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  • A dog’s breakfast Claire, Solar Citizens

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    A dog’s breakfast

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    Claire, Solar Citizens
    5:37 PM (2 minutes ago)
    to me
    Dear Neville —
    After 18 months of devastating uncertainty, the deal to slash the Renewable Energy Target from 41,000 GWh to 33,000 GWh has been done.* It still needs to be passed by Federal Parliament, but at this point it looks set to proceed.

    Our government has made a dog’s breakfast of energy policy in Australia, jeopardising tens of thousands of jobs, billions in investment and setting large-scale solar and renewables back by a generation. Not to mention locking in higher power prices for all Australians, against the recommendations of the government’s own review.**

    Become a Solar Champion today and help us forge a new era for solar and renewables in Australia.

    How on earth did our sunny country, with the highest rooftop solar penetration on earth and an overwhelming majority of citizens supporting more renewable energy not less, end up in this mess?

    The truth is, this whole debacle is down to a handful of big power companies and their mates in Government. No one else wanted to see the Target cut. Labor and sections of the industry may have agreed to it, but ultimately their hands were forced by the Abbott Government because industry certainty needs bipartisan backing. For goodness sake, even some Coalition backbenchers wanted to see a strong Target maintained.

    The problem is, with all this focus on getting a deal that cuts renewables, no one has offered a clear way forward.

    Well, we’re one step ahead. We’ve already started building an unstoppable force for a sun-powered future, calling for at least 50% of our energy from renewables sources by 2030. Just this month hundreds of solar homeowners and supporters have gathered at events in Melbourne and across Queensland and pledged to Stand Up For Solar.

    Here’s what you can do to help build the momentum:

    We’ve already got support from Senator Glenn Lazarus, the solar industry, key solar experts like Renew Economy’s Giles Parkinson and SolarBusinessServices’ Nigel Morris, cleantech entrepreneur Danny Kennedy and many, many more. It’s clear we’re on to a good thing – an ambitious vision for solar and renewables – but politicians only listen when people in their local areas take action. That’s why we need you to get on board and help us lead the way.

    There are some in Government who wanted to put the final nail in the coffin of solar and renewables by scrapping the Target entirely. While they’ve done considerable damage, their mission has ultimately failed. By joining together, we’ve already managed to safeguard rooftop-solar, scrap the 2 year review period and keep the Target alive – something we can all be proud of.

    While today’s cut to the Target is a huge step backward, we must act now to galvanise our communities behind our call for a sun-powered Australia. Solar and renewables are the future, and the vested interests of the few can’t hold back the will of the people.

    Yours in scorching determination,

    Claire O’Rourke, National Director

    Claire O'Rourke

    PS: Do you have 2 minutes right now? Put it to good use and take the pledge to Stand Up For Solar and share it with your friends, family members and colleagues.

    *http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-and-labor-reach-renewable-energy-target-deal-20150518-gh4161.html

    **http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/policy-advocacy/renewable-energy-target/impact-on-power-prices.html


    Solar Citizens
    http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/

  • today the Government has agreed to Labor’s principles for a deal on the Renewable Energy Target, which is supported by the clean energy industry.

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    Deal is done

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    Mark Butler via sendgrid.info 
    5:20 PM (4 minutes ago)
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    .
    Inga,

    The Abbott Government almost destroyed the renewable energy industry.

    But today the Government has agreed to Labor’s principles for a deal on the Renewable Energy Target, which is supported by the clean energy industry.

    Labor hopes that this deal will ensure the industry can recover and play an important role into the future.

    If you’d like to find out more, you can watch my interview on ABC News 24 below.

    Screen_Shot_2015-05-18_at_4.54.35_pm.png

    It’s Labor’s vision to see Australia return to being a global leader in renewable energy generation, research and development.

    We firmly believe Australia should be at the forefront of renewable energy, not falling further behind.

    Labor believes renewable energy should have a bright future in Australia.

    Mark Butler
    Shadow Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water
    A short note on donations With an election now around the corner, we’re relying on your support to get rid of Tony Abbott. The Liberals have the support of the big end of town, but we’re proud to be building a new style of Australian political campaigning: funded by small donations from tens of thousands of passionate community members like you. Will you be one of our generous donors? Whatever you can afford — even if it’s just $3 — will make a difference to the outcome of the next election and future of our country. It takes just two minutes. Thank you.
    Australian Labor Party
    Authorised by G. Wright, Australian Labor, 5/9 Sydney Avenue, Barton 2600 ACT

  • Have you heard of Bulga? Holly and the Land, Water, Future team
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    Have you heard of Bulga?

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    Holly, Land Water Future <campaign@landwaterfuture.org.au>
    1:11 PM (2 hours ago)
    to me
    - -

    Fancy a road trip to the Hunter Valley? Join us as we discover Bulga: Indigenous culture, natural beauty, local food, organic wine, and a community that won’t be moved for coal. Book your ticket today.

    Neville –One of the first moves Premier Mike Baird made when reelected was to visit the tiny village of Bulga in the Hunter Valley. He took with him our new Planning Minister Rob Stokes. Why? Because it’s coal vs community, and locals aren’t backing down.

    Bulga is home to about 350 people and a rich local heritage. The famous Bulga bridge carries you over the Wollombi Brook to the renowned Cockfighters Tavern. Then there is the local church and cemetery, established in 1856. Stretching back even further is the culture and connection of the Wonnarua traditional custodians whose sacred sites are found across the region.

    On one side of the village is the vast wilderness of the Wollemi National Park. On the other is something else entirely. In recent years the Bulga community has born witness to a transformation in their region as open-cut coal mines creep closer than ever before.

    Vahid Roser is one of the locals who has taken a stand and said no to mines swallowing up his village. Vahid is a musician, footballer, student, and seventh generation Bulga local. This is Vahid’s story of the place he calls home:

    Watch Vahid's story

    Watch Vahid’s story on Youtube | Watch and share Vahid’s story of Facebook

    For years Vahid and his community have been fighting off a powerful multinational coal company. Rio Tinto’s plans to expand open-cut coal mining would create consequences so severe that a recent recommendation from the state’s planning process was to give serious consideration to moving the entire village.

    Newspaper in Bulga's local pubThe community is understandably dismayed. Even more so because this battle is one they have already fought and won. Twice Bulga locals beat Rio Tinto in the courts. They have the framed front page of the newspaper hanging in the local pub to prove it (see left).

    But Rio Tinto keeps coming back for another go… and the government keep letting them. Right now the community is gearing up for a battle like none other. They want to stop Rio Tinto, and save their village. Will you help them?

    Click here to find a day trip date that suits you and to secure your seat on the bus. 

    If you’re not near Sydney or can’t make a day trip, please watch and share Vahid’s story.

    We hope you will join us in defending Bulga,

    Holly and the Land, Water, Future team

  • The John James Newsletter 60

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    The John James Newsletter 60

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    John James
    		6:40 AM (8 hours ago)

    The John James Newsletter 60
    16 May 2015


    I will be overseas for the next three months, mainly in France with my beloved churches. I will continue to send out Newsletters each Saturday, though they may have a few less goodies. 
    In a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, thinking people should not to be on the side of the executionersAlbert Camus

    This is a most interesting assessment of US policies. Well worth considering.Chaos – not Victory – is Empire’s GameThat’s the way (i) to control people, nations and their resources; (ii) to assures the west a continuous need for military; and (iii) to push a country into disarray or chaos so it becomes broke so it needs money – money with hardship conditions attached by the World Bank that equals enslavement.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41771.htm Clinton made Libya a ‘jihadist wonderland’“It was a big mistake for us to go in there in the first place, because a lot of the times when we topple secular dictators, we’ve gotten chaos and then we’ve gotten the rise of radical Islam, It made Libya a hotbed for jihadists.” http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/241555-paul-clinton-made-libya-a-jihadist-wonderland To protect Washington’s unique power status following the Soviet collapse, Paul Wolfowitz in 1992 penned what is known as The Wolfowitz Doctrine. This is the basis for Washington’s foreign policy. “Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power.”In March of this year the Council on Foreign Relations extended this doctrine to China. Washington is now committed to blocking the rise of two large nuclear-armed countries. This commitment is the reason for the crisis that Washington has created in Ukraine and for its use as anti-Russian propaganda. China is now confronted with the Pivot to Asia and the construction of new US naval and air bases to ensure Washington’s control of the South China Sea, which is now defined as an area of American National Interest.http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/05/11/war-threat-rises-economy-declines-paul-craig-roberts/The Blindness of the European Union in the Face of US Military StrategyEU officials are completely wrong regarding Islamist attacks in Europe and the migration of people fleeing wars. This is not the accidental consequence of conflict in the broader Middle East and Africa, but a strategic objective of the United States.http://www.voltairenet.org/article187529.html
    Snowden says Australia watching its citizens ‘all the time’ He warned that journalists are at risk of having their contacts exposed by mass surveillance. “Under these mandatory metadata laws you can immediately see who journalists are contacting, from which you can derive their sources.” http://rt.com/news/257193-snowden-australia-surveillance-metadata/
    The Big Business Of Cancer100 billion dollars was spent on cancer drugs last year. At the beginning of the last century, one person in twenty would get cancer. In the 1940s it was one out of every sixteen people. In the 1970s it was one person out of ten. Today one person out of three gets cancer in the course of their life.We live in a society that is highly toxic, and it is getting worse with each passing day.http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-big-business-of-cancer-100-billion-dollars-was-spent-on-cancer-drugs-last-year-alone
    Sea level rising faster in past 20 years than in entire 20th centurySea levels are predicted to rise by close to a meter in the next 85 years. That would affect more than 150 million people living in low-lying coastal communities. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-12/sea-level-rise-accelerates-faster-in-past-20-years/6461752
    The Greek Endgame: Time to Choose between Default and DefeatA nearly-botched pension payout last week revealed just how critical the government’s fiscal position has become. It’s time to forget about all the friendly rhetoric about Greece reaching a “mutually beneficial” deal with its creditors. The endgame is here. The Eurozone will not back down. Either the Greek government defaults, or it will be defeated. There is no other way. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41816.htm These are the payments due, including to the IMF, to June 30.May 12 — 757 million euros to IMFMay 30 — 1.5 billion euros in pensions, salariesJune 5  —  303 million euros to IMFJune 12 — 341 million euros to IMFJune 16 — 568 million euros to IMFJune 19 — 341 million euros to IMFJune 30 — 1.5 billion euros in pensions, salarieshttp://www.cnbc.com/id/102667914 Greece Invited to Join New BRICS Development BankThe BRICS Development Bank is a new initiative that will help member states lessen their dependence on the IMF. http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Greece-Invited-to-Join-New-BRICS-Development-Bank-20150512-0039.html The IMF’s Struggle for RelevancyIt was created to defend free market economics after the start of the Cold War. It was never meant to help less developing countries but was meant to help steer them away from socialism. http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/The-IMFs-Struggle-for-Relevancy-20150416-0037.html
    US “Operation Rooms” Backing Al Qaeda in Syria US policy think-tank Brookings Institution confirms that contrary to propaganda, US-Saudi “moderates” and Turkey-Qatar “Islamists” have been coordinating all along. https://syria360.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/us-operation-rooms-backing-al-qaeda-in-syria/

    The Real Lessons of the Tory VictoryWe cannot imagine a different world, a different economic system, a different media landscape, because our intellectual horizons have been totally restricted by the media conglomerates that control our newspapers, our TV and radio stations, the films we watch, the video games we play, the music we listen to.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41803.htm
    Russia’s Stumbling Pivot to AsiaMoscow and Beijing are trying to cement closer ties, but delays in high-profile energy deals highlight lingering tensions between them.  The reality is that competing interests and clashing visions everywhere from Central Asia to China’s own backyard are keeping Moscow and Beijing from consummating their courtship.https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/08/russias-stumbling-pivot-to-asia-putin-xi-natural-gas-gazprom-altai/ The Short Life and Speedy Death of Russia’s Silicon ValleyIn 2009, Moscow unveiled an ambitious plan to build a world-class technology incubator. Then corruption, brain drain, and Putin killed it.http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/06/the-short-life-and-speedy-death-of-russias-silicon-valley-medvedev-go-russia-skolkovo/
    Extreme secrecy eroding support for Obama’s trade pactClassified briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members queasy. If you want to hear the details of the TPP trade deal, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door. You are handed one section at a time, watched over as you read, and forced to hand over any notes you make before leaving. And no matter what, you can’t discuss the details of what you’ve read.http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/secrecy-eroding-support-for-trade-pact-critics-say-117581.html
    Scientists weigh up new evidence on Antarctic ice melt“Most scientists would be hard-pressed to find mechanisms that do not include human-made climate change.”  Since 2003, ice loss over the whole continent increased at the rate of six billion tons a year. West Antarctica’s melting rate, however, accelerated by 18 billion tons a year during the same timespan. http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/scientists-weigh-up-new-evidence-on-antarctic-ice-melt/
    The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed off the South Carolina coast  nearly a month before the season officially begins.http://abc13.com/weather/first-named-storm-forms-before-atlantic-hurricane-season-begins/704610/
    Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia inspection of its aid shipThe Iranian cargo ship carrying 2,500 tons of humanitarian aid including food and medicine left Iran’s southern Bandar Abbas port on May 11 to the Yemeni port of Hodeida. The ship also carries rescue workers from the Iran’s Red Crescent Society as well as some 20 journalists.http://en.trend.az/iran/politics/2394001.html  Iran Warns of War if Aid Ship to Yemen AttackedThe deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces warned on Tuesday that Iran would retaliate in force against any country, which attacks an Iranian ship with humanitarian aid on board.http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150513/1022078061.html
    Yemen’s War Is Redrawing the Middle East’s Fault LinesSaudi Arabia’s ongoing war in Yemen does more to highlight the kingdom’s isolation than its power.http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/05/12/yemens-war-redrawing-middle-easts-fault-lines
    Turkey’s Gas GameEurope hoped Turkey could help the continent wean itself off Russian fuel. But Ankara might have other plans. This one pipeline, which could deliver gas as early as next year, could endanger a critical alliance the West has spent decades cultivating, and upend Eurasia’s entire energy and security landscape. Turkey would become a middleman for Europe’s energy buyers, and it would be precisely the linchpin Moscow needs to keep an energy hold on the continent.https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/11/turkeys-reckless-gas-game-russia-putin-turkish-stream/

    to John

  • Raise the Heat on CommBank starts in 3 days and is happening near you. Are you signed up? ,
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    It’s time for action

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    Josh Creaser – 350.org Australia <350@350.org> Unsubscribe
    1:09 PM (1 hour ago)
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    Raise the Heat on CommBank starts in 3 days and is happening near you. Are you signed up?

    Dear Friend,

    Next week the power of our movement is going to be on display at CommBank branches right across the country. A clear message will ring loud and clear from every state and territory – it’s time for CommBank to rule out financing for the monster Galilee Basin coal mines.

    Over 100 bold, creative and powerful actions have been organised thanks to an incredible network of community groups and individuals who won’t stand idly by and let Australia’s largest bank finance even more climate and reef destruction.

    Click here to join a community action near you.

    The timing couldn’t be more important. Research released by Market Forces just this week shows that CommBank is now the largest Australian lender to fossil fuel projects on the Great Barrier Reef.* If they back Adani and fund the Galilee Basin and Abbot Point expansion, they’ll hold that dirty record for a very long time.

    Next week is about presenting CommBank with a decision — either they drop this project OR face an unrelenting community campaign that will drag their reputation through the mud.

    We can’t let the future of our climate and the Reef lie in the hands of CommBank’s executives. That’s why we are taking things in to our own hands and showing CommBank that the community has said ‘enough is enough — it’s time to drop this project’.

    I hope you can join us.

    Josh and the whole 350.org Australia team

    *Click here to read the Market Forces research.

    350.org is building a global climate movement.You can connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and become a sustaining donor to keep this movement strong and growing.

  • The #5and5 Tony Burke Labor

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    The #5and5

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    Tony Burke via sendgrid.info 
    1:24 PM (46 minutes ago)
    to me
    .
    Inga,

    This week we had a budget that put one man’s job before everyone else’s; Scott Morrison thought it would be clever to pick a fight with new mums, or ‘rorters’ as he prefers to call them, and Barnaby Joyce decided the biggest issue facing Australian agriculture was Johnny Depp’s dogs. Here’s the #5and5 best and worst moments from Budget week.

    BEST:

    1. Last year Bill’s Budget In Reply speech was about the force of Labor’s resistance to Tony Abbott’s unfair Budget. This year Bill’s Budget In Reply speech was about laying down Labor’s vision for the future of our nation. The Parliament may be Bronwyn Bishop’s House, but the moment was all Bill’s. Bill almost ran out of time because of how often he had to stop for applause! Watch his full speech here.

    2. In the Budget In Reply, Bill laid out Labor’s plan to educate Australians for the jobs of the new economy. Only a Labor Government will invest in training our kids in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to prepare them for an Australia beyond the mining boom. Under Labor, every student in primary and secondary education will have an opportunity to learn computer coding so they can be part of building the future. Learn more at FutureSmartAustralia.org.

    3. Bill also invited Tony Abbott to work with Labor on a fiscally responsible plan to reduce the small business tax rate from 30 to 25 per cent. Labor will be constructive about how to best deal with the challenges facing Australia, that’s why Bill also invited Tony Abbott to work with Labor to implement the more than $21 billion worth of measures we’ve put forward to improve the Budget bottom line, including making multinational companies pay their fair share of tax.

    4. We learnt in the Budget Tony Abbott’s way of dealing with the deficit is to double it. Last Budget Tony Abbott likened himself to a firefighter putting out a ‘budget emergency’. Chris Bowen gave a great speech on Wednesday where he said Tony Abbott got to the emergency, kicked the tyres on the truck and then drove off. I like Chris, but on this one he’s wrong. I reckon when Tony Abbott arrived he threw a molotov cocktail, crashed the fire truck and then gave a press conference to blame Labor.

    5. Last year’s budget is still in this year’s budget. Despite the spin, only two measures from last year’s budget were dropped this year. The $80 billion cuts to schools and hospitals, $100,000 university degrees, cuts of $6,000 to Australian families and an $8 GP tax by stealth – it’s all still there. Don’t waste a conversation, check out howtotalktoyourliberalmate.com.au and help us promote a positive vision for our future.

    WORST:

    1. Before the Budget, Tony Abbott said Labor’s 18 weeks paid parental leave was woefully inadequate. Now they’re arguing the current system is so generous that mums benefiting from it are engaging in fraud, rorts, scams and double dipping. It’s tempting to presume the reason they could make a decision so out of touch is because the Cabinet’s Expenditure Review Committee is all men, but that doesn’t explain it. The real problem is they’re all Liberals (there’s also a member of the National Party, but that’s the same thing really).

    2. Apparently part of Scott Morrison’s new kinder, gentler image is to get in a public fight with new mums who work as teachers, nurses, police officers, military personnel and even your local supermarket checkout operator. The parental leave pay put in place by Labor was designed for all Australian parents to complement whatever additional weeks with their new born baby they’d negotiated with their employers. The Liberals voted for our scheme they now hate so much. The Government is essentially saying ‘tough luck, you can’t spend longer with your baby, get back to work.’ I know I’ve just made the same point twice, but this is about double dipping.

    3. Tony Abbott said the GP Tax was dead, buried and cremated. We all thought that was probably another lie, and on Tuesday night we were proven right. In the Budget the Government has tried to introduce a GP Tax by stealth. By introducing a four year freeze on payments to GPs, the Government is ripping $1.3 billion out of Medicare and effectively introducing an $8.43 GP Tax though the back door.

    4. Before the election, then Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott promised: “Spending, debt and taxes will be lower under a Coalition Government.” On all counts this Budget failed the tests Tony Abbott set for himself. In this Budget, Tony Abbott doubled the deficit. Under this Coalition Government spending growth is higher, taxes as a percentage of GDP are higher and net debt is the highest it’s been in Australia’s history. Worst of all, unemployment keeps going up and staying up.

    5. This one’s pretty funny. On Wednesday the Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg put out a press release saying: “Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen need to get their stories straight. One says the Budget is too soft and the other says it’s not tough enough.” You might need to just read that a second time. “One says the Budget is too soft and the other says it’s not tough enough.” What?

    Finally, on Budget night Bronwyn Bishop again allowed the Speaker’s rooms to be used for a fundraising event. Anyone who walked past the Speaker’s office was confronted by not one but two giant images of Bronwyn Bishop. I’m guessing this is meant to intimidate Liberal donors into parting with more money. I’ll admit, it was a touch menacing.

    The #5and5 will be back in two week’s time.

    Tony

    PS: This week’s song of the week is dedicated to Joe Hockey explaining to Cabinet why he needed to double the deficit: Too Much Of Not Enough – Silverchair.