Blacking out
The media has packed away no story to report
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The flames have now abated on the ground
Yet still brigades respond the dirty work is underway
It’s here the tired fighters will be found.
Mopping up and blacking out ensuring all are safe
Continuing the work that's gone before
It is dirty it is sweaty but a most important job
Continuing all day and often more.
Putting wet stuff on the red stuff raking coals and hosing logs
Dragging hoses over filthy blackened ground
It's not glamorous or thrilling there's no running flames to chase
But for days it's where the tired crews are found.
So many never see this side, they see the evening news
Of firetrucks and fighters on the go
Of aeroplanes and choppers chasing flare-ups, dumping loads
They rarely see the the blacking out on show.
A tiring job that must be done each member does their bit
They drag the hose and swing the odd rake hoe
Without fanfare each will carry out this vital piece of work
As they douse the smoking logs and stumps that glow.
Marty – RFS volunteer and bush poet
Water tank tragedy
I am distressed to read of the deaths of the three people in the water tank [at Oolong on Thursday].
Their circumstances and deaths [appear to be] identical to my husband's and his employer's deaths 45 years ago while cleaning out an underground water tank on a farm using a petrol-driven pump.
They were both overcome and died from carbon monoxide poisoning. My husband had been cleaning the tank and his employer had realised there may be a problem and had gone into help, but also succumbed and died.
So tragic to see that this is still happening. I am so upset for them and the families and friends. I hope that a safety message can get out there ... any information that would prevent any more tragedies.
Sheena Thornton
Cuts to hurt families
Families, new mums, pensioners and young people in Eden-Monaro are all in the firing line as a result of the Turnbull government’s latest rounds of cuts. The Coalition want to:
- Cut Family Tax Benefits – for example a typical family with two children and an income of $60,000 will be $750 worse off per year.
- Cut the Energy Supplement to pensioners, people with disability, carers and Newstart recipients. Scrapping the Energy Supplement to new pensioners will be a cut of $14.10 per fortnight to single pensioners or $365 a year.
- Force young jobseekers to wait five weeks for Newstart - young jobseekers will have to wait five weeks before they can access Newstart.
- Cut support to Young People – young people aged between 22 and 24 will be pushed from Newstart on to Youth Allowance, losing around $48 a week.
- Cuts to Paid Parental Leave - 70,000 new mums will have their Paid Parental Leave cut by an average of $5,600.
- Scrap the Pensioner Education Supplement and Education Entry Payment.
- Cuts to migrant pensioners - who spend more than six weeks overseas visiting family and friends.
These cuts show how out of touch Mr Turnbull really is. Labor will always to stand up for Australian families.
Dr Mike Kelly – Labor MP Eden-Monaro
