Peter Swift.

Manjimup farmer Peter Swift learns tomorrow whether he faces foreclosure on his property after a multi-year battle in which he was accused of clearing land but was later found to be innocent.

The date for negotiations between his bank and the Financial Ombudsman over the matter was April 3, and, as of Tuesday, Mr Swift was unaware of any progress being made.

But he said his lender P&N Bank could expect a showdown if it tried to enter his property, as the State Government had put him in this situation and led to his inability to service the debt.

Furthermore, the bank lent money on the basis the full property could be farmed, which was not the case because of environmental restrictions.

Mr Swift was charged in 2009 by the then-Department of Environment and Conservation after it identified the alleged native vegetation loss at Mr Swift's property using satellite imagery monitoring.

He had faced penalties of up to $250,000 and three years jail if convicted of breaching a section of the Environmental Protection Act relating to the unauthorised clearing of native vegetation.

Mr Swift maintained his innocence throughout the trial, claiming the vegetation he had been accused of destroying was cleared before he bought the property in 2007.

A Bunbury court acquitted Mr Swift of the offences but the ordeal left him on the brink of financial ruin with an estimated $360,000 in losses, largely because of legal fees.

Adding further salt to the wound is the same environmental legislation, which means about half of his 1200-acre property is deemed environmentally sensitive and cannot be farmed despite the rural farmland zoning.

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Manjimup land battle escalates

By Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

HALIFAX - Pilots make the final call on whether it's safe to land a plane in bad weather, such as the conditions that prevailed early Sunday when an Air Canada passenger jet crashed at Halifax airport, aviation industry experts say.

Air Canada was adamant Sunday that the conditions were safe for the AC624 to land. Accident investigators later said it was too early to know if the weather played a role in the crash.

Pilots make a decision based on the information relayed to them by the tower, which includes runway conditions and other factors -- most importantly, whether the pilot can see the runway.

"The instruments will bring him to a certain altitude, then the pilot makes the decision, usually based on whether he can see the runway, whether to land," says Jonathan Bagg of Nav Canada, the country's air navigation service provider.

According to Bagg, there are many factors that enter into a pilot's decision to land.

Transport Canada is responsible for setting certain aviation guidelines, such as the minimum height at which an aircraft can approach the airport on an instrument approach. Once in landing range, the pilot decides if there is enough visibility for a safe landing.

"Transport Canada sets when pilots should be making a decision," Bagg said.

Bagg and Peter Spurway, a spokesman for Halifax Stanfield International Airport, say that the landing minimum is based on a number of factors, which can include the type of navigational equipment at the airport, the size of the plane and the weather.

Transport Canada did not immediately answer specific questions but the agency said in a statement that it was monitoring the situation in Halifax.

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Many factors go into a pilot's decision to land

Land Clearing Palm Oil Plantation Borneo - Kebun Sawit Bagian 2
Pembersihan lahan untuk penanaman kebun sawit.

By: Primadani Setyo Prakoso

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Land Clearing Palm Oil Plantation Borneo - Kebun Sawit Bagian 2 - Video

Land clearing stop motion part 2
via YouTube Capture.

By: Bobcats750

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Land clearing stop motion part 2 - Video

Coal seam gas and mining were not the biggest issues for regional voters in NSW, a lobby says.

Coal seam gas and mining were not the biggest issues for rural and regional voters in the NSW election despite their high profile, the state's key farming lobby group says.

NSW Farmers president Fiona Simson says while attention has been focused on the Greens being on track to claim the far north coast seats of Ballina and Lismore from the Nationals, coal mining and CSG were not key factors in rural electorates elsewhere in the state.

"Coal mining and CSG were identified as big issues going into this election and two seats to the Greens would indicate that they are big issues," Ms Simson told AAP.

"However, what is also indicated is there are a number of big issues in NSW in agriculture."

The sprawling seat of Barwon, where CSG activity around Narrabri is a hot-button issue, was retained by the Nationals' Kevin Humphries, albeit with a reduced margin.

In Tamworth, where Chinese mining giant Shenhua's Watermark coal mine proposal has angered farmers, Nationals MP Kevin Anderson held his seat with an increased vote.

NSW Nationals spokesman Julian Luke said the mine was not a key issue.

"In terms of the impact of Shenhua and CSG I don't think it was one of the main issues in the electorate," he said.

The federal government brought progress on the mine to a temporary halt before the election after it declared it would be assessed under federal water resource impact laws.

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CSG not a focus for farmers in NSW

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By: Shiny PumpkinGaming

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Minecraft - Modded Survival - TestCraft Factions SMP S2EP1 - Land clearing - Video

Land Clearing Palm Oil Plantation Borneo- Kebun Sawit Bagian 3
Pembersihan lahan untuk penanaman kebun sawit.

By: Primadani Setyo Prakoso

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Land Clearing Palm Oil Plantation Borneo- Kebun Sawit Bagian 3 - Video

27th March, 2015

By MARUTIN ANSIUNG

KENINGAU: The villagers of Kampung Ulu Keningau, Jalan Kimanis can heave a sigh of relief after an applicant of a 50-acre land in their settlement has been told to leave the area.

Community leaders in three villages who had strongly objected to the land application expressed their gratitude to the Lands & Surveys Department and its office in Keningau for promptly issuing the notice to the applicant.

Samalang village head Aliman Nulantan said they were grateful to the department for quickly attending to their plight and expelling the workers who were already clearing the land in Kampung Ulu Keningau since a week ago.

We highly appreciate the efforts of the department in solving the dispute by making a check on the land application PT 2012131415 by one Thien Swee Jin @ Annie Thien and then confirming it as invalid because the location of the land applied for was at Mile 16 of Jalan Kimanis, said Aliman yesterday.

He also hoped that the land application by Annie Thien will be cancelled with immediate effect and the area given to the residents in the villages of Samalang, Keningau and Ulu Keningau who are the early settlers in the area. On Tuesday the local newspapers highlighted the land dispute with the three community leaders expressing their strong objection after discovering the 50-acre area had been applied for even though the villagers had previously submitted applications twice.

They applied in 1976 and again in the 1980s but were denied because the Sabah Parks did not permit land in that area to be applied for settlement.

The community leaders are Native Chief Representative (WKAN) Jassin Lumau, Samalang village head Aliman Nulantan, Keningau village chief Joanis Doimpin and Ulu Keningau village chief Petrus Langkihang all expressed their objection to the application on the basis that the area applied for had been settled by local villagers since the 1980s.

They had asked the State government and the relevant authorities to intervene in the dispute.

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Relief for villagers of Kampung Ulu Keningau along Jalan Kimanis

Control of the upper house will be crucial for Mike Baird's plan to partially lease the electricity network, but this result is more uncertain than who will form the government.

A tablecloth ballot paper enlarged by 19 micro parties, one of which, No Land Tax, has won the prized left-hand spot most likely to draw the donkey vote, adds to the drama.

While it may be a new reality for Canberra, minor parties have controlled the upper house of the NSW Parliament for two decades.

Horse trading with the Christian Democrats and Shooters and Fishers Party have become essential skills for the NSW government of the day to get its agenda passed into legislation. The Greens, with five seats, usually side with Labor.

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The previous Liberal and Nationals government needed both the Christian Democrats and Shooters on side to get the budget and signature legislation passed. This meant Barry O'Farrell grappled with controversial minor party demands, such as shooting in national parks, and foetal personhood legislation.

A falling out with the Shooters resulted in key legislation, including planning reform, being blocked.

The same fate potentially awaits any poles and wires bill. The Shooters have campaigned on opposing it, and the Reverend Fred Nile has raised concerns about job protections (he wants five-year job assurances for electricity workers under any lease), and Chinese ownership, and wants an inquiry.

Like many governments before it, Baird's team, if re-elected, is hoping to strengthen its arm in the upper house by picking up a crucial extra seat, or nine, on Saturday night.

But the luck of the No Land Tax party, a group of real estate investors backed by a six-figure campaign, in gaining the prominent left-hand position on the ballot, may work against this.

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Upper house result will be critical for Baird's electricity plan

Work will continue this week to clear trees on a southern section of Brunswick Town Center by the contractor hired by McKinley Development Co. The land has been set aside for an assisted-living complex.

The city has an agreement to sell 18.2 acres of property at Brunswick Town Center to Canton-based McKinley Development for $1.8 million with the promise to construct a hotel, apartments and senior living facilities.

In November, the city Planning Commission approved an initial site plan for Danbury Place, a two-story, 101-unit senior living facility, and Brunswick Lake Apartments, a three-building complex. Final designs have not yet been approved.

City Manager Tony Bales said the land is still owned by the city, but trees are being cleared under an agreement between McKinley and the city.

They have a $25,000 performance bond to protect the city and they paid $5,000 to provide inspection services to make sure theyre not deviating from the plan, Bales said.

Work was halted temporarily Tuesday afternoon when the city discovered the contractor had not registered with the city, but Bales said the paperwork was corrected and work should resume this week.

We were aware they were taking the trees down, but we did stop them because the contractor wasnt registered with the city, Bales said. It was just a matter of knowing who is completing the work and having their information on file.

Bill Lemmon of McKinley Development said he was unaware his contractor had not registered with the city, and said it was up to the contractor to make sure rules and ordinances are followed.

We didnt know until we heard he was shut down, Lemmon said. He should have registered.

Lemmon reassured residents the contractor will try to save as many trees as possible.

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Contractors clearing land to build assisted-living facility in Brunswick