FEEDBACK: EMAILS ON NSW RESIDENTS WORKING TOGETHER

An email "NSW Residents working together" distributed on 24 Sep resulted
in a number of excellent email responses from new contacts.

Here is a selection with our comments for future papers/speakers

A	Cr Bruce HOWLETT - Local Volunteer Credits
B	Cr Allan BROWN - Socialism bails out Capitalism
C	Dr Carolyn CURRIE - Economics and Councils
D	Rev Minister Ross HUTCHISON - Climate Change & Kids
E	Heidi STAR - Homeowners Protection
F	David BANTHAM - High Value of Volunteers
G	Simon RICHARDSON - Kids and Subprime Mortgages ?

Please do not respond by email.  

An online questionnaire is being prepared so that you will be able 
to review the responses to these questions

A	CR BRUCE HOWLETT - LOCAL VOLUNTEER CREDITS

Dear Paul,

It is not possible for "Local Volunteer Credits" to be used to pay anything.  

It is simply a way of calculating what volunteers save local and state 
governments so that they can assess the effect of budgets on this little 
gold mine of caring people.  

I am not saying that the value is not calculable in dollar terms, but it 
is not real money or a government asset that can be "spent". 

However, I take your point that the "carers" may be asked to do more so 
that government can redirect budget dollars to other areas so that the
effect of CDO losses can be offset.  Worth keeping an eye on.

Regards,
 
Bruce Howlett

Councillor, Guyra Shire

OUR COMMENT - FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

The NSW 1993 Luncheon "Inventing the Australian Model of Government"
with Prof Percy ALLAN Chairman NSW Treasury proposed had 5 new
models of Government including (4) a Payments Vouchers Model.

This Vouchers Model is now provided by many Charities like Mission
Australia for Food, Electricity and Rent.

If you review the Federal Electronic Transaction Act 1999 and the
NSW Electronic Transaction Act 2000 these Vouchers could be provided
as Electronic Credits to be spent at Local Shops and Facilities.

The Hon Jennifer RANKINE Minister for Volunteers SA confirmed the
importance of these Acts for "the future economic and social
prosperity of Australia"

Western Australia seem to have taken advantage of these acts in
2004 by establishing a joint-venture to develop and implement the 
Rio Tinto Volunteer Management Scheme [RTVMS]

This is a joint-venture betwwen the Rio Tinto WA Future Fund 
the WA Department of Sport and Recreation [DSR] and Mundaring
Council

Should we ask someone to prepare a paper and speak/debate this issue

What do you think ?
 
B	CR ALLAN BROWN - SOCIALISM BAILS OUT CAPITALISM 

It seems socialism could bail out capitalism? It's all a bit sad really
because some people got greedy.

Cr Allan BROWN

OUR COMMENT - FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

Is this a new theory or has the banking system always been based on
that premise ever since the Bank of England was formed to finance the
East India Company in 1694.

After the first World War the value of Gold has been set twice a day at
Smith New Court.

Between 1929 - 1933 there was the Great Depression which many historians
date from the Stock Market Crash of 29 Oct 1929
 
In 1944 attendees at the Bretton Woods Conference had a shared belief in 
Capitalism and the Market mechanism.

In the Electronic Age whereby the Stock Market is all Electronic
Trading with revenue transferred to Government by the Electronic
Transaction Acts, perhaps it is time to reassess the Market
Mechanism ?  

Should we ask someone to prepare a paper and speak/debate this issue

What do you think ?

C	DR CAROLYN CURRIE - ECONOMICS AND COUNCILS

Hi Paul,

I, as a forensic economist,  am currently in Chicago attending a Federal 
Reserve Conference on the Systemic Crisis and giving a talk or series in 
Boston.

I am happy to give a similar talk - see attached.
 
I believe it is an absolute disgrace how much local governments have lost 
and that control of these entities should be assumed by the State governments.
 
A review of politicians at local level should include 

1	they do not have to authenticate any of their claims or qualifications, 

2	there are no maximum terms and 

3	the corruption appears to be endemic.
 
There should be an enquiry as to whether kickbacks were received by 
councillors for investing in CDO's.
 
See also the link to the Financial Crime Centre in the USA - we need one of 
these as well.
 
My candidature for the Mosman Council was based on the grounds that

1	research indicated that locals wanted safe swimming at Balmoral

2	costs of not taking cars off the streets into underground carparks. 

Looking forward to meeting you upon my return from the USA on 5/10.

Best Regards,

Carolyn CURRIE
Ph.D, M.Com(Hons), B.Ec(Hons), 

Papers and Articles by Dr CURRIE

OUR COMMENT - FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

Should we ensure that there are people like forensic economists
on Council ?  

How can we pay them to protect our rates and where the money is 
invested ?

Do we need a Financial Crime Centre ?

Perhaps we can invited Dr CURRIE to provide a paper and speak in 
the near future.

What do you think ?

D	REV MINISTER ROSS HUTCHISON - CLIMATE CHANGE & KIDS

Dear Paul,

Good to see leadership.

My personal observations reveal climate change is a natural occurrence,

Pollution, however, and the destruction of forests and the complete lack
of infrastructure and the maintenance of same, is just a tip of the
iceberg that worldwide greed is biting mankind in the face.

Plus bringing to the lives of our kids, a huge helping of "Self Esteem
and Self Love", would go a long way to giving our kids a sense of 
Self-Worth and responsibility.

This would secure the survival of Our (Their) Planet.

Cheers

Rev Minister Ross Hutchison
"A Man For All Reasons"

OUR COMMENT - FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

Should we ask the Minister to explain why his personal observations 
reveal that Climate Change is a Natural Occurrence ?

Perhaps we can invited the Rev Minister to prepare a paper 
and speak in the near future.

What do you think ?

E	HEIDI STAR - HOMEOWNERS PROTECTION

true, the financial crisis is out of the hands
of all three levels of government...
but only because their hands are otherwise occupied,
under the table, if you get what i mean.

if you are really serious about surviving the financial crash,
you need to be aware of the citizens electoral council
and their proposed homeowners and bank protection bill:

if the governments don't act on this, then we can expect 
much worse than community organisations suffering funding squeezes.

think famine and fascism, and you'll be closer to the mark.

seeya
heidi

OUR COMMENT - FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

Is this now the approprioate time to establish Citizens
Electoral Councils ?

Perhaps we can invited someone to provide a paper and speak 
on the proposed homeowners and bank protection bill.

What do you think ?

F	DAVID BENTHAM - HIGH VALUE OF VOLUNTEERS

I personally highly value all the volunteers in our community. 

Regards 

David Bentham

OUR COMMENT - FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

We agree - however if Councils and Sports Peak Bodies
can register Volunteer time as an Asset why cannot the 
Junior Sports Club and the Volunteer record that Volunteer 
time as an Asset ?

In 1999 the value of Volunteers to the Australian Economy
was calculated by the Federal Government at $ 41 Billion
at a hourly rate of $ 29.95 including administration

Should we ask someone to prepare a paper and speak/debate 
this issue ?

What do you think ?

G	SIMON RICHARDSON - KSAS & SUBPRIME MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS

Hi Paul, what does kids safe at sport have to do with subprime mortgage
investments - I don't see the link. 

Simon Richardson

OUR COMMENT - FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

If NSW Councils and Charities have a $ 2,000,000,000 Blackhole or
losses from the collapse of the US Subprime Mortgage Crises then
how are the Councils like to recover those losses.

One way may be to charge a levy on the Parents for

1	use of the Sporting fields or 

2	by a levy for purchasing green energy or 

3	a levy for excess for electricity usage.

Who knows but how many people understand what they pay
for with the Junior Sports fees anyway  

Mind you it appears to be a routine problem for Councils
with cost blow-outs

Should we ask someone to prepare a paper and speak/debate this issue

What do you think ?


	EMAIL 24 SEP 2008 - NSW RESIDENTS WORKING TOGETHER

Hi - although we may not understand all the implications of

1	the US Government nationalisation of the two biggest home loan
	lenders Fannie May and Freddie Mac or 

2	the US$ 90 Billion bail out of the world's largest insurance company 
	the American International Group [AIG] 

we can all understand the implications for Rate-payers when
NSW Councils have lost Au$ 2 Billion in "sub-prime mortgage
investments"

No point in the Councils forming Class Actions to sue Grange 
Securities or Lehman Bros as they have both been bought out.

So what can we NSW Residents do when both our State Government
and Local Councils appear to have major long term infrastructure and
financial problems ?

The first step is trying to understand the issues hence Parents and 
Residents involved with the "Kids Safe-at-Sport Network [KSAS-Au]"
and the Sustainability Action Network [SAN] have established
a 4-yr on-line monthly education/awareness program that will be 
available for other groups to show locally.

Here is a link to a recent letter to a Mosman parent explaining
why it is important to work together to understand these issues 

LOCAL VOLUNTEER TIME FOR LOCAL ECONOMY

There appear to be enormous financial changes taking place
which by all accounts are out of the hands of our elected 
Federal, State and Local Governments.

One way could be for local Volunteer time to be part of the 
Local Economy.

As many residents and parents volunteer and Councils and Sports
Peak Bodies record the Volunteer time, then we can ensure
that those Local Volunteer Credits are spent locally and not
used to offset Collateralised Debt Obligations [CDOs]

NEXT STEPS

What do you think ?

All feedback appreciated

We will keep you posted on responses

Regards

Paul JENKINS
Chair
KIDS SAFE-AT-SPORT NETWORK

E:	paul.jenkins@ksas-au.net
T:	{61}(2) 9953-7412