Critical Times

Source: Progressive Educators
Date: 2008-12-02

(Please note there is a website video link on Rann at the end of this article: too good to miss!)

Our beloved Premier really blew it after reading Stephen Orr’s article in the Advertiser calling on him to “intervene, find common ground, reassure all parties and stop creating an atmosphere of conflict and mistrust. He must create a vision for the future of our schools that is lacking.”

Major Marty picked up on Orr’s call to the Premier, leading to this remarkable outburst in Parliament later that day, and given front page prominence in the Advertiser the next day:

TEACHERS DISPUTE

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:43): Is the Premier’s media unit being used to conduct a deliberate campaign around its teachers dispute position designed to diminish the public standing and status of the teaching profession in order to create an atmosphere of conflict and public mistrust?

The Hon.

Source: Serve The People

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders of Marathon
Resources Limited will be held at the Mercure Grosvenor Hotel Adelaide, 125 North Terrace,
Adelaide South Australia on Friday, 28 November 2008 at 9:30am (Adelaide time).

(Watch this space for invitations to the footpath outside the Grosvenor!)

Despite taking SA Premier Mike Rann to China a couple of weeks ago, Chris Schacht has seen the value of Marathon Resources shares nose-dive in the last day or so to 22 cents per share!

Just like the pilots in that Qantas jet that recently plummeted thousands of feet over the briny blue sea, the Marathon Directors are trying to manually control the fall with any lever that comes to hand.

Hence this morning’s gravity-defying announcement that the company “will start more non-drilling exploration in the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary from today” (ABC Radio news).

Noted progressive historian and academic, Humphrey McQueen, has written on the Rann Government’s proposed cuts to injured workers’ entitlements. His contribution follows:

South Australia is the latest Australian Labor Party administration to cut compensation payments.

An Adelaide academic advised the Rann regime that reducing benefits was the only way to save the State’s WorkCover from bankruptcy.

The report which prompted the Prime Minister’s warning to farmers that they will no longer be able to rely on water from the Murray-Darling system has been publicly released.

It contains more dire warnings on the reliability of town water supplies.

The Government’s second Contingency Planning Report says it is expected that critical urban and stock demands can be met, but quality issues may arise in some smaller towns where water may need to be trucked in.