News on the ABC and what is wrong with it!

Brigid Glanville for AM provided the following words for an article entitled "Oil Industry Looks to Boost Production"

An international oil and gas conference on Queensland's Gold Coast is hoping to find ways to increase Australian production and encourage more exploration.

Australia consumes about 700,000 barrels of oil a day, but produces only 500,000.

At current rates it could be producing just one-third of what the country will need in 2015."

"The decline in production is one of the main factors behind the current high petrol prices."

"The Australian Petroleum, Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) warns the crisis is only going to get worse.

APPEA chief executive Belinda Robinson says oil production is declining rapidly."

"To the extent where we are producing the equivalent of about 80 per cent of what we consume," she said.

"Now we're down to around 65 per cent and all the predictions are that we'll have a production deficit of around 70 per cent by 2015.

"In other words, we'll be down to producing the equivalent of around 30 per cent of what we consume.

"One of the big issues for the future is to try and stem that production decline by investing more heavily in exploration."

Over the next decade, without further exploration, APPEA predicts the declining oil production could add up to $20 billion to Australia's trade deficit.

What a load of CROCK!

We currently produce most of our own oil and actually SELL much of what we produce to other markets as the sort of oil we have is not necessarily suitable for the production of petroleum.

We have huge oil fields that are being opened in the Timor Straits where once again we will be in a position to enjoy the benefits of having a relatively NEW oil supply at a time when others are running out of this startegic material.

We have a HEAP of interests in the Antarctic where many people also suspect that there is oil just waiting to be found and we have a unique opportunity to convert much of the coal that we own to oil and oil based products!

Exploration

Because oil is a globally traded commodity, it is often cheaper for companies to explore overseas.

Beach Petroleum managing director Reg Nelson says companies need to be encouraged to explore.

More incentives? You HAVE to be kidding!

When oil is costing the consumer more each day and there is a huge windfall for the oil companies they still want incentives?

"There's a whole range of issues there that we'd hope the Government would see scope to provide more incentives," he said.

"There could be tax incentives, there could be encouragement for what the industry has been looking for - flow through shares so that any tax deductions go through to individual investors.

"These things are done elsewhere in the world, that would be a great shot in the arm for Australia if that were to happen."

Pete's Points:

I simply do NOT believe this article - or more to the point the sheer indulgence of the oil companies in their claims.

At present we seem to be producing better than 2/3 of our own oil requirements and yet with oil being a 'global commodity' we are paying world prices for the oil we use.

Never in the history of the world have oil prices been so hight and yet the industry wants MORE taxpayer subsidy to explore for oil when it is already cashing in on a glut of money that is flowing into its coffers.

Vale Richard Carlton or "What Price Fame?"

One of the veteran news broadcasters of the Channel 9 news, Richard Carlton, while covering a story about a mining disaster, where two men have been trapped in a mine for 14 says (at the time of writing this item), died of a suspected heart attack last night.

Appropriately he died on the night that the Australian TV industry was handing out its awards entitled "“Logies"”

So Richard Carlton the veteran news broadcaster in question, managed at one and the same time, —as his last official act to become the news both on his own channel and of course all of the other broadcasters as well. After 40 years in the business this veteran apparently had his timing down to perfection.

Mr. Carlton managed to be the news for the last time (—or perhaps there is more to come)— I suspect that Channel 9 will give a high profile to this story to give its own award to its veteran broadcaster and to convey to him and his family condolences on his passing.

However, business being business it would not surprise me to see in the next few days some time and air time being devoted to a coverage of the life and times of this veteran reporter - unless of course the Australian Budget displaces him from the ratings!

Chutzpah!

I have seen some interesting ways to raise money for research, but this takes the cake! 

Batman to the rescue?

Another fantastic 3d image from Julian Beever.

Given how many of these there appear to be and given that they are really wonderful I thought I would add value to this copy of his drawing by providing my readers with some links where they can view them at their leisure.

Try the following URLs

http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm
http://www.rense.com/general67/street.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Beever 

Julian Beever's drawings

I was sent this and other pictures in an email which I am unable to attribute as the original sender was obscured.

Apparently it is a chalk drawing by Julian Beever and English artist who seems to draw some magnificent pictures on the pavement.

I don't know what he would call this one - but I would call it - "Things go better with Coke!"

The Management-Issues Workplace Blog

The Management-Issues Workplace Blog: "Britain's government departments are badly managed, unable to cope with change, and riddled with bullies and poor performers.

This depressing picture of life at the heart of government has emerged from surveys of some 150,000 employees working in 21 different departments.

Overall, barely more than a quarter (27 per cent) of government staff say poor performance is dealt with effectively and only a third believe that their department as a whole is well managed.

A similarly low proportion – 35 per cent - have confidence in the senior managers within their department, only a quarter think change is well managed and only half (52 per cent) say they are satisfied with the recognition they get for doing a good job.

One in 10 also said they have experienced bullying over past year

In a further embarrassment to the Government, the survey claims that Whitehall is unable to cope with radical change or tackle underperformance by civil servants.

Civil servants in key departments, including health and education, have been lining up to criticise senior figures across government, labelling them ineffective and weak.

It portrays a group of workers largely content with their job but who believe that they are underpaid, poorly led and unresponsive to the challenges of public sector reform.

The research also suggests that as many as a quarter of employees in some departments claimed they are seriously considering quitting"

Pete's Points:

This is interesting information especially for those who are in the public service in Australia, since our APS is modelled on the British one - I wonder what a survey like this would uncover here in Australia?

Management-Issues: at the heart of the changing workplace

Management-Issues: at the heart of the changing workplace: "Anxious UK workers toss and turn at night"

It's not just workers in the UK that are tossing and turning at night I suspect - rather there are likely to be many people in many countries that are tossing and turning and why not? Most of the jobs that are likely to to be available for workers in most countries are are likely to go to India or China where the cost of labour is cheap and the existence of a unionised work place is an unknown.

So much for the global economy.

Overall, the survey found 11 per cent of workers polled felt bosses did not care about their welfare, one in five felt their bosses lacks training in handling employees' personal matters and more than one in five said their boss lacked the personality to do this.

Why would they care when the second most common response to the stress was to take a sickie!