NSW can go and get F*cked

Perhaps the Press Club are giving John a fond farewell gift…I can dream can’t I?

I don’t have a problem with supplying Goulburn with water if they increase the capacity to cope with it, and the ACT (as by far the largest user in the catchment) retains control. What shits me is that the NSW government wants to spend $60 million on a pipe to googong but not spend anything to increase its capacity. The ACT government has spent millions upgrading the the damn under the belief that they were going to get control of it, as had been promised since self government. Then Jonny comes in and reneges on the agreement just so he can get his bit on the side up in NSW election.

I vaguely remember him saying that Janette had the massive rack.

I’m assuming he’s been there before a fair few times, though – so does the PM have a massive rack of National Press Club ties lying around?

lesser mortals get bottles of wine.

membership of the club and a tie usually.

Talking of the PM – he was just on the National Press Club luncheon. At the end of it, he was given a little present from them. Is that usual? And if so, anybody know what they get given?

(Yes, I know it’s off topic, but I figured that Riotacters would at least have a sarcastic answer, if not an accurate one…)

Mulcahy weighs into the issue

This could be the issue that unites ACT politics, for once. Any word from Gazza yet?

Assailant, it’s not so much the sharing that pisses me off, it’s the “we’ll take whatever we want, screw Canberra” mentality that Pruuuu, Debnam and the Prime Miniature all have. As I said earlier, the ACT mooted a joint plan with NSW to increase the Cotter capacity and pipe water to Yass & Goulburn. This is nothing more than Canberra bashing via proxy.

Funny how they only do it when the PM’s favourite woman needs help getting elected.

Nice work with the turd polishing by the Liberal folk though, only took 24 hours to come up with some sort of angle to try and excuse the inexcusable.

I agree with Assailant. Water is a National Issue and should be subject to petty state squabbles over who owns what. The sooner the Federales ride in and take control of all things water the better.

Hey I’ll share water, its not mine anyway… but I refuse to share my blocks!!..

Well said assailant.

Its water this week, something esle the next and on it goes.. the government is always trying to srew us over regardless of what the issue or matter is…. unfair it may be but such is life sometimes!

It’s Australia Day tomorrow and all everyone here seems to be worried about is the ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality. Yes water is scarce and we should be using it properly, but the residents of Goulburn have had Stage 5 water restrictions for god knows how long. Canberrans whinge with the Stage 3 now as we can’t water our LAWNS throughout the week legally! Honestly!! We should be sharing with whomever needs the water in our region! Goulburn resident’s often come to Canberra and spend their money in our city. Buying groceries, going out… You can’t look at this as an ACT vs NSW issue at all. We are only on Stage 3, they are on Stage 5, share people.
You guys are worse than a 3 yr old not wanting to share their blocks!!!

I’m glad Johhny H has done this so the mayor can’t control Googong dam capacity. His skill with water would be as good as with fire.

Can’t wait for his carbon trading scheme

Hows that swear filter holding up JB?

You people are so naïve.

This isn’t about water it’s about money.

Nero Stanhope has been working on a plan for months to SELL water to neighbouring towns (Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Goulburn and Yass) through an exorbitant abstraction charge. Now the Commonwealth has pulled the rug out from under him he is squealing like a pig.

I see that Howard has approved funding from the Australian Government Water Fund of more than $220 million for projects. The Tasmanian Government and ACT Government are the only states/territories that have not yet submitted formal proposals. Instead of acting like the region’s water ‘baron’ Nero should start investigating ways to improve our water storage and in doing so apply for water grants.

“…Federal does not have control over the States. Our constitution ensures that…”

Section 111 of the Australian Constitution requires parts of States which were surrendered to the Commonwealth, (IE the ACT) “….shall become subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commonwealth.”

Sec. 122 of the constitution also gives legislative control of the territories to the federal government.

Could they excercise these powers in this instance?

Going to happen anyway. You cannot ignore your neighbour when he does not wash and is thirsty.

Reminds me of how Mugabe uses food aid for political advantage, vote for me if you want to get fed.

Disgusting. The outright lies to fill the NSW electorate with a sense of entitlement is the worst.

They would like some of our water, fine, lets negotiate. They demand water as if it really should be theirs, go get f*ked, we built it and filled it ourselves.

Anyway, maybe they would have screwed us anyway, maybe they wouldn’t.

But this way they’re going to really enjoy doing it the bastards.

Dunno simto, they’re going to have to amend legislation to pull this off.

Humphries will have to cross the floor if he wants to have any chance at the upcoming election but Joyce and Fielding are unlikely to do anything that would see them be associated with Stanhopism.

Whether Stanhope had attempted to play nice with the feds would make no differance in this instance – Howard’s made every effort to stay away from here since first being elected PM, and he rode roughshod over Kate Carnell when he wanted to in exactly the same way that he’s done with Stanhope.

This has got to be the Canberra Liberal’s worst nightmare.

What a fat little troll Pruuuuu has become.

Mulcahy weighs into the issue.

link

Seppi, that would be fantastic to see the outcome if that happened!.. hahaa

John Howard hates Canberra and is fond of PRu Goward. Things are looking bad for the NAtional Capital.

I say cut off all supply to Parlt. House and the Governor General’s residence.

Sorry, that should be Federal and NSW elections.

The Canberra Times article from this morning has an interesting snippet:

But a letter signed by then acting federal treasurer John Dawkins in July 1998 and seen by The Canberra Times confirms that the Commonwealth did formally agree to transfer the dam and other water assets for a price of $91.3 million. It is believed the ACT has already paid about $50-60 million of the sum.

Of course, there is always the prospect that this plan will be quietly dropped after the Federal and ACT elections … or is that too cynical?

While we still have management of Googong let’s pump it all across to our other dams.

Well perhaps NSW can go f*ck themselves as I’d hate to see our resources going elsewhere in the state.
I do believe however the dam was accquired by an agreement or some sort of legislation passed between QBN council and the ACT government. Technically the dam is currently being used by NSW residents and has been for a hell of a long time.

p.s. nearly all of the smoked trout on the Eastern Sea Board (yes QLD,NSW, VIC) comes from Goulburn.

The real secret here is knowing what trout live in – thats right, water. Goulburn might want to take a closer inward focus before they come looking down here for water. Not our fault their local government on-sold the water rights to an entrepreneur, it’s theirs.

When a farmer is standing in the middle of a desert looking you square in the eye, saying that he pumps 30gl a day in order to grow his lush cotton, which he brought on contract from the Local Government, you know that Australia does not have a water crisis.

Do not believe the media/gumnut beatup – there is no crisis. They must surely be cringing that the money that was made by selling the water rights off will cost twice as much in broken contract compensation – albeit it’s not exactly their money that they will be spending is it…

Should the coalition look like winning in march we can only hope we’ve pumped the sucker dry before the writs are returned.

I have faith in our ability to do that.

Without Googong it will be us who are f*cked as it currently accounts for about 2/3 of OUR water.

Check out http://www.actewagl.com.au/water/facts/damCapacity.aspx

agreed thumper, i too voted against self government , the ACT and its infrastructure was designed with the cold war in mind and the googong catchment was intended to stave off possible starvation / shortages in a crisis

but with these “people” that continue to whinge and carry on then just stand by and let the pollies rape the forthought put in to the design for thier own selfish short term ends would set LBG and the old guard spinning in graves!

I guess being young and trusting I never thought I’d see kiling the nation’s capital be used for electoral advantage.

Enough footage of people spitting on her should reduce her appeal.

Hey, if she want’s our water why not give it to her on an instalment plan?

Anyway, not very likely that the NSW Libs will win, so no need to get too carried away just yet.

Pru, better get a bucket.

The point is if we actually paid for water, rather than getting a subsidised moronic price of $1.30 per kilolitre then there would be plenty to go around.

After the inefficient industrial users and the cotton and rice growers buggered off.

Until we do sane pricing however NSW can insert something large and painful where light is seldom found, particularly with the attitude of Debnam and Goward.

Great way to make Canberra bashing a NSW election issue though. You have to admire the contemptible politics of that.

Don’t the enviro flows help NSW people downstream? If our estimated supply is reduced, we might have to stop doing this . . . so it’s robbing from one part of NSW to give to another really.

Goulburn needs water? Great. So do we. What will happen once the water runs out here?

NSW Police at the Cronulla riot were on the verge of seeking federal assistance ie the military.

Also, Debnam claims that he can guarantee supply for the Goulburn/Southern Tablelands region. If taking water from Googong means “guaranteed supply” then I’m sure ACTEW would like to know exactly how he thinks he’ll keep Googong full, particularly as the catchment seems to be poor at the best of times.

“…featuring Pru Goward looking particularly fat…”
-No, she is merely storing water, like every good camel.

Sonic mentions in his media spew that ACTEW/ACT Govt had already considered asking for dosh from the water fund pipe the wet stuff to Goulburn (and Yass from memory). Security of the supply was going to be enhanced with the building of a new dam at Cotter. Sounds better for Debnam if he came up with the idea of course.

I’m all for co-operation, and if possible to guarantee supply, piping water to surrounding NSW towns is a good thing. Pity that the NSW govt are keen to use this as a “screw over Canberra” point winner. Maybe if we tell the Governor General that he won’t be able to flush the toilet, he’ll either dissolve parliament or call out the armed forces.

Davo did not see your post. Yes I remember that bit now. but these days the courts seem not to favour the states very much at all. I bet Howie and Pru hand-in-hand could sweet talk Kirby J.

Well thumper, I go on the basis of how the Feds went about establishing the Snowy in the face of NSW opposition.

But I would like the Nugnawally First Footy Infantile Reggies to wear something like Royal Household Calvary Guards.

Thumper,

On the assumption the video above was taken today, the discharge from the pylon(?) looked suspiciously like the scene shown when the connection between Cotter/Googong was made last year.

This would indicate that it is (shock, horror) ACT water filling Googong.

May the federales make sense of it all.

Pandy,

The Commonwealth used its defence powers to start work on the Snowy in 1949, but knew they had bugger all chance of it standing up in court. The legal basis for the scheme wasn’t in place until 1957 when NSW and Victoria signed off on their approval for the scheme to use their water.

Thumper I said shock troops. You can read that as any authorised federal officer.

And my humour found a precedent in the establishment of the Snowy Scheme, when it was begun on NSW land because electricity supply was seen as a national defence issue. NSW could not do anything about it.

However, with more predictions that the Murray will dry-up and Adelaide will run out of water in the next few months I’ll leave it to you to speculate what could happen.

I think everyone is missing the most interesting part of this story. Ignore for a moment your outrage at those pesky people stealing your water and have a look at the for the good people of Goulburn. I make that a total bribe of $109 million, or about $5100 for every man, woman and child in town.

Dumnut must really, really want to win the seat of Goulburn.

Could be a wondrous thing. The Governments who have shortchanged their constituents over the years will be compelled to redirect water fees into actually providing this commodity.

We in the ACT have been generously provided for by federal expenditures prior to self government, so probably do not have the catching up to do of the incompetent state governments, of all political persuasions.

I hate to say it, but on this subject, more power to the federales.

I stand corrected….

thank you Sammy

Trust me on this. Water will become a national defence issue and the federales will send in the shock troops to spread the water around to those who need it in the towns and cities. This will be the start of things to come under the new cabinet.

If the ACT paid for the infrastructure, then I am sure a deal can be brokered

Self-government hadn’t arrived when Googong was built.

It was built before self-government specifically to water the ACT and we retain management of it.

If they take it from us then let’s not kid ourselves it’s been taken.

I’m all for a water grid with market priced water, but as part of a properly constructed grid and market, not Debnam and Goward swanning in and taking it over.

Are we not pumping water from the ACT Cotter/Bendora/Corin system into Googong at any rate. I suspect there are so many NSW farmlets (with their dams) trapping the normal flow into Googong that if the ACT cut off supply the bloody thing would be empty anyway. May be a case for asking NSW to pay for the water they draw.

So the dam is in NSW, StanHopeless the FIX UP MAN says he will die in a ditch to keep it (let him do just that)exclusive to the ACT….

Tell me, on Commonwealth Property, who paid for the construction of infrastructure of the dam… If it was the Commonwealth, then let it be shared with whoever “NEEDS” the water. If the ACT paid for the infrastructure, then I am sure a deal can be brokered..

I have no problem with sharing the water as we are all going thirsty, but what a pathetic thing to say about retaining the dam (me thinks trying to show a bit of loyalty the the Australian Capital Territory that he introduced to anal sex).

Now, can some one please show FIX UP (Hopeless) a suitable ditch…

But Googong water tastes like shit. Maybe we should give it to the Queanbo Booners (c)Queanbo_Booner and the buck teethed hicks of Goulburn…

Sydneysiders are drinking all Goulburns water anyway.

I don’t have a problem with the plan. The dam is in NSW, and ACT shouldn’t have exclusive ‘fuck the rest of you’ access.

w a t e r r e c y c l i n g

Our Prime Minister said we must not think in terms of “NSW water” or “QLD water” (or ACT water) but … “Australian water”.

I think you’re being un-Australian, johnboy, but f… NSW all the same!