The Greens oppose the CPRS not because it is too weak, but because it will point Australia in the wrong direction with little prospect of turning it around in the timeframe within which emissions must peak, says Senator Christine Milne.
Andrew Forrest visits Kinglake
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As a Kinglake resident, I thought that you may like to know about a visit by Australia’s richest man, Andrew Forrest, to the burnt out areas of Kinglake and Kinglake West on Monday 9 March. The meeting was held in the community tent next to the Uniting Church in Kinglake West, with a representative of the army and Andrew Forrest — the idea being that Andrew would give advice to residents on how to move forward after a major disaster and how to ask for help in re-building the community. Over 150 residents and police turned up. Andrew was talking about the availability of pre-fabricated and movable homes, like the ones made available to Flowerdale residents, he was also trying to get the community to express what it is that is most urgent in getting the town started on a recovery. Helping the local businesses who have lost much of their trade was one idea he wanted to work on and appointing local people as a core group to work with the community as some form of spokespeople was another. But things turned nasty when some of the locals decided to take the microphone from Mr Forrest and address the assembled crowd themselves. After a tirade about local councils and Government doing very little to help the community, Mr Forrest re-scheduled another meeting for Friday 13 March at 8pm. I actually felt sorry for both Mr Forrest and the Army rep, as they wanted to assist the community to help itself, but many of the residents in the community have a feral attitude and little education, they only wanted a quick fix — as some not so well educated person shouted out, “We don’t want the talk, we want your money.” I appreciate Mr Forrest coming out to see us, but at the moment, the general attitude from many in the community is not good. Those of us educated people up on the mountain are concerned that we could lose a great opportunity to see Kinglake and Kinglake West be bigger and better than it was before. I understand that after a major event like the one we just lived through, there will be stress and anger, but I also think that a lack of communication to and by the right people will be more damaging than anything else. |
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8 Comments
If you think Kinglake West be feral, get thee self down to Flowerdale…scary….at night, when all is quiet, you can hear the banjoes.
Dave
I think you mean I talk crap but I’m not sure as you seem to agree with me by the end. As to communities working together I would refer you to the third man cuckoo clock speech. My point about the word bogan is instead of using codewords like “uneducated” or “bogan” why didno’t the author just say poor and let his bias through. I stand by my point in that “bogan”is the only negative racial and class driven name that would be published or promoted,bogan bingo anyone? Put another racial epitaph in front of bingo and see how much crap it is. So you know bogans and you dont mind the word. Doesn’t matter it is racist. I learnt that lesson with Mr Browns grandstand. If Mr Forrest and all the other visitors to the bushfire sites are not after mileage we can expect them at the next house fire, car accident. No the cameras are there and so are those trying to take advantage. What did he achieve by visiting. Is he an expert in rebuilding after bushfires? No Hes rich. I tried to make it amusing for I dont hate the rich. Sorry I wasn’t funny enough. There are rich and poor and there are experts and amatuers. The rebuilding need experts and amatuers withg money can send a cheque. There is no publicity but it is most effective(affective?)
I look forward to your response
I wasn’t at the Kinglake West public meeting that day but I’ve been at the other meetings, word spread of the debacle..
To be honest its a very minor number of noisy individuals who are causing unrest, a reflection on their current state of mind rather than the kinglake ranges as a whole… the majority of folk just want to get back onto their land and if they can get something additional for their community then great.
I have to say I have to laugh at the audacity of those saying they are getting no help… DHS and Centrelink and Red Cross were up here dishing out $$$$$ thousands (IN CASH TOO) to those who lost homes and those who didn’t but were up here at the time, by the Monday after, noones starving up here and theres been plenty for everyone whose lost homes and been affected.
I’m glad I live in Australia because if this had of happened anywhere else you can be sure you’d probably get nothing!
Ditto - I feel for those left in the area to deal with the clean up & rebuilding however there are quite alot of feral dope growers that would have had their salary (ie on top of their dole) for the next 12 months diminished. How embarrassing that the Mary Janers steal the spotlight away from Twiggy who is a man of such distinction & credability. Get off your asses dopeheads & unite with your community. If you want money then move your crops to a spot where they are not damaged by fire!
Twiggys been doing some sort of r.m.williams
version of mother teresa, employing every aboriginal,
selling land and giving it to the bushfire appeal?
Surplus dongas lobbed in Victoria.
One would hope that this excersise is not spin related to his
need for government approvals to sell the farm.
That would be cynical
How dare these uneducated ruffians yell at the rich man. Dont they know their place. He is bringing his many and varied experience in recovery of bushfire depleted towns to help them and all they do is yell. Im glad the author could remember the one quote from some wag from the crowd but the tirade from those who “took” the mike from Mr Forrest is unrememorable enough for no quote.How dare they not want their town to be more like the city that the educated among them have moved away from. Dont they know the poor,Sorry uneducated, should just shut up. Did the author know the peoples education or does he think emotive language and selective reporting will add weight to his arguement. Crikey complains of the tabloids fuelling a class war over the gfc and then prints this. Why didnt he call them the only racist term you can print in this country “bogan” because it refers to poor whites/europeans. Build your walls high bushwahs(loved bush/howard, now crying wah)because if the gfc continues then crime will increase. Please keep the bushfire reporting to the accurate. There is enough dishonest barrow pushing going on as it is.
“Those of us educated people..” might brush up their grammar before acting a a flack for Twiggy and “the right people..”. or was that Right peepel?
Forelock tuggers for shame, get thou Uriahs back to your Heep.
Gee some people talk crap. Communities need to unite to move forward in times of trouble. Individuals need outlets to express their frustrations but trying to do this over the top of a community attempting to work its way forward is not just pointless, it’s counterproductive. I live in a working class suburb and have many ‘bogan’ mates (not to mention many bogan moments myself), but I’d tell folks off if they behaved this way too. Education is not really the issue - there are plenty of small-minded educated people and many educated people are very materialistic - and the author probably shouldn’t have made it one. But no one should be counterproductive or seek political mileage at a time like this.