Australia’s Minister For The Coal Lobby, Angus Taylor’s false statement about carbon emissions
Claim we’re on track to meet emissions targets is false, New Daily, James Fernyhough,
Here is what he wrote in the Australian Financial Review on Tuesday:
“[E]missions reductions are the least of our problems, with every prospect we will reach the 26 per cent reduction below 2005 levels ahead of schedule and without interventions.”
This, he implied, justified the Morrison government’s decision to do nothing to reduce carbon emissions, and focus instead exclusively on price and reliability.
But The New Daily looked into Mr Taylor’s claim, and the evidence suggests it is in one sense downright false, and in another seriously misleading.
Let’s address the seriously misleading aspect first.
Under the Paris Agreement, Australia has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030.
According to Mr Taylor’s department, Australia is on track to woefully miss the 2030 target.
On page 11 of this document from December last year, the Department of Environment and Energy projects that if no new emissions-reduction policies are implemented (as none have been), our greenhouse emissions will be just 5 per cent below 2005 levels – not 26 per cent, as Mr Taylor seems to claim.
Mr Taylor’s figures appear at a glance to be off by a massive 21 percentage points……….
The Morrison government has scrapped the NEG – the policy that triggered Malcolm Turnbull’s downfall – and has made it clear it will not replace it with anything.
So we are once more back to where we were – on track to miss all our emissions reductions targets.
Minister Taylor’s office did not respond when presented with the evidence that his statement was false. https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/finance-news/2018/09/18/energy-ministers-claim-carbon-emissions-false/
Australia won’t get the nuclear bomb – these are the reasons why not
The real problem is developing a credible, effective nuclear capability is about much more than possessing the bomb itself. Equally critical would be working out how to control and protect the weapon prior to use, and finally, deliver it. Doing this is, perhaps surprisingly, just as difficult – if not more so – than developing the device itself.
let’s look at what it would cost.This is where the extent of the fantasy becomes apparent.
there’s one other final, conclusive, and critical reason that not even our allies will assist an attempt to go nuclear. The truth is now they just don’t view Australia as a stable, mature democracy any more.
The one, conclusive reason why Australia won’t go nuclear, SMH, By Nicholas Stuart, 18 September 2018 There’s a massive, although subterranean, debate going on in the strategic community at the moment – one with huge ramifications. It’s whether Australia should possess its own nuclear deterrent. Continue reading
Oh dear! Coal-loving Angus Taylor’s electorate wants action on climate change
Energy minister’s electorate backs higher emissions reduction target, poll shows
ReachTel poll of Angus Taylor’s voters finds 42.3% want Australia to cut emissions more deeply, Guardian, Katharine Murphy Political editor@murpharoo19 Sep 2018 More voters in the electorate of the new energy minister, Angus Taylor, support an emissions reduction target for electricity and a higher national target than the Paris commitment than oppose those positions.
Australian government ‘won’t be replacing’ renewable energy target – Angus Taylor, (Minister For Fossil Fuel Energy)
Angus Taylor confirms government ‘won’t be replacing’ renewable energy target Canberra Times, 18 Sept 18, Energy Minister Angus Taylor has confirmed the Morrison government will not replace the renewable energy target after it peaks in 2020, officially creating a policy vacuum that opponents say will stifle clean energy investment and lead to higher prices.
In question time on Tuesday, Greens MP Adam Bandt challenged Mr Taylor to extend the target until 2022 to avoid a disastrous plunge in renewables investment when the current target ends.
“The renewable energy target is going to wind down from 2020, it reaches its peak in 2020, and we won’t be replacing that with anything,” Mr Taylor said……..
“We will drive prices down, that’s our policy, those opposite will drive them up,” he said.
An annual index released on Tuesday put Australia in the bottom three ranking for environmental policy among wealthy nations.
The Center for Global Development’s commitment to development index said the environment was “one of Australia’s weaker policy fields … largely due to its poor performance curbing climate change”….
Defence officials become military lobbyists
| Defence officials turn lobbyists, sometimes weeks after leaving government
Eight former defence figures, most high-ranking, are now lobbyists for military contractors, Guardian, Christopher Knaus, @knausc, 18 Sep 2018 Senior defence officials and military figures are taking paid jobs with firms lobbying for arms manufacturers, sometimes within weeks of leaving their government posts. Guardian Australia has identified eight former military officers or defence bureaucrats, most of whom were high-ranking, who have publicly registered themselves as lobbyists for firms that represent military contractors. But many other defence lobbyists operate largely in secret, either because they work directly for military contractors, or because they simply refuse to put themselves on the lobbyist register, avoiding scrutiny for themselves and their clients without any real repercussion. One recent example of a lobbyist who placed himself on the lobbyist register is Tyson Sara, a former assistant secretary in defence’s naval shipbuilding taskforce, whose role was described as “leading the implementation of the Australian naval shipbuilding plan”. Sara left defence in March and soon after joined lobbying powerhouse Cmax Advisory as its chief operating officer and vice-president for strategy and government. Cmax represents the shipbuilder Navantia Australia, defence contractor Northrop Grumman, and the Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems………. Military officers who held a rank above colonel or its equivalent are banned from lobbying for 12 months on “any matter they had official dealings with” during the last year of their employment. Senior executive service officers in the public service face the same cooling-off period. But the lobbying code of conduct, already weak by international standards, is rarely enforced and staff movements are poorly monitored. The code also fails to consider former defence employees who are employed directly by weapons companies, either as in-house lobbyists or senior executives. That means it does not apply to individuals such as Sean Costello, who worked as chief of staff to the then defence minister David Johnston between June 2014 and January 2015, as the government planned its $50bn future submarines program, according to evidence in Senate estimates. Costello left Johnston’s department and two months later became the chief executive of the Australian arm of French submarine manufacturer DCNS, a Senate committee heard. That company, now known as Naval Group, eventually won the submarines contract in 2016. In Senate estimates in 2015 Defence conceded that it was “a fair assumption” that Costello, in his role as chief of staff, would have had access to confidential documents and briefings on the submarine project. Defence said in evidence to the Senate that it provided Johnston’s office with 34 pieces of written advice relating to the submarine project in the time Costello worked in the office, on top of material provided to the minister in a daily briefing pack. ……. Tim Costello, chief advocate for World Vision and the executive director of Micah Australia, said the sheer value of defence contracts meant it was necessary to apply added scrutiny to the sector. “They are so lucrative,” Costello said. “It means that the transparency and accountability must be higher and commensurate with the goldfields they represent of taxpayer dollars.” The Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick said it was clear the lobbying code needed to be enhanced for former defence personnel. Patrick said senior defence personnel were often exposed to privileged and sensitive information on policy, strategy, and commercial and tender requirements. “While I wouldn’t suggest that this information is shared amongst a lobbyist’s clients, when former officials service their clients, it’s simply not possible to unknow this information when formulating advice,” he said.
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12.5b litres of water for Adani coal project – no environmental impact statement needed
Adani plans to draw 12.5b litres of water and there will be no environmental impact statement, ABC By national environment, science and technology reporter Michael Slezak 18 Sept 18 Adani’s plan to take 12.5 billion litres of water from a river in drought-stricken Queensland is a step closer to happening, according to environmental groups, after the Federal Government decided the project did not need a full environmental impact assessment.
Key points:
- Federal Government decides Adani water plan does not need environmental impact statement
- Mining giant wants to take 12.5 billion litres of water from Queensland river
- Environmentalists say the move is “appalling and dangerous”
- Adani says it will work with Government to “complete the required assessment”
To build and run its proposed Carmichael coal mine, Adani wants to extract water from the Suttor River in central Queensland for up to 60 years, expand a dam there, and build a 60-kilometre pipeline to transport the water to its mine.
Federal law requires that if coal mines are likely to have a significant impact on the country’s water resources, they must undergo a full environmental assessment, which would be scrutinised by an independent scientific committee.
But Adani argued that “water trigger” only applied if the water was used in the extraction of the coal, and that the water they would take from this river would not be used that way, but instead for practices like washing coal and dust management.
Environmental lawyers have previously said that argument does not hold water.
On Monday, the federal Department of the Environment decided the water trigger did not apply to the project and that it did not need to undergo a full assessment with an environmental impact statement………..
Water project will ‘avoid full scrutiny’
“As one of the driest continents on Earth, water is the lifeblood of inland Australia,” anti-Adani campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation Christian Slattery said.
“It is disappointing that while Queensland suffers through severe drought, the water infrastructure for Adani’s massive polluting coal mine will avoid full scrutiny under Australia’s national environment laws,” he said.
Anti-mining group Lock The Gate Alliance described the move as “appalling and dangerous”.
“This is another special deal for Adani that puts our water resources at risk during a terrible drought and hangs Queensland graziers and communities out to dry,” spokesperson for Lock the Gate Alliance Carmel Flint said.
Arianne Wilkinson, a lawyer at Environmental Justice Australia, said the decision to submit Adani’s proposal to the weaker form of assessment was disappointing.
“Their proposal should be given the full assessment under federal environmental law,” she said…….http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-18/adani-plan-for-12.5b-litres-of-water-to-avoid-impact-assessment/10262764
Greenpeace takes legal action against Australian nuclear waste transport to Cherbourg, France.
Actu.fr 13th Sept 2018 Australian nuclear waste in Cherbourg: court hearing between Greenpeace and Orano postponed Greenpeace requested from the judge the summary of the Cherbourg contract between ANSTO and Orano [formerly Areva] . The case was postponed until 25 September.
Greenpeace was authorized, this Thursday, September 13, to file an interim complaint against Orano, to obtain a summary of the contract between Orano and the Australian Agency for Nuclear Science and Technology (ANSTO).
The ship is expected this Friday. In the framework of an agreement between France and Australia signed in November 2017, the nuclear waste was loaded on board a cargo ship, BBC Austria, – 236 spent fuel assemblies, reprocessed in four TN-MTR containers. It left Sydney on July 29, the ship is expected Friday, September 14 in Cherbourg. Disguised storage? Greenpeace questions the legality of this contract. It could actually be a disguised storage in France France. https://actu.fr/normandie/cherbourg-en-cotentin_50129/dechets-nucleaires-australiens-cherbourg-laudience-entre-greenpeace-orano-reportee_18591884.html
Changing acceptance of nuclear to DEMAND for nuclear- Australian propagandist Ben Heard to join new global spin?
Australian pro nuclear propagandist Ben Heard has moved from chief of the fake environmental group Bright New World, to engineering consultancy firm Frazer-Nash. We wondered why? Well, here are some clues.
World Nuclear News 14th Sept 2018 Consultants Frazer-Nash, in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), EDF Energy, Jacobsen Analytics, Lancaster University, University of Bristol and University of York are set to deliver a nuclear safety and security research contract. Frazer-Nash said yesterday that, working on behalf of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the GBP3.6 million (USD4.7 million), two-year project, aims to deliver a “step change in the UK’s capability as the country moves toward an era of new nuclear build and new technologies.”
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-companies-to-deliver-safety-and-security-resear
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-companies-to-deliver-safety-and-security-resear
Nuclear lobby aims to change public view from acceptance of nuclear power to demand for nuclear power Mikhail Chudakov , deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told delegates at the World Nuclear Association Symposium 2018 held in London last week, said the industry needs to change public acceptance of nuclear power to public demand . WNN 14 Sept 18
“…… Radioactive waste management practice must provide public reassurance that the industry has managed programmes for the whole lifecycle, he said.
Demand for nuclear
Public acceptance remains a key factor for the future of nuclear power, he said, and largely depends on public perception of the benefits and risks associated with this form of power generation, but also of the benefits and risks of non-nuclear alternatives.
All stakeholders ought to reinforce the social and economic benefits of nuclear power.
“We need to explain and to start education at all levels, from kindergarten, school and university, to parliament and ministers. We should not be ashamed to talk about nuclear energy; we are always defending ourselves, but it’s time to start attacking – to actively explain and promote nuclear power,” he said………We will greatly improve our chances for success if our efforts can shift the paradigm from gaining public acceptance of nuclear power to generating well-informed public demand for nuclear power. We must reinforce the benefits of nuclear power. This is a big, but a vitally important task and it will require enhanced international cooperation.………..http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-industry-faces-wake-up-call,-says-IAEAs-Ch?feed=feed
Australia’s ignorant new Energy Minister Angus Taylor attacks renewable energy
Taylor launches extraordinary and ill-informed attack against wind and solar, REneweconomy, 17 September 2018 New energy minister Angus Taylor has launched a new and extraordinary attack against wind and solar, saying they cause “de-industrialisation” and claiming that Labor’s 45 per cent emissions reduction target would send a “wrecking ball” through the Australian economy.
The comments came in an interview on Sky News on Sunday night, and little more than a week after Taylor told radio stock jock Alan Jones that there was already “too much” wind and solar in the grid.
On Sunday, he went even further: Asked by Sky’s Chris Kenny what he thought of Labor leader Bill Shorten’s comment that Labor was still thinking about adopting some aspects of the National Energy Guarantee, now dumped by the Coalition government, Taylor trotted out all the usual diatribe about wind and solar. …..
The fact that the ring wingers Jones and Kenny hold such extreme and ill-informed views about climate and energy is well known, and not of great consequence.
But the fact that the country’s energy minister goes on to their programs and agrees with them, despite all the evidence to the contrary, is deeply troubling – for investors and consumers ……..
The notion of “de-instrialisation” will be news to the likes of UK billionaire Sanjeev Gupta, and the new state Liberal government. Gupta has rescued and is planning to expand the steelworks at Whyalla, based around a huge investment in solar and storage – a plan he intends to repeat with his steel operations in Victoria and NSW.
Half a dozen other major energy users have also signed up with Gupta’s Simec Zen Energy for cheaper electricity delivered largely by renewables and storage, and more are set to follow. Zinc refiner Sun Metals, brewer CUB, confectionary maker Mars, and vegetable grower Nectar Farms are all turning to wind and solar, as are many other companies.
The South Australia Liberal government has also embraced the state’s high renewables share, and islifting its commitment to battery storage, both large and small. A plan for $100 million in household grants has already had an industrial pay-off, with German battery giant Sonnen to build a manufacturing plant in the old GM Holden factory in Elizabeth.
And why not? As we pointed out last week, South Australia stands to benefits in multiple ways from its commitment to renewables – in emissions, prices and investment. AEMO seems comfortable with the fact that the state is heading towards 73 per cent renewables by 2021 and equivalent to 100 per cent by 2025.
Taylor’s antipathy to “intermittent” generation is well known, and long standing, and in the interview with Kenny he didn’t stop there, trotting out a series of claims that are in direct contradiction to the findings of institutions such as the Energy Security Board, the ACCC, the Australian Energy Market Commission and The Australian Energy Market Operator.
He said of the various state targets – well, Victoria and Queensland in particular – that the “result will be very clear – it will push out baseload power, intermittent generation that is being stuffed into the sector will have to be backed up, and that is extremely expensive ….. networks will have to be rebuilt to absorb all of this new intermittent capacity coming in, and we all going to pay for it.”
That’s not true at all. AEMO’s Integrated System Plan contemplates that existing targets of the state governments, and Labor’s nation-wide target, and finds no issues. Yes, some extra investment in networks will be needed, along with other measures such as the need to orchestrate distributed energy sources, but it sees no threats such as the lights going out.
In fact, the AEMO report highlights the fact that the biggest shift from what Taylor likes to call “fair dinkum” baseload power towards wind and solar and storage will be in NSW – the one state without a renewable energy target. That’s because its coal generators are old, expensive and dirty, and nearly all will need replacing in coming decades.
Nor does AEMO’s or the ESB’s 10 year outlook see any prospect of the reliability obligation – which is still in the works – being triggered.
Even if the definition of reliability is changed, to address the concern raised from exceptional and extended heat-waves, and the fear that country’s existing coal and gas generators will be unable to cope, the answer to that issue is not more “baseload”, but more dispatchable generation.
Taylor describes himself as the minister for getting prices down, but as the Energy Security Board, and any number of analysts, including most recently the Australia Institute, have pointed out, price falls in the next couple of years will be delivered by the influx of renewables from the renewable energy target.
Kenny made the baseless claim that renewables had been the primary cause of Australia’s electricity price rises. Taylor readily agreed. Even the ACCC report notes that by far the biggest contributor was the increase in network prices, following closely by wholesale prices driven mostly by the lack of competition and a jump in gas prices…….
Many of Taylor’s other claims are full of hot air.
Taylor says the government will ensure that new “dispatchable” generation is built, but a new report from S&P says that the lack of any coherent policy under this government will be the biggest factor against building new capacity.
It was interesting to note that Taylor said it may be months before an outline of the government plans to underwrite “new 24-hour baseload” would be unveiled. That’s an indication of the difficulties ahead. To achieve his desired outcome, would go against engineering and economic sense, and it won’t be in place before the next poll.
Taylor also threatens to stop any company from closing coal fired generators by forcing divestment. But he admits he doesn’t actually have the power to do that. “We will create powers of divestment,” he promises. But how?…….https://reneweconomy.com.au/taylor-launches-extraordinary-and-ill-informed-attack-against-wind-and-solar-81907/
Adani’s Carmichael coal project massively downsized, but still a climate threat
Adani’s rail line cut shows project is on life support but still a threat to climate, Guardian
The short answer is this is the latest in a string of changes that have massively downsized both the Carmichael project and the bigger plans to develop the Galilee Basin. The longer answer is that, despite optimistic talk about a long-term future for coal, the writing is on the wall. The only way to make money out of coal is to do so quickly, before the present gradual decline turns into a collapse.
The original Adani proposal, put forward in 2010, was for a mine producing 60m tonnes of coal a year. The coal would be transported along a completely new 388km standard gauge rail line to a newly built terminal at Adani’s Abbot Point coal terminal. The coal would then be shipped to Adani’s rapidly expanding fleet of coal-fired power stations in India, most notably the 4,620MW plant at Mundra. The oft-repeated claims of 10,000 jobs and billions in revenue (much inflated by spurious economic analysis) refer to this initial proposal.
The rail and port expansion would allow the shipping of Adani’s 60m tonnes a year. In addition, it would allow the opening up of the entire Galilee Basin, with potential exports of up to 300m tonnes a year. Other proposed mines in the region are owned by firms such as GVK Hancock and Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal. Such a development would make it far more difficult for the world to reduce carbon dioxide emissions enough to stabilise the global climate.
As prospects for coal declined, and finance dried up, however, the project was cut back in 2017 to a first stage, with planned exports of 25m tonnes a year. Initially, the rail and port components of the project were left unchanged, with the idea that they would be used in subsequent stages. In early August, however, Adani dropped the idea of building a second port terminal, opting instead to ship Carmichael coal through its existing terminal, which is badly underutilised.
The other shoe dropped on Thursday with the announcement that the massive new rail line would be replaced with a connection to Aurizon’s existing line. Meanwhile, staff numbers at Adani’s Townsville headquarters have been slashed.
The combined effect of the cuts is to keep the Adani project alive for the moment, while closing off any realistic prospect of a massive expansion in the Galilee Basin as a whole. That’s a decidedly mixed prospect. On the one hand, 25m additional tonnes of carbon a year would be bad for the global environment. On the other hand, the catastrophic prospect of 300m tonnes a year appears to have been averted. ………
the future for coal looks bleaker than ever. The “pipeline” of future coal plants in China and India has shrunk massively, with cancellations far outweighing new announcements……..https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2018/sep/16/adanis-rail-line-cut-shows-project-is-on-life-support-but-still-a-threat-to-climate
Adani mine site to remain under native title until finance confirmed, Minister says
ABC News, By Josh Robertson 15 Sept 18 Traditional owners of Adani’s proposed mine site will keep their native title rights unless the Indian corporation can prove it has finance in place for the multi-billion-dollar project, the Queensland Government says.
Key points:
- Mines Minister Anthony Lynham said Adani must prove financing before native title is extinguished
- The ALP voted to acknowledge the dispute with traditional owners at a recent state conference
- The Government has been urged to rule out title extinguishment while court appeals are underway
It follows pressure within the Labor Party for the State Government to hold off sealing Adani’s takeover of the Carmichael mine site, which would permanently wipe out a native title claim by the Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) people……….
Last month, the Federal Court upheld Adani’s ILUA, but mine opponents in the W&J — who unsuccessfully argued it was a “sham agreement” — filed an appeal on Wednesday
W&J spokesman Adrian Burragubba has previously declared they would take their fight to the High Court.
The ABC asked Mr Lynham if the Government would insist on Adani reaching financial certainty before it extinguished native title rights on the mine site.
In a statement, the Minister repeated the wording of the Labor conference resolution.
“The Government has maintained that Adani needs to prove they can reach financial close [certainty] before we finalise processes for this project,” he said……http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-15/adani-site-to-remain-under-native-title-until-finance-confirmed/10249692
Traditional Owners announce Adani court appeal
Call on Qld Government to never extinguish their native title
Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners opposing Adani’s Carmichael Mine have this week served notice of a Federal Court full bench appeal. (See ABC today: “Adani mine site to remain under native title until finance confirmed, Minister says”). The Traditional Owners strongly reject last month’s decision of a single Judge of the Federal Court and will seek to have the decision reversed and the Adani Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) thrown out.
Mr Adrian Burragubba, a Traditional Owner of W&J country, and W&J Council spokesperson says: “We will not abide a ruling that says it’s legal to have our ancient laws and culture, and our enduring rights in our lands and waters, merely voted away by a group of people who do not have the traditional authority to surrender our native title”.
In a new development, the Queensland Government has confirmed that it will only act to take W&J native title for the Adani project when it has the financial capacity to complete it. This follows a resolution of the Queensland ALP state conference in early September 2018.
Mr Adrian Burragubba says, “We are not conceding our rights under our laws and customs to this court decision. We are resolute in putting a stop to the pretense that the ‘Adani ILUA’ amounts to the consent of the Traditional Owners of Wangan and Jagalingou country to the extinguishment of our native title.
“Whilever we have this court case running in the higher courts, whether it takes many months or years, Adani has not achieved ‘conclusive registration’ of its ILUA. The Government should refuse to act on it, and banks should refuse to finance the project.
“Adani engineered this pretence, the Government chose not to side with us, and their lawyers and the Native Title services bureaucrats provided the paperwork for an act of betrayal. Nothing changes those facts for us. They refused to accept our original decisions and interfered in our business”, he said.
Ms Linda Bobongie, Chairperson of the W&J Council says: “The State ALP has gone some way in passing a resolution calling for financial close before they take our native title for Adani, but the Queensland Government must unequivocally rule out extinguishing our native title – now or ever.”
“Extinguishing our native title is a deeply troubling issue for us. The Government knows it does not have to extinguish our rights in the land for Adani, even if the Adani ILUA remains on the Tribunal register.
“The ILUA itself makes that clear. The Queensland Government has ‘unfettered discretion’ and is not obliged to extinguish native title. Its signing of the ILUA ‘does not constitute approval or endorsement of the project’.
“The problem with the ILUA is Adani and the State government failed to obtain our genuine consent and signed a sham agreement.
“We suffer under bad laws and processes. It is imperative that the Native Title Act be reformed in line with Australia’s obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the right to free, prior and informed consent. “It’s time for Governments to stand up for our rights”, she concluded.
Source of entire document: wanganjagalingou.com.au/traditional-owners-announce-adani-court-appeal/
Scott Morrison’s lump of coal not enough: he needs a fairy tale on climate change
Scott Morrison needs a plan to cut emissions but all he has is a fairytale
Traditional Owners disturbed by allegations of illegal works by Adani
Call on Qld Government to prosecute any unlawful activity by Adani’s coal operation
Revelations yesterday that Adani Mining may have breached environmental laws while operating on Wangan and Jagalingou country has deeply disturbed Traditional Owners.
The Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) Traditional Owners Council are calling on the Queensland Government to investigate and prosecute any illegal activity on their homelands.
Mr Adrian Burragubba, a traditional owner of W&J country and spokesperson for the Council says: “The Queensland Government has licensed this unscrupulous corporation and now they must take responsibility for any destruction that is occuring on our country. They must investigate and prosecute Adani for any unlawful activity.
“We are very concerned about the impacts on our cultural heritage and ancient story places from Adani’s land clearing and other industrial disturbance. It is a grave matter for us that their works could do permanent damage to our sacred Doongmabulla springs.
“We have been concerned about activity by Adani contractors on our country over some months now. We will be making our own investigations into what Adani have been doing there and will hold both the company and the Government to account.
“Adani have been camped on our country hoping to one day build their mine. Starting work illegally only adds insult to the injury that they are there without our consent. We will continue to pursue them through the courts, and with our demands on the Government.
“We have seen the report from the lawyers at the Environmental Defenders Office, and it appears that coal seam dewatering bores and other extensive groundwork is being done in breach of Adani’s environmental license, and that Adani may have lied to the Queensland Government about it.
“We have known all along that Adani can’t be trusted with our country, to respect our rights, or be custodians of the environment. The Government can restore some faith by interrogating Adani’s conduct and taking whatever action needed to safeguard our country and culture”, he concluded.
Source of entire document wanganjagalingou.com.au/traditional-owners-disturbed-by-illegal-action-by-adani/
Tony Abbott – the mad monk and Ziggy Switkowski are spruiking nuclear power – again!
Abbott’s election advice to Morrison: it’s time to hit the nuclear switch https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/abbotts-election-advice-to-morrison-its-time-to-hit-the-nuclear-switch/news-story/11b479d55f4d52ce7e84a2a3f19390b2 JOE KELLYPOLITICAL REPORTER @joekellyoz 15 Sep 18
Tony Abbott has called on the Morrison government to sharpen the political contest with Labor ahead of the election by moving to lift the prohibition on nuclear power, as Bill Shorten leaves the door open to reviving the now “dead” national energy guarantee.
The former chair of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and current chair of NBN Co, Ziggy Switkowski, told The Weekend Australian yesterday it was sensible to clear the regulatory pathway for the next generation of small nuclear reactors.
A revived debate over nuclear power was also backed by North Queensland MP Warren Entsch, a supporter of the NEG, who said all elements of energy policy should be on the table.
Speaking on 2GB radio in Sydney yesterday, Mr Abbott said there was “absolutely no reason why, when it’s economic, we shouldn’t have nuclear power generation in Australia”.
“One of the things that we could easily do is go into the parliament (and) seek to change the law here. When you’re seeking a third term, when you’re defending a one-seat majority, when you’ve got a few self-inflicted wounds, when you’ve got the unions and GetUp and the Greens as well as Labor against you, you’ve got to be prepared to create a contest.”
The push to revive the nuclear debate follows Scott Morrison declaring the NEG dead, while opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler this week held out the prospect of Labor moving to revive the policy in government following engagement with industry.
Dr Switkowski said the future for nuclear power was “likely to be defined by the arrival of small modular reactors (SMRs) of a 100MW scale” that could provide power for up to 100,000 people.
“They will be affordable, low-risk and an investment that business will find attractive,” he said. “That is likely to happen later in the 2020s, but will have special relevance to Australia where we have towns and industries and mines and desalination plants, all of (which) could be served by one of these SMRs.
“The opportunities for … large reactors have now largely disappeared … It is, however, very sensible to clear away the regulatory obstacles to developing business plans and evaluating technologies in order to have an option in the 2020s to adopt these SMRs.”
Mr Entsch told The Weekend Australian a fresh discussion on lifting the 1998 prohibition on nuclear power “made sense”, saying technological improvements made it possible to build smaller and safer reactors. “The reality is that nuclear power … is clean and green,” he said. “There is zero emissions. If they made a decision to do it, there wouldn’t be an objection from me.”
LNP MP Luke Howarth, in the Queensland seat of Petrie, said the nation “should be having the discussion about how to build a nuclear industry” because it would help drive the “jobs of the future”.
Others rejected the push to revive the debate. South Australian Liberal MP Tony Pasin said: “Whilst I respect the view of Mr Abbott, in my view our government’s policy agenda needs to be focused on proposals which will put serious downward pressure on energy prices over the course of the immediate term.”
1 This month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/235274195556
20 May – Webinar – The dangerous world of AUKUS, US, military occupation and suppression of dissent
National Webinar, 20th May, 2026, 6.30pm AEST. Confronting laws restricting/suppressing protest speech and action
Speakers: Former Sen. Rex Patrick, Lawyer Nick Hanna ,Arthur Rorris ,Jorgen Doyle, Sen David Shoebbridge,
Facilitator Kelley Tranter.
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 