Opinion

As communities and businesses continue to tread water with no active cases, let alone positive PCR tests, do our state leaders have target fixation on COVID-19? Economic downturn, mental health, child welfare and, according to Dr Anne Webster, a rise in disobedience are all the result of lockdowns and restrictions.

Emma Pritchard. Twelve of the state’s most inspiring and motivational leaders of the future have been appointed to the 2021-2022 Youth Advisory Council. Among them, is 13-year-old Mae Carroll from Grafton ... Deeply passionate about social justice issues and the vital importance of support for mental health services in regional communities, Miss Carroll said recognising the opportunity to speak openly about topics close to her heart motivated her to apply again.

Katter's Australian Party leader Robbie Katter says he is concerned that the state’s bid to buy Bramwell Station is leading to an inevitable locking up of Cape York ... “We don’t have the cash to be spending money on pointless environmental exercises, that will arguably deliver poorer outcomes than if the land were to remain in private hands,” the Mount Isa-based MP said.

As the Parliament of Victoria remains empty – again - questions remain unanswered. 430 unanswered questions asked in the Legislative Council  alone  relate directly to the Health portfolio during a pandemic ... Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, said it represents a reckless and a belligerent snubbing of democracy.

In southern Australia, whether native forests are subject to harvesting or left untouched, if appropriate landscape scale forest fuel management is not undertaken, high intensity bushfires at a mega scale can occur in any summer, particularly when there are two or more years of below average rainfall. Any climate change effects are a reason to do more mitigation by fuel reduction.

We have a fire problem in Australia that is not being addressed. And it has nothing to do with climate change. Nor is logging a major contributing factor since very small areas are available for harvesting each year. It is about the decisions in the 1990s across most states, but particularly in NSW and Victoria to lock up millions of hectares of forest into national parks and manage them by benign neglect and allow the fuel levels to build up.

“With the current limit for seasonal workers expected to be met by October – and a forecast shortage of up to 24,000 workers in the horticulture industry – Labor’s Agriculture Minister can’t afford to delay ... The time is now for the government to roll out rapid testing. It’s a way to keep Victorians safe. It’s a way to help reopen this state and keep us open, and that’s what Victorians need as much as anything else,” said Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Peter Walsh.

Senator Kim Carr. "If members and senators are going to debate and pass the laws that govern Australians, they need access to reliable information. The institution and processes of parliamentary democracy would not be possible without that access. It is what the proposed science office would provide": Senator Kim Carr

The study, published in Ecosphere, analysed the severity of Australia's 2019-2020 bushfires by examining the amount of damage to vegetation. Co-author Professor David Lindenmayer said weather had a large effect on the fires. "However, forests also burned at very high severity when they were between 10 to 40 years old. Young forests regenerating after logging were particularly susceptible to very high severity fire," he said.

Kookaburra is appalled as Australia sinks into a state of fascism. Because, that is what it is. Handing over the management of a health problem to the police as has taken place in New South Wales is criminal. It is a crime against democracy. It is a crime against our citizenry. Calling in the army on top of that is outrageous. It is utterly unacceptable. Such impositions on our liberties should be met with the full force of our argument. We must strive to preserve the values in which we believe including personal liberty, freedom of speech, due process and the rule of law ... let us look at some overseas literature and commentary whilst we can, before the Covid fascists determine that such literature is banned 'for our protection'.

This week, the Federal Government excused itself from its obligation to reduce our carbon emissions which lead to extreme weather situations. Of course, many other farmers across the nation (as well as householders) have installed solar panels.   With our abundant natural resources of sunshine, wind and water, we’ve taken a leaf out of nature’s book and for example, last year, installed solar panels for both sheep properties so that we have an independent supply of power for all our needs.

Gordon Wilson and Kookaburra. Several issues need to be addressed in response to the Environmental Defenders Office press release about the legal challenge to the NSW forest logging agreement ... timber is a renewable resource ... native forestry products come from "working forests" ... native forestry uses only a very small portion of Australia's native forests ... native flora and fauna co-exist with forestry

The Rous County Council decision to remove the proposed Dunoon Dam from our region's water security options has again sparked controversy, as you will see from some of the articles and letters to the editor in this edition. It is perhaps unfortunate that we may have lost an opportunity for many social, environmental and community benefits that could have been developed alongside the dam project. It is quite possible to ‘do dams well’, with a vision for 21st-century water security that mitigates or compensates for any losses experienced.

Editorial. The people of Cape York were let down by the Queensland government, Rio Tinto and the Weipa Town Authority last Wednesday. While in their eyes there was nothing for locals to worry about, it was a different story for those who did not hold all the information.

In 1809, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote: None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. On 24 July 2021, in Sydney, the NSW Deputy Health Officer, Jeremy McNulty, was asked at a press conference why approved rapid antigen Covid-19 tests were not used.