Return to pre-Fitzgerald

The following release from the Local Government Association signals a return to uncontrolled development.

Clive Palmer is already taking advantage of this with his plans for Mrs Palmer's Resort at Yaroomba.....

It may be time to take to the streets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

News Release (LGAQ)

Thursday, 26 July 2012

Newman Government reversal puts communities back in the development box seat

The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says the reversal of a so-called red tape reduction move by the previous Queensland Government is a victory for communities and their ability to influence development decisions.

Under the Newman Government, the Sustainable Planning Amendment Regulation (No.2) 2012 - regarding the exemption of development for existing schools and public hospitals - has been disallowed by resolution of the Legislative Assembly.

LGAQ chief executive Greg Hallam, say the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 was amended by the former State Government in February this year, to prescribe that all aspects of development (subject to meeting minor amenity criteria) for existing public hospitals, state, and non-state schools be exempt from local planning instruments.

“This was rushed through without consultation before the Bligh Government went into caretaker mode,” said Mr Hallam. “The change risked opening the floodgates to unregulated development – which could have cost ratepayers millions of dollars to fix.”

“The move by the Newman Government to reverse this decision means that councils and their communities won’t be left picking up the pieces, in regard to the impact of inappropriate development on surrounding residences and businesses.”

The LGAQ sought legal advice on the impacts of the amendment on local government and has lobbied the Newman Government to reverse the decision.

“The LGAQ congratulates the Newman Government for its timely response in disallowing this perilous regulation,” said Mr Hallam.

Local Government Association of Queensland
LGAQ House, 25 Evelyn Street, Newstead Qld 4006

Australian Story - Ethiopian adoptees and their family

ABC1’s Australian Story is doing a story on the Johnson’s an Ethiopian adoptive family this Mondays 30^th July at 8.00 pm and will be repeated on Saturday 4^th August at 12.30 pm.

Last month, the Federal government ended its sometimes controversial intercountry adoption program with Ethiopia, dashing the hopes of waiting couples.  More than 600 children – mostly orphans - from the impoverished nation have found new lives in Australia.  Most notably, cyclist Cadell Evans and his wife adopted an Ethiopian baby last year via an overseas program.  In 2001 Ian and Sandy Johnson from Queensland's Sunshine Coast set off to Ethiopia to collect an orphaned little girl, and then later, her newly discovered five year old brother. Australian Story tracked the Johnsons' difficult journey into parenthood.  Now with the children 12 and 15, we return to find out how it's all worked out.

You watch the show after Monday and provide feedback to Australia Story at http://www.abc.net.au/austory/

Toilet 2.0 - the next Generation

In recent years we have seen a transition from analogue radio and television to digital services.

Smarter telephone technologies including video and net based applications are complementing the traditional voice down a copper wire.

Automotive companies are starting to roll out electric vehicles to replace internal combustion engine technologies.

These processes are transitional.

Prototypes were developed.  They begin as pilot projects, to prove the concept.

This is exactly what is proposed for developing Toilet 2.0 technologies.



The rationale for source segregation is to encourage nutrient recovery and reduce to costs and environmental impacts of the tradition method of aggregating urine and feaces with vast quantities of flush water, grey water and trade waste.

We need to identify pilot projects, to demonstrate the concepts of source separation of urine and feaces.

We need to develop the supporting processes, the institutional arrangements and encourage the social acceptance of the paradigm shift.

We need to develop trade waste policies and charges that incentivate and support source segregation.

Using traditional toilet technologies, there is a peak load of nitrogen, phosphorus that coincides with a hydraulic peak load, every morning and evening.

We need business models and a business case that demonstrates the value of source segregation.  There is a potential for delaying large capital investment for infrastructure upgrades by reducing the peak loads.  There are opportunities to reduce or avoid the operational costs at sewage treatment plants by reducing the need for energy intensive, biological and chemical processes for removing nitrogen and phosphorus.

The Toilet2.0 technologies provide an opportunity to lower the costs of delivery of sewage treatment services and increase the opportunities for resources recovery, energy efficiency, water efficiency and better environmental outcomes.

If Toilet2.0 technologies can be developed and demonstrated in my community, there is a huge market potential to meet the needs of 2.6 billion people who lack access to any form of toilet.

I want it all

I want it all.

I want to be a loving and supportive husband.

I want to be a participatory parent.

I want a career.

I want to be involved in international development assistance....

I want it all.

I want to be a public servant.

I want to serve my community.

I want to provide for my family.

I want to contribute to my society.

I want to be involved in social enterprise.

I want to be involved in corporate social responsibility.

I want to field test the next generation of toilet technologies.

I want to embed sustainability into supply chains.

I want to be home early enough in the evenings to feed my children, bathe them and get them to bed.

I want it all.

I want it all.

I want it all.

....and I want it now.




http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/who-really-wants-to-have-it-all-20120707-21no6.html

in defense of the Environment

As you may have seen in the news today, the Environment Defenders Office was told yesterday that the State government has ceased all State funding to EDO Qld and EDO-NQ without notice on 30 June 2012.

This is half of their recurrent funding. 

EDO have sought an urgent meeting with the State Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Jarrod Bleijie, but are waiting for his response.

The withdrawal of funding guts their ability to help landholders, individuals and community groups understand and act on their legal rights to protect the environment.  

Without the Environment Defenders Office there is no legal support available for those that want to protect the environment in the public interest.

Their community litigants handbook will cease publication. 

If you have ever received their assistance or value the essential services they provide, now is the time they need your support to ask that their funding be restored.

Three things you can do to help the EDO today:

·         contact Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Jarrod Bleijie, attorney@ministerial.qld.gov.au and politely tell him about the essential role EDO plays in helping the community understand and access their legal rights;

·         donate to EDO Qld to at least allow them to deliver our Handbook guide to Mining & Coal Seam Gas or continue their general services, including answering the 50+ people on their waiting list for assistance to protect the environment; and

·         spread the word by commenting on media reports and telling your friends through Facebook, Twitter and your local networks.

For more information contact

Bronwyn BellOffice Manager

30 Hardgrave Rd WEST END, QLD 4101tel +61 7 3211 4466  fax +61 7 3211 4655
edoqld@edo.org.au   www.edo.org.au/edoqld

Draft Sustainable Business Weekly

·         Contaminated Land Conference on 18 July 2012

·         Environmental Management Workshop on the 19 July 2012 to bring Managers up to speed on changes to Environmental Law.

Government by Gazette

In the Sustainable Business Weekly last week, ASBG noted that the Qld Premier committed the Qld Government to repeal the Waste Levy to take effect from 1 July 2012.  What was unclear was how Premier Newman intended to repeal the legislation.

Last Friday, a notice advising the making of Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation Amendment 2012 was published in the Queensland Gazette on 22 June 2012 on pages 364-365. If one looks at the Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation 2011, it has not been reprinted yet to reflect the amendment regulation.   The regulation still appears to still contain the levy provisions.  However the amendment regulation shows one which provisions have been repealed, so one has to compare both documents to get a good understand of changes occurring on 1 July 2012.

The amendment removes (or omits) the definitions of:

·         regulated waste—high hazard;

·         regulated waste—low hazard;

·         regulated waste—other;

·         prescribed exempt waste;

which were inconsistent with the definitions of hazardous waste in other States.

The Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation Amendment Regulation 2012  simply sets the price of the waste levy to $0 from 1 July 2012. 

Waste levies in NSW & Vic were intended to increase recycling by making the recovery of waste more financially attractive than sending it to landfill.  Now (in effect) it is more financially attractive to transport waste to Qld.   ASBG observes that the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act remains in place and the Qld Government could (in theory) reintroduce the waste levy at a moment’s notice by making a subsequent Regulation amendment.   The rate of waste levy for each type of waste delivered to a levyable waste disposal site could be adjusted.

New Guidelines from the New Department

This week, in his first Qld Media Club speech since the Liberal National Party's election victory in March, Qld Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney declared that the Department of Environment and Resource Management is "dead" as he urged activists to stop spouting emotional claims about “environmental Armageddon”.

Mr Seeney flagged the introduction of a temporary planning policy, ensuring the need for economic growth was the primary consideration whenever a decision was made, ahead of a major shake-up of planning laws.

Mr Seeney, who is Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, vowed to empower local councils and encourage investment, while also pledging to ensure environmental protection.

The newly formed Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) – was formed from the ashes of the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

As part of implementing the recommendations from the Flood Commission of Inquiry, EHP has published its guideline on issuing emergency directions to release contaminants. The guideline sets out the matters that EHP will consider when making a decision about issuing such a direction.

EHP has also amended its guideline on transitional environmental programs, to provide greater guidance on how it will apply the standard criteria under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 to decisions about approving or refusing a draft program.

EHP is reviewing its compliance strategy, enforcement guidelines and annual compliance plan. New documents that reflect the priorities and approach of the department will be published on the EHP website soon.

Premier Campbell Newman has said mining magnate Clive Palmer will not be allowed to dump polluted water into the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef zone.

Tailing ponds at Mr Palmer’s nickel refinery at Yabulu, about 28 kilometres north of Townsville, are at risk of bursting following heavy rains and cyclonic weather last year.

Mr Palmer’s company Queensland Nickel wants to pump water from the ponds into nearby Halifax Bay, which is home to dugongs and turtles in the Great Barrier Reef zone.

Queensland’s Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said Mr Palmer has unsuccessfully tried to pressure the Queensland government into lowering environmental standards

Mr Seeney said Mr Palmer’s was making an excuse to lower environmental standards and he should have dealt with the problem earlier.

Mr Palmer said the refinery had been releasing “benign” water into the bay for about 30 years and the previous owner, BHP Billiton, should not have allowed the problem to get so bad in the first place.

Government by Gazette

Government by Gazette

In the Sustainable Business Weekly last week, ASBG noted that the Qld Premier committed the Qld Government to repeal the Waste Levy to take effect from 1 July 2012.  What was unclear was how Premier Newman intended to repeal the legislation.

Last Friday, a notice advising the making of Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation Amendment 2012 was published in the Queensland Gazette on 22 June 2012 on pages 364-365. If one looks at the Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation 2011, it has not been reprinted yet to reflect the amendment regulation.   The regulation still appears to still contain the levy provisions.  However the amendment regulation shows one which provisions have been repealed, so one has to compare both documents to get a good understand of changes occurring on 1 July 2012.

The amendment removes (or omits) the definitions of:

·         regulated waste—high hazard;

·         regulated waste—low hazard;

·         regulated waste—other;

·         prescribed exempt waste;

which were inconsistent with the definitions of hazardous waste in other States.

The Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation Amendment Regulation 2012  simply sets the price of the waste levy to $0 from 1 July 2012. 

Waste levies in NSW & Vic were intended to increase recycling by making the recovery of waste more financially attractive than sending it to landfill.  Now (in effect) it is more financially attractive to transport waste to Qld.   ASBG observes that the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act remains in place and the Qld Government could (in theory) reintroduce the waste levy at a moment’s notice by making a subsequent Regulation amendment.   The rate of waste levy for each type of waste delivered to a levyable waste disposal site could be adjusted.