Thanks for the SBT clippings Bunya. I'm not sure if you think my impressions of them might be of interest to the readership here but if that's case then I'm probably going to disappoint you. This is because about the only comment I can be bothered making about them - considered in their entirety - is on the average level of the dross that seems to pass as a letter to the editor of the South Burnett Times these days. Just my own humble opinion of course.
Must comment though on the charmingly simple world view of your newly minted Nanango MP, Deb Frecklington - she who would fill the oversize shoes of that celebrated defender and champion of the good burgers of the South Burnett, Dorothy Pratt. Deb seems to see Cougar as no more than a bunch of squatters waiting to be moved on by the police. "Our government has always said that Cougar should never have been on that area," she told the SBT.
However in stark relief to the general mediocrity is Malcolm McAully's letter of 22 Nov in reply to the Nov 11 letter by local luminary Bob (surely a member of the KCCG) Stephens. Bob gives Cougar a bouquet for its recent SBT full page information ad followed by a brickbat for its failure - publicly and privately - to respond to his questions through the columns of the SBT "nine months ago". Inter alia Malcolm notes that:
* Cougar has submitted more than 650 pages of technical reports to DERM, most of them having apparently found their way to Kingaroy.
* A critique provided to DERM by the govt's Independent Scientific Panel and Cougar's response to the issues therein are both public documents.
* In a public announcement Cougar has invited Kingaroy community members with questions to contact the company directly on a phone number provided but Mr Stephens has never availed himself of this opportunity. Instead, he has chosen to attack the company publicly whilst spreading misinformation about findings of chemical contamination on Damien O'Sullivan's property, notwithstanding that DERM has concluded the contamination was most likely caused by agricultural practices. He invites Mr Stephens to contact the company directly for a response to his questions.
* Cougar is looking forward to its day in court when the truth will finally put on its boots and march all over the the lies that it is a polluter of groundwater and an environmental vandal.
In conclusion I'm not sure what more I can say, save to observe that it does rather seem that on any given day in the South Burnett (beautiful one day, perfect the next as Joh would undoubtedly have said), not a few members of your local chapter of flat earthers (seemingly unconcerned to a man about future jobs for their children) are fairly bursting to get their names into print.
CXY Price at posting:
0.6¢ Sentiment: LT Buy Disclosure: Held
