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

Sustainable Business Weekly QLD Edition [supply chains, DERM, water, election]]

Sustainable Procurement

The Australian Sustainable Business Group in Queensland is looking for expressions of interests from individuals and organisations to submit abstracts and proposals for a Sustainable Supply Chain Conference in Brisbane on Tuesday 5 June 2012.

ASBG (QLD) would welcome abstracts for presentations &/or workshops that address the following themes:

· Bring down costs whilst delivering sustainability;

· Develop an effective sustainable procurement strategy aligned to organisational goals;

· Align your procurement processes to ensure engagement from suppliers;

· Effectively monitor the sustainability progress and competence of supply chains;

· Understand how much one can expect from suppliers and ensure it works for them too;

· Create a team of sustainability champions from one’s procurement team;

· Understanding how BS8903 and a range of other tools can help one overcome these challenges.

30 April 2012 – Abstract/proposals Submission deadline

DERM

The State Opposition have been critical of the Qld Labor Government’s environment credentials indicating that the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM)’s poor management was responsible for its ineffectiveness in administering and enforcing legislation.

An LNP Government would repeal the Waste Reduction & Recycling Act & would probably disassemble DERM. Shadow Minister for the Environment Andrew Powell said there’s no proper rigour & reporting in the management of waste in Qld.

Andrew Powell cites Auditor-General reports accusing DERM of focusing on outputs then outcomes when it came to mitigating risks to the environment.

Mr Powell was also quoted as saying: "Regional Queensland was subjected to inconsistent monitoring and compliance from the department and there was appalling and limited oversight to assist regions plan effectively."

This week the LNP Candidate for the seat of Ashgrove: Campbell Newman: pledged to split DERM into a mining and energy department, a resources department, and environmental regulation department.

The Qld Water Commission (QWC) which is currently supposed to be overlooking water issues in the Coal Seam Gas Development sector. Mr Newman proposed to scrap the QWC.

Water blame game

The institutional arrangements for the delivery of water & sewage treatment services are in a state of great flux.

It remains to be seen if either the Labor Party or the LNP (or any of the minor parties) can offer some rational solutions for restructuring the water sector in South East Queensland.

As a part of a first world country, SEQ has more complicated arrangements than most developing communities but our State & Local Authorities still can't get our proverbial together.

As a society, we flush and forget. The only reminder we get is the water utilities bills (which are now capped at CPI).

Our Municipal authorities have fragmented service delivery & are still dumping (treated) sewage effluent into Moreton Bay, while the infrastructure for water recycling (at Bundamba) is running on idle.

The retiring Energy and Water Utilities Minister: The Honourable Stephen Robertson said the time had come for LNP Leader Campbell Newman to come clean on whether or not he expects Logan and Redlands ratepayers to share the cost of disestablishing Allconnex.

Mr Robertson also called on Mr Newman to reveal how he plans to pay for his as yet un-costed four point water plan. The South-East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill was debated in Parliament this week in the last sitting before the election. While the LNP were critical of the Government, they did not oppose the legislation.

Qld State Election 24 March 2012

The Queensland Conservation Council has prepared a list of their environmental priorities for the next election. The priorities cover protected areas, special places, marine, sustainability, fossil fuels and mining and legal reform. http://www.qccqld.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=524&Itemid=2

AgForce Queensland (AgForce) considers itself as the peak body representing thousands of Queensland primary producers. AgForce has been in regular communication with politicians from both Labor and the LNP

to shape their policy platforms in the lead up to the 2012 election.

AgForce’s efforts are directed in five major policy areas: Land management, Rural and regional economic development, Transport and infrastructure, Biosecurity & Industry image.http://www.agforceqld.org.au/file.php?id=1285&open=yes

Closer to the election, the Australian Sustainable Business Group will also publish a key list of issues, based upon dialogues with all the major (and minor) parties. Please contact Rowan@asbg.net.au if you have particular concerns.

What would I like MARK WOOD to help fix in BRISBANE CENTRAL?

Mark Wood
Candidate for Brisbane Central

Dear Mark,

I just received a flyer from you in the mail, with the question: “What would I like MARK WOOD to help fix in BRISBANE CENTRAL?”

1. Would you please stop Lord Mayor Campbell Newman from building TRANSAPEX and the Northern Link Tunnel for motor vehicles and suggest that he build an iconic public mass transport system instead?
2. Would you consider decentralised water supply systems and allow urine separation, dry composting toilets within urban areas?
3. Would you introduce more decentralised energy generation capacity and a rapid phase out of our reliance on coal fired power?
4. Would you please provide assistance for cattle farmers to transition to growing alternative forms of protein?
5. Would you not only protect Prime Agricultural land from mining but also protect forests from land clearing?

While Health, infrastructure, Schools etc are important the most significant issue for me and my 14 week old embryo is Climate change. One of the most significant global threats today and Extreme Weather (fires, floods, freak events) is of major public concern in Australia. Yet I find that substantive action on climate change within the state of Queensland is sadly lacking. For over ten year period a Federal Liberal-National Government presided over climate change denial. I would be interested to know what has changed in the LNP.

I am campaigning the conservatives to consider cars, coal & cows culpable for climate change.


Regards,

Rowan Barber
Non-partisan Climate Advocate

The QLD State Election - the best Candidates that money can buy

Friends of the Earth (and/or six degrees) are lobbying the Major Parties in the QLD State election to remove perverse subsidies and/or redirect subsidies to the Renewable Energy sector.

It would appear to me, that Australians (in general) want to keep on:

• driving cars;
• flying around in planes;
• eat processed & refrigerated foods;
• run their air conditioning

.....but actually would not mind if their fuel/energy came from alternatives to fossil fuels.

The incumbent Bligh Government is clearly in bed with "Big Coal". I am hoping for an "Fitzgerald-type" inquiry into the Coal-gate affair - Former state government minister Gordon Nuttall has been accused of receiving $300,000 in corrupt payments from former Macarthur Coal chief Ken Talbot between 2002 and 2005. Both men have denied doing anything wrong.

The opposition are also clearly in bed with "Big Coal" with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) reporting Mr Clive Palmer's company Mineralogy donated $542,000 to The Nationals and $100,000 to the Liberals.