Proposed changes to Western Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act for benefit of mining companies
Fast track approvals should be dumped: KLC ABC News 6 Aug 14 By Nicolas Perpitch Proposed changes to Western Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act have been labelled discriminatory, amid calls for them to be dumped and the act rewritten. In a scathing submission, the Kimberley Land Council (KLC) also warned the amendments would disenfranchise Indigenous people.
KLC chief executive Nolan Hunter said the draft bill focused power in the hands of one bureaucrat – the Department of Aboriginal Affairs’ chief executive officer. “This is a totally bureaucratic government process, so we pretty much will be disenfranchised in terms of having a say once all this is set,” he said.
“This basically discriminates against Aboriginal people. It favours the state’s position.”
Currently the Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee (ACMC), established through the act, provides advice and recommendations to the Aboriginal Affairs Minister on heritage sites. Fast track’ authority for permits handed to CEOMinister Peter Collier revealed the draft bill in mid-June, saying the pace of economic development in recent years, particularly in mining and construction, had highlighted inadequacies in the current legislation.
The draft bill would speed up the approval process for mining and other development by giving the Department of Aboriginal Affairs chief executive officer “expedited” or “fast track” authority to declare whether or not an Aboriginal heritage site existed.
The CEO would be able to issue land use permits when he or she decided a site would not be significantly damaged or altered.
Submissions on the draft amendments have been overwhelmingly critical of the proposed changes, in particular the new fast track approvals process. The KLC and other land councils, Aboriginal corporations, the Law Society of WA, individuals and anthropologists such as La Trobe University’s Nicholas Herriman have argued the new process would largely cut out Aboriginal people.
The Law Society, in its submission, said the proposed amendments stripped the ACMC of its evaluative role and predominantly shifted power to the CEO, who was not obliged to consult with Aboriginal people or to apply anthropological expertise.
Mining and other companies could appeal decisions but no statutory right of review was provided for Aboriginal custodians or traditional owners.
“The lack of such a right again negates the claim that these amendments are increasing the strength of the voice of Aboriginal people or that the amendments increase accountability,” the Law Society said.
The Goldfields Land and Sea Council pointed out the Government had not specified the process to be followed by the CEO in making his or her decisions, raising concerns about “the validity of any decision made”.
“It remains that the most significant issue raised by the proposed amendments to the act is that the regulations that will govern how it will operate are not yet available,” the land council wrote in its submission…………
‘Streamlining development’ aim of act: council
National Native Title Council CEO Brian Wyatt said the changes were not primarily directed at heritage protection.”There’s no real will or desire by government to protect heritage. It’s all about streamlining the processes of development,” Mr Wyatt said.
The KLC also stressed a new section in the act making it a criminal offence not to declare potential heritage sites could force land councils and representative bodies to break the law. There would be fines for people, other than traditional owners, who did not report sites or objects.
Mr Hunter said traditional owners disclosed information to consultants, development proponents and representative bodies on a legal, confidential basis and that arrangement could fall foul of the new provision.
“It sets a default position where we can be subject to a criminal prosecution with very little culpability on our part,” he said.
“How can you create legislation that compels you to break the law?”
He called on the Government to dump the draft bill and start again……….
Submissions on the draft amendments to the 42-year-old act close this week following an eight-week public consultation period. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-05/indigenous-groups-speak-out-about-aboriginal-heritage-act/5650320/?site=indigenous&topic=latest
Green MP Robin Chapple’s submission on the Aboriginal Heritage Legislative Changes
These matters are especially important given the lack of both review/appeal processes and
compensation processes in the Act and Bill for Aboriginal peoples facing damage to or
destruction of their heritage.
Dear Chief Heritage Officer
Feedback on the Aboriginal heritage legislative changes
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Aboriginal heritage legislative
changes.
I would like first to acknowledge that the Aboriginal Heritage Amendment Bill 2014 makes
improvements, for example the extension of time in which to bring a prosecution, the
provision of express penalties where these are currently lacking, and the increased
penalties for offences.
The Bill also seems likely to deliver on its promise to deliver better quality registers, and the
inclusion of a historic record of all approvals should assist with monitoring compliance.
The Bill also seems likely to deliver on its promise to deliver faster decision making, and the
prescribing of processes for decision-making would make those processes more certain
and transparent.
However, on the draft legislation currently available, and particularly in the absence of draft
regulations, I am not at all satisfied that the legislative changes will effectively improve
either the protection of Aboriginal heritage or adequately involve Aboriginal peoples in that
process. At the end of the day, protection of Aboriginal heritage is what the Act is for. Continue reading
Are Small Modular Nuclear Reactors so safe? Not really
nuClear News August 14, “…..Safety of SMRsLiberal MP steps out of line, promoting the Renewable Energy Target
Out on a limb, or a return to common sense on renewable energy? http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/out-on-a-limb-or-a-return-to-common-sense-on-renewable-energy-83989 By Kane Thornton on 5 August 2014 Being out on a limb can be a dangerous place to be, particularly in politics. When federal Liberal politician Sarah Henderson stated loudly and proudly that she supports Australia’s Renewable Energy Target, she certainly went against the grain of some of her party colleagues who have been calling for a massive reduction in the target.
But did she step out on a limb, or was she simply showing a deeper understanding of the policy, and recognising the strong support of voters for clean energy?
The truth is that producing renewable energy from our wind, sun, waves and more just makes sense to people. This is why, whenever someone asks the question in a survey, renewable energy polls its solar panels off – it is generally supported by more than three quarters of the population.
The Renewable Energy Target (RET) has helped deliver more than 20,000 jobs in renewable energy across Australia. Sarah Henderson’s electorate of Corangamite is blessed with an abundance of wind energy resources and includes dozens of small businesses employing hundreds of qualified solar panel installers. And almost a quarter of homes have either solar power or solar hot water, which is well above the Victorian average.
The RET is also driving innovation, something the greater Geelong region needs as it rises to the challenge of major changes in the manufacturing and automotive sector. IXL Solar is a good example of this transformation, with operations in South Australia and Geelong. It used to produce parts for car manufacturing and is now busily manufacturing parts for several huge solar power farms being built in New South Wales. It is a fantastic reminder of how innovative companies can respond to the many changes we are facing.
Of course, benefits such as these do come at a cost and the cost of the RET is about 3 per cent of the average Australian household power bill. That’s not much compared to the 40 per cent of bills that goes towards the poles and wires necessary to deliver the electricity. And the cost of the RET is balanced out by the savings it creates on another party of your bill – the cost of wholesale power.
If we weren’t using renewable energy, we would also have to rely on more gas for our electricity, and gas prices seem to have a nasty habit of going up lately. This is why economic analysis undertaken by ACIL Allen for the Federal Government has found the Renewable Energy Target will actually save consumers money in the long run, as it will help shield us from rising gas prices.
This and four other economic studies this year have led the Australian Industry Group – the nation’s leading business group representing over 60,000 major energy customers – to conclude that scrapping the RET would not save any money on power bills.
With all of this in mind, it is not surprising that Sarah Henderson can tell which way the wind is blowing in her electorate. It’s an electorate that is home to thousands of solar power systems, and a region in much need of alternative economic opportunities.
In supporting the RET she is also continuing a long Liberal tradition. The RET was first introduced back in 2001 by the Howard Government and the Liberals supported its expansion and refinement in 2009 and 2010. It has been a bipartisan policy.
At a time when people are desperately looking for authenticity in their public figures, it’s great to see a politician take the time to look at this issue sensibly and stand up for the courage of their convictions. In doing so, Ms Henderson is not out on a limb. She is joining the vast majority of Australians, the renewable energy businesses and workers in her electorate, and the 144 countries around the world with renewable energy target policies, that are all pushing even harder for a transition to a cleaner, smarter energy system. Kane Thornton is Acting Chief Executive of the Clean Energy Council
Renewable energy is already viable – the Smithsonian Institute
We Don’t Need a Huge Breakthrough to Make Renewable Energy Viable—It Already Is The idea that renewable energy can’t handle the load is a myth, says Amory Lovins http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/we-dont-need-huge-breakthrough-make-renewable-energy-viable-it-already-180952254/?no-ist By Colin Schultz August 5, 2014 From the windy plains to the sunny southwest, energy companies around the U.S. are investing heavily in renewable energy production. More than half of the energy production equipment being planned for installation in the next few years is renewable. Yet despite the environmental and economic sense of renewable energy, the public conception still lingers that wind and solar and other renewable tech will never be able to quite handle the job. After all, do we expect factories and homes to go dark when the sun sets or the wind falters?
The storage necessity myth: how to choreograph high-renewables electricity systems
In the video above, physicist and environmentalist Amory Lovins explains how renewable energy should be able to keep the electricity flowing just fine. We won’t need any big technological breakthroughs in batteries or storage technology, he says, or any other huge breakthroughs. All we’ll really need is good management and a diverse array of renewable energy production equipment.
Amory Lovins is the co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a think tank working on energy and resource use issues. This video was based on a presentation Lovins gave at the 2014 TED conference.
Diseconomics of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs)
Economics of SMRs nuClear News, August 14 “……….Union of Concerned Scientist says just because these reactors are cheaper doesn’t mean to say they are cost effective.South Australia: Bill to back renewable energy on pastoral lands
Bill backing pastoral lands renewable energy projects passes Legislative Council http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-06/bill-backing-pastoral-lands-renewable-energy/5652118 6 Aug 2014, A bill supporting renewable energy developments on South Australian pastoral lands will go to State Parliament’s House of Assembly, after passing the Upper House.
The Government says the Pastoral Land Management Bill is the first of its kind in Australia.
It aims to make it easier to establish wind farms or solar energy projects on pastoral properties.
Environment Minister Ian Hunter says it would allow a wind farm developer to apply for a licence to build and operate a wind farm on Crown land subject to a pastoral lease and for the wind farm to co-exist with a pastoral leaseholder’s activities.
He says the views of affected pastoralists will be taken into account. Ninety-five per cent of wind farm licence payments would go to lessees and native title holders.
Australia’s wind power is cheap: solar is getting cheaper!
Solar energy may soon be less expensive than wind power in Australia http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/solar-energy-may-soon-less-expensive-wind-power-australia/8518954/ 5 Aug 14 FirstSolar predicts that Australia’s solar power sector will continue to see price drops in the coming years Stephen Vagus –
Solar energy may become less expensive than wind power in Australia in the coming years, according to First Solar, a developer of solar power systems. Australia is currently a very attractive market when it comes to solar power, largely due to the country’s near constant exposure to solar radiation. The Australian government has recently reduced its support of solar power, but investments in new energy projects from the private sector have remained somewhat strong.
Predictions from First Solar are based on Australia’s renewable energy target
First Solar predicts that large-scale solar power projects will account for the majority of the clean energy capacity in the coming years. The company also believes that the cost of solar power will drop significantly by 2020. This prediction is based on Australia’s renewable energy targets. The country intends to produce some 41,000 gigawatt-hours of electrical power from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, by 2020.
Renewable energy target is encouraging the formation of new energy projects and spurring technological progress The country’s renewable energy target is encouraging the development of new energy projects throughout Australia. It is also promoting advances in clean technology, helping make photovoltaic technologies less expensive and more available. There are concerns, however, that the country’s renewable energy target may be significantly revised or removed entirely due to changes in the government.
Politics may affect the future of Australia’s solar power sector
Renewable energy is often subject to the whims of politics. Changes in a political climate can often affect whether or not clean energy projects have the financial support they need. Politics can also have an impact on how the private sector chooses to invest. If Australia’s renewable energy target is removed, private investors may become more cautious of the future of solar power, withholding their financial support until the energy sector has more concrete support. Given the current political climate of Australia, the future of solar energy is somewhat uncertain, though the country will likely continue to support renewable energy as a whole well into the future.
Public relations companies refuse to work with climate deniers
World’s top PR companies rule out working with climate deniersTen firms say they will not represent clients that deny man-made climate change or seek to block emisson-reducing regulations Suzanne Goldenberg and Nishad Karim theguardian.com, Monday 4 August 2014 Some of the world’s top PR companies have for the first time publicly ruled out working with climate change deniers, marking a fundamental shift in the multi-billion dollar industry that has grown up around the issue of global warming.
Public relations firms have played a critical role over the years in framing the debate on climate change and its solutions – as well as the extensive disinformation campaigns launched to block those initiatives.
Now a number of the top 25 global PR firms have told the Guardian they will not represent clients who deny man-made climate change, or take campaigns seeking to block regulations limiting carbon pollution. Companies include WPP, Waggener Edstrom (WE) Worldwide, Weber Shandwick, Text100, and Finn Partners.
“We would not knowingly partner with a client who denies the existence of climate change,” said Rhian Rotz, spokesman for WE.
Weber Shandwick would also not take any campaign to block regulations cutting carbon emissions or promoting renewable energy. “We would not support a campaign that denies the existence and the threat posed by climate change, or efforts to obstruct regulations cutting greenhouse gas emissions and/or renewable energy standards,” spokeswoman Michelle Selesky said…… http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/04/worlds-top-pr-companies-rule-out-working-with-climate-deniers
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 