Category: Sustainable Settlement and Agriculture

Media Release – 10 June 2010

Major parties vote against Hunter & Lithgow coal health study

Greens MP and health spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said the major parties’
vote yesterday against her motion in NSW Parliament calling for a
comprehensive population health study to investigate the links between
the Hunter and Lithgow region’s coal and power industries and poor
health outcomes exhibited a lack of real commitment to the issue
(extract from motion below).

“In the face of compelling evidence that the health of residents in the
Hunter and Lithgow regions is suffering, the opposition and government
joined forces to vote down the Greens motion calling for an independent
population health study and better monitoring and enforcement measures,”
Ms Rhiannon said.

“The failure of the Keneally government to allocate funding in this
week’s budget to the study suggests it is not committed to finding
answers.

“If a study finds evidence of a link between the coal and power
industries and ill-health the government could be liable and would be
forced to reassess its existing firm relationship with these polluting
industries, ” Ms Rhiannon said.

Motion voted down by the major parties in the NSW Upper House

3. That this House calls on the Government to:

(a) restore its faith with the Upper Hunter community by agreeing to
design and undertake a comprehensive independent population health study
to assess the impact of coalmining and coal-fired power stations on the
health of residents in the Hunter region, and any impact on the local
water supply and food chain,

(b) extend NSW Health’s investigation of the link between the coal
and power industries in the Upper Hunter and poor health outcomes to the
Greater Lithgow Area,

(c) ensure adequate air quality monitoring networks in the Upper Hunter
and Greater Lithgow areas, that can measure particles to 2.5 microns,
and can test and analyse the composition and toxic properties of dust
pollution in these regions,

(d) make the findings of the health study and all pollution monitoring
and any pollution testing data readily available to the public in an
accessible format via the internet, and

(e) establish permanent and well resourced EPA offices in the Upper
Hunter and Lithgow regions to investigate and monitor coal mining and
coal-fired power related pollution.

 

Gunns has previously told the stock exchange that it plans to use the timber from the plantations to ensure its Tamar Valley pulp mill is 100 per cent plantation based.

But Pulp and paper analyst Robert Eastment says Great Southern’s receivers will consider the possible sale of land and trees.

“If that is the case then the management of the trees, or the responsible entity with Gunns, may or may not go with that so there’s a degree of uncertainty at this stage,” he said.

A Gunns spokesman says the matter is up to Great Southern investors.

Tags: company-news, timber, tas, hobart-7000, launceston-7250

Media Release                                                   10 June
2010
 
Bill passed to allow elite tourist accommodation and facilities in
National Parks
 
Legislation passed late last night by the NSW Upper House will see some
of the State’s most iconic national parks subject to commercial tourist
facilities for the elite end of the tourist market at the expense of the
general public and environment, the NSW Greens said tonight.
 
“The passing of this legislation with the support of the Opposition
threatens the integrity of our National Park estate by allowing areas
within the boundaries of National Parks to be developed,” said NSW
Greens MP Ian Cohen.
 
“The Government is keen to adopt the Tourism and Transport Forum’s
‘high yield, low volume’ approach to visitors to National Parks which
could see elite tourist resorts built in some of our most precious
natural areas.
 
“This Bill will now make it easier for the public to be excluded from
some parts of National Parks with private operators being granted
‘exclusive access’.
 
‘The Government is sending a clear message to the public about the
future enjoyment of some National Parks – if you can’t pay, stay away.
 
“With commercial development comes associated infrastructure such as
powerlines, roads and waste services. These all have an impact on the
biodiversity values that National Parks are there to protect.
 
“This legislation has been driven by the bureaucracy in its effort to
meet performance measures pertaining to increased numbers of visitors to
our National Parks.
 
“Allowing elite tourist resorts in National Parks is not the way to get
more people to enjoy them. Investing in basic park infrastructure and
upgrades and marketing their natural values is.
 
“More people appreciating the beauty of the State’s National Parks is a
great thing, but not if it’s at the expense of the nature with the Parks
itself,” said Mr Cohen.
 
 

Further Information: Cate Faehrmann 0412 207 043
 
Cate Faehrmann
Adviser
Greens MLC Ian Cohen
NSW Parliament
Macquarie St
SYDNEY NSW 2000

 

“Perhaps if there had been negotiations earlier it would have been different, but now the damage to Australia has gone on for too long,” she said.

But the Prime Minister has shown no signs of backing away from his planned reforms.

During his press club address Mr Rudd invoked the name of Sir John Forrest, the former premier of Western Australia and a long-distant relative of mining magnate Andrew Forrest.

Mr Rudd says Sir John also started a program of infrastructure building during the gold rush boom and in the face of protests at the time.

The Prime Minister promised billions from the controversial tax would go to the regions responsible for the mining boom.

But the announcement sank like a stone, with one journalist claiming Mr Rudd had shot himself in the foot with the tax and his policy on asylum seekers.

He was blasted for allegedly failing to genuinely consult the industry on the tax changes.

Mr Forrest rose to his feet to challenge the Prime Minister.

“Would you now be consulting with your cabinet colleagues… about how you’ve taken your government from their great chance at the next election to no great chance at all now?” Mr Forrest asked.

Mr Rudd, well versed in the art of diplomacy, trod carefully.

“As I say to other companies here in the room today, the reason we are here in the west is to consult,” he said.

“The reason we are here in the west is to listen… [and] to make sure we have heard clearly how the proposed tax change effects your individual company’s circumstances.”

Under pressure

The Prime Minister no doubt will face similar tough questions at the community cabinet hearing in south Perth this evening and it is believed he will sit down with Mr Forrest tomorrow to discuss his concerns.

Mr Rudd is under pressure from mining companies to compromise on the tax proposal, with a strong push for him to change the definition of a “super profit”.

But before his entrance to the press club, he indicated the tax rate was not going to change.

“I’ve said we’re consulting with industry on implementation, on detail and on generous transitional arrangements. And that’s precisely what the treasury consultation panel is doing with companies right across Australia,” he said.

Mr Rudd also revealed for the first time that his talks with BHP Billiton chief Marius Kloppers were as well as expected.

“We had a cordial and frank discussion and I’m sure we’ll continue to do that in the future,” he said.

He says the Federal Government has got the tax rate correct and will help mining companies with generous transition arrangements.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says it is hard to see what compromises the Government can make.

Mr Abbott says the tax needs to be dropped before it causes more damage.

“The problem with this tax is that he can’t change it without destroying his budget strategy and he can’t keep it without destroying the resources sector’s expansion in this country,” he said.

“He’s in a very difficult position.”

 

Save the Children says more than seven million people are suffering from some form of malnutrition in a country that has a population of around 15 million.

Of those, more than three million are described as severely malnourished or starving.

The aid group’s country director Ibrahima Fall said the extent of the crisis was being grossly under-estimated.

‘The transitional government in Niger has appealed for urgent assistance but the response from other rich governments and international donors has been slow and insufficient,’ he said.

‘Far more children will die if we don’t act fast.’

Sky News was given pictures showing some of those being brought to the Aguie centre for emergency treatment.

Seventeen-month-old Tsahirou was a fragile bundle when he arrived.

Most of his short life has been spent fighting a seemingly never ending cycle of disease and malnutrition – so far without success.

His mother Salmey said the family’s food ran out 40 days ago and they have nothing left to eat.

Two-year-old Rahina was also given urgent treatment.

The small child struggles to breathe, but her mother Hadija said it was hunger that could kill her.

‘We grow crops to sell to feed ourselves, but we received little rain in the last growing season and it wasn’t enough,’ she said.

‘We didn’t harvest any beans or peanuts and the yield of millet was very small. There is no food left over from our last harvest. Really there is nothing.’