Plantation limitation on Class 1-3 land not nearly enough to save farming communities

The Tasmanian Greens today criticised the decision to limit industrial plantation establishment on class one, two and three agricultural land as not nearly enough to save rural Tasmanian communities threatened by Managed Investment Scheme-backed industrial plantation development.

Greens Shadow Primary Industry spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the plantation limit on classes one to three land, which cover 4% of the state’s farming land, goes a very short way to addressing the threat rural communities are facing from the conversion of local food-growing land into industrial plantations. (more…)

ACCIONA Energy (formerly known as EHN Oceania Pty Ltd) today announced that it will not proceed with its initial proposal for a wind farm along the Molonglo Range located 15kms south east of Queanbeyan and 25kms from Canberra. The decision follows ACCIONA Energy’s detailed evaluation of the proposed site over a period of years.

The wind farm, first proposed in 2004, was for up to 60 wind turbines with the capacity to generate green electricity to supply about 45,000 homes and avoid the production of over 245,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Extensive technical studies, environmental assessments and consultation with the community were carried out during 2004 and 2005. (more…)

Greens MLC Colleen Hartland is happy to wait another two weeks for the second reading of her Physician Assisted Dying bill.

“The longer we wait, the more support we get”, said Colleen Hartland.

“Support has grown to an overwhelming 80% of Australians calling for the right to obtain assistance to die, should they need it. The bill has been available for over a month.  I’m ready, and Victorians are ready.  Let’s get on with it.

“The bill provides compassion and support for people who are suffering intolerably, and who want to die.  But it also provides safeguards, and regulates a process that is currently going on in the dark,” said Colleen Hartland, MLC for Western Metropolitan Region. (more…)

The former head of ABARE, Dr Brian Fisher, famously said that, if prices are high enough, roosters will lay eggs.

Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today said that ABARE now has egg all over its face after another woefully inaccurate oil price forecast, leaving the Australian community scrambling to deal with a fuel price crisis.

Senator Milne said, “At some point, ABARE must be held to account for its failure to model any scenario under which peak oil is a reality. Where other economic forecasters model a range of scenarios based on a range of assumptions, ABARE has consistently modelled with the same flawed assumptions, even though the evidence has shown them to be wrong time and again. (more…)

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey points to the NSW Department of Planning’s more stringent requirements for a small gas fired power station as evidence that the ACT Government could and should do more to ensure that ActewAGL’s proposal for Mugga Lane is an appropriate development on an appropriate site.

“AGL wants to construct a small scale power station near Appin. But, according to the NSW Government, in making its environmental assessment it needs to go into air quality in much greater detail and needs to consult with all home owners and residents within 2 km,” Dr Foskey said today.

“In an Estimates hearing today the Chief Minister Jon Stanhope once again said that there is no role for any Minister in deciding on this proposal.

“In fact, as the Environment Minister, Mr Stanhope could today announce that he would commission a full Environmental Impact Statement to follow the Preliminary Assessment that is presently with ACTPLA.” (more…)

During Senate Estimates this evening, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission confirmed $1.8 million of funding to support workplace related complaints has been cut by the Rudd Government.

“The Government is trying to justify the cuts by saying Work Choices will eventually be abolished. However, they do not intend to re-introduce unfair dismissal protections until 2010,” said Australian Greens spokesperson on Industrial Relations, Senator Rachel Siewert late this evening.

“This leaves another two years of workers not being protected by unfair dismissal laws and HREOC struggling to meet increased demand.” (more…)

It was a bad day for the planning system in state parliament as Minister Sartor introduced new pro-developer laws into the Lower House at the same time as the major parties combined in the Upper House to bury a Greens Bill banning political donations from property developers.

“Once again the Labor Party has shown that it is addicted to donations from property developers and that it will repay those donations with pro-developer laws,” said Sylvia Hale, the NSW Greens MP and planning spokesperson. (more…)

The NSW Coalition’s conditions on the power sell-off will have no teeth unless they support the Greens’ move to force the matter into parliament, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “The Greens are deeply disappointed that Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell and his Deputy Andrew Stoner have caved into pressure from the government and the big end of town and given qualified endorsement for electricity privatisation. (more…)

Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has criticised the NSW Government’s proposed Clean Coal Fund, being debated in parliament today, calling it a con job and delaying tactic designed to justify expansion of the coal mining industry.

“Clean Coal is a dangerous industry con designed to delay Australia’s transition to a new low carbon economy”, said Ms Rhiannon.

“Clean coal is unproven technology that cannot deliver drastic cuts in greenhouse emissions in time to avoid dangerous climate change. (more…)

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey introduced into the Assembly today a Bill to establish a container deposit scheme in the ACT.

“Governments around Australia have resisted the reintroduction of container deposit schemes for many years,” Dr Foskey said today.

“But the increase in the waste we produce and the generally inadequate level of recycling show that it’s time to change course.

“Reducing the production of single-use containers minimises land fill space as well as energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from mainly fossil fuel generated power stations, mining activities, metal smelters, canneries, pulp and paper and bottle production facilities. (more…)