>
> State spokesperson for the Queensland Greens, Libby Connors, today slammed
> Campbell Newman’s commitment to revoke protection of four wild rivers in
> Cape York if an LNP government is elected.
>
> ‘Campbell Newman has proved he will be an even more aggressive proponent
> of mining and gas development than the present irresponsible Labor
> government.
>
> ‘The main threats to the Cape York rivers are from bauxite and coal mining
> although coal seam gas developers are also moving into north Queensland.
> ‘Campbell Newman will be a tool of the big miners.
>
> ‘This revocation will take out the Steve Irwin reserve that Terri Irwin
> fought so hard to protect from mining and lead to the destruction of a
> precious wilderness area.
>
> ‘The voters of Brisbane need to understand that Campbell Newman will not
> stand up for our precious rural and environmental regions against the big
> miners.
>
> ‘If you want a state government that will stop the rash and irresponsible
> mining and gas rush that is harming our economic future they must vote for
> a minor party.
>
> ‘At this election the Greens are presenting a responsible mining policy
> that will not harm other essential economic sectors such as agriculture,
> tourism and education and provide balanced economic development.’
>
>
>
>
>
Sunday, 6 November 2011
APPEA report same old cherry-picking on coal seam gas
Friday 4 November 2011
A report commissioned by the fossil fuel industry to justify claims of the environmental benefits of coal seam gas continues to cherry-pick data to reach its conclusions, the Australian Greens said today.
The report by WorleyParsons for the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association nevertheless concludes that it is only in the unlikely circumstances of best practice gas replacing worst practice coal, and using very low figures for the global warming impact of methane, that the gas industry's claims can be justified.
"You have to wonder why, when the Europeans and Americans are investing in zero emissions baseload solar power, industry in Australia is still obsessed with comparing one polluting fossil fuel with another," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
"The most important fact which needs to be established soon is the real, on-the-ground leakage of gas from the mining process. APPEA uses only industry standard estimates based on American Petroleum Institute figures.
"The real climate impact of coal seam gas can't be established until we have independently verified data on how much gas leaks and is flared and vented on the ground here in Australia.
"The real figures on leakage are triply important because APPEA's report uses a hugely outdated and understated figure for the global warming impact of the methane which leaks.
"If calculated over the next 20 years - the critical period when we risk triggering tipping points in the climate if we don't act to cut pollution fast - methane's climate impact is actually more like 72 times that of carbon dioxide, not the 21 times used in this report.
"It is worth noting that, if indeed this gas is used to replace coal, a peer-reviewed study notes that the short-term climate impact of that shift is negative as coal burning has a greater dimming effect than gas burning, more than cancelling out the climate benefits."
Australian Greens mining spokesperson, Senator Larissa Waters, said "This report continues the gas industry's practice of cherry-picking to suit its profit-making agenda rather than protect the environment.
"We have to remember, as well, that this is not just a question of the impact on the climate.
"If we allow coal seam gas to expand as much as the industry wants, we jeopardise food production on prime agricultural land, the Great Artesian Basin and even suburban areas where the companies want to drill."
A report commissioned by the fossil fuel industry to justify claims of the environmental benefits of coal seam gas continues to cherry-pick data to reach its conclusions, the Australian Greens said today.
The report by WorleyParsons for the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association nevertheless concludes that it is only in the unlikely circumstances of best practice gas replacing worst practice coal, and using very low figures for the global warming impact of methane, that the gas industry's claims can be justified.
"You have to wonder why, when the Europeans and Americans are investing in zero emissions baseload solar power, industry in Australia is still obsessed with comparing one polluting fossil fuel with another," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
"The most important fact which needs to be established soon is the real, on-the-ground leakage of gas from the mining process. APPEA uses only industry standard estimates based on American Petroleum Institute figures.
"The real climate impact of coal seam gas can't be established until we have independently verified data on how much gas leaks and is flared and vented on the ground here in Australia.
"The real figures on leakage are triply important because APPEA's report uses a hugely outdated and understated figure for the global warming impact of the methane which leaks.
"If calculated over the next 20 years - the critical period when we risk triggering tipping points in the climate if we don't act to cut pollution fast - methane's climate impact is actually more like 72 times that of carbon dioxide, not the 21 times used in this report.
"It is worth noting that, if indeed this gas is used to replace coal, a peer-reviewed study notes that the short-term climate impact of that shift is negative as coal burning has a greater dimming effect than gas burning, more than cancelling out the climate benefits."
Australian Greens mining spokesperson, Senator Larissa Waters, said "This report continues the gas industry's practice of cherry-picking to suit its profit-making agenda rather than protect the environment.
"We have to remember, as well, that this is not just a question of the impact on the climate.
"If we allow coal seam gas to expand as much as the industry wants, we jeopardise food production on prime agricultural land, the Great Artesian Basin and even suburban areas where the companies want to drill."
Friday, 4 November 2011
THE CARBON TAX
No one wants another tax. Tax is a dirty word and our instinct is to fight it. So there had better be a very good reason to support this one. Unfortunately, there is.
It’s hard to believe it but we have poured so much pollution into the air that it’s causing the world’s climate to destabilize and to heat up. We’ve all seen those belching chimney stacks. Now we’re beginning to see the damage they are causing; catastrophic droughts, fires so fierce we haven’t the skills to control them and floods of unanticipated proportions. Worse still, island neighbours are going under as sea levels rise. We could view the carbon tax as a way of repaying an environmental debt.
Until now, polluting has been free and we’ve polluted as though it doesn’t matter. Having to pay to pollute is a sure fire way to get us to reduce our pollution.
So the 500 biggest polluting companies will be taxed, and because they are profit driven they will be persuaded to reduce their pollution. Yes, they will pass some of the cost on to us, but Treasury predicts the cost of living will rise by just over half a percent. Isn’t it worth it if it means we’re leaving the next generation of loved ones a pathway towards a cleaner world? And besides, 90% of us will be reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses.
We’ll be the 42nd country to get a carbon tax. Sweden
We’ve got to clean up our act and the carbon tax is a start. A large number of big companies agree. Fosters brewing company says “It’s right that we do it. Let’s get on with it”.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Labor and Coalition back miners over farmers
Australian farmers look set to be denied the right to say no to coal seam gas on their land, as Labor, Liberal and National parties today spoke against a Greens bill previously introduced by Queensland Senator Larissa Waters.
The Landholders’ Right to Refuse (Coal Seam Gas) Bill 2011, which was debated today, would give farmers the right to keep their land free from coal seam gas exploration and production.
“Hot on the heels of rejecting the Greens’ proposed moratorium on coal seam gas last week, the old parties have today spoken at length about their intention to deny farmers any rights to protect their prime agricultural land from coal seam gas,” Senator Waters said.
“By indicating they will vote against my Bill, both Labor and the Coalition are allowing the mining industry to continue to ride rough-shod over Australian farmers.
“The Federal Government want to leave coal seam gas regulation up to the states, but an additional tier of federal protection is warranted since the states are failing to adequately protect groundwater and food security.
“It has not yet been proven that coal seam gas can safely co-exist with agriculture in the long term.
“Now the old parties are joining with industry in turning their back on farmers who are saying they are worried about the long-term impacts of coal seam gas on our water, our land and our food security.
“In fact, the old parties quoted the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) so often in their submissions today, one could be forgiven for thinking they had jumped on board the APPEA spin campaign on coal seam gas.
“Even the National party are abandoning their own constituents to kowtow to miners, leaving only the Greens to advocate for farmers’ rights against coal seam gas.
“This is shaping up to be an incredibly short-sighted move by the old parties to continue fast-tracking the coal seam gas industry, by risking the long-term future of our environment and our ability to feed ourselves.”
Larissa Waters, Greens Senator for Queensland
Friday, 16 September 2011
Australia's mining boom: fact or fiction?
Media release from Larissa Waters:
Australia's love affair with the mining boom has been in the headlines for many years now.
Mining is credited with saving us from the Global Financial Crisis, putting food on our tables, keeping our economy strong and thousands of people employed.
It's been a great public relations success. A survey released by Essential Media this week showed that 67 per cent of Australians count mining as one of our top three most important industries. A typical Australian believes the mining sector accounts for more than one third of economic activity, and employs about 16 per cent of our workforce.
Unfortunately, our perceptions of the mining industry are wildly out of step with the reality.
Today, The Australia Institute released its new research paper Mining the Truth; The rhetoric and reality of the commodities boom, which provides a detailed analysis of the ways in which the mining boom is affecting our economy, both positive and negative.
The true picture of Australian mining it reveals is startling, in all the parts that have been glossed over, rewritten or ignored.
To begin with, mining doesn't even come close to accounting for a third of our economic activity. Mining represents about 9.2 per cent of GDP, roughly the same as manufacturing. And the perception that mining employs around 16 per cent of our workforce credits the industry with nine times more workers than it actually has, about 1.9 per cent of the workforce. Despite the expansion of mining over the past seven years, mining accounts for only 7 per cent of new jobs created over that time.
Of course, mining likes to roll in all the indirect jobs it creates. If every sector calculated their share of the workforce in this way, the total number of Australian jobs would be inflated by three times the true number.
Ironically, mining could create many more jobs here if it sourced more of its materials in Australia. But without local content rules for big mining projects, most materials are sourced offshore. Australian steel, for example, make up only 10 per cent of the steel used for mining. If mining used more Australian steel, it might have been a very different outcome for 1,400 BlueScope workers.
The Mining the Truth report also sheds some light on some of the questions we are currently facing; if mining has boosted our economy and benefited all of us, why are other sectors struggling? What is the truth behind the two-speed economy?
Mining has hiked up the exchange rate, creating a direct disadvantage for our industries which need to compete internationally, such as tourism and manufacturing. Most importantly, mining and the high prices of commodities are major causes of our current high interest rates, putting great pressure on other sectors and Australian households.
But surely the profits that are created by mining are more than enough to offset the negative impacts of mining on other sectors?
As a matter of fact, they are. BHP Billiton recently posted an annual profit of $22 billion - more than half of the entire annual budget of the state of Queensland. Overall, mining will realise a whopping $600 billion in profit over the next decade.
And we are going to get next to nothing of it - 83 per cent of Australian mining is foreign-owned, and these profits will be sent back overseas. The industry has spent millions on campaigns designed to limit fair taxation on mining, even though the average rate of corporate tax paid by mining companies is around 14 per cent, mainly thanks to generous tax deductions by the Government.
The Resource Super Profits Tax would have collected an additional $200 billion in the next decade. Just imagine that money being invested back into Australian communities, hospitals, schools and public facilities.
Its meagre proposed replacement, the Mineral Resource Rent Tax, would raise only an extra $38.5 billion over the same time period. $38.5 billion - out of $600 billion of pure profit. That's less than 6.5 per cent.
The profit margin of mining is, on average, 37 per cent. Compare this to manufacturing, which enjoys a 6 per cent profit margin, or retail, which sits at 4 per cent. By now, the fairytale story of mining is less about happily ever after, and more about the Haves and the Have-Nots.
It's often argued that the mining boom does benefit everyone, by boosting superannuation through increased share prices. But again, this argument fails when held up to the light - the average superfund, among Australians who have superfunds, has barely 4 per cent of its portfolio exposed to the mining sector.
Where is the voice of fairness in all this? Why are only the Greens standing up to say the minerals in the ground belong to all of us, not just the people who dig them up? Why aren't the old parties making sure that a fair share of mining profits is returned to all Australians? Far from acting in the best interests of the public, the Government has provided one long gravy train for the mining industry.
The latest mining campaign is Our Story, another multi-million dollar PR exercise to tell us mining is good news for everyone. It doesn't include the story of high interest rates, unemployment in our other export industries, and an Australian public whose assets are being stripped from them without fair recompense.
If it did, we may discover that the true story of the mining boom is not the fantasy we've all been sold.
Senator Larissa Waters is the Greens spokesperson for mining, and the first Greens Senator for the state of Queensland.
Australia's love affair with the mining boom has been in the headlines for many years now.
Mining is credited with saving us from the Global Financial Crisis, putting food on our tables, keeping our economy strong and thousands of people employed.
It's been a great public relations success. A survey released by Essential Media this week showed that 67 per cent of Australians count mining as one of our top three most important industries. A typical Australian believes the mining sector accounts for more than one third of economic activity, and employs about 16 per cent of our workforce.
Unfortunately, our perceptions of the mining industry are wildly out of step with the reality.
Today, The Australia Institute released its new research paper Mining the Truth; The rhetoric and reality of the commodities boom, which provides a detailed analysis of the ways in which the mining boom is affecting our economy, both positive and negative.
The true picture of Australian mining it reveals is startling, in all the parts that have been glossed over, rewritten or ignored.
To begin with, mining doesn't even come close to accounting for a third of our economic activity. Mining represents about 9.2 per cent of GDP, roughly the same as manufacturing. And the perception that mining employs around 16 per cent of our workforce credits the industry with nine times more workers than it actually has, about 1.9 per cent of the workforce. Despite the expansion of mining over the past seven years, mining accounts for only 7 per cent of new jobs created over that time.
Of course, mining likes to roll in all the indirect jobs it creates. If every sector calculated their share of the workforce in this way, the total number of Australian jobs would be inflated by three times the true number.
Ironically, mining could create many more jobs here if it sourced more of its materials in Australia. But without local content rules for big mining projects, most materials are sourced offshore. Australian steel, for example, make up only 10 per cent of the steel used for mining. If mining used more Australian steel, it might have been a very different outcome for 1,400 BlueScope workers.
The Mining the Truth report also sheds some light on some of the questions we are currently facing; if mining has boosted our economy and benefited all of us, why are other sectors struggling? What is the truth behind the two-speed economy?
Mining has hiked up the exchange rate, creating a direct disadvantage for our industries which need to compete internationally, such as tourism and manufacturing. Most importantly, mining and the high prices of commodities are major causes of our current high interest rates, putting great pressure on other sectors and Australian households.
But surely the profits that are created by mining are more than enough to offset the negative impacts of mining on other sectors?
As a matter of fact, they are. BHP Billiton recently posted an annual profit of $22 billion - more than half of the entire annual budget of the state of Queensland. Overall, mining will realise a whopping $600 billion in profit over the next decade.
And we are going to get next to nothing of it - 83 per cent of Australian mining is foreign-owned, and these profits will be sent back overseas. The industry has spent millions on campaigns designed to limit fair taxation on mining, even though the average rate of corporate tax paid by mining companies is around 14 per cent, mainly thanks to generous tax deductions by the Government.
The Resource Super Profits Tax would have collected an additional $200 billion in the next decade. Just imagine that money being invested back into Australian communities, hospitals, schools and public facilities.
Its meagre proposed replacement, the Mineral Resource Rent Tax, would raise only an extra $38.5 billion over the same time period. $38.5 billion - out of $600 billion of pure profit. That's less than 6.5 per cent.
The profit margin of mining is, on average, 37 per cent. Compare this to manufacturing, which enjoys a 6 per cent profit margin, or retail, which sits at 4 per cent. By now, the fairytale story of mining is less about happily ever after, and more about the Haves and the Have-Nots.
It's often argued that the mining boom does benefit everyone, by boosting superannuation through increased share prices. But again, this argument fails when held up to the light - the average superfund, among Australians who have superfunds, has barely 4 per cent of its portfolio exposed to the mining sector.
Where is the voice of fairness in all this? Why are only the Greens standing up to say the minerals in the ground belong to all of us, not just the people who dig them up? Why aren't the old parties making sure that a fair share of mining profits is returned to all Australians? Far from acting in the best interests of the public, the Government has provided one long gravy train for the mining industry.
The latest mining campaign is Our Story, another multi-million dollar PR exercise to tell us mining is good news for everyone. It doesn't include the story of high interest rates, unemployment in our other export industries, and an Australian public whose assets are being stripped from them without fair recompense.
If it did, we may discover that the true story of the mining boom is not the fantasy we've all been sold.
Senator Larissa Waters is the Greens spokesperson for mining, and the first Greens Senator for the state of Queensland.
Action on Coal Seam Gas in Ashgrove
Coal Seam Gas was put under the spotlight last night by Ashgrove
Electorate residents who organised a community information evening at
The Gap High School in response to the many farming communities under
pressure from mining companies.
A spokesperson for the organisers, Concerned Citizens of Ashgrove,
said attendance was good with almost all 175 seats occupied.
Speakers included Bob Irwin; Sarah Moles from Qld Murray Darling
Committee; Ruth Armstrong an ecologist, grain and cotton farmer; Dr
Sandra Bayley of Doctors for the Environment Australia; Dr Helen
Fairweather environmental engineer of Beyond Zero Emissions.
Local resident Andrea Southern said the event was informative and
interesting. "I know a lot more about Coal Seam Gas now, and I have
very serious concerns about the potential dangers to our future food
and water security," Ms Southern said.
"What I got from the speakers was that we really do need to tell
government to place a moratorium on CSG mining until independent
experts can explain how to mine safely for CSG without destroying our
water and farming land."
Concerned Citizens of Ashgrove are organising another forum at a date
to be announced.
Electorate residents who organised a community information evening at
The Gap High School in response to the many farming communities under
pressure from mining companies.
A spokesperson for the organisers, Concerned Citizens of Ashgrove,
said attendance was good with almost all 175 seats occupied.
Speakers included Bob Irwin; Sarah Moles from Qld Murray Darling
Committee; Ruth Armstrong an ecologist, grain and cotton farmer; Dr
Sandra Bayley of Doctors for the Environment Australia; Dr Helen
Fairweather environmental engineer of Beyond Zero Emissions.
Local resident Andrea Southern said the event was informative and
interesting. "I know a lot more about Coal Seam Gas now, and I have
very serious concerns about the potential dangers to our future food
and water security," Ms Southern said.
"What I got from the speakers was that we really do need to tell
government to place a moratorium on CSG mining until independent
experts can explain how to mine safely for CSG without destroying our
water and farming land."
Concerned Citizens of Ashgrove are organising another forum at a date
to be announced.
Friday, 22 July 2011
The paint on the Green Door Policy appears rather thin
The Queensland Government this week released their Green Door Policy. This policy is purported to be about fast-tracking sustainable development that meets certain criteria. On the face of it this sounds great and something the Greens would support.
But, they also proudly announced in their press release that they will be employing dedicated case managers who will be able to deal with a maximum of six of the most sustainable development proposals at a time across Queensland.
The obvious question is how many developments that are going ahead are NOT sustainable. “Six seems to be a paltry number to target” said Dr Sandra Bayley, the Greens Candidate for Ashgrove.
“Why do they not legislate to ensure that ALL developments are based on sustainable principles or am I just being naive?” mused Dr Bayley. “Surely the people of Ashgrove have a right to expect that any developments planned in their area would automatically be based on sustainability principles.”
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