Australian govt disregards expert committee, in selling uranium to Russia
Australian Conservation Foundation, David Noonan, David Sweeney, 12 Nov 2010, In 2008 the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties recommended the Government not proceed with a treaty to export uranium to Russia. Continue reading
Australia’s leaders cave in to American power and militarism
will Australia be asked to store nuclear, chemical and biological weapons? Will we be asked to host facilities that can launch these weapons?…..It is to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd that we look for leadership and this last week both disappointed……..Gillard and Rudd have caved in.
Too weak to take the middle ground – Unleashed (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Bruce Haigh 12 November 2010 A week of significant change has largely gone unnoticed by a star and bangle-struck Australian media. Still, perspicacity is not a strong point of a greying and self-satisfied Fourth Estate, more concerned with the state of the property market than the state. Continue reading
Melbourne’s Port Phillip bay endangered by American nuclear warships
“There are big risks in having nuclear power or nuclear armed warships in Port Phillip Bay.”
Bandt: We Don`t Want U.S. Ships, Mathaba, 10 Nov 10, Greens MP Adam Bandt has expressed concern at plans for more US naval visits to Australia saying the government must explain what it means for Melbourne. Continue reading
No U.S. military bases on Australian soil!
Obama administration needs to carry bigger stick | The Australian, Marty Morrison, 10 Nov 10,”…….. AS the 19th-century British foreign secretary Lord Palmerston put it, there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. This quotation should make us question whether the US alliance is good for Australia.We have recently followed the US into two unresolved wars which really had nothing to do with us (and don’t forget Vietnam). How many more will we gladly participate in to please our masters? Australia’s “permanent interests” are vastly different from those of the US. Let’s regain our independence, like New Zealand has. Economic cooperation, yes. Military interventions, no. And definitely no US bases on Australian soil., Palm Beach, NSW…..
Solar energy in Australia great potential, poor political support
Australia’s annual solar irradiation stands at approximately 58 million petajoules, enough to provide 10,000 times its entire annual electricity consumption. In order to fully benefit from this resource, however, it needs to do much more than relying on a patchwork of schemes……a national feed-in tariff may be desirable from manufacturers’ perspective, it is currently not a political priority,…..
Australia: enthusiastic uptake of solar power leads to cuts in state feed-in tariffs iStockAnalysts, November 10, 2010 Residential solar power installations in New South Wales reached 52MW by mid-2010, prompting the state government to reduce its generous feed-in tariff. Continue reading
Australians – all too NICE on matters nuclear and military
What a week of sycophantic subservience it has been!
USA’s Clinton and Robert Gates informed Australia of our increased role in America’s war strategy, with a new target for terrorism to be set up in W.A. And, Australians fawned and applauded.
Global airline pilots worried about radiation security scanning at airports, and the biggest international pilot union is boycotting them. But Australia’s airline pilots will apparently let the government assure them that somehow, OUR radiation scanners won’t pose the same cancer risk.
The media happily applauded the U.S. top level secret military mission, and Obama’s visit to India. What didn’t rate a mention were the big and passionate anti-U.S. protests that greeted Obama in India, and of course, the mass anti-nuclear action in Germany.
But them I forgot – this is the Australian monopoly mass media – and, Hillary and Julia had a lovely walk together. And, Tiger Woods is in town, too. – Christina Macpherson
Young Australians question Hillary Clinton with a kind of self-censorship
Even closer military and political ties mark the latest hotting up of an old but seriously unequal love story…….Throughout, no one challenged Clinton on the purpose or impact of her nation’s unprecedented global power. It beggars belief that your average room of youngish university folk wouldn’t contain at least some who were capable and willing of sterner stuff
Questions Hillary wasn’t asked on her date with Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Hamish Ford, November 10, 2010 If you thought we were already ”all the way” with the USA, it seems the object of our long-distance affection was previously just flirting at the bar. Continue reading
Australian airline pilots will trust the government on radiation scanner safety
Australia is planning to introduce the full-body scanners at its international airports early next year….Australian International Pilots Association (AIPA) has no plans to boycott, it will continue to work with the Government to address safety issues.
Australian Pilots Negotiating Full-Body Scan with Government | TopNews United States, by Jatinder Kumar , 11/09/2010 -The American Allied Pilots Association has announced a boycott on new airport security devices that capture images of passengers’ naked bodies. Continue reading
Australia’s danger in closer military ties with USA
lf the primary justification is ”regional security”, why should Australia agree to even greater military ties with the US when it will make us more of a potential target for terrorism?
Questions Hillary wasn’t asked on her date with Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Hamish Ford, November 10, 2010 – “…..Here, then, are the questions that weren’t asked of Hillary Clinton, but at least a couple of which should have been: ……….. Continue reading
Water use, radiation hazard, in Cameco’s planned Pilbara uranium mine
Cameco’s Kintyre Uranium Project report details risks to mine workers from radiation exposure, the potential for groundwater contamination and the spread of radioactive dust and its potential to endanger flora and fauna.
Radiation fear for Pilbara uraium mine workers * Narelle Towie, The Sunday Times November 08, 2010 A CANADIAN company plans to draw five million litres of water a day – two Olympic-sized pools – to operate a uranium mine on the edge of a Pilbara national park. Continue reading
Cameco Paladin uranium companies having second thoughts on Alice Springs mine plan
Cameco Paladin says the Government’s decision to oppose any plans to mine the Angela Pamela site, despite granting the company an exploration licence, has created uncertainty for the project.
Mining company reconsiders scale of uranium project, – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Amy Marshall d Mon Nov 8, 2010 A mining company exploring for uranium at a site near Alice Springs says it will reconsider the scale of its project in light of opposition from the Northern Territory Government. Continue reading
Martin Ferguson can over-ride Northern Territory Govt on Cameco uranium mine
The Mining Act (NT) requires the relevant Northern Territory Minister to exercise his or her powers in accordance with, and give effect to, the advice of the relevant Federal Minister in relation to uranium …… The Federal Minister’s position is not known.- [oh yeah!]
Nt government opposes uranium mine Lexology Margaret Michaels November 3 2010 The Northern Territory Government is opposed to a uranium mine at Angela Pamela, but the decision is up to the Federal Government. Continue reading
Big risks in U.S. nuclear warships in Australian ports
Greens MP to quiz Gillard on naval visits | The Australian Lanai Vasek , November 09, 2010 GREENS MP Adam Bandt will request top-level talks with Julia Gillard to review plans for more US naval visits to Australia.The proposals were outlined at the annual Ausmin conference this week.Mr Bandt said it was time for Australia to show more independence from the US, and there were “big risks” in having nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed warships in Australian ports.”I will be raising my concerns directly with the Prime Minister and seeking answers to my questions about the impact and safety of increased ship visits to Melbourne,” Mr Bandt told The Australian.”We want a strong relationship with the US, but one based on our recognised independence.”I am concerned that we are making decisions like troop deployment not on the basis of our national interest but simply because another country wants us to.”…
Woomera ‘prohibited’ zone to have both uranium mining and weapons testing
The region is synonymous with the testing of long range missiles and rockets during the Cold War and is still used by the military for weapons testing. The Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said that the new recommendation is that the miners and the military would be both operating at some sections of the land on a time share basis.
Australia May Tap Restricted Area of Woomera for Natural Resources [uranium mining] Azomining, By Joel Scanlon, 9 Nov 10, The Woomera weapons testing range in South Australia’s outback will be downsized to allow mining in the region as per a federal government report recommendation. Vast restricted areas of South Australia will be opened up to mining companies including foreign investors if the review is considered favourably. Continue reading
Hillary Clinton talks sweet nothings to a tame Australian youth audience
The venue was secret. The audience members were carefully selected. The questions to Hillary Clinton were pre-planned.
Hardly a surprise then that nothing of critical relevance to Australia was discussed. And certainly not a heckler in sight, – heaven forfend! – in this reverential audience.
Sad, isn’t it? As Australia already hosts the world’s biggest secret USA spy base (Pine Gap), we’re about to get another one. You’d think that would be a topic, wouldn’t you? (Well, it will be, today, in top level secret talks with Robert Gates, Clinton, Rudd, Gillard. That, and a lot more.)
But, bear in mind – USA is looking like going broke – so, they gotta sell a lot of military stuff to Australia, India, Asian countries – anyone, really.
It’s not about war, and the danger of naughty China. No, it is about America’s need to be the world’s military police, but mainly, it’s just the money, stupid!
By the way, one little U.S. worry that might be discussed – possible export of U.S nuclear wastes to Australia. Even trickier, now that Europe has decided than nuclear waste is too dangerous to export.
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 