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White Shark cull, Western Australia: Someone make a film about this please

I understand there may be a peaceful protest gathering or march to occur on the 18th February to co-incide with the opening of the next session of the W. A. Parliament. It could get interesting.



Apparently at Margaret River, a boat was impounded whilst it was still on its trailer. The trailer was apparently unlicenced. A move-on notice was issued to an intending activist or protester associated with the boat. If a move-on notice can be interpreted as applicable to a whole town or city for that matter, things could get interesting in a 1982 Nookanbah Section 54B sort of a way.
 

A test interpretation of just what constitutes a riot could also be educational. A provocateur or two or more being inserted into the mix to set up a condition in which that interpretation might be constructed may be even more educational. The stakes are higher, like 10 years in the clink higher.

 

This link leads to discussion on proposed legislation here which mirrors that of other states. Where it could become even more educational is if over-reach in the interpretation of powers occurs ---------
 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/broad-backlash-over-anti-association-laws/story-e6frg6nf-1226342141741
 

------------------ The case for the laws is declared to be to enable effective management of a criminal bikie gang problem.
 

This extract from the W.A. Criminal Code might be interpretable as to scoop up any person who just happens to be there, then does not immediately depart the scene. This makes me a bit leery of turning up with a camera, as it might be interpreted as implied consent to the riot to be filming it.

 

One might need to aquire some sort of media accreditation as at least a partial hedge as to purpose of being there. (The current sections 66 and 67 Criminal Code are consolidated into a single new section 67: Rioters causing damage. The new provision renders any person who is riotously assembled liable for unlawful damage or destruction to property caused by the riotous assembly. The maximum penalty for the offence is 10 years. imprisonment, except where property is destroyed or damaged by fire, in which case the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 14 years.)
 

Here's another interesting piece relating to parties which get out of control. ------------


http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/09/26/3598310.htm
 

----------. It would be educational to see just how far an overeaching interpretation might be taken, as in organisers hosting what might be interpreted as a "street party".

After all those alarming and possibly unrealistic scenarios being aired, does there remain, anyone who swings an Epic or Scarlet, who might be amenable to documenting the event on 4K for historical archive?

 
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A bump, otherwise known as a kick back upstairs. Perth redusers, Ben? Rob? Sam? anyone able to cover the peaceful gathering at Parliament House on Tuesday 18th Feb for sake of a 4K enduring historic archive ??
 
Upbumpem once more. - Any Redusers in Western Australia? Do you not feel the unremitting urge to go forth on Tuesday the 18th to document in 4K or better, the peaceful protest against the shark cull and maybe some pro shark cull advocates if they attend. It will be happening at Parliament House in Perth. A smaller group will be permitted to sit in the public gallery so long as they are not disruptive to proceedings with banners or behaviour. The ceremonial opening of parliament itself is worth a look. Permission to film within the parliament may be another matter of course. I could attempt coverage with the SI2K. Given there will be news media with HD TV cameras in attendance, there may not be any advantage in doing so for the sake of the extra dynamic range. Do not let yourselves be upstaged by a geriatric SI2K operator, a younger sideklick if he is back from the Kingdom of Thailand by then, any 4K BM prototype that may be in town, a Kinefinity, or another 4K+ non-Sony camera from Japan that I know to be secretly here on in-field proving trials running around incognito in an all-weather bag. I cannot give away any more on that front. - Assume a good old-fashioned Soviet-style heroic martial pose on the parliament house steps, fly the Red flag and shoot the ---- out of the event, not for any personal aggrandisement or reward but to put down for the future historic archive, something that is future proofed. If your Red is bereft of appropriate dress code, I can supply a decent set of Nikon F mount glassware from 14mm ultrawide to 500mm in primes and a set of old Miller sticks which are heavy but rocksolid and my overweight carcass to help cart it all around. I also have two 240watt AB-mount batteries which I normally use on the SI2K but no AB to V-Mount or AB to Red adaptor
 
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Just an update, 32 out of 36 sharks caught now have been under 3m. All I think have been Tiger Sharks. Many of these undersize sharks have died.

Special dispensation from the protected species act was granted by federal environment minister Hunt to have this cull upon condition measures were taken to reduce or eliminate bycatch of smaller sharks and other species. That requirement has clearly not been met, with bycatch outnumbering target catch nearly 10 to 1, so the Greens are to petition the Senate to pressure Mr Hunt to immediately revoke permission to proceed with the cull. Something that I personally doubt he has the will to do but we'll see. The response to this challenge from both State and Federal players should be interesting, if they insist on continuing with the cull they will basically be doing so in violation of the conditions they themselves laid out and that will draw huge criticism and pressure.

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/s...o-kill-great-white-sharks-20140211-32fr3.html
 
I'm sure they'll dig out some legalese bullshit to cover their arses and continue with the program. Above all I think now it is more a case of not wanting to be dictated to by the public at large. Kinda flies in the face of the term civil servant but not many politicians these days listen to the electorate.

Will be interesting to see how they squirm on this.
M
 
My guess is that more likely the dismissive "irrelevant vocal minority" card will be played when the time and circumstance are right. I doubt anyone will squirm. They may instead come out fighting. It will be interesting to see if there is an attempt to construct an attaintment by publicly accusing the protest movement of deep association with trade unions in some sort of sinister scheme. Because of the current move at a Federal level to examine by Royal Commission, criminal infiltration of some trade unions, it may be too tempting a device to pass up. Like the Barracks Arch, the Shark Cull protest movement may have become a symbolic vector for humble public expressing a disapproval against other aspects of governance they cannot so easily drill down to, cut and dried. As much has been said in other media statements you can find on the page linked to above. People should not underestimate that those who have brought about the cull may have an honest, sincere, determined, pragmatic belief in what they are doing and may feel that those who publicly disagree are unrealistic spoilers and pests. It will be interesting to see if the Parliamentary visit passes peacefully or somebody can't help but put up a stir. - It is as good a case as any for there to be an impartial audio-visual document of events.
 
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WA Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens marine spokesperson, addresses the Senate on the need for the federal government to revoke the exemption allowing WA's shark cull to proceed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSwP8vD6Czc&feature=youtu.be

Her delivery is sub optimal but all valid points were raised. Really Scott Ludlam should be delivering this message as he happens to be the most effective and eloquent speaker in the Senate, not just the greens. We'll have to wait and see where this goes. I wouldn't be surprised in Abbot and Hunt and Barnett just choose to ignore it altogether, I don't really understand the way our parliament and democracy works. Is anyone actually bound in any way to act on this submission or is it more of a symbolic gesture? Did seem like she was talking to an empty room.
 
On a related note, this address on the Great Barrier Reef decision goes to show just how little the environment matters in Australia at the moment. If a world heritage listed site is seen as a disposable commodity then a few sharks don't really stand a chance. The scope of the coming environmental impacts this government is committing itself to is truly frightening, and will be felt long long after they are gone. All bets really are off, where is Michael Moore when you need him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Koe9gEC_CU
 
Yeah, a bit of a shocker.
 
There being no new redusers from W.A putting their hand up to cover the parliament house thing and with time ticking by, I have sent a discreet request to the guest operator of the new Japanese non-Sony 4K+? camera being secretly tested in real-world conditions here. It would be rather a downer for other brands of 4K+ product if the new cam scoops the event. I will also do my best with the SI2K. I won't ask to borrow a Red as I do not know them well enough not to risk doing harm to the camera or making a hash of doing the vision and sound coverage on my ownsome.
 
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Completely off topic but i'd like to think that non-Sony 4k camera is a Panasonic AF-200 using the same sensor as the GH4 but in a more production friendly form factor. Really interested to see if that camera is announced at NAB this year, was surprised it didn't turn up a year ago.

On the topic of sharks the Greens submission to the senate to condemn the cull was passed and Greg Hunt has been called upon to revoke his exemption due to the conditions under which that exemption was granted not being met- in that significant numbers of undersize sharks are being caught, many of said sharks are dying, and evidence has emerged that larger shakes are now moving in to cannibalise these small sharks one caught on the lines.

I have no idea what power a motion passed by the senate holds but i'd imagine at the least Mr Hunt will be compelled to release a statement of some sort or even actually do his job and review his exemption.

http://rachel-siewert.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/senate-condemns-wa-shark-cull

Here is a link to the exemption itself written by Mr Hunt, which I found extremely light on fact and evidence and decidedly vague

http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/notices/pubs/158-statement-shark-drum-line-deployment.pdf

And a copy of his letter to Collin Barnett to confirm the exemption

http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/notices/pubs/letter-shark-drum-line-deployment.pdf
 
Trevor.

 

Relating to the camera, I can say it is not a Panasonic. The DoP/cameraman, has previously been entrusted with a development camera from the same manufacturer. The camera appears to be cat-on-shoulder form factor.

 

With a Cabrio lens, it would be the agile portable dream machine everyone would like a scion of the RED family or the ARRI Alexa family to be. Scratch that thought. It might have a fighting mate, the ARRI Amira.

 

Sadly, it will not be still in town on Tuesday. I was hoping to get my eyeballs momentarily under the rain jacket it has been wearing. So - back to the drawing board and baiting W.A. Red users out of the woodwork. ---- I suppose I could bung a Red battery from Location Equipment on the back of the SI2K for pose value at least. ---

 

As for the Liberal/National pollies, they are going to play hell with the stick and bucket of eggs whilst they can. Then eventually Labor will have its shot and swing the pendulum even more extremely back the other way.

 

Meanwhile, tt is interesting how relatively quiet Palmer United seems to have become. As for the Senate, it will probably just be ignored and the matter stalled.

 

A new senate poll in W.A. could be interesting. I have not kept up to date on the Court of Disputed Returns hearing.

 

For those outside of Australia reading this thread, there was a call for a recount due to a very close finish in the last half-Senate election which was coincident as is normal practice, with the Federal lower house election held recently in Australia.. The recount was not possible because votes had gone missing.

 

The Court of Disputed Returns is I understand convened by the High Court of Australia, so it is a very serious business. The poll may be declared void and a new election called or the court may decide that there is insufficient potential in the missing ballot papers for the overall outcome to be altered.

 

Some of the more cynical among our population speculate that it amounts to an attempt to procure the election result. It was more likely an administrative mishap or incompetence.

 
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The Court of Disputed Returns is I understand convened by the High Court of Australia, so it is a very serious business. The poll may be declared void and a new election called or the court may decide that there is insufficient potential in the missing ballot papers for the overall outcome to be altered.

And the Liberals, standing to lose out significantly if people went back to the polls, had their lawyers argue to the court that those 1000 odd missing ballot papers were irrelevant. On the grounds that it does not matter whether or not a vote is counted, only that a vote is cast. That it is the peoples right to cast a vote, and that happened, but if that vote was not counted it did not matter because it is the act of casting the vote that counts, not the potential for that vote to influence the outcome of an election. Truly ridiculous stuff.
 
Trevor, I agree, illegal.

Legislation to overturn anything that passes through the house of representatives and then the senate as a finale review. If it is just a condemnation, I don't know if it has any weight at all except that the senate said it.

The fact that it is not working, but targeting the wrong species, is an issue that all sides can get around. This is all politics and people has to understand it to use it. People misuse it, but it is useful in the right hands. Bob Brown was one of the greens biggest assets. A well relating authorative reasonable voice, people listened and were swayed (one reason men do so well in politics despite what is behind them). A few tricks up his sleeve as well. I remember one election he had this great mountain climbing inspirational video as his free national broadcaster message. A local member up here for One Nation (think of a noble group trying not to become a Tea Party (that was a few other parties, knew a guy in one of those, sometimes an instant belligerent argument if a political topic happen to come up) was just stuck in front of a camera for one take, and the way it was shot looked dreadful, that maybe was a major part that cost him the election, lots of bias. Games. As for the greens, from reports I've heard it sounds like what you expect from the belligerent parties, yelled down for voicing discussion. Things that would not happen in normal parties where traditionally you could be heard and discuss things. The problem is that this is spilling over into other parties. So we are getting unmovable politics. This is not good for us. We have done so well in the in the past because we have been able to find the Narrow Way between reasonable people, the consensus. We elect governments to do better than what we can do ourselves. But we are failing now, as the US has been, because we have lost this ability of reasonableness and finding this narrow way.

This Macavallian politic has spread to us from foreign sources on both sides. The Thatcher revolution, influenced non-indigenous change as did the 80's in America and recent decades since. Politics is no longer Australian, we have lost our political identity.
 
Hmm, I forgot (a few times where I was going actually) but concerning the poll, votes are not so relevant if they can't change the outcome, though 1000 votes could. With what is happening in WA it is very dangerous for the current government, due to the potential for backlash in the senate result. However, they could take the resulting places that could not have been affected by the 1000 votes, validate them, and merely only run an bi-election for the remaking places. So say in example (I don't know the actual number) half the senators might be unaffected and the other half have to recontest, or whatever number need to. I don't know if that has been suggested.
 
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