Brisbane Floods And that wasn't as bad as the Brisbane 1974 flood! All told the flooding in Queensland would have covered the same surface area of France and Germany combined.
It appears that the "Industry Picture" towards the bottom puts a new definition on sewage treatment. It appears nature had addressed the problem.
When Mother nature decides to 'flush', she doesn't mess around! This is a "Katrina" class event - hope the local Emergency Management does a better job......
Been hearing about farmers there who are now so totally screwed. Bad thing about farming, if Mother Nature decides to do something like this, nothing you can do about it.
Yes it was certainly pretty bad all the way around. Several billion dollars worth of rebuilding that our lovely socialist prime minister has decided she is going to tax us to pay. Not that I mind paying, but we should divert funds from our foreign aid programs or local feel good crap not tax the rest a little harder. Andy
The Flood Levy Well, I guess, several tens of millions of dollars spent pork barrelling the conservative religious constituentcy could be saved by scrapping the school chaplaincy program which primarily benefits evangelical and mainstream Christian Churches proselystising in State public schools.....those funds could be profitably diverted to the genuinely needy affected by the flooding in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. That would reduce some of the pressure on raising the funds by way of a Levy. It should be noted that One Off Levies are a popular way of funding "emergency" government legislative programs....why, one of the more controversial "one off" tax levies introduced in Australia was launched by a Conservative Prime Minister, The Honourable John Howard, whose Liberal National Party Coalition Government used such a levy to fund the " National Gun Buy Back Scheme" after the Port Arthur Massacre. Even conservative politicians here in OZ aren't immune from "local feel good crap". At this stage the proposed flood levy has merely been floated...so to speak, and it has not been hammered out in its final form...apparently, the levy threshold will only affect those on an income of A$60K or more for individual PAYE earners. I'm not sure what the Levy may be for businesses. There will be some exemptions...principally those directly affected by the floods in question. I'm not sure how the passage of the legislation will play out, as at present, the legislature is virtually a hung parliament. If it does pass, it is likely to be severely ammended by the Liberal National Party Coalition.....who knows....It may even possibly pass resoundingly with bipartisan support of both ends of the parliamentary spectrum.....Maybe, Tony Abbot (Leader of the conservative opposition parties) might roll over if the School Chaplaincy Program isn't dirked for the money saved thereby adding to the flood reconstruction kitty ; )
....yes...but it still beats an Imam in every school ... I didn't like it when Jack Boots Johnny did it, nor was there any exemption then for people "effected" by the buy back, so in effect of the $10K I was given in 1997 over $1100 of it was what they just took from me by raising the medicare levy at the time. I am HAPPY (and have) donated cash to the relief funds, and I will continue to give directly to some I know who need it, imposing a levy on everyone will dry up funds being given willingly no doubt. Andy
