Wake Up Australia
A cranky old bugger, as I approach the twilight years.
Can’t control the frustration, as I compare the bygone era with the present. Certainly, a more physical time, but the freedom and simplicity plus that social interaction when compared with to-day. After a hard day’s work to look over your shoulder and feel that sense of satisfaction, having actually achieved something, and to look forward to your afternoon dinner and maybe a beer. To-day so many bums on chairs in front of a screen, no productivity, nothing to see at the end of the day. The handheld, just the other day in the waiting room to visit my doctor. Eight people all with their phones, totally engrossed. No verbal interaction for an hour, for me a pain in the bum compared with yesteryear. That physical production era binned, replaced by the information era creating red tape and complexity destroying incentive to have a go, sending small businesses to the wall by the thousands. So many these days, living in their own little bubble.
Our country sitting on abundant resources now possibly facing a national disaster via this oil drama. Hopefully if we pull out of this one the message will not be lost via our masters in Canberra, and we set aside for that (what if). Made in Australia gone, replaced by welfare, paid for by flogging off our resources and converting to a consumption economy via cheap imports from China.
Our national dept over a trillion dollars, and our income facing a situation where we can’t even pay the interest on that debt.
America once a productive giant now has a national debt of 38trillion with their gross domestic product on the verge of falling short on the interest owed on that debt alone. Wake up Australia.
Finally, just locally, be interesting to get the cost on the so-called upgrade of the Connell Park playing field, just one example of another massive cost blowout with the ground still looking a bit dodgy.
Darcy Browning
Council Compliance Trap
May I share our recent experience with Bellingen Council as a warning to anyone who owns a home in the shire.
We renovated our home in 2016 and moved in with a temporary Occupation Certificate.
The then current building inspector gave us 4 very minor things to complete and we went on a 3 month holiday.
Fast forward to 2022 and we realised that we had not completed said requirements which we did and waited. A new Inspector came to inspect the house, gave us a further few new requirements which we did. She told us the Certificate would be issued in 2 weeks time. We happily went off on another 3 months holiday.
On our return- no Certificate and the Inspector had left.
We started the process again, this time another inspection with 2 Inspectors and more requirements including an unnecessary and expensive ($2500)Bush Fire compliance report. We knew we had built to meet the required standards and beyond.
We also had to revert to a Building Inspection Certificate (Bic) as our application for Occupation Certificate was no longer deemed appropriate.
Short story- after many new inspectors with new requirements each time and many visits to Council to see the Relevant person we were told to reapply for an Occupation Certificate which we finally received this year.
Please heed this warning. You will have difficulty selling your home, getting insurance or bank loans without a compliant Occupation certificate or BIC.
I was prompted to write this letter after a friend who knew our story was relating it at a dinner party to 4 other couples. All 5 couples realised their homes, built over 30 years ago did not comply or had not completed the process.
If you are planning to sell soon or down the track make sure your property legally complies and do not leave it till the last minute as it is a lengthy process and will save your family and/or executors any issues should you suddenly pass on.
René Alexander
Watch current LANDLINE ABC TV!
Forget about importing expensive ‘no longer available’, fertilizer from overseas, instead use this opportunity to recycle food scraps, waste water, animal manure , as shown in the Netherlands agriculture system, using less chemicals! Regenerative agriculture improves the soil, saves $ Millions, saves marine waste from landfill, new business as shown in the Bega Valley, supplying cows with grass watered with ‘fish tea’! Running landfill is expensive, so our Shire Council will not only save thousands of dollars in household waste collection and tip fees, but also initiate a carbon trading scheme, benefiting the environment & the Regional Circularity Cooperative is leading the way with teaching farmers, Councils, schools and local governments on a national basis!
Z.KOENIGSEDER