The Victorian Governments Duck Shooting Season Atrocious Debacle

 

One can only be pleased that the last vote taken for government was not for given to this party that currently holds our state in thrall. The party that voted Daniel Andrews as leader was the choice of the masses and probably the first thing that suffered was our environment. Our forests, our wildlife and all the precious natural wonders were targetted.

True, the party that was hoped to become the governors of our state and our lives didn't have enough support and the reasons for it can only be imagined. Sadly, one would certainly be; the general public hold as a low priority, the environment and all it includes, climate change, wildlife welfare and rights, water, soil and air quality and all pertaining to these.

It appears Victoria is divided into two main groups. The “Mars Hopefuls” [MH] and the “Earth For Us” [EFU] factions. This appears to be quite obvious to one who is sitting watching the political list of proposals and policy roll out and expose what is being planned by the Andrews government for any future that may still be possible.

The MH people are generally those who can, or imagine they can pay for and secure transport to Mars. Once settled there, begin again making more money as they destroy it. Some of these even believe they will destroy it more slowly. These see the killing of wildlife, destruction of forests and continued pollution of the environment as acceptable harvesting. By increased wealth they are able to indulge in more comfort and prestige by increased power money generates here for a short time, and for a longer time on the next planet. They support such parasitic things like duck shooting, mining and development at any cost to the natural world.

The EFU people are generally what are referred to as environmentalists, hard core or partly living to keep the Earth viable as well as a natural wonder, for their children, for the younger people in this group, and for their grandchildren for the older members of this philosophy. The people willing to sacrifice a little comfort who don't desire power, but wish just to live well enough for their families to thrive. Who want to lift up those less fortunate and assist those who's physical disability means they can enjoy the same things as the hale and hearty, but in a different way.

Killing defenceless ducks, and Daniel Andrews as Premier of Victoria saying duck shooting is just like playing a round of golf beggars belief. Maybe blasting a little white ball round some green landscape with a shotgun would be acceptable, and nothing would be killed, wounded or maimed in the process. That may be the way to go, and give the ducks a chance to breed up and accomplish the purpose nature intended for them?

Duck shooting is wrong on too many levels to be sanctioned by a thinking society.

Stupid people with too much money.....

Some idiot who has more money than sense has sent a car into space. As if there is not enough space junk up there. Proving again that space doesn't belong to anyone. What is that fool thinking? If people who have the money and no real sense of what is right, send their rubbish into space, that's eventually going to be a problem for our children.

Epson printers..

Well, I'll never buy another Epson printer. This last one I have came up with the error message “A printers ink pad is at the end of it's working life”. They want to sell me a reset key? As if they didn't charge enough for the printer in the first instance they want to put any Epson printer buyer on a drip feed. It's not happening to this little black duck.

So the Epson printer range is out for me. There are plenty more that are just as good and some better, so it's no skin off my teeth.

The Sky Muster Satellite

Continuous complaints to Senator Mitch Fifield regarding the Sky Muster satellite, won't call it a service, because it's hardly that, has not instigated many replies. Mostly that the ISP should be contacted. However the long delay in the modem picking up the satellite signal is the responsibility of the Sky Muster satellite maintainers. Because any configurations and problems has to be directed to them by the ISP. The length of time before connection is just one of the issues where the Sky Muster Satellite business fails. However, I digress.

My latest contact with the Senator has generated a reply, which was a little miracle in itself, till I read the content. It was a breast beating, look at me, look at me letter. It's main thrust, from the constructor of the missive, Lynne Thomson - Assistant Director - Broadband Implementation, was to speak of the accolade the Sky Muster Satellite system had received:

[quote]
Despite your reservations, you may be interested to know that the Sky Muster satellite service recently won the Broadband Delivering Social Impact’ award at the 2017 Broadband Awards in Berlin. The National Broadband Network (the network) even surpassed operators such as China Unicorn and Spain's Telefonica to win the award. The network's fixed wireless service was also shortlisted in the Best Fixed Wireless category.
[end quote]

This wasn't an award for excellence of service, but rather an award for supposedly delivering wide coverage of internet service. Lynne Thomson also failed to mention what criteria were involved in this. It was the idea of internet coverage that was being praised not any efficiency or reliability of service.

The reference to "Best Fixed Wireless category" also didn't mention the criteria as to why short listed and not being a winner.

This also was mentioned in the letter:
[quote]
You may also be aware that Qantas is trialling Wi-Fi on aircraft using idle capacity on the Sky Muster satellites. The trial will also allow nbn to develop other health and education products that will benefit regional consumers, as well as increasing the return on taxpayer investment in the satellite service. NBN is already considering whether similar inflight Wi—Fi products could assist community groups, such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
[end quote]

Again, the trials are ongoing, probably because there is a reliability issue, especially for the Flying Doctor Service. The slow modem pickup of the satellite bandwidth, could be a problem when flying.

It has been exposed recently, that some of the largest ISP's have done the wrong thing by choking back their customers speed, but charging them for something that wasn't delivered but was more expensive. However, the NBN has much to explain. The service was not awarded anything for either reliability or speed, because these categories would find the NBN Fixed Wireless or Satellite as being very much inferior to anything else in the world.

However, it is customary for governments of every persuasion to attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the general public, and for business to make as much money as possible by cheating their customers in a way that will only receive a slap on the wrist.

Natures helpers..

Something which most visitors to the Cassilis recreation reserve and cemetery are unaware, is the grass during the autumn, winter and early spring period, is usually kept in check and nicely trimmed by the many kangaroos who feed on it and live in the forested areas round about. This is the way nature works and we who manage the reserve and cemetery, are pleased they do so. It means not having to use blades, and fuel to drive them to cut the grass. Something that's never as good for the grass as the natural way of the kangaroo.

The grass itself is fuel, for kangaroos and other wildlife that frequent these two public places. An added bonus is that the animals who feed on the grass also fertilise it and over the years it has grown richer and more dense.

Conversely, the feral grazers and browsers also feed on the grass and would feed on the larger trees if they weren't protected. However, they to fertilise the ground. They do not want anything without some payment made either. We are learning to live with these, as we must, because they are now naturalised wildlife. They have been introduced into the country the same as the white settlers, convicts and their keepers before them, and like these they are now part of our landscape.

During the late spring and summer months, the wildlife are generally unable to keep the grass of these public areas neatly trimmed, so we have to assist with a mower. However, the wildlife save us a considerable amount of money all year round, and assist by keeping the grass trimmed and in good health.

So Who Is Responsible - Really

It's interesting that the CFA declare the months of fire restrictions in force, but it's possible to light a fire if a permit is requested and granted.

One assumes that the DELWP request a fire permit to burn off during the fire restriction period? Yet so many of those fires have escaped and just about every fire lit under the spurious declaration of fuel reduction burning or ecological burns, has burned more of the forest flora, ground dwelling wildlife and insect composters, than was predicted; or possibly desired, by thinking people.

The people that have always had the blame for this laid at their door was the DELWP [Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning], when it should in fact have been the CFA [Country Fire Authority] For handing out the permits for an area to be burnt. Neither of these departments care or know enough about the environment or the elements that are critical for life on this planet, air and water quality.

The wrong people are making the wrong decisions. These two wrongs are depleting our biodiversity, and creating a state that will be the envy of no one in Australia or overseas.


Every species fears fire yet some fire authorities light it? While species who are without the ability to understand and plan for it run away when fire happens. Our species attempts to prevent it, and if that fails, to stop it as quickly as possible. This appears to be a sound statement, and yet we are aware there are agencies, apart from pyromaniacs, who actually enjoy fire, when they think it is a good time to burn or a good area to burn. One of these agencies has been known by many names and at the time of writing is the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning here in Victoria. [DELWP]

A theory has been entrenched in the minds of some people who are in many cases sociopathic in their thoughts and beliefs about fire and it's prevention and control is, it's a good thing to fight fire with fire. Use small fires to prevent the larger fires. The result from small fires, though these refuse to see it, is very similar to the end result of large fire in a forest area. Possibly even in a suburban area should one be lit in a backyard or house.

The carbon that is released into the air when a fire is lit is massive and completely unnecessary. Recently Thursday 6 April 2017, the television showed burning off large acreages of tall dry grass. I think this was done by the CFA, an organisation that enjoys this fire lighting process. It gives them justification for existing. This grass had survived the summer, dried off and now is being burnt rather than mowed. Mowing it would have placed that grass on the ground and the carbon would have been sequestered into the soil, as the insects, fungi and soil life forms broke it down, but that would have been too easy, and removed the opportunity to light fires.

By burning the grass it puts massive amounts of carbon into the air, kills all that lives on the top layer of the soil, insects, small reptiles and small, seed eating wildlife in the short term, and in the long term by starving the survivors because their food sources have been consumed or despoiled by the flames. The fire leaves only ash which is very water soluble potash that is quickly and easily washed away in a heavy rain into the rivers leading to the lakes or the sea. Leaving behind a dead area.

• The fire arm of the DELWP are more about lighting fires and burning the forest than preventing fires

• Fire is not good. Because it occurs through natural phenomenon does not make it so

• Many Australian plant species can survive fire because their seeds are so designed, most do not require fire or smoke to germinate

• Aboriginal people did not light fires, because they could encroach upon their neighbours hunting grounds and living area, bringing by trouble down of their head

• Fire destroys the small animals, reptiles , insects that if left alone and alive, would compost the detritus of the forest

• Fire pollutes the air with carbon, gases and minute particles

• Fire depletes nitrogen where it might be present in anything it touches

• Fire leaves only highly water soluble potash behind in the ash

• There is no such thing as a cool fire [cool burn]

• There is no such thing as a controllable fire without massive resources on hand or control of the weather

• Fire is the last total destruction weapon of the conqueror.

Burning forest under one of the spurious reasons is even worse.

Another Silly Suggestion.

Heyfield mill doesn't have to close, and the operation using a reduced amount of timber to produce their product will give the same percentage of profit per cubic metre but it won't be as much profit in total, because there will be less cubic metres processed. The mill owners want to get as much profit as they can, so they use the leverage of their workers and their families. Other timber mills have closed down all over the state, and once the dust settles, the people who thought they would never find work, did. It will be no different in this instance.

That's what makes Barnaby Joyce's proposal all the more ridiculous. To destroy forest long protected just to maintain jobs in the short term, is madness. The forests that belong to all Victorians and Australians, and those who live and find food in them, should be preserved for future generations. We have to get our priorities right, we have the chance to make a difference, a difference that will benefit everyone by reducing the amount of timber that is being ripped from the forested areas.

Barnaby Joyce's proposal makes it clear that there is nothing he won't do to get his name in the papers, loves grandstanding, even with silly ideas. He has no idea of the importance of wildlife or how to maintain a sustainable hardwood timber industry, just to mention a few that pertain to this issue. He is all about agriculture which slashed and burned its way through the Australian landscape when there was plenty of timber to be milled, but was cut down, windowed and burned with no benefit. Degrading the land upon which the forest once stood, and losing all the nutrient to leeching into waterways and ending up in the sea.