Australia’s uneasy reliance on China for economy, and USA for ? defense security
“China is the elephant in the room for Obama and Gillard,”
Obama Meets Gillard as Embattled First Leaders Shadowed by China
Resources, Bloomberg, By Jason Scott and Margaret Talev – Nov 13, 2011 President Barack Obama arrives this week in an Australia whose economy is reliant on billions of dollars in mineral and energy contracts from emerging superpower China and whose security depends on an alliance with the U.S. — China’s biggest rival.
Indonesia not happy about planned big USA military base in Darwin
”Psychologically, it is not easy to have such a big presence on the doorstep, people in Indonesia still look at Australia with suspicion about hidden motives,”
Indonesia wants answers on US military plans, The Age, Daniel Flitton and Jessica Wright, November 12 2011 INDONESIA will seek an urgent explanation from Prime Minister Julia Gillard about plans to station US marines in Darwin, questioning the need for a military build-up on the country’s doorstep. Continue reading
Australia needing protection from nuclear China? – but keen to sell uranium to China
Hey China, come get our uranium, Northern Territory News, DAVID WOOD | November 8th, 2011 TERRITORY Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis has told Chinese mining conference delegates there were many uranium mining investment opportunities in the Territory for the next decade…..
Mr Vatskalis said since the start of a government strategy to increase Chinese investment, there had been 16 agreements signed between Chinese and Territory companies and 53 exploration licences granted to Chinese exploration companies with $157 million in publicly announced deals.
There have been 21 Chinese companies investment in exploration and mining in the Territory…
He said that there was great potential for uranium mines, with a prime example being a majority equity investment in the Energy Metal Bigrlyi project in the Ngalia Central Australian mine by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group…..
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2011/11/08/271261_nt-business.html
Kevin Rudd’s contradictory messages on nuclear disarmament
Anti-nuclear Rudd urged US to keep arsenal for deterrence, The Age, Daniel Flitton November 14, 2011 KEVIN Rudd’s public ambition as prime minister to help rid the world of nuclear weapons was secretly tempered by private messages urging the US to preserve a ”reliable” and ”credible” atomic arsenal, newly declassified documents reveal.
Mr Rudd made a campaign against nuclear weapons a hallmark of his foreign policy while in the top job, saying Australia had to reclaim credentials for the ”ultimate objective of a nuclear weapons-free world”. This chimed with hopes of then incoming US President Barack Obama, who pledged to put nuclear disarmament back on the global agenda.
But reflecting the dilemma of pushing for disarmament but not fully trusting other countries to keep any such bargain, Australia urged its American ally to hang on to its nuclear weapons for ”deterrence”…..
The submission is one of a bundle of secret defence documents obtained by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons under freedom of information law. Defence officials acknowledged the human cost of a nuclear war would be ”staggering” but said without a time frame for eradicating atomic weapons – and with ”complex and prolonged” negotiations likely in the meantime – the nuclear option should remain. Continue reading
While USA sells nuclear technology to China, Australia gets USA military base against China
The full range of U.S. naval ships is expected to rotate through the joint facilities, stopping for exercises as well as repairs and other shore work. Naval aircraft also will have access to a base in Darwin.
The increased U.S. presence will be a rotating force, one person said. In September, Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the enhance cooperation would be “more ships in, ships out; more planes in, planes out; more troops in, troops out.”….
U.S. to Build Up Military in Australia, WSJ, By LAURA MECKLER, WASHINGTON, 12 Nov 11—President Barack Obama will announce an accord for a new and permanent U.S. military presence in Australia when he visits next week, a step aimed at countering China’s influence and reasserting U.S. interest in the region, said people familiar with his plans. Continue reading
USA to sell nuclear technology to Chinese company involved in nuclear weapons
“It’s our first real entry into supporting this nuclear market, which for us is huge,”…
The cooperation with Exelon appears to be a significant pivot for CNNC, which in recent years unsuccessfully lobbied Beijing against embracing foreign nuclear technology standards. The company is also responsible for developing military nuclear capabilities for the People’s Liberation Army. China has embraced AP1000 reactor technology made by Toshiba Corp. unit Westinghouse….
Exelon to Provide Nuclear Advice to China, WSJ, 12 Nov 11, By BRIAN 
SPEGELE, BEIJING—Exelon Corp. will provide consulting and training services to an arm of state-owned China National Nuclear Corp., ……. As part of the deal disclosed on Friday, instructors from Chicago-based Exelon will be stationed at Qinshan Nuclear Power Station in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. The initial consulting deal is a small one…..Exelon said it could subsequently grow to include a variety of services for China’s nascent nuclear industry. Continue reading
Australia’s energy resources boom threatened by China’s move to renewable energy
China may go green
A BEIJING academic has warned Australia not to rely too much on China’s demand for iron ore and coal because a move to green power from the Asian powerhouse was real and could stem consumption of our exports.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/carbon-plan/china-may-go-green/story-fn99tjf2-1226190686413
Well, that is all I could get – unable to get online material from THE AUSTRALIAN. I think it’s because I haven’t paid up a subscription to it. – Christina Macpherson
Australia’s newest uranium mine, Honeymoon, is majority owned by Russia
Uranium One is now majority owned by the Russian’s…will they be first to sell uranium to Russia under the Howard-Putin deal that was ratified without any changes by PM Gillard & Foreign Affairs Minister Rudd against the recommendations of a JSCT Parliamentary Inquiry to not proceed with the deal ?
AUSTRALIA’S fourth uranium mine – Honeymoon in the northeast of South Australia – is up and running. Owned by Uranium One, It is the first uranium project to reach production since the Australian Labor Party scrapped its no-new mines policy in 2007.
Submission by Australian rare earths company Lynas rejected by Malaysia on safety concerns
Miti on Lynas plant: Safety is top priority, Free Malaysia Today Stephanie Sta Maria, | November 8, 2011, Lynas will not be allowed to operate its plant until it meets IAEA conditions. KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) today clarified its stand on the controversial rare earth plant in Gebeng, saying the government would not allow Lynas Corporation Ltd to operate if it flouted the rules.
Miti secretary general Rebecca Sta Maria said safety was the ministry’s top priority.
Last week the government revealed that it had rejected Lynas’ submissions on safety requirements for the RM1.5 billion rare earth refinery. This followed reports by the Australian Associated Press that Lynas was expected to commence operations late this year and begin commercially supplying radiation-risk rare earth by next year. Continue reading
New Zealand call for inquiry into Australian uranium shipments
Uranium passing through NZ ports, Sky News October 30, 2011 A Greens MP has called for an inquiry into Australian shipments of radioactive uranium passing through New Zealand waters and ports in breach of its anti-nuclear stance.
Fortnightly shipments of Australian yellowcake uranium, totalling five thousand tonnes annually, are being shipped through New Zealand ports, according to documents provided to the Sunday Star Times by Green MP Gareth Hughes.
The paperwork shows the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) was unaware of the shipments for 13 years, until late 2009.
That agency had since been replaced by the new Environmental Protection Authority, and an EPA spokeswoman told the newspaper that even though ERMA was unaware of the shipments, the regime that permitted them to pass through New Zealand’s ports had still followed international best practice…..
A spokesman for Prime Minister John Key told the Sunday Star Times yellowcake was ‘Australian dirt, which is essentially harmless’…..
Hughes is calling for an independent inquiry, saying the shipments had no place in a nuclear-free country.
‘Why did the authority fail to approve it for so long, do we have adequate safeguards and response strategies, and what role is New Zealand playing in the international nuclear cycle?’ he said. http://www.skynews.com.au/eco/article.aspx?id=679499&vId=
Obama to Darwin – to do military and nuclear waste deals?
Darwin readies for Obama visit, 9 News, Xavier La Canna, 29 Oct 11 The Northern Territory is getting ready to throw down the welcome mat, after confirmation US President Barak Obama will visit Darwin next month…. Although details of Mr Obama’s itinerary are scarce, it appears unlikely he will have time to visit world famous heritage areas like Kakadu National Park or Uluru while in the territory.
Mr Obama will be in Darwin on November 17, the only Australian city he will visit apart from Canberra during his stop in Australia while en route to the East Asia Summit in Bali. In Darwin Mr Obama will meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Mr Henderson.
There has been speculation Mr Obama will use the visit to make an announcement relating to increasing the US military
presence in the Northern Territory. Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith recently foreshadowed increasing the number of joint training exercises with America in Darwin……
Already the US and Australia jointly run the Pine Gap spy base near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory….
Donna Jackson, a senior member of the Larrakia people who are the traditional owners of the land Darwin is on, said the visit would probably be good for the city.
But Ms Jackson said she had concerns Mr Obama might use his visit as a chance to look over the city on behalf of big businesses in America who could ultimately spoil the local environment….. Following the Darwin visit the Prime Minister and President Obama will attend the East Asia Summit in Bali http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8366836/darwin-readies-for-obama-visit
CHOGM: It’s going to be harder for Australian uranium companies to rip off African people
We have long needed greater assurances that Australian mining companies are adequately meeting their responsibilities in the developing countries in which many of them operate….
a focus on revenue transparency is long overdue…..Relying on companies to do the right thing is not enough. These initiatives will send a positive international signal,
Timely move to make miners more responsible for damage they cause, The Age Andrew Hewett October 28, 2011 Poor countries can expect greater control of mining companies. With two-thirds of the world’s poorest people living in resource-rich countries, too often the extraction of those resources contributes to poverty, corruption and conflict. Australian mining companies have become embroiled in damaging behaviour far from our shores and attention.
This week at CHOGM, the federal government announced initiatives aimed at ensuring the mining sector is better able to contribute to community and social development, and the responsible management of taxes and royalties paid by mining companies to governments, in Australia and overseas. Continue reading
India does not need Australia’s uranium, says Kevin Rudd
Oz ban on uranium sale not holding up India’s N-programme:Rudd, IBN Live, From Natasha Chaku Melbourne, Oct 27 (PTI) Australia’s ban on uranium sale to India was not holding back its civil nuclear programme as the country was not exclusively dependent on supplies from here, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said today. The ruling Australian Labor Party (ALP) refuses to permit sale of uranium to India on the ground that the country is not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty. The issue is expected to be a topic of discussion on the sidelines of this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth.
Rudd said India and Australia shared a strong relationship despite their differences on uranium, AAP reported. “Each of you go back home and work out where India currently sources its uranium from around the world,” he told reporters when asked about the issue. “There is no problem in global supply. Let’s just be very, very blunt about this. If you hear an argument from an Indian business person that the future of the civil nuclear industry in India depends exclusively on access to Australian uranium – that is simply not sustainable as a proposition.” ….. http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/oz-ban-on-uranium-sale-not-holding-up-indias-nprogrammerudd/877593.html
CHOGM – Australia will not sell uranium to India
Uranium exports to India off agenda at CHOGM , Business Spectator, 25 Oct 2011 Prime Minister Julia Gillard has ruled out changing the government’s stance on uranium exports to India, ahead of likely discussions on the issue at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, according to The Australian newspaper.
According to the report, Ms Gillard said her position on the issue was unchanged as the developing nation is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“We do not have a policy that is particular about India but we do have a policy about the nuclear proliferation treaty,” she said….. http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Uranium-exports-to-India-off-agenda-at-CHOGM-pd20111025-MXU9H?opendocument&src=rss
Australia’s carbon tax has a symbolic and leadership value in international effort against global warming
The passage of this initiative is still hugely important, if for no other reason than that it shows Big Coal can be rolled. The coal industry is an even larger part of the Australian economy than it is of the American, and it has an enormous amount of political power. And just like here in the U.S., there are plenty of shrill politicians in Oz who claim that any new tax will lead to economic ruin.
Gillard told Members of Parliament that they would be judged on their vote by every Australian, “because the final test is not are you on the right side of the politics of the week, or the polls of the year.”
“The final test is this: are you on the right side of history?”
Australian Carbon Tax Vote: A Very Big Deal, ROLLING STONE, : OCTOBER 13, By JEFF GOODELL So maybe there is hope for us yet. After what one Aussie columnist calls“the dirtiest and most dishonest campaign ever waged before the Australian public,” with millions of dollars spent on media ads and climate skeptics flown in from around the world, Australia’s House of Representatives voted yesterday, 74 to 72,to levy a tax on carbon pollution. The proposal, which was pushed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will impose a price of $23 on a ton of carbon pollution, starting in 2015. After 2015, an emissions-trading scheme will be introduced, with the goal of cutting total carbon pollution 5 percent below 2000 levels by 2020. The legislation still needs to pass the Senate, but because Greens control the balance of power there, that is not likely to be a problem. Unless something dramatic happens, in a few months Australia will have taken an important first step toward saving itself from the catastrophic impacts of climate change.
This is a big deal. Continue reading
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