During his effusive Townsville speech welcoming the announcement by Adani that it intends to go ahead with its Carmichael mine , former chief of staff to Babbling Barnaby Joyce , ABC badmouther, Greens basher and Minister for Resources and Northern Australia , Senator Matt Canavan , assured the gathering that they were safe from protesters outside , thanks to the police (giggle , giggle ) , and said this wonderful event was taking place on the 158th anniversary of Queen Victoria signing letters patent for the separate colony of Queensland from New South Wales. A most unfortunate allusion in the circumstances .
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ET pee(p)ing out of crashed saucer on dry planet .
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A short distance away , at the Anzac Memorial Park, the fountain erected in Townsville to mark the centenary of Queensland breaking away from New South Wales was not playing and almost bone dry , in this unexplained state for many months . It is not due to water restrictions , pipe relaying , but a deep , embarrassing personal problem with its waterworks, like painful colitis. Naturally, the local media has not picked up this story, which involves first noticing the fountain is not working and then asking why .
Although the water supply has been turned off , it is still incontinent , leaking small amounts of fluid. So why hasn't an expert been called in to remedy this problem ? Townsville City Council short of money? Nobody capable of doing the job in the city ? Waiting for a second opinion from a urologist ?
When Little Darwin did an X-ray examination of the fountain , the main cistern was dry , but there was a shallow circling pool in the lower intestine and floating in it were three empty gas lighter refills , two pictured . Gas sniffing in the memorial fountain ? It could explain the numerous questionable statements about the "bonanza " said to flow from the Adani coalmine .
MURDOCH MEDIA TREATMENT
The Townsville Bulletin , of course, gave the announcement front page favourable treatment and also highlighted the paper's "cheeky " bumper sticker campaign against coal mining "naysayers" : Don't take my coal job and I won't take your soy latte "... which included Senator's Canavan and Ian Macdonald photographed displaying a handful of stickers, very classy . The editorial, however, instead of going into an orgasm of delight , strangely , was headed: This could be the spark (hopefully not near full cans of lighter gas in the fountain ) we've all waited for .
The Brisbane Courier Mail gave more coverage to the mayor of Ipswich being found by Australian Commonwealth Police with $50,000 in a bag at Melbourne Airport than the Adani announcement which is supposedly going to benefit not only Queensland , but the whole of Australia , boost trade and investment between Australia and India , help bring light to millions in the sub continent , etc. Its editorial , while getting into "green activists " , still acknowledged that while Adani has given itself the "green light " to go ahead - that's all - it still has to raise $3.3billion for the scaled back first stage , which it stated would "be no mean feat."
Was the paper referring to the fact that 19 banks have refused to finance Adani ? if so, it should surely have said so . Over latte, this writer perused the Murdoch flagship, The Australian on Wednesday but nowhere was there mention of Adani , which is hard to fathom .
RAIN DAMPENS RAJA'S PARADE, LITTLE TOOT
During all the cork popping , backslapping , gladhanding and extravagant claims in Townsville on the day , Channel 7 evening local news reported that an online poll it carried out resulted in a majority of people in Townsville against Adani . There appears to be a large ceremonial elephant in the room which the cheer squad have not noticed , or don't want to , and could be trampled underfoot . The Bulletin , of course, did not mention this poll . >>>> Correction : The Bulletin did briefly mention the television poll , not by name , but in doing so also revealed Adani Australia projects director Peter Thomas , who questioned the vote , kept a close watch on protesters . Those protesters, he said, held up signs asking motorists to "toot " if they were against Adani . He claimed to have counted 100 cars and only 11 toots-" so 89 per cent of Townsville is in favour of the project"... a well based, scientific assessment which shines through the Adani proposal .
QUESTION: Did anybody in the media pack in Townsville ask Adani the obvious question : how it is going to pay for the project? If so , what was the reply ? Please explain .
QUESTION: Did anybody in the media pack in Townsville ask Adani the obvious question : how it is going to pay for the project? If so , what was the reply ? Please explain .
