Please turn out the lights TONIGHT, 7.30 - 8.30pm.

(Gene Ethics director Bob Phelps’ talk to the Rural Press Club of Victoria, March 30 2007)

The dairy industry has everything to lose and nothing to gain from accepting genetic manipulation technologies, processes and products. The dairy industry will never gain customers by adopting GM but runs very great risks of losing them, around the world.

The US experience with Bovine Growth Hormone shows what can happen. Public confidence has been eroded by the impacts of BgH and farmers, processors, retailers and customers are flocking back to GM-free and organic. (more…)

(opinion or letter, sent to Canberra Times)

Recent articles about the sacking of agronomist and senior principal scientist Dr Maarten Stapper from the CSIRO (CSIRO axes outspoken expert, CT March 20 and GM critic given notice, March 24), give some much-needed balance to the GM (genetic manipulation) story, which to date has largely recycled the industry spin about the benefits of GM.  A recent example of such spin was Australia has the next move in global GM food chess game (CT, March 14) which suggested, amongst other things, that by moving to GM canola production we will somehow be at an advantage, despite the high prices that buyers are willing to pay for the GM-free variety.  (more…)

(Councillor column for the March 28 edition of the Bungendore Bulletin)

Turallo Creek Bridge, fluoride in water and the special variation on rates proposal (more…)

State Governments will have no control over non-aviation developments at their airports following Labor’s decision to back the Government in blocking the Greens efforts to have such developments subject to local and State planning laws.

Federal Labor has turned its back on State Labor Premier’s who wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this year demanding that the Commonwealth hand power to the States for non-aviation developments.

“Australia-wide communities are angry that while they are subject to local and state planning laws non-aviation airport developments such as golf courses, brick works and Direct Factory Outlets are not,” said Senator Christine Milne today. (more…)

Greens Leader Bob Brown has invited Sir Nicholas Stern to Tasmania when he comes back to Australia later this year.

Senator Brown spoke to Sir Nicholas after the National Press Club today and corrected his assertion that Australia had stopped deforestation.

Senator Brown pointed out the broad-scale clearfell logging and burning of old-growth forests in Tasmania and Victoria which pollutes the atmosphere with millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases each year. (more…)

The Greens today called on the Labor and Liberal parties to commit to legally binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emission, as called for by former World Bank Chief Economist, Sir Nicholas Stern.
“Sir Nicholas Stern says legally binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are essential. Both the major parties
have failed to support legally binding targets in just the past week,” Senator Christine Milne said in Canberra today.

“The Greens’ Climate Change Action Bill, debated last week in the Senate, sets legally binding targets of 20% below 1990 by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The major parties failed to support it.” (more…)

The SA government’s Climate Change Bill, currently being debated in the Upper House, will be a critical test for Labor’s true position on nuclear energy, says Greens MLC Mark Parnell.

Mark Parnell has put forward a range of amendments to strengthen the government’s bill, including a clause to exclude support for nuclear energy, and a requirement for a Royal Commission-type inquiry if the government fails to meet its own targets.

“Labor’s position on nuclear energy and uranium appears to be changing on a daily basis. As it stands, Premier Rann’s Climate Change Bill acts as a welcome mat for the nuclear industry. (more…)

(Statement from Paul Llewellyn, WA Greens MLC)

Western Australia is the grips of a historic water crisis that requires a long-term commitment to water efficiency and conservation.

Tapping into the Yarragadee is a short-term solution, equivalent to sweeping the problem under the carpet - our children will hold us to account for this decision and we must not let that happen.

Today, the Greens will introduce two important initiatives into the Parliament of WA. (more…)

“Water Corporation’s plans to tap the Yarragadee could come to grief due to local Government opposition,” says Paul Llewellyn, Greens MLC for the South West Region.

“The Yarragadee pipe-line and infrastructure needs the approval of 8 local government authorities, many of which are already suffering water shortages of their own.

“These local governments are very concerned about the impact of piping the Yarragadee water to Perth while their own needs are already under pressure.  (more…)