Recycling in action

IF it's green, clean and mean, you'll hear it first on ABC Sydney 702.

Deborah Cameron critiques the NSW Coalition. ABC 702, Monday:

Do you think the long-term pain of consumers will go away with these, you know, five-year schemes to pay them a few bob to keep the wolf from the door on their electricity bill?

Hugh Outhred: Well no, that won't help. What we should be doing is spending money helping them use energy more wisely. And this means home insulation schemes that actually work instead of the disaster that we've seen from the federal government.

Sound familiar? A press release hours later from the NSW Greens:

Households don't want a paltry fraction of their own money back. If either political party were serious about bringing down electricity bills, they would cancel much of the $17.9 billion spend on new wires, poles and substations and instead invest in household energy management. Helping households manage their demand and reduce the amount of energy they use would dramatically reduce the need for new distribution infrastructure.

Monoculturalism. Chris Smith on 2GB, February 14:

Tell me I'm dreaming here. If it was happening to any other person you wouldn't be running off to government to say: "Hey listen, you know my family member has died in a terrible boating tragedy in Darwin, I want the funeral to be in Melbourne or Sydney, could you please fly them down."

More monoculturalism. Deborah Cameron, February 16:

Does the government have an obligation to allow those family members to attend a funeral and pay for it if necessary?

Rabbi Jackie Ninio: Absolutely, this has been an unbelievably tragic event.

Jonathan Holmes on ABC TV's Media Watch:

There are two high-rating talk radio stations in Sydney: No 1 is 2GB, where Alan Jones, Ray Hadley and afternoon host Chris Smith dominate the ratings. Sydney's second highest rating talk station is the ABC's 702, where you got an almost unanimous take the other way. For all the talk about balance, you'll find precious little disagreement on the ABC about issues like this.

The Greens' Marrickville policy. NSW candidate and mayor Fiona Byrne on ABC Online's The Drum Unleashed on January 13:

On December 14 last year, Marrickville Council in Sydney's inner west resolved to support a boycott of goods produced in Israel and of cultural and sporting exchanges with Israeli institutions, withdrawal of funds from institutions and companies that invest in or do significant business with Israel, and the implementation of government actions [sanctions] that indicate disapproval of Israeli policies in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories.

The Greens' official policy:

The Australian Greens will work for the promotion of a culture of dialogue, harmony, peace and reconciliation between the peoples of Palestine and Israel, both in the Middle East and in Australia, fostered through educational, cultural and other institutions.

Joshua Levi and Gareth Narunsky in The Australian Jewish News December 24 :

Marrickville mayor Fiona Byrne said that while she was not au fait with the situation in the Middle East, the policy was important. "I don't know the full ins and outs of the situation because I'm not an expert, but I support a peaceful solution, two-states or otherwise."

Inner-West Courier, February 14:

It has taken at least 25 staff more than 80 working hours to process Marrickville Council's boycott of Israel. For independent councillor Victor Macri, the council's focus on international conflicts has "blown out of control". "I've had residents say to me, 'What the hell are you doing? What's it got to do with you? You can't even cut my grass, trim my trees, so how are you going to help this issue, which has been going on for over 100 years?' "

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