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blackadder

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1890 - Jan 10^th, 2012 at 6:20am

The opposition's scrutiny of government spokesman, Martin Pakula, said reasons given for rejecting the freedom of information request were laughable.

They showed the government had contempt for freedom of information laws, he said.

''The government can't use a document to justify a hysterical media release and then claim it's an internal working document. They can't have it both ways,'' he said.

Just some of Brumbys refusals.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/foi-request-refused-for-states-media-plans-20100601-wvas.html

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/legal-threat-on-brumby-files-20110901-1joas.html

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/brumby-rejects-foi-request-on-ber-costs/story-e6frg6nf-1225868399381

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/03/01/3151961.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/03/01/3151961.htm

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buzzanddidj

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1891 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 11:08am

buzzanddidj wrote on Sep 28^th, 2011 at 11:19am:

buzzanddidj wrote on Sep 16^th, 2011 at 10:10am:

PLANNING Minister Matthew Guy has been accused of opening the floodgates for development along the Victorian coast with a surprise decision to rezone seaside farmland for housing at Phillip Island.

In a move that has riled local government, Mr Guy this week wrote to the Bass Coast Shire Council, explaining he had over-ruled them and would include a 5.7-hectare farming property known as the Cadogan land into the township of Ventnor

.

The reasons given by the minister for the intervention were that the owner of the land had requested the rezoning, residential rezoning would be good for housing affordability, and the new housing precinct could make use of the existing infrastructure and services at the Ventnor township.

But the council yesterday ridiculed the decision.

''There's no infrastructure,'' Cr Peter Paul said.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/phillip-island-hospital-closes/story-e...

''The only people who could support it are the developer and the real estate agent who sells the land. This is not just a Phillip Island issue; this is an issue for the entire Victorian coast.''

The council met Mr Guy last night in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the development.

In a letter to Mr Guy, Bass Coast chief executive Allan Bawden said the council had decided to retain the land for farming following a 10-year strategic planning process.

One hundred submissions had called for the Ventnor town boundaries to be retained. Only one submission (from the owner) supported rezoning of the property.

The Age understands a
mystery

purchaser
is waiting for the
rezoning to be finalised
.

Council sources said they were confident that the
identity of that purchaser
would explain much about the minister's seemingly ad hoc intervention

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/coastal-council-minister-at-odds-20110915-1kby...

Identity of Developer REVEALED

September 28, 2011

THE row over the Baillieu government's bungled bid to rezone farmland at Phillip Island has been reignited by the revelation that

the company behind the move is a generous contributor to the Liberal Party and headed by a former president of the party's Queensland branch.

Brisbane-based Brown Consulting played an instrumental role in Planning Minister Matthew Guy's surprise decision to rezone 23 hectares of farmland for residential development on the fringe of Ventnor hamlet on Phillip Island.

When Mr Guy wrote to Bass Coast Shire on September 8 stating his intention to override it and rezone the Ventnor site he said he was responding to ''a request from Brown and Tomkinson Pty Ltd [the former name of Brown Consulting]'' on behalf of land owner John Cadogan.

His intervention came despite a decade-long planning process by the council, during which two independent panels opposed the extension of Ventnor's boundaries to take in the site.

It sparked outrage among adjacent property owners, the Bass Coast council and Liberal Party members and senior figures, including federal environment spokesman and Flinders MP, Greg Hunt. A short but effective lobbying campaign followed and went international following protest comments by Hollywood starlet Miley Cyrus.

While Mr Guy last week responded by abandoning the rezoning, his original decision remains something of a mystery.

Brown Consulting is a consultancy that provides development advice including on engineering, planning and surveying.

The company's national managing director is Gary Spence, who was president of the Queensland Liberal Party when it merged with the National Party in 2008. He is currently vice-president of the Liberal National Party, the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia.

Official records show that from 2005 to 2009, Brown Consulting contributed more than $100,000 to the Liberal Party

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/island-rezoning-row-heats-up-20110927-1kvhd.ht...

Planning minister 'ignored documents'

Clay Lucas and Royce Millar
January 12, 2012.

CONTROVERSY around the Baillieu government's bungled planning intervention at Phillip Island has been reignited by documents that reveal Planning Minister Matthew Guy ignored warnings that rezoning farmland was unnecessary for housing supply and could be environmentally damaging.

In September, Mr Guy stunned local residents, the Bass Coast council and planning experts when he announced his intention to rezone a 24-hectare site at Ventnor near Cowes, citing housing affordability as the justification.

Advice to Mr Guy released to The Age shows that senior planning official David Hodge ultimately recommended the minister intervene to approve the rezoning, despite a decade-long planning process including two independent panel reports opposing housing on the site.

But an accompanying report by Mr Hodge appears to be at odds with the recommendation, pointing out that Phillip Island already had more than enough vacant land to satisfy housing demand, and warning of the potential threats development posed for the nearby colony of short-tailed shearwaters.

''There is not an immediate shortage of urban land supply on Phillip Island,'' the six-page report notes.
''Ventnor township currently has 58 properties for sale, of which 15 are vacant lots.''

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/planning-minister-ignored-documents-20120111-1...

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« Last Edit: Jan 13^th, 2012 at 11:19am by buzzanddidj »

'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

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Andrei.Hicks

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1892 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 12:00pm

Anyone else see the irony of a gay guy posting about corruption when he supported the previous Government which had -

1) A Police Minister who ran up over $300,000 in travel expenses
2) A Minister who spent $30,000 on taxi rides
3) An accused rapist in the Government
4) Influenced the Chief Commissioner of VIC Police - reknowned for its corruption at the high levels - to release incorrect crime statistics because an election was coming up.

Irony anyone?

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Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination - Oscar Wilde

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Andrei.Hicks

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1893 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 12:03pm

Should I also mention -

1) Having peaceful environmental protestors who voiced complaints about the damaging effects of dredging our bay removed from public events.

2) Having people in the north of Victoria arrested for sitting down on THEIR OWN PROPERTY.

3) Wasted $17,500,000,000 on a desalination plant that has never been used and will now cost every single Victorian a debt for the next 30 years.

Yep - I tell you what, they were great years.....

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Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination - Oscar Wilde

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buzzanddidj

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1894 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 12:57pm

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 12:00pm:

Anyone else see the irony of a gay guy posting about corruption ...

This is the BEST defence you can dredge up to try and cover the TOTALLY INCOMPATENT and CORRUPT Baillieu Government ?

TED Baillieu's failure to publish the cost of taxpayer-financed overseas trips on time has brought into serious question his pledge of openness and accountability.
Mr Baillieu, Treasurer Kim Wells and Business Minister Louise Asher all took overseas trips last year.

But only Ms Asher posted her trip costs and benefits on her department website by the end of the quarter in which she travelled as required

Mr Ballieu's seven-day trip to China in September cost taxpayers $51,500 in flights, accommodation and expenses for Mr Baillieu, his wife and three staff.

Mr Wells was also accompanied by Treasury Secretary Grant Hehir, Treasury Corporation of Victoria CEO Bill Whitford and Victorian Funds Management Corporation CEO Justin Arter, taking the total taxpayer cost to more than $100,000.

Opposition scrutiny of government spokesman Martin Pakula said the costs of both trips should have been made public without the Government being hounded to do so.

"Victorians are entitled to know the cost of Ministerial travel and what value we're getting from it. That's why the previous Government published the information quarterly, that's why the current Government committed to continuing the practice, and that's why they must keep that promise.''

Ms Asher told Parliament's Public Accounts and Estimates Committee last August that the Government would continue to disclose ministerial travel costs in line with the
practise established by the Brumby Government
.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/travelling-ted-slow-to-tell-all/story...i

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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Andrei.Hicks Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 23818 Carlsbad, CA Gender:	Re: BaillieuWatch Reply #1895 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 1:02pm All my points are true though Buzz - agreed?
Back to top	Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination - Oscar Wilde IP Logged

buzzanddidj Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 14137 Eganstown, via Daylesford, VIC Gender:	Re: BaillieuWatch Reply #1896 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 1:10pm Andrei.Hicks wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 12:03pm: Yep - I tell you what, they were great years..... INDEED, they WERE ... and very PROSPEROUS years Baillieu inherited a state with one of the LOWEST unemployment rates in the COUNTRY In a YEAR, it is now WELL above the national average
Back to top	'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.' - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi IP Logged

buzzanddidj Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 14137 Eganstown, via Daylesford, VIC Gender:	Re: BaillieuWatch Reply #1897 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 1:29pm Andrei.Hicks wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 1:02pm: All my points are true though Buzz - agreed? NO ... we've covered them ALL before ...
Back to top	'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.' - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi IP Logged

Andrei.Hicks Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 23818 Carlsbad, CA Gender:	Re: BaillieuWatch Reply #1898 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 1:29pm They were for me personally yes. Good old Australia and Victoria eh? Helping out the Hicks clan.... You must have loved having us.....
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barnaby joe

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1899 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 1:32pm

did you guys ever stop to consider that maybe politicians of any persuasion cant really do that much about the economy as you would like to think and market forces are pretty important in determining everything. its like everytime something good or bad occurs economically you take it a sign somebody somewhere in the gubmint is doing a good or bad job as if politicians are deities that have complete and total control over even the most insignificant of economic minuatae.

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buzzanddidj

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1900 - Jan 13^th, 2012 at 1:53pm

MORE than 11,000 Victorian jobs could be lost in the next six months, but it may lead to an interest rate cut.
Figures released yesterday showed job vacancies in Australia hit an 18-month low in November.

Economists warned Victoria's unemployment rate - already above the national average - could rise from 5.4 per cent to 5.75 per cent by mid-year.

Victoria has been one of the hardest hit states in the past 12 months as manufacturing and retail felt the squeeze of a high dollar.

Jobs in retail, hospitality, recreation and manufacturing are most at risk as employers put off hiring amid fears the global economy will continue to weaken.

Employment groups said further interest rate cuts would be a welcome relief to businesses hit by the harsh economic climate.

"Fewer people in work will mean fewer consumers, which is bad for business," said Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Mark Stone.

"Businesses are struggling. It's hoped recent and possibly future interest rate cuts will help counteract this."

Job vacancies in Australia fell 3.3 per cent in the three months to November, the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show, prompting fears that more than 54,000 jobs could go nationally by mid-year.

Shadow Minister for Employment Tim Pallas said the figures were a damning indictment of the Baillieu Government's economic management and "do-nothing" approach to industry investment and job creation.

100,000 jobs were created under Labor in 2010 when Victoria had been the job creation capital of Australia.

"The Baillieu Government has trashed Victorian Labor's job legacy and is now overseeing a stalled economy with investments fleeing to other states, such as NSW," he said.

"How many Victorian workers will need to lose their jobs before the Baillieu Government wakes up from the slothful slumber of incumbency and starts working to support investment and job creation in Victoria?"

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/victorian-workers-in-the-gun-as-press...

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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buzzanddidj

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Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1901 - Jan 20^th, 2012 at 9:46am

buzzanddidj wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 11:08am:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/specials/tribune_125/expose%20corruption.jpg

Planning minister 'ignored documents'

Clay Lucas and Royce Millar
January 12, 2012.

CONTROVERSY around the Baillieu government's bungled planning intervention at Phillip Island has been reignited by documents that reveal Planning Minister Matthew Guy ignored warnings that rezoning farmland was unnecessary for housing supply and could be environmentally damaging.

In September, Mr Guy stunned local residents, the Bass Coast council and planning experts when he announced his intention to rezone a 24-hectare site at Ventnor near Cowes, citing housing affordability as the justification.

Advice to Mr Guy released to The Age shows that senior planning official David Hodge ultimately recommended the minister intervene to approve the rezoning, despite a decade-long planning process including two independent panel reports opposing housing on the site.

But an accompanying report by Mr Hodge appears to be at odds with the recommendation, pointing out that Phillip Island already had more than enough vacant land to satisfy housing demand, and warning of the potential threats development posed for the nearby colony of short-tailed shearwaters.

''There is not an immediate shortage of urban land supply on Phillip Island,'' the six-page report notes.
''Ventnor township currently has 58 properties for sale, of which 15 are vacant lots.''

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/planning-minister-ignored-documents-20120111-1...

Greg Hunt "sh!ts in the nest"

Nick McKenzie and Royce Millar
January 20, 2012

VICTORIAN Planning Minister Matthew Guy is being sued over claims he failed to follow proper planning processes and succumbed to backroom pressure from Liberal heavyweights when he backflipped over a contentious rezoning of Phillip Island farmland last year.

A statement filed yesterday in the Supreme Court on behalf of the buyer of the Ventnor property, Carley Nicholls, claims Mr Guy was influenced by pressure from senior Liberal politicians rather than by proper planning considerations in reversing his rezoning decision.

In the signed statement of claim, lawyer Louis Coutts says Ms Nicholls agreed to the unconditional purchase of the property in early September only after being assured by the minister's office and the Planning Department in early September that the rezoning would proceed.

The court action could prove damaging for the Coalition, with ministers and public servants potentially being ordered to hand over documents and appear as witnesses.

In the statement, Mr Coutts claims to have uncovered evidence of political interference in the period between Mr Guy's initial move to rezone the 23-hectare site, and his change of heart soon after.

On September 16 The Age revealed Mr Guy's surprise decision to override the local Bass Coast Council by rezoning the Ventnor farmland for housing.

As the political temperature rose, fuelled by the involvement of celebrity protester Miley Cyrus, Mr Guy announced on September 22 that the rezoning would not proceed. At the time, he said his rethink followed further discussions with the Bass Coast Council.

But Mr Coutts claims in the statement to the court that no such discussions between the minister and council took place. Rather, he says, the reversal was ''a result of political pressure''.

The statement also includes claims that:

■ At a Liberal Party breakfast at Cowes on September 27 local federal Liberal MP Greg Hunt claimed responsibility for persuading the minister to change his mind.

■ Mr Hunt told Ms Nicholls' husband, Jim Hopkins, that he contacted the minister asking him to repeal his decision and that he had urged Premier Ted Baillieu and his deputy, Louise Asher, to intervene.

■ The initial intervention by Mr Guy was in accordance with proper planning but the reversal was not

■ The backflip was an abuse of the rule of law, against the laws of natural justice, biased, and offensive to legislative process.

The claim urges the court to order the minister to reinstate his initial decision. It alleges that if this does not happen, the land would be worth far less than the $2.65 million Ms Nicholls paid for it and she would seek damages.

Property experts estimate that if rezoned for residential development, the Ventnor land could have generated between $10 million and $15 million for its owner.

Along with the minister, the Planning Department is also named as a defendant in the statement of claim.

Last night Mr Hunt defended his involvement in the Ventnor debate. ''My job as the local member is to stand up fearlessly for the local community and the local environment''

Planning Minister Matthew Guy offered no comment after being notified by The Age of the legal action.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/minister-sued-for-planning-backflip-20120119-1...

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'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.'

- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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########## Ex Member	Re: BaillieuWatch Reply #1902 - Jan 20^th, 2012 at 9:57am I dont think I could Afford, nor feel secure in living in VIC . With a State Government keen to cut jobs whilst allowing electricty to rise. Electricity giants win right to sting Victorians again http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/electricity-giants-win-right-to-sting...
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FRED. Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 3698	Re: BaillieuWatch Reply #1903 - Jan 20^th, 2012 at 1:05pm Quote: I dont think I could Afford, nor feel secure in living in VIC . With a State Government keen to cut jobs whilst allowing electricty to rise. Electricity giants win right to sting Victorians again http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/electricity-giants-win-right-to-sting... Your not invited
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##########

Ex Member

Re: BaillieuWatch
Reply #1904 - Jan 22^nd, 2012 at 4:20pm

FRED. wrote on Jan 20^th, 2012 at 1:05pm:

Quote:

I dont think I could Afford, nor feel secure in living in VIC . With a State Government keen to cut jobs whilst allowing electricty to rise.

Electricity giants win right to sting Victorians again

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/electricity-giants-win-right-to-sting...

Your not invited Wink

Thank goodness, as;

http://www.thepowerindex.com.au/melbourne/ted-baillieu

Ted Baillieu
He's in power, but does Big Ted have the ticker to govern?

"For the very obvious reason that Ted isn't up to being Premier of Victoria. He's only up to being a junior minister. He's never had a policy idea in his life," claims the senior Liberal.

"He's not an ideologue, he's not really interested in public policy. He sort of just starts from a blank sheet of paper and says 'well what do I do?'"

It also sounds a bit like Tony abbott. Kiss

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