Queensland’s Premier Newman shows his ignorance about climate science
Climate change talk ‘convenient’: Newman THE AUSTRALIAN AAP January 14, 2013 Qld premier Campbell Newman (R) says it’s “convenient” to blame climate change for the bushfires. Source: AAP
THE Queensland premier says it’s “very convenient” to blame climate change for conditions that have always occurred in Australia. Campbell Newman made the comment after federal Nationals Leader Warren Truss said it was “utterly simplistic” to draw a link between climate change and Australia’s recent heatwave and bushfire crisis.
But last week, the federal government’s Climate Commission said the heatwave and bushfires had been exacerbated by global warming.
On Monday, Mr Newman was asked if he believed there was a link between the bushfires, the heatwave and climate change.
“It’s very convenient to blame things that have happened in this country for millennia on climate change,” he replied…….
“I believe we can leave to the experts to make the debate about whether that’s the case….
“The Climate Commission says climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and making it more likely they will stay for longer,” The Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Tony Mohr said in a statement. “The same body of climate experts expects extreme fire danger days to rise more than 15 per cent in most of eastern Australia.” http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/climate-change-talk-convenient-newman/story-fn3dxiwe-1226553573449
Queensland’s poor uranium market future
Australian Uranium Association’ Michael Angwin fights the science on radioactive waste, even as Queensland’s bid for uranium mining has poor economic prospects.
LNP on fission trip with uranium industry dream
John McCarthy
The Courier-Mail
January 05, 2013 THE promised $18 billion industry from uranium mining
in Queensland is a pipe dream and would never eventuate, according to
environmental group Australian Conservation Foundation.
In its submission to the State Government’s Uranium Implementation
Committee, ACF said Queensland would be gambling on an industry that
would have environmental impacts across generations for a relatively
low economic benefit.
ACF said exports of uranium from Australia totalled only $700 million
last year and that was for about a third of the global market…… Continue reading
Joh Bjelke Petersen’s secret plans for uranium enrichment at Ipswich
The revelation came as a shock to Cr Tully, elected to the Ipswich
City Council in 1979.
Cr Tully had no inkling the Bjelke-Petersen government had Ipswich in
its sights.
“That’s news to me. It’s outrageous that any government would consider
Ipswich or any other city as a potential site and keep it secret from
the city,” he said.
Cr Tully said government documents should be released after 10 years
“What are governments thinking about now? They are talking about
uranium mining in Queensland now; will we have to wait 30 years to
hear about it?”
Papers reveal Bjelke-Petersen uranium plant plan for Ipswich
http://www.qt.com.au/news/papers-reveal-uranium-plant-plan-for-ipswich/1702063/
Kieran Banks 1st Jan 2013
Sunshine Coast Daily Archives – 21 June 1976
IPSWICH was identified as a possible site for a uranium enrichment
plant following a secretive government investigation in the 1980s,
confidential cabinet documents reveal today. Continue reading
Past Queensland govt wanted uranium enrichment, and no federal control over uranium industry
the Queensland Government had told the
Commonwealth it wanted control over dealing with nuclear materials in
its state.
In a submission to the Federal Government on the Atomic Energy Act
1953, the Queensland Government argued any new legislation should
reflect the state’s right to control the minerals.
Caboolture was earmarked for Qld uranium plant by Joh, Caboolture News,
Ava Benny-Morrison 1st Jan 2013 CABOOLTURE was
earmarked for a potential uranium plant by the Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Government, previously confidential cabinet documents have revealed.
The papers showed that a long-running, secretive investigation into a
plant in Australia identified Caboolture as well as Ipswich as
notional sites.
The Bjelke-Petersen Government had its vision for uranium exploration
in Queensland in full swing in 1982, pitching its interest to be home
of an east coast enrichment plant. Continue reading
Queenslanders vulnerable to UV radiation – new solariums banned
New solariums to be banned in Queensland, Brisbane Times, December 16, 2012 Bridie Jabour “….. CEO Cancer Council Queensland Professor Jeff Dunn congratulated the Newman Government on the move but said he would like to see a total ban on solariums in the next three years….. Professor Dunn said the government had confirmed earlier this week they will move toward a total ban on solariums.
‘‘Queensland has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world – more than 2600 people across the state are diagnosed with melanoma each year, yet it remains the single most preventable cancer,’’ he said. ‘‘A ban on solariums will eliminate potentially deadly skin cancers linked to sunbed use, no doubt saving the lives of thousands of Queenslanders.’’
In his announcement Mr Springborg said sun-beds and stand-up tanning machines that use exposure to ultraviolet radiation were dangerous. ‘‘People who use a solarium before the age of 35 have a 75% greater risk of melanoma,’’ he said.
He said evidence of growing community awareness of the risks posed by solarium use was abundant. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/new-solariums-to-be-banned-in-queensland-20121216-2bh6t.html#ixzz2FKubxb1U
Queensland coast could get WEEKLY king tides, with climate change sea level rise
Climate change tipped to bring more king tides ABC News Dec 14, 2012 A Queensland academic says extreme weather events, like this week’s king tides, could become more common as a result of climate change.
The biggest tides of the year are expected to peak this morning, reaching 5.7 metres at Port Alma, 4.7 metres at Yeppoon and 4.6 metres at Gladstone.
Professor Rodger Tomlinson, from the coastal research unit at Griffith University, says king tides could occur weekly in the future. “Some research has been done by our colleagues in the CSIRO sort of indicating that these kind of events that we now see twice a year, under the sea level rise projections for 2,100, we might be … seeing those sort of weekly,” he said.
“It’s that kind of increase in the frequency of those events under sea level rise.”
Authorities say they are not expecting any properties along the central Capricorn Coast to be badly affected by inundation during this morning’s high tide……http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-14/climate-change-tipped-to-bring-more-king-tides/4427970
Groups demand Queensland’s Federal MPs retain protection of the State’s environment
“We have been witnessing a wholesale removal of environmental protections in Queensland on a completely unprecedented scale and at a pace that is breath-taking – and certainly beyond the capacity of the community to respond”
“Our organisations together represent tens of thousands of Queenslanders who are extremely alarmed at the prospect of the economic development driven Newman government having sole responsibility for the future of Queensland’s special places like Cape York and World Heritage areas like the Great Barrier Reef”
Queensland Conservation Council, 6 Dec 12 Queensland’s state and regional conservation groups meeting in
Brisbane today have demanded that Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and other Queensland Labor MPs act to prevent the handing over of environmental approval powers to the States. Continue reading
In depressing uranium market, Australian uranium companies freeze development
Frozen: Uranium exploration on hold North West Star, Nov. 28, 2012 A GLOBALLY weak uranium mining price had led to a development freeze from Valhalla’s exploration company, but they insist the long-term outlook remain positive.
Paladin Energy, the company which is exploring uranium at the Valhalla deposit 40 kilometres North West of Mount Isa, recorded recent losses and frozen development due to the weak uranium price. In a statement, Paladin Energy said it would require a sustainable uranium price, at or above $81.78 Australian dollars per pound to warrant any further expansion or new mine development.
The current uranium price is $41.75 Australian dollars per pound.
Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia expects to post a full-year loss of between $135 million and $155 million this year, blaming difficult market conditions for the cuts…..
The long-term outlook may not be so bleak with an independent investment researcher claiming there is promise. Senior independent researcher Claire Aitchison said uranium demand was supported by 63 new reactors under construction, 18 reactors undergoing power capacity upgrades and the anticipation of more Japanese reactors coming back online following the Fukushima incident.
However she warned another disaster on the scale of Fukushima could have a significant impact on the nuclear industry.
No hope for Queensland uranium mining, with no uranium market recovery in sight
Market reality to keep uranium riches in the ground despite lifting of mining ban, Courier Mail, by: Robert Macdonald November 26, 2012 WHEN Premier Campbell Newman unexpectedly announced the end of Queensland’s uranium mining ban in late October, the share prices of selected explorers soared.
It was just a spike. Once investors recovered from their initial glee at the overturning of the 20-year-old roadblock, the reality of a uranium market deeply depressed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear power station disaster brought them back to Earth…….
The current spot price of uranium is less than $US45 ($A43) a pound (454g), which is barely two-thirds of the break-even cost of a modern uranium mine. The long-term price is higher, about $US60 a pound, but still barely profitable.
“I don’t think anything in the world would go ahead at the moment,” Laramide Resources vice president, exploration Peter Mullens said….. Continue reading
Electricity from sugar power at Mackay, Queensland – AUDIO
AUDIO Mackay running on sugar power http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201211/s3633288.htm By Michael Cavanagh, 15/11/2012 From today, 30 per cent of the electricity needs of Mackay on Queensland’s central coast will be supplied by the Racecourse Sugar Mill located on the city’s outskirts.
The bagasse, or sugar waste, has long been used to power the mill’s operations. Now, with the use of more efficient boilers and a newsteam turbine generator, the excess will be pushed into the town’s electricity grid.
Mackay Sugar is one of Australia’s top 500 carbon emitters. Business development manager John Hodgson says this is a further reason to move away from more traditional power.
“So we have a liability for those emissions and we desperately want to get off that list of high emitters so that is another big incentive to displace coal with stored bagasse.”
The Racecourse Mill cogeneration project is costing around $120 million. A small part of this is government funding, with the bulk coming from Mackay Sugar.
The man with his hand on the purse is Mackay Sugar CEO Quinton Hildebrand. He says it’s a “good commercial venture” with an expected “payback” over the next six years. Mackay Sugar receives payments on a monthly basis, which are calculated on the power exported.
Asbestos and cancer – uranium will be next, says powerful Electrical Trades Union
“‘Uranium will be the next asbestos. All those years ago they said it was safe to work with asbestos. Then years later the companies didn’t want to know about it when workers started dying from diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer,”
ETU in uranium mining no-go Townsville Bulletin, JOHN ANDERSEN | November 10th, 2012 UNION bosses have instructed the 12,800 financial members of the Electrical Trades Union in Queensland not to work in any start-up
uranium mines in the state.
The ETU directive against members taking jobs in uranium mines has been in place since 2010, but with no uranium industry in the state it has lain dormant for the past two years. Continue reading
Queensland’s Premier Newman wants sole power to speed up new mines
Campbell Newman says state should have sole power to approve new mines by: Sarah Vogler The Courier-Mail November 08, 2012 THE power to approve new mines should be handled solely by the State, Premier Campbell Newman has told a business forum in Brisbane.
Answering questions on everything from casinos to asset sales and his decision to raise mining royalties, Mr Newman said the State should be in charge of approving mines in a move he believed would mean new
mines could be approved within two years…. He said his government was ‘unashamedly’ pro development and intent on creating the best environment for business.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/campbell-newman-says-state-should-have-sole-power-to-approve-new-mines/story-e6freoof-1226513201669
Queensland Premier Newman announces his Uranium Mining Cheer Squad
Uranium Implementation Committee announced The Premier Campbell Newman has announced the membership of the Uranium Implementation Committee which will establish a best-practice framework for the recommencement of uranium mining in Queensland. “Uranium exports will earn Queensland tens of billions of dollars over the next two decades, providing thousands of jobs across rural and regional areas,” Mr Newman said.
“The State Government has established an Implementation Committee to look at the orderly development and operation of a recommenced uranium mining and export industry in Queensland.”
The Implementation Committee will be chaired by Central Highlands Councillor, Paul Bell AM, who has just retired after serving eight years as President of the Local Government Association of Queensland.
“Cr Bell has spent decades representing the mining communities of Central Queensland and understands what it takes to build a successful resources industry which benefits everybody” Mr Newman said.
Other members of the Uranium Implementation Committee will be:
· Noeline Ikin, CEO Northern Gulf Resource Management Group
· Frances Hayter, Environment Director, Queensland Resources Council
· Dr Geoff Garrett, Queensland Government Chief Scientist and
· Dan Hunt, Acting Director- General, Department of Natural
Resources and Mines
· Indigenous leader, Warren Mundine, Director of the Australian Uranium Association and a former ALP National President (subject to final confirmation).
Mr Newman also released the Terms of Reference of the Uranium Implementation Committee which will be available on the Department of Natural Resources and Mines website.
tatements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2012/10/30/uranium-implementation-committee-announced
Danger to Townsville’s water supply, if Ben Lomond uranium mine is re-opened
Labor raises concern over north Qld uranium mine
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-06/labor-concern-over-north-qld-uranium-mine/4356092?section=business By Megan Woodward, 6 Nov 12 The Queensland Opposition has warned any resumption of uranium mining near Townsville in the state’s north risked contaminating the city’s water supply.
The State Government recently announced plans to resume uranium mining across Queensland.
The Ben Lomond uranium mine, 50 kilometres west of Townsville, closed more than 20 years ago amid serious environmental concerns. The mine is in the Thuringowa electorate of Liberal National Party (LNP) MP Sam Cox.
Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mulherin today called on Mr Cox to become more involved in any proposals to reopen the mine. Mr Mulherin says nearby residents needed a guarantee environmental concerns do not still exist.
“The concerns related to the tail dams, cyclonic rain events and the impact the heavy metals and radioactive materials,” he said. Mr Mulherin says when the mine was closed there was concern radioactive tailings would reach the Burdekin River, which supplies water to the Townsville region.
The ABC has approached Mr Cox for comment.
Exposing lies about Queensland’s uranium “bonanza” – ?jobs, ?revenue, amid nuclear stagnation
Talk of a nuclear ‘bonanza’ is just an elaborate con job http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/talk-of-a-nuclear-bonanza-is-just-an-elaborate-con-job/story-e6frerc6-1226510118799?sv=d2b3eec93f11454538c10b543b37282b by:Gavin Mudd, Jim Green The Courier-Mail November 05, 2012
THE push to mine Queensland’s uranium is a con job and the con goes further than the LNP’s decision to take a no-uranium position to the election, only to reverse it months later on the flimsiest of pretenses.
Another part of the con concerns jobs. The Australian Uranium Association says 2620 new jobs will be created by uranium mining in Queensland, a figure repeated by state MP Rob Katter among others.
But IBISWorld’s market report says there are just 650 jobs across Australia in uranium mining. The World Nuclear Association puts the figure at 1760 jobs, including exploration and regulation and even that generous figure amounts to less than 0.02 per cent of all jobs in Australia. Continue reading
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