Australia’s mining leaders pessimistic on growth prospects, BHP slow to expand Olympic Dam
93% of Mining Leaders See Extremely Low or Zero Growth Prospect for Industry in Next 1-2 Years; No Immediate Plans by BHP for Olympic Dam Expansion International Business Times, By Vittorio Hernandez | July 29, 2014 “…….Australian miners are pessimistic about the future of the mining industry, which was responsible for the current economic boom of the country, in the next few years. A survey made among 60 mining leaders in the latest Mining Business Outlook report, released Tuesday by Newport Consulting, found that 93 per cent of the executives find prospects for the industry’s growth over the next one to two years extremely low or zero. Twelve months ago, only over 50 per cent had that outlook………
82 per cent said they lack confidence that large-scale projects wouldresume in the next 12 months, but could stretch to at least three to five years for new projects to develop.
This was confirmed by documents filed by mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) with the federal Environment Department to secure approval for a trial plant that would test heap-leaching of copper and uranium ores at lower cost as an alternative to previous plans to expand the $30-billion Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine in South Australia shelved in 2012….”
Abbott government blind to the real developments in energy systems
It’s time for Abbott to dump secret nuclear ambitions Echo Net Daily, By Giles Parkinson, RenewEconomy, 29 July 14 “……….Adam Creighton, the Australian’s economics writer, typified the confusion of conservatives about energy choices in his column last month, entitled ‘The wrong call on energy costs’…………
The second is the idea that nuclear is cheap. France is often held out as the prime example of this, but this façade is rapidly fading on the realisation that France will have to spend more in coming years on maintenance than it did on building the plants in the first place. (See graph at the end of story).
France’s Cour des Comptes said in a recent report that the current cost of production for France’s nuclear fleet was EUR 59.8/MWh ($A85/MWh), and will rise as the state-owned EdF invests another EUR 62.5 billion between 2011 and 2025, half of it just on safety measures. That cost will soar to EUR90 billion by 2033.
A Greenpeace report suggested that the safety upgrades needed for France’s 58 nuclear reactors would raise median production costs to 133 euros ($US180) per megawatt-hour (MWh) by 2020.
That estimate, based on an extension of the lifespan of current reactors by 10 years to 50 years and 4.4 billion euros worth of work per reactor, would make nuclear energy less competitive than onshore wind power around 2015, and less competitive than solar by 2020.
A parliamentary committee said the rising cost of France’s nuclear energy is of such a concern and the government should set up independent expert institutions to help it plan long-term energy investments.
The Hollande government has already made a decision, to place a cap on nuclear capacity and ramp up the introduction of renewables, because they see it as the cheaper option.
In the UK, the $24 billion Hinkley C facility is to be built by EdF and some Chinese contractors after getting a guaranteed price of £92.50/MWh 0 nearly double the current average cost of generation in the UK, and a whole heap of subsidies.
As Deutsche Bank pointed out after that contract announcement, EdF effectively handballed the risk of new nuclear to the consumer and the UK government, and Deutsche wondered how the French government could possibly finance any investment in new reactors.
Given that EdF is already cash-flow negative and has such a huge debt, few people have any clue how that could possibly be done.
In Australia, the Abbott government and the conservatives are completely blind to this. Hence their determination stop renewables as if it were part of some subversive green-left agenda. But the longer they delay renewables, the more they risk Australia’s economic indicators following in the path of Silex http://www.echo.net.au/2014/07/time-abbott-dump-secret-nuclear-ambitions/#comment-1776807
A proud call from member of the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy (BASE)
A LEGACY OF APATHY AND DEPENDENCY IC Magazine by Paul Spearim on July 29, 2014-“…………. The Abbott government’s 2014-15 federal budget has ripped over 500 million dollars from Indigenous funding nationwide, reducing 150 programs and services to just five. The government’s new ‘Indigenous Advancement Strategy’ will be totally controlled by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. This is the evil and crazy game show they call Australian politics.
We as Aboriginal peoples are already the most marginalized group in this country, what we see happening with this budget is nothing new. Consecutive Australian governments have done the same since federation. Yet this racist Prime Minister feels that he can judge what is in the best interest of our peoples. While he is in power, he will oversee and control us just like the White masters and ‘protectors’ who came before him. But this will not be restricted to slashing Indigenous funding. Coming soon to your community is another 50 million dollars’ worth of new police infrastructure, devoted to creating a permanent police presence in remote Aboriginal communities. If only this was the answer to the political, social and economic problems of this country, oh White master whose poison feet tread on our sacred lands.
I honestly believe that it’s not about how much they take in terms of money. It’s the denial of our basic human rights that concerns me most. It’s about whether I can take my grandchildren onto their ancestral Gamilaraay lands, sacred lands that are being ripped up and desecrated by mining companies. It’s about being able to continue the age old practice of bestowing our knowledge, song, dance and storylines, and maintaining the strict but respectful balance so necessary to our ongoing cultural connection to country.
This leads me to acknowledge a sad legacy that is still being perpetuated today. It’s called APATHY………
We must recognize and understand that we have been and continue to be oppressed and controlled by consecutive racist Australian governments since the advent of colonization.
As the filthy dust from Abbott’s budget settles on the black soiled plains of my sacred Gamilaraay homelands, multinational mining companies continue to illegally dig up and desecrate my ancestors’ ceremonial lands. This destruction is occurring on my lands with the corrupt approval of current and past state and federal government ministers, ministers who’ve found themselves under investigation for their unscrupulous dealings with these mining companies. These evil companies, along with Australia’s racist governments, do not care whether my sacred lands are left for my grandchildren or great grandchildren. The slash and burn of the budget and the desecration of my sacred lands only proves to me that all they are interested in is profit and power.
Another sad legacy that is very evident throughout Aboriginal communities is that, from a young age, we are programmed to believe that we cannot do anything ourselves. We are conditioned to believe that we need financial assistance from government. This has been a very successful ploy used by successive governments to co-opt our Black nations and peoples to remain in this welfare state of mind.
We know that the pain and suffering will never end for our people until you join us in the fight. Now is the ideal time for our peoples to all stand up together and be counted. Come along and join us on the streets. It’s never too late.
Governments come and go all the time. You and I must maintain the struggle. My fight is your fight, and it is a just fight.
As a proud member of the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy (BASE), I believe we will continue to pave the way for the future generations to understand that we do not need government assistance. We continue to run programs that benefit our peoples like the BASE Food Program and delivering furniture/clothing to Aboriginal communities. Our Sovereign Grannies group has been set up to provide a support network for Black women and families who are dealing with Australia’s racist welfare and DOCS (Department of Child Safety) system. And Brisbane Blacks is a magazine that helps our peoples understand the real issues that we are facing in our country today.
Let’s keep the fire burning.
ngiyaningu maran yaliwunga ngarra-li https://intercontinentalcry.org/legacy-apathy-dependency/
All Australians should cherish our unique Aboriginal culture
SHOULD NON-INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS BE PROUD OF INDIGENOUS CULTURE? Ray Gates, 29 July 14 “……….In explaining why they thought non-Indigenous Australian’s should be proud of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, several common themes emerged from the ideas put forward. These included:………..
“Because Indigenous Australian’s are the traditional owners of the land and bring with them a unique culture. We could learn more as non Indigenous people especially with regard to kinship values, the importance of the land and spirituality”
“Yes – it is what is unique to Australia, something that differentiates us from the rest of the world; we have one of the longest living cultures in the world and we should be proud of it and cherish it whether we are Indigenous or not.”
“Indigenous culture is a valuable resource for all Australians. It is rich and diverse, it is enduring and adaptable. It speaks with the voice of our ancient past. Indigenous culture advises us on how to care for the natural world and for each other. The language, art, music, learning,rituals, rules and ways of living cans inform all our ways of living.”…………http://raygates.me/should-non-indigenous-australians-be-proud-of-indigenous-culture/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=should-non-indigenous-australians-be-proud-of-indigenous-culture
Investors interested in the success of Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CIFC)
Interest in green bank continues to grow, Herald Sun 22 July 14 INVESTOR interest in Australia’s clean energy bank continues to grow despite a cloud hanging over its future.IN its first full year of operation, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation invested $900 million in renewables projects worth more than $3 billion.
For every dollar invested over the 2013/14 financial year the “green bank” attracted more than $2.20 from the private sector.The corporation was assigned $10 billion over five years to drive private sector investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.The positive rate of return has been cited by supporters of the corporation as evidence of its success and reason to save it from abolition.The Abbott government has introduced legislation to parliament to unwind the green bank, arguing taxpayers money should not be spent on projects the private sector deems too risky.Revelations the corporation’s activities had no adverse impact on government debt and was actually delivering a return for taxpayers raised particular questions about the merit of axing it……. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/interest-in-green-bank-continues-to-grow/story-fni0xqi4-1226997350473
Global warming – get the facts
Check the facts on global warming http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/global-warming-is-real-check-the-facts/2329388/ MIKE OWEN Sunshine Coast Daily, 25 July 14 ONCE again someone with little understanding of the facts or the science has claimed global warming has stopped and the world has not warmed for 18 years (Case Smit, SCD July 22).
The facts do not bear this out. The two warmest years on record are a tie between 2010 and 2005.
In addition May and June of this year were both the warmest ever recorded for those months, and with a likely El Nino coming up there is a good chance that 2014 will break all records.
And in our own backyard, 2013 was easily the warmest year on record for Australia.
A further worrying trend is that the oceans are warming even quicker than the atmosphere and with the approaching El Nino, that has some serious implications for the Earth’s climate.
Regarding the role of carbon dioxide in global warming – it is not computer models that suggest a role but simple physical science, known for many decades, that shows the ability of carbon dioxide to be transparent to some wavelengths of radiation and absorb other wavelengths.
It is the heat from the sun that it is transparent to and the heat the Earth in turn radiates back out into space that it absorbs, hence its role in warming.
Global warming caused by the human induced increase in carbon dioxide is unfortunately very much alive and becoming increasingly dangerous.
South Australia, and all of us, need better environmental protection from chemical and radiation dangers
Cancer danger in Adelaide suburb –http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-03/clovelly-park-carcinogen-danger-forces-residents-to-move-house/5568116
Dennis Matthews 22 July 14 The problems being experienced at Clovelly Park are the product of a society that gave low priority to environmental health. Environment Ministers and Environmental Protection Authorities either didn’t exist or were given very low priority.
Like the residents of Clovelly Park, Environment Minister Ian Hunter is the victim of a past over which he had little control. The trichloroethylene (TCE) story should be a warning to this generation but there is no evidence that it is being heeded.
Scientists and technologists are busy developing new products with very little thought to their environmental health impact. Our water and soil resources are under constant attack. The environment portfolio is under-resourced and going backwards.
Our aim should now be to prevent a new generation of environmental health threats by giving higher status to the environment portfolio and by encouraging our scientists and technologists to give more attention to the environmental health consequences of their products.
Australia’s top newspaper deplores Abbott’s repeal of the carbon tax
Repeal of carbon tax shames our nation
Hope for uranium business success in Western Australia are ill-founded
Analyst cites challenges to WA Govt’s uranium hopes, ABC News, 17 Jul 2014,”………Independent analyst Peter Strachan says the uranium price needs to improve for that aspiration to be achieved.
“I don’t see anything happening in Western Australia until the price looks like it’s improving,” he said.
“All the industry players are saying there’s a fundamental mismatch between supply and demand at the moment.”
He says it may be some time before the uranium price improves.
Mr Strachan says the public perception of the industry also needs to change for the Government’s dream to become a reality.
“The social licence to operate is pretty well everything these days,” he said.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-17/analyst-cites-challenges-to-wa-govts-uranium-hopes/5604842
Investors staying away from uranium – with good reason
A watching brief on next uranium powers THE AUSTRALIAN JULY 18, 2014 SAGELY, uranium investors yesterday treated news of an imminent reboot of Japan’s nuclear industry as a handy boost to sentiment but not much else.
Don’t expect uranium prices — wallowing at nine-year lows — to recover in a hurry: the market remains in a glut and most transactions are on long-term contracts.
Japan’s nuclear watchdog approved two reactors at Kyushu Electric’s Sendai plant to be restarted, presaging the revival of more of 48 Nipponese reactors.
The sector has been shut down since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Before this “incident” — the industry’s preferred description of the near meltdown — Japan was one-third reliant on nuclear energy. The ensuing carnage saw dozens of uranium projects cancelled and delayed, with our own Paladin Energy putting its Kayelekera plant in Malawi on care and maintenance…….
Renewable energy for remote mining in Chile – a model for Australia?
Speaking to The Australian, EY global mining and metals leader Mike Elliott lauded the use of solar power by Codelco to power its mining operations, and recommended that members of the resources sector in Australia follow suit.:Marc Howe 17 July 14, The remote and energy-intensive nature of mining operations make them ideal candidates for the use of renewable power sources. Efforts by the Chilean mining industry to power its operations using renewable energy have been hailed as the future trajectory of development for the global resources sector.
Certainty is offered to business by the current climate policy
One good reason why business should back the carbon price CHRISTINE MILNE ABC Environment11 JUL 2014 Certainty is offered to business by the current climate policy. The best opportunity Australian business has of policy certainty as the world moves to address global warming is to actively support emissions trading now.
AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS SHOULD tell Tony Abbott that he is killing certainty in Australia and that it is bad for business.
The golden rule of business is certainty. Not just in the short term but for decades to come, because unlike government, business deals in long term strategy and investment not just three year electoral cycles………
The choice for business is the certainty of the current law against the risks associated with chaos and dislocation of erratic policy and inevitable steep adjustment as emission reduction targets are increased.
Business groups have warned against yet another policy vacuum, like the one that followed the Rudd Labor government’s 2009 decision to dump any significant response to the greatest moral challenge of our time. And so they should.
In the south we have had Hydro Tasmania saying they will have to let 100 staff, or 10 per cent of its workforce go in the absence of a carbon price that would continue to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue. They pass this revenue on to the state government to spend on concession payments, schools and hospitals.
In the north, we have the Kimberly Land Council also set to lose millions from working on country. They won’t have a market to sell their carbon credits into anymore. The government’s so-called Direct Action is not a substitute market.
The fact is, there already exists a legislative framework for bringing down carbon pollution that businesses know they can work within, and in which investors can have confidence. Following the chaos of the last few days in the Senate, the alternatives are a gamble that Australian businesses shouldn’t take.
I am calling on Australian business to lead by calling on the Abbott government to end the nonsense of ‘axing the tax’, and instead embrace the certainty provided by the existing emissions trading scheme. It is the best chance we have of getting certainty on global warming policy in Australia at the lowest possible cost to business and the economy.
With an 18 per cent emissions reduction target in place since 31 May 2014, we can move immediately to flexible pricing to risk-proof Australian business and give ourselves a head start and competitive advantage as the rest of the world moves to conclude a treaty in 2015. Australia stands exposed to retaliatory non trade tariff barriers if we fail to commit to our fair share of emissions reduction. Already we are being left behind as China, the UK and USA negotiate economic agreements on green finance and technology………
As the Committee for Economic Development of Australia has noted, our economy will be seriously exposed in two ways if we don’t take serious action.
“The first area that leaves our economy exposed if we don’t take action relates to the consequences of increasing extreme weather events and the economic and social impact that these events have on Australia’s production capacity,” it said.
The second area was on the availability of finance. “Australia is reliant on foreign capital to fund major projects and new developments in international climate change policy are likely to impact international capital flow and investment decision making.”……..http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/07/11/4044472.htm
Rich fossil fuel polluters would benefit from abolition of Renewable Energy Target
Abolishing renewable energy target rewards rich polluters http://www.smh.com.au/comment/abolishing-renewable-energy-target-rewards-rich-polluters-20140710-zt2v7.html#ixzz37JAosxiy July 10, 2014 Matt Grundoff Why is there such a big push on to scrap the renewable energy target? My report for The Australia Institute, Fighting dirty on clean energy, released on Thursday, found the same as most other energy analyses: that the target will decrease electricity prices, not increase them.
To find out why there’s such an opposition to the target, all you need to do is follow the money. The biggest winners from scrapping the target are the existing fossil fuel electricity generators, to the tune of $13 billion.
The target is injecting new supplies of energy into a shrinking market and this added competition is forcing down the wholesale price of electricity. Coal-fired power stations are being mothballed and, worst of all, from the point of view of the incumbent generators, renewables are moderating peak power prices. These peak prices are very important to their profitability, with research showing that 25 per cent of revenue is earned on just 40 hours of generation each year.
Like many big industries with strong lobbying power, the fossil fuel power generators have been calling for the target to be scrapped or weakened. Arguing that new competition is cutting their profitability is not going to generate much sympathy.
The other big problem the industry has is that renewable energy and the target are popular with the public. Polling done for my report found that 86 per cent of people want more renewable energy, and 79 per cent want the government to support an expansion of renewable energy. Seventy-one per cent of people supported the target and 68 per cent agreed with the 20 per cent target or thought it should be higher. With such strong support for renewable energy and the target, how are industry and the government going to bring it down?
When industry or government wants to make a change, public relations 101 says to emphasise any benefit to the public, whether said benefit exists or not. This is especially true if that change profits a vested interest.
Enter the government’s latest RET review.
This review has been designed to put cost of living pressures front and centre. Rather than have the Climate Change Authority do the review, as specified in legislation, the government has instead hand-picked a special squad of climate sceptics, free marketers and former fossil fuel energy interests. It’s led by self-declared climate change sceptic Dick Warburton.
This is clearly a review designed to reach a predetermined outcome. It is designed to exaggerate the tiny impact the RET has had on electricity prices, believed to be between 3 and 4½ per cent. It also needs to ignore that the doubling of electricity prices which has occurred over the last six years is largely due to poles-and-wires upgrades.
Most importantly from the point of view of the incumbent generators, it needs to ignore the uncomfortable fact that most respected energy consultants have found that the RET will actually reduce electricity prices in the next few years.
The reason that fossil fuel generators want the RET gone is the same reason that the RET is going to deliver lower power bills to consumers. More competition and lower peak prices all lead to lower electricity bills. Scrapping the RET has been estimated to cost electricity users $500 million over the next 10 years.
So far, the RET review has not gone completely to plan. A preliminary result from the modelling work commissioned by the review team has shown what all the other energy modellers have found. The RET is going to make electricity prices lower, not higher.
With Clive Palmer announcing he will not support changes to the RET, the new Senate seems closed to any change the industry might want. But don’t expect it to stop trying.
When the results of the RET review are released, expect to see a lot of focus on very small increases in electricity prices and little on the long-term impact of the RET. Industry lobby groups don’t give up easily, not when there are billions of dollars riding on the outcome.
Matt Grudnoff is a senior economist at The Australia Institute and the author of Fighting Dirty on Clean Energy.
Crash or crash through Abbott crashes on trying to repeal carbon tax
PM Abbott exposes government incompetence http://christine-milne.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/pm-abbott-exposes-government-incompetence 10 Jul 2014 Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Australian people have seen today how the Abbott government will crash in its attempts to manipulate the Senate on carbon pricing and its destructive budget.
“The only thing that is clear today is that the Prime Minister has failed. This is government by incompetence. Deals in back rooms designed to stitch up the Senate have come unstuck. Tony Abbott is a crash or crash through Prime Minister, and today he crashed,” said Senator Milne.
“This is chaotic and it shows complete contempt for the processes of the Senate. The government gagged the debate then had to filibuster when the amendments came unstuck. The whole thing came to pieces.
“This is going to characterise this whole period of government unless Tony Abbott learns to respect the Senate and give it time to be an effective house of review.
“Nobody really understands, including the government it seems, what the Palmer political party’s amendment will deliver.
“The government says it hates red tape and green tape but apparently it loves yellow tape.
“The good news today is that we still have a carbon price in Australia. We still have a price on pollution that is bringing down emissions as we speak,” said Senator Milne.
“It’s not over yet. The government can try again to repeal it, but the Greens will fight every step of the way to keep making the polluters pay.
“This is now the second double dissolution trigger the Greens have helped deliver the government, after twice saving the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Tony Abbott has threatened an early election, but is he really game to pull the trigger?”
Repeal of Australia’s carbon tax voted down in the Senate
Ricky Muir and Palmer United senators vote with Greens and Labor against repeal of carbon tax, SMH, July 10, 2014 – Lisa Cox National political reporter The Senate has voted down the government’s third attempt to repeal the carbon tax after a chaotic morning in which the Palmer United Party backed out of its agreement to support the bills.
PUP senators and Motoring Enthusiast Party senator Ricky Muir sided with Labor and the Greens to defeat the abolition of the carbon tax, with a final vote just after 12.30pm rejecting the repeal 37 votes to 35.
The decision is a major setback for Prime Minister Tony Abbott who had expected that the scrapping of the carbon tax would be the first order of business of the new Senate. But those plans were thrown into disarray on Thursday, when PUP senators refused to back the repeal arguing an amendment drafted by the government to guarantee savings for consumers did not reflect a deal done between the two parties.
That amendment was beefed up by the PUP overnight to include stiff penalties for any company that failed to pass the full savings from the carbon tax repeal within 12 months……
In defending his party’s decision, Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer said his senators had been ”doubled crossed” by the government and as a result they abandoned the deal and sided with the opposition.
However, the government maintains that the amendment put forward by Mr Palmer was unconstitutional because it would have constituted a money bill, which by definition cannot originate in the Senate.
The Abbott government had expected to be celebrating the achievement of its long-cherished ambition to axe Labor’s price on carbon this week, but instead has found itself scrambling day by day to negotiate with an unpredictable crossbench.
Mr Palmer had earlier on Thursday confirmed that his senators would not vote for the carbon tax repeal on Thursday, saying amendments had been lodged with the Senate Clerk’s office at 8.30am.
”We asked that it be distributed and we had a violent action from government, a violent reaction I would say,” Mr Palmer said. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/ricky-muir-and-palmer-united-senators-vote-with-greens-and-labor-against-repeal-of-carbon-tax-20140710-3bo57.html#ixzz378lHBjK3
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 