He’s a man of integrity – or so he would have us believe – or is it that he’ll do anything for his own ego and personal gains?

Here’s an extract from http://www.davidpower4mayor.com/power-alert/86

Tom Tate not fit to be Mayor
Published 06 Oct, 2011

Tom Tate’s accusation that I manipulated the Gold Coast Bulletin’s online forum is just another example of why he is not fit to be Mayor of the Gold Coast.

I had no involvement in the forum and my mobile phone records show I was on the phone from 12.20 to 1 PM to colleagues about work we are doing to help a local charity. Further the Council security cameras in Southport will also show that I was in Scarborough and Nerang Sts Southport walking to my car.

Frankly Tom should apologise to the community for wasting their time and for spreading these lies and false accusations.

Once again we are faced with a candidate that has no credentials, no vision and no right to be Mayor of this City resorting to the sort of gutter politics that have driven this City to despair.

I look forward to the opportunity anytime, anywhere to debate Tom on the real issues that face this city, and on my record and achievement as well as another one of his lies, that I quit half way through my last term. It will be very clear that he is just not up to the job, and not what we need, as the city cannot risk another Mayor on ‘training wheels’.

We all need to work together to get this City back to being one of the world’s great cities and a city of which we can all be proud.

Dr DOUGLAS (Gaven—LNP) (2.45 pm): This legislation that is being debated today is an admission by this Bligh Labor government that it was fundamentally wrong when it imposed water distribution retailers on an unsuspecting public.

The minister, on behalf of this government, is reversing his 19 May 2010 South-East Queensland water legislation because the public has revolted and continues to protest about water charges that do not reflect true cost recovery, are not justified, and, critically, are not affordable.

This legislation is for Allconnex to be dismantled, but is effectively a template that can be extended for the remaining two urban water utilities, Unitywater and Queensland Urban Utilities, for their potential break-up.

The public is and was correct, as it usually is.

Allconnex was a thought bubble conceived in the Beattie Labor era where public utilities could be prepared for auction to feed a rapacious, out-of-control, high-spending government.

This legislation today, once passed, will stop part of the suffering of Gold Coast, Logan and Redlands residents. Everything that one could not want as a water distributor-retailer occurred when Labor created Allconnex.

That was despite the minister stating in his second reading speech of 19 May 2010 that the legislation was supposed to— … increase both the quality and the efficiency of water and wastewater services in South-East Queensland.

Honourable members, this legislation did the opposite.

The manifest incompetence and indulgent behaviour of Allconnex compounded it. The public reaction was universally hostile. The people of the Gold Coast and the majority of Gold Coast councillors and the mayor voted to disconnect from Allconnex and absorb it back into the council.

Most wish it was dead or gone already, but we live in hope.

Allconnex had a board appointed with all members from outside the region. The board chair was from Cairns, the chief executive was combative and only made the public anger more dramatic after his intermittent public statements.

He is now gone.

The company took over all Gold Coast water assets and those of Logan and Redlands.

It effectively nearly shut down the Pimpama Wastewater Treatment Plant and cancelled the Stapylton treatment plant that was conceived to support a massive area.

The company took long leases over very expensive premises at Robina and embarked on a $5-million plus office fit-out.

The extravagance did not stop there.

Allconnex appointed a vast number of staff on very high remuneration and embarked on a wide media campaign.

But it was in the detail of doing the water business where Allconnex had its greatest failures. Those staff who were grandfathered across were obviously mostly ignored and that was the tragedy.

Allconnex redirected its major capital works growth to the north, where growth had stopped, and away from the mid zone where it was still growing rapidly. In fact, eight out of 10 of all the major water projects 52 SEQ Water (Distribution & Retail Restructuring) & Other Leg. A’ment Bill 14 Feb 2012 of the major capital works projects were scheduled for the north end of Logan and two in the old Gold Coast region.

Local Gold Coast projects were both ignored and stopped.

In one dramatic episode completely inexperienced Allconnex staff incorrectly drilled in the main water pipeline along Bundall Road at 200 PSI pressure. That pipeline supplies the water for Surfers Paradise and its surrounds and the water supply was off for a prolonged period.

Safety and professional management seemed to be low on the list of priorities. There really appeared to be not only a lack of corporate knowledge but also an inability to understand how poorly Allconnex was viewed in the eyes of the public and the need to professionally run the business.

Allconnex bills, now separated from the council rates, showed major increases in wastewater services.

They were 50 per cent higher than before.

Retail water fees were unaffordable and often wrong.

Allconnex appeared to have a policy almost of not reading water meters at all—not misreading them, but not reading them.

These retail water charges, on top of this, were starting at $1.70 with the $1 charge from Allconnex making a $2.70 per kilolitre bulk water charge to the consumer and due to go to $4 per kilolitre by 2015.

That is what really happened when the Trojan Horse, Allconnex, was inflicted on the Gold Coast, Logan and Redlands. And, of course, the inevitable occurred.

There really was no alternative given to the council or councillors at that higher level.

They were threatened with massive fines if they opposed it.

The state Labor government would have you believe that it was a take it or leave it. There was no leave it.

Without a massive change in attitude, operation and business modelling, Seqwater will be as big a problem.

Clearly the LNP’s four-point plan will address many of those deficiencies obvious to date and should correct it.

The public and council knew it was a Trojan Horse model from its inception, with its massive costs, its attempt to shift blame for massive price increases on water to councils and thereby to consumers, its difficulty to shut down and its later ability to be sold at great potential profit.

Gold Coast City Council was accused of profiteering when it was instructed that it must run along prudential business lines and make a business return.

The GCC, after all of this, offered a rebate 30 times over and above the state government’s derisory rebate offered when the initial complaints flooded in.

Redlands residents only ever wanted to drink Stradbroke Island water and they stated that clearly and that is what they should get in the end.

Logan really needed water but they were denied the Wolffdene Dam water when it was cancelled by the Rudd and Goss governments in the past. That is what they are dearly lacking in this point in time.

The public will be furious to hear that the legislation that we are seeing today still means that the councils operating units will continue to operate as water grid participants, distributor-retailers and are still subject to the year-on-year price rise ratcheting model of Seqwater as the bulk water supplier.

Fortunately the council owns and now controls all the pipes and is the retailer, but the vast increase in water fees is due to the Seqwater model.

The Gold Coast City Council has totally redesigned the model and all the problems have been corrected. They are basically using engineers at one end to run it properly, properly recycling and also properly provisioning major capital works across the city.

Remember, we have 11 million tourists a year and we are aiming to get to 15 million by 2014. This is a huge capital earner for the state and it must never be ignored. Basically, Allconnex’s separation will not impact on Redlands or, especially, Logan.

Nothing like the minister’s ballpark figure of $200 million consequential costs will ever occur. In fact, estimates at the moment are 10 per cent of that and as most will know the provisions are 50 per cent of that estimate anyway.

The Gold Coast has admitted that it will carry that cost. This bill is groundhog day.

Mr Lawlor: Then why are you supporting it?

Dr DOUGLAS: In fact, it takes us back to where we started, member for Southport, and it will actually benefit you in your retirement. You will be able to afford to pay for your water.

Mr Lawlor: Oh, that’s good.

Dr DOUGLAS: So it will suit you.

This is what a constituent said— It seems that the state government have now legalised extortion and blackmail. We have nowhere else to go to get what is not a commodity for trading but an essential element for human life. Families and residents constantly tell me they are at breaking point as living costs—or more accurately described as existing costs—soar through the roof.

The cost of Allconnex to consumers through this government’s forced water price hikes is just another example of a government that does not listen to the needs of those that it represents.

There is a parting insult from the government about the nonsense about the price mitigation strategy and a quantifiable price path.

Labor went for the money and it just jacked up those to pay for its excesses and its greed.

Labor saw the public as a cash cow.

It literally could not afford to pay the charges.

Basically, Seqwater remains a big problem for the future.

The government really needs to confront the issue that it has not put a fast con trick on the public.

Allconnex was a debacle, entirely created, driven and ultimately executed by a failed Labor executive bureaucratic duopoly. Both are equally responsible and it is no doubt one of the reasons for the contempt the public has for both the minister and his staff.

This is a tragedy. I wonder what the future of Unity Water and Queensland urban utilities really is. The longer they continue, the more difficult they become to dismantle.

Has the 14 Feb 2012 SEQ Water (Distribution & Retail Restructuring) & Other Leg. A’ment Bill 53 government created two, impossible-to-slay extensive future monsters?

The proposal in this bill adding independent board members and a discussion about salaries for services looks trite and superficial.

The bill is rightly a terminal one by a government in terminal decline.

It is an admission of failure on many levels but mainly convincing the public about its intention. It is part of the reason that the enduring narrative of this government’s part in history will be one of a government that manufactured crisis after crisis which it could not fix and even burial would not hide the stench.

Allconnex will be a study on how not to form and run a qango.

Watch this quick demonstration

The first thing that the Queensland Government can do to reduce waste is to look in their own back yard

It’s so easy for a bunch of bureaucrats to sit around all day mass-debating about how to spend money – particularly when they think they have a bottomless pit of money to spend

What does $750 buy these days?

The email states: “Business competitiveness increasingly depends on reducing costs”

How true – so why can’t this also apply to PUBIC SERVANTS -We’d like to see the Queensland Government go through all their departments reducing waste – cutting back on spending, and stopping the introduction of new taxes and levies – the creation of “jobs for the boys”, “independant studies” paying extortionate amounts of money for “research studies” etc etc etc

After that we can then take the example of “our wonderful leadership” that’s done nothing but destroy Queensland over the last fifteen years

This is a classic comment – “Business competitiveness increasingly depends on reducing costs”

Does anyone in the Queensland Government actually know what it means and how it applies in the REAL world?

She said:” I am looking at purchasing a program and not sure which one would suit me the best.

I have been looking at Quickbooks Accounting 2011/12.  It is on special at Joyce Mayne.”

We’ve found that sales people at those electronic retailers have little idea about accounting software.

Before rushing out and buying the software, download a fully-functioning trial version from the quickbooks website, as buying bookkeeping software may not always be the total solution to your bookkeeping problems

From a business perspective we wonder why Alice would have two different businesses on the same ABN when there is no charge for having an ABN for each different business

When the time comes to sell the mowing business wouldn’t it be better to have a set of books solely relating to that business?

Just a thought

If you want further help, call our office on 0415 453 536

A discussion in the the whirlpool forum about Telstra resulted in a major panic at Bigpond:

…… I rang 1800 330 192 and after some humming and hawing the guy there gave me the $13 credit on my bill for this month ($10 plus the discount for the pro-rata initial period), but said that they don’t in fact know anything about the $78 deal, and that I would have to ring the ‘Bundles’ department at 1800 008 851. Incidentally, if you do a Google search for that number, you get a very interesting result. Um, Telstra, that’s customer information just sitting out on the open Web… That page also seems to suggest that he shouldn’t have given me the number, but should have put me through.

Then companies wonder why we are so reluctant to give them any information about ourselves.

In the good old days, you knew who you were giving your personal information too – now it’s open slather

In the new Woolies hardware store we were asked to sign for a credit card purchase on a glass screen, and suddenly the signature shows up on the cashiers display screen

“Oh, it only lasts three seconds …” we are told. Yes, and then what happens to it? So you have an electronic version of our signature together with all that other information that’s encrypted inside the credit card chip

When the ATO called the other day, the caller got upset and quite defensive when we asked her for her full name and date of birth

“Why do you want that?”, she asked. Because you’re going to ask us the same question!

Why would we want to talk to someone with an Indian accent calling from an unlisted number claiming to be from the ATO?

“Oh, I’ll give you a number to call me back”. – Yes? And what does that prove, exactly? That you’re on the other end of the phone and you’re going to tell us that you’re from the ATO?

If large companies focused more on what’s really happening in the community maybe we wouldn’t see a repeat of the Whirlpool forum sending ripples into Big Pond

Friends are the fruit cake of life — some nutty, some soaked in
alcohol, some sweet, but mix them together and they’re my friends.

At Christmas you always hear people talking about what they want and bought.

This is what I want:

• I want people who are sick with no cure to be able to be cured.
• I want children with no families to be adopted.
• I want people to never have to worry about food, shelter and heat.
• I want peace and love for everyone!

Now, let’s see how many people feel the same way I do and send this on to their friends.

Have you ever met someone who knows it all, and no matter what you do or say, they cannot be helped?

Well, you must have referred her to us, because this girl told us that she’s self taught, knows a little about bookkeeping, but knows everything that she needs to know about using Quickbooks.

So we are still trying to work out why she contacted us wanting some Quickbooks training. She advised that her bookkeeper helps her when she gets stuck, though the bookkeeper does not use Quickbooks, only MYOB.

We explained that we could review the Quickbooks data file and see if she is really doing everything correctly, but she told us the accountant has recently conducted a company audit.

What help do you need with Quickbooks?

“I just want basic training,” she replied. When someone knows it all, or thinks they know it all, the whole exercise seems totally pointless. We would be wasting our time, because she already knows it all, and she’d be wasting her time because we wouldn’t be able to teach her anything she doesn’t already know about Quickbooks.

It’s like asking Craig Lowndes to teach you how to drive, and telling him you already know everything about driving.

Here’s the thing: We use Quickbooks everyday of the week, we use different versions, with different clients, and come across all sorts of situations that people have created.

We’ve trained many people all around the country in how to use Quickbooks, withone-on-one Quickbooks training sessions.

This girl uses Quickbooks a few hours a week for one company and she’s self taught.

So why should we be surprised that she knows everything and we can’t teach her anything new about how to use Quickbooks?

Alarm bells should ring when you see such an email labelled as
FROM: ANZ Bank
SUBJECT: Important Information

Before doing anything else :

When you click on the “Login” link in the email, have a look at the website address you are being directed to – in this case the URL is http://mobilecrazer.com/login.html

Of course, if you don’t bank with the ANZ then it’s of no concern to you

We’ve been advised by Quickbooks (Reckon Pty Ltd) that this is a hoax and installing the tool may result in malicious software being installed on your system

If you’re struggling with your bookkeeping and need help with Quicbooks, contact our team of experienced bookkeepers today