N.S.W. Floods

[Des Jenkins]

Hi Les
The NSW govt just lost $2 billion digging a tunnel that now the contractors have pulled out of as they have struck large sink holes, the tunnel was for a train line to the new airport, but I ask the question who owns the Airport? is it private? if so why is the Govt spending public money on the lines..
Now that those hundred year floods have hit NSW they have no money left to help out they are offering $180 a week to each family.
Des

[Les Woodard]

Des I think that they have gone one tunnel to many and the whole bloody system is about to collapse. It must be starting to look like a honeycomb under Sydney now. As for the water well either? Use their boring skills to channel it through the mountains or have channels with solar powered pumps to drag it over the mountains. Not as if there is not already drainage in place. Just look at Lake Eire that fills up after a couple of months after the Queensland floods. There must be a water course already there.

[Des Jenkins]

Hi Les.
My last job was supervisor on the Sydney Water Board, then they sacked all the workers 1,800 men and privatized it, when we worked there we would get to a break very quickly, since then they have struggled to stop any water gushing out of broken pipes, they just wanted to raise the water rates for the Sydney area by 50% but I think the Govt shut that off. The bloke who privatized the board started the second
Big Snowy power job down here he stuffed up to the tune of $2Billion and was replaced, but I bet he got a good payout.

Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Des, not sure about the new airport as to who owns it.
Thought all airports large or small come under the airport authority which is a federal body.
They may have some private ownership in parts but the major ones I think you will find are federal owned.

[Ivan Cloherty]

I see that Darwin Port Authority are trying to wrest back control of the port from the Chinese, about bluddy time they woke up.

[James Curry]

Best people in the world to ask would be the Dutch, if they cannot sort a flooding problem out no one can. One reason the Dutch are some of the tallest people in Europe are the Dutch, if they were wee short arses they would drown.

Climate change but as usual there are those who say no, we have had the dryest Spring in over a hundred years

Yesterday was the first time it rained here for 5 weeks

[Des Jenkins]

I see that Darwin Port Authority are trying to wrest back control of the port from the Chinese, about bluddy time they woke up.

HI Ivan.
How times change, it was the Liberal Conservative party that signed up the Chinese to a 90 year leas of Port Darwin around ten years ago, in the election just gone they where attacking the Labour Party for not getting it back. Chickens coming home to roost.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

The chance of getting Darwin back from China is like attempting to fly in an aircraft without wings, buckleys!!!!

Well James it would sound as if you are still a climate believer, driest spring for 100 years.
What about the drought in the mid 60's, or the winter of 48 and others.
All just part of a weather system pattern that can vary over the centuries.

I read that a number of scientists say the climate question has been well overdone by some who benefit from it.
And global warming could be good as opens up new land for food production!!!!!

[James Curry]

Bu I often wonder about the mentality of some.
I see that in UK there is to be a ban on wood fires in new houses, causes the big C so they say.
Well here in Oz half the bloody houses have a wood fire, and we get bush fires, never heard of anyone getting sick in that manner from them!![/QUOTE]

The reason for the proposed ban was first muted by the Tory mob , Michael Gove, not sure if it has been made law yet, but!!! it was because people would burn wet wood causing a lot of smoke.

Many parts of the UK are smoke control areas where:

you cannot release smoke from a chimney
you can only burn authorised fuel, unless you use an appliance approved by Defra (also known as an ‘exempt appliance’ or ‘Defra approved appliance’)
In England you may have to pay a penalty of up to £300 if your chimney releases smoke in a smoke control area.

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you buy unauthorised fuel to use in an appliance that’s not approved by Defra.

From a UK Gov Document.

Wood burners can still be bought new so as long as you burn the correct type of Kiln dried wood not a problem , as we know wood is a renewable resource.

I have a neighbour I have had cause to have a word with he is a so called tree surgeon and and gets free wood from the trees he carries out amputations on he has a wood burner. At times the road stinks of smoke and it does not do my knackered lungs any favours. No way am I prepared to be a prisoner in my own house. Others have complained and he has got the message.

[Tony Taylor]

Bu I often wonder about the mentality of some.
I see that in UK there is to be a ban on wood fires in new houses, causes the big C so they say.
Well here in Oz half the bloody houses have a wood fire, and we get bush fires, never heard of anyone getting sick in that manner from them!!

The reason for the proposed ban was first muted by the Tory mob , Michael Gove, not sure if it has been made law yet, but!!! it was because people would burn wet wood causing a lot of smoke.

Many parts of the UK are smoke control areas where:

you cannot release smoke from a chimney
you can only burn authorised fuel, unless you use an appliance approved by Defra (also known as an ‘exempt appliance’ or ‘Defra approved appliance’)
In England you may have to pay a penalty of up to £300 if your chimney releases smoke in a smoke control area.

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you buy unauthorised fuel to use in an appliance that’s not approved by Defra.

From a UK Gov Document.

Wood burners can still be bought new so as long as you burn the correct type of Kiln dried wood not a problem , as we know wood is a renewable resource.

I have a neighbour I have had cause to have a word with he is a so called tree surgeon and and gets free wood from the trees he carries out amputations on he has a wood burner. At times the road stinks of smoke and it does not do my knackered lungs any favours. No way am I prepared to be a prisoner in my own house. Others have complained and he has got the message.[/QUOTE]

My house is in a smokeless zone (for 40+ years), its a joke! Woodburners are blossoming all over the place, there are 10 houses on my side of the road, 5 have woodburners. The atmosphere is so bad at times that I must either hold my breath or wear a face fit mask (lung issues) just to exit my car and get in the house, clothes and hair stink from a few seconds exposure.
I tried complaining to the council two or three years back but just received a brush off claiming its ok to make smoke for a few minutes when adding fresh fuel, however with so many of them there is always someone within a few yards, adding fuel.
I got so incensed that I bought a piece of kit to monitor the air outside my house back and front randomly, over the winter. The results are horrendous, with particulate readings dozens of times the recommended maximum.
I am about to start a summer trial for comparison and will subsequently issue my records to the council for comment.
My immediate neighbour burns anything including pallets, leylandii, conifers anything anyone chops down locally or if having building work done is there for the pallets.