The Northern Rivers Echo Main News

By George, it's the Word of God

Story & Photo: Julian Ryan

Bishop of Lismore Geoffrey Jarrett (left) and Cardinal George Pell outside St Carthage's Cathedral with visiting and local clergymen after celebrating Mass in Lismore yesterday morning.

Australia's top Catholic, Cardinal George Pell celebrated Mass at St Carthage's Cathedral in Lismore yesterday before talking to year 11 and 12 students from Trinity and Woodlawn Colleges.

Speaking after the service Cardinal Pell said he was invited to Lismore by Bishop Jarrett and was looking forward to discussing 'a range of issues' with the students.

Cardinal Pell said his message is very simple.

"Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he brings us the Maker's instructions," he said

Cardinal Pell went on to say that he didn't expect the church to change its views surrounding controversial issues, despite contemporary pressures.

"Everyone is a sinner - that's why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the church to help people not to go down to the lowest common denominator."

Dial M for Medicare

Opposition leader Mark Latham and Labor's Richmond candidate Justine Elliott left) at The Tweed Hospital on Wednesday, announcing Labor's new Medicare policy.

A federal Labor Government would spend $80 million on after-hours GP services and create a 24-hour Medicare 'hotline' opposition leader Mark Latham announced during a visit to the Northern Rivers this week.

Labor's 'Medicare After Hours' program will see at least 20 GP clinics co-located with public hospitals Australia-wide in a bid to ease the pressure on hospital emergency departments. The first one will be located at Tweed Heads. The ALP will also spend $28 million on financial incentives to accredited after-hours GP services away from hospitals.

Mr Latham said people are finding it harder to find a bulk billing doctor or a GP after hours.

"This is something the Howard Government has been neglecting for the past eight years. We'll be re-building the bulk billing rate around the country from 68 per cent to 80 per cent and also providing more availability of GPs after hours," he said.

Opposition health spokesperson Julia Gillard said the remaining "Medicare hot spots" for a clinic had yet to be finalised, but will be announced before the election. She said health officials at Lismore Base Hospital told her during a recent visit that GP style presentations in emergency weren't an issue.

Labor also promised a $20 million Medicare 'hotline', staffed by nurses, to offer medical advice, book appointments at an after-hours clinic, refer them to an emergency department or call an ambulance.

"A family in that circumstance would not have to worry or wonder what to do next," Ms Gillard said.

Meanwhile, Page MP Ian Causley has accused the Labor Party of stealing Government health policy. While the Government has proposed a similar scheme, Labor's scheme is more than double the size of the Coalition plan.

Mr Causley said Labor's after-hours GP clinic was a "straight lift" from the Coalition, added that the overall policy was largely "half-baked popularist ideas".

"Latham and Gillard want to reform Medicare as we know it out of existence and replace it with something more like the UK National Health Service," he said.

Mr Latham is in Lismore today holding a 90-minute lunchtime public meeting at Lismore City Hall. Earlier in the day he went to the Bonalbo farm of Norco director Tom Cooper. Mr Cooper stood as an independent at the last federal election in a protest against the federal Coalition's dairy deregulation reforms.

Residents fight park sale

Story & Photo: Julian Ryan

Goonellabah residents are fighting to save a park in Julie Crescent, which they say is an important part of their community and home to a family of koalas.

'Use it or lose it' is the message from Lismore City Council to a group of Goonellabah residents who fear that vacant parkland may be sold and developed for housing.

The residents are fighting council's proposals to reclassify vacant land at 19 Julie Crescent from 'community' to 'operational' on the grounds that the land is home to a family of koalas and regularly used by locals for recreational and social purposes.

The group has prepared a six-point petition outlining their concerns to council.

Resident John O'Connor said one of the reasons he purchased his home adjacent to the block was because he thought he would not be built out.

"I bought my home here just 18 months ago because I liked the idea of living next door to a park," he said. "I have two teenage children who use the park with 17 other kids from the area.

"In Goonellabah there is a lack of public space for the kids to play and this is the only vacant land around the area," Mr O'Connor said.

Council's special projects and properties manager, Lindsay Walker, said Council reviewed public lands from time to time to see if it was being used for the purposes originally intended. Currently 40 parcels of land are being considered for reclassification. Those not used by the public are likely to be sold off.

"Part of the reclassification proposal is to advertise Council's intention to gauge community feelings to assess if what we are seeking to do is acceptable in the eyes of the public," he said.

"We anticipate at the August council meeting we will highlight any submissions and address any community concerns relating to this matter."

Chappell bats for refugees

Cricket legend Ian Chappell, a staunch supporter of refugee rights, will speak in Lismore this Sunday.

Ian Chappell, former Australian cricket captain, will speak in Lismore this Sunday, July 25, calling for 'fair play' in the treatment of refugees.

The cricket legend has been speaking out against Australia's treatment of refugees ever since he saw the Norwegian freighter, "The Tampa", and its cargo of rescued asylum-seekers being turned away from our shores.

"It was making me extremely angry," he said. "No matter what you thought about the way people tried to reach Australia, first and foremost they were human beings who deserved to be treated with respect and justice.

"As I railed at the television set, my wife reminded me of the words of Edmund Burke, the 18th century British statesman and political philosopher, who 'For evil to flourish, all that is necessary is for good people to do nothing'."

Those words propelled Ian Chappell into getting involved with A Just Australia, an umbrella group of more than 100 organisations seeking the just and compassionate treatment of asylum seekers.

Ian's talk will emphasise the importance of honesty and fair play in all aspects of political and social life.

"As a cricketer, Ian knows the integrity and ongoing value of the game depends on fair play," said Bobbi Allan of Rural Australians for Refugees.

"The same is true in politics. There has been too much foul play and dishonesty in the treatment of refugees. A spin is something you do with a cricket ball, not with the truth," she said.

Mr Chappell's visit to Lismore is hosted jointly be Lismore Area Rural Australians for Refugees and by A Just Australia. Ian Chappell and AJA's Howard Glenn will speak this Sunday from 2-4pm. at the Lismore Workers' Club, Keen Street. Entry is by donation.

Fusing fashions

Fashion Fuse coordinator Cat Anderson (left) and Maude Leber (right) with designer and model Amelia Ahern in one of her original outfits.

The Left Bank Café will be transformed into a Milan-style catwalk this weekend when the Lismore Regional Gallery presents Fashion Fuse, a showcase of original creations by local designers.

The fashion parade will feature a beautiful collection of clothes, from flowing evening gowns to funky techno gear showcased by local models.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to promote talent in the area - often people don't realise the amazing fashions available locally so they go elsewhere to buy," Fashion Fuse coordinator, Cat Anderson, said. "We want to encourage people to support local designers, and the creations are truly world-class. The designers have used a really interesting array of textiles, with everything from felt to silk. It's like having a little piece of Paris in Lismore."

Fashion Fuse will be held this Saturday, July 24, at The Left Bank Café from 2.30pm. Entry is by gold coin donation.

Business links set in stone

Caroline Boyle from Lismore hands over her piece of the Great Wall to Zhou Xiaoming from the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China (centre) during a visit to Norco last week. They are pictured with (l-r) Norco's contract manufacturing and business development manager Brian Tarlington, vice-consul from the Consulate-General Cheng Hu, Australian Business Limited general manager of international trade Christine Gibbs Stewart and Norco's national sales and marketing manager Mark White.

After having a piece of the Great Wall in her lounge room for more than 36 years, Lismore's Caroline Boyle finally had the opportunity to send it home to China last week.

Caroline presented the piece of wall to a visiting Chinese delegate from Sydney, Zhou Xiaoming, who was in the area to visit Norco and various other local businesses to establish and develop trade relations between the two countries.

Mr Xiaoming promised he would return the piece of stone to its rightful place on the wall, saying the gesture from Caroline was "an expression of friendship between the Australian and Chinese people".

Caroline found the piece of wall during a visit to Beijing as a university student in 1967, but after more than three decades as souvenir in her home, she now believes it should be returned.

"I did a trip around Uluru some time ago and got a sense of how sacred it was - I feel like the Great Wall is perhaps similar to the Chinese people as Uluru is to Aboriginals and I want it to go back to where it belongs," Caroline said. "It's been the centre of conversation in my home for years - I'm actually going to miss it. But I'm just so glad it's going home."

Chinese filmmaker Vivien Hou from China Central Television accompanied the delegation to film a documentary on Northern Rivers business and tourism that will be seen by more than 800,000 million viewers in China later this year.

The last ride for polio

Story & Photo: Julian Ryan

Rotary Club of Lismore president Karl Sprogis (right) welcomes fellow Rotarian Troy Dorosz into Lismore on Tuesday after Troy set off from Tweed Heads earlier in the day raising money to rid the world of polio.

When Troy Dorosz arrived in Lismore on Tuesday, he'd just about cycled his own 'Tour De France' since leaving Cairns on his bicycle nearly three weeks ago. Yet the 20-year-old didn't look the least bit tired, but then he's a man with a mission and plans to cycle on to Melbourne by August 9 hoping to have raised $100,000 to help rid the world of polio.

Troy's effort is part of a worldwide Rotary initiative.

"I am not a cyclist by nature but I just thought why not just give something like this a go," he said. "Every dollar donated by people along the way will be matched by the government when I arrive in Melbourne, so I would encourage people to dig deep for a good cause."

Troy has had a relatively incident-free journey so far, but there have been moments.

"I nearly got run over in Townsville when a guy in a truck cut me off merging from a lane," Troy said. "But when he realised what I was doing he stopped and apologised and gave me a heap of loose change."

In 1985 Rotary international set a goal to make the world polio free by the year 2005. Since then, the disease has been eradicated in most parts of the world except Africa and Asia.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can post a cheque or money order to Riding it Home for Polio Po Box 541 Nerang QLD 4211.

Donations can also be left with the Rotary Club of Lismore. Phone president Karl Sprogis on 6622 1696.

Rewards for giving and receiving

Cybil House, one of the longest serving members of the Community Visitors' Scheme, with fellow badge recipients (l-r) Judy Fogarty, John Welch, Elizabeth Wallace, Corinne Brandon, Sue Beaton and Libby Stock.

Rather than sing their own praises at their 10th birthday celebrations, coordinators of the Ballina-based Community Visitors' Scheme (CVS) instead paid tribute to the 40 local volunteers who have helped make the CVS such a resounding success.

Each volunteer is paired with an elderly person in one of Ballina's nursing homes or hostels, ensuring older people in the district have someone to talk to and share their stories with. But it seems the elderly residents are not the only ones happy with the scheme, with many of the volunteers saying they get much more than they give.

"My mother died when I was 22 and I never had the joy of sharing old age with her - it's lovely to spend time with Maisey and its' a wonderful way to give something back to the community," said Sue Beaton, who has been a CVS volunteer for five years. "My children and I don't have any elderly relatives so it's special for all of us - we love having a stand-in nanny. Maisey's like one of the family now."

Like most of the volunteers, Sue has no plans to leave the scheme. More volunteers are always needed and it only takes around one day each fortnight.

To get involved in the CVS phone 6686 7015 (Ballina) or 6622 4433 (Lismore).

The seat of power

Labor Senator John Faulkner and Labor's candidate for Page Kevin Bell at the opening of Mr Bell's office in the Strand Arcade last week.

If federal Labor candidate Kevin Bell can win the seat of Page, Labor will win the upcoming federal election, or at least that's what Labor Senator John Faulkner believes.

Senator Faulkner was in Lismore last Wednesday to open Kevin Bell's campaign office in the Strand Arcade, where he spoke to a group of ardent Labor supporters about the need to run a tough campaign.

"It's fair to say we're the underdog in this seat - it'll be a full-on campaign from here until polling day," Senator Faulkner said. "We know if we can win Page we're likely to get across the line - we know it'll be a tough struggle but with Kevin's qualities we have a good chance. An outstanding candidate for this seat is essential and Kevin's integrity shines through."

Mr Bell, who celebrated his 49th birthday last Sunday - the same day as former Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam - believes the times are changing, much as Whitlam did some 30 odd years ago.

"Australia is on the verge of change as it was in 1972, and it needs change," said Mr Bell, a coffee farmer from Rosebank and teacher at St John's College Woodlawn.

"Another Howard Government would destroy Medicare and destroy access to tertiary education for young people, which would be detrimental for all Australians. We need to do a lot of hard work to win this seat, but I believe it can be done. We always have an office in Lismore at election time and we'll be opening a permanent one when we win!"

Get planting for tree day

Preparing the site for National Tree Day this Sunday is (front l-r) AMP Foundation representatives Matthew and Susan McDermott, EnviTE project supervisor Brian Braby, EnviTE project officer Vanessa Ekins, City Toyota representative Lyn Doolan and Mal Stekhoven-Smith from Windsong Records with EnviTE participants (rear l-r) Dan George, Heidi Grinham, Darren Harries, Bodhi Sathya, Steven Dudgeon and Craig Murphy.

It is now 10 years since the Lismore community first celebrated National Tree Day, with 400 school children planting native trees in North Lismore's Pritchard Park to mark the occasion. A decade later it has become a flourishing haven for native species.

This year Environmental Training and Employment (EnviTE) want to transform another part of Lismore - the Gasworks Creek site near City Toyota on Keen Street - and they are inviting the whole community to get involved.

The National Tree Day planting will be held this Sunday, July 25, from 9am-12pm. Lismore City Council has provided mulch, the Civic Pride Committee has chipped in $500 for trees and EnviTE teams have been busy preparing the site.

"This year we are planting frost tolerant riparian species to stabilise the creek banks and provide some habitat for native species in urban Lismore." EnviTE project officer, Vanessa Ekins, said.

"The AMP Foundation and Toyota are also contributing around 400 trees, as well as providing free morning tea and sponsoring local band Insomniacs to play music while the tree planting takes place, lending a festival atmosphere to the morning."

To join in, wear a hat and sturdy shoes. For details, phone EnviTE on 6621 9588.

In Ballina, the Angels Beach Dune Care team is holding a community tree planting on Sunday, July 25, just south of the overpass bridge on the Coast Road half-way between the bridge and the Bayview Ave bus stop.

"Just roll up any time between 9am and 12.30pm. Wear sensible shoes and a hat. Bring your own drinking water. There's plenty of parking. Stay as long as you like and plant some trees. We'll provide the rest," Dune Care president Lee Anderson said. Children are welcome.

The best joint in town

Connolly Key Joint general manager David Tyler received the Best New Product Award for the company's new expansion joint from Neil Williams, commercial director of Architecture Media Pty Ltd.

Casino company Connolly Key Joint has won two major industry awards for its innovative products.

The company was awarded the Best New Product for its new expansion joint at Designbuild, Australia's largest exhibition for the building and design industries.

Connolly Key Joint general manager David Tyler said the industry had been waiting a long time for their joint, which aids concrete pours.

"This product will improve the performance of concrete pavements and save time and money as well," he said.

This latest accolade adds to the Australian Design award Connolly Key Joint received previously. Mr Tyler said that export sales had increased dramatically in recent months after finding a distributor for their products in Canada and North America.

"Following our success at Designbuild, companies in Malaysia, China and Singapore have also expressed interest in our products" he said.

Top Marks for disaster at her fingertips

Richmond Valley Council employee Sonya Marks receiving a certificate of appreciation from Mayor Charlie Cox for her work in developing the RAT disaster management database.

Richmond Valley Council now knows its emergency hotspots at the press of a button thanks to the efforts of staff member Sonya Marks, who developed a risk management database program.

The Risk Assessment Tool (RAT) is designed to streamline the risk assessment process for councils and is taking the local government sector by storm.

Sonya recently presented the database to a statewide local government emergency management conference and was stunned at the response.

"I didn't even get off the stage before I was inundated by people asking, 'how do I get it?'. It was totally overwhelming," she said.

When Sonya looked at the enormous task councils faced to comply with the latest state guidelines for effective disaster management strategies, she realised that it was overwhelming. In Casino for example; Sonya calculated that identifying and assessing the risk potential to the town would result in a whopping 3000 pages of documentation

She knew there had to be a better way and although self-taught, she developed a database that brings together all the necessary forms and reports in a central database that reduces both paperwork and the time frame for councils developing a risk management report.

"Using the initial information entered into the database, we can now get through an initial assessment of hazards in a two hour meeting," Sonya said.

Sonya's expertise looks like returning financial rewards to council with the database for sale to other councils for $900.

More than 20 councils have already expressed an interest, including Tweed Council, which is already using the database.

What's up doc?

Photo & Story: Julian Ryan

President of Rotary Lismore Central Paul Standish presents Dr Chris Ingall with the Paul Harris Fellowship Award on Tuesday.

Lismore Paediatrician Dr Chris Ingall has been awarded Rotary's prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship for his outstanding humanitarian work and his efforts with the children's charity Our Kids.

In 2001, Dr Ingall founded Our Kids. Since then, the organisation has raised over $225,000 to buy medical equipment for the children's ward at Lismore Base Hospital.

A highly qualified specialist Dr Ingall has been a clinical lecturer at two universities and worked tirelessly to improve the standard of children's health services in the Northern Rivers for the last 17 years.

The Paul Harris Fellowship Award is seldom given to non-Rotarians. Dr Ingall said being singled out was a humbling experience.

"When I found out I was stunned and deeply honoured and my feelings are magnified because I am not a member of Rotary," he said.

Dr Ingall said he will continue to work alongside Rotary to improve Northern Rivers Health standards in the future.

"The next project for Our Kids is to build accommodation for children with cancer and their families at the new Cancer Unit at the Lismore Base Hospital," he said.

Farm minister boycotts cries for help

The man responsible for closing down dairy research at the Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, NSW primary industries minister, Ian Macdonald, has refused to meet with Norco and other industries affected by the restructure.

Lismore MP Thomas George has been trying to get an appointment with the Minister for three weeks so a delegation that includes the Northern Cooperative Meat Company Ltd, Norco, and grain and soy bean growers can air their concerns, but has been told Mr McDonald already knows about what they think.

"Industry should have the right to present their concerns regarding changes to frontline services which could have major ramifications on their livelihoods," Mr George said.

The Government restructure involves cutting of $37 million from the next two year's primary industries budgets, rising to $58 million in 2006-2007 and includes the proposed closure or relocation of 17 facilities, including the Grafton Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, the relocation of Lismore Chemical Residues Laboratory, the Duck Creek Field Station and the Dairy Research functions at the Wollongbar Agricultural Institute.

Mr George fired a broadside at Mr Macdonald for his response.

"I have never been refused an appointment with any Minister. It is an insult to the primary producers of this region to be snubbed by any Minister, let alone one who supposedly represents their industry.

"So much for the Minister's saying that 'nothing had been decided'."

Mr George said the latest cuts came on top of the recent loss of 13 jobs at Wollongbar and Lismore.

"I am sick and tired of the Labor Government's attitude to this region. Where is this going to stop?" he said.

Uni seeks arthritis trial volunteers

Southern Cross University (SCU) has launched a landmark trial to find an inexpensive, safe, and effective treatment for one of Australia's most common diseases - osteoarthritis.

The trial will look at the effects of homeopathic treatment of osteoarthritis.

Research Coordinator Don Baker said they are looking for people with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip, aged between 18 and 85, who are otherwise healthy, but willing to cease all other arthritis treatment for eight weeks.

The study will involve an initial four-week period without treatment, followed by four weeks of treatment involving taking a one-off dose of homoeopathic pills, followed by an oral spray three times a day for a month. Volunteers would attend a clinic as SCU's Lismore campus three times.

To volunteer, contact Don Baker on 1300 78 55 89.

Whale numbers grown again

Researchers spotted 855 humpback whales during Southern Cross University's annual 16-day whale survey off Cape Byron, suggesting that the whale population continues to recover.

Dan Burns, a PhD student with SCU's Whale Research Centre, said the 855 whales spotted this year compared to 505 last year.

When whaling ceased in Australia in 1963, only about 200 to 500 whales remained. SCU estimates the humpback whale population is now around 5000, but that is still well below the pre-whaling population of 15,000 to 30,000.

"The population is definitely recovering," Mr Burns said.

Fire razes Nimbin bakery

Little remains of the former Nimbin bakery following Saturdays fire.

Nimbin's historic former bakery was destroyed by fire on the weekend. Only the oven chimney was left standing. Police believe that homeless youths using the site as a refuge were responsible for the blaze, which occurred around 3.45am on Saturday. The fire is believed to have escaped from a tin drum being used for heating.

The fire threatened to spread to the adjacent Emporium before being brought under control by the Rural Fire Service.

But the blaze has again raised concerns from local community leaders about the safety and security of the village. Some community leaders had warned in recent weeks that the building was a fire hazard.

Former councillor Diana Roberts said the village needed more high profile policing to deal with problems on the street.

"We're not asking for more police, but we'd like to see them out on street patrols like the Lismore CBD," she said.

Ms Roberts said young people drinking on the streets had led to a tense Friday night and police were still on duty until 2am. Following the fire, some businesses windows were smashed.

Building owner Christopher Dean said he had just started renovating the bakery and it was a sad loss to Nimbin's heritage, but added that the community needs to band together to deal with its social problems.

"There are a lot of kids who are extremely dysfunctional living on the streets. They are little terrorists holding the town to ransom and need to be brought to account," he said. "I believe the police are shunning and ignoring their obligations. Young people are drinking on the streets and it's not being dealt with."

Despite his concerns, Mr Dean is positive about the future.

"We need to use this setback to create an opportunity for the village that the residents can be proud of," he said.

Botanic Gardens work

Young people aged 17 to 20 can take part in a new Green Corps project, which begins in Lismore next month.

The Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens Ecological Restoration project is being run by Newtrain in conjunction with Lismore City Council, Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens and Friends of the Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens.

The six-month project includes the regeneration, weed clearing and planting; assisting with the herbarium, including labelling plants and GPS positioning of plants; building tracks, picnic tables and seats; and erecting fencing.

Phone 1800 077 700, or visit www.greencorps.com.au for details.

Wildlife class

WIRES Northern Rivers (NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service) is holding basic training day and sign-up days over the next two Sundays, July 25 and August 1, in Lismore. Phone Lee Webb on 6662 8838 for details.

Free tax help

Volunteers trained by the Tax Office are now available in Lismore to help low income earners prepare their tax returns.

The service is called Tax Help and is available by appointment until the end of October.

For more information, phone the Tax Office on 13 28 61.

Union fight

The AIDS Council of NSW disciplined a worker at its Lismore office last week for distributing union information to fellow workers via email.

Australian Services Union (ASU) Lismore organiser John O'Driscoll, said the member had been victimised for pursuing legitimate union activity.

"It seems the activist has been disciplined because he had the temerity to distribute a union newsletter critical of his employer," he said. "What is particularly disturbing is that an organisation like the AIDS Council which does great work in addressing discrimination against people with HIV should themselves discriminate against a union delegate."

US patent granted

Ballina-based Permo-Drive has been granted a US Energy Management System patent for its hybrid hydraulic energy regeneration technology

Permo-Drive CEO Willem de Vylder said the US patent was "a significant milestone" for the company, which has also applied for a European patent.

The news follows recent announcements that the company's regenerative drive system (RDS) will be trialled on Los Angeles garbage trucks.

Beans means great coffee

Andrew Ford surveys the coffee trees at his plantation at Mountain Top, above Nimbin.

A decent cup of coffee is a relatively new thing to Australia, but Andrew Ford from Mountain Top Coffee, based in the hills near Nimbin, is doing his best to ensure Australian coffee is regarded as the best in the world.

His coffee was used by a Norwegian, Tim Wendelboe, to win the annual World Barista Championships in Trieste, Italy, last month. Mr Ford was there to witness the victory.

He only began growing coffee five years ago, but aimed high from the beginning. Mountain Top's 20-hectare plantation produces around 40 tonnes of beans per annum, and is at the cutting edge of research and development. Mr Ford champions sustainable production and is constantly exploring ways to put science into an industry that sometimes flies by the seat of its pants.

"We set out to grow the Grange Hermitage of the world's coffee industry and I think the win at the World Barista Championships shows we've almost achieved it," he said.

The fact that Mountain Top Coffee helped win the World Championship is all the more remarkable because it defies conventional wisdom about quality coffee.

The top baristi normally blend beans from around the globe, but Mr Wendelboe used a 'single origin' coffee. Experts believe premium beans come from tropical areas, grown at 1000 metres, but Mountain Top is sub-tropical and at 300m. The Northern Rivers grows the most southerly coffee in the world.

The choice of site was no accident - Mr Ford chose it after a careful study of the best places to grow coffee in Australia singled out Mountain Top.

His coffee is already so popular that it's hard to get in Australia - most of the unroasted beans are sold overseas, where it fetches a premium price of up to $9 a kilogram. And you can bet baristi competing in next year's championships would be willing to pay even more.

Last chance for Writers Festival tickets

The 2004 Byron Bay Writers Festival kicks off this Monday, July 26 with a colossal workshop week that is closely followed by an enormous three days of literary saturation starting on the Friday.

Ticket sales are bigger and better than ever so organisers urge you all to book or you could very possibly miss out altogether.

"Please don't wait to get your tickets on the day as we can't promise they will still be available," director Jill Eddington said.

Some feature event and workshops have sold out, but a few tickets remain for next Thursday's lunch at the Bangalow Hotel with acclaimed sports journalist Roy Masters. He's covered eight Olympic Games and was a former first grade rugby league coach. He'll discuss politics, love, death, success, failure and most importantly sport. Roy will unpick the clichés and guide us through the locker room of emotions into the victory lap of success. Tickets are $55, including a two-course meal. There's also some tickets left for another key feature even, An Evening with Jane Campion on Saturday. The director of The Piano, Holy Smoke and most recently, In the Cut, will discuss her work. The cost is $27.50.

And fans of federal Labor leader Mark Latham will get a detailed insight into his character with the surprise launch of journalist Craig McGregor's much-anticipated biography, Australian Son: inside Mark Latham.

To book tickets for the festival or special events, phone 6685 6262. the full program is available from The Echo office or online at www.byronbaywritersfestival.com.

Why politicians are bad for democracy

In a speech last year, the author Norman Mailer described democracy as "a state of grace that is attained only by those countries which have a host of individuals not only ready to enjoy freedom but to undergo the heavy labour of maintaining it".

My brief remarks will be directed to the damage that mainstream politicians generally are doing to our democracy.

Australians generally accept that democracy is the best system of government, the market is the most efficient mechanism for economic activity and fair laws are the most powerful instrument for creating and maintaining a society that is free, rational and just. However, we are also collectively conscious that democracy is fragile, the market is amoral and law is an inadequate measure of responsibility. As former Chief Justice Warren of the United States Supreme Court explained: "Law ... presupposes the existence of a broad area of human conduct controlled only by ethical norms."

Similarly, democracy in our tradition assumes that a broad range of political activity is controlled only by conventions of proper conduct. Especially because individual rights are not constitutionally guaranteed in this country, justice, equality and other fundamental community values in Australia are constantly vulnerable to the disregard of those conventions.

Since the sacking of the Whitlam Government in 1975, the major political parties seem to have largely abandoned the ethics of government. A spiteful, divisive contest now dominates the national conversation, and democracy struggles incessantly with populism. Mainstream political parties routinely shirk their duty of maintaining democracy in Australia.

This is nowhere more obvious than in what passes for political debate, in which it is regarded as not only legitimate but clever to mislead. Although effective democracy depends on the participation of informed citizens, modern political discourse is corrupted by pervasive deception. It is a measure of the deep cynicism in our party political system that many of the political class deride those who support the evolution of Australia as a fair, tolerant, compassionate society and a good world citizen as an un-Australian, "bleeding-heart" elite, and that the current government inaccurately describes itself as conservative and liberal.

It is neither.

It exhibits a radical disdain for both liberal thought and fundamental institutions and conventions. No institution is beyond stacking and no convention restrains the blatant advancement of ideology. The tit-for-tat attitude each side adopts means that the position will probably change little when the opposition gains power at some future time. A decline in standards will continue if we permit it.

Without ethical leadership, those of us who are comfortably insulated from the harsh realities of violence, disability, poverty and discrimination seem to have experienced a collective failure of imagination. Relentless change and perceptions of external threat make conformity and order attractive and incremental erosions of freedom tolerable to those who benefit from the status quo and are apprehensive of others who are different and therefore easily misunderstood.

Mainstream Australians remain un-reconciled with Indigenous Australians and largely ignore their just claims.

Without any coherent justification, we are participating in a war in a distant country in which more than half the population are children, some of whom, inevitably, are being killed. In our own country, many live in poverty, children are hungry and homeless and other severely traumatised children are in detention in flagrant breach of the Convention on the Rights of the Child simply because they were brought here by their parents seeking a better life.

Politicians mesmerised by power seem to be unconcerned that, when leaders fail to set and follow ethical standards, public trust is damaged, community expectations diminish and social divisions expand. However, these matters are important to the rest of us. We are a community, not merely a collection of self-interested individuals. Justice, integrity and trust in fundamental institutions are essential social assets and social capital is as important as economic prosperity.

In order to perform our democratic function, we need, and are entitled to, the truth. Nothing is more important to the functioning of democracy than informed discussion and debate. Yet a universal aim of the power-hungry is to stifle dissent. Most of us are easily silenced, through a sense of futility if not personal concern.

Not Happy John! is Margo Kingston's admirable contribution to the "heavy labour" of maintaining democracy in Australia.

Margo has the knowledge, energy and courage to stand up for her beliefs. It is a privilege to launch Not Happy John! and urge all to read it.

* This is an edited extract of Justice Tony Fitzgerald's speech launching Margo Kingston's new book 'Not happy John! Defending our democracy'. Justice Fitzgerald chaired the inquiry into police corruption in Queensland.

Lachlan's legacy a generous one

Brett Watson from Sidewinder Advertising in Lismore (front) with Michelle Bobbin, Mathew Gray and Our Kids fundraising officer Rebekka Battista.

When Michelle Bobbin and Mathew Gray held a fundraising dinner in memory of their son, Lachlan, who died when he was just 14 months old, they desperately hoped to raise $5000.

The couple held the dinner on the first anniversary of Lachlan's death, to raise funds so Our Kids could purchase a new blood pressure machine for the children's ward at Lismore Base Hospital.

Michelle and Mathew found themselves well over their target, raising almost $7500. Already humbled by that generosity, Michelle and Mathew were left speechless when an old friend of Mathew's, Brett Watson from Sidewinder Advertising in Lismore, pitched in just over $2500 to take the grand total to $10,000.

"When Brett told me he wanted to donate money I expected a couple of hundred - when I found how much it was I literally had to pick up my jaw," Mathew said. "It's hard to find words to express how it feels - it was just so overwhelming. We want to thank everyone who came to the dinner and donated, especially Brett and the other local businesses, for giving so much and making the event a success. We'd really love to make the dinner an annual event in Lachlan's memory."

Fundraising officer for the Our Kids Northern Rivers Children's Health Fund, Rebekka Battista, has seen many charity events in her time, but even she was amazed with the level of support for the Lachlan Bobbin-Gray Memorial Dinner.

"I'm in shock really - I just can't believe it," Rebekka said. "I have never seen that level of generosity before - it was just beautiful."

The money will be spent on a Dinamap blood pressure machine and another piece of vital equipment from the children's ward wish list.

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