NSW Farmers asks O'Farrell to protect all strategic agricultural land, water resources and lots zoned residential from CSG and coal mining

NSW Farmers on 19 February 2013 as reported in the RuralWeekly:

The following motion was passed at this morning's executive council meeting:

NSW Farmers supports Premier O'Farrell's decision to take a tougher stand on CSG compliance, and extraction near iconic agricultural industries. We call on the NSW Government to improve this policy by taking the following steps:

1.   apply the 2km buffer to Strategic Agricultural Land and water resources, as identified in Strategic Regional Land Use Plans;

2.    apply the buffer to minerals exploration and extraction (including coal) - not just coal seam gas;

3.    apply this policy to all projects which have not yet received approval, or release legal advice detailing why this step cannot be taken; and,

4.    apply the 2km buffer to all areas zoned as residential (as opposed to setting a population-based definition).

Question for 2013: So exactly when is the Australian National University going to become an ethical investor?

In January 2013 local and national media reported that the Australian National University (ANU) was still a significant shareholder in Metgasco Limited, a coal seam gas exploration and production company operating without a social license on the NSW North Coast.

When caught out ANU pleaded that there were few buyers for Metgasco shares.

To date there has been no announcement that ANU has divested itself of the 2,500,000 Metgasco shares it held as of September 2012.

So how genuine is the University when it comes to ethical investment?

After a Student Union campaign, on Tuesday 11th October 2011 ANU's vice-chancellor Professor Ian Young announced the university investment fund would sell-off $1 million worth of Metgasco shares.

The next day Professor Young stated; We've had those shares since 2001…. They represent less than 0.1 per cent of our total investment portfolio.

However, share movement indicates normal investment trading from 2004-2012, rather than any desire on the university’s part to divest itself of all Metgasco shares from October 2011 onwards.

For interested readers – here is a brief history of ANU shareholdings according to Metgasco company documents:

Between 2004-2006 the Australian National University is not on Metgasco’s 20 Largest Shareholders list.

Metgasco Annual Report 2007

“Metgasco completed two private placements and a Share Purchase Plan during the year.

The Share Purchase Plan was strongly subscribed with over 70% of shareholders taking up their rights to participate.”

The Australian National University Investment Section - 1,250,000 shares representing 1.03% of all issued Metgasco shares as of 31 August 2007.

Making it the 14^th largest shareholder.

ANU holdings increased by an unquantified number of shares.

Metgasco Annual Report 2008

The Australian National University - 2,712,000 shares representing 2.05% of issued Metgasco shares as of 17 September 2008.

Making it the 11^th largest shareholder.

ANU holding increased by 1,462,000 shares.

Metgasco Annual Report 2009

The Australian National University - 2,500,000 shares held representing 1.34% of issued Metgasco shares as of 15 September 2009.

Making it the 11^th largest shareholder.

ANU apparently divested itself of 212,000 shares

Metgasco Annual Report 2010

The Australian National University - 2,283,333 shares representing 0.91% of issued Metgasco shares as of 22 September 2010.

Making it the 12^th largest shareholder.

Apparently ANU divested itself of 216,667 shares.

Metgasco Annual Report 2011

On 17 June 2011 “the Company launched a Share Purchase Plan (“SPP”)….

In mid-2011 we raised new capital of $21 million via a targeted placement and a Share Placement Plan for existing shareholders….”

The Australian National University - 4,206,409 shares representing 1.25% of issued Metgasco shares as of 16 September 2011.

Making it the 10^th largest shareholder.

ANU holding increased by 1,923,076 shares.

NOTE: On Tuesday 11 October 2011 ANU informed the Students Association that it was intending to sell an estimated $1million worth of Metgasco shares, after a campaign by students which one would presume occurred over a number of weeks or months.

Metgasco Annual Report 2012

The Australian National University - 2,500,000 shares representing 0.64% of issued Metgasco shares as of 21 September 2012.

Making it the 17^th largest shareholder.

ANU apparently divested itself of 1,706,409 shares.

ANU’s current total number of Metgasco shares held is now the same as its September 2009 total.
 

UPDATE:

ANU Environment Collective

 

Further Update

The Daily Examiner 26 February 2013:

A GROUP of students is claiming victory today after learning the Australian National University sold its remaining shares in gas mining company Metgasco.

Vice-Chancellor Ian Young sent an email to ANU Environment Collective spokesman Tom Swann this morning revealing the shares had been sold.

"I am informed by the ANU Investment Office that the university has now divested itself of all shares in Metgasco," Mr Young's email read.

APN Newsdesk has contacted ANU seeking confirmation about the sale and answers to other questions.

Mr Swann said the EC campaign to have ANU sell its shares in Metgasco began two years ago after the group was contacted by activists in areas where Metgasco was mining…..

Clarence River Flooding January-February 2013

By now almost everyone in Australia will have seen at least two recent photographs of towns and villages nestled along the NSW North Coast's Clarence River and its tributaries - it has been hard to miss those January and February flood images on the nightly television news and in the online media.

This is yet another perspective captured at 4.30pm on Sunday 24 February.





Click on graphs to enlarge

Real time data for other NSW rivers can be found here.

Did the Japanese whaling fleet pollute Antarctic waters?

 

http://youtu.be/8Iu8JbTQ8-c

 

Sea Shepherd 17 February 2013:

 

In the early hours of the 17th of February, while the SSS Sam Simon was tailing the South Korean owned Sun Laurel, fuel bunker ship to the Japanese whaling fleet, the Sam Simon crew noticed the smell of diesel fumes coming from the wake of the Sun Laurel, over one mile ahead.

Captain Luis Pinho radioed the Sun Laurel at 3:00 am AEDT, approximately 15 minutes after the Sun Laurelentered Australian Antarctic Territory, informing them that they smelled diesel fumes, could see fuel slicks in the wake of the Sun Laurel, had collected water samples, and would be reporting the Sun Laurel to the authorities.

On the 17th of February at approximately 4:00 pm AEDT the Sam Simon recorded an audio transmission between the Captain and Bosun of the Sun Laurel - the Japanese whaling fleet's refuelling vessel. In this recording, the Captain of the Sun Laurel refers to the oil spill that the Sam Simon had documented and collected samples of hours earlier. The Sun Laurel Captain informed his Bosun to take care covering refuelling hoses, and that if oil dropped into the water there would be a “big problem”, as the Sam Simon had caught the Sun Laurel leaking fuel into the wake behind them earlier that morning.

Sea Shepherd Australia believes this transmission is further proof of an oil spill by the Sun Laurel in Antarctica's pristine waters, and has reported the incident to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

 

Greens Split From Labor: what took them so long is a question not only just being asked by a cartoonist dog

Crikey.com.au

Resolve firming against coal seam gas mining on the NSW Northern Rivers

The Northern Star 17 February 2013:

 

Since 1975, Jennie Dell has been a constant presence in the Northern Rivers media firmament.

This week she retires from the Northern Rivers Echo, the paper she was founding editor of in 1991, to devote more time to her family and gain the freedom to express herself politically.

"One of the reasons I am retiring is to join the Knitting Nannas Against Gas, to take part in demonstrations and to be free to express my very strong views against coal seam gas mining," Jennie said.

"I was at Terania Creek (protests in 1979) and at Mount Nardi saving the Nightcap National Park forests and I see the real necessity for a huge demonstration of people power to move the CSG issue into the courts and into the parliament."

Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival, 22-24 March 2013

 

 

Click on program to enlarge