Bad taste nuclear award goes to Ziggy Switkowski
On the anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, Australia’s top nuclear salesman, Ziggy Switkowski, comes out in praise of nuclear power as the only clean energy option.
I can only assume that this is yet another repeat of Ziggy’s ignorant and deceptive sales message. He usually 
completely ignores or dismisses any health risk from ‘low level’ ionising radiation, as well as risks of nuclear weapons, terrorism, nuclear wars. And in general, Ziggy prefers to keep off the subject of nuclear wastes, and especially of the astronomic costs thereof.
But I can’t be sure. Because I haven’t paid up to be permitted to read THE AUSTRALIAN – Australia’s Murdoch mouthpiece for the fossil fuel/nuclear industries. And I don’t intend to pay up for Murdoch’s tripe, either.- Christina Macpherson
Ziggy Switkowski: There is only one clean energy option, THE AUSTRALIAN, 12 March 12
BY necessity, pragmatism will overcome fear when it comes to nuclear power.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/after-fukushima-there-is-still-only-one-clean-energy-option/story-e6frgd0x-1226296364889
The mess that is the Lynas rare earths project in Malaysia
First of all – then world does need rare earths. They are needed for wind turbines, electric cars, mobile phones, and many other smart things that mean progress in the 21st Century.
So – where’s the problem? Well it seems to me that there is a cloud of secrecy and deception surrounding Australian Corporation Lynas and its rare earths project in Malaysia.
Doubletalk is going on as we see in news items lower on this page.: Western Australia ‘would not accept responsibility for any waste produced by Lynas Malaysia ‘ ’the Western Australian government does not support the import and storage of other countries’ radioactive waste.’
But the Malaysian Government ‘ is satisfied there will be no radioactive residue produced during the plant’s operation, we have ordered Lynas to guarantee and plan the provision of a permanent waste disposal facility far from human population as recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency’.
Why did the IAEA want the waste far away if it isn’t radioactive?
It would seem to me that if rare earths are so necessary for renewable energy, some way should be found to process them. But, unfortunately, rare earths have a sordid history of mismanagement and radioactive pollution in China and Malaysia. Meanwhile Lynas Corporation is simply behaving the way mining corporations have to – their focus is narrowly on profit, just like all the other Ugly Australian mining corporations abroad.
Also unfortunately, the nuclear lobby is watching the Lynas radioactive wastes saga, – as a prelude to nuclear power taking off in South East Asia.
And how long can Australia get away with exporting minerals with complete disregard of the environmental consequences abroad?
State of play – nuclear news to March 6th
New South Wales. ANSTO quietly pushing for nuclear power in NSW. Govt is going to dump the Hunter’s Hill radioactive waste at Kemps Creek, despite their pre-election promise against this. Dear oh dear! We thought that Warren Mundine would be a bad (pro nuclear) choice for new Senator. But – equally bad, probably worse, the very prominent and prestigious Bob Carr (?best mate of Tony Abbott) is the new Senator. Carr has a record of opposing Aboriginal protest rights, as well as promoting nuclear power, and uranium mining for New South Wales
Uranium to India. Kim Beazley, Australia’s ambassador to USA, explains that Australia will sell uranium to India, even if it does go to nuclear weapons. You see, it’s important not to offend the Indians’ sensibilities by insisting on little fussy regulations like the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty.
Lynas rare earths company is under fire in Australia, with the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA)’s motion to the EPA , questioning health and safety approvals for its Mt Weld mine. Malaysian govt directs Lynas to relocate its radioactive waste facility. A court hearing of Gebeng residents’ case against Lynas to be heard on March 20. Calls for independent monitoring of its radioactive wastes. Hackers break into Lynas’ website.
Astroturfing. Independent Australia’s Sandi Keane blows the whistle on the ‘community’ anti wind power groups in Victoria
Australia: nuclear news wrap up for the week
Radioactive waste Still the most important news – still the one not covered by the media – the Senate now ganging up to shut up Scott Ludlam -lone voice against the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill - it was tabled for discussion in cynical timing – as the nation watched the Gillard-Rudd soap opera.
Federal politics Rumour has it that Gillard will punish the pro Rudd politicians. What a good idea it would be – to sack Martin Ferguson from the Ministry! Meanwhile the new vacancy in the Senate could result in the arrival of a Pro Nuclear Aborigine, Warren Mundine
Uranium industry South Australia As the anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster approaches, the uranium lobby bravely touts its economic future, in the face of ever downward share price trend. The South Australian Mineral Resources Minister Tom Koutsantonis puts a bold face on it - praises the uranium industry, but declaring the nuclear industry “uneconomic”.
And – we silly public – we thought that South Australia saved Arkaroola Wilderness from uranium mining, because they cared about the environment! Not a bit of it. Koutsantonis explains that it was because the government didn’t want young anti uranium protestors disrupting uranium mining conferences.
Arkaroola’s protection from uranium mining passed into law, – even if it was done for the wrong reasons by the South Australian government
Lynas Australian rare earths company The world, especially South East Asia watches, as the first entry of things nuclear is attempted by the Australian rare earths company, Lynas. If Lynas can get its project going, with no plan for disposing of the radioactive wastes, well, nuclear companies will be ready to follow suit. But Lynas is not the only Ugly Australian company abroad. Paladin uranium’s bad record in Africa is just one amongst the sad reality of white Western miners exploiting African people and environment.
Greens call for uranium to be included in the mineral resources rent tax (MRRT). Renewable energy ups and downs. In Victoria, Baillieu government is unconcerned, as its anti wind farm policy drives investment away.
As Radioactive Waste Bill progresses, pro nuclear Warren Mundine is worst choice for Senator
Australians who care about country generally look up to Aboriginals - so many of them fight the good fight for the environment. Communally, as tribe members they have worked to preserve their land and water. Individually, there are heroes – Laurie Baymarrwangga, Dianne Stokes, Kevin Buzzacott, Peter Watts, Jeffrey Lee, Michael Anderson, …
But, Aboriginals, at the end of it all, are only people. And some, such as Warren Mundine, are not among those heroes, but have, regrettably, become so white-ised that they could fit comfortably in Michael Moore’s book – Stupid White Males.
Warren Mundine fits comfortably into the corporate white push to quarry – ise Australia, in his position as a Director of the Australian Uranium Institute.
The Australian Senate is now about to rubber stamp the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill - which will impose a high level nuclear waste dump on Aboriginal land.
For Australians who care about country – Warren Mundine is the last person who should become a Senator.
Labor anger over Warren Mundine Senate push BY: BEN PACKHAM The Australian February 29, 2012 “…..There would be a “Melbourne Cup field” contesting the seat, The Australian Online was told today, and Mr Mundine’s succession of media interviews in recent days had not helped his prospects.
“Warren going to the media was the dumbest thing he could have done,” a party source said.
The possible candidacy of Mr Mundine, a former ALP national president, has been welcomed by fellow Aboriginal leaders, who say he could lift Labor’s indigenous policy credentials. Mr Mundine has promised an announcement on his candidacy today.
He told The Australian he would be a “team player” if selected for the post. Mr Mundine is still considered a frontrunner for the Senate vacancy, along with with Lowy Institute program director Michael Fullilove.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/labor-anger-over-warren-mundine-senate-push/story-fn59niix-1226284854206
Why is Australian media not covering the Radioactive Waste debate in the Senate?
Yesterday the Australian Senate debated the National Radioactive Waste Bill – the transcript of this goes for 
20 pages. http://wopared.parl.net/hansard/senate/latesthansard/shansard.pdf I understand that the debate is continuing today.
Wading through those 20 pages, I can find only the intrepid Senator Scott Ludlam asking the questions that all Australians should want to know, about this.
I must conclude that there is a cynical nexus of complacent agreement between Australia’s media, corporations, Liberal and Labor Parties – in the interests of the nuclear industry – to just keep it all quiet. So the Senate, Lib-Lab creature of the corporations, can just pass this momentous and unjust Bill to open up Aboriginal land to nuclear waste.
Perhaps, further down the track, it will be easy for the greedy people who want a nuclear waste import business to follow through on this. While we, the Australian public, remain ignorant of this threat to Australia’s future .
Is Warren Mundine, Director of Australian Uranium Association to join Australian Government Ministry ?
In the Gillard reshuffle of Ministers, it is regrettable that nuclear puppet Martin Ferguson will retain his position.
Removal of Minister Martin Ferguson would be a silver lining from Australia’s Labor government crisis
Martin Ferguson, Australia’s Minister for Resources and Energy, has apparently not one good word to say for his Prime Minister Julia Gillard, as he supports Kevin Rudd’s move against her.
When Gillard wins the Labor Caucus vote today, she should remove Ferguson from the Ministry.
- Should Rudd become Prim Minister, Martin Ferguson would encourage him to remove the c,limate change initiative of the carbon tax, in favour of a weak and ineffectual emissions trading policy, with a ludicrous carbon price of $5 per ton.
- As Minister for Resources and Energy, Ferguson has relentlessly opposed Labor policy, as he pushed for the nuclear industry
- Ferguson has equally relentlessly sabotaged renewable energy at every possible turn - while maintaining a veneer of supporting it.
- In Ferguson’s slavish obedience to the nuclear lobby, he has ignored and downgraded the appeal pf Aboriginal traditional owners to stop nuclear waste dumping on their land. Even while their legal case is in progress, Ferguson has pushed on with this project. It would be the first step in opening up Australia as the world’s nuclear waste dump – of course, on Aboriginal land.
You do wonder what motivates this man, in his fealty to the nuclear lobby? Can it really be that his motive is solely jobs jobs, (except for jobs in renewable energy) – jobs, no matter how dirty, dangerous and unhealthy?
The week’s nuke news in Australia
The New South Wales government hypocritically allows “exploration” for uranium , but not mining. At the same time, its regulations on renewable energy are designed to prevent small scale wind energy from being able to develop.
Rare earths Australian rare earths company Lynas facing court in Malaysia over its inadequate radioactive waste plan, and strong public opposition.
Hifar nuclear reactor Greens Senator Ludlam continues to raise those inconvenient questions in Parliament – like where will they put Sydney’s dead Hifar nuclear reactor?
South Australia The Uranium State of South Australia shutting down all funding avenues for promoting renewable energy.
Cash for comment It’s revealed that Australian Climate change denialist Professor Bob Carter receives a “monthly payment” of $US1667 ($1550) from the USA Heartland Institute to “ publicly counter the alarmist [anthropogenic global warming] message”.
Uranium diseconomics Australian uranium company Paladin makes a huge loss, and a huge share price fall.
Look out, New South Wales, the uranium economic downward plunge beckons!
Look out – New South Wales residents! You thought coal seam gas exploration was a threat? And it probably is.
But now, your government, in its unwisdom, is going to allow uranium exploration.
The yellow area shows the area of uranium mineralisation in New South Wales.
Very handy, I suppose, to where some of Ziggy Switkowski’s 50 nuclear reactors will supposedly be positioned.
South Australia is going to go down the economic drain, for its drive for all things nuclear. Meanwhile, what with Paladin Uranium looking like going broke, and the nuclear industry winding down, – Does New South Wales want to join this plunge? - Christina Macpherson
GOVERNMENT TAKES STEP TOWARDS URANIUM MINING Lee Jeloscek, 7 News Sydney February 14, A map drawn up by the government and reported on by 7News shows a large swath of land from north western town of Bourke stretching down past Canberra to the Victorian border could be explored for the resource. http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/latest/a/-/newshome/12905605/government-takes-step-towards-uranium-mining/
The weeks’ Australian nuclear news in brief
Australia: Once again, the most serious, and the least covered in the media, is the issue of Martin Ferguson’s National Radioactive Waste Bill, under consideration by the Senate.
Mining companies bribing activities. Australian mining companies getting anxious about their operations in Africa and Asia; they might get caught bribing government officials, (as BHP Billiton, the Big Non Australian was caught with its “tea money” to Cambodia).
In country Australia, many are becoming aware of the financial loss to rural communities of governments preventing wind energy projects. Astroturfing pressure groups have prevailed over science, in the “debate” over wind power.
Continuing angst about Gina Rinehart and her push to influence content on the Australian media.
Continuing opposition to Australian company Lynas’ rare earths project in Malaysia – as it has no long term radioactive waste disposal plan. Temporary approval process by the Malaysian government has aroused much protest.
Decentralised solar energy proving to be a winner for Queensland.
Australian government launches a series of energy efficiency programs.
The week’s Australian nuclear news
By far the most important nuclear news for this week is the Bill before the senate tomorrow February 8, - the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill. This will impose a nuclear waste dump on Aboriginal land in the NT. It’s likely to be rubber-stamped by the Senate, as the Australian media dutifully shuts up about this – as usual. Only the Greens will fight this one.
Grattan Institute, largely funded by BHP, comes out with a pro nuclear report, and subtly downgrades renewable energy.
Australia to get compulsory airport security scanning. However, as far as I can tell, it is the apparently harmless “millimetre wave” technology, and NOT the X-ray type “backscatter” – therefore airline travellers will not be subjected to ionising radiation.
Australian company Lynas gets “temporary license” for its planned rare earths plant in Malaysia, despite having no plan for long term disposal of radioactive wastes. Growing opposition in Malysia, but Australian government supports Lynas. The plan is the world’s biggest rare earths refining project. It is being watched as the precursor for nuclear power in South East Asia.
Australia’s radioactive colonialism in Malaysia, (and a test case for Southeast Asia nuclear power)
Readers of this website might wonder why I give so much attention to Lynas’ project for a rare earths processing plant in Malaysia. After all, rare earths are supposed to be good, aren’t they? They’re needed for wind turbines, mobile phones, electric cars etc. And they don’t make that much radioactive waste.
But the thing is – Lynas’ plant will be the biggest rare earths refining plant in the world. And make a lot of radioactive wastes, and heaps of money for Australian investors. And we like BIG. We applaud BHP - the Big Non -Australian because it’s going to dig the biggest man made hole in the world.
If the Lynas plant is so OK, why not put it in Australia?
The answer – radioactive colonialism. Just as Australia has been a victim of Britain’s radioactive colonialism, in atomic bomb tests in the 1950s, and today, with our largely foreign owned uranium mines – well, we Australians like to do our bit of radioactive colonialism, and put the nasty stuff in Malaysia.
Not In Our Backyard for radioactive wastes, as long as we can park them in Malaysia.
The nuclear industry watches this with interest. If Lynas can overcome public opinion in Malaysia, well, perhaps the nuclear lobby can do the same in Southeast Asia.
Wrap up of the week’s news – February 1
Australia: The Australian media excelled itself in its distortion of news on Aboriginal protest in Canberra. There may be an investigation into the violence there – violence not from the Aborigines, but from the police. Focus on this incident obscured a deeper problem – the draft Constitutional changes which include entrenching the discrimination and land-grabbing that goes on in the interests of the uranium/nuclear industry. The Commission’s full report is available at: www.brc.gov
Anxious talks between BHP Billiton and South Australian government, as BHP wavers about the future of the new big Olympic Dam uranium mine, in view of the nuclear industries global stagnation.
Australia’s richest person (en route to becoming the world’s richest woman) Gina Rinehart starts a new uranium mining company. Western Australian Labor, under a new leader, weakens its anti uranium policy.
700 prominent Australians call for ban on nuclear weapons, under the auspices of ICAN. Only a very few of these dignitaries want Australia to keep on selling the fuel for nuclear weapons – uranium.
A quiet push to have Australian ports deepened, in preparation for USA nuclear submarines. And another quiet push to have Australia buy its own nuclear submarines from USA. And an even quieter meeting between Russia’s Foreign Minister and Australian officials on nuclear technology vo-operation between Australia and Russia.
Australia’s crappy response to peaceful Aboriginal protest
It makes me sick. Now the media is focused on some poor blighter in Canberra who let somebody know the whereabouts of Tony Abbott. Is that the biggest issue that they can come up with? Oh no – they’ve got another one – Julia’s shoe.
No wonder the media is moving hastily away from its first response – which was to blame Aboriginals for their (legitimate and peaceful) protest. After all, we all saw the TV footage – the only violence came , unprovoked, from the police. And then we get sanctimonious pronouncements from Warren Mundine and Tom Gooda – honorary whites if ever there were!
The real issue is the continued dispossession of Aboriginal land, in the interests of mining corporations, and especially the nuclear industry. The Northern Territory Intervention might indeed have done some good things. But forcing people off their homelands is a bad thing. The new draft Constitution has some good changes, respectful to Aboriginals, but also contains a cunningly worded permission for the land dispossession to continue.
Now very poor whiteys will be penalised, in the new Northern Territory Intervention too – that makes it look as if it’s not discriminating against Aboriginals.
Now why was the media so friendly to that “people’s protest” in Western Australia – some months back? Remember, when Gina Rinehart, (Australia’s richest woman) all in her pearls, came out in the streets along with wealthy socialites, to protest against the mining tax? Why was that protest not met with tough police, and media denunciation? - Christina Macpherson
This month
For international news, go to nuclear-news ion for Western Australia’s energy future
http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=5755 Mary Olson on how women are more vulnerable to atomic radiation
- Muckaty Gathering 25 May 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1J9q-OeEO4 - NuclearKop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpMhhzkeYjk
Anti nuclear action below: - more info at Action Australia « Antinuclear and at Event details « Antinuclear
- http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/put-the-brakes-on-toxic-trucks-no-nuclear-waste-at-muckaty
- Online Petition - against the proposed national radioactive waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/no-nuclear-waste-dump-at-muckaty.htmlUranium Free WA Sign the online charter saying no to uranium mining in Western Australia http://ccwa.org.au/takeaction/uraniumnotforsaleSIGN THE PETITION TO STOP LYNAS RARE EARTH EXPORTS TO MALAYSIA http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-rare-earth-exports/
EVENTS
- May 29 – Melbourne - Amnesty International panel on weapons and war .
- May 29 – 30 Melbourne - Wind Farms conference
- May 30 Darwin - expert Panel on Nuclear Waste Dump plan for Muckaty
- June 2 - Nuclear Abolition Day
- June 13 - Melbourne -Lizards Revenge -Shut Roxby Down
- June 14 Melbourne Beyond Zero Emissions ZCA 2020 plan.
- June 19 - Melbourne Public meeting US FORCES IN AUSTRALIA: SECURITY OR THREAT? USforcesflyer-2.pdf
The Nuclear/uranium industry and WOMEN - theme for May 2012
Deceptive information given to women about breast cancer. Women are repeatedly told about “genetic causes”, about “risks of obesity:. about “diet factors”, about “not having babies”, or “having a baby at a later age” even about “stress” – as causes of breast cancer. The not so subtle message is that it is THEIR FAULT – a problem caused by the individual woman, so – the only preventive actions must be those made by individual women.
The facts are otherwise. The single most proven cause of breast cancer is ionising radiation. After that, other environmental causes exist, amongst the wash of chemicals, and synthetic hormones, that pervade our environment. After that – probably some hereditary susceptability, amongst some women.
Why is this so? One could conclude that breast cancer is a growth industry. There’s money at every point in this sorry cycle – from the radiation from nuclear fuel through to the medical radiation used to detect and treat breast cancer. There is no money clearly involved in shutting down a toxic industry, and preventing millions of breast cancers.
How does ionising radiation cause breast cancer? Ionising radiation comes in several forms. for example, Gamma rays, x-rays, and some sub-atomic particles such as alpha particles and protons In ionising radiation, a tiny electron is released from an atom, and enters a body cell, hitting the DNA in the cell’s nucleus, and damaging it. The damaged DNA sends out ‘wrong’ messages telling the cell to divide in an uncontrolled manner – cancer develops.
“...the time between radiation exposure and breast cancer development is longest in young women and shortest for older women; young children do not show a detectable elevation in breast cancer occurrence for some 35 to 40 years after exposure. Radiation-induced breast cancers appear to occur later in life during the same ages when breast cancer rates, in general, begin to increase. It appears that a single exposure of sufficient dose during early life can increase breast cancer risk even 50 years later...
the relationship between radiation dose and breast cancer risk can be described by a straight line which implies that no matter how low the dose, there is some small risk associated with the exposure.…
The risk of subsequent breast cancer from very high doses is lower than that which might be expected from the effects of lower doses. This is because radiation at high doses is an effective killer of cells and dead cells are not able to develop into cancer…..
Young girls are at highest risk …when a young girl is exposed to radiation, she will have menstrual cycles for several decades that might enhance the development of any underlying damage caused by the radiation. There is evidence to suggest that exposure to the immature breast during early development, and around the age of beginning menstruation, carries a higher risk than at other times of a woman’s life.
It is unclear how radiation exposure of the breast during pregnancy affects a woman’s breast cancer risk. However, a recent study of women treated for Hodgkin’s disease concluded that pregnancy might be a time of increased sensitivity of breast tissue to the cancercausing effects of radiation……”
.” John D Boyce, Jr, DSc, Scientific Director,Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State.. Ionizing Radiation and Breast Cancer Risk
