Final Newsletter from Dr Jon Jenkins  MLC (February 2007)

Preserving the Environment….. Protecting Your Right to Enjoy It

"The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow. They come to be accepted by degrees, by
precedent, by implication, by erosion, by default, by dint of constant pressure on one side and constant retreat on the other -
until the day when they are suddenly declared to be the country's official ideology" (Ayn Rand)
Table of Contents
Human Caused Climate Change
Greens Kill National Parks Volunteers Bill
Cataclysmic Fires Devastate Bushland and Wildlife
The Marine Parks Farce Continues
Greens Caught in Their Own Net
The Missing $24Million from the 2006 Budget
Jon's Parliamentary Activities
Jon’s Farewell Speech: Never Give In
Closing Notes
Contact
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HUMAN CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE: THE GREATEST CON OF ALL TIME

Go to www.trac.org.au

The release of the UN’s IPCC Summary Report for Policymakers caused a mass hysteria like response amongst the doomsayers. This is in direct contrast to the actual science of the report which was decidedly calmer than previous releases.

The reason the Full Scientific Report, which has been available for many months, will not be released until May 2007 is to allow the politically biased Summary Report to be used in the social and political agendas of the politicians who wrote it.

The UN and it’s panels (i.e. the IPCC), are political appointees and are populated with the scientific versions of “yes men”! Anyone who deviates from the mantra does not last long as the recent resignation letter of one of the most senior scientists testifies to: "I have come to view the part of the IPCC to which my expertise is relevant as having become politicized. In addition, when I have raised my concerns to the IPCC leadership, their response was simply to dismiss my concerns."

There seems to be a misconception that there is consensus in the scientific community but this is a deliberate LIE! In the only independent survey of scientists Prof Dennis Bray found that less than 1 in 10 of the worlds top 600 meteorologists strongly agreed that humans have  caused global warming and less than 1 in 100 believed that computers can accurately predict the future climate. The simple fact is that the so called “sceptics” include many of the worlds most eminent climatologists.

Brief Analysis of the IPCC Summary Report for Policymakers (SRPM)

The blunt truth is that the computer models have been proven to be wrong (eg global temperatures have been steady or falling since 1998) and the IPCC is now having to dodge and weave by drastically reducing/fudging  all manner of computer based estimates to account for why previous predictions are so drastically out of step with observed readings:

The IPCC has had to cut its estimate of the human influence on climate by least 1/3 and has also drastically change other predictions including for example cutting predicted sea level rises to below 3mm per year.

The IPCC panel has refused to apologise for the deception concerning the removal of the Mediaeval Warm Period (which was hotter than today) and the Little Ice Age from the now infamous "hockey stick" graph of the previous IPCC report. This lack of contrition, over what can only be described as a scientific fraud, is a testament to political nature and lack of scientific credibility of the IPCC panel.

One senior scientist involved in the drafting of the IPCC scientific report made the following comment: "Stern is dead. The figures in the final draft of the UN's fourth assessment report makes a recent report of your [Britain's] Treasury's chief economist on the cost of climate change look like childish panic."

I  would urge you to read the critiques on my web site at www.trac.org.au. But above all do some research on the web yourself. Visit some of the scientist’s websites such as:

www.co2science.org
www..junkscience.com
www.climatesearch.org
www.ffa.org

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Greens Kill National Parks Volunteers Bill

In a cynical politically inspired move the Greens tried to stop Jon presenting of petition with almost 10,000 signatures to create a volunteer organisation for National Parks. They then opposed the Bill itself: That’s correct: the Greens and the extremist environmental organisations like the National Parks Association, the Nature Conservation Council, the Wilderness Society, the Colong Foundation and other members of the Total Environment Centre  OPPOSED the creation of a formalised Volunteer service for National Parks Volunteers. The Bill had the support of both the Government and the Opposition. But after promising they would support the Bill the NSW Government allowed the Greens to filibuster and use up all the time available in the last session of Parliament.

However this fits with the Greens strategy which has no real desire to improve the problems with the environment: no problems means no campaign issues and no reason to vote Green!

To the Governments credit they have signed to Memorandum of Understanding Version II (MOU II) but it remains to be seen how much is just lip service and how much is a real commitment to volunteers in National Parks.

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Cataclysmic Fires Devastate Bushland and Wildlife

While the mainstream press are led by the nose by Government PR people using headline grabbing “arsonist” claims the real story of devastation is in the bush itself.

With over 1 million hectares of bush land destroyed in the last month so have billions of native animals, birds, reptiles and plants been destroyed Fires kill more than once: they kill the first in the fire itself; the more intense the fire the more species are killed. The second time they kill is in the aftermath when there is no food and no cover. Starving surviving animals are picked off by predators at will. Finally they can kill if subsequent rain/wind cause siltation by ash and erosion clogging creeks and streams.

This destruction goes almost unseen but what is really distressing is that destruction is the direct result of the quasi “religious” policies of the wilderness sect glorified by the city based press. Organizations like the Wilderness Society and the Nature Conservation Society have directly caused this destruction by a cult like approach to land management. They continue to  ignore the role fire (natural and indigenous) has played over the last 50,000 years.

The simple fact is that prior to European settlement fuel loads never built up to cataclysmic levels they are today. Species death and loss of biodiversity is directly related to fire temperature which is directly related to fuel loads. The Government has made fuel loads a State secret and refused to release details of fuel loads in National Parks.

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The Marine Parks Farce Continues

What a farce it was, the so called “public consultation” was a joke just as it was in Byron Bay.

The thousands and thousands of submissions were overwhelmingly against the parks but they went ahead anyway. Minister Debus added high farce to the process when he walked in and declared the Batemans Marine Park a done deal even before the submissions had been considered by the committee. His own advisory committee moved a motion of no confidence against him but it was defeated by the ALP chairperson!

This follows on from a meeting at ACORF (the Ministers own hand picked advisory panel) where one of the Marine Parks senior scientists told the meeting that the zoning was a done deal and would not be changed regardless of what was in the submissions. This caused even the Ministers own handpicked advisors to write a letter of complaint!

Millions wasted on fancy new cars, boats, offices, staff and commercial buyouts all while the chief NSW Fisheries Scientist says “no fish stocks are in danger”. All this precious money wasted to buy Green preferences could have been used on real environmental issues like pollution in our rivers. Wake up people:  you are being conned!

The definitive study by the respected economics group Ernst and Young predicted disaster for the small towns along the coast and they were right! Already around Byron the tackle shops are gone as are some of the marine suppliers. Although Byron is protected because of its high backpacker population surrounding towns like Brunswick are feeling the decline in tourism already with a 20% falloff in visitors.

There’s more to come as the extremist environmental movement gets payback for Green preferences afterwards.

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Greens Caught in Their Own Net

On 26/09/06 I asked the Minister for Primary Industries if on the 16th of September 2006 the Greens political party conduct its official party campaign launch inside the Cape Byron Marine Park as this is a breach of the regulations governing the use of marine parks. And if so did the Greens have a permit to hold this event within the Park?

I also asked the Minister if the Greens did not have a permit would the organizers of the event be charged under the the Marine Park and, if authorities were aware of the breach of the park’s regulations, why they did not enforce section 33 (1) (a) of the Act?

The Minister rubbished on about  new zoning plans and a public educational awareness phase to advise the community of the new laws and requirements. He said that it is anticipated that it will take some time for individuals and groups to understand the new laws!

The Minister confirmed that organized events do require a permit to be issued at no cost by the Marine Park Authority and in future the Greens will be informed that a permit will be required.

This was particularly galling as several community clubs have been warned not to hold organised  events inside Marine Parks. In particular ECO Fishers has been warned off having any rallies or protest meetings without a permit (fat chance one would be given!).

Remember one rule for some and one for others when the time comes!

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The Missing $24Million from the 2006 Budget

The budget papers for 2006-7 reveal a green slush fund of between $18m and $24m to be spent on "community conservation grants and education"! $13m+ of this comes from the Environmental Trust and $5m+ directly from the DEC with another $6.5m from the Environmental Trust unaccounted for.

What will this money spent on and what are the expected outcomes?  The Auditor General has been asking the same questions for years to no avail.

Many of these "community" grants do not end up funding real conservation projects but rather fund the political campaigns of extremist conservation groups to redirect votes back to the Government. Some of it may even end up being donated back to the political parties as groups like the Wilderness Society are donors to the Greens.

These figures do not include the almost unlimited resources given to the "conservation" groups/personnel for the Legal Aid and Environmental Defenders Offices (both under Minister Debus' control!). These Offices are used to fund advice, court actions and other legal procedures for "conservation" groups and personnel. What about the people who desperately need Legal Aid but can’t get it because it is wasted on fractious environmental law suits?

Is it time to ask about real environmental outcomes and some basic accounting for taxpayers money squandered on so called "conservation" yet?

Finally it looks like the community is getting it’s act together. I am not sure how March 24 will fall but when ordinary people like Jack Tait have decided to throw their hats into the ring it is a sign of things to come. Ordinary people who have had a gutful of being ignored by arrogant Governments are now the norm everywhere I go; they just need to know about a reasonable alternative.

The ECO Fishers group alone has grown to well over 15,000 members in just a few months and will be a political force to be reckoned with in the future.

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Jon's Parliamentary Activities

Due to ill health Jon was not as active this year in Parliament as he has been. However he did ask questions in Parliament on:
Jon also spoke briefly on the following Issues
 You can find a full record of Jon's speeches on the Parliaments web site at http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3HHBSpeaker?open&vwCat=Jenkins, The Hon Jon

If you take the time to read the Hansard record then you will see a trend: Ministers rarely if ever answer the questions put to them. If not reading from pre-prepared propaganda sheet they just rabbit on and basically treat Parliament and the other MPs the way they treat the public: as some minor inconvenience!

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Jon’s Farewell Speech: Never Give In

This is my final adjournment speech in this House, so I will use the opportunity to reflect a little on my time here. When I first came into Parliament in 2003 I had two primary tasks to accomplish. The first was to repair the public relations disaster that had surrounded my predecessor. I have done that: the Outdoor Recreation Party is no longer mentioned along with some alleged corruption, and we have managed to restore the faith of our many supporters and rebuild the party.

My second task was to attack the credibility of the extremist conservation movement. Many see the abuse of science and the flawed logic of the "wilderness devoid of humans" mentality, but I have been less successful than I had hoped, perhaps because I have taken on other issues, such as scepticism of the theories of anthropogenic global warming. This is so important that I will take a few seconds to expand on it.

Our climate has ranged from warm periods where the Opera House would have been under 30 metres of ocean to cool periods where cities like New York would be under three kilometres of solid glacier. Either of these scenarios would be catastrophic for modern civilisation should they return. However, the current mass hysteria surrounding climate change is based on a fraud. I probably cannot explain the detail of the flawed nature of these apocalyptic computer models to the average person, but an everyday example may help. El Niño is one of the major climate factors on the earth and if the computer models are unable to even predict next year's El Niño, how is it possible that they can predict the climate in 100 years time?

The press has allowed political ideologues to hijack what should have been a scientific debate. I understand and accept that there is a part of the human psyche that finds itself attracted, however unwillingly, to controversy and conflict. Accordingly, the issues that make our commercial headlines are understandable. However, it is the media outlet that holds the very crucible of our democracy in its hands that has particularly disappointed me with its entrenched left-wing agenda—so much so that one could say the ABC may as well be the media arm of the Greens.

Of all my efforts I am proud to say that I have never offered to trade my vote for the rights of the people of New South Wales for good and just legislation for a benefit of any kind. Some would say this is foolish and that I have achieved nothing, but I think Winston Churchill expressed my feelings: Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. I have kept that promise I made in my inaugural speech.

Just as things were looking up and the possibility of re-election became feasible I became ill with a form of epilepsy. Investigations revealed a glioma as the probable cause and my physicians recommended my immediate retirement. Had not my National Parks Volunteers Service Bill made it back to the precedence list I would have been long gone. This bill, so close to my reason for being here, will mark my time in this House one way or another.

In closing I would like to thank all the members of the New South Wales 4WD Association, who offer their time free of charge to the national parks to do volunteer work. My sincere thanks to Rob Kelly and the other executive members for their personal support during what have been tough times. My thanks also go to Nick Jacomas of the Australian Horse Alliance and Richard Smallwood of the Australian Trail Horse Riders Association—your continued support is appreciated. To Ken Thurlow, Rod Burston, Geoff Ruse, Jack Tait, Philp Creigh, Rowan Phelps, Merv McFie, Maurie Britten and the tens of thousands of fishermen and women up and down the coast whom I have met in the past few years: My thanks for your efforts. Do not give in! To the bicycle, kayaking, scuba diving and bushwalking communities, my thanks also for your support.

I would like to say thanks to all the staff at Parliament House: to Chris, who was in Building Services, and to Lucy and Charles and all the other smiling staff, my thanks and well wishes. To Lynn and Stuart and the Legislative Council staff, my thanks for your assistance. To Hansard, my thanks for reliably reporting my sometimes rambling words, and I ask you to keep thinking of platypuses. A special thank you to John Evans for your assistance with procedural matters and for your sage advice.

To the members of this House, I thank you for your friendship. In particular I would like to mention Gordon Moyes and Fred Nile for your counsel. And to Arthur, please do not give up trying to keep the bastards honest. I believe that democracy will be assured only when we have completely open government. I know many of you in the Government and Opposition quietly and in your own way try to do the right thing but with all the passion that I can, I would urge you not to give in to the "machine" but to fight for what is right and just.

I would like to say a special thank you to my researcher, Renuka Peiris, for her unfailing loyalty, honesty and good humour and for looking after me when I really needed it.

To the people of New South Wales I have one salient message: Even though many of you would hate the thought of getting involved in politics I would beg you to do so because it is politicians who make the decisions that affect every aspect of your life. Getting involved is the only way you can change the way we are governed.

Lastly and most importantly, I would like to thank my wife, Virginia, who, probably through the stress of my own ills, has succumbed to her own health problems and yet never complains during my long absences from home. My daughter, Victoria, has taken on the mantle of surrogate mother and carer. My son, Nicholas, has just followed me into the surf life saving club and started his first patrol at Coolangatta last week. To Nicholas and Victoria, I am so proud of you both, you are both great kids and I know you will grow into stunning young adults. To Virginia, I am sorry I have been away from home so much and I am so lucky to have you as my wife, friend and soul mate.

I close with the words of Winston Churchill again:

Never give in—never, never, never, never.

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Closing Notes

I am devastated that health problems will prevent me from continuing. I am not promoting myself but we need more people like me in Parliament, more people who have no ideological agenda, more people who make decisions based on good sense, justice and fair play rather than how much is donated to the party coffers, more people who won’t trade good policy for ballot box preferences,  more people who put the People before the Party; more people who have done something in life other than be a politician, just more people who are not politicians but just trying to do the best for the people they represent.

I am equally devastated because there are some devious and extremist forces at work in Parliament who want to cause a revolution in our society and they do not care who gets hurt in the process: the ends justifies the means is their mantra!  I worry for the world my children will inherit.

I believe that when people are fully informed they will basically make the right choice. I also firmly believe that the only way forward for society is truly open government and that unless we reach a point where we have Government where the primary loyalty is to the People ahead of the Party then democracy is doomed and perhaps the next best choice is a benevolent dictatorship. However  Governments of both persuasions seem hell bent on continually restricting the openness of Government to the people and hiding more and more of the truth behind a wall of deception.

Power is everything and some are willing to sell or trade any and everything that our forefathers fought for to get it. Whether it’s the right to access public land or water sold to developers or traded to extremist Greens for ballot box preferences, whether it’s the simple right to fish for food or to ride through the High Country or the more fundamental the right of free speech, many of the most precious things have already been lost and we are in danger of becoming Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World where we live in boxes in bleak cities and all our enjoyment in life is by government “programmed” virtual reality.

I save my final comments for the guardians of democracy: the Press! Like me before I entered politics, the voting public seem to have the naive impression that there is some attempt at balance or objectivity in the reporting of “news” but alas there is little! Apart from a few brave souls many journalists simply regurgitate the Governments press releases or “make” the news to suit their own political agendas. To be fair Governments can and are vindictive and journalists have families and mortgages too!

Two particular frustrating encounters come to mind, the first being the environmental reporters at the SMH. Throughout the last four years I have seen only one article with any real attempt at balance on environmental issues. Even when proven absolutely wrong they have consistently refused to publish any rebuttal. Fairfax could do away with the whole department and just copy/paste the Greens/NCC/NPA Press Releases into the columns instead. One of the senior SMH journalists even told me to stop sending them press releases! However it is the ABC in particular and the crucial role of the ABC has, as an unbiased and independent reporter, that has frustrated me more than any other. I believe that its city based news and current affairs has little credibility with anyone other than the hard left!

Anyway on that note my thanks to all the people have not lost faith and helped along the way. I would leave you with one final thought: NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE IN!

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Post Parliament Contact Details:

Dr Jon Jenkins
PO Box 109
Bogangar NSW 2488
Phone/Fax: 02 6676 2947
Mobile: 0429178817
jon@orp.org.au
www.orp.org.au

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