Australia’s PM Turnbull under firm control of right wing on climate change
Liberal right wing’s climate warning to Malcolm Turnbull: don’t touch Direct Action, The Age, September 25, 2015 Mark Kenny and Philip Wen Malcolm Turnbull has been warned by his party’s right wing not to attempt changes to beef up the Abbott government’s Direct Action program in response to China’s introduction of an economy-wide emissions trading scheme by 2017.
West Australian Liberal Dennis Jensen welcomed the assurances 
of Environment Minister Greg Hunt, who said Australia would not be altering its climate change abatement measures in response to the Chinese development.
“It’s one of the conditions of the leadership change that we are sticking with the policy we had,” he told Fairfax Media………
While Mr Turnbull declined to comment, Mr Hunt was sent out to reassure nervous Liberals that the development out of Beijing would not lead to a similar move from Canberra. http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-right-wings-climate-warning-to-malcolm-turnbull-dont-touch-direct-action-20150925-gjv73s.html#ixzz3mnbYTxSM
Canberra school Amaroo to get benefits from ACT’s largest rooftop solar system
Amaroo School to gleam under ACT’s largest rooftop solar system, Canberra Times, September 25, 2015 Emma Kelly Canberra Times reporter Amaroo School will gleam beneath the territory’s largest rooftop solar system when school returns next term. Almost 2000 large solar panels will be installed across the school’s buildings, producing 600kW of power to be fed into the ACT electricity grid.
The school is leasing its roof space to solar energy company Solar Choice and will power the equivalent of about 175 Canberra houses each year. The 20-year lease will also generate $30,000 a year in school funding.
Solar Choice managing director Angus Gemmell said a team of 30 contractors would install the panels over the next fortnight while students were on school holidays, before solar inverters were installed the week after.
Mr Gemmell, who will soon oversee construction of the Majura Valley solar farm, said the school’s utility-scale panels would be about 25 per cent bigger than the panels installed on regular houses.
“We have large skillion, north-facing roofs that are much like a ski slope to the north. The panels can be perfectly flush-mounted, they won’t need tilt fronts,” he said………
the installation was part of a broader rollout of solar technology in the territory, which had seen rooftop solar capacity jump from less than one megawatt in early 2009 to about 45 megawatts today.
“As we head to a 90 per cent renewable energy target, rooftop solar is going to play an increasingly important role,” he said.”Medium and large-scale rooftop solar is the growth market now for PV [solar power] in Australia and I’m very excited to see Amaroo sharing in those benefits.”
Amaroo School principal Julie Cooper said the school, which is also home to a wind turbine, would make the most of the money injected into the school via the roof space lease. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/amaroo-school-to-gleam-under-acts-largest-rooftop-solar-system-20150924-gjujsf.html#ixzz3mnO1OZCy
Western Australia’s govt slow to re-register Aboriginal sacred sites
WA Government ‘dragging feet’ over sacred site registration: Indigenous group, ABC News 25 Sep 15 By Kathryn Diss An Aboriginal heritage group has accused the State Government of dragging its feet on reinstating several sacred sites it deregistered over the past year.
Several culturally significant sites around WA have had their protection withdrawn on the basis they no longer fit the definition of a sacred site.
Guidelines issued by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs stated that to be a recognised sacred site, a place needed to have been devoted to religious use rather than simply mythological stories, songs or beliefs.
But in a test case in April challenging the Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee’s (ACMC) deregistration of a site in Port Hedland, the Supreme Court quashed the decision to remove it from the protected list.
Dr Stephen Bennetts from the Aboriginal Heritage Action Alliance said it had been months since the ruling was handed down and the government had not yet reinstated the other sites.
Dr Bennetts said he is concerned the sites could be damaged if they were not adequately protected. “It is quite possible some of those may have already been damaged,” he said.
Dr Bennetts said it was a scandal none of the custodians of the deregistered sites had been notified of the court’s decision.
“Because we know the reasoning the ACMC deregistered them in the first place was to make it easier for developers to get their approvals that was the exact reason,” he said………..http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-25/call-for-indigenous-heritage-sites-to-be-re-registered/6804082
Professor John Quiggin dismisses the CANDU nuclear reactor at the #NuclearCommissionSAust
SA NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE ROYAL COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS, WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2015, Excerpts from the transcript
Prof Quiggan: “……..I think we’ll go back to carbon pricing and we’ll go down essentially a renewable (indistinct) perhaps already well-established industry. With popular acceptance – there’s obviously a little bit of objection to wind but broad 40 popular acceptance and essentially all we need is the price signal and some policy certainty and that’s the path we’ll take……..
Coober Pedy gets another visit from #NuclearCommissionSAust
https://cooberpedyregionaltimes.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/coober-pedy-regional-times-24-09-2015.pdf , Noel WauchopeThe South Australian Nuclear Fuel Chain Royal Commission went to Coober Pedy again, on September 18th. John Bok, Regional Engagement Manager for the Commission was there to make a presentation about the Royal Commission. Bok stressed that he was there only to provide information about the Commission’s processes, and also that the Commission’s findings would be evidence based..
We are the Aboriginal Women. Yankunytjatjara, Antikarinya and Kokatha. We know the country. The poison the Government is talking about will poison the land. We say, “No radioactive dump in our ngura – in our country. It’s strictly poison, we don’t want it.”
We do not want nuclear anything on our Land – Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Law and Culture
APY LAW & CULTURE – CONCERNS FOR NUCLEAR WASTE, Coober Pedy Regional Times, 24 Sept 15, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Law and Culture is declaring its intention to move away from the APY Administration. For a long time our committee has been worried about the direction the APY Administration is taking.
On several occasions we have been told Law and Culture is a side committee, that it is second to the APY.
Law and Culture comes first. It always has. The administration needs to understand this. All Anangu know that our Law and Culture comes first, our Law and Culture must be at the heart of decision making. We have decided to stand alone. Our Law and Culture will come first. Our lives depend on it. We will source alternate funding.
One of our big concerns is the Royal Commission into Nuclear Energy. Law and Culture says no to APY Lands being used to mine uranium or dump the waste.
Tony Abbott’s legacy – it’s not pretty
Tony Abbott’s department discussed investigation into Bureau of Meteorology over global warming exaggeration claims, FOI documents reveal
Former prime minister Tony Abbott’s own department discussed setting up an investigation into the Bureau of Meteorology amid media claims it was exaggerating estimates of global warming, Freedom of Information documents have revealed.
In August and September 2014, The Australian newspaper published reports questioning the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BoM) methodology for analysing temperatures, reporting claims BoM was “wilfully ignoring evidence that contradicts its own propaganda”.
Fact check scorecard: How does Tony Abbott’s record of claims and promises stack up?
ABC Fact Check was established shortly before the 2013 election, and has been checking Tony Abbott’s claims ever since.
Before the election, Mr Abbott repeatedly set a high standard for integrity, promising to lead a government that “says what it means, and does what it says”.
Mr Abbott made many claims during his tenure on a diverse range of topics, including the economy, environment, immigration and employment.
So now that his time as leader is over, how does his record of claims and promises stack up?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-24/tony-abbott-fact-check-record/6792016
Poll shows most Australians support charity status for environmental groups
Voters have overwhelmingly rebuffed the government’s so-called “vendetta” on green groups, with new polling showing 70 per cent oppose any move to deny charity status to environment groups.
Voters have overwhelmingly rebuffed the government’s so-called “vendetta” on green groups, with new polling showing 70 per cent oppose any move to deny charity status to environment groups.
Removing such groups’ charity status, first proposed by key Tony Abbott backer Andrew Nikolic, could cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-deductible income, and severely restrict their capacity to campaign on environmental issues.
Pressure has been building on the government to abandon the proposed changes, with Labor and the Greens flagging they will oppose any moves it makes on the matter.
Environment groups believe the proposal is designed to strip them of their ability to campaign against mining projects.
But new polling conducted by the Australia Institute shows 68 per cent of people support the right of green groups to conduct environmental campaigns and advocate policy changes, while also claiming charity status…… http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/most-oppose-denying-environmental-groups-charity-status-says-poll-20150924-gjtz4t.html#ixzz3mhlVxCnW
Renewable Energy way ahead of nuclear – Rebecca Keane’s Submission to #NuclearCommissionSAust
http://nuclearrc.sa.gov.au/app/uploads/2015/09/Rebecca-Keane-23-07-2015.pdf I am astonished that South Australia is even being considered as a site for nuclear power plants and/or radioactive waste dumps. Australia’s rapid and widespread progress in the harnessing of our virtually unlimited solar energy resource is evident in the fact that currently 1.4 million households have rooftop solar installations!. The huge potential for expansion in this field negates any need for the pursuit of such a highly dangerous enterprise as nuclear power generation.
Solar thermal energy supply, where solar energy is stored as heat is also highly efficient and offers
tremendous opportunities in this country. Moreover, our nation’s geographical conditions are extremely favourable to the massive development of other renewable sources such as wind, hydro and wave power. Wind energy is emerging as a highly cost-effective resource and vertical axis wind turbines are particularly effective and create no noise issues.
The West Australian coast is subject to the world’s strongest wind system (The Roaring Forties) with the energy released each year from the pounding of the waves influenced by this system, equating to five times Australia’s annual total energy usage2. Over 85% of Australians live in close proximity to the
coast.
A combination of the utilisation ofrenewable intermittent sources such as solar, wind
and wave energy with back-up hydro and gas-driven turbines is recognized by experts throughout the world as being highly comparable in terms of both adequacy and reliability of supply, to existing coal-driven technology. Over 24,000 people are employed in Australia’s renewable energy industries compared to 10,000 in coalmining for the domestic market 3 Continue reading
Australia’s new Resources Minister Frydenberg is a nuclear power enthusiast
Turnbull appoints a nuclear fan to head energy policy REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson on 21 September 2015 Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has appointed a strong advocate of nuclear energy in the key resources and energy portfolio as part of sweeping changes to his cabinet and ministry.
Josh Frydenberg, an ally of Tony Abbott who was previously assistant Treasurer, has been named as minister for resources, energy and northern Australia, as part of a reshuffle that sees the portfolio split from industry, innovation and science, which goes to former eduation minister Chris Pyne.
Greg Hunt retains his spot as environment minister, to continue his bluster around Direct Action as a result of Turnbull’s pact with the Liberal Party’s far right wing, and Turnbull has also appointed Jamie Briggs to be Minister for Cities and the Built Environment, in an appointment welcomed by the Green Building Council and others…………..
Frydenberg also has strong views on energy, and in particularly nuclear energy. He made it one of his three major issues when he made his maiden speech to parliament in October, 2010, and then made a series of speeches and articles pushing the technology.
In The Australian newspaper in early 2011, Frydenberg said nuclear was safe and cheap, and expected that sometime soon nuclear plants could likely be constructed within 2 ½ years. He also quoted nuclear advocate Ziggy Switkowski as saying that Australia could be 90 per cent powered by nuclear energy by 2050. Continue reading
#SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA: Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia
#SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA 5th Global Call to action announced:
Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia
https://www.facebook.com/sosblakaustralia/photos/a.1042299689120174.1073741828.1042255972457879/1158023780881097/?type=1&theater
16 Sep 15: “With the recent change of leadership in the current LNP government and last week’s announcement of eight Indigenous individuals confirmed to determine the fate of 274 Aboriginal Communities in Western Australia alongside what the Government claims to be a ‘consultative process’, a new date has been set for the 5th Global Call to Action – Friday 27th November 2015.
… #SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA grew out of necessity in the response to the threatened forced closure of Aboriginal communities. Our extended reach is in excess of 12 million people and our direct reach is close to 75,000. Our goal goes well beyond any ‘consultation’. Regardless of who is prime minister, we
are committed to keeping our communities on their homelands and we have been consulting among our own people to develop sustainable and viable models for communities, outstations and seasonal campsites.
To support this work, we are steadily galvanising support from NGOs, unions, the legal fraternity and public figures and have built a skills database with submissions from thousands of everyday people worldwide, who care as much as we do about our Aboriginal culture and human rights.
#SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA itself will be scaled up to increase its capacity, whilst supporting a cultural revolution, political platform and fundraising campaign.
South Australian govt removes regulatory hurdle on renewable energy
If South Australia were a nation, it would be second only to Denmark in regard to wind energy. It’s no slouch on solar power either. While it may not host the largest number of solar panel systems in Australia; it leads the nation based on the percentage of households with home solar installed.
More Of South Australia Opened Up To Renewable Energy Projects http://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/south-australia-renewables-em5081/ September 22, 2015 Energy Matters The South Australian Government has reduced regulatory burdens on renewable energy projects on state Crown lands; a move it says will provide greater certainty to investors and make South Australia even more competitive.
The proclamation of the Pastoral Land Management and Conservation (Renewable Energy) Amendment Act 2014 means wind farm developer can now apply for 25-year licences on Crown land; subject to pastoral lease tenure. Developers will also be given the option to renew for another 25 years.
“Securing investor confidence is key to the long-term future of the renewable energy industry, and this Act serves to cement South Australia’s position as the preferred destination for renewable energy development,” said Climate Change Minister Ian Hunter.
Additionally, the Act will expedite access for the development of solar farms and also ensure local communities reap the benefits of renewables investments; with 95 per cent of licence payments flowing through to pastoral lessees and native title holders. Continue reading
New Resources Minister, Josh Frydenberg, gives cautious support to renewable energy
Wind farms, solar to be ‘key part’ of Federal Government’s energy strategy, Minister says, ABC News, By Loretta Florance, 21 Sept 15 Renewable energy will be a “key part” of the Federal Government’s energy platform, the newly elevated Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia Josh Frydenberg says.
Key points:
- Josh Frydenberg says renewables will be “key part” of energy policy
- Renewable energy sector says comments are “extremely encouraging”
- The industry has lost 88 pc of investment in past year
Former prime minister Tony Abbott was vocal in his opposition to the sector, describing wind farms as “visually awful” and saying he wished the Renewable Energy Target (RET) had never been introduced by the Howard government.
The industry, which lost 88 per cent of investment over the past year, amid uncertainty over the RET,had been hopeful the Government’s attitude would change under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
However Mr Turnbull, who lost the party leadership in 2009 over his support for the Rudd government’s proposed Emission Trading Scheme, said he was in favour of retaining the Government’s current climate change policies.
“The climate policy is one that I think has been very well designed that was a very, very good piece of work,” he said after he took the leadership last week.
But today, Mr Frydenberg told 774 ABC Melbourne that “clearly renewable energy is a key part of our energy platform”.”I think wind farms, I think solar, I think they all have a role to play,” he said.
Mr Frydenberg was asked by host Jon Faine if describing renewable energy as a “key platform” represented a u-turn for the Government.
“Don’t play it up to be bigger than it is Jon, what I’m saying is that we as a Coalition Government have entered into a bipartisan agreement with the Labor Party, on a 23.5 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, this will see a doubling of large scale renewable energy,” he said……http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-21/renewable-energy-to-be-key-part-of-federal-government-strategy/6791136
Queensland poised – could take off as renewable energy leader
QLD could become renewable energy leader, http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/qlds-future-really-is-the-sunshine-state/2782321/ Bill Hoffman | 22nd Sep 2015 QUEENSLAND can become a leader in developing cleaner electricity, according to a new forum that has just launched a renewable energy transition document to explain how it’s possible.
The approach aims to create new jobs in regional and rural communities across the state and seeks to tap into global investment in renewable energy which rose 17% last year to more than $270 billion. Sustainable Queensland Forum patron, Marcoola’s Professor Ian Lowe, said we should be at the forefront of the shift from fossil fuels because of our abundance of solar and wind resources.
“Queensland can get on board and move away from its present reliance on coal to develop a pathway for a clean energy transition and play a major role in this growth sector,” Prof Lowe said. “We have long been known as the Sunshine State. “It’s time to earn that title.”
Despite one of the highest uptakes for household solar, with about half a million homes using solar energy, Queensland lags behind every state except WA in total renewable generation.
Report lead author Trevor Berrill said renewable energy schemes created jobs through the construction and operation and offered farmers and graziers the chance to supplement their income by hosting solar and wind installations. Members of the Sustainable Queensland Forum received a positive response to the report at a recent meeting with Queensland Energy Minister Mark Bailey and his Director-General.
Key recommendations of the report Queensland Transitioning to a Clean and Efficient Energy System also include the establishment of an area within the State Government to drive Labor’s target of 50% renewable energy by 2030 and no further fossil fuel generation as coal-fired stations reach the end of their productive life.
Improving energy efficiency delivers savings for users and creates jobs and training for more energy auditors. The Australian Solar Council, Queensland Conservation Council, Australian PV Institute, Alternative Technology Association and Environmental Defenders Office endorsed the findings.
Will Environment Minister Greg Hunt now come good on renewable energy?
Turnbull government to ditch former PM Abbott’s attempt to abolish renewable energy agencies http://www.ibtimes.com.au/turnbull-government-ditch-former-pm-abbotts-attempt-abolish-renewable-energy-agencies-1468516 By Darwin Malicdem on September 22 2015 The Turnbull government is waiving to abandon former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s previous attempt to abolish renewable energy agencies for a new approach to attain the carbon reduction target of Australia. Environment Minister Greg Hunt is about to add the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, or CEFC, which Abbott previously aimed to ban from investing in commercial-based wind or small-scale solar energy projects, to his new portfolio.
There has been a negotiation between the government and the CEFC about the company’s investment instructions after a legal advice
for the investment bank suggested that the Abbott government order could deny the CEFC its legislated duties. The Guardian reported that an agreement would be announced at any day.
Hunt believes that the CEFC may provide flexible proposals as it may return to finance government projects. In addition, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, or Arena, set up by the former Labor government to handle the use of renewable energy, was reported on Monday to be transferred from the Industry Department to the Department of the Environment.
“Obviously under Malcolm Turnbull there is a history of a deep long support for renewable energy,” Hunt told Sky News on Monday. Continue reading
1 This month.
Australians deserve the truth
about
AUKUS – https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/
Australians deserve the truth
about AUKUS
PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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