Weak WA govt message to BHP on uranium and aborigines
Christina Macpherson – With BHP Billiton’s poor international track record on care and concern for indigenous peoples, I wouldn’t put much faith in their pious statements to the W.A. govt.
Sure, it’s great that the Ngalia people’s ecological knowledge has been publicly recognised, but there won’t even be a rap over the knuckles if BHP Billiton completely disregards this at the Yeelirrie uranium project. Note the wording of the article below – “…………..…..state Environment Minister Donna Faragher did not order BHP to consult the Ngalia, she made it clear they should..………”
BHP is advised, but not COMPELLED to consult aborigines
Aboriginal ecology to be included in assessments
Amanda O’Brien | September 24, 2009 . The Australian
ABORIGINES are claiming a landmark victory after the West Australian government told BHP Billiton to incorporate their ecological knowledge into future land clearing at its giant Yeelirrie uranium prospect. Continue reading
Ziggy Switkowski wants 50 nuclear power plants in Australia
Upping the ante on nuke power
Business Spectator, by Keith Orchsison 22 Sept 09
One of the great quotes from Ziggy Switkowski is that it is never hard to figure out where things are moving; it’s just hard to figure out the timing.Switkowski, chairman of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the head of John Howard’s review of nuclear energy earlier this decade, is quietly increasing his forecast of how many uranium-fuelled power stations will be operating in this country by the middle of the century. Continue reading
Uranium mining abuses Great Artesian Basin
‘Corporate abuse’ hits Great Artesian Basin
The Australian. Michael Owen, SA political reporter | September 21, 2009
THE Great Artesian Basin — one of the largest underground water reservoirs in the world — is in danger of going the same way as the ailing Murray-Darling Basin because of reckless corporate abuse, aided by political ignorance, says South Australian senator Nick Xenophon. Continue reading
Australian uranium company slack on safety in Africa
Miner accused on slack safety
The Age TOM HYLAND S eptember 20, 2009 AN AUSTRALIAN company has begun production at its uranium mine in Malawi amid renewed controversy over the operation in one of Africa’s poorest nations. Continue reading
Paul Howes to spruik for nukes at Liberal party seminar
Union leader speaking at Liberal energy symposium
ABC News 19 Sept 09A Federal Liberal MP says he is inviting a union leader to speak about nuclear power at a conference this weekend because there needs to be a bipartisan debate on the issue.
Michael Johnson is hosting an energy symposium in his Brisbane electorate of Ryan tomorrow.
The head of the Australian Workers Union, Paul Howes, will give a speech about his support for a nuclear power industry in Australia….
Mr Johnson said. “Paul Howes certainly has demonstrated vision and courage by speaking out in support of Australia becoming an exporter of uranium and going down the nuclear path.”
Mr Johnson says he hopes to generate a wider debate on the nuclear issue.
“If Paul Howes, a national figure, a leader in the union movement, if he’s got the courage to come out and talk about this, then surely Kevin Rudd can come out and talk about this.”
Union leader speaking at Liberal energy symposium – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
US missile shield partly scrapped: role of Australia’s Pine Gap not clear
US to scrap part of missile shield
BRENDAN NICHOLSON, CANBERRA
September 18, 2009
THE US has abandoned key parts of its planned global anti-ballistic missile system, apparently to avoid offending Russia.
The Wall Street Journal said that the Poland and Czech Republic sections of the system would be shelved after a review ordered by US President Barack Obama.
It is not yet clear what that means for plans for the Asian sections of the system and joint experimental work being carried out by Australia, Japan and the US. That work is intended to thwart North Korea’s plans to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
In September 2007, then defence minister Brendan Nelson told Parliament the joint Australian-US facility at Pine Gap provided information on ballistic missile launches of interest to Australia and could be used in any US missile defence system.
”As such, this would be a continuation of a ballistic missile early-warning partnership that we have shared with the United States for over 30 years,” Dr Nelson said.
At the time Ron Huisken, a senior fellow from the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, warned that Australia’s collaboration on missile defence with Japan and the US could agitate the Chinese as well as the Russians.
Nuclear lobby in top gear, as nuclear “renaissance” failing
Review. Christina Macpherson 15 Sept 09
The nuclear lobby is pushing US and Chinese governments to get nuclear included, at Copenhagen, as a global warming solution. Meanwhile the development of nuclear power slows down, and uranium is in oversupply, with the price dropping.
In Australia, despite the anti-nuclear choice of the 2007 election, tax-payer money goes to an expensive survey of public opinion on nuclear power. No doubt the pro-uranium.nuclear media hype will be stepped up now, in preparation. John Howard planned a pro-nuke PR campaign. It seems that Rudd is carrying on the Howard agenda – review of the week that was
Leukaemia in young children near nuclear facilities
The medical and economic costs of nuclear power
OnLine opinion By Helen Caldicott – 14 September 2009A recent study sponsored by the German government (the KiKK study – Kaatsch P, Spix C, Schultze-Rath R, et al. Leukemia in young children living in the vicinity of German nuclear power plants. Int J Cancer. 2008; 1220:721-726,) examined children who lived near 16 of the country’s commercial nuclear power plants. The results revealed a strongly increased risk of all childhood cancers, particularly leukaemia, the closer the proximity of the children’s residence to the reactor. In particular, the study found that children less than the age five years, living within a 5km radius of the power plant exhaust stacks were more than twice as likely to develop leukaemia compared with those children residing more that 5km away. The KiKK team studied other carcinogenic factors which may be responsible for the cancer clusters but none were found.
Another large study (Baker PJ, Hoel DG. Meta-analysis of standardized incidence and mortality rates of childhood leukemia in proximity to nuclear facilities. Eur J Cancer Care. 2007:16:355-363) – a meta-analysis of the incidence and mortality rates of childhood leukaemia in children living near 138 nuclear facilities in Britain, Canada, Spain, Germany, the US and Japan also demonstrated a statistically significant rate of leukaemia in children less than nine years of age.
A further large review (Laurier D, Jacob S, Bernier MO, et al. Epidemiological studies of leukemia in children and young adults around nuclear facilities: A critical review. Rad Prot Dosim. 2008; 132:182- 190) of children and young adults living near 198 nuclear sites in 10 countries was found to be compatible with the study described above.
It is important to note that the sensitivity to the damaging effects of radiation in early embryonic and fetal life is much higher than in adults, and young children are also particularly vulnerable…………………….
In the light of these two studies it is difficult to understand how Kevin Rudd and the Labor Government can have no moral scruples about our uranium exports.
The medical and economic costs of nuclear power – On Line Opinion – 14/9/2009
Aboriginals exploited by new uranium laws
Uranium royalty changes ‘will exploit Aboriginals’
ABC News Sep 11, 2009Anti-nuclear activists in Alice Springs say changes to uranium royalties in the Northern Territory will make way for the exploitation of Aboriginal communities. Continue reading
Environment safeguards left out in new uranium laws
New uranium royalties a savage blow to environment
Trading Room (AAP) By Tara Ravens, Darwin, September 10 2009
A new royalty regime for the Northern Territory’s expanding uranium sector is a “king hit to the environment,” says the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF). Continue reading
A wasteful and very dubious nuclear opinion survey
The news item below is a bit of a worry.
by Christina Macpherson 11 Sept 09 Now why would the govt want to waste our tax money on the nuclear question, just 2 years after it was clearly answered by the voters?
Is the uranium/nuclear lobby is dictating government action here, in the same way that the fossil fuel industries are determining climate change policy?
Survey Project leader Daniela Stehlik may be very well intentioned, but her comments published today do not inspire confidence .
First of all, Stehlik is calling nuclear power the “more emissions-friendly option”. Doesn’t she know about the carbon emissions from the whole nuclear fuel cycle?
Then she says “… with nuclear, Australians can’t tell what it’s like … they haven’t actually seen a plant in operation …. No direct experience” (So, apparently we can’t have a valid opinion?)
Amazingly, Stehlik thinks that internationally, nuclear power is OK with communities. Doesn’t she know about the turmoil in USA and UK over the nuclear’s costs, and wastes.? About the fiasco of France’s new reactors? About the massive anti-nuclear protest in Germany?
And – Stehlik seems to brush off the (?silly) negative connotations of nuclear bombs and nuclear accidents- “it’s in our imagination”!
Oh dear – we are in for a wasteful tax-funded nuke-hype!
Australian govt to bankroll a nuclear opinion survey
Federal funds to test popular opinion on nuclear power
THE AUSTRALIAN : Jamie Walker | September 11, 2009
THE federal government will fund research to test public opinion on nuclear power, Continue reading
Uranium – bad news for Kimberley workers and environment
Uranium in the Kimberley
ABC radio Kimberley Mornings 01/09/2009 Development proposals for the Kimberley have been all about the Ord or the gas in the last year or so, but is uranium on the radar?
Robin Chapple, Greens MLC for the Pastoral and Mining Region thinks it is, and is giving a talk in Broome tonight.
“At a conservative estimate, there are 15 corporations currently operating in the Kimberley actively pursuing uranium and there are over 60 exploration lease, dotted all over the Kimberley. History shows us that anywhere else in the world where there has been uranium mining, we have health effects in workers and in the communities.”
Robin Chapple argues that the environmental legacy left by uranium mining is equally disturbing, with tailings dams and waste piles “which are radioactive for ten thousand odd years, and that’s not managed”.
Uranium for China, disadvantage for aborigines
Christina Macpherson 9 Sept 09
Today’s news mix shows where the Rudd government’s priorities lie, and where they get their policy from.
I guess that the uranium mining companies designed the new uranium royalties bill. After all, everybody knows that the commercial nuclear power industry is in terminal illness. Also the uranium industry could collapse almost instantly, in the event of a nuclear accident. Therefore, let’s rip off the aborigines now, while the going’s good, and too bad, if the industry all goes sour for them later.
Only in nuclear weapons dictatorships like China is the nuclear industry more secure. As government and Ziggy Switkowski delight in China’s uranium appetite, the uranium salesmen conveniently ignore China’s nuclear weapons buildup.
And with the help of the mainstream media, the Australian public sleeps on – “She’ll be right, mate”. But will she?
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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