Mixed Messages

Here is a media release from the new Qld Government.

It is a strong message. I just don't quite know what it means.

Mining fine sends strong message

The Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said today’s half million dollar fine against the owners of the Lady Annie mine for causing serious environmental harm should send a strong message to the mining industry.

The Mt Isa Magistrates Court today issued the record fine against the company for an uncontrolled release of contaminated water from stormwater ponds into surrounding creeks during the 2009 wet season.

Mr Seeney said it showed that a failure to comply with environmental and industry standards would not be tolerated.

He said the LNP Government strongly supported the mining industry and companies that maintained high standards.

“We support those who do the right thing and will hold to account those who do not.”

Sustainable Business Weekly QLD Edition [Environmental Policies, Floods Inquiry]

LNP Environment Policies

If one believes the polls, it seems almost inevitable now that the Liberal National Party will win the Qld State Election next week.

ASBG have been examining the LNP’s policies, to gauge the impact on the Environment & Environment Practitioners.

There are at last count 93 policies on the LNP website.

They all seem to follow a similar proforma as follows:

A CanDo LNP will act to [insert aspirational objective] by [insert knee jerk response with an arbitrary budget or little or no social or environmental impact assessment].

An LNP Government will invest [insert an arbitrary sum of money] into a package which will [reiterate impossible objective in different words].

The LNP will grow a four pillar economy across our industry, and understands the importance [reiterate aspirational objective again].

The tired 20 year Labor Government has ignored the needs [list some vested interests].

[Insert an oversimplification of problems being experienced].

The LNP is committed to delivering a strong, viable, healthy and sustainable [insert industry].

Under the Bligh Labor Government [insert industry] has struggled and many [insert vested interest] face an uncertain future.

The LNP is committed to the health and wellbeing of [insert industry] and will undertake a [insert shitloads of money] program in consultation with the industry.

[Promise unrelated but attractive consequences].

[Suggest some superficial changes that are easily delivered by make no significant difference, like moving responsibility to another Department and refer to cutting waste a lot.

[Suggest handing back control to a group of stakeholders who are currently already in control].

The LNP understands [Insert activity] is very much a part of life in Queensland.

It's time for a change. With your help a strong and united LNP Government will get Queensland back on track.

LNP Policy Commitments:

[insert arbitrary sum of money]

[promise extraordinary outcome]

There are a few things we can glean from the LNP’s 93 policies:

· They will unlock Queensland's natural assets & national parks. On enquiry, ASBG clarified that “unlock” or “open up” includes allowing 4WD access into National Parks. Returning Queensland's Tourism Industry to Number 1

· The LNP’s Resources and Energy Strategy includes:

· a stable, clear legislative framework for the industry;

· Improving training opportunities to help address industry skills & knowledge shortages;

· Increasing support from Government through cutting red tape, reforming relevant Departments & improving application & approval systems for resource projects. DERM will be chopped up into three or more Departments;

· Building infrastructure that is essential to the future growth of the resource & energy sector.

· Developing clean energy, alternative & renewable technologies & fuels, while protecting coal mining interests;

· Implementing a better system of regional planning;

· Demanding World's best practice in social & environmental performance.

The Scenic Rim has been under particular focus due to conflicts between land uses such as Agriculture, Coal Seam Gas etc. Protecting the Scenic Rim. The LNP’s approach to CSG differs very little from the ALP’s current approach.

Other policies of interest include:

Repealing Labor's Waste Levy

Opening up wild rivers regions of Far North Queesland to industrial development, agriculture & mining;

$10 million targeted buyback of commercial fishing licences, with a commitment to restore the health of Qld's fishery.

ASBG will follow the development of Environmental Policy, regardless of who wins the Qld State Election next week, to provide up to date information on Environmental regulation & legislation.

ALP Environment Policies

There has been no real surprise, in the Election Campaign from the incumbent Government. There has been an attempt to gain social licence for the CSG/LNG industry by investing half the proceeds into an education fund.

Labor claim a defining difference to the LNP on the environment protection including:

· Introduction of a waste levy;

· Premature closure of sand mining on Stradbroke Island;

· Wild Rivers legislation & World Heritage plans;

· introduction of laws & a high rate of compliance by farmers & industry pollutant run-off into the Great Barrier Reef;

· participating in a national response to climate change;

· 8.1m hectares of national park & approaching 3m hectares of nature refuge.

The Qld Floods Inquiry

The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry has now concluded.

The Commissioner Catherine Holmes presented her final report to the Qld Premier on 16 March 2012.

The report is available here. The interim report, delivered on 1 August 2011, is available here.

State of the Climate

Here is the joint CSIRO and BOM media release for their State of the Climate Report released on Wednesday.

We're on track for the 5 - 6 ºC average increase for Australia in the not too distant future. When are we going to do something about this worsening situation?

State of the Climate 2012
Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Australia’s land and oceans have continued to warm in response to rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
This is the headline finding in the State of the Climate 2012, an updated summary of Australia’s long term climate trends released by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology today (14 March 2012).
CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Megan Clark, said the latest analysis painted a clear decade-to-decade picture of Australia’s climate, while at the same time noting its highly variable nature from one year to the next. “Much of Australia may have lurched from drought to floods since the previous State of the Climate, but this has occurred against a backdrop of steadily increasing air and ocean temperatures and rising sea levels. What’s more, the rate of change is increasing.

“The fundamental physical and chemical processes leading to climate change are well understood, and CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology observations demonstrate that change is occurring now,” said Dr Clark.

Bureau of Meteorology Acting Director, Dr Rob Vertessy, said this updated summary was based on improved understanding drawn from detailed analysis of our national climate record, which goes back more than a hundred years.

“Ground, ocean and satellite based observations are giving us highly consistent observations of this warming trend. State of the Climate 2012 confirms that each decade has been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s, with an increase in the number of warm nights, and more monthly maximum temperature records being broken.

“CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology will continue to provide observations, projections, research, and analysis so that Australia’s responses to the challenges of a changing climate are underpinned by robust scientific evidence of the highest quality,” said Dr Vertessy.
State of the Climate 2012 showed a general trend toward increased spring and summer monsoonal rainfall across Australia’s north, and a decline in late autumn and winter rainfall across southern Australia.
Sea-levels had risen around Australia at rates equal to or greater than the global average, and sea-surface temperatures in the region had increased faster than the global average.
State of the Climate 2012 documents the annual growth in global fossil-fuel CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases. The CO2concentration of the atmosphere had risen to around 390 parts per million in 2011, a level unprecedented in the past 800,000 years. During the past decade it has risen at more than 3% per year, which is projected to cause significant further global warming.

Key points
Temperature

• Each decade has been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s.
• Australian annual-average daily maximum temperatures have increased by 0.75 °C since 1910.
• Australian annual-average daily mean temperatures have increased by 0.9 °C since 1910.
• Australian annual-average overnight minimum temperatures have warmed by more than 1.1 °C since 1910.
• 2010 and 2011 were Australia’s coolest years recorded since 2001 due to two consecutive La Niña events

Rainfall

• Southwest Western Australia has experienced long-term reductions in rainfall during the winter half of the year.
• There has been a trend over recent decades towards increased spring and summer monsoonal rainfall across Australia’s north, higher than normal rainfall across the centre, and decreased late autumn and winter rainfall across the south.

Oceans

• Global-average mean sea level for 2011 was 210 mm above the level in 1880.
• Global-average mean sea level rose faster between 1993 and 2011 than during the 20th century as a whole.
• The heat content of the world’s oceans has increased during recent decades, increasing the volume of ocean waters and contributing to sea-level rise.
• Sea-surface temperatures around Australia have increased faster than the global average.
• Sea-surface temperatures in the Australian region in 2010 were the highest on record.
• Sea-surface temperatures have increased by about 0.8 °C since 1910.

Greenhouse gases

• Fossil-fuel CO2 emissions increased by more than 3 per cent per year from 2000 to 2010.
• The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere in 2011 was 390 parts per million – higher than at any time for the past 800,000 years (DAH: actually it's 15 million years - see <www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5958/1394.full>).
• The main cause of the observed increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is the combustion of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution.

Understanding global warming

• Both natural and human influences affected climate over the past 100 years.
• It is very likely that most of the surface global warming observed since the mid 20th century is due to anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases.
• Human activities also have influenced ocean warming, sea-level rise, and temperature extremes.
• The warming around Australia is consistent with the global pattern and cannot be explained by natural variability alone.
• There is evidence of changes in extreme temperatures globally.
• No significant trends in the total numbers of tropical cyclones or in the occurrence of the most intense tropical cyclones have been found in the Australian region

Future changes

• Australian average temperatures are projected to rise by 1.0 to 5.0 °C by 2070 when compared with the climate of recent decades.
• An increase in the number of droughts is expected in southern Australia but it also is likely that there will be an increase in intense rainfall events in many areas.

Changes in average temperature for Australia for each year (orange line) and each decade (grey boxes), and 11-year average (black line – an 11-year period is the standard used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Anomalies are the departure from the 1961-1990 average climatological period. The average value for the most recent 10-year period (2002–2011) is shown in darker grey. Bureau of Meteorology

its time for a Change

When Fiona Simpson won the newly created Sunshine Coast seat of Maroochydore in 1992 at the age of 27, she was the youngest ever woman at that time elected to the Queensland Parliament* and now she is tired and deserves a break from public life.

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

Her reputation for hard work and strong community representation has since seen her re-elected six times.

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

In September 2006 Fiona was elected as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Nationals, a position she held until the creation of the Liberal National Party in July 2008. Fiona is currently the Shadow Minister for Community Services, Housing and Women and Shadow Minister for Waste Watch.

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

An award-winning journalist before entering Parliament (Dalgetys Excellence in Rural Journalism Award), Fiona has a diverse background of interests and achievements. She speaks conversational Japanese having lived and studied there as a Rotary Exchange Student. On return to Australia, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in Japanese, journalism and government. She also holds a Master of Arts in organisational leadership, majoring in communications, as well as a diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

Her ties to the Sunshine Coast are strong, having grown up there as a child, attending Cooroy and Yandina Primary and Nambour High School.

Kevin Rudd, Wayne Swan & Ray Barber also went to Nambour High School.

Fiona is passionate about local community and should really be allowed to spend more time there....

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

She endeavours to follow the principles of servant leadership - leading by serving others - and actively supports a range of community groups such as sports, church and welfare organisations whose members are building a stronger Sunshine Coast community through their commitment to other people.

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

Two of her favourite sayings are: "don't sit back and whinge about it, have a go and make a difference"; and "there has never been a cynic who has changed the world for the better".

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

Aside from the serious pursuits of life, Fiona stays (relatively) sane, happy and healthy by indulging her love of singing and walking on her favourite Sunshine Coast beaches. She recorded her own album before entering Parliament and is a regular guest artist at charitable concerts.

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

She enjoys tennis, bushwalking and good coffee.

After 20 years, Fiona has grown tired.

Let's get the electorate of Maroochydore back on track.

*fionasimpson.com.au/aboutfiona.aspx

written by Rowan Barber, with some content plagiaried from fionasimpson.com.au/aboutfiona.aspx and no authorisation from anyone.

A St Patricks Day Limerick

Kevin Rudd has written a limerick for Saint Patrick's day......

Here is my lame attempt:

There once was a Lord Mayor of Brisbane,

Who poured good money after bad once again.

Debt was his legacy,

offset tunnels with trees,

While Quirky was left with the blame.....

stuff

My beloved wife has started a career in direct sales?

She has been sucked into the cult of party plan.

She is not in a pyramid scheme but she does appear to be at the base of a pyramid.

It makes me wonder is direct sales going to mean the end of retail?

My beloved sells apparel (which is relatively consumable) and she also sells a kitchen appliance (which is more like Capital Equipment).

She is working for commission only......and it is bloody hard work.

So why does she bother?

>>>>We have infants.....and we don't particularly want to "outsource" parenthood.

In a some what traditional way, I go off Monday to Friday, to work in shit (quite literally) to bring home some bread (euphemistically). On weekends & evenings, I stay-at-home, while my beloved goes door to door.

My beloved Wifey provides the majority of the child care for our two daughters. She is juggling the responsibilities of motherhood & Business Development Manager. Her vocational skills have been derived from a career in Midwifery and Medical Equipment & Pharmaceutical Sales.

Since her recent career change, her hourly rate has dropped significantly. The attraction of a career in Direct Sales is the compatibility with parenthood.

I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a couple of years as a part-time, stay at home Dad. Now I work, a 72.5 hour fortnight, juggling the responsibilities of provider, parent, husband & volunteer in the fight against diahorreal diseases....

.....to be continued

Walks for water and sanitation are kicking off across the globe

Press Release

For Immediate release:

Walks for water and sanitation are kicking off across the globe

Over 300,000 people across the world are expected to take action on the water and sanitation crisis from Saturday 17 March to Sunday 25 March 2012.

The Walk for water and sanitation in Brisbane will take place on the 23 March 2012 at Noon at Reddacliff Place.

People are walking in over 60 countries from Bangladesh to Benin, Nigeria to Norway and Mozambique to Malaysia. They are walking in solidarity with the millions of people – overwhelmingly women and children - who walk great distances each day to collect water for their basic needs and the billions who have no safe place to go to the toilet.

Walking around the world

Walkers will be calling on governments to put an end to the water and sanitation crisis that kills one child under five every twenty seconds, 4,000 every day. They are walking to demand that politicians take action to tackle preventable diarrhoeal diseases that are the biggest killer of children in Africa, taking more young lives than HIV/AIDs, malaria and measles combined.

Details of some of the walks include:

• In Belgium, an incredible 21,270 school children will be walking a combined total of 133,151km on World Water Day, that’s over a third of the distance from the Earth to the moon!
• The entire Cirque de Soleil cast are planning a walk through Las Vegas in their costumes.
• 30 energetic walkers in London are currently training to walk the 20 miles from one side of the city to the other.
• Over 10,000 people will walk in Nigeria whilst 40,000 are expected to walk in Madagascar, both countries directly affected directly by the water and sanitation crisis.
• In Kannungu in Uganda, walkers are meeting with the Minister of Water and Environment, and officials from the Ministry of Health to tell them it’s time for action.

At crisis point

Edith Veromaminiaina, Research Officer at WaterAid in Madagascar, described the extent of the crisis:

“70% of the Malagasy people live in rural areas, where the access to drinking water is less than 34%. In many places, children set off on their walk to collect water late at night and don’t arrive home until the next morning. They have a sleepless night and walk very far but still only draw dirty water. This is why we are taking part in The World Walks for Water and Sanitation.”

Jennifer Williams, coordinator of the World Walks for Water and Sanitation campaign added, “Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation mean children are missing school and are dying needlessly from disease caused by contaminated water. Ending this crisis would increase school attendance, help break the poverty cycle and, most importantly, save lives.”

Demanding that world leaders take action

This year, the timing of the World Walks for Water and Sanitation is crucial. It comes almost exactly a month before leaders from across the world gather in Washington D.C. at a vital meeting on the 20^th of April to discuss what they are going to do to get taps and toilets to the world’s poorest communities.

This High-Level Meeting, organised by the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, is a huge opportunity for real change but it won’t work unless Development and Finance Ministers give it the attention it deserves.

Participants in the World Walks for Water and Sanitation event will send a clear message to politicians that they cannot ignore the water and sanitation crisis any longer. They will demand that leaders commit to attending this meeting and prepare to make strong commitments for action.

Mubu Kalaluka, Project Manager at ROCS in Zambia, insisted that water and sanitation must be a political priority. "In Zambia, the key messages for the Government will be that the status quo is not acceptable and the Government needs to do more to ensure access to water and sanitation."

Jon Lane, Executive Director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) stresses that it is important that governments understand that sanitation and water are clever investments. “Investing in sanitation, one of the most off-track Millennium Development Goals, generates a 1 to 9 return. It is difficult to imagine any business person passing on the chance to make such a profit; yet this is just what is happening today.”

/Ends

Notes for editors:

1. The World Walks for Water is organized by the following organisations:

· End Water Poverty is a global coalition of over 175 organisations campaigning to end the water and sanitation crisis.

· Freshwater Action Network (FAN) is a major network of civil society organisations implementing and influencing water and sanitation policy and practice.

· WASH Advocacy Initiative is a nonprofit advocacy effort in Washington DC entirely dedicated to helping solve the global safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenge.

· WASH United is a coalition of civil society organisations, United Nation agencies, governments and sport stars promoting safe drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for all people, everywhere.

· WaterAid is an NGO dedicated to helping people escape the stranglehold of poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation.

· The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council is a global multi-stakeholder partnership organisation that works to improve the lives of poor people.

· The World Toilet Organisation communicates the need for better toilet standards in both the developed and developing economies of the world and provides a service platform for all toilet associations, related organisations and committed individuals to facilitate an exchange of ideas relating to health and cultural issues.

· The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) is a growing alliance that brings together trade unions, INGOs, the women’s and youth movements, community and faith groups and others to call for action from world leaders in the global North and South to meet their promises to end poverty and inequality.

2. The Sanitation and Water for All partnership was created in 2010 and is an alliance of national governments, donors, civil society organisations and other development partners. They are starting to work together to increase political will and improve aid-effectiveness by mobilizing and better targeting resources for water supply and sanitation.

3. The Sanitation and Water for All second High-Level Meeting on water and sanitation will be held on 20 April 2012. World leaders from the Global North and South will meet to take action on water and sanitation.

Please access http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldwalksforwater/ for photographs. Original copies available on request.

A proforma for writing an LNP Policy

A CanDo LNP will act to [insert aspirational objective] by [insert knee jerk response with an arbitrary budget or no social or environmental impact assessment].

An LNP Government will invest [insert a shit load of money] into a package which will [reiterate impossible objective in different words].

The LNP will grow a four pillar economy across our industry, and understands the importance [reinterate aspirational objective again].

The tired 20 year Labor Government has ignored the needs [list some vested interests].

[Insert an oversimplification of problems being experienced]

The LNP is committed to delivering a strong, viable, healthy and sustainable [insert industry].

Under the Bligh Labor Government [insert industry] has struggled and many [insert vested interest] face an uncertain future.

The LNP is committed to the health and wellbeing of [insert industry] and will undertake a [insert shitloads of money] program in consultation with the industry.

[Promise unrelated but attractive consequences].

[Suggest some superficial changes that are easily delivered by make no significant difference, like moving responsibility to another Department and refer to cutting waste a lot]

{Suggest handing back control to a group of stakeholders who are currently already in control}.

The LNP understands [Insert activity] is very much a part of life in Queensland.

It's time for a change. With your help a strong and united LNP Government will get Queensland back on track.

LNP Policy Commitments:

• [insert shitloads of money]
• [promise extraordinary outcome]