Antinuclear

The week that was in Australian nuclear news

• 
  Renewable energy and climate change are in the news – but mainly for political reasons. It is still  possible for the Liberal Coalition to persuade one or more Independents to go for a double dissolution of Federal Parliament. The Coalition then they might be able to put a stop to developments in renewable energy – ones that are being contracted by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) , and are  due to commence on July 1.
• Even if the election does not happen until September 14, Australia’s Opposition Party has been able to frighten off many renewable energy investments with their promise to repeal the carbon tax, and shut down the  CEFC and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
• All the same, Clean Energy Australia Report showed record renewable energy use in Australia in 2012.
• In Geraldton, W.A. a large solar array has just come into operation.
•  In South Australia a final government decision is due soon on the  Keyneton wind farm.
• From today, residents of tiny King Island can vote on whether or not to allow for a feasibility study into hosting the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. Opponents, led by the Waubra Foundation, have hired a Sydney public relations firm to lobby residents for  “no” vote.

Uranium price has hit 4 year record low, casting doubt on the future of Toro Energy’s Wiluna project in Western Australia. This would have been W.A.’s first uranium mine.

Julian Assange. Well, if you want any help from the Australian government – make sure that you do a drug crime, or manslaughter or something like that. Don’t expect any help if you just showed a video about US army atrocities in Afghanistan, or revealed cables in the public interest. Australia’s Foreign Minister, Bob Carr has made it pretty clear that the government is not interested in helping Julian Assange, (under investigation by USA for ‘treasonable’ offences)

June 7, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews