It seems that Tony Abbott lied about the BHP Olympic Dam report
Sprung! Labor says Abbott didn’t read BHP report By Malcolm Farr National Political Editor news.com.au September 10, 2012 THE Government today released a “slide show” it claims shows Opposition Leader Tony Abbott did not read a a BHP statement when he said he did.
It’s not gripping viewing. The succession of photographs merely shows shadow treasurer Joe Hockey in Parliament.
But the Labor Party believes the series exposes the possibility that Mr Abbott had been misleading.
It goes back to the afternoon of August 22 when BHP Billiton announced it would not proceed with the multi-billion dollar expansion of its Olympic Dam project in South Australia.
Mr Abbott almost immediately blamed the Government’s mining tax and carbon pricing for the deferred investment. But on ABC TV that night he conceded he had not read the company’s statement explaining the decision, which did not include the tax or climate change measures.
The next day Mr Abbott appeared to change his story and said he had read the statement at around 3.45pm the previous day. Joe Hockey backed him up….. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/mal-slide-show/story-e6frea83-1226471159602
BHP has lost interest in exploring for uranium in South Australia
BHP Billiton No Longer Interested to Purchase Exploration Rights Near Olympic Dam – Tasman By Esther Tanquintic-Misa | September 10, 2012 After its earth-shaking announcement in August that it is scraping its $30 billion expansion plans into the Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine mega project in South Australia, BHP Billiton has consequently dropped related purchases of exploration rights surrounding the area of the dam…. http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/382334/20120910/bhp-tasman-exploration-olympic-dam-gold-copper.htm#.UE_hgrJlT4Y
Ludwig Heinrich refutes the arguments of nuclear salesman Barry Brook
The heavy hidden costs of nuclear power http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/environment/the-heavy-hidden-costs-of-nuclear-power/ In part 2 of his rebuttal, Ludwig Heinrich says Professor Barry Brook predictably ignores nuclear power’s significant economic, social and moral costs while spruiking its benefits.
AUDIO: South Australia exported wind energy to Victoria
Wednesday morning, wind was generating so much power some of it was being exported to Victoria.
emissions from South Australia’s power sector have fallen every year since 2005, and have dropped 27 per cent over the past five years… no reason other states could not emulate the success.
Gales send turbines into overdrive ABC Radio AM By Timothy McDonald Sep 7, 2012 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-07/gales-fire-up-south-australian-wind-turbines/4247878 While gale-force winds kept emergency services busy across South Australia this week, they also fired up turbines on the state’s wind farms.
Figures from the Australian Energy Market Operator show while the winds were howling, more than half the state’s power came from wind farms. Roughly a quarter of South Australia’s power came from wind farms last year.
But the Clean Energy Council’s policy director, Russell Marsh, says when winds topped 90 kilometres per hour earlier this week, that figure was much higher. “What we’ve seen is over the last couple of days the amount of energy
generated from wind power in South Australia has gone through between 55 and 85 per cent since Monday as a result of the very strong winds we’re having at the moment,” he said. Continue reading
Independent Australia refutes Barry Brook’s pro nuclear hype
Spruiking nuclear by the Brook, Independent Australia 5 Sept 12, In The Conversation last month, Professor Barry Brook continued a long nuclear industry tradition of spruiking its wares without mentioning all the disturbing facts, says Ludwig Heinrich. In his article ‘Low-carbon electricity must be fit-for-service (and nuclear power is)’ published in The Conversation last month, Professor Barry W. Brook, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Adelaide, puts forward an argument for nuclear energy that appears disingenuous. At the very least, he draws conclusions that are not warranted by the arguments put forward and are contradicted by reality.
The proponents of nuclear energy, like Brook, are very keen to phrase their arguments in terms of a low-carbon option, as they think that this legitimises it as a response to climate change. But, while nuclear energy is a low carbon technology, it is not a practical solution for a number of reasons. These are made clear below where I address the points that Brook makes…. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/environment/spruiking-nuclear-by-the-brook/
Time for South Australia to forget about huge uranium mining, and move on
Olympic Dam expansion blow: ‘Let’s move on’ BY: MICHAEL OWEN : The Australian September 05, 2012 SOUTH Australians need to “get over” a decision by BHP Billiton to indefinitely shelve its proposed $28.7 billion expansion of theOlympic Dam mine, the head of the state’s economic development board says.
Raymond Spencer yesterday said it was time for the state to forget about an expanded Olympic Dam and refocus on other opportunities in the resources sector…. subscription only
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/olympic-dam-expansion-blow-lets-move-on/story-fn59niix-1226465100498
BHP’s Marius Kloppers not very convincing about expansion of Olympic Dam uranium mine
BHP’s Kloppers defends Dam, by: Christopher Russell, John Dagge, Herald Sun, September 04, 2012 BHP Billiton chief Marius Kloppers has declared the group will “work with undiminished vigour” to extend Olympic Dam despite spiking its colossal expansion plan….
He was speaking after analysts at the Commonwealth Bank cut their rating on BHP and Fortescue Metal shares, citing the tumbling price of iron ore…
.. Mr Kloppers was talking after returning from the world tour that followed the release last month of BHP’s annual results. He said BHP remained hopeful that by going back to the drawing board it would find a viable option to extend the Olympic Dam project, in central South Australia. These included extracting minerals by leaching – a process used at BHP Billiton mines in Chile.
Mr Kloppers said while he could not guarantee the mine expansion would proceed, the company would work “unbelievably hard” to develop a viable extension plan. “One of the things that has been difficult, is that people take everything we work on as being approved,” he said. Then when we are unable to make it work they feel we’ve unapproved it. That’s the world we live in.”Mining companies had to constantly reassess their options as circumstances changed, he said….. http://www.news.com.au/business/companies/bhps-kloppers-defends-dam/story-fnda1bsz-1226464273598#ixzz25XtdDBAs
Paladin uranium company chief sceptical about the future of Olympic Dam uranium mine
Paladin Resources chief John Borshoff heaps doubt on BHP Billiton’s Olympic dream BY: MATT CHAMBERS The Australian September 03, 2012 PALADIN Resources managing director John Borshoff says he does not believe that BHP Billiton will expand its Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine before 2020.
BHP last month said it was going back to the drawing board on the giant $30 billion South Australian mine expansion, confirming months of speculation and reports that the mining giant would not be meeting previous timetables to approve a development this year. Subscribers only http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/paladin-chief-john-borshoff-downplays-heap-leaching/story-e6frg9df-1226463484628
Insider’s critique of Murdoch Press in Australia
What went wrong at The Australian: an insider’s account The man who helped Rupert Murdoch establish The Australian, Rodney E. Lever, feels some regret about a newspaper he says “remains the idiotic plaything of rogue amateur journalism”. Independent Australia 30 August, 2012 I ALWAYS CRINGE whenever I read an intelligent critique of The Australian and the way it has shredded the once proud standards of Australian journalism — because perhaps, only in a minor way, I feel responsible.
It is the most ill-conceived newspaper ever produced in this country, even worse than John and Ezra Norton’s Truth because The Australian had presumptions that Truth never had. Its conception arose one Saturday in Melbourne, when I drove Rupert Murdoch to the Caulfield races and we spent the afternoon together…. At that time, Rupert was particularly disappointed at having been rejected as an applicant for a television licence in Perth and was moaning to me that he had lost out because he had no political influence. … Rupert had recently spent a few weeks driving alone around Australia and buying any provincial newspaper he could get his hands on. His technique was simple: he would bully the owner into selling his paper with a threat that he would start a competing paper in the town. He had some successes, notably in Mt Isa and Darwin. (His Mt Isa paper lost a long battle with the mining company, but his Darwin paper survives.) Continue reading
Foley hits out at ‘appalling’ BHP BY: SARAH MARTIN, SA POLITICAL REPORTER The Australian August 27, 2012 BHP Billiton cannot be trusted after its “appalling” treatment of the South Australian government in shelving the $28 billion Olympic Dam mine expansion, former treasurer Kevin Foley says.
Mr Foley, who was the state Labor government’s key minister for the seven-year negotiation on Olympic Dam, has lashed the company for abandoning its “deal” with the government, taking particular aim at chief executive Marius Kloppers. “How can any government, here or worldwide, take this company at its word again?” Mr Foley said.
BHP’s CEO came several Kloppers, especially over Olympic Dam uranium mine
Is Olympic Dam strike 3 for BHP’s CEO? 9 News, by Mike King, The Motley Fool, August 24, 2012 BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) has today announced that it would not be ready to proceed with the much-hyped US$20 billion expansion of Olympic Dam in South Australia by the previously agreed deadline of 15 December 2012.
Higher capital costs and subdued commodity prices led to the decision to not proceed as originally planned.
The company instead will investigate an alternative, less capital-intensive design of the open-pit expansion to substantially
improve the economics of the project. BHP sets an internal rate of return hurdle of 15% on its projects and it appears the Olympic Dam expansion has failed to make the grade.
Olympic Dam is the world’s largest uranium ore body… The Foolish bottom line
While the cancellation of the Olympic Dam expansion is likely good news for BHP and its cash flow, it may not be good news for the company’s CEO Marius Kloppers, as it could be seen as another failure…. http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newsbusiness/motley/8521529/is-olympic-dam-strike-three-for-bhps-ceo
Wind farms spinning money
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201208/s3575057.htm
By Cassandra Hough, 24/08/2012 Last night the wild weather reached wind speeds of up to 124
kilometres an hour in South East South Australia. Strong winds caused damage in Adelaide, but there were no reports of
damage in the South East. Lake Bonney turbine engineer Stuart Bonnington says the wind farm could have been powering 400,000 homes last night.
Australian a leader in Green Climate Fund
Aust, S Africa to lead Green Climate Fund Herald Sun John Heilprin From: AAP August 24, 2012 A NEW global fund on climate change that aims to channel $US100 billion ($A95 billion) a year in aid to poor countries selected
officials from Australia and South Africa as its leaders at its first meeting.
The Green Climate Fund, created as part of a deal struck in December 2011 at the 194-nation climate talks in Durban, South Africa, will be led by Ewen McDonald, deputy head of Australia’s international development agency, and Zaheer Fakir, head of international relations for South Africa’s environment agency, the fund said in a statement on Thursday. Continue reading
Anthony La Paglia condemns Australian government’s poor treatment of Julian Assange
LaPaglia blasts Australia over Assange, SMH, August 23, 2012 Actor Anthony LaPaglia has lashed out at the Australian government over its lack of support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The star of Without A Trace also appears in the upcoming telemovie about Assange’s early life, Underground, which has been invited to screen at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Robert Connolly (Balibo), it will screen on Network Ten later this year…..
“I am a little dismayed by the [Australian] government’s lack of effort here. “He’s an Australian citizen and you are innocent until proven guilty. “[The Australian government] have the American cattle prod in their back and are sort of dancing to that tune. What happens to the fact you’re an Australian citizen?”….
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/lapaglia-blasts-australia-over-assange-20120823-24o00.html#ixzz24Q2JPquX
Senator Christina Milne calls on Australia to catch up with international moves to renewable energy
Calls for push toward renewable energy Sky News August 21, 2012 Australian Greens leader Christine Milne says
a ‘big push’ is needed if Australia is to switch entirely to renewable energy and reduce its large carbon footprint.
Senator Milne was responding to a Climate Commission report, released on Tuesday, showing Australia remains the world’s highest per-capita emitter of greenhouse gases. It also found that Australia, as one of 20 ‘carbon heavyweights’, needs to clean up its act. ‘That is a shocking indictment of what Australia is doing not only to people now, but into the future,’ Senator Milne told reporters in Canberra.
In the report, chief climate commissioner Tim Flannery said Australians have been misled by ‘lies’ when it comes to global efforts to tackle climate change but are increasingly less fearful of Labor’s pollution price.
The report also suggested by next year 33 countries and 18 sub-national jurisdictions will have a carbon price in place.
Senator Milne says the carbon tax is a great start, but more is needed to keep up with advances in other countries where the shift has been made from fossil fuels to renewable energies. ‘What we now need is a big push toward 100 per cent renewable energy as quickly as possible,’ she said. Prof Flannery says the report shows Australia is at the beginning of an ‘irreversible shift’. ‘We are moving towards a clean energy future,’ he told ABC Radio.
‘We may not be moving fast enough, but this report confirms to me at least that very clearly the world is moving and it is an irreversible change.’ Almost one in seven people on the planet are living with carbon pricing now, he said…..
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 