Australian Medical Association calls for coal seam gas health checks

AMA calls for coal seam gas health checks

23/05/2013

The AMA Federal Council today passed a policy resolution calling on all Australian governments to ensure that all coal seam gas (CSG) mining proposals in Australia are subject to rigorous and independent health risk assessments before they are allowed to proceed.

The motion reads as follows:

That Federal Council adopts the policy resolution urging governments to ensure that:

• all existing coal seam gas extraction projects are regularly monitored for any health impacts and the presence of air and ground-water pollutants in their local environment; and,
• all future proposals for coal seam gas mining are subject to rigorous and independent health risk assessments, which take into account the potential for exposure to pollutants through air and groundwater and any likely associated health risks. In circumstances where there is insufficient evidence to ensure safety, the precautionary principle should apply.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that governments must strengthen the assessment and monitoring of the health impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) developments in Australia.

“Despite the rapid expansion of CSG developments, the health impacts have not been adequately researched, and effective regulations that protect public health are not in place,” Dr Hambleton said.

“There is a lack of information on the chemicals used and wastes produced, insufficient data on cumulative health impacts, and a lack of comprehensive environmental monitoring and health impact assessments.

“The assessment of the health impacts of CSG developments needs to strengthened and made consistent across all jurisdictions.  The regulation of CSG varies between the States, with standards for health regulation ranging from a degree of consideration to apparent disregard.

“In circumstances where there is insufficient evidence to ensure safety, the AMA recommends that the precautionary principle should apply.  This is essential given the threat of serious and irreversible harms to human health.

“The AMA welcomes the current move by the Commonwealth to strengthen environment protection laws relating to the impacts of CSG projects on water resources, but this must be supported with national standards and safeguards for health,” Dr Hambleton said.

23 May 2013

CONTACT:                     John Flannery                           02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761
                                         Kirsty Waterford                        02 6270 5464 / 0427 209 753

Abbott is caught out - then slides away on the back of a number of political lies

On 24 May 2013 – eight days after he declared a budget emergency – Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott agreed to progress the passage and assure the Coalition vote for the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Political Donations and Other Measures) Bill 2013  which would retrospectively and into the future deliver millions of dollars to the coffers of major political parties.

Then the issue became a hot topic in both the backrooms of the halls of power and in electorates across Australia.

Suddenly Abbott's office claimed that the opposition had not seen the legislation, then that A deal on the reform was originally negotiated between senior Labor and Liberal figures but Mr Abbott had not formally declared his position.

Later still the line was that he had actually agreed to the legislation before his budget reply pointed out the so-called 'budget emergency'.

Finally we hear that even though Abbott had agreed, it was only provisional as he had no power to sign off on the agreement.

The political lies ran trippingly off Mr. Abbott's tongue during a number of televised interviews.

However his letter is out there in cyberspace for all to see........

Tony Abbott's letter to the Government showing Coalition support for controversial election funding legislation

Telstra and the Federal Coalition want you to continue to pay for privacy

Consumers Federation of Australia 28 May 2013:

In February, ACCAN welcomed Telstra’s move to waive the fee for people who are under a protection order or at risk of violence. However, ACCAN argued in its submission to a recent Senate Committee inquiry that this exemption is not enough and a Silent Line should be free for all consumers.

“Under Telstra’s policy, many people who rightly need a Silent Line will still be forced to pay the fee,” said ACCAN CEO Teresa Corbin. “It’s clear Telstra aren’t going to remove this fee for all consumers, which is why we’re calling on the government to act. We want to make sure all Australians do not have to pay for this privacy protection,” said Ms Corbin.

In the Senate Committee’s report, Labor and Greens Senators recommended the fee be banned, however a majority of Coalition Senators recommended against banning the fee……

Telstra has not said publicly how much revenue is collected from the Silent Line fee, however in 2007 a Fairfax newspaper estimated that the fee generates as much as $30 million annually. This conservative estimate is a small fraction – around 1/1000th – of Telstra’s annual sales revenue (over $25 billion FY 2011-2012).

Other providers like Internode, iPrimus and iiNet all charge their customers a Silent Line fee due to the costs passed on from Telstra. Optus charges a Silent Line fee when it resells a Telstra landline service, although it doesn’t charge a fee on its own service.

In 2008 the Australian Law Reform Commission recommended the fee be abolished.

In the No-Land of Oz

I was watching TV when news of the recognition walk and the push for a referendum so that Australian first peoples to be recognized in the Constitution of Australia came on the screen.

This started me thinking of the lies government tells itself and the public to achieve its ends.   

              

The idea of terra nullius was basically a lie and because Aboriginal people did not use the land in the manner of Europeans they were considered to have no rights to ownership of that land. 

This convenient lie allowed the British Government to appropriate all the landmass of Australia and give ownership to whoever they wished. 

The first peoples were considered part of the fauna and flora of the country, this in effect stripped them of their human status, and from this thinking came all the injustices that future generations suffered. 

This brings us to the current times were another convenient lie has gained ground - the idea of exempting even the mainland of Australia from our migration zone.

We have gone from terra nullius to nec terram. First there were no people now there is no land. 

Where could this lie lead us in the future? 

All ex-pat Australian citizens cannot return because there is now no land for them to return to! 

Maybe the government is correct and we have no land since it is all being dug up and shipped overseas anyway.

Does this mean that since the Australian population now lives in the wonderful No-Land of Oz we don't have ownership of our country or its resources?

This could explains an article in the Sunday Mail on the 26th of May on page 22 titled “Super Nation fails to take off”, it seems that there has been a campaign to force the US President to look at merging the United States and Australia into a new super nation called Ameristralia.

If it had succeeded I wonder when we Aussies would have been told?

Is your MP a psychopath?

This is Dr. John Clarke’s pick of the top jobs preferred by psychopaths:

1. CEO
2. Lawyer
3. Media (TV/radio)
4. Salesperson
5. Surgeon
6. Journalist
7. Police officer
8. Clergyperson
9. Chef
10. Civil servant

Ever noticed how many lawyers and journos gravitate towards Canberra? 

Most famous ex-journo currently strutting the corridors of Parliament House? Tony Abbott! Nuff said.

Tweeting pure hate * Strong Language*

Sometimes the level of hate directed at women using the Internet is truly mindboggling.......

This Twitter account has since been suspended:

It's pretty tough when even your so-called mates cannot get your name correct

Such was the level of mirth at the table of knowledge at the local watering hole yesterday a couple of the lads were thinking seriously they'd need to ring 000 and get an ambulance to take a few of their mates to the local hospital with instructions they have their sides sewn up - you see, they were splitting their sides while laughing after they read a piece in Monday's Daily Examiner.

The piece, titled Weekly Whispers, carried a copy of part of a NSW Farmers Association's notice of a meeting of its Grafton Branch. According to the notice, the special guest at the meeting would be Clarence MP Steve Gulaptis. 
Yep, that's right Steve Gulaptis!

In some circles the current Member for Clarence is referred to as Mr Walker (a.k.a The Phantom).

Credits: The Daily Examiner and Robbo