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The Generator news service publishes articles on sustainable development, agriculture and energy as well as observations on current affairs. The news service is used on the weekly radio show, The Generator, as well as by a number of monthly and quarterly magazines. A podcast of the Generator news is also available.
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  • UN report damns Australia’s failure to end discrimination

    NB It should not be forgotten that they are the original inhabitants.

         We are the intruders.

    31 August, 2010

    UN report damns Australia’s failure to end discrimination

    The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has
    delivered a damning report on Australia’s failure to meet international
    commitments on eliminating discrimination.

    Greens Senator Rachel Siewert, Spokesperson for Aboriginal and Torres
    Strait Islander Affairs says the report lends its voice to international
    calls for Australia to negotiate a treaty with Aboriginal and Torres
    Strait Islander people.

    “It is not surprising that the UN is disappointed with Australia’s
    failure to deliver on its human rights commitments, especially those
    concerning Indigenous Australians,” Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

    “Racial discrimination is embedded in the Australian Constitution and
    continues to be enacted in the laws and policies of our states and
    territories.

    “Both Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard made election commitments to pursue
    the constitutional recognition of Australia’s First Nations and so it is
    now the perfect time to move on constitutional reform.

    “The UN committee also urged Australia to ‘…ensure the Racial
    Discrimination Act prevails over all other legislation which may be
    discriminatory’ and ‘…adopt comprehensive legislation providing
    entrenched protection against racial discrimination’.

    “Recent amendments to the Northern Territory Emergency Response Bills by
    the Gillard Government are a clear example of our failure to fully
    restore the RDA and wilfully misinterpret ‘special measures’ as a means
    of continuing discriminatory practices.

    “The continued backing of the discriminatory NT Intervention laws by
    both the ALP and Coalition led to the unprecedented swings in polling
    booths in central Australia against the sitting member and Minister for
    Aboriginal Health Warren Snowdon – with some booths showing swings of
    upward of 50-60% against him and 30-40% to Greens candidate and NTER
    critic Barbara Shaw,” said Senator Siewert.

    The Greens say the UN CERD report also calls for measures to improve the
    accessibility of justice and legal services and greater roles for
    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in policy development.

    “Our high rate of indigenous incarceration continues to be a serious
    concern, making the adoption of a Justice Reinvestment Strategy and
    increased funding for Aboriginal legal aid services is an absolute
    priority,” Senator Siewert said.

    “Improved mechanisms to ensure proper consultation with Indigenous
    communities in policy development and implementation remain essential if
    we are to deliver on our commitments to end inequality in this country,”
    concluded Senator Siewert.

    _______________________________________________
    GreensMPs Media mailing list

  • One in 10 would vote differently in election

     

    Voters in NSW and Queensland, the states which recorded the biggest swings against the Labor government, were also more inclined than those in other states to vote differently the second time around.

    The four independents mulling over who to support in a minority government have not ruled out walking away from the whole process and making the country have another election should they be unsatisfied with the intent of the negotiations.

    The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, has been accused by the Greens leader, Bob Brown, of spoiling for another election. Mr Abbott has publicly rejected this.

    The poll did not indicate which party would benefit should there be another election. Labor suffered the most from changed voter behaviour on August 21 with a large swag of votes going directly to the Greens. It suffered a 5 percentage point swing against it on the primary vote, of which 3.6 per cent went to the Greens and 0.6 per cent went to the Liberals.

  • Row erupts over vote count

     

    “That the two-party preferred total displayed on the AEC’s website is meaningless can be seen if you tally the members elected in these 142 electorates. You get Coalition 72, Labor 70. Missing are four Independents, a Green, a WA National and two Labor MPs.”

    He says the reality of forming a government depends ultimately on the numbers in the House.

    “The first preference or 2-party preferred vote might provide a talking point but both are constitutionally irrelevant to the formation of government.”

    Independent MP Tony Windsor says the two-party preferred vote is not the key factor for him as he decides how to use the balance of power.

    He and the two other incumbents, Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott, still have “two or three days” of information gathering, he says. They will also meet with senior public servants, heads of departments and lobby groups.

    “The main thing I’ll be looking for is in relation to stability of governance for the next three years, and that’s going to be fairly difficult to find with very tight numbers. That’s the main objective in this,” Mr Windsor said.

    Labor and the Coalition are trying to convince the independents that they will be able to offer stable government.

    Labor frontbencher Craig Emerson says his party can give that guarantee because its rules prevent MPs from crossing the floor, while Liberals are free to dissent.

    Dr Emerson says Mr Abbott would not have the numbers in his own party to keep his promise to reopen the offshore processing centre at Nauru.

    Meanwhile Hobart-based independent MP Andrew Wilkie says the two-party vote count is not relevant to him.

    The AEC says the final vote totals are not expected until Friday.

    Ms Gillard will be fronting the National Press Club in Canberra today to present her case for leading the nation.

    Tags: government-and-politics, elections, political-parties, labor-party, liberal-party, greens, federal-elections, australia

  • Wilkie wants pulp mill approval shelved

     

    Mr Wilkie has previously said he would support a mill that was genuinely pollution-free and water and energy efficient.

    His list also includes calls for the re-alignment of the controversial Brighton Bypass north of Hobart, to protect the 42,000-year-old Jordan River levee site.

    Mr Wilkie is expected to make up his mind about which party to support by the middle of the week.

    Tags: business-economics-and-finance, industry, environment, environmental-management, government-and-politics, elections, timber, environmental-impact, federal-elections, australia, tas, launceston-7250

    First posted 1 hour 36 minutes ago

  • Important gains likely for the Kimberley, but serious threats intensify

    This contradicts Mr Barnett’s own public statement that it would be “pointless” to pursue compulsory acquisition because: 

    “The chief proponent Woodside and other operators [Shell, BP, BHP and Chevron] are unlikely to maintain interest in the project without the agreement of the traditional owners. We would be applying it to a piece of land that would never be used.” (WA Business News, Dec 2008).

    We’ll have to wait and see what these companies do if the Premier does go down this path!

    Back to the better news

    Following intense campaigning, the WA government has been under pressure to improve protection of the Kimberley and address the many serious threats to the region’s environment.

    Now it appears some of these concerns are finally being addressed, with the Premier’s announcement possibly including:

    • The new ‘Camden Sound Marine Park’ – focused on parts of the Kimberley Humpback Whale nursery;
    • A new marine protected area over parts of Roebuck Bay near Broome;
    • A new conservation reserve over parts of the north Kimberley, including marine areas, which incorporates and ‘connects up’ multiple land tenures;
    • Around $9 million in funding for management;
    • Welcome changes to the WA Conservation and Land Management (CALM) Act to allow for greater Indigenous involvement in conservation and management in the Kimberley.

    While these measures would have merit, in each case and as a total package they fall short of what is needed and what has previously been recommended by scientists and conservation groups.

    As always, any measures to improve conservation outcomes in the Kimberley need to have the support and involvement of the region’s Traditional Owners – and this can be achieved by, for example, greater use of ‘Indigenous Protected Areas’ and expanded Indigenous Rangers programs.

    Just another policitial ‘offset’

    The Premier looks as stubbornly determined as ever to pursue the massive polluting LNG industrial site and port at James Price Point near Broome – using the above environmental announcements as an attempted “offset” for his damaging industrialisation agenda.

    And now there are several new destructive proposals for the Kimberley, such as open cut coal mining in the Fitzroy River valley south of Derby and copper mining near the famous Horizontal Falls north of Derby.

    Our political and corporate leaders seem not to understand or appreciate just how special and unique the Kimberley is. Keeping it that way is not only important environmentally, but provides the basis for the region’s future economic prosperity.  As usual, it’s up to us to tell them what they just don’t get!

    What you can do!

    When the Premier makes his announcement on conservation measures there is likely to be a period for public comment. Be prepared to tell Premier Barnett that ignoring large parts of the Kimberley earmarked for damaging development is not good enough! The whole Kimberley needs better protection and management, not just  the areas industry doesn’t want. 

    • Stay informed – join our Facebook page and bookmark our website for regular updates on how you can get involved in our Save the Kimberley Campaign;
    • Find out more about the announcement and the questions we need to ask to assess how effective the proposed changes are for the Kimberley;
    • Get involved in community consultation after the Premier’s announcement.

    We will be in touch with more information as it is announced, and with ideas about more things we can all do to help protect our amazing Kimberley.

    Yours, for nature,
    Jenita Enevoldsen
    on behalf of The Wilderness Society, WA.

     

  • First gas rig headed for NSW coast

     

    This followed an outcry from local councils and residents about a site 25 kilometres off Forresters Beach near Terrigal that was initially slated as Advent’s target and may have played a role in helping the candidates win their seats.

    The office of the federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, confirmed that Advent’s previous application for drilling approval was withdrawn.

    However, Mr Breeze said that the site off Forresters Beach was one of four which it was considering in the area and it has now moved its focus over the horizon to the New Seaclem-1 site, which is not visible from the shore.

    The company intends to tow the Ocean Patriot rig from Victoria so it can test the New Seaclem-1 site for the presence of gas 826 metres below the sea floor, Mr Breeze said.

    This would take about 20 days, during which sensors on the drill would send information to a computer aboard the rig and then the hole would be plugged, he said.

    ”You put cement casing into it and you seal it off and have a three foot [0.9 metre] cement plug just under the sea floor,” he said.

    If the exploratory drill is successful, extracting the gas would entail putting a platform out of sight on the sea floor and burying a pipe which would convey it into the existing Newcastle-Sydney gas pipeline ashore, he said.

    The offshore Sydney basin covering 8200 square kilometres could possibly contain almost as much gas as the massive Bass Strait fields, but it has not been explored more extensively because it was so close to a plentiful supply of coal, he said.

    Now that concerns about carbon emissions have come to the fore, there is more interest in gas, a cleaner energy source which as a fuel replacement for coal in power stations could help Australia meet its Kyoto protocol objectives, he said.

    The NSW Minister for Mineral Resources, Paul McLeay, confirmed that this would be the first exploration drilling well ever off the state’s coast if it proceeds.

    The Department of Industry and Investment is awaiting revised application documents from Advent Energy, including a modified environment plan and well design plans, he said.

    Gosford City Council a month ago passed a motion strongly objecting to the company’s plans, saying there had been no social, economic or environmental impact assessment. ”A large proportion of my community rely on the beaches for tourism,” said the mayor, Chris Holstein.

    ”If anything was to impact on our beaches, it would have a major impact not only on the environment, but economically.”

    Wyong Council has also raised issues about possible pollution, the effects on fish and migrating whales and how any subsea rupture would be handled.

    ”We are not against gas. We think it’s a wonderful thing. But we want to be sure the seabed is not disturbed,” said the mayor of Wyong, Bob Graham.

    However, there is a further catch.The federal environment department has no new application for gas drilling off the NSW coast before it, according to Mr Garrett’s spokesman.

    Any proposal likely to have a significant impact on an area protected by environmental law needed approval to go ahead, he said.

    Mr Breeze said his company would fulfil all the requirements of federal government departments.