Letters To The Editor

Goose the gander

So Ian Causley believes that workers who are forced to negotiate alone - against the might of the corporation - will only negotiate "upward", does he? (Union boss brings IR fight to Lismore, Echo, July 21) If he really thinks that - which I don't believe for a second - then he's far too stupid to be earning the enormous wage we pay him every year!

I'll accept the end of collective bargaining the day MPs have to individually negotiate their own pay and conditions with us. On that day, I think Ian Causley can expect a pay cut!

Will Kemp
Lismore

Phones OK

Contrary to claims in the letter (No Peace, Echo, July 14), there is no substantiated scientific evidence of health effects from mobile phones, including head pain, ear pain, memory problems, tingling sensations or skin rash.

Potential human health impacts of radio frequency energy have been studied in great detail over the past 50 years. Comprehensive reviews of over 2200 research publications, including more than 410 studies specifically on mobile phones, by governments and health authorities continue to find there is no substantiated scientific evidence of health effects.

Many studies have looked at people who claim to be 'electro-sensitive' and have found no association between mobile phone emissions and the subjects' reported health symptoms.

A study was conducted by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in which a group of self reported 'electro-sensitive' subjects were asked to report symptoms or sensations during real and sham mobile phone emissions.

Although various symptoms were reported by the subjects, the number of reported symptoms was higher during sham exposure than during real exposure conditions. In addition, none of the test persons could distinguish real RF exposure from sham exposure.

Therefore, the authors concluded that adverse subjective symptoms or sensations, though unquestionably perceived by the test subjects, were not produced by mobile phones.

Similarly, psychiatrists from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College in London, after considering 8600 papers and examining in full 500 studies on electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), concluded that: "psychological mechanisms may play at least some role in causing or exacerbating EHS symptoms."

Finally, mobile phones are designed, built and tested to comply with strict science based guidelines which are recognised by national and international health agencies around the world as providing ample protection for all users.

For information on mobile phone health/safety issues see the WHO website www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact193.html.

Graham Chalker, CEO
Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association

Coraki health

An open letter to the North Coast Area Health Advisory Committee:

It has come to our attention that certain members of the Advisory Committee have been disregarded as true representatives of the community and that the same misinformation also applies to the Save the Coraki and District Campbell Hospital Committee.

Our Committee called a public meeting, at the Youth Hall in Coraki on July 11 so that we could relay information and affirm our position as appointed representatives of the community.

The vote was unanimous for the support of the SCDCHC and the individuals who are our community representatives on the Advisory Committee.

We demand that the North Coast Area Health Service treat our representatives with due respect and that their information and opinions are forwarded to the Health Minister, Morris Iemma.

Narelle Jarvis
On behalf of the Save the Coraki and District Campbell Hospital Committee

A dreadful dream

Feudalism is dead - is it?

Imagine a country where a few highly-skilled and well-connected big wigs earn obscene amounts of money and the masses of jobbers in ordinary jobs work their butts off for meagre wages and uncertain conditions. Where every ordinary worker has to compete with a worker in China for the same job. Where, in order to be competitive, the working conditions are gradually eroded, with decent wages, safe workplace practices and humane working conditions being sacrificed.

A country where millions of workers are doing nothing else than producing and selling cheap rubbish in ever-increasing varieties, where good quality products become unaffordable for most people.

Imagine a country where the law is becoming unobtainable for all but the rich and where democratic rights are constantly being eroded. Where the media are so concentrated in the hands of a few corporate "kings" that freedom of expression virtually ceases to exist.

Imagine a country at war against a few thousand criminals, which are branded as terrorists. Where hundreds of thousands of innocent people ("casualties") are sacrificed for the "higher" goal. Where the terrorists are being used as the perfect excuse for abolishing any and all democratic rights, except the right to cast a vote between the devil you know and the devil you don't. If terrorism didn't exist, it would have to be invented to fill the void after the end of the cold war.

Imagine a country where all real property in the end will belong to a few thousand investors, because ordinary people will not be able to afford property anymore. Instead, they will have the luxury to pay high rents for the places they once owned.

Imagine a country where workers are free to "negotiate" their working conditions, while a hundred or more applicants for the same job are waiting outside the door.

Where you can choose to work the longest and worst paid hours in any OECD country (USA excepted) or line up for increasingly meagre government benefits. Either way, your quality of life will be just short of non-existing.

Imagine a country where beautiful buildings, perfect roads and gigantic monuments will be built again to the enjoyment of future generations. This time, slave labour will be called work-for-the-dole.

This country is not a fiction. It is just around the corner and it is shaping up on our precious Australian soil. Another term of John Howard and his mates with now unfettered powers will see the descent of this once lucky and proud country to the level of a quasi US colony such as Panama or Mexico. Do we want this to happen? If not, it's time to act decisively!

Michael Qualman
Modanville

Unfair laws

John Howard is deceiving workers when he says they will be protected by unlawful dismissal legislation.

Unlawful dismissal will protect workers in a very narrow range of circumstances ie. discrimination on the grounds of family responsibilities, pregnancy, race and gender, union membership and political affiliation.

Unfair dismissal laws covered many more areas of victimisation. But 3.6 million Australian workers will not be able to access these laws because businesses with less than 100 employees are exempt from unfair dismissal legislation.

Christine Russell
Dunoon

Survey St decision

We would like to thank all those at Dept of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR), Ballina Council - councillors and the local community who were involved in assessing the Draft Master Plan (DMP) for Survey Street, Lennox Head.

Minister of Planning, Mr Craig Knowles, has rejected the proposal with the reasons being: the poor quality of the plan and supporting documentation; inconsistency with the provisions of SEPP71 and Ballina LEP; overdevelopment of the site; impact to environmental issues not adequately addressed; and its non-compliance to the recommendations of the previous Land and Environment Court 2002 decisions.

Since the first rezoning application in 1997 many individuals and organisations have continued to try to safeguard and preserve this sensitive site from unsuitable development. With the rejection of the DMP its reassuring to know that the community and governmental departments are aware of the significant negative impact a residential development will have on this land.

No matter what future proposals are put forward the physical constraints will not change; steep slopes, groundwater seepage, acid sulphate soils, protection and preservation of the existing creek line and downstream rainforest and wetlands. The impact from development on the stormwater, geo-technical, traffic and environment are the issues.

The lack of details and comprehensive analysis in the DMP indicate that the consultants have failed again in their search to successfully resolve these issues. 10 years and countless rejections later, the numerous management measures proposed have all been found to be unsuitable for this site.

Surely the applicant must look at the past proposals and their subsequent rejections and realise that the overdevelopment and lack of sensitivity shown to the environment will not be accepted.

Thanks again to all our supporters.

Mandy Andrews
Survey Street Action Group

Worth fighting for?

Thank God Mungo McCallum is back with a bit of hard-headed, honest comment on what PM John Howard is really up to with his new industrial relations policy.

The "battlers" who naively voted for this dishonest government will indeed live to rue the day if they don't fight back to defeat this vile proposed legislation to rob the battlers of their jobs and livelihood.

This is a battle worth fighting for.

Darcy Mckee
Alstonville

Peter & Paul

The recently magnanimous gesture of $6 a week tax relief for ALL low income Australians sounded just too good to be true... and it was. Pensioners and part-pensioners did not have that gesture extended to them. 

Australia's 'aging population' in the low-income bracket is granted paltry relief on a sliding scale all much less than the amount promised.

These same pensioners are still paying full GST on almost every item they purchase, the same as PM Howard's low income earners who receive $6 in tax relief.

Over the last financial year (2004-05) my wife and I have paid well over $2000 in GST and that is not living high off the hog!

How do we know? Well, we keep a book listing all purchases attracting GST over the financial year including groceries, house cleaning materials, shaving blades, toiletries and much more. 

Australians appear oblivious to the extra revenue which GST strips from all Australian citizens (except Big Business) in addition to their personal income tax each year. Much of it is used to partially fund governments being re-elected at the next election amongst other things. The amount of taxpayers money being wasted on federal Government advertising, junket trips overseas and for the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing to pat one on the back is scandalous.

The additional GST revenue should be poured back into Australia's national health system, education (at all levels), and a sustainable national transport system instead of having it disappear into internal revenue for express use of the Canberra's federal Government PM and MPs!

The $6 tax break, like the re-vamped Australian IR policies, will benefit a precious few.

Wake up Australia! Are we that dense in placing our trust in the federal Government to do the right thing for the benefit of all Australians not just the affluent?

DB Scobie
Goonellabah

Bad business?

It is reasonable to assume the majority of the community was aghast at the outrageous termination money recently paid to a retiring senior bank manager. Of course one reasoning from those determining the payout is the amassed profits attributed to the skills employed by the recipient.

One also easily observes in a compact city as Lismore the demise of small business such as butchers, greengrocers, bread and pastry shops to name a few, all forced out of business by large conglomerates which selectively target markets of essential daily requirements of the masses.

In the past few weeks we have seen reports of one of the big takeaways sourcing potatoes overseas, a food cannery having to tell its suppliers it can no longer take their tomatoes, and a large pastry ingredients manufacturer warning its shareholders it has to review its profit forecast.

In each instance the background is because the large conglomerates are squeezing them on price or they are looking to outsource their supplies overseas.

This purported bid to provide service is a disservice in disguise.

The latest venture into service by the conglomerates involves the potential livelihood of many more small businesses in Lismore. I have been told (not confirmed) that the advent of a discount fuel outlet at Casino has affected similar long established business. If fuel sales in

Lismore are further fragmented by these conglomerates we will witness a decline in local employment. If Service means one person at the cash register in lieu of many in small business then to me it is greed before need.

We will witness another chief executive accumulating higher bonuses, the shareholders rubbing their hands like Shylock, and a few more Australians and their life's struggles thrown on the scrap heap of greed.

If these national conglomerates really are sincere about service, perhaps they could explore sharing Australia's good fortune by foregoing their insatiable greed, employ a few more Australians at their often closed checkouts and take a lesson from the Bible, "for what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul."

Gordon B Moody
Goonellabah

Cycleway bunkum

"Community access!" - it's the mantra of Ballina councillors and their mindless mates lobbying for the Angels Beach "take it through the dunes" cyclepath. What a load of codswallop!

Dune carers have given the Ballina community more beach access than any other agency - 4600m of fencing, six board-and-chain pathways, 100 steps on steep gradients, and lookout platforms all along the beach.

Compare that with Council's sole contribution - a foot-blistering black bitumen overpass track that's underwater every wet season (they call themselves "engineers"?)

Amazingly, the planned cyclepath runs north-south. But (tell me if I'm wrong) beach access logically runs east-west. How's that for a problem to start with?

Well, maybe it's just a few fishermen and long-distance runners who'll use it? Certainly looks like nothing to help you and me access the beach!

Anyhow access isn't always a good thing. It's only good if you know who (or what) wants it and what they want it for. (Would you support "access" for your kids to internet pornography?)

But Council cries "access" and want us to believe it automatically means something great. Not so - access can sometimes be destructive and dangerous.

Austroads (Australian Road Standards) specifies a 5m wide corridor for "high usage" cycleways (who honestly thinks this track will be high usage?). But the Department of Environment and Conservation stipulates that all formal pathways (whatever their width) constitute a "key threatening process" for coastal rainforests.

So if Council wants to build this cyclepath it logically flies in the face of all legislated scientific advice. Five metres wide is some doozey of a corridor through the forest!

Now, next time you hear our councillors or their mates mouthing the "access" anthem, simply tell them (politely) just where they should put it, because it's total and absolute bunkum.

Lee Andresen
Angels Beach

Pokies payount

A report has stated that income from poker machines on the North Coast is expected to drop by about $130 million in the next year due to smoking bans. However not only will the clubs lose an extra $150 million in tax to the state Government. 

No one doubts the damage that can be done and the grief and hardship than can be caused to families where someone has a gambling addiction. But don't think for an instant that an addicted gambler will simply not spend this money. Rather they will go to other outlets such as the TAB, Lotto or lotteries, or the internet.

However, outside the metropolitan area the clubs often provide the backbone of regional communities. They provide a social meeting place for many of our elderly citizens, they fund all manner of sporting activities from playing fields, swimming pools and tennis courts for the young through to bowling greens and other outings and the elderly, they provide food and sustenance to the needy and contribute in a thousand other ways to the fabric of regional towns. The North Coast of NSW cannot possibly afford to lose $300 million in income, a significant part of which flows back in the form of community projects.

These losses will affect the regional communities much more because the population of large cities have government sponsored facilities and infrastructure and do not rely upon the club based infrastructure. Something has got to give somewhere and it will be many of the very funda- mental community services that the clubs provide to the North Coast communities.

Prof Jon Jenkins MLC
Parliament House, Sydney