Do you support nuclear power?
Westside News 22 Sep 09 IS nuclear the future for Australia? Last week, Federal Member for Ryan Michael Johnson told Parliament he believed that most westsiders would support nuclear power.Federal Member for Moreton Graham Perrett disagreed. Continue reading
BHP Billiton’s chief gets 51pc pay rise
Billiton chief Marius Kloppers enjoys 51pc pay rise BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers enjoyed a 51pc pay rise this year to more than $10m (£6m), despite a 51pc fall in BHP pre-tax profits. Continue reading
Wake up Australia, and New Zealand, to the radioactive dust danger!
Regarding BHP Billiton’s planned expansion of Olympic Dam uranium mine, South Australia’s minister for resources, Mr Holloway says “radioactive dust obviously could be a problem but the issue is able to be resolved”
You gotta laugh. The dust “could” be a problem? Dust already is a problem . The planned open cut mine will be – I’ve forgotten how many kilometres wide, and is it 1 or 3 kilometres deep, – with an equally vast amount of tailings, a mountain of radioactive dust ready for blowing in the wind.
And this issue is “able to be resolved”? Just how?. Well, it might be resolved in the way that the radioactive rain to Australia’s East coast, from the French Pacific nuclear testing in the 1970’s was resolved. Professor Ernest Titterton came up with the bright idea – just stop testing the rain for radioactivity. That could be the answer.
South Australian govt says Olympic Dam dust risk must be resolved
Uranium mine told to address dust risks
ABC News 25 Sept 09 Issues such as dust risks from a planned expansion of BHP Billiton’s uranium mining operations in outback South Australia will have to be addressed by the company. Continue reading
Olympic Dam will cause radioactive dust risk to Eastern Australia
Radioactive dust storm threat’ if mine goes ahead
ABC News 24 Sept 09 An Academy Award-nominated documentary maker claims the red dust dumped onto east coast cities yesterday is a reason to be concerned about BHP Billiton’s proposal to turn South Australia’s Olympic Dam uranium mine into an open-cut mine.David Bradbury has made four documentaries on the nuclear issue and says figures in the company’s environmental impact study suggest that 70 million tonnes of radioactive tailings will be dumped at the minesite each year.
He says these tailings contain alpha radiation, which is known to be carcenogenic to humans and animals.
“My grave concern is that with the open-cut mine expansion that BHP Billiton wants permission from state and federal governments to go ahead with, that the radioactive tailings left behind will blow over the eastern coast centres of the most populated cities of Australia,” he said
‘Radioactive dust storm threat’ if mine goes ahead – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
More dust storms predicted, may carry radiation
Dust storm born out of flooding rains
ABC Science 23 September 2009 Darren Osborne
“………………..with climate change set to bring more variability, Australia may experience more large scale dust storms in the future. Continue reading
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
Queensland not supporting nuclear power, says MP
Four Mile uranium mine delayed, for at least months
Four Mile mine’s four-month setback
Matt Chambers | September 22, 2009
Article from: The AustralianWORK on what is expected to be the nation’s next uranium mine, the Four Mile project in South Australia, has been set back by at least four months Continue reading
Exposing Ziggy’s spin
Ziggy Switkowski is pretty careful these days, on where he spouts his pro-nuke spin. He doesn’t want demonstrations and hecklers. So, it’s usually to the refined world of corporate Australia. Or at Lucas Heights, where he recently spruiked on the seemingly inevitable move to nuclear power.
Ziggy talks about Australian public pro-nuke opinion, without any evidence to support this. He does not mention cost, nor water use, nor waste disposal.
Ziggy continues to tout nuclear as the solution to global warming, ignoring the factors of nuclear fuel cycle carbon emissions, and the fact that even if it did work, nuclear power would supply only electricity, and would be years too late.
Ziggy prophesies a future of continued unbridled energy consumption while the world is waking up to newer ways, energy conservation, energy efficency, cogeneration. Of course, Ziggy dismisses renewable energy sources, rather as horse and buggy experts might have dismissed the automobile a century ago.
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)
Australian mining companies lack transparency in African projects
Oh, Africa!
New Matilda 17 Sept 09 Australian mining companies are being lured to Africa with a campaign that would make Tourism Australia proud, writes Tim O’Connor Continue reading
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