Hawker schoolkids given tax-payer funded nuclear promotional trip to Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Sydney.
Hawker School Students Visit ANSTO Ten students aged 11 to 17 from Hawker School are travelling across the country, to explore some of Australia’s most significant science infrastructure at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Sydney.
On Wednesday and Thursday next week, the students and two teachers from Hawker School will spend their days not in their science classrooms, but near Australia’s multi-purpose nuclear research reactor.
Their trip will start in the nearby Royal National Park, with Les Bursill, an elder of the Dharawal community, who will share with them the rich traditional heritage of the land surrounding ANSTO.
Les is the Elder in Residence at the University of Wollongong, and has worked closely with ANSTO to ensure that the many sites of indigenous importance around the Lucas Heights campus are protected.
The students will then head to the ANSTO Discovery Centre, which welcomes 15,000 visitors a year, to learn more about radiation and radioactivity through an interactive workshop.
The OPAL reactor will be the next stop, where students will see the reactor pool up-close, before they tour the wider ANSTO campus, seeing the advanced technology used and the low level and intermediate level waste stores.
On Thursday, engineering will be the subject of choice as the students find out more about all different types of engineering, and take part in hands-on activities as part of Discover Engineering Day.
“ANSTO is thrilled to be welcoming our young South Australian visitors next week,” said Discovery Centre Leader, Rod Dowler.
“Every week we have visits from students, from Kindergarten through to university students, but it is always an exciting time when we are welcoming out-of-state visitors.
“Bringing the kids out to Lucas Heights to see the facilities and to show them the work being done at ANSTO will let them know more about the front end of the nuclear cycle – the research, medicine and innovation that nuclear science enables.
“At ANSTO we produce nuclear medicines that are needed by approximately one in two Australians in their lifetime, for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers, and heart, lung, muscular, and skeletal conditions.
“Researchers also use nuclear research techniques to support research into improving human health, understanding our environment and supporting Australian industries.
“For example, nuclear research supports the agriculture industry through helping to understand the sustainability of Australia’s groundwater reservoirs, by determining their age and the ‘recharge rate’ of water, which helps farmers around the country.
“We’ll also talk to students about radiation, and how it is all around us in everyday household items like potting mix, kitty litter, bananas, granite benchtops and even bricks in houses – and, it also occurs in things we produce, like nuclear medicines and its by-products.
“We’ll be talking about all things nuclear from start to finish, so that the students get a really good understanding of all the steps, people, products and by-products generated by Australia’s nuclear industry.
“We are really looking forward to having the students from Hawker in Lucas Heights, and we can’t wait to show them around.”
A plethora of renewable energy news in Australia
I strongly recommend viewers to read http://reneweconomy.com.au/ where Giles Parkinson ,Sophie Vorrath, and other mighty pens will give you all the news on renewable energy. The ABC is good, too.
For this website – the avalanche of renewable energy news is overwhelming. It IS all happening in Australia, even if our government is blind to that fact.National
Solar PV could provide 30% of power needs by 2030, ARENA says
ARENA says solar PV could account for 30% of Australia’s power needs by 2030, as it unveils its new investment priorities – storage and reliability, solar innovation, energy productivity and renewable energy exports. Also, expect an announcement on solar thermal soon.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-pv-could-provide-30-of-power-needs-by-2030-arena-says-38670/
Why every Australian town should have its own wind or solar farm
Imagining an Australia where every town is running off its own renewable energy projects is becoming a reality. Victoria is on the case.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/why-every-australian-town-should-have-its-own-wind-or-solar-farm-92636/
The solar panel and battery revolution: how will your state measure up?
Paul Graham, CSIRO
A new report predicts a boom in household solar and batteries as Australia’s electricity networks move to a more sustainable footing, with some states poised for a 500% boost in rooftop solar.
http://theconversation.com/the-solar-panel-and-battery-revolution-how-will-your-state-measure-up-76866
Five-fold increase in clean energy investment
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/fivefold-increase-in-clean-energy-investment-bodes-will-for-2020-target-20170502-gvwze0
Solar panel and battery revolution: how will your state measure up?
A new roadmap for Australia’s electricity networks outlines a national plan to keep the lights on, make sure bills are affordable, and decarbonise our electricity industry by mid-century.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-panel-battery-revolution-will-state-measure-65842
NSW rooftop solar export tariffs could double from July
Recommended feed in tariff for NSW solar households more than doubles to range of 11.6c/kWh to 14.6c/kWh, reflecting jump in wholesale prices that will affect
http://reneweconomy.com.au/nsw-rooftop-solar-export-tariffs-could-double-from-july-93428/
Another 47MW of solar farms reach financial close in Queensland
Canadian Solar’s Oakey and Longreach projects to begin construction this month, after reaching financial close with help from CEFC.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/another-47mw-of-solar-farms-reach-financial-close-in-queensland-14959/
Construction set to begin on 148MW Ross River Solar Farm
Construction is set to begin on one of the largest solar projects in Australia’s development pipeline, after the 148MW Ross River Solar Farm this week achieved financial close.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/construction-set-to-begin-on-148mw-ross-river-solar-farm-83293/
WA solar car park to power shopping centre
A solar-panelled shopping centre car park in WA will produce 40 per cent of the electricity needed by the complex and is the first in the state.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/wa-solar-car-park-to-power-shopping-centre/news-story/2d224cea39efe39172296f28a8b378aa
Battery storage tender for Alice Springs to be decided by N.T. soon
A tender for 5MW battery storage tender to help reduce gas generation and integrate high levels of solar power to be decided soon.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/battery-storage-tender-alice-springs-decided
Vic says renewables + batteries cheaper than peaking gas
Victorian government documents detailing state’s $25m battery storage tender say renewables + storage have surpassed gas as cheapest source of new peaking power.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/vic-says-renewables-batteries-cheaper-than-peaking-gas-95476/
Adani coal mine expansion project is in the wars: Matt Canavan’s not helping!
As with renewables, I am snowed under with news about Adani’s coal mine. It is indeed the critical issue in Australia right now, (well after the risk of joining Trump in war). However, as this site is dedicated to Australia’s fight to be nuclear-free, I am now, reluctantly, cutting short the posts on this topic.
Canavan’s call to boycott Westpac a colossally stupid salvo in the new Truth Wars
Michael Bradley
Matt Canavan says Queenslanders should boycott Westpac since the bank is not going to lend money to the colossally wasteful Adani coal mine and becomes sucked into the Nationals Irony Generator.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/05/02/matt-canavans-call-to-boycott-westpac-for-adani-coal-mine/
Adani’s telling meltdown over Westpac’s new climate policy
Bob Burton
The angry denunciation of Westpac’s new climate policy – which rules out funding for new mines in the Galilee Basin – serves only to underscore how crucial support from at least one major Australian bank was to Adani’s push to win finance for its beleaguered Carmichael coal project.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/adanis-telling-meltdown-westpacs-new-climate-policy-14504/
Cash, not climate, real concern
Dennis Shanahan
Westpac’s announcement that it would refuse to finance the Adani mine appears to be ‘virtue signalling’.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/dennis-shanahan/westpacs-dirty-big-secret-cash-not-climate-is-the-real-concern/news-story/6121c525df0eeae372e0adb9114d5adc
Fiji wants Australian PM to lobby Trump to stay with Paris climate deal
Fiji asks Turnbull to lobby Trump to stay with Paris climate deal, REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson on 2 May 2017 Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama, who will host this year’s climate change talks in Bonn, has asked Australia prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to urge US president Donald Trump to stay within the Paris climate treaty.
In his first address as president of COP23, Bainimarama told the Carbon Markets Institute conference in Melbourne on Tuesday that he had written a letter to Trump, who has dismissed climate science as a Chinese hoax, urging the US to stay within the Paris agreement.
Bainimarama met with Turnbull at the PM’s home in Sydney on Sunday and said he had asked Turnbull to convey the message to Trump when he meets with him next week.
“My message to Donald Trump, and the message that I hope Malcolm Turnbull will also convey is ‘Mr President, do not abandon the Paris agreement, please stay the course’.”
Bainimarama said it was clear from the latest climate science that the world is running out of time, and it may already be too late to avoid many of the impacts.
“Climate change is not a hoax, it is frighteningly real,” he said. “Billions of people are losing the ability to feed themselves … We need to limit the damage … failure is not an option.”
He has appointed a climate science denier, Scott Pruitt, to lead the Environment Protection Agency; appointed deniers to numerous other key portfolios; and has sought to roll back all climate change and clean energy initiatives, and remove rules restricting what he calls “clean coal.”
However, a decision on whether to leave the Paris deal, expected last week, has been delayed………http://reneweconomy.com.au/fiji-asks-turnbull-to-lobby-trump-to-stay-with-paris-climate-deal-96273/
Tasmania’s energy efficiency loans scheme now open
Tasmanian households and small businesses can increase their energy efficiency through a new no-interest loan scheme, BLAIR RICHARDS, State Political Editor, Mercury
AGL Energy says there’ll be a shift from coal directly to large-scale wind and solar.
AGL kills idea of gas as transition fuel: wind, solar + storage cheaper, REneweconomy, By Sophie Vorrath on 2 May 2017 Australia’s largest integrated energy company, AGL Energy, says Australia’s transition away from a coal power dominated national grid to low-carbon generation will largely bypass “baseload” gas, and instead shift straight to large-scale wind and solar.
As politicians and the gas lobby expend considerable energy over the need to guarantee supply of gas, the company founded some 180 years ago as The Australian Gas Light Co, says the combination of wind and solar and battery storage is already cheaper than new gas generators.
“The energy transition we have all been anticipating will skip ‘big baseload gas’ as a major component of the NEM’s base-load generation and instead largely be a case of moving from ‘big coal’ to ‘big renewables’,” AGL CFO Brett Redman says in a presentation to the Macquarie Australia Conference in Sydney on Tuesday.
The frank prediction – which flies in the face of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s plan to subsidise the delivery of more gas into Australia’s electricity market – is based on the now fairly well accepted economic view that gas power will continue up the cost curve, making it less and less competitive with large-scale solar and wind. Continue reading
Hydro electricity versus coal-fired power – northern Queensland election issue?
Hydro electricity versus coal-fired power in north Queensland set to be major state election issue, ABC News By Chris O’Brien, 2 May 17 and staff Hydro electricity versus coal-fired power for north Queensland will be a major issue in the next state election, with voters to choose between rival plans that have support from opposite sides of federal politics.
The Queensland Government’s weekend announcement of a feasibility study for a hydro-electric power station at the Burdekin Falls Dam was strengthened today with a $200 million pledge by federal Labor leader Bill Shorten.
“With hydro-electric power being generated we can start doing something about providing greater reliable power for Townsville, for its residents and for its businesses,” Mr Shorten said.
That contrasted with Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls’ previously announced policy for a new coal-fired generator in the north……..The LNP’s coal-fired plan was supported by the Prime Minister and federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan…….http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-02/hydro-electricity-vs-coal-fired-power-north-qld-state-election/8490232
Donald Trump could get Australia involved in war
every US ally is now on notice – you cannot rely on Trump’s America in a crisis
US Allies Now On Notice, The Age, Peter Hartcher, 2 May 17 It was five years ago that a senior US official brought to Canberra the sobering news that North Korea was turning its missiles towards Australia for the first time. He [Campbell, a former senior Pentagon official] has an update…….. .
“But the devastation of the South would be horrific – millions killed.”
A further restraint on any idea of a preemptive US strike to destroy North Korea’s nuclear facilities, says Campbell, is that there is recent evidence that the regime has distributed the nuclear infrastructure around the country and the US could not be fully confident that it knows every location.
There are no easy options. Trump has said that he’s expecting China’s Xi Jinping to do the hard work of deterring Kim from any further provocation. Xi says that Washington and Beijing are united in seeking to prevent the nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
But North Korea is nonetheless one of only two allies of China, and there are limits to how far it will go in pressing its ally. Campbell says he expects that “in the end, China will disappoint” American expectations……
He’s not impressed by Trump’s handling of the problem to date: “In a crisis like this the tendency is for the US to bring its allies closer. The president has instead roiled South Korea with his comments – it’s crazy….. In the midst of a crisis that Donald Trump has described his most urgent national security priority, he has picked a fight not with his adversary but with his ally.
In the past week or so, even as North Korea threatens an imminent attack on South Korea, Trump has chosen to denounce the US free trade agreement with Seoul as the “worst deal ever” and demanded renegotiations.
He has insulted his South Korean ally by saying in an interview that the country was once “part of China”, a falsehood that seems to concede to China a greater scope for legitimate influence over Seoul.
And, astonishingly, he has even demanded publicly that the South Korean government, which goes to an election in a month’s time, must pay for the defensive missile interception system that the US is installing on South Korean soil.
Malcolm Turnbull will strike a pose with Trump this week on the deck of a retired warship in New York Harbour to affirm the strength of the alliance with the US. Everyone will play happy allied families in a carefully choreographed performance.
But the reality of US alliances under Trump is not the cheerful one to be played out on the USS Missouri but Trump’s treatment of America’s South Korean ally.
Every US ally needs to note that, exactly when South Korea needs America most, Trump is putting pressure on it, picking a fight with it on trade and defence, publicly belittling it.
Turnbull has to do what he can to preserve as much of the alliance as he can. But every US ally is now on notice – you cannot rely on Trump’s America in a crisis. ….http://www.theage.com.au/comment/donald-trump-is-learning-a-lesson-from-north-korea–and-so-are-us-allies-20170501-gvwpbm.html
Port Augusta Mayor speaks at Parliament house rally for solar thermal power
Demonstrators rally for Port Augusta solar thermal power plant http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/demonstrators-rally-for-port-augusta-solar-thermal-power-plant/news-story/0c142b68f658a89d7c455202a4021d56 April 30, 2017 MORE than 200 people turned out on the steps of Parliament House on Sunday, with their own makeshift solar panels, urging the State Government to back a solar thermal power plant at Port Augusta.
Decked with mirror panels to mimic solar panels, the demonstrators were led by Port Augusta Mayor Sam Johnson and former coal power station worker Gary Rowbottom.
The Federal Government has committed $110 million in funding through a loan for the project, but the State Government is yet to commit any money.
Mr Johnson said a power purchase plan from the government would make it viable and secure jobs for the Far North city. “Our community has pushed for solar thermal for years,” he said. “Now, it’s time for action from the State Government. Federal funding is now locked in for solar thermal in Port Augusta so it’s time for the Premier to make solar thermal a reality.
“Building solar thermal won’t just help Port Augusta, it will create manufacturing jobs for SA, regional jobs and balance our electricity grid with big storage.”
Mr Rowbottom said the project would provide much-needed stimulus for Port Augusta. “This is Jay Weatherill and the SA Government’s chance to support our community for the long term, helping us build a new future and becoming the clean energy powerhouse of SA now the coal station has closed,” he said.
Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said solar thermal power was “absolutely in the mix” for the State Government going forward.
Political risk for Turnbull in pandering to Big Coal over Adani mine
Turnbull’s foolish gamble to pander to Big Fossil over Adani coal mine, SMH, crispinhull.com.au Crispin Hull , 1 May 17, Is Malcolm Turnbull determined to lose the 2019 election? His statement this week that the government could underwrite the rail line for the Adani mine would have increased the anger among small businesses in the six reef seats. Continue reading
Western Australian suburb Baldivis tops nation for solar rooftops
Baldivis tops nation for power from sun https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/baldivis-tops-nation-for-power-from-sun-ng-b88456809zMonday, 1 May 2017 The southern Perth postcode of Baldivis is Australia’s solar capital, with more than two-thirds of houses in the suburb generating their own power from the sun.
With electricity prices spiralling and a rush towards green energy, fresh figures show the rate of solar panel installations across Australia led by WA is gathering pace.
There are almost 230,000 households and small businesses with solar panels across WA after a massive 71 per cent increase in installations in past 10 months alone.
More than a quarter of WA homes have solar panels. But the figures show the rate of solar uptake in some suburbs is sky-high, with a staggering 69 per cent of households in Baldivis having a system.
According to the figures, from the Australia Photovoltaic Institute, there are 5765 “dwellings” in Baldivis and 3951 of them have solar panels — the highest rate of penetration in Australia.
It was a similar story in Byford, where 56 per cent of 3326 households had rooftop PV, as well as Rockingham, where uptake was 53 per cent.
The figures also show Mandurah, while having a lower penetration rate, had the second highest number of solar panel installations of any suburb in the country.
Of the 28,428 households in the southern centre, almost 10,000 had photovoltaic cells, behind only Bundaberg in Queensland, which had 10,529 systems. Australian Photovoltaic Institute chairman Renate Egan said it was remarkable that solar was so popular that in some suburbs the households without solar panels were outnumbered by those which did have them.
Warwick Johnston, an analyst with consultancy SunWiz, said WA trailed Queensland and NSW on installations.
“The biggest change has been WA leapfrogging Victoria into third place when it comes to the number of new solar installations,” Mr Johnston said.
The latest figures came as Energy Networks Australia — which represents grid operators such as Western Power — released a report showing the amount of solar power in WA was set to triple in the next 13 years.
It said using battery storage systems, electric cars and “smart homes” would also rise.
ENA boss John Bradley said more than 40 per cent of WA’s electricity was predicted to come from renewable sources by 2030 amid moves to de-carbonise the economy.
Farmers want the Australian government to embrace solar energy
Farmers urge government to embrace solar for the future http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4625721/farmers-urge-government-to-embrace-solar-for-the-future/?cs=97 30 Apr 2017, A year ago, my family acquired solar panels in a very unusual way. Our farm is located in Quirindi, northern NSW, in the heart of Australia’s food bowl.
We’ve never before experienced a run of 40-degree days like we had last summer. Being farmers we are at the mercy of the seasons, and in recent years we have experienced extremes in our weather – extended hot summer periods and increasingly variable rainfall. It’s hard on our cows, it dries out the soil, stresses pastures and impacts the number of animals we can stock on the farm.
A few years back a concerned group of Christians called Common Grace crowdfunded enough money to buy solar panels for the then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. It was an attempt to raise awareness of the value and importance of sustainable energy.
But when this gift was rejected, Common Grace turned to the front lines of climate change in Australia and offered the panels to farmers, like me. My parents taught me the value of caring for the land, and so, I appreciate the clean energy from solar which allows me to use appliances during the day knowing I am having minimal impact on the environment.
My family spends less on electricity now and with the price of solar storage falling, we’ve got plans to go completely off the grid.
It’s frustrating that our government is failing to transition Australia to sustainable energy when we are out in the paddock already trying to adapt to the impacts of worsening droughts and heatwaves.
We must tackle climate change so we can pass on healthy farmlands to our children, and so farmers can continue to produce food and clothes for generations to come.
Being given the opportunity to go solar has been great. I just wish our government will now give it a go. Kirrily Blomfield was 2014 NSW farmer of the year.
Federal Minister For Coal, Matt Canavan cause the Australian States “silly”
Canavan slams ‘silly’ states, Minister says firms are being by punished by states’ moratoria on gas exploration, as poll shows majority support for bans, THE AUSTRALIAN, RACHEL BAXENDALE, 29 Apr 17, Resources Minister Matthew Canavan says Australian businesses are being held back by the “silly decisions of state governments” who have placed moratoria on unconventional gas exploration, despite a new poll showing the majority of Australians support the bans.
More than twice as many Australians support moratoriums on fracking (56 per cent) as those who oppose them (20 per cent), according to an Australia Institute survey of 1420 people conducted over a week in March.
That majority in favour of bans on new unconventional gas extractions including hydraulic fracturing (fracking) was evident across all states.
The opposition to fracking also crossed party lines, with Labor, Liberal and minor party voters all expressing concern……
Australia Institute deputy director Ebony Bennett said industry demands to open more land to fracking were not about reducing energy prices but maximising profits.
“The current gas crisis and high gas prices are not an unintended consequence, but the result of linking Australia to the international gas market,” she said.
Shadow Environment Minister Mark Butler said Labor had dragged the government kicking as screaming to its decision to place export restrictions on the gas companies.
“We’d seen for a couple of years that there was a potential supply crunch coming our way because of the LNG operations and that’s why we announced in 2015 that we thought a policy of a national interest test should be adopted,” he told Insiders.
“We were rubbished by Malcolm Turnbull. He called us irresponsible. That we would wreck investment.
“The Commonwealth absolutely needed to take action and we welcome the fact that Malcolm Turnbull finally came to that decision this week.”
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the government’s export restrictions would do nothing to reduce the cost of gas domestically.
“What we’ve had happen is our gas market opened up to the international market, the prices are set at the world price,” she said. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/silly-states-holding-business-back-resources-minister/news-story/994a029f28672c0630e87dc10072346c
Federal Labor no longer supporting Adani coal mine
Federal Labor backtracking on support of Adani’s planned Carmichael coal mine, ABC News, 1 May 17 By political reporter Dan Conifer, Federal Labor is stepping back from its support of Adani’s proposed multi-billion-dollar Queensland coal project.
The Indian company is still to decide whether to proceed with its Carmichael mine in the Galilee Basin.
Earlier this month, Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten backed the project.
“I support the Adani coal mine so long as it stacks up. I hope it stacks up,” Mr Shorten said.
But Labor’s energy and environment spokesman Mark Butler today warned the development could hurt other coalmining areas……..
Westpac rules out lending to project
Westpac last week released a climate change policy stating it would only lend to projects involving higher-quality coal. The decision effectively ruled out financing the Adani development and any other ventures using coal from the Galilee Basin.
Mr Butler said the bank’s move was further proof “the economics of this project don’t stack up”.
“The demand for thermal coal exports around the world is in rapid decline,” he said.
“I think instead we should be thinking about other economic development and job opportunities for North Queensland.”
He said the Carmichael project would need a “miracle” to proceed.
Adani is seeking a $900 million taxpayer-subsidised loan for a rail line to the Abbot Point coal port.
According to Forbes’ rich list, group chairman Gautam Adani and his family are worth more than $8 billion.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-30/federal-labor-backtracks-on-support-of-adani-coal-mine/8483932
Westpac in tune with Australians about climate. Government sadly out of touch
Westpac’s anti-coal stance exposes a Coalition out of sync with business and public on climate http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/westpacs-anticoal-stance-exposes-a-coalition-out-of-sync-with-business-and-public-on-climate-20170428-gvuw4m.html Mark Kenny, Obviously Westpac’s public ‘un-friending’ of new coal – for which you can read Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in the Galiliee Basin – is a body blow for a project whose backers are thinning by the day.
Westpac is the last of the big four Australian banks to bin Adani’s publicly toxic prospectus.
All are unmoved by the lure of ongoing coal profits, especially if it comes with ties to a venture that has become a byword for climate change denial.
Adani will continue to seek other financiers – including extraordinarily, the Australian taxpayer from whom it is telling Indian backers, it remains eligible for a $1 billion loan. This is despite the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund rules, which appear to render it ineligible.
With or without that welfare, the business case for new coal generally and the Adani mine in particular, looks to be ebbing. Fast.
Westpac’s decision is an environmental declaration of intent. But it is a coldly commercial one also that recognises what the Australian government defiantly rejects: coal’s day has passed.
Resources and Northern Australia Minister Matt Canavan hit out strongly at the bank, suggesting it had succumbed to the inner-city politics of Sydney rather than the employment needs of the sunshine state. Remarkably, Canavan – cabinet minister – even advocated a boycott, counselling potential customers to back a bank that backs Queensland’s interests.
Doubtless there would be many Queenslanders upset by the Adani venture, not least the thousands already employed around the Great Barrier Reef.
Besides, Westpac is hardly going out on a limb. Try going to the AGL website. One of the nation’s biggest energy companies has announced a new campaign to end its association with coal entirely: “The reasons for getting out of coal are all around us” its homepage proclaims.
Privately, Malcolm Turnbull must surely be hoping the Adani thing just goes away. The PM may be a progressive rationalist at heart but in his head there are other realities to balance. Party room realities like Tony Abbott, Peter Dutton, and the Nationals, whose head-in-the-sand record on climate change has left farmers so exposed that even the National Farmers Federation now proposes a carbon price.
Paul Keating once described Turnbull as a cherry on a compost heap. The trouble with compost heaps is they tend to be stationary. This issue is anything but, and if you want proof, just follow the money.
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 