9 JULY 2011 - SATURDAY

Australians to 'change their mind on carbon tax' - Greens leader Bob Brown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GREENS leader Bob Brown says any polling done after the carbon tax package is released will show Australians embracing the scheme.
According to a recent Newspoll, just 30 per cent of people support putting a price on carbon.

"The presumption in the Newspoll that the majority of Australians don't want action on climate change will change," Senator Brown told reporters in Brisbane.

Senator Brown would not confirm reports pensioners would receive a $210 up-front payment to assist with the impost of an emissions trading scheme or if self-funded retirees would be saved from financial pain."If press reports that there is a $210 up-front payment for pensioners is true, the difference between that and Tony Abbott's option is zero for pensioners," Senator Brown said.

"That (self-funded retirees' compensation) will be in tomorrow's detail. I won't pre-empt the information coming out of the lock-up tomorrow." Senator Brown said he would be standing alongside Prime Minister Julia Gillard when she publicly announces the emission trading scheme details on Sunday.

He will conduct his own media conference at 1pm.
The Greens have released their own commissioned poll conducted by online agency Essential Research.

More than 1000 voters responded to the question: "All sides of Australian politics have policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help address climate change. Do you believe that the best way to achieve this is to pay money to the big polluters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions or tax the big polluters?"

The result was 60 per cent said tax the polluters, 15 per cent said pay the polluters and 25 per cent were undecided.

A spokesman for the Essential report said it was the only question asked in the survey of random people who have registered with the polling agency.

"No poll is premature, we can take another one next week if you like," Senator Brown said.
"I don't think the Newspoll was premature so why is the Essential poll premature? Is something wrong in the Greens asking for it? We commissioned the poll and we posed the question."

The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. 

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today.  Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind.  We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.  Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana .

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. 

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. 

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.  We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.  We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. 

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.  And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE) and
tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA)

After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA)
he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today.

After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY)
filled it with GAS (from Saudi Arabia) and continued his search for a good paying AUSTRALIAN JOB.

At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his Computer (made in MALAYSIA),
John decided to relax for a while.

He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL), poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE)
and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job
in AUSTRALIA

AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT WHO ARE GOING TO CREATE EVEN MORE JOBS OVERSEAS WITH A CARBON TAX DESIGNED TO DESTROY EVEN MORE AUSTRALIAN JOBS BECAUSE ITS IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST LEAD BY A PRIME MINISTER Made in WALES

Monday 18 JULY 2011

I canned my GP appointment... changed it to 29th of this month. Just don't feel like doing anything...

I was seen to within 20 minutes... all good so far....

Got a different doctor this time.. asked me what my problem was...
I said "Isn't that information in my records?" and pointed to the folder in front of him.
He said... "How about you explain to save me looking?"

I stayed calm... only just... ................... gritting my teeth.....
I explained the events since Sunday and that I was there for a checkup for my wound, change of dressing, and to get a script for oral antibiotics.

So he got me on the bed to check the wound.... Removed the dressing and said something about the 'blob' on top of the wound..... he was Indian, I couldn't quite make out what he said.

I explained to him that it was Aqua Gel that the nurse put on it the day before to soak up any weeping from the wound, before she applied the dressing. (I won't tell you what was going through my mind!)

"Oh yes!" he said, "I'll go and get a nurse to clean and change your dressing"
He disappeared.

Five minutes later a nurse turned up with a student nurse.
While the student was fixing up the wound the doctor 'popped in'... said he'd done a script for me and left it on his desk and departed never to be seen again.

Got Jason to collect me. We went to the chemist to get the script filled.
The pharmacist asked if I'd ever had Augmentin Duo Pro before. I told him "No".
So he proceeded to explain how I was to take them.
Told me it could make me nauseous etc......
Then I asked him if it contained Penicillin.
He said "Yes... a very strong dose."

Then I lost it!!!!
I told him I'm ALLERGIC TO PENICILLIN... IT COULD KILL ME.
How could the doctor be so stupid when it's marked on my folder at the hospital !!!!
The pharmacist told me his next question was going to be...
'was I allergic to penicillin?'

He rang the doctor at the hospital who told him to tell me not to take any antibiotics for the next 2 days and come into the hospital on Friday or go to my GP and get a different script.

I left the chemist shop in tears thinking how close I could have been to being really sick or even dying. The people I passed must have thought I was nuts. Got to the car and told Jason through the sobbing. He was horrified.

I got home, had a coffee, calmed myself and rang the hospital asking for the Administrator.
I was asked what it was in reference to... "a complaint'...
"A complaint in reference to...????"
"A prescription I've been given."
"OK.. now I know who to connect you to."

I got the head honcho from ... I can't remember what department... but that doesn't matter.
I explained the situation and he asked me to come back to the hospital to see him.
Did that....
He was full of apologies. The Dr in question has been reprimanded!
He said he won't be skipping checking patients records again.
He was wrong in telling the pharmacist to convey to me
not to have any antibiotics for 2 days until I saw my own doctor.
The antibiotics should be continued without a break.
Then he gave me a script for an oral version of the same antibiotic I'd been infused with
for the past few days.

As far as I'm concerned the doctor should have been sacked!!!

I keep asking myself.... "Why me???"

By Steven Scott
From: The Courier-Mail
July 29, 2011 7:37AM

Letters to go out to all households
Combet says Aussies want the facts
Won't tell you about bill rises - Opposition
EVERY household will be mailed a brochure explaining the carbon tax from next week as the Gillard Government ramps up its $25 million-plus taxpayer-funded campaign.
But voters will have less than a month to have their own say on the legislation before it is introduced to Parliament.

Labor is rushing to introduce the carbon tax to Parliament in September in a bid to pass it as soon as possible.

The Government yesterday released a detailed package of 14 draft Bills that will govern the tax and the emissions trading scheme that will follow it. But it has set an early cut off date of August 22 for people who want to make formal submissions on the draft laws.

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet defended plans to mail out a brochure explaining the tax and related compensation measures to every household.

"We understand that households are keen for factual information about the Government's household assistance package," he said.

.."That is not surprising given the misleading scare campaign run by some who oppose the Government taking action on climate change."

The mail-out will cost $4 million. The Government has already allocated $12 million for an ad campaign and $13 million for further promotional material. Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said the brochures were "destined to be junk mail" and were unlikely to explain related price rises.

"Unfortunately the campaign is unlikely to tell Australians that their electricity will go up by 10 per cent in the first year and every year thereafter, and that they will be spending $3.5 billion each year every year on foreign carbon credits," he said.

Much of the detail and structure of the tax will be enshrined in legislation, making it more difficult to repeal if Tony Abbott wins the next election.

The laws include an ambitious long-term target of cutting emissions to 80 per cent below 2000 levels by 2050, which was a deal the Government struck with the Greens to secure support for the plans.

Provisions in the Bills outline how industries such as agriculture will be shielded from the tax and how fuel tax concessions will be changed.

The legislation covers compensation measures for industries and links to the carbon farming initiative. Further legislation will be introduced later covering household compensation.

The laws are likely to be referred to a parliamentary inquiry after they are introduced, which will create another opportunity for people to make submissions.

But Mr Hunt said the Government was rushing the laws through. "It's clear the four-week time frame the Government has set for submissions on its Exposure Draft for the Carbon Tax is not sufficient," he said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUICK SUMMARY | FULL STORY | CLIMATE SPECTATOR

As part of the government's carbon tax package released yesterday, the new Clean Energy Regulator will be given extensive powers to conduct investigations on company premises, compel people to testify even if it requires providing self-incriminating evidence and to make copies of sensitive documents, according to a report by The Australian.

The new regulator will enforce the new six cents per litre fuel tax that will be charged to some 60,000 businesses, among other measures introduced as part of the carbon tax, the report said.

The new powers given to the regulator come with the threat of up to 10 years in prison or up to $1.1 million in fines for corporations that do not cooperate or who break the carbon tax laws.

In addition, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will be given an additional $12.8 million over four years to play a larger role in enforcing and overseeing the carbon tax scheme, according to The Australian.