Climate change is above party politics. Labor should support Direct Action policy
Labor should compromise on Direct Action: Australia Institute chief The Conversation, 1 July 14, Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow at University of Canberra The chief executive of the left-leaning Australia Institute think tank, Richard Denniss, has urged Labor to do a deal to implement elements of the government’s controversial direct action climate program.
With money already appropriated in the budget for the proposed emissions reduction fund, Denniss said it should be used “to buy as much abatement as we can”.
The government has legislation before Parliament to provide for the Clean Energy Regulator to conduct auctions and enter into contracts to pay companies to reduce their emissions. Some $2.55 billion worth of contracts would be funded, although only $1.1 billion would be spent in the forward estimates period.
When the carbon tax is repealed – now considered certain after last week’s announcement by Clive Palmer that PUP senators will vote for ending the tax – Australia would have no primary scheme for combating climate change if direct action is not implemented.
Labor voted against the direct action legislation in the House of Representatives, but shadow treasurer Chris Bowen appeared to leave open its final position at the weekend.
Denniss told The Conversation: “The government is offering to spend a couple of billion on abating emissions. As long as we get good value for it, and we are confident the emissions are abated and administrative costs are not excessively high, I think that would be a good outcome.”
But he said the money should be spent on energy efficiency projects and carbon farming, rather than buying emissions from big polluters, as the administrative costs would be much lower and the measurement of emission reduction much easier…….http://theconversation.com/labor-should-compromise-on-direct-action-australia-institute-chief-28689
The Palmer climate action conversion IS a game-changer.
The Palmer conversion is a game-changer.
By 2016, the named trading partners who already have trading schemes in various forms will have consolidated their schemes, renewable energy would have dethroned King Coal and we’ll have Labor, the Greens and PUP all campaigning for a return of the ETS.
Palmer and Gore: What are they good for? Independent Australia Sandi Keane 29 June 2014,When climate realists and coal billionaires share a stage to commit to climate change action, the end is nigh for the climate dinosaurs, says deputy editor Sandi Keane.
THE MEDIA HAS STRUGGLED since Wednesday to make sense of the Palmer/Gore shock presser with guess-which-media monopoly trumpeting it as a win for Abbott and many of the more independent-hue cynically declaring it a damp squib and Crikey even going so far as to call it a win for climate denialists.…….
Firstly, it should be noted, Al Gore – former U.S. vice-president and rightful victor in the 2000 U.S. presidential election – is no-one’s fool…….
If anyone thinks there’s been no shift in the body politic in Canberra to act on global warming thanks to Gore’s intervention with Palmer, then more fool them.
Granted, a tectonic shift it wasn’t. Gore deplored Palmer’s repealing of the carbon tax. But whenPalmer United Party (PUP) senators met last weekend, there was reluctance to break an election promise.
several high profile climate campaigners, like former Australian Conservation Foundation boss,Don Henry, and Christine Milne’s former chief of staff, Ben Oquist , who were lobbying Clive Palmer behind the scenes. Impromptu as it looked, last Wednesday’s shock announcement by the Palmer United Party had been carefully negotiated over a number of weeks.
At the risk of re-stating the facts, let’s look at PUP’s scoreboard before and after Gore’s intervention.
Pre-Gore’s visit:
Renewable Energy Target x
Clean Energy Finance Corporation x
Climate Change Authority x
Australian Renewable Energy Agency x
AGW believer x
ETS x
Carbon tax x
Post-Gore’s visit:
RET ✔
CEFC ✔
CCA ✔
ARENA ?
AGW believer ✔
ETS ✔
CT x
What benefit is Palmer United Party’s support for an ETS?…….
Activist Natalie Lowrey freed, following Malaysian arrest for ant-Lynas protest
Aust activist freed from Malaysia cell http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/aust-activist-freed-from-malaysia-cell/story-fni0xqll-1226970174011l AAP JUNE 28, 2014 SYDNEY woman Natalie Lowrey has been released after being detained for six days in Malaysia, where she was protesting against an Australian company’s metals plant.
MS Lowrey was arrested on Sunday while demonstrating at Lynas’ controversial plant for rare earths, which are used in tech products like smartphones.
Police were weighing a charge of unlawful assembly, which carries a maximum two-year jail term.
But on Friday night, as the New Zealander was preparing to spend a weekend behind bars with no visitors, she was suddenly released on bail.”It was a big surprise, I didn’t believe it until I had changed out of my purple jail uniform,” she told AAP.
“I felt very strong the whole week because I knew there were vigils all over Australia and Malaysia for me. I have a lot of people to thank.”
Lowrey was released along with 15 Malaysians who had also been arrested.
The lack of transparency around Ms Lowrey’s detention concerned lawyers and NGOs, who collected more than 15,000 signatures on a petition to free her.
She has her passport back and plans to leave Malaysia next week.
Liberals attack environmental charities, (but right wing Institute of Public Affairs is unscathed)
Activist charities targeted http://www.examiner.com.au/story/2382849/activist-charities-targeted/?cs=95 By MATT MALONEY June 28, 2014,
The Liberal Party’s Federal Council on Friday night unanimously endorsed a policy motion put up by Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic to remove consumer and competition law exemptions for eco-charities. He argued that environmental groups should be treated the same as corporations under the act, and that tax deductibility for donations and reduced fees for court action should be removed.
He said there were 583 approved environmental groups under the act, and 13 of these were allowed to receive tax-deductible donations. “I am seeking to remove exemptions so environment groups are not above the law,” Mr Nikolic said. “Part of taking this forward now requires ministers in the state and federal government to act together to remove the exemption.”
Mr Nikolic’s motion follows moves by the state government to repeal the Tasmanian forest peace deal and clamp down on forest protesters through tough new laws involving hefty fines and three-month mandatory prison sentences.
Wilderness Society spokesman Vica Bayley said the latest move would not only hit community groups but the industry groups that the government had pledged to protect.“The Liberals have torn down the only collaborative and constructive thing going and replaced it with draconian measures,” Mr Bayley said.
“It’s a backward step and demonstrates that they believe that their policies will fail and the state will descend back into conflict.”
He said amendments to consumer and competition law would increase the level of controversy and contention in forestry in Tasmania as the government would be seen as one that wanted to block dissenting voices.
Victorian town Yackandandah going for Totally Renewable energy
Energy builds for Yackandandah renewables target http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2014/06/27/4034789.htm By Nick Fogarty
Members of TRY heard about Wildspoldsried – which produces three-times its total energy needs from renewables – at a community energy congress in Canberra last week. TRY spokesperson, Matthew Grogan, said their hope is that Yackandandah will be producing 100 percent of its own energy needs from renewables by the year 2022.
“We’ve got incredible fossil fuel resources … it’s tried and true technology and there’s a lot of it there,” Mr Grogan said. “But we know the damage that it causes and it’s at crisis point, the damage that that’s causing. “In addition to that brown coal we’ve also got one of the world’s best profiles of solar energy.”
TRY is encouraged by the fact that north-east Victoria receives more solar radiation than Germany, the world’s largest producer of solar energy. The switch to renewables has also brought financial benefits for Wildspoldsried, Mr Grogan said, from “energy tourism” and the sale of excess power back into the grid.
Wildspoldsried made the switch with stunning speed, having aimed for a target of 100 percent renewables within 10 years, but achieved the goal in five years. It’s early days for the Yackandandah group, but a community-owned petrol station and an already-high uptake of solar among residents shows a willingness to look for alternatives.
Yackandandah is not alone in its vision, with around 50 other Australian communities attending last week’s congress.
Mr Grogan said TRY had already approached local supermarkets (the area’s largest energy users) and funding bodies to sell their vision. “We know the technology is out there, we know solar panels are coming down and batteries are coming down as well in price,” Mr Grogan said. “It’s a really exciting phase to be honest, we’re just approaching it with a lot of creativity and taking any opportunities as they arise.”
Costly problems, legal battles, face owners of Four Mile uranium mine
Four Mile mine opens amid tensions between owners, World Nuclear News, 26 June 2014 The Four Mile uranium mine in South Australia was officially opened on 25 June, but its minority owner wants to sell its stake and is preparing a legal battle against the project operator…….EdwardSterck, a senior mining analyst at London-based BMO Capital Markets, said he did not think there was “any huge significance” in the opening of Four Mile. “It appears that they are using the existing Beverley plant which suggests that production from Four Mile is replacing production at Beverley,” Sterck told World Nuclear News.
Quasar Director Dave Roberts said there is remaining ore at the Beverley mine that “can and will be” extracted at a future point in time. “But today, we are dedicating the full processing capacity of Beverley to the production of Four Mile uranium,” Roberts said during TV coverage of the opening ceremony.
ACE’s parent company Melborne-based Alliance Resources announced last week it had appointed Deloitte Corporate Finance to lead the sale of its 25% stake in the project. Alliance said the sale would “free up funds” for the company to develop its exploration portfolio.
In the meantime, the court case is looming for ACE’s 2010 filing against Quasar Resources – on the basis of “misleading and deceptive conduct” – having been set for 30 June.
ACE has said it is “seeking restitution for the 75% interest in the exploration licence for Four Mile, citing, among other issues, Quasar’s failure to disclose information relating to the prospectivity of part of the tenement.” ACE also contends that Quasar, “with the assistance or participation of” its affiliate Heathgate Resources, breached its obligations under the joint venture agreement……..
ACE said in January it had elected to vote against Quasar’s revised start-up plan for the Four Mile project, which would see uranium capture at Heathgate’s Pannikan plant, and precipitation, drying and packing at Heathgate’s Beverley processing plant. ACE said the parties should instead construct a stand-alone plant at Four Mile in order to reduce operating costs. Heathgate Resources, which like Quasar is based in Adelaide, is the owner and operator of the Beverley uranium mine in the Northern Flinders Ranges.
First discovered in 2005, the Four Mile uranium deposit is 550 km north east of Adelaide in the Frome Basin. State and federal regulators approved the mining lease for the project in April 2012 and more than AUD 120 million ($113 million) has been invested so far, the government said. The mine’s owners expect to produce up to 1.6 million pounds from the mine this year, it said. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/ENF-South-Australias-Four-Mile-uranium-mine-opens-amid-tensions-between-its-owners-26061401.html
Abbott now looking sillier on climate policy
Abbott completely isolated by Palmer’s “inconvenient senate” Clive Palmer’s emissions trading announcement effectively leaves Abbott completely isolated on climate policy , The Guardian, Alex White, 25 June 14 Clive Palmer‘s shock announcement on Wednesday night next to former vice president Al Gore has been very cautiously welcomed by Australia’s environment movement.
Palmer’s announcement effectively leaves Abbott completely isolated on climate policy, both domestically, and as Al Gore’s presence demonstrates, internationally as well. It is remarkable that one of Australia’s largest coal barons has firmly declared his support for renewables, taking action on global warming, and introducing anemissions trading scheme.
Senior leaders of some of the largest environment groups told me that they welcome Palmer’s position on the renewable energy target, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Climate Change Authority, while approaching the details with caution and a large grain of salt. It was labelled as “definitely surprising”, “very smart politically”, “surprising” and “courageous”.
There are no details behind Palmer’s announcement, and it is unclear what approach he will take with his decision to support the abolition of the carbon “tax” and its replacement with an emissions trading scheme. Palmer also stated that he would not support prime minister Abbott’s “direct action” policy, criticising it as a waste of money.
Kelly O’Shanassy, the new CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, who is organising the Climate Reality project that Gore is in Australia for, said “keeping the ‘clean three’ of the RET, the CEFC, and the CCA is great news for all Australians. It’s great to see that Clive Palmer has the courage to listen to the voices of Australians when they say they support clean energy and they support cutting pollution.”
Several recent polls showed that a large majority of 72 percent of Australians support keeping or expanding the renewable energy target. Similarly, the polls show that Australians support putting a price on carbon, and just 22 percent support the discredited “direct action” policy.
The Clean Energy Council was effusive in its congratulations. Deputy Chief Executive Kane Thornton described the announcement as “a Titanic boost for the clean energy industry”. Increasing the proportion of Australia’s energy from renewable sources would mean lower costs for consumers and potentially thousands of extra jobs. Kane said in a statement, “what we need is policy stability to unlock these benefits, and the best outcome for the industry is if the policy is left alone to continue working.”
A senior environment campaigner noted to me that “we are approaching Palmer’s announcement with caution, especially on the RET. This is not the first time the Palmer United Party has made an announcement about renewables, only to see it reversed less than 24 hours later.”
What is clear is that Tony Abbott‘s offensive against renewable energy and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation are effectively dead……..
It is clear that Palmer (and Gore) has completely rewritten climate politics in Australia. Why he has done this is not clear, and there are elements of incomprehensibility in what has said.
However, as a political tactic, it could potentially be a master stroke, and consigns Abbott’s almost non-existent climate policy to the dust bin. As Greenpeace’s Pearson quipped, “tonight Al Gore has delivered Tony Abbott an inconvenient senate.” http://www.theguardian.com/environment/southern-crossroads/2014/jun/25/clive-palmer-al-gore-climate-change-renewable-energy-carbon-price
Clive Palmer’s position will prevent Abbott from destroying renewable energy industries
Ross Garnaut praises Clive Palmer’s decision to block abolition of Renewable Energy Target, ABC News By political correspondent Emma Griffiths and Kerry Brewster 27 Jun 2014, The man who helped design Australia’s current carbon pricing scheme has praised Clive Palmer over his decision to block the abolition of the Renewable Energy Target.
Economist and carbon pricing expert Professor Ross Garnaut says the Palmer United Party’s position to vote to retain the RET and other key climate change bodies will have “important” and positive effects. “We’re in a better position than we were before this news,” he told the ABC’s 7.30 program on Thursday. “We’re in a better position than when we were facing abolition of carbon pricing, major tampering with the Renewable Energy Target, abolition of the Climate Change Authority, abolition of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. “It may not be the ideal way of doing things, but Mr Palmer’s support for keeping existing arrangements will have important effects.”
On Wednesday, Mr Palmer revealed his party would vote with the Coalition in the Senate to repeal the carbon pricing scheme if lower power prices were locked in, a condition the Government says it is “happy” to enshrine in law.
However PUP will vote to block the Government’s bid to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Renewable Energy Target and the Climate Change Authority. Continue reading
Fact checking shows Tony Abbott overstates savings from axing carbon tax
Fact check: Tony Abbott overstating household savings from axing the carbon tax ABC News, 27 Jun 2014 Legislation to repeal the carbon tax is headed for the Senate, where crossbench Senators have indicated they will give the support needed for it to pass. The Government claims households will be significantly better off.
At a press conference on June 23, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: “Every household right around Australia will benefit to the tune of $550 a year. So this is a $550 a year windfall to every household in Australia…”
ABC Fact Check looked at this issue in 2013. Mr Abbott made a similar comment then, but at the same press conference Environment Minister Greg Hunt was more precise about the timing. That fact check found that Mr Abbott was overstating the case, but Mr Hunt reasonably said the legislation would mean “a saving of $550 on average next financial year [2014-15], as opposed to the current situation”.
As Mr Abbott regularly repeats his claim and Senate scrutiny is imminent, ABC Fact Check investigates again………..
The verdict
Based on Treasury modelling, households will be better off by around $550 in 2014-15 if the current legislation is scrapped. However the following year, when the fixed price would move to a floating price, the estimated impact on households drops to $280.
Mr Abbott’s claim is overstated. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-27/tony-abbott-carbon-tax-savings-overstated-fact-check/5554748
Sorry tale of woe about Australia’s uneconomic uranium mines
Price fallout hits uranium mines THE AUSTRALIANJUNE 26, 2014 Sarah Martin Political Reporter Adelaide
The bleak outlook comes as the Four Mile uranium mine in South Australia’s northern Flinders Ranges was yesterday opened after five years of delays.
Four Mile is a joint venture project between Melbourne-based Alliance Resources and Quasar — a subsidiary of Heathgate Resources that is owned by US defence and nuclear physics company General Atomics.
The mine, which becomes Australia’s fifth and South Australia’s fourth uranium mine, began production in April to feed the processing plant at the site of the neighbouring Beverley uranium mine, also owned by Heathgate.
But the company said yesterday that the Beverley mine was no longer operational, and had been mothballed in January because of low uranium prices.
This comes after Canadian company Uranium One announced in November that it would cease production at the Honeymoon uranium mine, also in outback South Australia. Since the Fukushima incident in 2011, uranium prices have tumbled from a high of $US70 a pound to $US28.50.
Quasar director Dave Roberts said Four Mile was also “not economic” because of weak uranium prices. “We have got prices of $US28 a pound and I would expect … costs of production may be higher than that,” Mr Roberts said yesterday…….. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/price-fallout-hits-uranium-mines/story-e6frg8zx-1226966903070?nk=38b4e03626cff750bb726e65c1a3e9f4
VIDEO: Clive Palmer needs to explain his policy on Emissions Trading
VIDEO Greens leader says Clive Palmer ‘having it both ways’ on ETS Australian Broadcasting Corporation 7.30 Report
Broadcast: 25/06/2014
Reporter: Sarah Ferguson
Greens leader Christine Milne welcomes Clive Palmer’s opposition to abolishing the renewable energy target and the climate change authority but thinks he may be having it ‘both ways’ on his emissions trading suggestions.
Transcript
SARAH FERGUSON, PRESENTER: No Government minister, unfortunately, was available for interview tonight. Greens leader Christine Milne, however, is in our Canberra studio. …..SARAH FERGUSON: Now, a few weeks ago I think, Clive Palmer was still questioning the science of climate change; now the green miner is putting himself at the vanguard of climate change policy. Can you make any sense of this?
CHRISTINE MILNE: Well, no, Clive changes his mind from day to day, but I do welcome the fact that he has now said that he will support the Renewable Energy Target, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Climate Change Authority and I hope he also means the Renewable Energy Agency. So I really welcome the fact that they’re now going to support the retention of those institutions set up by the Greens and Labor under the last government. So that’s good. But as to his vague remarks in relation to emissions trading, it certainly looks as if he’s trying to have it both ways……
SARAH FERGUSON: Yes, but not with our major trading partners, not with the US, not with China, not with Japan and not with South Korea, so it is something different.
CHRISTINE MILNE: Well, that’s the problem with Mr Palmer: I’m not sure how much he understands or whether this is a cynical ploy to make it look as if he wants emissions trading whilst actually abolishing the (audio problems) … or whether his amendments would apply to the existing scheme and that’s where he needs to come out and clarify his position. …….
Clive Palmer throws Abbott’s climate policy into chaos
Shock and Gore: Clive Palmer shows his hand June 26, 2014 The Age, James Massola, Mark Kenny, Heath Aston
Clive Palmer has thrown into chaos Tony Abbott’s plan to abolish the carbon tax, demanding the Prime Minister instead create an emissions trading scheme that would swing into action when Australia’s major trading partners adopt similar measures.
A day before Mr Palmer sits down with Mr Abbott to discuss the federal budget and the government’s signature pledge to repeal the carbon tax, the erratic Palmer United Party leader was joined by former US vice-president Al Gore to announce his position on a suite of climate change legislation.
Mr Palmer said his trio of senators would move to enshrine in law a guarantee that energy producers pass on to households the benefits of repealing the carbon tax, while they would also move to block the government’s plans to scrap the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and potentially wind back the Renewable Energy Target, which mandates 41,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity be produced by large clean energy sources by 2020.
The abolition of the independent Climate Change Authority would also be opposed.
Mr Palmer said his party would move to legislate an emissions trading scheme with a starting price of zero dollars.
”The government and the parliament of the day have the ability to set the financial parameters of the [emissions trading] scheme based on the action of our leading trading partners such as China, the United States, the European Union, Japan and Korea,” he said.
In a later interview on ABC’s Lateline, Mr Palmer made clear that repeal of the carbon tax was contingent on energy producers refunding to consumers the benefits of the repeal of the tax.
But it would not be contingent on the other measures Mr Palmer proposed on Wednesday night, such as the proposed emissions trading legislation.
The proposal to introduce the ETS in the Senate would be attached to the bill that would repeal the Climate Change Authority and the PUP would attempt to have that passed by the Senate.
“We want a scheme that is conditional upon other countries and doesn’t become operable until those countries do that, introduce a similar measure,” he said.
Mr Palmer also said his party had not adopted a final position on whether to oppose or support the abolition of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency……..
Mr Palmer said his discussions with Mr Gore had helped him reconsider the ”important issues facing Australians and the rest of the world”.
The PUP leader said the government’s Direct Action policy was ”a waste of money” and should not be implemented when Australians faced other unfair budget measures………
PUP ally Ricky Muir, of the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, and other cross-bench senators John Madigan and Nick Xenophon are looking closely at the merits of renewable energy. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/shock-and-gore-clive-palmer-shows-his-hand-20140625-3atpd.html#ixzz35ndf8vLk
Climate change to be on the G20 agenda, if USA gets its way
USA will push for climate change at G20 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-will-push-for-climate-change-at-g20/story-fni0xqi4-1226966794377?nk=38b4e03626cff750bb726e65c1a3e9f4 THE United States will push for climate change to be discussed at this year’s G20 summit in Australia, even if the federal government doesn’t want it on the agenda.
US Ambassador John Berry says his country’s G20 representatives – known as sherpas – are already raising climate change in the lead up to November’s summit in Brisbane.
The passionate conservationist said President Barack Obama believed climate change was a “critical” issue and his administration wouldn’t shy away from encouraging all nations to do their part.
“It’s one the United States will raise in every international forum,” he told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
“It is one we will continue to press on.”
Some countries have criticised Australia for neglecting to put climate change on the G20 agenda, with the government opting to focus on sustained economic growth, trade, and investment.
Ambassador Berry said the US shared these objectives, but also believed they could be advanced while making the planet healthier.
“The president believes we can do this (address climate change) without damaging or hurting the economy,” he said. The Obama administration has pledged to cut its emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, and will be pushing each country to adopt their own “aggressive” targets to do their fair share.
Trade Minister Andrew Robb conceded while climate change was off the agenda, Australia wouldn’t stop any country from discussing whatever matter they wished.
“So we quite welcome climate change if it was raised by the US or by any other country,” he told reporters in China.
Labor’s climate change spokesman Mark Butler said the government was out of step with the rest of the world on climate change but couldn’t ignore the issue for much longer. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/bipartisan-us-climate-report-paints-dark-picture-of-future-economic-costs-20140625-zskpp.html#ixzz35nei9hSr
Coalition’s own modelling shows that their renewable energy policy is wrong
Renewable energy cheaper: reviewFINANCIAL REVIEW : 25 JUN 2014 Electricity prices fall – not rise – as more renewable energy is deployed, according to modelling done for the federal government’s review of the renewable energy target, in a finding which undermines the central argument in the Coalition’s bid to repeal the scheme.-…. (Subscribers only) http://www.afr.com/p/national/renewable_energy_cheaper_review_8dDTjd57IgYLxk4jV6IVsO
Financial modelling – the new style of anti coal activism
Swapping picket lines for pinstripes: Meet the new face of anti-coal activism, SMH June 24, 2014 Jamie Freed and Nassim Khadem
Tim Buckley, a former head of equity research at Citigroup, once spent his days doing financial modelling for conglomerates like Wesfarmers, which has a coalmining business.
When you talk to them privately, they say to do the right thing while the government is doing the wrong thing is actually going to cost our business.
Now he works for the US-based pro-renewable energy group Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. One of his projects is demonstrating why spending $40 billion on coalmines and infrastructure in Queensland’s Galilee Basin doesn’t make financial sense.
His aim is to convince superannuation funds, lenders and governments that funding infrastructure for the projects would be a bad long-term investment and they should focus on energy sources with more promising futures, such as solar and wind………
‘Evidence’ top miners know
He says BHP Billiton’s decision to stop investing in new coal projects and Rio Tinto’s $US1 billion ($1.05 billion) sale of its Clermont mine in Queensland are evidence that even the top miners recognise the way the world is heading.
He would like to convince the big four banks to stop lending to coalminers, but says that is unlikely under the current government.
“When you talk to them privately, they say to do the right thing while the government is doing the wrong thing is actually going to cost our business,” he says. “They say it will damage their political standing in Canberra.”……..
‘Evidence’ top miners know
He says BHP Billiton’s decision to stop investing in new coal projects and Rio Tinto’s $US1 billion ($1.05 billion) sale of its Clermont mine in Queensland are evidence that even the top miners recognise the way the world is heading.
He would like to convince the big four banks to stop lending to coalminers, but says that is unlikely under the current government.
“When you talk to them privately, they say to do the right thing while the government is doing the wrong thing is actually going to cost our business,” he says. “They say it will damage their political standing in Canberra. : http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/swapping-picket-lines-for-pinstripes-meet-the-new-face-of-anticoal-activism-20140624-3aqeu.html#ixzz35ngwl0eW
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