Wednesday 30 May 2018
Killing coastal trees is an occupation for individuals with puny minds and shrivelled souls
Clarence
Valley Council, media release, May 21, 2018:
Tree
vandals hit Yamba again
MULTIPLE trees on the
headland between Yamba’s Convent and Pippi beaches are dying in what Clarence
Valley Council staff believe is a deliberate and brazen attempt to improve
views for nearby residents.
Council’s works and
civil director, Troy Anderson, said coastal trees had an important role in
protecting headlands and landowners needed to remember they belonged to the
community.
“The environment is not
theirs to destroy,” he said.
“It belongs to
everyone.”
Mr Anderson said about
20 trees had been poisoned in the area over the past six months. They included coastal
casuarinas, coastal banksias, pandanus and tuckeroos – all native and endemic
to the area.
“In the past two years
we have lost between 50 and 100 trees along our coastline.
“We’ve had it happen in
Wooli, Diggers Camp, Angourie and twice in Yamba last year – including the site
of this latest poisoning.”
He said staff would
prepare a report to council recommending a range of actions to mitigate tree
vandalism that could include:
managing
views for public benefit only at approved locations;
planting
species that will enable views to be substantially retained in locations where those
views may be enjoyed by the public;
public
awareness and education initiatives;
installation
of signage at the vandalised area;
installation
of view screens or containers at the vandalised area, and
rehabilitation
of the vandalised area.
“If people have any
evidence of who might be responsible they should report it to council and we
will follow it up,” he said.
The sites of
where some of the trees have been destroyed.
Trees between Yamba’s Convent and Pippi beaches destroyed
by vandals.....
Labels:
Clarence Valley Council,
crime,
environmental vandalism,
trees,
Yamba
Tuesday 29 May 2018
Get Up!: Adani is paying for government staff to 'independently' assess Adani's mine.
Rio Tinto's RTM Wakmatha bulk carrier |
Get Up! is currently sending out an interesting email pointing out the close relationship between the Adani Group and government.
Given past behaviour of the Adani Group it is possible that it might also be considering looking to a small business focused, suspected 'greenwashing' front called the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, for assistance in the future.
Given the Turnbull Government's announcement of a $444 million grant gifted to the coal, ore, gas and petroleum export industries as well as bulk carrier fleets operating on the Australian east coast, by way of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
A foundation which classes Rio Tinto's RTFM Wakmatha (a Post Panamax bulk carrier on the Weipa to Gladstone run) as the foundation's research vessel in its so-called mission to save the reef.
https://www.marinetraffic.com |
Two oil tankers were also travelling north behind it.
Get Up! email, 28 May 2018:
Adani is paying for government staff to 'independently' assess Adani's mine.
The corporation has struck a mind-boggling deal that will see Adani pay up to $1.5 million in salaries, housing and vehicle costs for council employees who will directly assess parts of their coal project.1
Adani now has its tendrils deep in every level of our democracy. From local councils, to state governments, right through to our Federal politicians. Adani has infiltrated our democracy in a way that makes objective decision making virtually impossible.
Our Reef is on the brink, and so is our planet. If we're to stop this monstrous coal mine, we have to fight back against the huge influence dirty polluters have over our democracy.
Can you sign our open letter to Australian politicians demanding they get big polluters out of government?
This is only the latest sordid chapter in this country's big book of polluting politics.
From the beginning, there has been a revolving door of operators moving freely between Adani and political offices. Last Queensland election, an Adani lobbyist 'volunteered' to run Labor's election campaign.2
Resources Minister Matt Canavan stacked the board deciding whether or not to give $1 billion to Adani with his pro-coal friends.3 And when that didn't work, Trade Minister Steve Ciobo went out and changed the rules of government funding body EFIC (the Export Finance Insurance Corporation) to allow hundreds of millions in public money to fund projects exactly like Adani's coal mine.4
The fossil fuel industry and their vested interests are rotting our democracy from tip to root. If we are to get the real, urgent change we need, we need to clean them out on every level.
Sign our open letter demanding we get big polluters out of our politics.
It's not just Adani, either. The Turnbull Government has just announced a plan to 'save the Reef'. Except instead of doing anything about climate change, this plan involves granting $444 million to an obscure group with links to climate-deniers. Their plan? Let "corporate interest help decide the science strategy and funding priorities."5
Yep. Nearly half a billion dollars for climate-deniers to work with big business to solve the problem. What could go wrong?
At the same time, the Government's Energy Security Board put out a call for energy companies to help implement Turnbull's new energy plan. Big polluters could be writing the rules they'll have to follow. Again, what could possibly go wrong?6
It's clear that our politicians, and especially this Turnbull Government, have shown us they are both incapable and unwilling to act on climate while they are dominated by climate deniers, the fossil fuel lobby and big coal donors.
Help get fossil fuels out of our democracy. Sign our open letter now.
It's time for a clean out.
Sam R and Jairaj, for the GetUp team.
References
[1] Adani to pay for Isaac council staff working on Carmichael mine activities, ABC Online, 28 May 2018
[2] Adani lobbyist Cameron Milner in Palaszczuk campaign, The Australian, 30 August 2017
[3] Conflicts of interest concerns over $900m Adani loan spark Senate estimates questions, ABC Online, 2 June 2017
[4] Coalition to allow government-backed loans to coalmines as banks hesitant, The Guardian, 11 September 2017
[5] Corporate figures to help decide Great Barrier Reef priorities under $444m grant, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 May 2018
[6] Energy Security Board asks companies for staff to deliver National Energy Guarantee, Australian Financial Review, 21 May 2018
GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! This email was sent to judith.melville@gmail.com. To unsubscribe this email address from GetUp, please click here.
Our team acknowledges that we meet and work on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We wish to pay respect to their Elders - past, present and future - and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.
Authorised by Paul Oosting, Level 14, 338 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners: "We're on the frontline defending our lands against Adani" and we ask your help
From: Adrian Burragubba - via CommunityRun <info@getup.org.au>
Date: Thu, May 24, 2018 at 5:46 PM
Subject: We're on the frontline defending our lands against Adani
To: [redacted]
Date: Thu, May 24, 2018 at 5:46 PM
Subject: We're on the frontline defending our lands against Adani
To: [redacted]
This is a message from the leaders of the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners. They are the Traditional Owners of the land where mining giant Adani want to build the Carmichael coal mine. Your details haven't been shared with anyone.
Dear [redacted],
We are leaders of the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners. We're the people on the frontline defending our ancestral lands in the fight against Adani's destructive coal mine.
Our people have said no four times to a miserly land deal offered by Adani in exchange for the destruction of our homelands. We have been opposing Adani and holding them off since 2012.
Our resistance has nothing to do with dollars. No amount of money or promises from a deceitful corporation can stop us standing strong in defence of Wangan and Jagalingou lands and waters and sacred sites.
But Adani are ruthless. They have used the dirtiest tactics to undermine our right to say no, and manufacture a phony "Indigenous Land Use Agreement".
Right now we're fighting against Adani's shoddy tactics and their sham "agreement" in court. The judge could hand down a decision any day now. But it won't end there.
Can you sign our petition to stand with us against Adani?
We are willing to fight Adani all the way to the High Court to protect our environment and sacred sites. We are working for a positive future for our people on our country. We won't stand by and watch its destruction for coal.
Adani are relentlessly pressuring the Queensland government to clear our Native Title rights out of the way — and as the clock ticks and Adani gets more desperate, it will only intensify.
So we need to show Adani and our Governments that they can't fake or force our consent.
We have never given our consent to Adani to destroy our country, and we never will. Our land is our living law; we are connected to it through our ancestors and our culture. Without it we will cease to exist as a people.
Our people have been leading a courageous fight against a cashed-up mining giant with politicians in its pockets, and top end of town lawyers to argue away its collusion, bad faith and dishonesty.
We're calling time on this. It's time for Adani to walk away.
Sign our petition to tell Adani No means No.
Adani can't keep bullying us, or pretending they have our consent. Consent is written in our hearts and minds, and the truth is we have said no. Time and again.
And we shouldn't have to keep saying it. Adani haven't been able to put money on the table for this project or even say when they'll start digging. They've given nothing to our people, or to the people of Queensland and Australia, except a bunch of false promises. The smart money and honest commentators know Adani's Carmichael mine is going nowhere.
But still our rights are at extreme risk. The Queensland Government could yield to this corrupt polluting corporation and "legally" rip up our Native Title, just so they can say they have their final "approval".
We continue to hold the line and have many tens of thousands of supporters in Australia and around the world, but we need more. We need to build a more powerful movement, standing in solidarity with us, to take on Adani's wealth, political influence and dirty tricks.
Sign our petition to support our fight against Adani.
We are in the fight of our lives. Adani have shown a relentless determination to use unjust legal maneouvres to trample our rights. But this fight is bigger than Adani. It's about the rights that all Aboriginal people have to say no to dirty extractive industries that profit from our traditional homelands. It's about our right under international law to be free from discrimination, and to choose our own economic future.
We have a vision for our people that's sustainable. We want economic independence, and to make a future on our country that is respectful of the land and uplifting for our people. We want to invest in solar energy and other new clean enterprises. We don't want scraps from a corrupt corporation looking to profit from the permanent destruction of our culture, or meagre handouts and low paid dirty jobs that require us to give up our human rights.
When we say No to Adani, we mean No. We hope you'll stand with us.
Support our fight: http://wanganjagalingou.com. au/our-fight/
Adrian Burragubba, cultural leader and senior spokesperson
with Murrawah Johnson, Youth spokesperson
and Linda Bobongie, W&J Council Chairperson
for the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council
CommunityRun is a new online organisation that lets anyone start, run and win their own campaigns. It receives no political party or government funding and is not affiliated with any political party. To unsubscribe from CommunityRun updates, please visit here or visit http://www.getup.org.au/ unsubscribe?cr=true. To unsubscribe from individual CommunityRun campaigns, please visit www.communityrun.org.
Our team acknowledges that we meet and work on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We wish to pay respect to their Elders - past, present and future - and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.
Authorised by Paul Oosting, Level 14, 338 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
Dear [redacted],
We are leaders of the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners. We're the people on the frontline defending our ancestral lands in the fight against Adani's destructive coal mine.
Our people have said no four times to a miserly land deal offered by Adani in exchange for the destruction of our homelands. We have been opposing Adani and holding them off since 2012.
Our resistance has nothing to do with dollars. No amount of money or promises from a deceitful corporation can stop us standing strong in defence of Wangan and Jagalingou lands and waters and sacred sites.
But Adani are ruthless. They have used the dirtiest tactics to undermine our right to say no, and manufacture a phony "Indigenous Land Use Agreement".
Right now we're fighting against Adani's shoddy tactics and their sham "agreement" in court. The judge could hand down a decision any day now. But it won't end there.
Can you sign our petition to stand with us against Adani?
We are willing to fight Adani all the way to the High Court to protect our environment and sacred sites. We are working for a positive future for our people on our country. We won't stand by and watch its destruction for coal.
Adani are relentlessly pressuring the Queensland government to clear our Native Title rights out of the way — and as the clock ticks and Adani gets more desperate, it will only intensify.
So we need to show Adani and our Governments that they can't fake or force our consent.
We have never given our consent to Adani to destroy our country, and we never will. Our land is our living law; we are connected to it through our ancestors and our culture. Without it we will cease to exist as a people.
Our people have been leading a courageous fight against a cashed-up mining giant with politicians in its pockets, and top end of town lawyers to argue away its collusion, bad faith and dishonesty.
We're calling time on this. It's time for Adani to walk away.
Sign our petition to tell Adani No means No.
Adani can't keep bullying us, or pretending they have our consent. Consent is written in our hearts and minds, and the truth is we have said no. Time and again.
And we shouldn't have to keep saying it. Adani haven't been able to put money on the table for this project or even say when they'll start digging. They've given nothing to our people, or to the people of Queensland and Australia, except a bunch of false promises. The smart money and honest commentators know Adani's Carmichael mine is going nowhere.
But still our rights are at extreme risk. The Queensland Government could yield to this corrupt polluting corporation and "legally" rip up our Native Title, just so they can say they have their final "approval".
We continue to hold the line and have many tens of thousands of supporters in Australia and around the world, but we need more. We need to build a more powerful movement, standing in solidarity with us, to take on Adani's wealth, political influence and dirty tricks.
Sign our petition to support our fight against Adani.
We are in the fight of our lives. Adani have shown a relentless determination to use unjust legal maneouvres to trample our rights. But this fight is bigger than Adani. It's about the rights that all Aboriginal people have to say no to dirty extractive industries that profit from our traditional homelands. It's about our right under international law to be free from discrimination, and to choose our own economic future.
We have a vision for our people that's sustainable. We want economic independence, and to make a future on our country that is respectful of the land and uplifting for our people. We want to invest in solar energy and other new clean enterprises. We don't want scraps from a corrupt corporation looking to profit from the permanent destruction of our culture, or meagre handouts and low paid dirty jobs that require us to give up our human rights.
When we say No to Adani, we mean No. We hope you'll stand with us.
Support our fight: http://wanganjagalingou.com.
Adrian Burragubba, cultural leader and senior spokesperson
with Murrawah Johnson, Youth spokesperson
and Linda Bobongie, W&J Council Chairperson
for the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council
CommunityRun is a new online organisation that lets anyone start, run and win their own campaigns. It receives no political party or government funding and is not affiliated with any political party. To unsubscribe from CommunityRun updates, please visit here or visit http://www.getup.org.au/
Our team acknowledges that we meet and work on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We wish to pay respect to their Elders - past, present and future - and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.
Authorised by Paul Oosting, Level 14, 338 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
Monday 28 May 2018
Noble Caledonia Limited changes its mind about Port of Yamba-Clarence River?
noble-caledonia.co.uk, 27 May 2017 |
Noble
Caledonia Limited’s “Australian
Coastal Odyssey” twenty-two day cruise from 9-31 October 2018 -
flying from London to Cairns to Port Moresby, then sailing through the Torres
Strait and down the east coast of Australia to berth in Melbourne before
returning home on 31 October - is still being advertised online and it just got
a lot cheaper.
In an apparent effort
to fill cabins aboard the vessel MV Caledonian Sky, the UK-based cruise line is now offering across-the-board
discounts of £1,000 per two-person cabin.
There has
also been a change in the ship’s itinerary for Day 16 - 24 October this year.
All mention
of entry into Port of Yamba-Clarence River was removed from the cruise line's website sometime between 21 and
27 May and, Trial Bay, South West Rocks inserted instead for both its October
2018 “Australian Coastal Odyssey” and October 2019 “Australian Coastal
Discovery” east coast cruises.
Caledonian Sky has already booked port berths/moorings
in Queensland and Victoria as well as for two of the six official ports along the NSW leg of the 2018 cruise – Port of Newcastle (7am
25 October) and Port of Eden (7am
27 October). There is no published booking for Port of Yamba which requires piloted entry for sea-going ships.
Which has set
Lower Clarence residents to wondering about the reasons for this welcome change of
plan.
Some think it
may be a public relations feint by Noble Caledonia to dampen expression of local concerns and it may yet decide to slip into the Clarence River estuary on
or about 24 October this year.
Others point
to the level of risk always associated with bringing ships like the 5-deck
high, 91 metre long, est. 4,200 gross tonne Caledonian
Sky across the entrance bar while avoiding collision with the culturally
important Native Title reef “Dirrangun” and, the possibility that the cruise line’s
insurance company might not be impressed if that risk were to be realised and
it was faced with a second reef maritime incident in less than nineteen months
involving the same ship.
Given the
protracted negotiations between Noble Caledonia, its insurer and the Indonesian
Government over a reported £350 million ‘fine’ incurred when the
Caledonian Sky damaged over 18,000
sq. metres of pristine coral reef in the Raja Ampat island chain in March 2017, it is understandable that Noble Caledonia Limited may have reassessed the
original “Australian Coastal Odyssey” itinerary and decided it preferred a less
problematic short-stay mooring for Day 16.
Office of Environment and Heritage v Clarence Valley Council (2018)
Clarence Valley Local Government Area covers approximately 10,441 square kilometres with nine heritage conservation precincts and official heritage listings as long as your arm.
It processes up to $100.5 million worth of development applications in a financial year.
With so much environmentally sensitive land, so many nature reserves, large swathes of native title, state forests and national parks, ancient cultural sites, unlisted historical burials, heritage buildings/bridges/cemetaries, quarries and a good many planning decisions to make, there is also a possibility that something will go awry.
This entry in the NSW Online Registry - Court Lists indicates that all is not well:
Land and
Environment Court, Sydney
Justice T
Moore
Office of
Environment and Heritage v Clarence Valley Council
Case Number: 2018/00119684
Case Number: 2018/00119684
Jurisdiction:
Criminal
Class 5
Directions Hearing on 25 May 2018.
According the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage website; Proceedings in Class 5 involve summary criminal enforcement proceedings, usually by government authorities prosecuting offences against planning or environmental laws and Class 5 prosecutions are heard by a judge without a jury.
This matter probably began its journey through the court in mid-April 2018 (or perhaps earlier) but it is unlikely council will tell the Clarence Valley electorate what event led to this court case anytime soon, as even a minimum degree of transparency concerning litigation is often missing in action.
Sunday 27 May 2018
Fair Funding Now campaign kicked off in the Page electorate on 23 May 2018
When Nationals MP for Page Kevin Hogan stated that "our local community was a winner from this year’s budget with money put back into family budgets, the creation of more jobs and a guarantee of the essential services that we depend on as the Government continues to heavily invest in regional infrastructure" and "Our schools will also receive an extra $23.5 billion over the next decade. This means funding per student is increasing by around 50 percent over the decade making sure our children get the education they deserve" he appears to have misjudged the mood of the electorate.
Echo
NetDaily, 23
May 2018:
Principals, parents and
teachers in the Page electorate will join with community members at the local
launches of the Fair Funding Now campaign at Grafton and Sandy Beach today
and tomorrow.
The campaign aims to
secure fairer funding for public schools and a reversal of the Turnbull
Government cuts which will cost local schools over $23 million in 2018 and 2019
alone.
Speakers at the campaign
Grafton launch today (Wednesday) will include NSW Teachers Federation president
Maurie Mulheron, South Grafton PS principal, Peter South and P&C
President Kelly Vickers while principal Dianne Blevin will address the Sandy
Beach PS event tomorrow.
Mr Mulheron said: ‘We
are running the Fair Funding Now campaign because a fair go for all
children is needed now.
‘All children in the
Page electorate should have the opportunity to get the highest quality public
education.
‘Polling by the union
shows the overwhelming majority of voters in 18 key marginal electorates,
including Page, believe federal funding for public school is too low and that
funding should be increased straight away.
More important than tax
cuts
‘Results show school
funding will be a key federal election vote decider, with 83 per cent of
respondents stating that public school funding is very important or fairly
important to how they will vote.
‘School funding is more
important to voters than cutting company tax rates, with 79 per cent of
respondents stating that increasing public school funding to the national
schooling resource standard is better for Australia’s future than cutting
company tax rates.
‘If our leaders
can’t commit to ensuring every school is at 100 per cent of the resourcing
standard, then they should look at every parent and teacher in the eye and explain
to them why their children aren’t a priority.
‘We will be active
across Australia, through social media, outdoor advertising, and targeted
action in 18 marginal Federal seats including door knocking and phone banks.
Essential Research 22 May 2018 polling results suggests that this campaign will gain grass roots favour.
Click on images to enlarge
Click on images to enlarge
His end was less than glorious - facing a mutinous electorate and lacking credibility, he retired ahead of the 2007 federal election, before the could be sacked by voters.
Another asylum seeker death on Manus Island
There have been three deaths of asylum seekers held in Australian off shore detention in the last nine months - one on Nauru and two on Manus Island - according to Border Crossing Observatory.
This recent death brings the count to four.
UNHCR: The United
Nations Refugee Agency, media
release, 22 May 2018:
UNHCR Statement
By UNHCR Regional
Representation in Canberra 22 May 2018
UNHCR, the UN Refugee
Agency, is profoundly saddened by the death of a Rohingya refugee on Manus
Island, Papua New Guinea, today. The tragic loss of yet another vulnerable
person under Australian ‘offshore processing’ again underscores the need for
proper care and immediate solutions.
“With the passage of too many years and the withdrawal or reduction of essential services, the already critical situation for refugees most in need continues to deteriorate,” said Nai Jit Lam, UNHCR’s Deputy Regional Representative in Canberra. “Australia’s responsibility for those who have sought its protection remains unchanged. Our thoughts and condolences are with the man’s family today.”
UNHCR renews its call for the Government of Australia to take immediate action to provide assistance and solutions, and to avert further harm and tragedy. Comprehensive, intensive support for refugees and asylum-seekers remains desperately needed in both Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The national authorities of both countries lack the means and infrastructure to address growing needs.
UNHCR is continuing to seek further information from the Governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea respectively.
“With the passage of too many years and the withdrawal or reduction of essential services, the already critical situation for refugees most in need continues to deteriorate,” said Nai Jit Lam, UNHCR’s Deputy Regional Representative in Canberra. “Australia’s responsibility for those who have sought its protection remains unchanged. Our thoughts and condolences are with the man’s family today.”
UNHCR renews its call for the Government of Australia to take immediate action to provide assistance and solutions, and to avert further harm and tragedy. Comprehensive, intensive support for refugees and asylum-seekers remains desperately needed in both Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The national authorities of both countries lack the means and infrastructure to address growing needs.
UNHCR is continuing to seek further information from the Governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea respectively.
UNHCR Regional
Representation in Canberra
UNHCR’s Regional Representation is based in Canberra, and is responsible for the promotion and protection of refugee rights in Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The Guardian, 22 May 2018:
UNHCR’s Regional Representation is based in Canberra, and is responsible for the promotion and protection of refugee rights in Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The Guardian, 22 May 2018:
A Rohingya refugee has
died in a violent motor vehicle incident on Manus Island.
The man was witnessed
“coming out of a moving vehicle”, according to the Asylum Seeker Resource
Centre, and suffered “very serious head injuries”.
He died at the scene,
the organisation said. “It is not know who else was in the vehicle.”
The man, whose identity
is not being released until his family is notified, had a long history of
physical and mental illness and had been on Manus for more than five years.
A few years ago he was
sent to Australia for medical treatment but was returned, according to the
journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani.
Boochani said the other
refugees had been aware of his illness. They were “deeply saddened and
horrified at the news of another friend’s death”.
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