Australia lags in acknowledging the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons
The next conference addressing the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons will be held in Mexico City in February 2014. Australia should strongly support recognition of the following four points being argued by the Red Cross: 1) the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons; 2) the lack of any adequate humanitarian response capacity; 3) the incompatibility of any use of nuclear weapons with the rules of international humanitarian law; and 4) the need for concrete action leading to a prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons and their elimination.
Underlining the horror of nuclear arms http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/11/26/commentary/underlining-the-horror-of-nuclear-arms/#.UpY1NNJwo7o BY RAMESH THAKUR NOV 26, 2013CANBERRA – Because of the unique destructive capacity and uncontrollable effects of nuclear weapons, the almost indescribable horror associated with their use informed the very first resolution of the U.N. General Assembly in 1946 and has been a recurring theme ever since in blue ribbon international commissions, NPT review conferences and preparatory committee meetings, and General Assembly committee debates.
Given the presently stalled nuclear disarmament agenda, the most productive way forward for both committed state and civil society actors to generate political momentum for the cause may be to emphasize the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons. The only way to guarantee their non-use ever is their total, irreversible and verifiable elimination under effective international control.
On Oct. 21, speaking in the U.N. General Assembly’s First Committee on behalf of 123 countries and the Holy See, New Zealand’s outgoing disarmament ambassador Dell Higgie issued a statement on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.
It noted that the broad participation at the March 2013 Oslo Conference, with attendance by 128 states (but not one nuclear-armed state nor most who shelter under their nuclear umbrellas), the ICRC, and several U,N, and civil society humanitarian organizations, reflected the recognition that the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons are a major global concern. Yet no country or international body has the capacity to address the immediate humanitarian emergency caused by a nuclear weapon detonation or provide adequate assistance to victims.
Intriguingly because of their close relations on so many issues, on the same occasion Australia’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Peter Woolcott, issued a parallel statement on behalf of 17 countries, mainly those protected by U.S. nuclear weapons under extended nuclear deterrence (Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey, etc.).
Japan was the only country to sign both statements. The Australia statement emphasized “both the security and the humanitarian dimensions of the nuclear weapons debate.”
It is not clear that the different Australian position was actually ever signed off by the minister in the last Labor government, as opposed to being official Australian policy as determined and articulated by the bureaucracy. Continue reading
Safety problems, conflict of interest in Lynas rare earths factory
“Section 11 of the law allows the minister to direct regulators toward certain policies and so there’s massive 
conflict of interest,” said Dr Peter Karamoskos, an Australian nuclear radiologist.
Problems at Lynas factory can cause radioactive leaks, say experts The Malaysian Insider, 24 Nov 13, Prevailing problems in waste management, storage, disposal facility and waste cleaning at the Lynas factory can lead to radioactive leakages if the Australian firm fails to address the issues, said experts t at a seminar in Kuala Lumpur today.
The mining company’s refinery near Kuantan, Pahang, has several problems, which experts said in the event of an accident or carelessness, could harm to residents near the factory. Continue reading
South Africa joins the critics of Australia’s anti climate action performance
South Africa adds voice to Australia critics at climate change talks SMH, November 22, 2013 Tom Arup Environment editor, The Age South Africa’s environment minister has joined the chorus of voices attacking Australia for being obstructionist at the latest United Nations climate change negotiations.In a speech on the conference floor in Warsaw, South African Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said her country was deeply concerned that Australia and Japan were reducing their climate change commitments. South Africa is part of a powerful negotiating bloc of developing countries, known as BASIC, that includes Brazil, India, and China.
Australia has also been blamed for a brief “walkout” by developing countries including China at a important meeting earlier in the week. The complaints ranged from Australian representatives moving to block any parts of the conference negotiating text to the delegates wearing T-shirts and giggling during the talks.
Australia did not send a minister to the conference, and observers say the delegation of diplomats have been forced to stick to a limited negotiating brief set down by Canberra. That includes not making any new commitments to financially help poor nations deal with climate change – a critical issue at the talks.
Countries have also been concerned about statements by Prime Minister Tony Abbott last week that appeared to narrow conditions under which Australia would adopt a more ambitious 2020 emissions target than the 5 per cent cut currently offered…….http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/south-africa-adds-voice-to-australia-critics-at-climate-change-talks-20131122-2y0yt.html
Australian delegation’s contemptuous attitude to UN climate talks the ‘last straw’ for developing nations
Developing nations blame Australia for loss and damage talks ‘walkout’ http://www.rtcc.org/2013/11/20/developing-nations-blame-australia-for-loss-and-damage-talks-walkout/ 21 November 2013, Delegation accused of wearing t-shirts and “gorging on snacks” during critical UN talks By Sophie Yeo in Warsaw Australia’s team at UN talks in Warsaw have been accused of lacking respect after delegates turned up to critical discussions wearing shorts and teeshirts.
The Australian delegation turned up in casual attire and “gorged on snacks” during negotiations on whether developed states should make reparations to vulnerable countries as the impacts of climate change become more severe, according to a spokesperson for CAN International.
Their behaviour caused over 130 developing nations to abandon discussions on the controversial issue of climate compensation at 4am last night. Continue reading
Australia a “rogue nation” on climate change – says Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands hits out at Australia and Japan over carbon target cuts http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-21/an-marshalls-climate-minister-lashes-out-at-australia-and-japan/5106838 21 Nov 2013, The Marshall Islands’ Climate Change Minister has lashed out at Australia and Japan for cutting their carbon reduction targets at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Warsaw. Tony de Brum says his country will be one of those that suffers the most from global warming and says Australia and Japan are setting a bad example.
The Australian delegation has already faced criticism from pressure groups for not taking the Warsaw negotiations seriously and attempting to derail the conference…….
Lack of leadership on climate change Australia’s plans to scrap the carbon price has won praise from the Canadian Government, but Mr de Brum has criticised Australia as a rogue nation.
“At a big conference like the UN you might expect one or two rogues to emerge, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect that those rogues might be our own big brother neighbours of Canada, Australia and Japan.” he said…..When the Pacific Rim is responsible for more than its share of world pollution it should be the Pacific countries that take the leadership vision in making sure the rest of the world follows.
“Instead we have Japan, Canada and Australia doing this number on us,” Mr de Brum says he has issued an open invitation to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to visit the Marshall Islands to see the impacts of climate change first-hand, but she has not yet set a date for the trip.
Poor countries give up on Warsaw climate talks; Australia not taking them seriously
Poor countries walk out of UN climate talks as compensation row rumbles on Bloc of 132 countries exit Warsaw conference after rich nations refuse to discuss climate change recompense until after 2015 John Vidal theguardian.com, Wednesday 20 November 2013 Representatives of most of the world’s poor countries have walked out of increasingly fractious climate negotiations after the EU, Australia, the US and other developed countries insisted that the question of who should pay compensation for extreme climate events be discussed only after 2015……..
Australia was accused of not taking the negotiations seriously. “They wore T-shirts and gorged on snacks throughout the negotiation. That gives some indication of the manner they are behaving in,” said a spokeswoman for Climate Action Network……http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/nov/20/climate-talks-walk-out-compensation-un-warsaw
Australia’s role in wrecking the international climate talks
Australia turns into ‘anti-climate’ force at Warsaw REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson on 19 November 2013It has taken just 7 days, but already the reputation of Australia as a constructive force in international climate policy has been completely trashed – both in terms of its domestic actions and in the wrecking ball tactics it has sent to Warsaw.
Australia is now seen as an “anti-climate” nation that is actively working against any consensus at these talks, as its domestic policies are translated onto the international stage. Continue reading
Tony Abbott says “NO” to UN plan to help Pacific climate change victims
Tony Abbott rejects Commonwealth climate change risk fund SMH, November 18, 2013 Ben Doherty South Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media Colombo, Sri Lanka: Prime Minister Tony Abbott has rejected a proposal from the 53-nation Commonwealth to establish a new fund to help poor and island countries to combat climate change.
As an extraordinary Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting concluded in Colombo, Mr Abbott joined with Canada in rejecting a decision by the summit to push for a Green Capital Fund to help vulnerable island states and poor African countries address the effects of rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, or catastrophic weather incidents, caused by climate change.
The proposal is for Commonwealth countries to work within the UN climate change network to build the fund for small and poor countries to access.
One of the key themes of the summit was the plight of low-lying, and poor states who are especially vulnerable to climate change, but don’t have the money for adaptation.: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-rejects-commonwealth-climate-change-risk-fund-20131118-2xplc.html#ixzz2l9bFQGcM
New, less safe, nuclear deal between Australia and India?
Nuclear deal: Australia’s uranium deal with India may include weaker monitoring safeguards ABC News, 19 Nov 13, By Stephanie March Australia’s agreement to sell uranium to India could include weaker monitoring safeguards than the nuclear deals Australia has with other countries.
A third round of nuclear cooperation agreement talks are due to take place later this month and both governments say they want the deal settled quickly.
In the past, Australia has required countries to which it sells uranium to track the material more closely than is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Andrew Davies from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the IAEA tracks aggregate quantities of uranium but does not monitor exactly where uranium sent to India from Australia ends up. “For example, if 100 tonnes goes into a civilian nuclear program and 90 tonnes of product comes out, they don’t know where the missing product was diverted from,” he said.
The ABC understands India says it does not have the capacity to provide additional monitoring beyond what is required by the IAEA.
Speaking in New Delhi, Australia’s Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, told the ABC she was reluctant to comment on the talks while they were underway.
“I am not going to get ahead of the negotiations and consider hypotheticals,” she said…… India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and only in recent years started taking steps to separate its military and civilian nuclear programs.
Last year, a report from the Indian auditor-general found the country’s nuclear safety regulator was weak and unable to properly monitor the industry.
Ms Bishop says Australia will support India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-19/australia27s-nuclear-deal-with-india/5101030
Australia backs India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia supports India’s NSG membership, Live Mint 19 Nov 13 Julie Bishop says Australia’s decision acknowledges India’s emergence as a major producer and potential exporter of nuclear energy and technology Elizabeth Roche New Delhi: In a sign that Australia’s new Liberal Party government headed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott intends to deepen a strategic partnership with India, Australia on Monday announced its support for India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the global cartel that controls the sale of nuclear materials, Continue reading
Abbot government backs USA corporations against Australia’s public interest
Australia backs the US at every turn against its own consumers The Age, November 14, 2013 Peter Martin Economics correspondent In public the Australian government is on the side of consumers. Yet behind closed doors it is siding with the US government to block them at every turn.
The extraordinarily detailed information on negotiating positions released by WikiLeaks shows Australia repeatedly backing the interests of the US against the objections of countries including Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam on questions involving intellectual property. Australia is often the only one of the 12 parties to the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations to do so……..
In 2005 the High Court ruled that it was legal for Australians to use so-called ”mod chips” to bypass the copy-protection measures in Sony Playstations. In June this year a committee made up of both sides of Parliament unanimously recommended Australia amend its copyright law to put beyond doubt ”consumers’ rights to circumvent technological protection measures that control geographic market segmentation”. In other words, Australians would be completely free to modify their DVD machines to play discs made for use anywhere in the world. And to defeat the technologies that allow US giants such as Amazon and Apple to geographically segment their markets and charge Australians more than almost anyone else.
Yet in closed-door negotiations so secret the media was excluded from Australian briefings on their progress, Canberra has backed the US in trying to criminalise such measures. An amendment proposed by Canada and Singapore to the effect that it is legal to sell and import devices whose sole purpose is to defeat region coding, does not list Australia among its backers.
Canada and seven other countries want to make it clear that internet providers such as Australia’s iiNet cannot be held legally responsible for copyright infringement on their networks. In 2012 iiNet went to the High Court to enforce that right. But Australia and the US are listed in the negotiating document as opposing it…….
The WikiLeaks release comes as developments in the US put the Trans Pacific Partnership under a cloud. More than 20 Republican Congressmen have written to President Barack Obama threatening to withdrawing the ”fast track” negotiating authority that allows him to close a deal. An influential group of Democrats is about to do the same.
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australia-backs-the-us-at-every-turn-against-its-own-consumers-20131113-2xh0p.html#ixzz2kgk1SlcQ
Australia snubs United Nations on climate change
Abbott puts Australia out of the Hunt on climate change Independent Australia, 8 November 2013, Coalition has signalled its commitment to climate change action by deciding not to send a minister to high level UN talks on the issue for the first time since 1997. Matt McDonald from The Conversation comments.
THIS WEEK, the Australian Government announced that it would not send a minister to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Poland for the first time since 1997. This announcement came on the back of a cancelled stakeholder meeting on Wednesday, traditionally held in advance of UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (CoP) meetings……..
the climate conference snub is one with troubling implications for climate politics and Australian foreign policy generally. Post-election we’ve seen an assault on climate policy, and lingering suspicion over whether Abbott has genuinely put his denialist tendencies behind him. These negotiations provide an opportunity for the government to signal a commitment to action on climate change, both domestically and internationally.
Australia should be sending the message that it is an engaged and proactive member of the international community, concerned with helping to forge global solutions to global problems. Continue reading
International disappointment at Australia not sending Minister to climate change talks
The UK’s former top climate diplomat at the foreign office, John Ashton, told the Guardian that the decision by Australia was puzzling.
If people draw the conclusion that that this is a country that would rather stick to a business a usual approach rather than building a low-carbon growth model compatible with [temperature rises of] 2C, no one should be surprised.”
Former UN climate chief: ‘Australia should send minister to Warsaw talks’ Adam Vaughan theguardian.com, Friday 8 November 2013 Yvo de Boer stresses importance of COP19 climate change talks as it emerges Australia’s environment minister will not attend Australia should be sending a minister to international climate negotiations starting next week, the UN’s former climate chief has told the Guardian following the revelation that the Abbott administration will not be sending its environment minister to the talks.
The remarks by Yvo de Boer, who stood down as executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change standing down in 2010 to take up a position at KPMG, come as the UK’s former top climate diplomat called the move by Australia “puzzling.”
Justin Lee, a diplomat and Australia’s ambassador for climate change, will instead represent Australia, marking the first time the country has not sent a government minister in 16 years. The UK is sending energy and climate secretary, Ed Davey, and more than 50 officials from government. Continue reading
Australian government snubs international climate talks
Australian Youth Climate Coalition 8 November 13 Greg Hunt MP just announced that our Government will not send an Australian Minister to the UN climate talks in Warsaw next week.
Instead they will repeal our only climate change policy.
If they won’t lead we will. November 17th we will show our Government what climate leadership looks like.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop pushes ahead on uranium sales to India
India, Australia inching towards civil nuclear agreement THE HINDU, 2 NOV 13 India moved a step closer to sourcing uranium from Australia, the world’s biggest exporter of the radioactive mineral, with the Foreign Ministers of both countries agreeing to hold the third round of talks on a bilateral civil nuclear agreement towards the end of this month.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to finalise a Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement to enable the sale of Australian uranium to India, and announced that the third round of negotiations would be held here in the last week of November. They met in Perth on the margins of a multilateral conference.
The two Ministers also discussed energy security and the possibility of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to strengthen ties. Both sides have laid stress on the security of sea lanes as India and Australia have supplemented their coal-based energy ties with a multibillion dollar contract for sourcing Australian gas…… http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-australia-inching-towards-civil-nuclear-agreement/article5306545.ece
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