Australian Communities Foundation Divests $90 Million From Fossil Fuels
A leading Australian foundation is entirely divesting its $90 million corpus investment portfolio from fossil fuels to focus on environmentally sustainable investments. Pro Bono News, 12th September 2018, Luke Michael, Journalist, Australian Communities Foundation has transitioned its portfolio to an ethical investment approach over the past three years, and on Wednesday pledged to fully divest from fossil fuel investments.ACF CEO Maree Sidey told Pro Bono News the change was driven by their donors.
“We made that move because our donors have very strong values around social justice and taking a sustainable approach to the environment,” Sidey said.
“And we were asked by our donors to really start thinking about our investments and how we were aligning our investments with the social outcomes that we wanted to see through our distributions.”
ACF’s commitment means no new investments in the top 200 oil, gas, or coal companies, and selling any of these existing investments within five years.
The organisation will turn its investment focus to climate solutions such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and water efficiency…………
The commitment is part of a global DivestInvest announcement at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.
The global DivestInvest movement has commitments from almost 900 organisations – with combined assets of $6.2 trillion – to stop investing in fossil-fuel companies.
Clara Vondrich, global director of DivestInvest Philanthropy, welcomed ACF’s commitment, noting that “any mission-based philanthropy that pours grant dollars into programming while remaining invested in fossil fuels is treating symptoms while ignoring the cause”. https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/09/australian-communities-foundation-divests-90-million-fossil-fuels/
Flooding Dangers to proposal for Nuclear Morgue in South Australia
Susan Craig Susan and 4 others are consistently creating meaningful discussions with their posts. .Fight To Stop Nuclear Waste Dump In Flinders Ranges SA, 12 Sept 18 There is also some other interesting news regarding Lake Torrens National Park and it’s proximity to the proposed site being outside the site characteristic criteria. There are so many evidence based flaws in this proposal that are now percolating to the surface. The AECOM report under Hydrology and Flood Risks Assessment Finding referred ONLY to the floods of 1955 and 2005. The report DID NOT take into account the floods of 1989.
Ship loaded with Australia’s nuclear wastes arriving at Cherbourg, France
sean mcgee@arclight2011-12 Sept 18 The cargo “at discount”, BBC Austria, loaded with 4 containers of Australian nuclear waste (236 Assemblies) approaching the French coast to land its cargo in #cherbourg where 4 trucks will carry them to #orano #Lahague. The Stopover is scheduled by… facebook.com/permalink.php?…Senator Matt Canavan ridicules climate health report, days after climate health expert wins Liberal safe seat
Canavan ridicules climate health report, days after climate health expert wins Liberal safe seat, REneweconomy, 12 September 2018But Canavan, who appears to have a new role in the Coalition Cabinet as minister for Not Taking Climate Science Seriously, dismissed the work as seemingly drug influenced, and based on “imaginary” threats.
“This report reads like it was written during poetry slam night at the happy herb cafe,” the senator reportedly told The Courier-Mail, a Murdoch newspaper, on Wednesday……..https://reneweconomy.com.au/canavan-ridicules-climate-health-report-days-after-climate-health-expert-wins-liberal-safe-seat-73431/
Dan van Holst Pellekaan MP on plan to store radioactive trash in rural South Australia
Heather Mckenzie Stuart shared a post.Fight To Stop Nuclear Waste Dump In Flinders Ranges SA, Conversation Starter 11 Sept 18,
Dan van Holst Pellekaan MP Proposed storage of domestic radioactive waste:I’ve always said that I will strongly support a community which does not want to host a waste site (and similarly if it is wanted), and that has never changed.
The Kimba and Hawker districts are the ones being proposed by the federal government and its is vital to get a reliable assessment of those local communities’ opinions. The efforts of the Barngarla people to have the opinions of traditional owners who do not live in the district included are understandable, and this also gives everyone a bit of time while the court considers that request. The federal government has said that it will still undertake a vote, but after the court confirms who should be allowed to vote.
And once that has been done, we’ll all know the results and we can halt or progress the process together.https://www.facebook.com/groups/344452605899556/
68% of Australians want govt to set genuine emissions targets to meet our Paris climate commitments
Climate poll shows Morrison politically vulnerable as more voters back action https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/12/climate-poll-shows-morrison-politically-vulnerable-as-more-voters-back-action
Number of Australians concerned about impact of climate change and wanting coal phased out rises, Guardian, Katharine Murphy Political editor @murpharoo12 Sep 2018 A growing number of Australians are concerned about the impact of climate change, and more than half of a survey of 1,756 voters believe the Morrison government needs to stay in the Paris agreement, despite Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US.
A study tracking voter sentiment for more than a decade, funded first by the Climate Institute and now by the Australia Institute, finds 73% (up from 66% in 2017) of respondents concerned about climate change, and a clear majority, 68%, believes the government should set domestic targets to comply with our Paris commitments.
An increased 67% want coal-fired power to be phased out within 20 years, up from 61% in 2017.
The findings suggest the Morrison government is politically vulnerable on climate change at the next federal election. The prime minister has declared Australia will not pull out of Paris but also abandoned the national energy guarantee that imposed an emissions reduction target on the electricity sector. Continue reading
Australia is going backwards on climate change action, as Morrison govt, Trump-like, spruiks “success”
Just before Christmas last year, the Australian Government published a report which suggests that — without significant policy change — Australia will miss that commitment by a long way. Emissions in 2020 will be just 5 per cent below 2005 levels, according to the official projections and — without further measures to cut them — emissions will grow by 3.5 per cent on 2020 levels in the 10 years to 2030.
In other words, we’ll go backwards in the coming decade..
There’s a certain Trump-like quality to Australia’s discourse on emissions reductions, ABC 11 Sep 18 By Stephen Long ,
It seems to be high on the list of the Morrison Government’s talking points: the claim that we’re “on track” to meet our commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate accord.
The PM reckons we’ll meet the targets “in a canter”.
“We’re on track to achieve them,” the new Environment Minister, ex-mining industry lawyer and mining executive Melissa Price, also reassured radio listeners, adding that she supports the construction of new coal-fired power stations.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne — back from meeting Pacific Islands leaders whose nations literally face an existential threat from climate change — joined the chorus, as did Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
Australia is on track to “meet and exceed” the Paris commitments, according to Trade Minister Simon Birmingham.
“We are already more than meeting the 26 per cent that was set down in the Paris agreement,” National Party leader Michael McCormack confidently told David Spears on Sky News, though when pressed, he was a bit unsure about what information that claim was based on. Continue reading
Queensland government climate strategy stresses the health impacts
heat stress among children and the elderly was the health sector’s main concern for the future.The new statewide strategy to tackle climate-driven health risks argued doctors could play a role as “highly trusted” messengers about climate impacts to the community, where politicians have failed.
The plan, obtained by the ABC ahead of its launch today by Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles, revealed the health sector regarded a lack of political support — including mixed messages from the Government’s own pro-coal and gas development decisions — as the key barrier to adapting to climate change. Continue reading
Victorian homeowners will be paid nearly $5000 towards the cost of household solar batteries if Labor is re-elected
Victorian Labor offers a $4838 battery bonanza for homes with solar panels , The Age ,By Noel Towell & Benjamin Preiss, 10 September 2018 Victorian homeowners will be paid nearly $5000 towards the cost of household solar batteries by a re-elected Andrews government in the latest move aimed at making the state Australia’s leader in domestic-scale renewable energy.
The latest promise of subsidies for small-scale renewable energy will see households who already have solar panels able to claim half the cost – up to $4838 – of batteries that can store energy generated on their rooftops.
The announcement comes as the Andrews government commits to building six new renewable energy plants across regional Victoria, generating enough power for 640,000 homes.
The three solar and three wind farms, producing 928 megawatts of power, will be built by private companies.
Labor has been encouraged by more than 9000 registrations of interest in its subsidised solar program in the three weeks since it began its announcements. The new batteries policy will cost an estimated $40 million, with 10,000 households expected to take part, lured by the chance of cutting up to $650 from their annual power bills with the rapidly improving battery storage technology.
The announcement is part of a suite of subsidies and payments aimed at putting solar technology in 720,000 Victorian homes. The centrepiece of the government energy renewable election pitch, a $1.2 billion subsidies scheme offering free solar panels to 650,0000 households, was announced in August.
It was followed by a $60 million promise to pay $1000 toward the installation of solar hot water systems in homes that are not suitable for rooftop solar panels.
The latest announcement will open up subsidies to even more households – those already using solar panels to generate power – as Labor looks to build a strong cost-of-living policy platform heading into November’s election………
The government says technology is in development that will allow neighbourhoods to link their batteries, creating “micro-grids” of shared stored power to lower electricity prices even further.
Labor says it will spend $10 million to preparing the state’s ageing power grid for an influx of hundreds of thousands of household micro-generation operations………https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-offers-a-4838-battery-bonanza-for-homes-with-solar-panels-20180910-p502wc.html?crpt=index
Morrison government ignores climate change, and so imperils the health of Australians
 The Morrison Government: An extraordinary health hazard
Doctors for the Environment 10 September 2018, Climate change denial is the denial of many public health casualties.
For example, the increasing number of injuries and deaths from extreme weather events and the psychological and economic trauma consequent to severe climatic change. New Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who when Treasurer carried coal into Parliament, has appointed avid anti-wind farm campaigner, Angus Taylor, as Energy Minister and ex-coal-company lawyer, Melissa Price, as Environment Minister. There has been no mention of climate change in either portfolio. If there is any doubt about the PM’s lack of commitment to Australia’s COP21 agreement to emissions reduction, also consider for a moment that his new chief-of-staff, John Kunkel, spent six years as deputy CEO of the Minerals Council, followed by two years as head of government affairs (that is, lobbying) for Rio Tinto! Furthermore, PM Morrison says climate change doesn’t have to be part of the consideration of drought, yet the science is increasingly secure that Australia is becoming drier and land will be subject to increased evaporation. Now the Government’s signature power policy, the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) is gone, what will replace it? Nothing! Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton who headed the leadership challenge against Malcolm Turnbull, may not be prime minister, but the conservative vandals have succeeded in the wanton destruction of even a holding pattern on carbon emissions. The renewed attack on renewable energy generation will lead to more illness and death from pollution because it will slow the transition away from coal-fired power generation. The thinking is doubly wrong because pollution-related illnesses also cost us, the end-users, about the same in dollar terms as the polluting generators collect in charges — equivalent to politicians throwing away our money!………https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/the-morrison-government-an-extraordinary-health-hazard,11876 |
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A Toxic Mix: Welfare Reform And The Mob In Remote Australia
‘Rome (Canberra) continues to fiddle while Black Australia burns.
‘Professor Jon Altman weighs in on the ongoing disasters of government policy
that have a tight grip on remote living Indigenous people.’ Continue reading
Nuclear waste returning to Australia is really High Level Waste
Dan Monceaux shared a link http://www.radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Vitrified_HA_Waste.htm.Nuclear Fuel Cycle Watch South Australia 10 Sept 18, Some people in South Australia have been given the impression that spent nuclear fuel, reprocessed and vitrified in France, is returned to Australia or other countries as intermediate or even low-level nuclear waste. I’m yet to find any examples of other countries classifying this material as anything other than high level nuclear waste.https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021186047913052/
“The high-level waste is the smallest in volume (1.4% of all waste) but represents 98% of radioactivity in all the stored waste. High-level waste consists mostly of vitrified waste transported back to Belgium following reprocessing in France of used fuel elements from the Belgian nuclear power plants. The majority of the used fuel elements are temporarily stored at the nuclear power plant sites.” https://www.belgoprocess.be/eng/TempStorage.htm
Steve Dale Contrast this with the bizarre things Canavan said about the vitrified reprocessed waste we received back from France (in his interview with David Bevan on 891 ABC Wed 1st August 2018)
“when it comes back here the radioactivity of that material is not
materially higher than the low level waste…”
“the intermediate level waste, which does not have high radioactivity levels…” .https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021186047913052/
Nuclear propagandist Ben Heard might spin nuclear submarines for Adelaide engineering firm
Steve Dale shared a link. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Watch South Australia, Ben Heard’s Linked-in profile has Frazer-Nash Consultancy as one of his present employers. I’m sure this company do many things, but the following two items from the UK site got my attention –
“Excellence in submarine design, nuclear propulsion and weapon systems”
………..”With over three decades of industry experience, Frazer-Nash successfully helps clients meet the strict nuclear industry regulatory requirements throughout the life of their nuclear projects; including the full lifecycle management of nuclear material and waste.”
From Maralinga, Pangea, to NFCRC – there always seems to be a UK connection.
Anonymous pro nuclear “engineers” lobbied Canberra ministers and premiers.
Steve Dale, 8 Sept 18 In the lead up to the leadership spill, there has been a concerted push for nuclear power. A letter written and financed (supposedly) by 5 veteran engineers was sent to all Canberra ministers and premiers.
. There have also been a series of articles in the Australian newspaper based on this letter, eg. “Nuclear offers an answer on cost and emissions”
I was hoping that the article would give the names of the so-called engineers, but unfortunately it doesn’t. From the Australian article –
“The paper, prepared and circulated to MPs as a public service by what is claimed to be “a small group of professional engineers and scientists experienced in various aspects of electricity and distribution” ….
“The claims and costings no doubt will be challenged, but in it we have a contest of ideas.”
The claims and costings can not be challenged if only the Australian newspaper and the cabinet ministers have seen this “paper”. Who knows, the claims and costings of the paper may have excited the pro-nuclear MP’s to the point of losing self-control, running amok, bullying their peers (especially the female ones) and triggering a mutiny.
There seems to be an obscene amount of money being used to promote nuclear. I would still like to see a scan of the exact letter sent to MP’s, but not sure how to achieve that.
Australia’s Liberal Coalition government abandons plans to combat climate change
Josh Frydenberg says government will focus on power prices over emissions reduction, Canberra Times By Stephanie Peatling, 9 September 2018 Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has conceded the Australian Parliament has failed to deal with the challenge of climate change as he confirmed the new Morrison government will concentrate on lowering power prices ahead of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“What you will hear from us, which you will not hear from the Labor Party, is that we will put reducing people’s power bills first, over emissions. You will not hear the Labor Party say that,” he said……..
Mr Frydenberg’s comments on Sunday followed those made by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday when he said he would formally ask the Liberal party room to ditch the policy when it meets this week.
Mr Morrison repeated his commitment to Australia meeting its international greenhouse gas reduction targets under the Paris agreement but said the target would no longer be legislated. New Energy Minister Angus Taylor is working on a revamped energy policy to take to cabinet.
…….Mr Frydenberg said the issue of climate change was one which had bedevilled Australian politics for more than a decade…….
Mr Frydenberg said he was confident Australia would still meet is international greenhouse gas reduction targets but people wanted to see the government acting on power prices.
“The people of Australia want to see their power bills come down, and they want to see the government take whatever measure possible to do that,” Mr Frydenberg said.
Labor’s energy spokesman Mark Butler said the government’s decision to walk away from the policy was a capitulation to the more conservative elements inside the Coalition.
“In an abject surrender to the hard-right, to the Tony Abbott forces within his own party room, he’s [Scott Morrison] decided to walk away from his government’s own policy, and households will end up paying the price,” Mr Butler told Sky News.https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/federal/josh-frydenberg-says-government-will-focus-on-power-prices-over-emissions-reduction-20180909-p502oe.html?crpt
1 This month.
PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
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
19 May – Webinar- Webinar: No Nuclear Weapons in Australia
Start: 2026-05-19 18:00:00 UTC Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00)
End: 2026-05-19 19:30:00 UTC Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00)
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 