Australia’s Liberal Coalition not likely to repeal carbon tax – “Abbott proof fence” around it
Libs carbon tax repeal ‘unlikely’
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/16259527/libs-carbon-tax-repeal-unlikely/
Andrew Probyn Federal Political Editor, The West Australian February
28, 2013, International and domestic investors in Australia are being
told there is only a one-in-three chance that Opposition Leader Tony
Abbott will be able to fulfil his “pledge in blood” to dump the carbon
tax.
In a briefing note sent to clients yesterday, Bloomberg Finance said
the Government had built a secure “Abbott-proof fence” around its
carbon tax legislation. Continue reading
A Sustainable Energy Future for Western Australia
Creating a sustainable energy future for Western Australia http://www.infolink.com.au/c/Sustainable-Energy-Association-of-Australia/Creating-a-sustainable-energy-future-for-Western-Australia-n2501656 1 March 2013, The Sustainable Energy Association of Australia promotes the development and adoption of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies and services.
SEA released its policy position recently, ahead of the Western Australian State Election on 09 March 2013.
The policy document ‘Creating a sustainable energy future for Western Australia’ draws on the substantive views of SEA members who were surveyed on what they would like to see from the next State Government.
Five key recommendations: Continue reading
Australia’s Liberal Coalition gearing up to fight against wind and solar energy?
Hunt’s remarks confirm the worst fears of the renewable energy industry
The comments by Hunt continue the apparent confusion over the Coalition’s policy position on climate and clean energy – firstly over the mechanics of its “Direct Action”, and its proposed buyback of emissions, and its real position on renewables. Several of its new “star recruits” have strong anti-wind and anti-solar positions.
Coalition may stop wind, solar farms if energy demand stays weak http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/coalition-may-stop-wind-solar-farms-if-energy-demand-stays-weak-83502#sthash.n6ThufVp.dpuf By Giles Parkinson 28 February 2013 The Federal Opposition has given its clearest hint yet that it is prepared to dilute the 20 per cent renewable energy target – and bring new developments of large scale wind and solar farms to an effective halt – if electricity demand continues to be weak.
The Coalition continues to sell its position for large scale renewables as one of “bipartisan support” for the 20 per cent target. But there is great suspicion that it is prepared to soften the fixed target of 41,000GWh – which would require some 8,000MW of new renewable capacity – and adjust it to a “floating” 20 per cent that reflects revised demand forecasts. This would effectively cut installations by more than half – as demanded by most major generators and electricity utilities and the conservative state governments. Climate Change spokesman Greg Hunt told the Australian Summer Study on Energy Efficiency and Decentralised Energy in Sydney on Wednesday that there were no current plans to change the RET. However, he said “we will want to see where energy consumption is heading in 2014,” when the next RET review is expected to be held. Continue reading
Greens MP Kate Faehrmann invited, but sidelined at Kemps Creek radioactive waste meeting, while ALP dominated
Despite being invited to address the meeting, NSW Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann was told at the last minute that she would not be seated on the stage and would only get to speak at the start of discussion time.
She raised the proposal of shifting the waste to the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor site, and said that if the federal Labor government wanted to, they could step in now to make this a reality through an amendment to national laws.Despite a number of people in the crowd pressing the speakers to address this idea, all preferred to side step it.
Labor MPs hijack local outrage over uranium dump plan http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53403, February 22, 2013 By Fred Fuentes Angry residents from Kemps Creek and surrounding neighbourhoods packed the local sports and bowling club auditorium on February 18 to protest against the state government’s plan to dump radioactive waste in the area.
The NSW Liberal government is proposing to shift 5800 tonnes of soil from an area in Hunters Hill, where a uranium ore processing plant once stood, to the Kemps Creek SITA dump site.
Cancer clusters have been detected in Hunters Hill, which have been linked to the contamination left behind at the former plant site.
The amount of community concern against the project was shown by the more than 3000 submissions against the proposal over the past two months.
The meeting was addressed by three federal politicians and a councillor from Penrith, all from the ALP. Continue reading
Queensland’s Premier blames rising electricity prices on solar energy: this doesn’t ring true
Newman playing dangerous game of solar politics REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson 25 February 2013 Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and his team feigned to receive the shock of their lives when the Queensland Competition Authority delivered its recommended 21 per cent price hike for the 2013/14 year.
And there were no prizes for guessing who Newman would blame – rooftop solar, the carbon price and the federal Government. Anyone but himself, and his own team.
Queensland consumers should be worried about rising electricity prices. But they should be more concerned about a government that clings to a century old energy system, is relying on short-term bandaid solutions such as price freezes, and is refusing to adapt or embrace to the new technologies and business models that will deliver the cost-effective solutions of the future.
Solar, carbon, and Gillard are easy targets to wrap up in a sound bite and a newspaper or internet headline. But by sheeting the blame on renewables, and by appearing more focused on protecting the revenues of the state-owned network providers and generators – possibly because those assets are up for sale – Newman is digging himself into an even bigger hole and causing even greater pain for the public.
Energy experts say the Newman policy cocktail – a combination of state subsidies on electricity use, price freezes, tariff designs that add fixed costs and do not encourage peak demand reduction or energy efficiency, and his choice of demonising new technology rather than embracing it, will simply accelerate a spiral towards stranded assets rather than an efficient network.
Even the QCA got into the anti-renewable rhetoric late last week, suggesting in its press release that the increases were partly the result of the rising cost of renewable energy targets. But its own report tells us the opposite is true. The cost of the large scale target is steady (and might produce some benefit to the state if it bothered to actually built something), and the costs of the small scale scheme (rooftop solar PV and solar hot water) will fall by 17.1%, according to the QCA figures….. http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/newman-playing-dangerous-game-of-solar-politics-21866
Western Australia: Greens show a practical plan for transition to renewable energy
Renewable energy could have a major impact on Western Australia http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/renewable-energy-could-have-a-major-impact-on-
western-australia/859050/ BY
– FEBRUARY 21, 2013
State could reach 100% energy sustainability through solar and windWestern Australia is one of the largest energy consumers in the world. The state relies heavily on fossil-fuels, such as coal, but has been working to adopt renewable energy in recent years. According to the Greens, the state can meet its energy needs in a variety of ways that do not involve the use of fossil-fuels. The document released by the Greens highlights solar thermal and storage technologies as an adequate way for the South West Interconnected System. Western Australia’s expansive energy utility, to break away from fossil-fuels. Another option is to use photovoltaic solar energy systems and wind energy.
Costs of renewable energy considered viableThe cost for solar and wind energy has dropped significantly over the past two years. The Greens suggest that no major advances in technology are required for Western Australia to reap the economic benefits of adopting renewable energy. According to the political party, renewable energy in the region can range from $208 to $221 per megawatt-hour. This estimation represents a $60 billion upfront cost for the state to expand its use of solar and wind energy. The cost may be high, but the Greens suggest that it is significantly lower than the costs associated with a continued focus on fossil-fuels.
Politics likely to dictate future of renewable powerAs Australia’s smallest political party, the Greens have limited influence over the adoption of renewable energy throughout the country. This is particularly problematic because renewable energy is often made into a political issue rather than one of sustainability or economics. The Greens study of renewable energy and its potential to help Western Australia reach 100% energy sustainability has, nonetheless, generated a fair amount of hype in the political space.
Why the Australian Greens now dump their agreement with Labor (Video)
By choosing the big miners, the Labor government is making it clear to all that it no longer has the courage or the will to work with the Greens on a shared agenda in the national interest.
By choosing the big miners, the Labor government is no longer honouring our agreement to work together to promote transparent and accountable government and the public interest or to address climate change……
(VIDEO) http://christine-milne.greensmps.org.au/content/news-stories/christine-milne-addresses-national-press-club Christine Milne addresses the National Press Club 9 Feb 2013 | Christine Milne Australian Democracy at the Crossroads: The mining industry and the quarry past versus the people and the innovative future. Australian democracy is at the crossroads. Our future as a nation, our sense of who we are and what we want for our society and local community is now being determined by mining billionaires in boardrooms for themselves and their overseas shareholders, and what they want, is being delivered through our state and federal parliaments. …..
For Premier Colin Barnett to threaten indigenous communities with the compulsory acquisition of their land in the interests of Woodside is wrong and shameful…..
Trust has gone.
What we are seeing is the mining industry versus the community. The greed of billionaire miners versus the public interest. The ALP government and the Liberal 
and National Opposition lining up to protect the interests of the mining corporations against the interests of the Australian community. It is the Australian Greens who are standing with the people, for the environment and for a safe climate…….
the biggest opportunity cost of the mining industry in capturing the Labor party and the Liberal National Coalition is that they are all actively preventing the transition to the sustainable, secure, happy and prosperous society and the economic framework necessary to underpin it in a world on track for 4 degrees.
They still don’t get the fact that we live in a society not an economy and that economic tools driving the fossil fuel age have to change because they are not delivering what society wants. Instead, they have delivered market failure and accelerating global warming. As IMF boss Christine Lagarde said recently, “Unless we take action on climate change future generations will be roasted, toasted fried and grilled.”…..
If Australia continues down the path of massive coal and coal port expansion, we risk stranded assets, jobs collapse, dislocation on a grand scale and super funds losing badly……
Labor cannot have it both ways. They cannot argue that they take the climate science seriously and at the same time subsidise massive mining and export of fossil fuels to the tune of $10 billion knowing that they are condemning our children and their grandchildren to a world of conflict, scarcity and climate disaster….But Tony Abbott and the Liberal National Coalition are right there beside the government backing these decisions and indicating they would go even further…..
How can PM Gillard or Tony Abbott pretend they care about food production and mouth support for the food bowl while destroying agricultural land and allocating vast quantities of ground water in the Murray Darling for coal seam gas?
….What we have got is the whole Labor cabinet and the entire Liberal and National parties prepared to ditch environmental regulation and hand it over to the states knowing full well that they cannot be trusted to look after the environment. The plan to hand back power to the states has gone quiet but it hasn’t gone away.
Without the Greens holding the balance of power in the Senate Australia risks: Continue reading
An insightful interview with Julian Assange – Senate candidate for Australia’s 2013 election
Set aside the cheap diatribes and what you think of Julian Assange as a person, or whether he’s done this or not achieved that. The fact is that electoral victory for him later this year would be one of those rare political miracles that make life as a citizen worth living.
In a country weighed down by sub-standard politicians, sub-standard journalists and sub-standard freedom of information laws, the political triumph would be great. It would breathe badly-needed life into Australian democracy. And, yes, if the miracle happened, from that very moment the fun party down under would begin.
Lunch and dinner with Julian Assange, in prison, The Conversation, John 
Keane, Professor of Politics at Sydney University, 18 Feb 13, Everybody warned this would be no ordinary invitation, and they were right. Three hundred metres from Knightsbridge underground station, just a stone’s throw from fashion-conscious Harrods, I suddenly encounter a wall of police…..Through a set of double doors, I’m confronted by more police officers, this time armed, with meaner faces…… The silver-haired “high-tech terrorist” (Joe Biden’s description) appears quietly,…. Calm, witty, clear-headed throughout, he’s in a talkative mood. But there’s no small talk….
Tony Abbott regurgitates USA’s Tea Party’s words, on climate change
A bill on a carbon price is to be introduced into the US Senate as early as today (US time) by independentSenator Bernie Sanders and Democrat Barbara Boxer. Details are scant, but it seems likely to be a form of carbon tax that would impose a “fee on carbon pollution emissions” and fund “historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass”. It would provide rebates to consumers to offset any efforts by oil, coal or gas companies to raise prices.
Sounds a lot like Australia’s scheme.
Obama’s climate push leaves Abbott out in the cold, REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson 14 February 2013 Here’s a statistic that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, the former trainee Catholic seminarian who insists that no other nation is pricing carbon, might find interesting. The number of people living in countries with carbon taxes or emission trading schemes will rise to about one billion by the end of the year. There are almost as many of them in the world as there are Catholics.
Abbott may wish this fact out of existence, but if US President Barack Obama has his way — as announced in his State of the Union (SOTU) address yesterday – and the world’s biggest economy introduces a market-based system to limit carbon emissions, that global carbon headcount would jump by 300 million or so by the end of 2014.
If China goes ahead with its pilot carbon schemes in a bunch of provinces and cities, and prepares for a wider scheme, that would add another 1.4 billion. Abbott may find himself taking Australian voters to a double dissolution election — where he would seek to win what would would effectively be a referendum on climate action — by pretending the world is not acting on climate change. To paraphrase and lightly censor a remark made by Climate Change Minister Greg Combet yesterday, it’s a load of bollocks.
So what did Obama say yesterday?
“I urge this Congress to get together, pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”
Obama was expected to focus on climate change policies in SOTU, after making it a central point of his inauguration address, but the fact that he so specifically championed cap-and-trade has taken many by surprise…….. Continue reading
Energy 2029 – an initiative of Western Australia’s Greens, led by Sen Scott Ludlam
WA Greens Launch Energy 2029 http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3592, 14 Feb 13, Western Australia’s Greens say its Energy 2029 study offers credible scenarios for meeting the state’s south-west grid electricity demand through clean technologies and energy efficiency strategies that already exist.
The solar based scenario focuses on large-scale solar thermal facilities that provide the majority of dispatchable electricity, with balance of demand supplied by large-scale wind farms, solar PV and a smaller number of biomass, wave and geothermal generators.
In the event of a number of cloudy days and calm conditions, backup electricity would be provided by biomass ‘co-firing’ at the solar plants, pumped hydro storage and a small number of mid-tier biomass plants.
The Greens say the overall cost of a planned transition to renewable energy is similar to the cost of continuing with a ‘business as usual’ approach as while the initial costs are higher for renewables, they become more competitive over time as future fuel costs are non-existent, except for the biomass backup.
“The debacle of the refurbishment of the obsolete Muja coal-fired power station demonstrates the underlying cost of business as usual, with Western Australians asked to spend a quarter of a billion dollars to upgrade a highly polluting coal fired power station,” states the study summary.
“… the only barrier to a massive increase in clean energy here in Western Australia, is political inertia.”
The Energy 2029 initiative has been led by Senator Scott Ludlam.
“This study is a project that we should not have had to undertake,” he states in the executive summary. “Perhaps people who come across this document deeper into the age of climate change will shake their heads at the degree to which we have to contend with the monetary costs of the transition.”
With regard to nuclear options, “There is no place in this study for the obsolete failures of the nuclear industry.”
The full Energy 2029 report can be viewed here (PDF).
Aboriginal people need a Sovereign Treaty not an Act of Recognition
Michael Anderson, 14 Feb 13, Sovereign Union serves the Crown with formal objection to the Act of Recognition
Aboriginal Sovereign Union diplomat Graham Merritt, speaking today from Parliament House Canberra said:
“Today is an historic moment, when on behalf of the Sovereign Union I am serving the Crown via the Governor
General Quentin Bryce and the Commonwealth Government of Australia with our formal objection to the Act of
Recognition. “
“This Act of Recognition is a sleight of hand, as the Crown and Government continue to bypass proper recognition of our continuing Sovereignty. The Commonwealth Government is using the reform process to attempt to bring Sovereign Aboriginal Nations and Peoples into the Constitution of a foreign illegal occupying force.”
“Now that the Crown and Commonwealth Government have the Sovereign Union’s written objections they cannot claim ignorance of the significance of our Sovereign position, nor do they have the free, prior and informed consent of Aboriginal Nations and Peoples to usurp our sovereignty.”
“Even more insulting to me as a member of the Stolen Generations is that the Federal Government is doing this on the fifth anniversary of the Apology. Since the Apology the Commonwealth Government has further stripped back our human rights. Now they want to use the Act of Recognition to achieve the legislative equivalent of Constitutional Reform, usurping our Sovereignty in a way that attempts to undermine our inalienable connection to country and our true ownership of the Land and Waterways that are so significant to us: the rocks, the hills, the rivers that will always be a part of our culture and traditions.
Sovereignty is the most important issue today in this country they now call Australia. The Gillard Government may be educated but we as an Aboriginal Sovereign peoples are smarter and are here to stay. Our proposed solution is the negotiation of Sovereign Treaties, or other instruments under international supervision such as a Peace Accord.
Timing: Presenting to Senator Rachel Siewert at 2pm, Parliament House, Canberra. Meet in Parliament House foyer at 1.45pm followed by a presentation to the Governor-General at Government House, Yarralumla
The frightening ignorance of Australia’s Liberal/National Party about the science of climate change
It would be tempting to think that this was just Barnaby Joyce, and attacking renewables with his incoherent gusto would have been laughable – were it not for the fact that he will be a senior minister in an Abbott government, and that his views are shared by the likes of Abbott, finance spokesman Andrew Robb, treasurer in waiting Joe Hockey, and the energy spokesman Ian Macfarlane – and dozens of others.
the Coalition continues to speak from a position of ignorance – or possible from regulatory capture from the industry incumbents.
Barnaby Joyce’s renewables target: 100% ignorance REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson 7 February 2013 We are barely a week into this seven-and-a-half month election campaign, and it is already clear that the “alternative” government of Tony Abbott is out on a seek and destroy mission on any policy that might serve to promote the development of renewable energy, in particular those emerging renewables that will seal the fate of the incumbent coal generators.
First it was the promise to repeal the carbon price, then the ambiguity over the renewable energy target, and then the attempt to neuter the Clean Energy Finance Corporation even before it was up and running. Then they unleashed Barnaby Joyce in The Senate.
“What is this insane lemming-like desire to go to renewables going to do to our economy?” Joyce told the Senate, before veering off into a rant about wind farms in every back garden, how they were expensive, didn’t work half the time, and will never replace coal, gas, hydro or nuclear.
Again, he betrayed the reason for his antipathy to renewables – the climate, he said, had barely changed despite the introduction of the carbon price six months ago – repeating the idiotic statement made by Tony Abbott in his first address of the year. Continue reading
As New Zealand did, Australia should reserve Parliamentary seats for indigenous people
if history has taught us anything, it is that treating our most
vulnerable members like we treat everybody else can be the very source
of their disadvantage.
The pursuit of equality often requires that we
treat people differently because it is by attending to the specific
needs and histories of diverse populations that they gain the ability
to participate in society on a par with everybody else. That is why
breaking glass ceilings requires that we treat women not like men, but
as a group encountering unique social barriers to promotion…..
A better voice for indigenous Australians, SMH, February 4, 2013
George Vasilev Reserving parliamentary seats for indigenous citizens
is about equality. The vexed issue of indigenous representation has
surfaced again with Julia Gillard’s controversial endorsement of Nova
Peris as a Labor Senate candidate for the September 14 election.
Australia has an abysmal record on indigenous representation. Only
three indigenous people have ever been elected to federal Parliament.
Of those, the Liberals’ Ken Wyatt is the only candidate to ever win a
seat in the House of Representatives.
In a country where indigenous people comprise 2.5 per cent of the
population and with a federal Parliament with 226 seats, we fall way
short of the most basic standard of representative fairness that
demands legislatures reflect the societies they govern. Continue reading
In depth look at plan for Ranger 3 Deeps Underground Mine- submission from Environment Centre Northern Territory
A case in Submission to Ranger 3 Deeps Project underground uranium mine referral
Energy Resources of Australia Ltd/Mining/at existing Ranger uranium mine in Alligator
Rivers Region/NT/Ranger 3 Deeps Underground Mine
Reference Number: 2013/6722
31 January 2013
Prepared by
Stuart Blanch, Director, Environment Centre NT, Darwin, coordinator@ecnt.org / 0448 887 303.
The Environment Centre NT welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the referral.
We make the following comments:
1. The Ranger 3 Deeps Project is proposed by Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) to be built inside
the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park and surrounding internationally recognised
Ramsar wetlands of the Alligators Rivers Region. By its very nature is is a highly risky project over
the long term, given the need to manage radioactive contamination for thousands of years. The
Ranger Uranium Mine has already created very substantial long term waste management issues
over the past three decades of operation, and remains a highly controversial project in the eyes
of many Territorians and Australians.
The proposed mine is a nuclear action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act (Cth) (EPBCA). However it also poses a risk to various other Matters of National
Environmental Significance including 14 threatened species, 20 migratory species and a National
Heritage Place. ERA’s view that only one MNES, namely nuclear actions, are likely to be impacted
is fanciful and disingenuous (p81). Clearly the existing water management issues caused by three
decades of mining, let alone an even larger process water inventory, pose a significant risk to
downstream Ramsar wetlands and World Heritage values should there be an uncontrolled
discharge into Magela Creek or ongoing lateral spread of the groundwater plume underneath the
tailings dam.
Full EIS’s are regularly conducted under the EPBCA for mines that entail much less risk to species,
places and values which are legally recognised under federal environmental law and attract
protection under international agreements.
2. Underground mining at Ranger has never been subject to an EIS, and was not addressed in the
Julian Assange – a force to be reckoned with in Australia’s 2013 Senate election?
Julian Assange to run for Australian Senate seat
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/julian-assange-to-run-for-australian-senate-seat/story-fncynkc6-1226565414301
30 Jan 13, JULIAN Assange will run for a Senate seat in the 2013
federal election and his mum reckons he’ll be awesome.
Christine Assange has confirmed her son’s candidacy, after WikiLeaks
tweeted the news.
“He will be awesome,” she said.
“In the House of Representatives we get to choose between US lackey
party number one and US lackey party number two – between the major
parties.
“So it will be great to `Assange’ the Senate for some Aussie oversight.”
Queensland-born Assange, who founded the secret-leaking website
WikiLeaks, announced his Senate ambition last December from Ecuador’s
London embassy. Continue reading
1 This month
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
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 