Australian Election -That Green Light on the Hill
Media commentators focus on the overall national swing against Labor, in the Australian election results.
But what about that other equally big, equally national, swing – towards the Greens?
I note that some mainstream media are describing the elected Greens as “extremists”, and as “completely irrational”.
But a swing to the Greens, across Australia, and the prospect of 9 Greens Senators – it’s hard to write off such a sizeable representation of the Australian public as “extremists” and “irrational”
In the more positive article, Paul Strangio’s ”post-materialist cosmopolitans” is mentioned, as the constituency for new Greens MP Richard di Natale. These people represent a growing new breed in Western culture – progressive, broad-minded, ready to lead a satisfying lifestyle with fewer material things, and less energy use.
It’s unfortunate that the newly elected Senators will not take their places until July 2011. This means that Australians will need to be aware of their politicians rushing bad laws through between now and then – Christina Macpherson 23 Aug 2010
New Greens Senator brings hope for renewable energy
There’s a new light on the hill, and it’s bright Green, The Age, Jewel TopsfieldAugust 23, 2010 “… there was no stopping Victoria’s first Greens senator Richard Di Natale in this sweet, long-savoured moment. ”There is a new light on the hill and it’s powered by renewable energy,” he thundered at the Greens election night party in Melbourne,………..Comprising the former working-class suburbs of Fitzroy, North Melbourne, Brunswick and Richmond, the electorate is home to many progressive-thinking, educated professionals – a tribe Monash University lecturer Paul Strangio dubbed ”post-materialist cosmopolitans”. There’s a new light on the hill, and it’s bright Green
Only the Greens dared mention nuclear issues
Australians watched in amazement and amusement, as the media and election campaigns focused on personalities, buzz words, mantras – “going forward” “real action”. If possible – anything but policies, it would seem.
Focus groups, daily opinion polls, and good old spin – these were the factors driving Australia’s ever dumber election campaigns by the major parties.
Some real policies got a mention, – seemingly in inverse relationship to their importance.
What got little mention is Global Warming, Climate Change.
What got no mention at all- the nuclear issue.
It must have come as a shock to Australia’s major political parties to realise that The Greens do have leaders of vision – Bob Brown, and Christine Milne. These leaders do have clear policies on Climate Change, uranium mining, and nuclear power.
Perth, Western Australia – anti nuclear protest
Nuclear protest – inMyCommunity – Perth, Western Australia, 10 Aug 2010, ANTI-nuclear protesters took their message to voters in the electorate of Tangney last Friday morning, capitalising on peak hour traffic outside the office of Liberal and pro-nuclear energy candidate, Dennis Jensen, to make their point.The protesters from the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of WA (ANAWA) held banners at the corner of Leach Highway and Karel Avenue, Willetton.The protest coincided with the 65th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombings.
ANAWA spokeswoman Sarah Holt-Foreman said the occasion was an opportunity to remind people of the dangers of uranium mining and nuclear power production.“We want to remind people what Dennis Jensen stands for… we don’t believe nuclear power is a solution to climate change, or anything,” Ms Holt-Foereman said. Nuclear protest – inMyCommunity – Perth, Western Australia
Australia’s error – dig it up, ship it out, high carbon mentality
Lack of certainty on a carbon price stunts the growth of fledgling alternative energy industries, stifles consumer behavioural change and, combined with conflicting regulatory measures, leads to non-optimal short-term decisions, while both main political parties lack the stomach to take on the vested interests. So we fall back into the comfort zone of our dig-it-up and ship-it-out high carbon mindset. In so doing, we are making arguably the greatest strategic error in Australia’s history.
Our great strategic error, ABC The Drum Unleashed, 21 Aug 2010, “…Our resource base is formidable and expanding. But that bounty is fast becoming our Achilles heel. Continue reading
Renewable energy growing more than coal or nuclear
Both the US and Europe added more renewable power capacity in 2009 than they added coal, gas, and nuclear capacity. Globally, 80,000 megawatts of renewable capacity was added, with China adding nearly half the total and nearly three-quarters of the total
Renewable Energy Investment is Growing – 24/7 Wall St., Paul Ausick, 21 Aug 2010, An international policy network called the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, or REN21, has released its global status report for 2010. Continue reading
Anti-nuclear movement making waves in Australia
The sad reality is that whoever forms government in Australia on Monday will support expanded uranium mining and radioactive waste dumping at Muckaty.
Whilst we have strong political supporters it is increasingly clear that it is the community and community organisations and resistance that best challenges the atomic agenda
those of us working for a nuclear free future have got some results and made some waves.– Dave Sweeney, 20 August 2010, Continue reading
Uranium mining risk to Alice Springs water
The federal member for the seat of Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, says if re-elected the Government will commit to a study of whether Alice Springs groundwater supplies could be affected by a proposed uranium mine 20 kilometres from the town.
Study into uranium impact on water ‘desperate’, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Anna Henderson, 20 Aug 2010, The Greens say Labor’s promise to investigate the effects of uranium mining on the Alice Springs water supply is a desperate bid to win back the environmental vote. Continue reading
Strict new rules for in-situ uranium projects
the new rules: Require uranium companies to restore groundwater quality to its pre-mining condition or better…Require baseline water quality testing for all in-situ uranium projects during the prospecting phase.
(USA) MINING: Colo. adopts strict regulations on in-situ uranium operations WaterWorld, August 19, 2010, Eryn Gable, Colorado officials have approved the nation’s most stringent water quality protections for in-situ uranium operations Continue reading
Europe worried about lack of information on radioactive fallout from fires
Vice President of the European Parliament Rodi Kratsa said in a letter to the chamber last week that there are “serious risks” of radiation reaching Europe and asked her fellow deputies to find out whether Russia has a “prevention plan … to avoid the release of radioactive particles into the atmosphere.”
Fallout from Russia’s Fires – the ashes of Chernobyl, TIME, Simon Shuster , 20 Aug 2010, – “……..Shoigu changed his line about the risk of radiation and rebuked the RCFH for spreading “false information.” Hours later, the agency’s website went down, and it remained inaccessible until the morning of Aug. 18 — when it went back online with no mention of the Bryansk fires. RCFH deputy director Nikolai Bobrinsky told TIME that the agency was just following a request from the Emergencies Ministry that it stop going public with information about the fires to avoid spreading panic.
For now, all information from the fallout zones comes through the ministry. Continue reading
Folksy, narrow focus in Australia’s election campaign
The politicians, the big corporations and their lapdog media have successfully managed to con Australians into a narrow, navel-gazing view of politics.
Especially with the “town hall meetings” with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Opposition leader, Tony Abbott – the campaign process has been transformed into a nice, folksy talkfest about each “real person” ‘s personal worries.
Oh for an “unreal person” – a good old-style political heckler – to bring reality into this.
I do not discount the genuine concerns of the community speakers. But each voter’s personal concern is not the whole story in this election.
The wider issues – climate change, pollution, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear waste dumping – these issues also concern each voter. The fact that they are global issues does not make them irrelevant to this election. – Christina Macpherson 19 August
Continued low demand, low profit for uranium
Cameco profit falls as it cuts uranium sales forecast -. Steel Guru , 18 Aug 2010, Cameco Corporation reported a weaker Q2 operating profit as results were hurt by lower uranium sales volumes and a lower realized uranium selling price. The top Canadian uranium producer also lowered its 2010 uranium sales forecast to 30 million pounds from a range of 31 million pounds to 33 million pounds as some customers deferred deliveries into 2011.Cameco said that it expects 2010 uranium revenues to fall 10% to 15% below 2009 levels compared with its prior forecast of 5% to 10% decline….
Steel Guru : Cameco profit falls as it cuts uranium sales forecast – 160993 – 2010-08-18
Nuclear power raised at Brisbane politicians’ forum
The issue of nuclear power as a clean energy fuel source stirred the candidates….Mr Bartlett explicitly rejected the idea
No debate dramas for Brisbane candidates, Brisbane Times, Tony MooreAugust 18, 2010 – Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott may have spent days bickering about another election debate, but there were no such problems for the three major candidates for the seat of Brisbane. Continue reading
Northern Territory Labor MP says Muckaty nuclear dump far from certain
Labor’s Mr Snowdon says he is standing up for Territorians and there is no guarantee the dump will be at Muckaty.
Muckaty nuke dump not a done deal: Snowdon, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By David Coady, 17 Aug 2010. Federal Member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon has suggested that building a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory is not a done deal. Continue reading
Australian Labor against nuclear power, Liberals vacillate
“For a few minutes after the election they said they were opposed to nuclear energy, now they are saying once again they [the Liberal Coalition] are in support of nuclear power,” she [Prime Minister Gillard] said.
Govt stands firm against nuclear power mygoodblog.com August 17th, 2010 Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
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