A local councillor in the Moreton Bay Regional Council told me to expect a Waste Levy to be introduced by the Queensland government in January 2012. He believes Anna Bligh will go to election before the end of the year, before this additional version of the Carbon Tax is introduced.

If the government was serious about reducing waste, it would cease the importation of cheap foreign goods that only last about 5 minutes, before we are back to purchasing everything again, thereby empowering the Chinese economy several-fold.

In the last week, we have heard that several more clothing shops are going broke. To my knowledge, none of them are owned by Woolworths or Wesfarmers.

Now that we have a bumper cotton crop, it would make sense to start making high quality clothing here in Australia, thereby negating a Waste Levy and also empowering our own economy.

Instead, today I have heard that the remaining 6% of our manufacturing industries have taken a downturn. No doubt the managers of both our primary and secondary industries are equally worried about the effects of a massive Tax on Air.

While we do need to continue with moderate environmental policies, I am quite upset about local councillors being deliberately abused by the State and federal governments, and then by constituents as well.

The MBRC is the third largest council in Australia. It is already doing its best with various land care programs and the extraction of methane from landfill.

Please everyone, don't abuse your local councillors regarding increasing rates and water charges. Councils have no constitutional power and are subject to the whims of both state and federal governments.

Please address your complaints to Anna Bligh and Ju-liar Gillard. Return to sender, any letterbox junk received from Greg Combet with or without a note which might say:

"We told you NO to a Carbon Tax. We didn't sanction the spending of another $16 million of borrowed money trying to convince us otherwise. That's not one little "N" and one little "O", but more of a very emphatic:

NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

I have now received further information on what is happening in Moreton Bay Regional Council (Australia's third largest) courtesy of our local councillor, who has been more than happy to assist:



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ENERGY FROM WASTE. The Bunya Tip gas flare system started burning refuse gas from tip waste on Fri 17th Sept 2010. So far, it’s doing around 200 cubic metres of mostly methane p/hour, meaning it’s the biggest environmental achievement locally, since sewerage was introduced. It cost $1m for the overall system. If sufficient gas flows during the trial period a 0.3 megawatt generator is to be installed to make our own Green and renewable power. Two other gas systems have been installed at our larger tips at Dakabin & Caboolture as part of Council’s environmental aim to reduce 82,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas emissions per year from all of our tip sites, at a cost of $3.1m to date.

A NEW WASTE LEVY. Is being proposed by Qld Govt from 1/12/2011 only on commercial & industrial waste to tips at $35 p/tonne. We are very concerned, if introduced, it will increase the cost to every new home, renovation job and add more cost to businesses, plus if expanded to residents self haul, may add $15 per/box trailer of general waste to the dump, which is now free. Council will become the tip gate levy collector. In the first 4 years its estimated $379m may be raised. Of that, $279m is planned to return back as grants to Councils or to Industry waste programs while $100m in income goes to Queensland Government for new or expanded environmental programs in Queensland.

Plus Moreton Bay Regional Council (located in Sth East Qld) will be hit with the "full collection" cost of collecting, accounting, banking then transferring these levy funds to the Qld Govt for which Council will get no administration costs reinbursed. Early estimates are that it will cost our Council many hundreds of thousands of dollars to collect.



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As you can see, the council is doing its best, without enormous Taxes on both Air and Rubbish being enforced upon everyone. If the state and federal governments really cared about waste, they would cease borrowing money for their crazy little schemes and restore our own manufacturing industries, so our country could improve its income.

Every time the state or federal government decides to sell off yet another of our income producing assets and utilities, they have less money to give to councils, so that the councils in turn have difficulty holding onto THEIR income producing assets and utilities. The council cannot then help it if this dreadful situation ends up providing a triple financial whammy to ratepayers.

It is not an easy thing for councils to sit at the bottom of the food chain, with no constitutional power, and those higher up walking straight over them whenever they choose.