Toro uranium company to press W.A. govt for exemptions to royalty payments?
Toro managing director Greg Hall said he would examine the proposal and consider approaching the government for possible exemptions
State royalty plan hits Toro hopes for uranium project, THE AUSTRALIAN, SARAH-JANE TASKER , July 21, 2011 TORO Energy’s plans to become the first new uranium miner in Western Australia have been hit by news the state government will force the emerging industry to pay a royalty. Continue reading
Australian Liberal politician attacks climate science teaching in schools
Queensland Education Minister Cameron Dick said Mr McIver’s comments were an “outrageous slur” on the professionalism of the state’s 38,000 teachers. “The curriculum taught in Queensland state schools is developed and delivered by educational experts, not politicians, nor backroom political party operatives like Mr McIver,” he said.
”Quite simply, students studying science in Queensland state schools are taught scientific facts.
Students ‘brainwashed’ over climate change: LNP, Sydney Morning Herald, Tony Moore, July 15, 2011 , The Liberal National Party president has blasted the Queensland education system for “brainwashing” students about climate change. Speaking to LNP members at the party’s state conference today, Bruce McIver said he was discouraged about how children were being taught about climate change in schools. Continue reading
Australian govt debates nuclear waste dump, as Aboriginal opposition continues
Six years of ‘long, hard struggle’: Communities call for a new approach on radioactive waste management, Beyond Nuclear, 15 July 11, Today marks six years since the Howard federal government announced plans for a radioactive waste dump in the Northern Territory. There was immediate and resolute opposition from the Northern Territory Government and Traditional Owners and communities near all of the targeted sites.
Three Department of Defence sites were initially announced, with a site in the Muckaty Land Trust added to the short list after a controversial nomination by the Northern Land Council.
New legislation tabled by Resources Minister Martin Ferguson names the contentious Muckaty site as the only area to be further assessed, even though a federal court case by Traditional Owners is underway to challenge the nomination. Continue reading
Anti uranium stance likely to return Western Australia’s Labor Party to power
“Campaign Capital director Daniel Smith, who commissioned the polling, said the polling indicates the state Labor Party may be able to exploit the issue at the next state election, after strengthening its opposition to uranium mining at its recent state conference.
“The polling indicates WA Labor’s reaffirmed opposition to uranium mining provides political opportunities in the marginal seats that will decide the next state election,” said Mr Smith.
“Among the swinging voters that will decide these elections, support for uranium mining was recorded at only 28 per cent.”
Japanese disaster hurts WA’s uranium support, Nick Evans , PerthNow , July 14, 2011 “……PerthNow has seen the results of recent polling put to 400 voters in four government held marginal seats – Riverton, Jandakot, Swan Hills and Mount Lawley – that shows opposition to uranium mining has grown since the Fukishima disaster in Japan.
Almost half the voters contacted by Western Australian Opinion Polls said they opposed uranium mining in WA, with 32 per cent of people saying they strongly oppose the idea.
Only 5 per cent strongly support the opening of uranium mines in WA, with total support running at only 32 per cent….. Continue reading
Australian Labor Party strongly opposes nuclear power
Labor ‘not split on nuclear’. ABC News, July 13, 2011 , A South Australian Federal Minister says the Labor Party is strongly opposed to nuclear energy in Australia despite the pro-nuclear stance of some of its members.
In March, the state’s former Deputy Premier Kevin Foley backed a suggestion by Mineral Resources Minister Tom Koutsantonis that uranium be enriched in Australia.
But Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, says advocates of nuclear energy within the party should consider whether they would like to live near a reactor.
“I would ask that of anyone who floats nuclear energy, whether they’re members of the South Australian Labor Party or the South Australian Liberal Party,” he said. “The national platform is crystal clear. We do not support nuclear energy as an option for Australia.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-13/labor-nuclear/2793474
Resistance growing to Martin Ferguson’s Nuclear Waste Bill
There are serious and unresolved problems in the proposed National Radioactive Waste Management Bill (2010) currently before the Parliament that fail the test when it comes to reflecting international best practise in radioactive waste management ….
Traditional owners opposed to a dump at Muckaty are taking legal action, travelling widely to address forums and exploring international avenues as part of their efforts to build awareness and halt the plan – and their supporters are growing.
An out of sight, out of mind approach to nuclear waste management, The Drum, David Sweeney, 12 July 11 The unassuming
town of Tennant Creek hugs the Stuart Highway 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory…… if Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson gets his way – Australia’s first national radioactive waste dump.
And, like the waste itself, the politics of how to manage radioactive waste are getting hotter and dirtier.
Mr Ferguson has consistently refused to meet with traditional owners or others affected by the dump plan, or to explore other management options. Continue reading
Australia to get carbon tax, despite powerful pressure from polluters’ lobby
Australia’s right-wing Liberal Party speaks for the polluter community,…
The individual risks to those who bucked Australia’s huge coal industry are great, but borne with equanimity.”It’s not about me being re-elected, or who’s going to be the prime minister,” one Independent MP, Tony Windsor, told the BBC. “This is about the history of people, most of whom haven’t even been born yet. And if I’m sacked from politics because of that, well, I’ll remove myself with a smile on my face.”
Australia’s Climate Legislation Meets a Surprise Success, Clean Technica, Susan Kraemer, 12 July 11 After months of Tea Party-type astroturf attacks by the Australian coal industry, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has prevailed in introducing a comprehensive carbon tax on the top 500 polluters in the country to move the heavily coal-dependent Australian economy to a more sustainable future based on clean renewable energy, in the country’s most comprehensive economic reforms in a century. The support of the Green Party turned the tide, according to the Canberra Times. Continue reading
More about Australia’s new carbon tax plan
Gillard says energy secure under carbon tax, ABC News, 12 July 11, Prime Minister Julia Gillard is adamant her plan to close coal-fired power stations will not threaten Australia’s energy supply. The Government says it wants to close some power stations, with Hazelwood in Victoria thought to be at the top of the list…..
And she says the transition to renewable energy “will be done in a measured way so that we have continuity of electricity supply so the lights stay on”.
“We’ll work with the regulators to make sure this is got absolutely right, so it will take some time,” she said……..
Why this is better than Rudd’s scheme, Sydney Morning Herald, Sarah Hanson-Young, a Greens Senator, July 12, 2011
There are more than 13 billion reasons why the climate package unveiled on Sunday is better at putting a price on pollution than its predecessor. For starters, there’s $10 billion for renewable energy projects. Unlike the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) proposed by the former Rudd government, this package lays the basis for science-based climate action.
The old scheme locked in weak targets for 15 years which could not be strengthened. There was no money for investment in renewable energy and next to nothing for energy efficiency measures……
Once this package passes Federal Parliament, it will send a signal to the world that Australia is serious about reducing its share of pollution. In addition to taking local action, Australia can continue working with other countries and the UN toward achieving global co-operation.
Until now, each state and territory has operated separate schemes that encourage households to use renewable energy such as by installing solar panels. The multiparty committee agreed to create the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. This will for the first time create a systemic, whole-of-government approach to renewable energy, from R&D to roll-out and planning, at arm’s length from the government.
There will also be an independent Climate Change Authority which will recommend targets and caps for when the scheme moves to flexible pricing….http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/blogs/gengreens/why-this-is-better-than-rudds-scheme-20110711-1haep.html#poll
Woodchips no longer a renewable energy fuel The Drum, by Dan Cass, 12 July 11, One of the most telling and historic parts of the carbon price deal was a tiny announcement, barely noticed in the media coverage. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Greens announced yesterday that the carbon price package prevents native forest woodchips being counted as a renewable energy fuel.
This Greens initiative has saved Australia’s native forests from being burned as a renewable energy source, which is good news for conservation and also for the solar and wind industries……http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2790222.html
Carbon storage seeks recognition as clean energy, ABC Rural News, By Babs McHugh, 12/07/2011 The research body behind the development of Carbon Capture and Storage in Australia wants the technology recognised as ‘clean power’ under the Clean Energy Future package.
A spokesman for the Minister for Climate change says the Federal Government ‘is retaining existing funding for CCS initiatives’ which is support for the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute and other projects.. ..http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201107/s3267531.htm
Carbon tax plan welcomed by Independents, Aboriginals, Western Australia, South Australia
“There is an enormous opportunity, particularly for rural Australia, that will lead to a cleaner environment,” Mr Windsor said….”It’s not about us, it’s not about the next election, it’s about the next generation,”
Independents hail carbon win for regional Australia, ABC News 11 July 11, Key independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor have praised fellow members of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee for arriving at the carbon tax plan.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard day confirmed Australian households will be handed more than $15 billion in compensation to offset the impact of the new carbon tax, …http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/07/10/3265812.html
“The carbon market is the next big opportunity for Aboriginal people and puts us on a path to economic independence.”
Carbon tax vital reform – conservationists, 9 News Western Australia, 11 July“………..Kimberley Land Council (KLC) acting chief executive Nolan Hunter said the carbon package would also benefit indigenous Australians by giving Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley a chance to be involved in the carbon economy.
“This provides Aboriginal people with a real opportunity to stay on country, to utilise our knowledge of looking after the environment while benefiting economically through the creation of carbon businesses and jobs,”….http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newsbusiness/aap/8271510/carbon-tax-vital-reform-conservationists
Greens say carbon plan a win for SA, 9 News, 11 July 11— The Greens say South Australia will benefit from the $10 billion allocated to renewable energy projects as part of the federal government’s carbon pricing scheme….
“South Australia is already ahead of the rest of the country in renewable energy and this package will give industries the security and certainty they need to continue their investments in solar, wind and geothermal projects.
..state Greens MP Mark Parnell said ….. it was not a question of the “bulldozers coming in tomorrow”.
“What we’re talking about is a package of measures to transition Australia away from dirty fossil fuels that lead to climate change, that pollute the atmosphere, towards renewable energy,” he said…http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8271653/greens-say-carbon-plan-a-win-for-sa
renewable energy is set for a very bright future and WA is well placed to make the most of those opportunities.”…..WA-based wave, wind and solar power companies can now progress with confidence.
Carbon tax puts the heat on to shift to renewables, ABC News 11 July 11, A Federal Minister Chris Evans says Western Australia’s renewable energy sector is well placed to benefit from the carbon tax. The Federal Government plans to source 20 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Senator Evans says he expects to see a flurry of investment as a result.
“We’ve got enormous potential in solar and wind and wave which has been largely untapped and the impact of the carbon price will make them more competitive,” he said……
“I think renewable energy is set for a very bright future and WA is well placed to make the most of those opportunities.”….. Carnegie Wave Energy’s Michael Ottaviano says emerging WA-based wave, wind and solar power companies can now progress with confidence…..http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/07/11/3266920.htm
Julia Gillard delivers the goods for Australia’s renewable energy and carbon tax fairness
That need to unblock investment in emerging technologies seems to be the underlying reason behind the push by the Greens and environmental groups for two new statutory bodies, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
Both bodies will be independent and will sit beyond ministerial interference.
Green light for renewables. Climate Spectator, Giles Parkinson 10 July 11, At a recent discussion in Sydney
about the prospect of nuclear energy in this country, Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson reflected that Australia may have no choice but to go nuclear if it was unable to find a clean energy alternative.
It was a valid point. The trouble was that few in the renewable energy industry
were confident that Ferguson would want to invest enough money, and early enough, to give them the best chance of developing new technologies and getting the scale of deployment needed to reduce costs. Continue reading
Nuclear and fossil fuel industries losing their power to stall renewables
….soon enough it will become clear that there is an underlying technological inevitability at work. It is the failure of Minister Ferguson to accept that inevitability that led to his renewables programs being taken off him by Senator Christine Milne and the Greens..
… Minister Ferguson chooses to instead use data put out by a US electricity industry think tank. This think tank, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is mostly funded by coal and nuclear firms.
Growing a healthy Australian renewables industry, The Drum, Dan Cass, 8 July 11“……….For many years the solar and wind industries have allowed themselves to be given the run around by successive governments. Ministers would ‘freeze out’ renewables companies that advocated publicly, yet give the coal industry everything it wanted.
Guy Pearce, a former Liberal advisor, blew the whistle on this political corruption, whereby the fossil fuel industry had improper influence over both major parties and the public service…..
ARENA [ the new Australian Renewable Energy Agency] will have an independent structure and this should give it the ability to work constructively with the solar and wind and other renewable sectors. Continue reading
Australian Greens negotiate a generous renewable energy fund
It is understood the Greens have negotiated a fund to invest in renewable energy which will be paid for from the proceeds of pricing carbon and worth up to $2 billion a year.
Greens secure billions for renewable energy as price of tax exemption for drivers, Sydney Morning Herald, Phillip Coorey, July 4, 2011,
A MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR fund for renewable energy and a review of the fuel tax regime are key concessions won by the Greens from the government in exchange for agreeing to exempt petrol from the carbon price. Continue reading
Western Australia Labor Party policy on nuclear power and uranium mining
Labor policy adopted- 25th June 2011, Chapter 4: Economics, Industry and Regional Development, Minerals and Energy
Uranium Mining and Nuclear Energy
241. Recognising the hazards and dangers of nuclear power, especially relating to:
a. The safety of the nuclear fuel cycle;
b. The unsolved problems pertaining to the reprocessing and storage of radioactive wastes and spent fuel;
c. The growing concern about the biomedical effects of even low radiation
d. The coupling of nuclear energy and nuclear weapon developments
e. The added danger of a future plutonium economy and the threats to civil liberties involved in a nuclear economy; and
f. The fact that Labor policy contained herein on fossil fuels, energy conservation and renewable resources will ensure Western Australia energy self sufficiency.
242. Labor will:
a. Reject nuclear power as an option for electricity generation in Western Australia;
b. Oppose the establishment of a nuclear enrichment facility in the State;
c. Reject the establishment of nuclear processing plants or the storage of nuclear wastes in the state;
d. allow no uranium mining or development in Western Australia; and
e. The platform recognises WA long and continuous opposition to uranium mining. The commencement and continuation of any uranium project is inconsistent with Labor Policy. Labor will accept no obligation to complete approval processes or honour contractual arrangements entered into by a previous government where such approvals or contracts are directed towards an outcome inconsistent with Labor s, restrictions and conditions applicable to the mining, processing, sale and transportation of uranium platform.
f. place thorium under the currently mines in Australia as outlines in the Resources and Energy section of the National Platform, so far as they relate to nuclear non-proliferation.
Nuclear power a No No for Australia for the foreseeable future
The Labor Party has reaffirmed its opposition to nuclear power and the Coalition has dropped its tepid support for the introduction of nuclear power.
A poll by Roy Morgan Research several days into the Fukushima crisis found that 61% of Australians oppose the development of nuclear power in Australia, nearly double the 34% that support it.
A Lowy Institute poll in June came up with near-identical results. The Morgan poll found that just 12% of Australians would support a nuclear plant being built in their local area, 13% would be anxious but not oppose it, and 73% would oppose it.
Fukushima: the political fallout in Australia, Green Left, July 4, 2011, By Jim Green, “…..Nuclear power in Australia, TEPCO has for many years put profits ahead of safety and this is the root cause of the nuclear disaster., Commonsense and prudent emergency planning would have protected emergency diesel generators against the March 11 tsunami. Working generators would have prevented the explosions and fires by maintaining reactor cooling.
The problems were not limited to TEPCO — they were (and are) systemic problems arising from the control of Japan’s nuclear industry by a clique of corporate executives, supine regulators and captured bureaucracies.
Similar problems are evident in Australia. In the past year, three whistleblowers have raised concerns about safety standards at the Lucas Heights nuclear research reactor site operated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Continue reading
Western Australian Labor Party maintains policy against uranium mining
at the Labor state conference this week there was an attempt to weaken the Labor position
against uranium mines- to accept uranium mines that may be approved…
This motion was voted down with strength. There was Jon Ford – shadow
mines minister, Dave Kelly- secretary for the miscellanious union and
Steve Mc cartney from the AMWU. This has sent a really clear message
to uranium miners that there is no social license to operate and has
cast further doubt on the uranium industry
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 