THE AUSTRALIAN spruiks nuke plants for Australia
The pre-eminent voice in the Australian debate, Ziggy Switkowski, chairman of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, believes Australia can have its first reactor operating by 2020 and 50 in place by 2050, providing 90 per cent of the nation’s energy needs….
Nuclear option our safest bet Josh Frydenberg The Australian January 26, 2011 “……Minister for Energy and Resources, Martin Ferguson, an outspoken proponent of nuclear energy, is in Washington this week for talks with US Energy Secretary Steven Chu…. as a clean form of energy, nuclear power is better for the environment….
Hard to get serious articles on climate change in THE AUSTRALIAN
the difficulties of having stories published [in THE AUSTRALIAN] about climate change because of the attitude of and pressure from senior editors at the paper.
The ‘torture’ of writing about climate change at The Oz, Crikey, by Andrew Dodd 26 Nov 10 A former senior News Limited journalist has described trying to write about human-induced climate change at The Australian newspaper as “torture” and has blamed the editor-in-chief for limiting coverage on the topic because he has “taken a political view”. Continue reading
Failing nuclear industry is on subsidised life support
In no deregulated energy market, anywhere in the world, is the private sector putting up its own money to build nuclear power stations. The industry remains on subsidised life support everywhere and is making headway only in a tiny handful of countries with state ownership of generators and command and control energy networks.
Old-tech nuclear power is not the answer Scott Ludlam : The Australian * September 17, 2010 “………….An apparent blindness in the boardrooms and editorial desks of Australia is preventing the acceptance of this basic fact: the nuclear industry, at heart, is a military industry holding up a battered commercial facade.
Nowhere is this more true than in the new markets of China, Russia and India – nuclear weapons states – all of which the Australian mining industry is desperate to access. Continue reading
Murdochracy and Lobbyocracy Australia
Major Elephant In The Room Issues Ignored In Australian Elections, Countercurrents.org By Dr Gideon Polya, 24 August, 2010
An extraordinary feature of the election campaign in Murdochcracy and Lobbyocracy Australia was the virtual absence of any discussion about the most serious issues facing Australia .
The major reasons for reasons for this are (a) Murdoch News Empire ownership of about 70% of city daily newspapers; (b) a spineless and irresponsible Australian Broadcasting Corporation (the ABC, Australia’s equivalent of the UK BBC) which adopts a “balanced “ position between extreme right wing Labor and extreme right wing Liberal-National Party Coalition; and (c) Mainstream media and bipartisan, Lib-Lab refusal to properly discuss these key Elephant in the Room issues…… major matters that were effectively not part of the national discussion in the Australian federal elections because of the ignorance and dishonesty of the Australian Mainstream media and right wing politicians. Major Elephant In The Room Issues Ignored In Australian Elections
A noisy minority: Australia’s Climate Sceptics
It seems that the opinions of a noisy minority have been amplified by the media because of a love of conflict, the need to promote a false balance and partisan zealotry (the last one refers to you, Mr The Australian).
Australian politicians overestimate the electorate’s skepticism about global warming : Deltoid, August 14, 2010 , by Tim Lambert The University of Queensland has surveyed Australian politicianson their attitude to climate change: “Labor politicians are more influenced by scientists than Liberal/National politicians – 85 per cent of Labor politicians are highly influenced by this group compared to 44 per cent of Liberal/National politicians,” Dr Fielding said. Continue reading
Australian mainstream media’s pro-nuclear bias
by Christina Macpherson 8 April 2010. Yesterday’ s National Press Club Debate between Ziggy Spinowski, (pro-nuclear) and Bob Brown (anti-nuclear) was duly reported by Australia’s mainstream media.
And all these reports covered both points of view, both arguments.
BUT – look how the mainstream media chose to headline these. You wouldn’t know that Bob Brown was even there, would you?
Ziggy Switkowski: we need nuclear power for climate – THE AUSTRALIAN
Nuclear power ‘won’t fuel arms race’ ABC Online The head of Australia’s nuclear science agency has rejected claims that nuclear power in Australia could lead to nuclear weapons in the region. (surprise, surprise!)
Nuclear technology safer than coal shipping: chief Sydney Morning Herald AN AUSTRALIAN nuclear power industry would bring little risk of an environmental disaster such as the potential oil spill on the Great Barrier Reef, Ziggy Switkowski says.
Nuclear shift ‘likely’ The Age Nuclear energy advocate Ziggy Switkowski says he expects the public mood to shift in favour of nuclear in the next three years.
Press Club enjoys light Climate Change entertainment
few understand the role of the Press Club as a third chamber of parliament.
Disbelieving fans put faith in the lord The Age DAVID MARR February 4, 2010 THE THIRD CHAMBER:
What an Australian scene – a scrubbed, white crowd hanging off a viscount’s every word. Rank was everything at the Press Club. “Lord … lord … lord,” intoned Ian Plimer as he introduced fellow climate sceptic Christopher Monckton. “My Lords,” began the visiting peer with a wry smile. “That’s me …” Continue reading
Australian media lets the public down on Climate Change
This week – disturbing examples of two serious flaws in Australian mass media.:
1. Failure of journalists to do their homework. The two items below both illustrate this. Neither Fran Kelly of ABC Radio, nor Miranda Devine (The Age) bothered toask Lord Monckton any of the hard questions – about his own credibility as a scientist, or challenging his statements on Climate Change.
2. Not only does the mass`media seem to believe that they must give equal weight to ‘both sides’ of a story – this week they’ve gone further – not bothering to invite Australia’s scientific institutions to give their information on climate change.
It’s a worrying trend, when views like those of Lord Monckton are taken seriously by reputable journalists – (Climate Change as a front for a world-government conspiracy equal to Nazism)
Bizarre anti-science Climate Sceptics go unchallenged in Australian media
Fifty metres from where I sit at the ANU, 300 meteorologists and oceanographers are listening to the latest research on climate change at the annual conference of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.
But you wouldn’t know it. Instead of sending someone over to hear what the scientists are saying, Radio National this morning decided to give over its program to a charlatan, Lord Monckton, who expounded unchallenged his bizarre theories.
He earnestly told Fran Kelly on Radio National that decades of climate science research could not be believed because the scientists are being paid by governments and governments want to cede national sovereignty to a “world government”. Continue reading
Australian media, Climate Denial, and Pro Nuclear Hype
I used to think that the Australian media publicised fraudulent and anti-scientific opinions just out of a desire to have a controversy, and stir public attention to the media. I now think, alas, that it also has to do with the ignorance about science of not only the public, but also of the journalists.
Australia is now in grave danger of falling for the simplistic views of people who put up good-sounding information about very complex problems, with little regard for the scientific or economic facts.
We can now expect a year of this, with Tony Abbott in the lead position, expert in claimimg “green” credentials, while in fact furthering the interests of powerful fossil fuel and nuclear lobbies.
I would hope that climate-denialist speakers like Lord Monckton, and Ian Plimer will be met byt the media with sceptical srutiny – with those tried and tested old questions; – “Does he really make sense?, and What’s in it for him?
Beware of slick anti-science Climate Denialists
It’s a huge problem for Australian democracy and political debate in general.
Quiggin: Why I won’t debate Lord Monckton by John Quiggin Crikey 15 Jan 2010 Lord Christopher Monckton believes the hypothesis of human-caused global warming is a fraud, extended as part of a plot to destroy the world economy and establish a communist world government………… Continue reading
Media ownership in Australia
Media ownership in Australia
28 Dec 2009 Australian media ownership is one of the most concentrated in the world. The last review of media ownership in Australia (1999) found that of 12 capital city and daily papers, seven are owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and three by John Fairfax Holdings. The West Australian and the Canberra Times were the only independently owned dailies, however, the Canberra Times is now part of the Farirfax group and The West Australian is now part of Kerry Stokes’ media group.
The Impact of Ownership on the Dissemination of Information Continue reading
1 This month
15 April – Zoom –Nuclear Power is Not the Solution
Apr 15, 2026 01:00 AM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) on Tuesday, April 14th for a timely webinar exploring the risks associated with nuclear power and challenging the myth that it offers a simple, safe, carbon-free solution to the climate crisis
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 