Australia – nuclear news for the past week
Perhaps the antinuclear website should change to “climate news”. I think about this often, because it is surely apparent to Australians that the climate is changing, and extreme events are happening more frequently here, and overseas – as well as the ‘creeping events’ of glacial and polar ice receding, sea level rise, and warming global average temperatures. Then there are the news items and forecasts of climate experts, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It’s all happening, and faster than we had anticipated.
In the light of this, I, for one, am glad that the Australian Greens, now led by (shock horror – a woman!) Christine Milne, have severed their bond with the Australian Labor Party. Of course, the fossil fuel puppets of Liberal and Labor are now even more scathing about the Greens. Labor is wobbling its way to the Right. Paul Howes, ambitious pro nuclear union spokesman, (and wannabe Prime Minister one day) is vitriolic in his condemnation of Christine Milne.
Yet, in today’s climate of climate change, Australia’s little children may have no future. And the Greens are the only political party facing up to this reality.
While the useless Australian media frolic about encouraging the pointless dance of Gillard versus Rudd, Abbott versus Turnbull – the issues that matter to our children are ignored.
Happenings
- Maraling nuclear veterans making legal appeal for compensation, to the Australian Human Rights Commission
- Aboriginal community leaders refute Marcia Langton’s claim that mining is the solution for Aboriginal progress
- Very mysterious circumstances surround the death in Israel of Australian citizen Ben Zygier, but Israel maintains secrecy on this.
- Engineers Australia urge for greater cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, and for development of renewable energy
- Victorian research on 20,000 breast cancer patients shows that genetics is not a factor for 75% of them. (time we looked at environmental causes
- Julian Assange getting organised for Senate bid in 2013 elections
- In Australia, renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuel energy.
NUCLEAR VETERANS APPEAL TO AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Frank Walker, 21 Feb 13, Lawyers representing 295 military veterans and their families afflicted with terrible health problems due to the British nuclear tests carried out in Australia between 1952 and 1963 are taking the case to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
They argue the Menzies government breached their human rights by ordering them to be exposed to the harmful effects of radiation in full knowledge of the potential damage to their health.
Joshua Dale, a human rights law specialist at Stacks/Goudkamp in Sydney, said the decision to host the nuclear tests and order Australians to be used as virtual guinea pigs breached three articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that Australia signed at the United Nations in 1948.
They are:
Article 3: The right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 5: The right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 25: The right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services……
“We’ve been fighting for redress for nuclear veterans and their families for years, but after the UK courts rejected an appeal for damages last year we’ve embarked on this one last avenue for justice,” Mr Dale said.
“We hope the AHRC will examine the case and recommend to the government that it right the wrongs that have been done to these people over decades, and provide compensation and the gold card for medical assistance.
“The nuclear veterans have suffered higher death rates, higher cancer rates and worse health problems than the general population. The effects of the nuclear tests are still going on today. Many effects of radiation are hereditary, and children and grandchildren of the nuclear veterans have been afflicted with health problems and deformities.”
NUCLEAR VETERANS CASE BACKGROUND INFORMATION Continue reading
Australian Greens support call to Human Rights Commission, for justice for Maralinga atomic bomb test veterans
Justice for nuclear testing victims is long overdue http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/justice-nuclear-testing-victims-long-overdue 21 Feb 2013 | The Greens today expressed support for the bid by Australian veterans exposed to British nuclear tests in Australia to secure compensation through the Human Rights Commission, and renewed their call for the British to compensate all victims of atomic weapons testing.
Greens spokesperson for nuclear policy Senator Scott Ludlam wrote to the office of British Foreign Secretary William Hague five weeks ago urging him to give Act of Grace payments to the victims and wrote to Mr Hague again today.
“The hopes of Australians exposed to nuclear testing were dealt a blow by a UK court ruling against compensation in January. The people exposed to the testing at Maralinga and other sites have been denied adequate compensation on onerous and fastidious technical grounds. Justice has been delayed too long,” said Senator Ludlam.
“The Menzies Government knew these people would be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. The findings of the 1984-1985 Royal Commission support the claim that the Australian authorities, along with the British, deliberately put Australian personnel in harm’s way, and certainly showed no regard for the Aboriginal people living in the area.
“The human rights of those subjected to this treatment were violated. They and their children have paid a terrible price in terms of radiation-induced illness. The Australian personnel involved have proven to be 23 per cent more likely to have cancer than the general population, and 18 per cent more likely to die from cancer.
“The people exposed to the tests were done a great wrong and time is of the essence. They should not incur further indignity due to inability to pay medical costs, nor the further expense and delay of the legal pursuit of long-overdue justice.
“This blight on the history of both the United Kingdom and Australia has gone on too long and the opportunity to make things right will pass us by unless taken now.”
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 