Why is the NSW Aboriginal Land Council ducking and weaving over its lack of community consultation?

New South Wales woke up this month to find that the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC), a peak body said to represent an estimated 23,000 members, had applied for three Petroleum Special Prospecting Authority licences covering roughly more than half the New South Wales land mass.

The Council’s chief executive, Geoff Scott, is reported in The Sydney Morning Herald as saying; None of the titles fell on land owned by Aboriginal people.

Although it quickly became apparent that many local aboriginal land councils and native title claimants on the NSW North Coast and elsewhere had been unaware of the Council’s plans, it is still puzzling to find the bizarre claim that no land owned by indigenous individuals or communities fall within these applications.

This map showing the application areas in shades of red-pink tells another story. On the New England-Clarence Valley-Mid North Coast application alone over twenty local aboriginal land councils are potentially affected by any prospecting licence granted to NSWALC (and its future joint venture partner) by the O'Farrell Government.

Click on image to enlarge.

One in the eye for Monsanto & Co

The Australian 12 March 2010:

A SALT-RESISTANT wheat variety developed by an Australian team through old-fashioned cross-breeding rather than genetic modification is increasing crop yields by up to 25 per cent in salinity-prone areas, and could help counter food security concerns.

Researchers from Adelaide University's Waite Institute, the CSIRO and the NSW government first isolated the gene in an ancient relative of durum wheat -- used to make couscous and pasta flour -- 15 years ago.

The breakthrough was published in the international journal Nature Biotechnology overnight…..researchers had spent more than a decade using traditional cross-breeding techniques to blend the 10,000-year-old durum with its modern cousin to increase its salt resistance without genetic modification…..

Rana Munns, Richard A James &  Bo Xu, Asmini Athman, Simon J Conn, Charlotte Jordans, Caitlin S Byrt,  Ray A Hare, Stephen D Tyerman, Mark Tester, Darren Plett and Matthew Gilliham are to be congratulated for the research behind Wheat grain yield on saline soils is improved by an ancestral Na+ transporter gene in the March issue of  Nature Biotechnology (R.M., R.A.J., R.A.H., M.T., D.P. and M.G. conceived the project and planned experiments. R.M. and M.G. supervised the research. B.X. performed all Xenopus, yeast and protoplast experiments and R.A.J. performed field research. C.S.B. performed wheat genotyping. S.D.T. assisted with electrophysiology experiments. S.J.C., A.A. and C.J. performed in situ PCR and qPCR. M.G., D.P., R.A.J. and R.M. wrote the manuscript. All authors commented on the manuscript).

Dr. Rana Munns is Chief Research Scientist at the C.S.I.R.O. and began her investigations many years ago - her profile is here.
 
The C.S.I.R.O. is reported to have conducted field trials of durum wheat varieties containing new salt tolerant genes in northern NSW in 2009-10.

This is science which seeks  to improve cereal crops but does not risk contaminating wild grass populations with novel genetically modified organisms which never existed before in nature. It potentially does not have the same exploitative limitations imposed on farmers by biotech industry giants like Monsanto & Co.

As there are 12 types of groundwater flow systems contributing to dryland salinity across Australia, research into salt resistant food crops is also very relevant to national food security.

National Report by Australia on Measures Taken to Support Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Commonwealth Intergovernmental Working Group for the UNCCD, April 2002

So it is more than a pity that the C.S.I.R.O. is looking at an additional use for this ancient gene - adding it into the GMO research it already conducts on wheat and other food crops. [ABC AM 12 March 2012]

It appears that once an Australian scientific agency gets into bed with Monsanto it is for life.

* This post is part of North Coast Voices' effort to keep Monsanto's blog monitor (affectionately known as Mr. Monsanto) in long-term employment.

The mystery of Blue's beer

Onya, Bazza!

YOUR article ("Soldiers' 'solace in binge drinking' ", 3-4/3) got us thinking down at the RSL the other night.

Blue just wanted to know who drank his beer. We struggled with the maths but finally agreed that 7.5 million cans over six months divided by troop strength meant we should have had six cans a night each.

However, The Ant reminded us that in camp at Nui Dat our ration was two cans a night and when we did occasionally get to Vung Tau he only drank local beer. Then, always alert, Grunt said: "Wait on, at any one time, a third of us were out on patrol. It was hard enough carrying water and ammo let alone beer."

We also recalled that some stronger willed Nashos did not drink alcohol. So the remaining third of us had to get through 18 beers every night. Since the boozer opened at 5pm, was closed for dinner and curfew was 10pm, we conceded the task was beyond even us.

We concluded that there must have been a phantom company that had Olympian drinking capacity was sent over along with the beer. Or else the whole story is a furphy.

Nevertheless, if it is true that if 7.5 million cans were dispatched from Australia to Vietnam for us Diggers over six months, whoever got them, it's your shout.

Barry Golding, Sherwood, Qld

Google Images supplied the beer pic

Cansdellgate - believe it or not!

A Daily Examiner correspondent has expressed his amazement [and it's most likely the same view that thousands of others have] about the speed with which the NSW DPP worked on the stat dec matter associated with disgraced former MP for Clarence, Steve Cansdell.

Source: Letters, The Daily Examiner, 14/3/12

So who wants to mine our backyard?

http://www.minerals.nsw.gov.au/mv2web/mv2?cmd=MainMap&topic=ttl

On 9 March 2012 the NSW Aboriginal Land Council announced it had applied for three Petroleum Special Prospecting Authority licences - about 49km ESE  White Cliffs (approx.. 368,340 sq km area), six kilometres SSE  Murwillumbah (approx.1,330 sq km area) and about 45km SSW Grafton (approx.47,040 sq km area). Murwillumbah and Grafton are on the NSW Far North Coast.

The  Murwillumbah  application PSPAPP 55 runs from the Dorroughby, Rosebank, Federal region right up through the ranges to the NSW-QLD border. The much larger Grafton application PSPAPP 56 roughly covers an inland area which goes from the Stanthorpe-Tenterfield region in the north to past Armidale in the south – extending across to the coastal zone from Mount Tucabia and Yamba in the north, Coffs Harbour midway, down to just above Crowdy Head.

So it was of more than passing interest to find that on the same day The Sydney Morning Herald reported a spokesperson stating that NSWALC already had a joint venture partner who apparently did not wish to be identified:

''Our initial geology studies are showing their potential is enormous. This is a paradigm shift.''

The council had a joint venture partner that would provide most of the cash and expertise required to follow any petroleum exploration and extraction through, he said. He would not identify the partner. Profits would be split equally. None of the titles fell on land owned by Aboriginal people, he said.

By 13 March 2012 The Daily Examiner was revealing a lack of consultation with local land councils:

NORTH Coast Aboriginal community leaders have sought to distance themselves from a plan by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to apply for licenses to explore for petroleum and coal seam gas in the region……

But Ngaraakwal/Ngarangwal elder Harry Boyd has called for a public inquiry into the decision, describing it as a "back room deal" which was made without consultation.

"The matter of the NSW Land Council signing-off on petrol exploration licenses means for us, all of us, the entire community, a rubber stamp on coal seam gas," Mr Boyd said.

"But my people and I speak for most of the 'blackfellas' in the Northern Rivers here, (and) we were not present at the signing of any agreements.

"We were not consulted by the Land Council ... and we have not been represented by the Land Councils for many years."

He said those who signed the "back room documents" needed to explain themselves to the people of the North Coast.

"This matter needs to be opened up for public inspection as it affects us all," he said.

"We want those people ... to explain to us what ground they are standing on.

"All of this leads to confusion for everyone and it upsets my people who still consider the ground sacred.

"The land councils are meant to protect the culture, not just do deals."

Mr Boyd said he made it clear to Federal Government representatives in April that Aboriginal people of the North Coast did not want coal seam gas.

"Our unborn spirits are in the underground water, and we consider this industry as a great offence," he said.

Mr Boyd's comments were supported by Arakwal community representative Gilbert King.

Mr King said the proposal potentially affected the traditional land of his people, but that they were not consulted in the decision.

Bundjalung elder and Gugin Guddaba Local Aboriginal Land Council deputy chairwoman Patsy Nagas also said her group were strongly opposed to the development of coal seam gas in the region.

Also on 13 March 2012 ABC North Coast NSW confirmed another LALC which had not been consulted:

The Tweed-Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council says it's surprised by its state counterpart's application for petroleum exploration licences on the north coast

The chairman of a local Aboriginal land council on the state's far north coast says he wasn't consulted about plans to mine in the area.

ABC Indigenous  indicated that the unease was felt further afield:

A far west Aboriginal elder says local indigenous communities still haven't been consulted about the NSW Aboriginal Lands Council's plan to invest in the mining industry….

Doctor Beryl Carmichael, an elder of Ngiyaempaa country, said local Aboriginal people weren't told about the plan.

"There's been no consultation, with the grass root people, nor the custodians of this country," she said.

"And I think they should have had the decency to let us know, indicate something to us, that this was going on."

"They are, will be operating in Ngiyaempaa country, and I think they should start sitting down and coming out and sitting down with the grass root people, and talking about their plans."

Doctor Carmichael said mining the land goes against traditional Aboriginal beliefs.

"The land's our mother, and if these people want to go and exploit the land, well where are they coming from, you know?" she said.

"Where's their connectedness to the land and the environment? They don't even know their culture, what culture really means."

"No, I'll certainly argue with this one, I think, I've got to for the sake of my ancestors."

UPDATE:

MinView mapping indicates that all three NSWALC prospecting applications may also include areas under current native title claims. Click on images to enlarge.

The three applications marked in purple

Native title claim areas in red

Cansdell continues to haunt the NSW parliament

According to Hansard former and disgraced Member for Clarence, Steve Cansdell, was in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday 13 March 2012 a bit after 3.30pm and voted with the government on its Education Reform motion That this House supports the Government in delivering on its election commitment to give decision-making power back to local schools and school communities.

How very convenient  it must be for the newly elected Member for Clarence, Christopher Gulaptis, to be able to sneak out of the house when a division is called and know his good old best mate Steve is ever ready to stand in for him.

A rare frog the NSW Minister for Resources and Energy & Anchor Resources intends to ignore?

Giant Barred Frog found on the Wild Cattle Creek property

Scientific name: Mixophyes iteratus
Conservation status in NSW: Endangered
National conservation status: Endangered

Image found at

Protect & Preserve the Dorrigo Plateau

It is no secret that NSW Minister for Resources and Energy, Chris Hartcher, is enthusiastic at the prospect of mining on the Mid and Far North Coast – particularly when it comes to gold and antimony mining on the Dorrigo Plateau.

A plateau which takes in the Clarence River catchment high country which supplies fresh water to an estimated 125,419 residents (based on 2010 ERP figures) in Coffs Harbour City and Clarence Valley Shire local government areas.

Local government areas falling within a region which has a population expected to grow more than 28% to around 424,400 by 2031.

Given the ongoing exploration within Anchor Resources Limited’s Wild Cattle Creek EL 6388 lease and the corporation’s recent history of environmental degradation, one has to wonder why Minister Hartcher and his department head have not yet thought fit to insist on a formal environmental assessment of the lease area.

NSW Department of Environment and Conservation:

Description

Giant Barred Frogs are large frogs, up to 115 mm in length. They are olive to dark brown above with paler or darker blotches, and cream to pale yellow below. The skin is finely granular. The pupil of the eye is vertical and the iris is pale golden in the upper half and brown in the lower half. The call is a deep ‘ork’ breaking into a series of ‘orks’ and grunts. The Giant Barred Frog can be most easily distinguished from other barred frog species by the black thighs with smaller yellow spots, distinct barring on the limbs, dark blotches on the sides, absence of a creamy stripe on the upper lip and the distinctive eye colour.

Location and habitat

Distribution

Coast and ranges from south-eastern Queensland to the Hawkesbury River in NSW. North-eastern NSW, particularly the Coffs Harbour-Dorrigo area, is now a stronghold. Considered to have disappeared south of the Hawkesbury and there are no recent records from the Blue Mountains. [my bolding]

Habitat and ecology

• Giant Barred Frogs forage and live amongst deep, damp leaf litter in rainforests, moist eucalypt forest and nearby dry eucalypt forest, at elevations below 1000 m.
• They breed around shallow, flowing rocky streams from late spring to summer.
• Females lay eggs onto moist creek banks or rocks above water level, from where tadpoles drop into the water when hatched.
• Tadpoles grow to a length of 80 mm and take up to 14 months before changing into frogs. When not breeding the frogs disperse hundreds of metres away from streams. They feed primarily on large insects and spiders.

Threats

• Reduction in water quality, from sedimentation or pollution.
• Changes in water flow patterns, either increased or decreased flows.
• Reduction of leaf-litter and fallen log cover through burning.
• Timber harvesting and other forestry practices.
• Vegetation clearance.
• Predation on eggs and tadpoles by introduced fish.
• Weed spraying close to streams.
• Chytrid fungal disease.