacent to this New Eden.
d.. Inefficient management working under incompetent bureaucratic
direction with restricted funding and resources.

These are just a few facts set in place on the Snowy Mountains National
Parks by the caretakers from hell. They work hard removing farming practices
to appease the suburban environmentalist, and to consider government will
bring prosperity to your town would only happen if delivered by Santa Clause
along with the golf, yacht and fishing clubs which we are still awaiting at
the Snowy.

Have you considered that "Yanga" was the largest rate payer to the Balranald
Shire, so now as a NSW National Park it is rate free and this major revenue
source has ceased to exist?

Mal Davies

Editor

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