Showing posts with label Coal Seam Gas Mining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coal Seam Gas Mining. Show all posts
Tuesday 29 November 2016
Friday 26 August 2016
Coal Seam Gas: even the Murdoch media can't disguise this betrayal by Turnbull & Baird Governments
Conversation between NSW Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy Anthony Roberts & Australian Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg at COAG Energy Meeting, August 2016*
The federal and state governments on the east coast of Australia stood quietly by as APPEA and the gas industry structured export and domestic contracts in such a way as to businesses and families pay increasing high gas bills in order to subsidise the industry’s export markets.
Now the Baird Government decides that the best way to deal with this is to let the gas industry expand its exploration activities once again - creating new gas fields across the state.
Gas fields which will still produce gas for sale under the very same commercial arrangements which see Australian domestic gas prices so much higher than the price paid by international buyers.
That is unless the Turnbull, Baird, Palaszczuk and Andrews governments insist that the wholesale domestic gas price is no longer tied to the export price and state domestic gas reserves are established so that supply adequately keeps pace with demand.
The Australian, 22 August 2016:
New frontlines in the battle among environmentalists, pastoralists and gas explorers are set to be drawn, with governments in NSW and Victoria weighing up moves to reopen the door to critical energy projects to avert a looming price crisis.
The Baird government is preparing to stare down fierce environmental opposition to coal-seam gas mining by lifting a moratorium blanketing most of NSW and approving projects on a “case by case” basis.
The move, which will reignite a debate largely extinguished after the buyback of earlier mining licences, comes as Victoria is expected by the end of the month to decide on the future of its longstanding moratorium on all new gas projects.
NSW Energy Minister Anthony Roberts said it was a priority to keep supply stable and reliable as the market transitioned to renewable energy.
“Gas is also an important feedstock for a number of manufacturing processes, not just a fuel source, and therefore ensuring continued reliable and affordable supply underpins employment and investment in a number of key sectors and locations,” Mr Roberts told The Australian……
Narrabri farmer Alistair Donaldson is adamant the development of coal-seam gas close to his beef and grain property would create economic and environmental problems.
“As landholders, we are held to ransom for what is essentially a highly invasive and potentially destructive industry,” Mr Donaldson said.
“They’ll spruik the economic benefits of the mine, but at the end of the day it comes at the expense of other industries without even considering the environmental issues, which are monumental.”
NSW has significant reserves of coal-seam gas in the Gunnedah Basin, where Santos is already working on a project near Narrabri, as well as in the northern Clarence-Moreton Basin and near Gloucester, north of Newcastle.
Mr Donaldson said gas supply had not been an issue until the development of an export industry focused around Gladstone in Queensland.
“They will take up all available gas no matter what, and I can see us having domestic gas issues for the foreseeable future no matter how many fields we open up in this state … that really frustrates me,” he said.
Anti-mining group Lock the Gate is already threatening to campaign against any easing of restrictions, and is calling for a complete ban in the state.
“If the NSW government opens up the countryside again to unconventional gas and fracking, they know very well that it will be met with widespread community protest and resistance,” said Georgina Woods, Lock the Gate’s state co-ordinator.
“Better to make sensible laws that match the public’s expectations and protect farmland and water than cave in to gas industry pressure and face a popular backlash.”
The Baird government paid $25 million to buy back three exploration licenses from Metgasco late last year after the Supreme Court had found that licences granted by the previous Labor government had been improperly suspended. The move to a case-by-case assessment of gas projects in NSW was recommended by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and endorsed by last week’s meeting of federal and state energy ministers.
NSW allows coal-seam gas projects in a small slice of the state focused on Narrabri, where Santos is hoping to develop a mine.
The development of that project could supply between one-quarter and one-half of the state’s gas needs, according to the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association.
A Santos spokesman said the company was finalising environmental assessments for the Narrabri gas project, which it would submit to the government shortly.
Any change is likely to mean the government will make stringent assessments of the social, environmental and economic impact of potential projects and allow those that are deemed appropriate to be put to tender.
A more detailed strategy is expected to be released by Mr Roberts later this year…..
Australian Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg, media release, 19 August 2016:
COAG ENERGY MINISTERS AGREE TO SIGNIFICANT REFORM PACKAGE
The COAG Energy Council has agreed to significant reforms and a major new program of work to ensure the energy system remains affordable and reliable as we transition to a lower emissions future. Council focused on three key areas of reform: · Increasing liquidity and transparency in gas markets
· Empowering consumer choice
· Ensuring stability and connectivity of the National Electricity Market (NEM)
Significant reports on gas market reform from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) provided a strong evidence base and momentum for action. To fast track implementation of the recommendations from these reports Council will form a new Gas Market Reform Group headed by Dr Michael Vertigan.
These are the most significant reforms to the domestic gas market in two decades. Council recognised the growing importance of gas as a transition fuel as we move to incorporate more renewables into the system.
The reforms will improve competition, encourage more supply and put downward pressure on prices. Another key focus of the Council will ensure consumers can confidently take advantage of new technologies such as battery storage through the introduction of appropriate consumer protections.
Council acknowledged the important role played by interconnectors in the NEM and agreed to review regulatory settings to ensure they do not present barriers to appropriate investment in the current market environment.
Officials have also been asked to provide advice on economic and operational impacts of existing and proposed state and territory emissions reduction policies on the energy system.
This advice will inform the Council’s consideration of how to better integrate energy and emissions policy.
The Council has proved its ability to respond to current issues and I look forward to further engagement with my colleagues when we meet again in December to build on the progress made today.
Ends
* ROBERTS: “We’ll just back you…..people aren’t going to love us, they’re going to hate us….”
FRYDENBERG: “Well I won’t say that in front of the T.V….”{laughing}
Thursday 9 June 2016
Turnbull Government will increase support for gas industry and coal seam gas exploration if re-elected on 2 July 2016
It has come
to my attention that a number of people living on the NSW North Coast believe
that the threat of coal seam gas mining in the Northern Rivers region has gone
away because communities so successfully resisted Metgasco Limited’s commercial plans to create gasfields in our
midst.
Unfortunately, although the immediate threat may have abated the longer-term threat remains all the
same, as these excerpts from the 6
June 2016 address to an Australian Petroleum
Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) conference by Minister
for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia Josh Frydenberg clearly show:
I’d like to acknowledge
my fellow speakers, APPEA Chairman, Bruce Lake, APPEA Director and Country
Chair for Shell Australia, Andrew Smith, and the Honourable Dr Anthony Lynham
MP.
I would also like to
acknowledge APPEA more generally, and its CEO in particular, Dr Malcolm
Roberts, for their constructive engagement and contribution to good policy that
is in the national interest.
It’s great to join you
for your annual conference, my first since being appointed Minister for
Resources, Energy and Northern Australia.
Since that time I have
always sought to:
·
highlight
the incredible contribution you make to Australia’s economic performance;
·
be
a passionate advocate for the work your members do to support jobs and grow the
Australian economy;
·
celebrate
the successes of the industry, including first gas at APLNG and Gladstone LNG
on the East coast and at Gorgon on the West coast; and
·
champion
the extraordinary innovation in the sector, from Shell’s Prelude FLNG facility
to the autonomous underwater vehicles operating on the ocean floor at the Pluto
project.
These early experiences
have highlighted the importance of building on Australia’s strong international
reputation as a reliable energy supplier and attractive place to invest, as
well as the innovative and resilient nature of the people working in the sector….
Importantly, our LNG
export capacity will continue to ramp up through several new projects which
have recently commenced production and further projects which are under
construction and due to come online over the next few years.
These projects together total
around $200 billion in capital investment.
They include three Coal
Seam Gas based LNG projects in Queensland (Queensland Curtis LNG, Gladstone LNG
and Australia-Pacific LNG) which commenced production over 2015 and early 2016….
The continued sustainable
development of the nation’s mineral and energy resources is a priority for the
Turnbull Government.
Our policies will:
·
cut
red tape, including streamlining environmental approvals processes;
·
drive
jobs and growth by cutting taxes;
·
create
new market opportunities;
·
de-risk
exploration;
·
support
innovation; and
·
increase
community engagement and understanding.
We stand by our record
since being elected.
The carbon tax is gone;
so is the mining tax.
In just two years, we
have cut more than $4 billion per annum in red tape.
The Coalition remains
committed to one-stop-shops for onshore environmental assessments and
approvals, having achieved it for offshore petroleum activities in Commonwealth
waters…..
At the same time as we
create new export opportunities, we are very focused on attracting greater
investment by de-risking exploration.
We understand that
exploration is a necessity for the industry – and that’s why we are committed
to making Australia as competitive as possible.
As announced in the
Budget, the Government will provide $100 million to fund the Exploring for the
Future programme to be delivered through Geoscience Australia over the next
four years.
Exploring for the Future
will produce a resources prospectus covering targeted areas of northern
Australia and parts of South Australia.
This programme will
deliver new pre-competitive geoscience to assist industry in better targeting
onshore areas likely to contain the next major oil, gas and mineral deposits…..
Firstly, our Growth
Centre Initiatives.
National Energy
Resources Australia (NERA) was launched earlier this year, and is one of six
industry-led Growth Centres.
The Growth Centres are
tasked with driving collaboration, innovation, and international
competitiveness in targeted areas of competitive strength and strategic
priority in the Australian economy.
The sector focus for
NERA is oil, gas, coal and uranium – Australia-wide – and covering the full
breadth of industry activities from exploration and development, construction,
drilling, production and operations, to decommissioning…..
The Coalition has
committed $15.4 million over four years to NERA with an additional $17.2
million for Project Funds to be matched by industry on projects with sector
impact…..
APPEA plays an important
role in enhancing the transparency around industry activities. At the last COAG
Energy Council, I proposed and the Council agreed that APPEA would produce an
annual unconventional gas activities report to provide a consistent, national
information source on activities across all jurisdictions.
Among other things, this
report will include, where available, the number of wells drilled, the number
of land access agreements in force, the extent and type of community
engagement, and the contribution unconventional gas activities make to
government revenues.
But we must also
acknowledge that there are members of the community that have raised concerns
about the processes involved in developing gas from unconventional sources.
These concerns must be
discussed and addressed if we are to successfully develop the new gas supplies
necessary to support Australian homes, businesses and the broader economy.
The Coalition has been
consistent in its support for the responsible development of unconventional gas
strongly underpinned by the best available science……
To further our
commitment to better inform the community of the scientific evidence in this
area, today I announce that the Turnbull Government will make $4 million
available for the CSIRO to undertake further research and to engage with the
community using the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance, or
GISERA model….
State-specific research
programs will be established in partnership with State Governments and industry
that wish to work with the Turnbull Government to address community questions.
In particular, GISERA
will address community concerns by:
conducting new research
in key areas such as surface and groundwater, agricultural land management,
biodiversity and socioeconomic impacts and opportunities;
·
establishing
a Regional Advisory Committee;
·
implementing
a communications program using trusted science-based information;
·
generating
advice for governments and industry;
·
improving
community understanding of the benefits and impacts of onshore gas development;
and
·
strengthening
the linkages to key stakeholder groups in gas development regions.
We know that there is no
substitute for community engagement and robust science if we are to bring more
gas to the market.
I look forward to
working with my State and Territory counterparts, and the companies operating
in each state, to expand GISERA wherever there are communities that would
benefit from scientific research into unconventional gas activities…..
It is clear that your
industry is absolutely critical to the continued strength of the Australian
economy.
As we now continue the
transition to the production phase of the current resources boom, and look to
take advantage of future opportunities, we must not compromise all the hard
work and investment that has got us to this point.
Sadly, under pressure
from the Greens, the Labor party has managed to destroy the vital
bipartisanship which existed for over a decade under Ian MacFarlane, Gary Gray
and Martin Ferguson in this area of national economic importance.
Resources Minister Josh Frydenberg has acknowledged as
recently as last month that the gas market needs to be reformed but, on the
back of the ACCC report, has suggested the answer lies in pipeline regulation
and moving away from blanket moratoriums on "certain" gas
developments – meaning bans on CSG developments – which should instead be
managed case by case.
The
Sydney Morning Herald,
7 June 2016:
The big environmental
issue of the last NSW election was coal seam gas. And while the gas industry
and its lobbyists keep waiting for the controversy to go away, gas looks set to
play a major role in the federal election too.
To recap, the NSW
government's support of CSG hit the Nationals hard at the state election. They
lost one formerly safe seat and lost another. The Libs took notice – CSG info
sessions were then held in Northern Sydney Liberal branches.
The government killed
off some gas projects, hoping to put gas on the – ahem – back burner, but
recent events continue to turn up the heat in NSW and beyond…..
It's a point worth
thinking about. No matter how much gas we produce, our prices are now linked to
the Asian market.
The gas industry knew
this, of course. In fact, companies like Santos boasted to investors that
opening up gas exports would mean they could charge Australian gas users global
prices.
The industry said
nothing, however, to governments. The Economic Impact Assessments
submitted to state planning agencies barely mentioned the impact on Australian
gas prices.
Australian manufacturers
have been hard hit. They now compete with foreign buyers of gas and can pay
double or triple previous contract prices. The ACCC found that for a period no
gas suppliers would make gas available to Australian
manufacturers.
Deloitte Access Economics found that the increase in gas
prices as a result of CSG exports could cost manufacturers $118 billion by
2021, most of which will go to the gas companies in a $81 billion windfall.
The salt in the wound
for manufacturers is their lobbyists let this happen. After insisting CSG was
an "exciting opportunity", last year Innes Willox, head of the
Australian Industry Group admitted that they had "sleepwalked into gas
exports".
With so much interest in
gas issues and voters clearly ready to punish politicians who get gas wrong,
there is plenty at stake in the coming election.
The Greens position is
simple – they oppose all CSG and most other gas developments.
The Coalition is in a
difficult spot. Pro-industry Liberals are unlikely to sign up for anything the
gas lobby doesn't want, but it isn't their voters that are likely to care.
The Nationals are still
smarting from their electoral losses in NSW. They're the ones that will get
burned if Greens and Labor can make local angst on gas count in federal
electorates.
Labor senses this,
pledging to extend the "water trigger", which makes more gas projects
likely to need federal environmental approval. The gas industry responded with
immediate condemnation.
Monday 2 May 2016
COAL SEAM GAS: NSW Baird Government coming after the Northern Rivers once again with the support of Parliamentary Secretary for the North Coast Chris Gulaptis
NSW Nationals MP for Clarence and NSW Parliamentary Secretary for the North Coast, Chris Gulaptis, has endorsed the Baird Government's North Coast Regional Plan – stating in the foreword in this planning document:
The Draft North Coast Regional Plan is our proposed blueprint for the next 20 years and it is a plan for both the Mid North Coast and the Far North Coast. The draft Plan outlines a vision, goals and actions that focus on a sustainable future for the region as it grows that protects the environment, builds a prosperous community and offers attractive lifestyle choices for residents.
Unfortunately he and the state Liberal-Nationals government of which he is a member see the future of the region as being one in which the gas industry is again a major player.
Excerpts from NSW Coalition Government's 100-page Draft North Coast Regional Plan, March 2016:
Biophysical Strategic Agricultural Land on the North Coast was also mapped in 2014 as part of the NSW Government's Strategic Regional Land Use Policy. This land is capable of sustaining high levels of production for a variety of agricultural industries due to its high-quality soil and water resources. More than 248,000 hectares of this land has been mapped on the North Coast. The policy requires that any significant mining or coal seam gas proposals on this land have to be scrutinised through the independent Gateway process, before a development application can be lodged….
The North Coast also includes areas of the Clarence-Moreton Basin, which has potential coal seam gas resources that may be able to support the development and growth of new industries and provide economic benefits for the region….
The NSW Department of Industry is mapping coal and coal seam gas resources in the region. Once completed, this information will inform future regional and local planning by providing updated information on the location of resource….
The NSW Government will:….. identify and plan for the infrastructure needs and requirements of the resources and energy sector….
NOTE:
The Gateway process which the Plan mentions was in place from 2012 onwards. A period in which Metgasco Limited's plan to create gasfields and at least one gas production facility on regionally significant farmland (with high fertility soils) in the Northern Rivers was supported by both Coalition state and federal government.
Neither the toothless Gateway process nor the Mining and Petroleum Gateway Panel (both parts of the wider Strategic Regional Land Use Policy) appear to have applied the brake to any Metgasco development applications lodged and approved in order to sink coal seam gas test wells and, under Part 3A of the NSW Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 inhibit progress the now defunct West Casino Gas Project.
The Federal Government's 2014 Catalogue of potential resource developments stated:
All developments within the Clarence‑Moreton bioregion are currently at the pre‑environmental impact statement (EIS) stage. However, subject to regulatory approval, the West Casino Gas Project may move towards an EIS within the time frames considered by the bioregional assessment.
Friday 8 April 2016
We breed 'em tough in the NSW Northern Rivers.....
A couple of years back I told a former director of Elk Petroleum that Metgasco Limited would withdraw from its arrangement with that US mining company and that Northern Rivers communities would win the battle with Metagasco over its mining exploration leases.
I pointed to the region’s long history of coming together to oppose threats to water security and environmental sustainability.
I don’t think he believed me then, but I think he would believe the Knitting Nannas now when locals like Lismore Nanna Clare Twomey are still voluntarily locking themselves on as she herself did to the exit gates of NSW Parliament House at 8.30pm on 31 March 2016 in protest at the Baird Coalition Government changes to protest laws and failure to address the ongoing tension between mining interests and the enduring need for environmental protections.
The Northern Star on 1 April reported that: After 8 and a half hours at the Sydney gates, the Knitting Nanna cofounder, locked off without arrest. She was supported by Greens Jeremy Buckingham, Knitting Nannas and interviewed by Sydney media.
Images From The Northern Star & Twitter
Saturday 30 January 2016
Tweet of the Week
This one was especially tweeted for Liberal MP for Flinders and Australian Minister
Sunday 17 January 2016
Natural Gas & Coal Seam Gas: A lesson in consequences for Australian federal and state governments
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday ordered new regulations, including stepped-up inspections and safety measures, for all natural gas storage facilities in California in response to the continuing leak that has displaced thousands of people in the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The emergency regulations would require Southern California Gas Co. and other operators of gas storage facilities to conduct daily inspections of wellheads using infrared leak-detection technology, verify the mechanical integrity of wells, measure gas flow and pressure and regularly test safety valves, among other steps.
Each facility would also have to draft a risk management plan that would examine the corrosion potential of pipes and other safety threats.
The requirements are part of a series of orders issued by Brown as he declared a state of emergency stemming from a leaking well at SoCal Gas' storage facility in Aliso Canyon. For more than 10 weeks a damaged well has released large amounts of planet-warming methane and emitted sulfur-like odors that have sickened residents with nosebleeds, headaches and other symptoms.
Brown's action came after weeks of demands by residents, activists and local officials for the governor to intervene. In the proclamation, Brown cited the “prolonged and continuing duration of this natural gas leak and the request by residents and local officials for a declaration of emergency.”
The governor ordered state agencies to “utilize all necessary state personnel, equipment, and facilities to ensure a continuous and thorough response to this incident.” Unlike with most emergency proclamations, however, he did not suspend state laws, cut red tape or commit more resources or public funds to address the leak.
Brown contends that SoCal Gas should bear all related expenses from the leak. He tasked the California Public Utilities Commission with ensuring that the gas company “cover costs related to the natural gas leak and its response, while protecting ratepayers.”
Evan Westrup, a governor's spokesman, noted that the proclamation does allow the governor to waive state laws if necessary in the future.
The new regulations will apply to a dozen natural gas storage fields across nine counties, according to the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, which will issue the new rules.
ABC
News, 10
August 2015:
A study commissioned by
Queensland's environment department says an experimental plant operated by mining
company Linc Energy at Chinchilla, west of Brisbane, is to blame and has
already caused "irreversible" damage to strategic cropping land.
The department, which
has launched a $6.5 million criminal prosecution of the company, alleges Linc
is responsible for "gross interference" to the health and wellbeing
of former workers at the plant as well as "serious environmental
harm".
The 335-page experts'
report, obtained by the ABC, has been disclosed to Linc but not to landholders.
It says gases released
by Linc's activities at its underground coal gasification plant at Hopeland
have caused the permanent acidification of the soil near the site.
Experts also found
concentrations of hydrogen in the soil at explosive levels and abnormal amounts
of methane, which they say is being artificially generated underground, over a
wide area.
Other documents,
released to the ABC by the magistrate in charge of the criminal case, show four
departmental investigators were hospitalised with suspected gas poisoning
during soil testing at the site in March.
"My nausea lasted
for several hours. I was also informed by the treating doctor that my blood
tests showed elevated carbon monoxide levels (above what was normal)," one
of the investigators said.
High levels of
cancer-causing benzene were detected at the site afterwards.
Earlier this year the
State Government imposed an "excavation exclusion zone" on 314 square
kilometres around the Linc facility where landholders are banned from digging
any hole deeper than two metres.
ABC
News, 10 June 2015:
The Queensland
Government has widened its legal action against resources company Linc Energy
over the alleged contamination of the environment by its underground gas plant
on the Darling Downs in the state's south-east.
The Government has today
filed a fifth charge of wilfully and unlawfully causing serious environmental
harm against the company.
An investigation — the
largest and most protracted in the history of the Queensland Environment
Department — has found that Linc Energy's Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)
plant at Hopeland caused irreversible damage "to more than one
environmental receptor [which includes the atmosphere, vegetation, water and
soil]".
UCG is a so-called
"unconventional" means of extracting gas from coal seams that are too
deep to mine.
Coal is burned in situ
underground and the gas produced is siphoned off through wells.
The ABC has been told
that external experts contracted by the department found "scientific
evidence of [the plant's] operation above hydrostatic pressure, fracturing the
landform, and excursion of contaminants"……
Queensland's Environment
Minister Steven Miles is travelling to the western Darling Downs to meet with
affected landholders and to explain what the latest charge means.
"This is probably
the biggest investigation of its kind in Australian history, we've had upwards
of 100 technical officers in Chinchilla monitoring sites and measuring this
pollution, it's a very serious matter," he said.
"Our next biggest
concern is the impact that this pollution could have on the livelihoods and on
the wellbeing of the landholders in the area nearby Linc…..
Linc
Energy Limited v Chief Executive, Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection [2015] QLC 12 (1 April 2015) [100%]
(From Land Court of Queensland; 1 April 2015; 32 KB)
(From Land Court of Queensland; 1 April 2015; 32 KB)
Linc
Energy Ltd v Chief Executive Administering the Environmental Protection Act
1994 & Anor [2014] QSC 172 (1 August 2014) [99%]
(From Supreme Court of Queensland; 1 August 2014; 54 KB)
(From Supreme Court of Queensland; 1 August 2014; 54 KB)
Linc
Energy Ltd v Chief Executive Administering the Environmental Protection Act
1994 & Anor (No 2) [2014] QSC 182 (5 August 2014) [97%]
(From Supreme Court of Queensland; 5 August 2014; 7 KB)
(From Supreme Court of Queensland; 5 August 2014; 7 KB)
Chief
Executive Administering the Environmental Protection Act 1994 & Anor v Linc
Energy Ltd [2015] QCA 197 (16 October 2015) [24%]
(From Supreme Court of Queensland - Court of Appeal; 16 October 2015; 74 KB)
(From Supreme Court of Queensland - Court of Appeal; 16 October 2015; 74 KB)
Linc
Energy Ltd v Chief Executive, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
[2015] QLC 42 (26 November 2015) [100%]
(From Land Court of Queensland; 26 November 2015; 27 KB)
(From Land Court of Queensland; 26 November 2015; 27 KB)
Labels:
Coal Seam Gas Mining,
man-made disasters,
methane,
pollution
Friday 1 January 2016
While I was away........
After a prolonged absence from blogging due to illness, here is a little catchup from the period July to December 2015.
* NSW Premier and Liberal MP for Manly Mike Baird puts "lipstick on a pig" by calling for an increase in the Goods & Service Tax (GST) to 15 per cent.
* The community
consultation dialogue between ratepayers and Clarence Valley Council over proposed consecutive rate rises every year for the next five
years remained as colourful as ever:
* One of
Australia’s most influential women, former Federal Labor MP for Page Janelle Saffin announced she will be
standing against sitting Nationals MP Kevin Hogan at the 2016 federal election.
[Echo Netdaily, 23
September 2015]
_______________
* Coal seam
gas company Metgasco Limited finally
bowed to people power and walked away from its exploration leases on the NSW
North Coast with a state government compensation cheque totaling $25 million
in its back pocket:
* The NSW Nationals used Twitter to take
credit for Metgasco’s capitulation – which saw a predictable response:
* The strength of NSW gun laws was demonstrated to a retiree living on Palmer's Island in the Clarence Valley:
* On 17
December 2015 The Daily Examiner published an article titled The
600 major companies that paid less tax than you, but neglected to tell
its readers that it was owned by one of these very same companies, APN NEWS
& MEDIA LTD, which had an income of
$310.3 million in the 2013-14 financial year.
A total of $21.2 million of this was considered taxable income, yet this
company had no tax payable listed for that financial year.
* That
one-time darling of the Liberal-Nationals federal government, Kathy Jackson, got her comeuppance:
* Royal
Commissioner Dyson Heydon delivered his discredited final
report on union governance and corruption to the Australian Governor-General on 28 December. The full report can be found at: https://www.tradeunionroyalcommission.gov.au/reports/Pages/default.aspx.
The disgraced union
leader declared bankruptcy in June, on the opening day of HSU Federal Court
proceedings which resulted in her being ordered to pay $1.4m to the union as
compensation for up to $2.5m misappropriated from members while she was its
national secretary between 2008 and February this year.
But her discharge from
bankruptcy will only remain in place for three years, meaning the HSU may be
able to continue to recoup some of the money she owes after that time.
On Tuesday, Ms Jackson's
bill increased by $997,349, when judge Richard Tracey ordered she pay
$554,215.67 in interest, $356,500 in legal costs and $86,633.81 in appeal
costs.
Brisbane-based
commercial barrister Gavin Handran, listed in the most recent Doyles Guide as
one of Australia's leading insolvency and reconstruction junior counsels, said
Ms Jackson solicited bankruptcy too early.
"The order for
costs, circa $350,000, made by Justice Tracey on 21 December is not a debt
provable in her bankruptcy even though it relates to a damages award made
before bankruptcy," Mr Handran said. "The HSU may accordingly enforce
that order against her, perhaps resulting in her again becoming bankrupt or
surrendering any assets she acquires in the interim, after her current
bankruptcy ends." Mr Handran said the law applied differently to interest
and costs. "She might be safe with the interest," he said.
"I suspect what
Kathy Jackson did, like so many in her troubled circumstances, was that she ran
off on first day and filed for bankruptcy. That was premature.
"It's particularly
important for the HSU workers to understand that she's not out of the woods.
The sword still hangs over her head." "Not only does she face the
real prospect of re-entering bankruptcy after she emerges from this period, but
there's also the possibility that the HSU, depending on a cost-benefit
analysis, may examine her under oath in the Federal Court, with the assistance
of the bankruptcy trustee, to ascertain whether she's transferred any assets to
a third party or (her partner, Michael) Lawler." HSU national secretary
Chris Brown said the union was "alive to the possibility" of Ms
Jackson facing a second round of bankruptcy, or interrogation over the transfer
of assets. The union was still determining how it would approach the matter. [The
Australian, 24 December 2015, p.5]
_______________
* NSW
Coalition Premier Mike Baird thought his ability to waste $500,000 of taxpayers' money deserved a tweet or two:
Go to http://www.stonersloth.com.au/ to see the Australian version of Reefer Madness that Baird signed off on.
_______________
There were 222
industrial disputes in Australia during the year ended September 2015, involving
78,000 individuals in a workforce of est. 11.7 million people. The majority of these ‘strikes’ appear to have lasted 2 days
or less.
This low
level of disputes does
not please former prime minister Tony Abbott who, living in a time long
past, argued in December 2015 for a tougher approach to breaking up
illegal union pickets, saying police forces “around our country” had to be
prepared to “uphold the law and not simply keep the peace … A lot of police
forces have been traditionally reluctant to break picket lines where picket
lines have been preventing people from going about their ordinary lawful
business”.
_______________
It came as no surprise that Dyson Mr.Apprehended Bias 2015 Heydon decided that Kathy Jackson was really a hero who just happened to embezzle over $1.4 million dollars:
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* The
independent Q&A Review Final Report released
in December 2015 appears to have discovered that this ABC program is skewed in favour of the
government of the day:
Conservative flying monkeys dropped from Australian skies in shock.
_______________
*
WorkChoices Mark 2 appears to be forming on the horizon ahead of this
year’s federal election:
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/scott-morrison-flags-taking-industrial-relations-reform-to-next-election-20151215-gloika
Former
workplace relations minister Eric Abetz says the Fair Work Commission
cannot ignore calls to reduce Sunday penalty rates, if as
expected the Productivity Commission recommends the move on Monday.
Senator Abetz was the
workplace relations minister until the Liberal leadership change and
cabinet reshuffle in September.
Speaking ahead of the
Productivity Commission's release of its final report into the industrial
relations system, he told Fairfax Media the review must be respected
by the Fair Work Commission which sets wages and entitlements. [The Sydney Morning Herald, 21
December 2015]
The recommendations —
laid out in the commission's final
report into workplace relations
released on Monday — would affect workers in the entertainment, hospitality and
retail industries, if adopted.
The commission did not
recommend any changes to overtime penalty rates, night penalty rates or shift
loadings, nor changes to rates for nurses, teachers or emergency services
workers.
"Penalty rates have
a legitimate role in compensating employees for working long hours or at
asocial times," it stated.
"However, Sunday
penalty rates for hospitality, entertainment, retailing, restaurants and cafes
are inconsistent across similar work, anachronistic in the context of changing
consumer preferences, and frustrate the job aspirations of the unemployed and
those who are only available for work on Sunday.
"Rates should be
aligned with those on Saturday, creating a weekend rate for each of the
relevant industries."
Announcing the report's
findings, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the Government would examine
the recommendations and, if the case for sensible and fair changes to workplace
relations were outlined, they would be taken to the next election. [ABC News, 21 December 2015]
ACT Liberal senator Zed
Seselja said the Coalition should argue for a cut in Sunday penalty rates at
next year's election.
"The Productivity
Commission has done some really important work here," Senator Seselja he
said.
"I think that we
should be looking to put some policies to the next election which make
incremental reforms in this area that go down the path the Productivity
Commission is recommending.
"In the hospitality
industry, in particular, that's where I hear the most from business owners,
that's where I think the reforms should be occurring, and I think that's the
sort of thing that we could develop a policy to take to an election." [ABC News, 21
December 2015]
Pharmacists
in Australia have voted to launch industrial action for the first time,
starting Christmas Eve, as a national pharmacy chain moves to slash penalty
rates. It comes amid tense debate over a proposed Australia-wide rollback of
Sunday penalty rates for workers in hospitality, retail and entertainment jobs,
following an inquiry by the Productivity Commission. Pharmacists employed at
dozens of National Pharmacies sites across Victoria and South Australia will
now become the first in their profession to take action against an employer, as
anger rises over threats to their penalty rates. From Thursday, pharmacists
will embark on a campaign against National Pharmacies, authorising strikes of
up to 24 hours that could force the temporary closure of some sites if the
deadlock continues. The campaign this week will begin with pharmacists refusing
to perform a range of work duties. National Pharmacies is attempting to cut
pharmacists' penalty rates by as much as 50 per cent for certain hours on
Saturday shifts. Double-time Sunday rates would remain in place. The company
also wants to lower overtime pay, freeze the wages of existing pharmacists and
introduce a two-tiered pay scheme, according to the union. In a statement,
National Pharmacies said the pressures of a competitive and uncertain
marketplace had forced a need to align with the rest of the industry. [The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 December
2015, p.4]
* It became obvious that local thoughts had begun to turn to the 2016 election of councillors:
Excerpts from Clarence Valley Rate Payers, Residents and Business Owners Facebook page - featuring Deputy Mayor Cr. Craig Howe & the artwork of a ratepayer.
_______________
* It became obvious that local thoughts had begun to turn to the 2016 election of councillors:
Excerpts from Clarence Valley Rate Payers, Residents and Business Owners Facebook page - featuring Deputy Mayor Cr. Craig Howe & the artwork of a ratepayer.
_______________
_______________
With the national terrorism threat level still fixed as "PROBABLE" by the Turnbull Government, DIBP and presumably many in Border Farce took an eleven day Chrissie holiday:
On 29 December The
Guardian reported that the Turnbull ministry is three and a half months
old and already there are two casualties. One looks fairly straightforward. The
other, not so. In both cases, Malcolm Turnbull is well rid of them under the circumstances….
Jamie Briggs resigned after
he “interacted” with a female public servant in an “informal manner” in a late
night bar on an overseas trip. She complained he had acted inappropriately…..
The other casualty was Mal
Brough, the former special minister of state. This is more opaque and the stink
has a potential to linger given Brough has promised only to step aside, not
resign…..
Background
on Mal Brough “stink” by barrister Ross Bowler.
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