Clarence Greens

2012-02-03T06:11:00.000+11:00

An insight into British justice!!!!!!!

Huhne to learn his fate tomorrow

Posted by George Eaton - 02 February 2012 15:07

Prosecutors to announce tomorrow whether Energy Secretary will be charged by police.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne will learn tomorrow whether he will be charged by police. Photograph: Getty Images.

The news has just broken that the Crown Prosecution Service will announce tomorrow whether it will press charges against Chris Huhne over claims he asked his former wife Vicky Pryce to accept speeding penalty points on his behalf. Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions will make a statement live to TV cameras at 10am.

Reblogged from

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2012/02/announce-tomorrow-service

New Police Integrity Commissioner fails his first test

2012-02-03T05:41:00.000+11:00

Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:12:27 +1100

The Police Integrity Commission (PIC) and its new Commissioner have refused
to investigate a serious allegation of police assault at the SCG, and the
extraordinary events which followed. The police failings included the

police media unit sending Assistant Commissioner Murdoch to publicly defend
police actions without even informing him that the officer in question was
his son.

See SMH:
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/greens-critical-of-pic-over-handling-of-punch-incident-20120201-1qth0.html

Greens NSW MP and Police spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

"A NSW police officer is seen repeatedly punching a spectator at a cricket
game who is being held down by a phalanx of security guards, and yet the
Police Integrity Commission has taken a cursory twenty-four hours to review
and dismiss the request for an investigation.

"The initial police investigation resulted in an Assistant Commissioner
publicly defending the police involved in the incident when the police
hadn't even identified the officer in question as his son. Yet even this
failure hasn't prompted PIC to investigate.

"Instead of a substantial and thorough investigation into fundamental
police failings, the new head of the Police Integrity Commission has stated
that he is satisfied with two internal police investigations into the
matter.

"This kind of 'hands off' approach to inadequate internal police
investigations has long characterised the PIC, and it looks like the new
Commissioner will be adopting the same attitude to police misconduct
allegations.

"It is inconceivable, given the seriousness of the matter, and the bungling
by the Police Media Unit, that a twenty-four hour review by PIC could have
seriously grappled with the issues at stake.

"This matter deserved more than a couple of phone calls and a standard
letter from the PIC. The PIC's response shakes the public's confidence in
the State's most important police oversight body.

"The very substantial public interest in reviewing the conduct, and media
response, of the NSW Police in this case cannot be satisfied by internal
police investigations," Mr Shoebridge said.

Media Comment: 0408 113 952

DUNDURRABIN MINING LAW WORKSHOP

2012-01-31T19:14:00.000+11:00

Dundurrabin Community Centre at 1.30pm on Feb 11, 2012

Sue Higgenson, senior solicitor from the Environmental Defenders Office, is coming to talk with our community about mining law.

This is an open invitation to the whole community to address everyone's concerns regarding the legal side of mining and our rights within the community and for our private landholdings.

Take this opportunity to understand what could happen if mining proceeds in our community.

Environmental Defenders Office:

 A community legal centre specialising in public interest environmental law

 Mission: promote the public interest and improve environmental outcomes through the informed use of the law

 Functions

 Legal Advice and Representation

 Policy and Law Reform

 Community Education

 Scientific and Technical Advice

Please bring a something to share to have with a cuppa.

Local Mining Exploration

Anchor Resources have been doing exploratory drilling at Dundurrabin for gold and copper.

As reported on Anchor Resources website, (www.anchorresources.com <http://www.anchorresources.com/> ) the Tyringham prospect is identified as a Reduced Intrusion-Related Gold System (RIRGS) and deposits of this type include multi-million ounce gold mines such as Fort-Knox, Pogo and Donlin Creek (Alsaska) and Kidston Australia.

If the Government wants to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons it must scrap uranium deal with Russia - Greens

2012-01-28T16:35:00.000+11:00

Media Release: Senator for Western Australia, Scott Ludlam. Friday January 27th, 2012.

The Australian Government must end uranium sales to Russia if it is serious about stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, the Australian Greens said today.

Greens spokesperson for nuclear affairs Senator Scott Ludlam said strongly-worded statements on Iran from Canberra rang hollow unless the government ends the sale of uranium to Iran's key nuclear partner - Russia.

"The Russian nuclear industry built Iran's Bushehr plant and continue to work with the Iranian regime closely. Recently Moscow expressed concerns about nuclear fuel enrichment in Iran but continue to be Iran's closest partner when it comes to nuclear power," said Senator Ludlam.

"In April last year the Russian state-run company Atomstroyexport was carrying out the reloading of nuclear fuel at Bushehr. Russia has a significant commercial interest in Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology and missile delivery systems.

"In 2008, CIA Director General Michael Hayden noted Russia's assistance with civil nuclear technology and Russian company transfers of ballistic missile hardware and know-how in the annual report on Weapons of Mass Destruction related acquisitions. A similar report from four years earlier indicated Iran's technological and material acquisitions from Russian companies aided Iran's development of intermediate range ballistic missiles and that ongoing Russian-Iranian trade have assisted Iran's local missile production capabilities. I'm not a huge fan of the work of the CIA - but this is what Washington's intelligence agency is saying, and while Canberra listens to everything else the US administration tells them it seems to be ignoring the clear role Russia has in Iran's nuclear ambitions."

In November 2010 Senator Ludlam condemned the Government for cutting a deal to sell uranium to Russia.

"The concerns the Australian Greens raised then are more pressing now. Russia has a nuclear energy sector known for low safety and environmental standards, the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, and at the time of signing, had not been visited by IAEA inspectors since 2001.

"The formidable security and proliferation concerns of uranium deals with Russia were spelled out forensically by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) in 2008. The Government blindly dismissed these warnings. This is an example of short term profits taking precedence over global security interests."

Media Contact: Giovanni Torre - 0417 174 302

Link to Daily Examiner Story: Police close to charging Cansdell

2012-01-28T07:44:00.000+11:00

The Daily Examiner reminds us that police are yet to charge Cansdell.

See also: cansdell-loses-face-with-pals/

The Land Article: Cansdell 'Tribute Dinner'!!!!!!

2012-01-23T11:15:00.002+11:00

'Dinner for disgraced MP raises Labor hackles

HEATH ASTON, SMH

23 Jan, 2012 07:55 AM

THE National Party has been accused of profiting from the misdeeds of MP Steve Cansdell.

A ''tribute dinner'' has been arranged to honour Mr Cansdell, who quit the seat of Clarence in September after being forced to admit he falsified a statutory declaration to avoid losing his driver's licence. He faces possible criminal charges.

Up to 200 people are expected to attend the $50-a-head function at Grafton on February 4. The organiser, Deb Newton, Mr Cansdell's former campaign manager, said it was ''not really a fund-raiser'' but any money left over would go to the Nationals' local electorate council. ''There is still a lot of love out there for Steve and a lot of forgiveness,'' she said.

The Opposition Leader, John Robertson, said: ''Fund-raising off the back of the resignation of a disgraced state MP who stood down so his generous parliamentary pension would not be cut off is an insight into the real values of the government.'' '

© SMH

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/he-confessed-so-why-delay-the-arrest-20111112-1nco4.html

ABC MNC Story:Call for Dorrigo Plateau mining ban

2012-01-23T11:04:00.001+11:00

Coffs Harbour Greens Cr Mark Graham

January 23

Coffs-Clarence conservationists are calling for a ban on mining and exploration in the headwaters of the region's major rivers.

One company exploring for antimony on the Dorrigo Plateau, Anchor Mining, has already been fined over the impact of its activity on the Orara and Nymboida river catchments.

It is in relation to activity at the old Wild Cattle Creek mine near Bielsdown.

Coffs Harbour councillor and mining opponent Mark Graham says exploration exposed ore bodies containing toxic minerals like antimony, lead and mercury.

"There's been major damage to rainforest and contamination of the catchment," he said.

"Mining must be prohibited in sensitive catchment areas, particularly drinking water supply areas.
"We've already seen poor practice, we've seen the law being breached and fines being issued.

"The only way to protect the catchment is to prohibit mining and further exploration activities."

Cr Graham says the New South Wales Government will be lobbied to place a ban mining and exploration in the region's river catchments.

"There is huge community support for banning mining in the Orara and Nymboida catchments because of the drinking water supply," he said.

"That community support will translate into political will and pressure will be brought to bear upon the State Government to set no-go zones such as the Dorrigo Plateau."

Macleay Argus Story: Court action over supply of timbers

2012-01-20T08:59:00.000+11:00

JOHN JEAYES

17 Jan, 2012 01:02 PM

In the previous column I wrote of the continual breaches of numerous statutory licence conditions by Forests NSW in North Coast and South Coast forests.

While the penalty notices and fines have not been enough to worry the loggers, I am aware of a poll in the Coffs Advocate where 92 per cent of respondents said the logging of the Boambee State Forest koala habitat should be stopped.

It is plain the government and logging companies are at risk of losing their social licence and approval for an industry upon which our North Coast communities depend in some form or another.

The government and companies know they are losing credibility as corporate citizens and I have been trying to find out why they continue to commit these breaches.

The Regional Forest Agreement (including the IFOA) was drawn up in 1998 between the industry and the government, with environmentalists excluded from the discussions although they tried as hard as they could to point out the required timber was not there.

The shortfall became more apparent around 2003 when a new agreement was signed with Boral by the Forestry Commission and the government of NSW on your behalf.

In what seems now an astounding blunder, the government at that time removed the clause that allowed it to reduce commitments in line with yield reviews.

By 2004 the Allen Taylor mill at South Kempsey was merged with the Herons Creek mill to take advantage of federal government funding to set up for smaller log
processing.

This seemed to confirm environmentalists’ concerns that the big logs were going at a faster rate than they were being replaced by new growth.

Everyone knows it takes 50 years to get a decent sized tree and the big ones with hollows for critters such as possums, gliders and parrots take up to 200 years.

You don’t see too many of them if you look through the screen of bigger trees beside the highway and see the field of sticks in your State forest.

You can’t run a harvest rotation of less than 20 years and expect the forest to keep up the supply of millable logs.

So it was no surprise to find that Boral received $500,000 of your tax money in 2006 because Forests
NSW and the government failed to manage to supply the promised quotas of premium saw logs.
From that time on activists began to collate more and more incidents of breaches which the environment department, whether it was called DEC, DECC, DECCW or OEH, had been apparently unable to find without help.

It became obvious that in the relentless pursuit for timber to fill the quotas new areas were sought even if it meant breaking the rules about unmarked streamlines, oldgrowth, rainforest, percentage cut, failure to monitor or audit the take, and failure to mark up habitat trees.

But with all that, the lack of resource and the need to keep the small mills going still prevented Forests NSW supplying the agreed amount of premium logs to Boral. So it was no surprise when Allen Taylor and Co. Ltd and Duncan’s Holdings launched a summons for the Forestry Commission of NSW and the State of NSW to appear in the Supreme Court of NSW in Sydney.

Both companies are part of the Boral group and their brief alleges failure to supply the agreed quantities of premium logs (blackbutt, spotted gum and brushbox) and supply of greater quantities of smaller logs than was agreed. Boral however is not saying the logs are not there, rather they contend Forests NSW are supplying those premium high quality logs to third parties or other mills on the North Coast.

So because of the previous refusal to listen to the people telling previous government departments the supply was not there, the NSW Coalition is faced with the dilemma of denying the small mills the logs they need to survive, or on the other hand paying out Boral in a huge settlement. The court proceedings are listed for later this year.

http://www.macleayargus.com.au/news/local/news/opinion/court-action-over-supply-of-timbers/2422727.aspx?storypage=0

Get trawling out of NSW marine parks – Greens

2012-01-17T06:10:00.002+11:00

Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012

Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann says that the NSW
Government should take the advice of the five trawler operators from
Nelson Bay who have declared their practice environmentally damaging,
and move to ban trawling in the state's marine parks.

"Trawling is nothing less than land clearing with bulldozers and chains
at the bottom of the ocean. It kills fish and destroys habitat
indiscriminately. It has no place in a marine park," said Ms Faehrmann.

"If trawling is allowed to continue in key sensitive areas we are going
to see a rapid decline of marine life. Both the commercial and
recreational industries will suffer.

"While the federal government and the rest of the world is moving ahead
on marine protection, this government is taking NSW backwards. Winding
back measures at Solitary Islands and Jervis Bay Marine Parks that
reduced the areas available for trawling is just one example of this.

"Now even trawlers are seeing the writing on the wall, but the NSW
Government is more interested in appeasing extremists in the fishing
lobby.

"The NSW Government is dragging its heels and trying to avoid taking
action. Their much trumpeted but unnecessary scientific review into
marine parks is now late.

"Meanwhile, trawling continues to destroy vital habitat for marine
life.

"The NSW Government must heed this warning from within the industry and
ban trawling in all marine parks," said Ms Faehrmann.

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727

Hysterical gas industry attacks O'Farrell's plan and hectors media

2012-01-15T07:31:00.000+11:00

12 January 2012

The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham criticised the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) for labelling the O'Farrell Government's Regional Strategic Land Use Policy as red tape and consistently attacking the media for reportage critical of the industry.

"The Greens are appalled that APPEA have started to criticise the O'Farrell Government's Strategic Regional Land Use Policy as creating a bureaucratic headache for industry," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"There is clearly a high level of community and expert concern over the impacts of the coal seam gas industry, and it is entirely appropriate that the government acts to protect landholders, farmers and the environment through proper and considered regulation.

"Declaring important agricultural land and sensitive environments off-limits to mining and gas is a sensible policy. The Greens hope that Barry O'Farrell will stick by his election commitment and not bend to pressure from the big gas companies.

"The NSW public will not tolerate a policy that allows the gas industry free reign across the state.

"APPEA is increasingly hysterical in its responses to media reports critical of the industry. It is inappropriate for APPEA to hector the Sydney Morning Herald or the ABC over their reporting of legitimate news related to the gas industry in Australia and around the world.

"The gas industry is setting itself up as the arbiter of what can be legitimately reported, yet they have a direct and massive financial interest in limiting negative reporting.

"Today APPEA criticised the ABC for reporting a study looking at the correlation between animal deaths and illness and the gas industry. The study was authored by a Professor of Pharmacology at Cornell University and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in private practice. Most Australians would probably think that the work of such experts has something valuable to contribute, despite the protestations of gas industry executives.

"The gas industry is hysterical because they can not fly under the radar anymore and despite spending millions on advertising and propaganda, they have been unable to win the Australian public's trust. The public has taken a keen interest in the coal seam gas issue and has not granted the industry a social licence to operate. Such a licence will not be earned by criticising media outlets," he said.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

Minister using ASIO to spy at the behest of the fossil lobby must be held to account

2012-01-09T06:39:00.000+11:00

Media Release by: Senator Scott Ludlam, Saturday January 7th, 2012

The Australian Greens have reacted strongly to confirmation that fossil fuel companies successfully pressured energy minister Martin Ferguson to enlist ASIO and the Federal Police in spying on climate change and clean energy activists.

"This is a deliberate abuse of the role of Australian security agencies, who have better things to do than follow the dictates of foreign coal and energy corporations," Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said.

"Instead of promoting the surveillance and intimidation of climate activists, Minister Ferguson should devote some of his time to dealing with the issues they raise."

The Greens have called on the Prime Minister to haul Mr Ferguson into line, and demanded that new Federal Attorney General Nicola Roxon come clean on the degree to which Australian intelligence bodies are diverting resources into spying on environmental campaign groups.

ASIO chief David Irvine indicated to Senator Ludlam in an estimates committee hearing in February 2010: "ASIO does not devote any resources to constraining legitimate protest. We are specifically prevented from doing so by our act, and we do not do it."

Subsequent to this exchange, the Government made substantial amendments to ASIO's act (the so-called 'WikiLeaks amendments') giving the agency unqualified powers to spy on civil society organisations.

"This is a dangerous expansion of the surveillance state, a wholly unhealthy cocktail of economic interests, privatised intelligence gathering, misuse of clandestine intelligence resources and above all, a demonstration of the warped priorities of a Minister who needs to be pulled into line," said Senator Ludlam.

Media Contact: Giovanni Torre - 0417 174 302

Santos disingenuous on coal seam gas royalties

2012-01-07T06:32:00.000+11:00

JEREMY BUCKINGHAM MLC - MEDIA RELEASE
5 January 2012

The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham has hit back at
Santos' claims on coal seam gas royalties saying Santos spokesperson
Matthew Doman claims where either disingenuous or highlights a lack of
understanding of the financial contribution resources projects make to
governments and communities, after he told Sky Business yesterday that
Santos would start paying royalties once they entered the production
phase.

In NSW there is a royalty holiday for the first 5 years of production.
In the 6th year a royalty rate of 6% applies, rising 1% per year to 10%
from the 10th year onwards.

Mr Dorman told Sky News "That's right, you pay royalties once you enter
the production phase", omitting the very important fact that there is a
five year royalty holiday for petroleum products in NSW where the
Pilliga project is located.

"Santos are trying to spin their way out of the fact that NSW taxpayers
will be ripped off in terms of the return they'll get for the
exploitation of this gas resource. Yet it is the community that will
bear the risks to water, agriculture and the environment," said Greens
MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"For the first five years of each coal seam gas well, when production
of gas is likely to be highest, Santos will not pay one red cent in
royalties.

"Barry O'Farrell and Mike Baird need to answer why coal seam gas
operators pay nothing in NSW for the first five years, yet Queenslanders
get 10% in royalties from day one. The Queensland royalty rate
certainly hasn't slowed the industry up there.

"In 2010 the only producing coal seam gas field in NSW, AGL's Camden
project with around 80-90 producing wells paid only $462,093 in
royalties in 2009-2010. How many wells is Santos planning in NSW to
deliver their promised $150 million a year in royalties?"

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

Minerals Royalty revenue in NSW 2005 – 2010: http://bit.ly/z3TgGu

Petroleum (Onshore) Regulation 2007
Current version for 2 September 2011 to date (accessed 5 January 2012
at 12:21)

Part 7Clause 23

23 Rate of royalty: section 85
(1) For the purposes of section 85 (2) of the Act, the prescribed
annual rate of royalty is as follows:
(a) for the first 5 years from the first commercial production
date—nil,
(b) for the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th years from the first commercial
production date—6%, 7%, 8% and 9%, respectively, of the value at the
well-head of the petroleum,
(c) for the 10th and subsequent years from the first commercial
production date—10% of the value at the well-head of the petroleum.
(2) For the purposes of this clause:
(a) the first commercial production date is the date on which
commercial production of petroleum first began on the land to which the
petroleum title relates, and
(b) a period of time referred to in subclause (1) is to be calculated
inclusive of the first commercial production date, and
(c) the prescribed annual rate of royalty is to be determined only by
reference to the first commercial production date and not by reference
to the date or dates on which commercial production of petroleum began
in relation to each well on the land to which the petroleum title
relates.

Councillor found guilty of criticising fellow councillors

2012-01-06T05:31:00.000+11:00

Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012
*Media Release*

Gosford City Greens Councillor Peter Freewater has been found to have
breached the council's 'Code of Conduct' policy for publically criticising
decisions made by the majority of councillors.

See SMH story here:
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/councillor-frustrated-over-code-of-conduct-20120104-1pl9j.html

With the NSW government currently reviewing the Model Code of Conduct ahead
of the September 2012 local government elections, Clr Freewater's
experience is a case study of the broader problems with the Local
Government Model Code of Conduct in NSW, and the need for more than token
reform.

Greens NSW MP and Local Government spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

"In many councils code of conduct complaints have become political weapons
and are used to fight essentially partisan battles using council resources.

"Councillor Freewater was raising legitimate matters for public debate and
he should not have been prosecuted for raising them publicly.

"This case highlights some of the problems with the Code of Conduct. Each
of these complaints should have been seen for what they were – political
attacks on an inconvenient political voice.

"There needs to be a fundamental change in the way complaints under the
Code are initially assessed, with an early, independent and objective
review being undertaken by a person well removed from the council's
political machinations.

"General Managers, who only remain in office if they keep the political
support of a majority of councillors, should have no role whatsoever in
assessing Code of Conduct complaints.

"Councillor Freewater has been found to have breached the code of conduct
because he was a strident critic of some decisions of his council that he
voted against. In effect he has been found 'guilty' of being a councillor.

"It is fairly clear that the Code of Conduct is not being used to raise the
standard of councillor behaviour, rather it has become a petty political
tool for those who are willing to use it," Mr Shoebridge.

Media contact: 0408 113 952

0.3% per well from Pilliga coal seam gas project is a swindle

2012-01-05T04:48:00.000+11:00

JEREMY BUCKINGHAM MLC - MEDIA RELEASE

3 January 2011

The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham has called for the land use access agreement between Forests NSW and Santos to be renegotiated after the agreement, released by Freedom of Information, revealed that Forests NSW will only receive a pathetic $2,500 per annum from every active coal seam gas well.

Eastern Star Gas (now purchased by Santos) has previously said that each well in the Pilliga project would produce revenue of approximately $800,000. A $2,500 payment per well means Forests NSW will receive only 0.3% of the revenue from each well.

"This revelation shows how little NSW taxpayers are getting for the massive amount of damage this industry is doing to the Pilliga Forest and potentially our waterways and aquifers," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"Santos stand to make billions by pock-marking the Pilliga forest with gas wells if its proposal for 1,100 coal seam gas wells if approved. But NSW taxpayers will get little compensation . This project is a dud.

"I've seen the damage done by the pilot coal seam gas operations in the Pilliga, including massive amounts of clearing, large tracts of dead trees where coal seam gas water has spilled, unlined waste water ponds, introduced weeds, large evaporation ponds and leaking infrastructure.

"Santos plans to turn an important nature reserve into a heavy industrial zone, but pay virtually nothing to the community.

"Taxpayers will also be ripped off when it comes to royalties from coal seam gas, with a five year royalty holiday for gas in NSW. In Queensland gas royalties are 10% from day one, yet here in NSW the gas companies will pay no royalties for the first five years, and only 10% after 10 years of operations. It's a swindle," he said.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

Budget cuts force prison lockdowns

2011-12-18T07:30:00.000+11:00

MEDIA RELEASE - 16 December 2011

NSW government budget cuts to Corrective Services are forcing prisons to institute prison-wide lockdowns in order to 'achieve efficiencies', aggravating tensions within correctional centres and endangering the lives of prison officers.

NSW Greens MP and Corrective Services spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

"Lockdowns should only be used when the security of guards and inmates is at risk, not because it's cheaper to run a prison when all the inmates are locked in their cells.

"Multiple-day lockdowns to save money create a number of serious problems.

"After being locked up by themselves for a number of days inmates are likely to have a large degree of pent-up aggression, which they often take out on other inmates and prison guards.

"Sydney's Long Bay jail, for example, is reportedly imposing regular lockdowns. Last month a fire started by inmates following a three-day lockdown led to eight prison guards being treated for smoke inhalation.

"Corrective Services took a hit in the O'Farrell government's first budget. This included the closure of a number of prisons, a push towards privatisation and the cutting of up to 600 prison officers' jobs.

"This kind of excessive cost-cutting puts extreme pressure on the whole correctional system, and will likely lead to further outbreaks of violence in prisons,"

"The long term answer to prison resources is law reform to reduce prisoner numbers, not cutting corners in administration," Mr Shoebridge said.

Media contact: Mark Riboldi 9230 3030 | 0433 753 376

Victorian plan to log 'parks and reserves' a cause for alarm in NSW; Media Release

2011-12-16T05:16:00.000+11:00

“We are horrified that as the International Year of Forests draws to a close, we have a Government in Australia proposing to open up protected areas for logging” said NCEC President Susie Russell.

“In response to the Victorian timber supply crisis resulting from decades of over-cutting and unsustainable practices, the Victorian Liberal Minister responsible is recommending the logging of 'parks, reserves and water catchments' 1 as well as reducing protections for endangered species, bringing in 20 year wood supply contracts and making taxpayers liable for any timber shortfalls.

“The Victorian Timber Action Plan released yesterday is an ecological and social disaster,” she said.

“What is alarming is that instead of seeing the writing on the wall for an industry that has failed to develop its own resource or respect the environment, the Victorian Government plans to head back to the dark ages and repeat the same mistakes by entrenching over-cutting, taxpayer liability and weakening environmental protection of key natural assets.

“It is a recipe for ongoing conflict in Victoria's forests. You would think they would have learned something from the NSW experience. In NSW where 20 year contracts have been in place for more than a decade, and despite lax environmental regulation, taxpayers are already paying compensation to timber companies.

“The fight for the forests will be well and truly on again if the NSW Government follows suit and tries to open up protected areas for logging. We certainly hope they have more sense than to return to an era of protracted forest protest, ” she warned.

“We ask that Premier Barry O'Farrell and Forestry Minister Katrina Hodgkinson rule out solving the timber supply crisis in NSW by opening up national parks and other protected areas for logging, or watering down what we consider to be the already weak environmental protection measures that apply to logging.

“The timber supply crisis in NSW can only be dealt with by reducing contracted volumes, and reducing taxpayer liability. The biodiversity and climate crises can only be dealt with by protecting habitat, carbon stored in large trees, reserve connectivity and water catchment integrity.

“The way forward is less native forest logging not more... Victoria is certainly marching backwards under Bailleau,” Ms Russell said.

NSW gun numbers approach pre-Port Arthur levels

2011-12-12T15:48:00.000+11:00

Following reports that the number of registered firearms and firearm
owners in NSW is fast approaching pre-Port Arthur levels, Greens NSW MP
David Shoebridge has called for the government to take action to reverse
the creeping gun culture in NSW.

"It is time to put the brakes on the emerging gun culture in NSW," Mr
Shoebridge said.

"The Port Arthur tragedy led to significant gun law reform across
Australia in 1996. However successive state governments have weakened
the gun laws in order to secure the votes of the Shooters Party in the
Upper House.

"In 2011 the total number of people with a firearms licence in NSW
jumped to 188,149, which nearly matches the pre-Port Arthur level of
200,000.

"This has been matched by a surge in the number of licensed guns in NSW,
with the numbers growing from 619,000 in 2001 to a staggering 758,802
this year.

"The prime policy agenda of the Shooters Party is getting more guns into
the hands of more people and these figures prove they are delivering on
this.

"Not only is the number of registered firearms increasing, so too are
the number of guns per registered shooter.

"Over the last 10 years, the number of registered guns per licence
holder has risen from just over 3 to an average of almost 5 guns per
shooter.

"There may be valid reasons for an individual to own 1 or 2 guns, but
what we are seeing is people developing small arsenals. It's dangerous,
unnecessary and it has to stop.

"We don't want the next positive firearm law reform to come after
another tragedy. The government has a responsibility to get ahead of the
game, stand up to the Shooters, and make NSW safer now," Mr Shoebridge
said.

Media contact: 0408 113 952

Today's Sunday Telegraph:
<http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/gun-ownerships-getting-out-of-control-in-nsw/story-e6freuy9-1226218815262>

At least 500 coal seam gas wells planned for Northern Rivers

2011-12-12T15:42:00.001+11:00

12 December 2011

The Greens NSW mining spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham feared 500 or more coal seam gas wells will pockmark the Northern Rivers if Metgasco plans to export gas to Queensland or to an export terminal off Northern NSW after Metgasco have evidence at hearings of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Coal Seam Gas on Thursday 8th December in Sydney.

After refusing to reveal internal estimates of the number of wells required, Metgasco Managing Direction Peter Henderson had this exchange with Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham:

"The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: In your estimation, would you need more than 500 wells to
deliver that type of project?

Mr HENDERSON: Mr Buckingham, I am sure you have a lot of data from other operations to gain
your own view of that, but certainly 500 wells would be in a reasonable range."

"If Metgasco are serious about earning a social licence from the community they should be honest and up front and say how many gas wells they are planning," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"If a pipeline hooks up the Northern Rivers to Queensland's LNG export market, there will be a large demand for gas. 500 wells may be just the start.

"The nature of this industry is to march across the landscape, looking for new gas and drilling new wells as the productivity of existing wells falls away.

"It's not good enough for this information to be kept secret. Knowledge of the number of wells planned is crucial for the community to make an informed decision about the future of the Northern Rivers," her said.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

HANSARD 8 December 2011 http://bulletin/Prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/72AC35DE01607053CA25796000835593

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: You said earlier on that there was an economic benefit from
this and there was also a suggestion that you are planning to provide gas to the proposed Richmond Valley Power Station. The other proposal you have suggested that you are interested in executing is an export liquefied natural gas project—what is known as the Lions Way Pipeline. Your submission states that it is looking to produce and export 1.5 million tonnes per annum. How many coal seam gas wells do you require to make that a viable proposition?

Mr HENDERSON: There is a question of the size of the market and there is also a question of the
productivity of the wells. The size of the market is clearly an important factor, but so too is productivity, and that is why we have not gone out with a number. Clearly, if a well will produce a million cubic feet a day rather than 100,000, you need ten times fewer wells. We have not gone out with numbers on that simply because we have a lot more work to do to establish exactly how many wells we would need.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: Considering that you have been established for some time and you have assessed the productivity of your wells as they are, you have done no modelling on an average across those wells of how many wells you would need to supply 1.5 million tons per annum?

Mr HENDERSON: Clearly we have done modelling, but we are certainly not at the point of making the final investment decision on that and we would anticipate having more data before we get there. It is not the sort of figure that we generally quote until we have actually gone through the process and are ready to make some sort of development application or commitment.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: So you have done modelling of how many wells you may
require?

Mr HENDERSON: We have done internal modelling—

The Hon. Dr PETER PHELPS: Point of order: It would seem to me that we are now delving into a public examination of matters which are of commercial-in-confidence in relation to the operations of this company. While they may have done modelling, I do not see it provides any benefit if they tell their competitors exactly the productivity of the wells that they are currently looking at or could be implementing in the future.

CHAIR: I remind all committee members that witnesses who come to these inquiries do so as guests of the Parliament. They are here to give evidence. If Mr Henderson does not wish to give out information which he feels may be of detriment to his company—or of benefit to his company—particularly in terms of commercial information, he is quite at liberty to decline to answer that particular question.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: The issue I am interested in is not productivity, which may be commercial-in-confidence; it is the number of wells.

The Hon. Dr PETER PHELPS: How can you work out the number without the productivity of each well?

CHAIR: Order! I am sure the witness is capable of answering the question.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: In your estimation, would you need more than 500 wells to
deliver that type of project?

Mr HENDERSON: Mr Buckingham, I am sure you have a lot of data from other operations to gain your own view of that, but certainly 500 wells would be in a reasonable range. The other thing you need to take into account is the nature and type of wells. Clearly, we are going to be trying to minimise the footprint of our wells, and it is not so much the number of wells but how many sites you need to have. If we can drill six or ten wells from one site, it will look largely like one well. If you are trying to get the impact and basically what disruption there is going to be to the land area, it is the case of the number of wells and our ability to get as many from one site as possible. A figure we have quoted a number of times is that we would expect to be able to take no more than 1 per cent of the land and certainly less than 2 per cent. That is the sort of measure that we will be taking in terms of managing the success and effectiveness of our operations.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: Speaking of 2 per cent, if I told you that 2 per cent of the
water you are drinking at the moment contained brake fluid, caustic soda, NF-6, GEL stabiliser, potassium chloride, ethanol, sodium bicarbonate and all the other chemicals you have listed, would you be concerned? Would you continue to drink that water?

The Hon. RICK COLLESS: Point of order: That is purely a hypothetical question and I do not think it should be answered.

CHAIR: The question is out of order.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: You say in your submission that no chemicals or drilling
fluids are discharged into the environment. Are you saying that you retrieve 100 per cent of all your drilling chemicals and fracking chemicals from coal seams?

Mr O'BRIEN: We have not done any fracking in coal seams yet, but certainly drilling fluids we
recover. One of the things you have to do with coal seam gas is you have to dewater the well. You recover all your drilling fluids plus the water from the well.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: One hundred per cent—there is absolutely none left in the
coal seam?

Mr O'BRIEN: One hundred per cent.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: In relation to drilling chemicals, you say:
'All of the above chemicals are removed from Metgasco operations and placed in approved industrial waste disposal sites.'
Could you expand on what those approved industrial waste disposal sites are?

Mr O'BRIEN: Our water handling currently is that our water is disposed of in above-ground holding ponds. We have two styles of pond, one that takes produced water and another one that takes drilling fluids. When those ponds are decommissioned, we will sample the water and any sediment in those ponds, and then we will dispose of both of those according to the quality at that stage.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: Are they evaporation ponds?

Mr O'BRIEN: They are holding ponds. In the Casino area you get significant rainfall; you also get
some evaporation. Over a 12-month period you will get net evaporation out of those ponds.

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: The only way you deal with produced water and drilling fluids is to hold them in those ponds?

Mr O'BRIEN: Currently, for our production pilots, that is the case, but when we go into production we will look for a beneficial use for the water. We have done a number of studies so far and there appear to be a good range of options for disposing of our water. Our production water, on the knowledge we have so far, is of relatively high quality. It is good enough for stock use as it is, without any upgrading, and then there are multiple parts to upgrade it so that it becomes a fully usable water source.

Fracking contaminated water in Wyoming a warning for Australia

2011-12-11T05:30:00.000+11:00

9 December 2011

The Greens NSW mining spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham said today that the US EPA finding that fracking for gas had contaminated a drinking water aquifer in Wyoming provided a stark warning to Australia not to let the dangerous unconventional gas industry loose on Australia, and called on the NSW Government to make public the number of wells that had been fracked.

The US EPA found that fracking to stimulate gas production by Encana at Pavillion, Wyoming was likely to have contaminated the drinking water aquifer with chemicals from gas production, including the carcinogen benzene at 246 micrograms per litre, and issued a warning for residents not to drink from the aquifer.

The report found: "Chemicals detected in the most recent samples are consistent with those identified in earlier EPA samples and include methane, other petroleum hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds. The presence of these compounds is consistent with migration from areas of gas production."

"The EPA's Wyoming findings shows that fracking is a danger to our groundwater and that gas and chemicals can migrate underground and pollute other aquifers," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"The experience in the US should be a big red flashing warning light saying 'stop the coal seam gas industry before it is too late'.

"The depth of the Wyoming gas wells blamed for the contamination is very similar to the depth that many Australian coal seam gas will operate, and much shallower than typical North American East Coast shale gas wells. This is a direct warning for the Australian situation.

"The NSW Government should make public a list of all coal seam gas wells in NSW that have been fracked and their location, and initiate an investigation to see if there has been any contamination of adjoining aquifers.

"We heard evidence in the coal seam gas inquiry yesterday that AGL had fracked 117 wells at its Camden Gas Project but also heard that no groundwater monitoring has been conducted by the company of surrounding ground water," he said.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

Epidemic of prison escape rates of concern in Clarence

2011-12-04T12:24:00.003+11:00

During the last year, there has been an epidemic of escapes from gaols in NSW. Of particular concern is the escape of a maximum security prisoner from the privately-run Parklea Gaol.

We don't want the Grafton Gaol privatised, nor do we want it closed down.

Prison escape rate triples
MEDIA RELEASE - 4 December 2011

Questions on notice asked of the Corrective Services NSW Commission Ron Woodham by NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge during recent budget estimates hearings have revealed that the number of prisoner escapes tripled from FY 2010 to FY 2011.

"These figures show that there has been an epidemic of prison escapes in the last 12 months with the number of escapees tripling in that time," Mr Shoebridge said.

"Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham needs to answer for this breakdown in prison security.

"These 29 escapes in just 12 months is too many, especially given the fact that 4 of these escapes occurred from the newly privatised Parklea facility with one a proven murderer.

"This is the first escape from a maximum security prison in NSW in the last decade and the privatised operators must be under closer scrutiny.

"While the Coalition has ruled out further prison privatisations in NSW for the moment, there is a real concern that their search for 'efficiencies' will lead to staff reductions and greater security concerns.

"The Coalition government needs to seriously review the management of our private and public prisons given this threefold increase in prison escapes", Mr Shoebridge said.

Media contact: 0408 113 952

Greens welcome govt move to shut down NuCoal exploration

2011-12-04T06:47:00.000+11:00

MEDIA RELEASE - JEREMY BUCKINGHAM MLC

Greens welcome govt move to shut down NuCoal exploration

1 December 2011

The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham has cautiously welcomed Minister Hartcher's request to suspend NuCoal's exploration activities around Jerrys Plains, including drilling on legally blind farmer Ian Moore's property, until the ICAC Inquiry has reported.

"Minister Hartcher's action on NuCoal, which will help protect farmers Ian and Robyn Moore's property, is great news and a sensible decision," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"The NuCoal project has had a stench about it from day one, and the way it has forced its way on to farmer's property against their wishes was alarming.

"Mr Moore's fight to honour his pledge to his father to "look after the place" is highly commendable and deserves the support of government, even if this particular action has been initiated by the ICAC Inquiry.

"The recognition that NuCoal should cease exploration should not be just an ad hoc political fix, but hopefully signals a change in attitude to protect farms, communities and important environments from irresponsible mining activities.

"The law around mining access needs reform. Currently it is geared towards facilitating access for mining companies. The rights of landholders should carry more weight before the law.

"If Barry O'Farrell fails to act, the Greens will look at legislative options to give the above ground operations of landholders increased weight before the law."

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

Extension of fracking moratorium welcome

2011-12-04T06:44:00.003+11:00

Contrary to the advice provided by Chris Gulaptis MP during the by-election campaign, fracking has not been banned in NSW. It is however subject to a moratorium that was due to to expire at the end of the year.

We cautiously welcome the extension of this moratorium for 4 months.

MEDIA RELEASE - JEREMY BUCKINGHAM MLC

2 December 2011

The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham has cautiously welcomed the four month extension of the moratorium on fracking in NSW. The government is heading in the right direction by recognising the need for a precautionary approach to coal seam gas, as had been the call of the Greens for at least 18 months.

"Extending the ban on fracking is a sensible decision that the Greens welcome, but should be extended to the whole industry," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"Our water resources are precious and the precautionary approach to drilling and fracking is required, as the Senate Inquiry recently recommended.

"The government must ensure that the review of fracking processes is transparent and accessible for the public.

"The Minister should clarify whether the fracking ban pertains to existing approvals such as AGL's operations at Camden and Menangle Park?

"While welcome, this announcement continues the piecemeal approach to coal seam gas by the O'Farrell Government.

"What the community wants is a moratorium on the entire industry until the science is clear, strategic regional land use plans have been completed and accepted by the community, and the aquifer interference regulation has been finalised to the satisfaction of farmers and experts," he said.

Fracking has been banned in France. There is a moratorium in South Africa. It has been associated with earthquakes in the United Kingdom. Water contamination has been blamed on fracking in the United States and New York is currently moving to ban fracking within 1200m of critical water catchments.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

'Public' Meeting with Lismore MP!!! Message from GAG

2011-12-04T06:39:00.000+11:00

From GAG, Kyogle

For the past 6 months I have been trying to setup a meeting with Thomas George Nationals MP Lismore, to meet with the hundreds of concerned landowners around Kyogle district about his "position" on CSG. It now appears Mr George feels "PUBLIC CONSULTATION" need only involve a handful of "selected" people to a PRIVATE meeting at his office on Monday at 10am 5/12/11.

I was finally told last week Mr George would not be meeting in public that this private meeting was sufficient.

So please join us to take the "PUBLIC MEETING" to his offices this Monday to let him know how you feel about the situation.

Mr George is not responding to his constituents letters of concern about CSG and people are furious at yet another snub.

9.45am meet time Monday 5^th December 2011 at address below:

Thomas George MP Lismore (Nationals)

Office: 55 Carrington Street LISMORE

Telephone: 02 6621 3624

Email: lismore@parliament.nsw.gov.au

If you can't make it, please feel free to email or phone his office and let him know what you think of his "community consultation". ...............

p.s We have now gone public with this meeting............ and we will be holding this meeting outside the offices with media REGARDLESS of whether there is a last minute pull out by Mr George. See you there!!

Richard Deem

ABC News: Spill sparks Greens' call for antimony mining ban

2011-12-01T08:42:00.001+11:00

Spill sparks Greens' call for antimony mining ban

Updated November 30, 2011 09:43:55

The Greens are calling for a ban on antimony mining on the Dorrigo Plateau, after another heavy metal spill.

The Department of Environment says a stormwater dam at the old Hillgrove mine near Armidale overflowed into the Macleay River last weekend. Last month, the Environmental Protection Authority imposed new regulations to try to stop spills from the mine, which has been bought by mining company Ancoa.

Greens' MP Jeremy Buckingham says the New South Wales Government should stop Ancoa reopening the mine.

"The Dorrigo Plateau feeds a couple of NSW most important rivers, the Macleay and the Clarence," he said.

"Any antimony mining on that plateau is unsafe.

"We want the Government to rule this area out for mining and protect our precious water resources.

The Environment Department says Macleay River water quality is unlikely to be affected, despite the mine spill. However, Mr Buckingham says the Government should ban antimony mining on the Dorrigo Plateau.

"These spills should not be allowed to continue," he said.

"For the people that rely on that river for their drinking water, for agriculture, for irrigation, any spill is one spill too many.

"The assurances from the various departments, that these spills are minor and will be diluted doesn't carry any weight with these communities."

Related ABC NEWS: macleay-river-spill-sparks-contamination-fears

Dr Johnston researches the controls on arsenic behaviour in coastal floodplain groundwater

2011-12-01T05:54:00.002+11:00

Dr Scott Johnston sampling in the field.

Two emerging Southern Cross University researchers have caught the attention of the Australian Research Council.

Senator Kim Carr, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, presented almost $1.1 million in funding to Dr Scott Johnston from Southern Cross GeoScience and Dr Joanne Oakes from the Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry at a ceremony in Canberra recently.

Dr Johnston received an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship worth $709,212 to explore the controls on arsenic behaviour in coastal floodplain groundwater. Dr Oakes was a recipient of an inaugural Discovery Early Career Research Award worth $375,000 for her investigation into carbon and nitrogen cycling in coastal systems.

Dr Johnston said more than 100 million people in south-east Asia relied on arsenic-contaminated groundwater for drinking and other domestic purposes, leading to what experts describe as one of the largest cases of mass poisoning in history.

“Arsenic is a highly toxic element found naturally in the environment. However its behaviour is poorly understood, particularly in iron-rich, coastal floodplains and lowlands with dynamic hydrology,” he said.

“The problem is particularly acute in the coastal floodplains and lowlands of Asia, such as on the Ganges and Mekong deltas.

“Research undertaken by Southern Cross GeoScience has shown that when these lowlands are inundated with seawater, the iron oxides dissolve causing associated arsenic to be released into the groundwater, surrounding soil and in some cases into waterways.”

According to the World Health Organisation, long term exposure to arsenic-rich drinking water can lead to skin problems; skin cancer and cancers of the bladder, kidney and lung; diseases of the blood vessels of the legs and feet; diabetes; high blood pressure; and reproductive disorders.

For the next four years Dr Johnston’s investigation will explore how arsenic behaves in complex natural environments and in the groundwater of coastal floodplains.

The 40-year-old Southern Cross University alumni was a recipient of the ARC’s Future Fellowships aimed at attracting and retaining the best and brightest mid-career researchers whose work is deemed of critical national importance.

Dr Johnston will travel to Switzerland and the United States to work with collaborators.

For Dr Joanne Oakes receiving the Discovery Early Career Research Award - a new ARC funding scheme for promising early-career researchers - means the 30-year-old will be able to pursue her study entitled, ‘Unravelling transformation pathways and fate of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in shallow coastal sediments’.

“This project will significantly advance our understanding of the cycling of dissolved organic carbon and dissolved organic nitrogen in shallow coastal sediments, which is potentially a major part of global carbon and nitrogen cycles,” said Dr Oakes, who will sample locally and at Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef.

She said rivers and estuaries were a major source of dissolved organic carbon and dissolved organic nitrogen to the oceans.

“These inputs are intercepted and modified by shallow coastal sediments. Processes occurring in shallow coastal sediments therefore determine the form and quantity of carbon and nitrogen in the ocean – and therefore are a potentially major, but overlooked, part of global carbon and nitrogen cycles.”

Macleay Argus Story: Controlled release at mine site

NO Antimony Mine on the Dorrigo Plateau- Protect Our Water: Sticker

2011-11-29T18:03:00.005+11:00

The by-election may be over but the campaigning on specific issues that affect the Clarence continues.

One of these issues is the proposal for an open-cut antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek. If approved, this mine would threaten the Nymboida River and every animal that relies on it (including the people on the town water supply in the Coffs and Clarence LGAs, and our unique and endangered Eastern Freshwater Cod) - not to mention the downstream industries of fisheries, agriculture and tourism.

And yet our new MP, Chris Gulaptis, does not consider it a key issue for our electorate.

These stickers will be available at the Clarence Environment Cent re in South Grafton.

Media Release: NO Antimony Mine on the Dorrigo Plateau- Protect Our Water: Sticker

This sticker will soon be appearing on the bumpers of many local cars.

Local residents, protesting the proposed reopening of an antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek near Dorrigo, funded the sticker. A generous donation by Jamie McKinnon of Pepperprint Colour Printers, Coffs Harbour, also made the printing possible.

The sticker is being distributed by the Dorrigo Environment Watch Inc., Antimony Action and local NSW Greens groups.

Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic; the effects of antimony poisoning are similar to arsenic poisoning. In small doses, antimony causes headaches, dizziness and depression. Larger doses damage the kidneys and the liver, causing violent and frequent vomiting and will lead to death within a few days; otherwise skin contact causes dermatitis. ......The proposal by Anchor Resources Ltd to undertake Antimony mining activities within the headwaters of the Nymboida River is of immense concern, particularly when considering that this catchment provides drinking and potable water for in excess of 100 000 residents between Yamba and Sawtell.

Motion put to Coffs Harbour Council meeting by Greens Cr Mark Graham and seconded by Cr Rodney Degans. June 23, 2011.

Further information about the proposed reopening of the mine and about the dangers of antimony mining in high rainfall areas is available at

http://www.dorrigoenvironmentwatch.org.au/index.html

ABC Story : Poison in Paradise at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-21/proposed-mine-prompts-poison-fears/3594644 and http://mncgreens.blogspot.com

The stickers are available from Kombu Wholefoods in Bellingen, The Happy Frog in Coffs Harbour, The Clarence Environment Centre in South Grafton, Sawtell Paradise Fruit, The Sawtell Newsagency, Hickory Wholefoods in Dorrigo and the groups listed above.

END

Link to Macleay Argus article: More Water Discharged From Mine

Flood plain development at West Byron.

2011-11-29T06:16:00.000+11:00

Climate change! What climate change?

NCEC Media Release November 28, 2011

With world Governments due to meet in Durban, South Africa to keep trying to hammer out a global agreement for action on climate change, it's clear that Australian Governments are still largely in the denial phase.

According to NCEC President Susie Russell, this is demonstrated by the business as usual approach to planning and development, where Governments still encourage development of land subject to increasing natural hazards, using the same energy-guzzling designs.

“The proposed new suburb of Byron Bay – West Byron, is a case in point.

“The development will see about 1000 homes, plus retail and industrial buildings built on the floodplain of the Belongil Creek.

“Developing the floodplain of a coastal estuary is not wise. With sea-levels rising and rainfalls intensifying due to climate change it will subject future landowners to massive risks and hardships.

“Scientists have been telling us since the mid- 1990s that we can expect more intense rainfall events, with a likelihood of more flash flooding. One in a 100 year floods can be expected every 20 years. This is consistent with what we are seeing in Northern NSW.

“If the NSW Government accepts this 'concept' and rezones this floodplain for residential, retail and industrial development, will the taxpayers of NSW be responsible for picking up the tab for flood damage to this suburban infrastructure?

“The public has less than 2 days to comment on this development 'concept'. 1 Many questions about it remain unanswered. Changes to the planning process introduced under the previous Government mean that developers can get approval before detailing exactly what they plan to do, how they plan to solve various problems or deal with particular environmental impacts.

“As a community we should be planning and building for a future of greater climatic instability, not continuing the folly of building new suburbs on flood prone land,” she said.

1. http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=3547

For comment contact Susie Russell 02 65504481

Shooters and Fred Nile strike deal with Coalition to betray police

2011-11-25T17:02:00.000+11:00

Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2011 *media release - David Shoebridge MLC - for immediate use*

The Shooters Party and Fred Nile have sold out NSW Police, striking a last
minute deal with the O'Farrell government to pass the government's
contentious Police death and disability legislation in the NSW Upper House,

David Shoebridge & Janet Cavanaugh with Grafton police representatives

according to Greens NSW Police spokesperson David Shoebridge.

"The modest amendments proposed by Fred Nile and the Shooters Party mean
that the O'Farrell government's attack on police death and disability
benefits remains little changed.

"The government's legislation delivers a low-cost and unfair scheme that
will leave seriously injured police paying the price for their service to
the State.

"Police deserve better than this. Slashing benefits will not make the job
any safer or reduce the number of injuries suffered by police.

"With their benefits cut there is a real risk we will see seriously injured
police remaining at work despite the risk to their health simply because
they can't afford to leave the police force. This will likely only compound
their injuries and place their fellow officers and the public at risk.

"By supporting the O'Farrell government's attack on Police disability
benefits, the Shooters Party and Fred Nile have revealed themselves as well
out of touch with the genuine needs of serving police.

"Police do some of the toughest and most challenging work and when they are
injured, they should expect their government will fairly compensate them.
Sadly, after tonight's vote, they no longer have this protection," Mr
Shoebridge said.

*Media contact: 9230 3030 | 0408 113 952*

Government shuts down parliament to avoid coal seam gas moratorium bill vote

2011-11-25T16:58:00.001+11:00

Hear Jeremy Buckingham being interviewed about the Greens' Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill 2011 by Alan Jones

MEDIA RELEASE

24 November 2011

The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham has condemned the O'Farrell Government's move to cancel this week's Private Members Business sitting day as a cynical manoeuvre to avoid a vote on the Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill.

The Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill was next in the order of business due to be debated on Friday morning, the last sitting day of the year.

"Last year Barry O'Farrell condemned Kristina Keneally for her decision to prorogue Parliament in an attempt to avoid scrutiny on the electricity privatisation, yet now he has canned the last sitting day of the year to avoid a vote on the Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"With the ban on fracking expiring on December 31, it will be back to full speed for the coal seam gas industry over summer because the O'Farrell government was too gutless to debate the merits of a moratorium or vote on it.

"Regardless of the government's procedural tricks, the coal seam gas industry has not earned a social licence to operate and the community will use direct action, such as the Spring Ridge blockade, if they try to roll out."

Contact: Max Phillips - 0419 444 916

The ABC has put up an informative website highlighting the environmental dangers the industry poses as part of a data journalism project: Coal seam gas by the numbers.

Gulaptis meets his traditional foe

2011-11-23T15:48:00.005+11:00

For those who can remember, Chris Gulaptis's one and only political success to date has been getting some 'action' on the flying-foxes that used to roost in and around Maclean High School. It was a major issue in late 1998 and the lead up to the 1999 state election, and we are still living with the ramifications of this action. The Maclean Rainforest Reserve is a weed patch, though it is nice to see that the plaque commemorating the official opening of the walking track by then environment minister, Tim Moore in September 1988 is still there (albeit hidden behind the lantana).

Well, the bats are back and, according to an article in the Daily Examiner, our new MP said he would get to work on finding a solution to the bat problem when he is officially the member for Clarence.

He is quoted as saying "I will be looking at the options that are available to proceed with a logical scientific dispersal".

Trouble is, dispersal has been shown time and time again NOT to work. The flying-foxes show incredible fidelity to this area, returning year after year to the site of their traditional maternity colony.

So it seems Chris Gulaptis MP has a lot to learn about flying-foxes and, it seems, the Maclean Flying-fox Management Strategy.

Dispersal efforts since 1999 have been a waste of time and money, and have just shifted the problem to the wider community, including residents near Maclean Gully.

This isn’t just my view: it is one of the key findings of the Strategy which has been endorsed by several NSW Government departments and Maclean High School.

We can only hope that our new MP concentrates on ensuring there is full funding for the urgent implementation of the Strategy to permanently resolve the Maclean flying-fox issue.

High priority actions are regeneration works in the Maclean Rainforest Reserve and the identification of nearby areas away from residential areas that can be revegetated to provide alternative habitat.

And, Chris: forget about Farlows Swamp. It just doesn’t provide the type of habitat needed by a maternity colony. That's why the bats don't roost there at this time of year.

Election analysis

2011-11-21T14:52:00.006+11:00

I've had time to digest the election results now.

I'm really pleased about the significant increase in vote in all of the Grafton booths (47% increase overall). My vote at the Community Centre in Duke St almost doubled compared to the March state election. The photo on the left is of me with Tony and Esther at the Community Centre in the afternoon.

I was the highest scoring candidate at the Nymboida booth on Saturday. This is the first time that the Greens have ever won a booth in Clarence. Woo hoo!!

In contrast, Labor didn't outpoll the Nationals at any booths across the electorate.

I admit to feeling ambushed by Labor's shift to focus their campaign purely on coal seam gas mining on Saturday (i.e. stealing my platform and presumably many votes that would otherwise had been first preference for the Greens). The budget for this shift must have been phenomenal, with large banners throughout town (see photo, right), and a different how-to-vote featuring a membership form for Country Labor on the back under the heading: "Join Country Labor and help stop coal seam gas mining in our valley".

I claim this as a victory of sorts: it cost me votes but I believe it reflected the strength of my campaign in making the by-election about mining regulation. I take the credit for forcing NSW Labor to reverse its policy on coal seam gas.

I can only hope that John Robertson follows through and works to get a change in Federal Labor's stance, and will vote in support of the Greens bill for a moratorium on the coal seam gas industry.

I believe I ran a good campaign, and one which I can be proud of. I certainly felt that I earned a lot of respect across the whole electorate, for myself and The Greens. We'll be back next time.

PS. As a Richmond Valley resident, I have to say that I was disappointed throughout the campaign by the poor coverage in the Northern Star. I spoke to a number of people in the Mid Richmond last week who did not even know there was a by-election happening on Saturday. There was no mention in their on-line version and the only articles in the last week of the campaign were buried after page 10.

The Northern Star is losing touch with the Richmond Valley local government area. I am glad that, despite this, my vote in the Mid Richmond booths remained relatively unchanged and strong (Coraki - 12.7%, Broadwater - 13.6%, Evans Head - 9.3%, Woodburn - 15.6%). My vote in South Casino increased by 40%.

2011 Clarence By-election Results

Daily Examiner Article: Q&A with candidate Janet Cavanaugh

2011-11-18T21:05:00.000+11:00

17th November 2011

Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh.

Debrah Novak

QUESTIONS and answers with Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh.

1). What is your policy on a second bridge over the Clarence River at Grafton. Where would you prefer it to be located and when will it be built?

The second bridge over the Clarence River at Grafton needs to be located so that it serves the needs of the whole community for the next 80 to 100 years. We have to get it right this time.

I recognise that traffic congestion on the bridge is a major problem for Grafton and the productivity of local businesses. However, the RTA's decision to focus solely on this in its current planning exercise ignores the future traffic volumes on the Summerland Way, particularly once the rail hub at Casino is constructed.

I was pleased that the RTA appears to have taken a backward step in planning the second crossing. I hope they are open to suggestions, such as mine, that the new crossing should allow heavy traffic using the Summerland Way or accessing the industrial estates at Koolkhan / Trenayr to bypass the town. We need to get B-doubles out of the residential parts of town.
My preferred location is the northern edge of town.

In terms of timing, I would like it to be built sooner rather than later but am enough of a realist to recognise that Grafton is probably too far from Sydney for our bridge to be considered a priority for the current government.

While waiting for bridge promises to be kept, Grafton commuters and businesses need to take measures to improve traffic flow by switching to active transport (park and walk or cycling), car pooling and being more flexible in terms of working.

2. What will you do to ensure the Pacific Highway is upgraded to dual Carriageway. When do you expect the upgrade to be completed?

I have consistently called for a safer highway and firmly believe that this could have been achieved by now and at a much lower cost by making the current highway a dual carriageway.
It distresses me that our community is being asked to wait for the RTA's preferred option of the super-motorways before the highway is made safer for the people who use it every day. And we are paying for this delay - in terms of the cost to tax payers, in terms of the environment and in terms of our lives.
I will demand that the RTA install safety barriers down the centre of the existing highway in all sites where head-on accidents have occurred in the past 20 years.

3. How many new police do you hope to deliver to the Clarence Valley and Casino? Where will they be stationed and when will that happen?

While I agree that there is a need for more police in our region, particularly so that Casino and Yamba can have 24 hour police stations, I do not want to give an actual figure at this stage. Instead, I would be influenced by the views of the Local Area Commands and ensure that the additional police provides adequate coverage to backfill those police officers who are on leave.

Extra police and 24 hour policing are only part of the solution.

The Greens are calling for justice reinvestment, which focuses on addressing the underlying causes of crime, rather than just another 'law and order auction' which exploits community fears.

The Greens support youth clubs and other early intervention measures such as smaller classes, better educational opportunities and annual hearing tests for all Aboriginal kids. These have been shown to reduce crime and are cost effective. It costs as much to hold a person in prison as it does to employ a teacher.

The O'Farrell Government is promising 550 new police for the state but at the same time is undermining the morale and conditions of serving police officers, making the job far less attractive.
Police officers in NSW have a tough job. We expect police to place themselves in harm's way on an almost daily basis when at work, in return the government must ensure they are fully protected when they are injured. They deserve better support than the O'Farrell Government's watered down Death and Disability scheme.

The Greens are calling on the Police Minister to take a step back and return to the negotiating table with the Police Association to come up with a remodelled scheme that better protects injured police.

4) The current increase and interest in the mining of Coal Seam Gas seems to be paramount in the electorate of Clarence as the large mining companies are coming into our area and carrying out their operations by stealth all in the sake of greed.

Are you for it or against it? And are you prepared to accept the blame if their actions contribute to the pollution of the Mighty Clarence and Richmond Rivers through "Run Off," because of the chemicals that have to be used in "Fracturing?"

I've used my efforts in this campaign to make the by-election a referendum on mining regulation, and was pleased to receive the endorsement of the Lock the Gate alliance's Drew Hutton earlier this week (see Clarence Greens blogspot).

The NSW Greens started demanding better regulation of coal seam gas mining last year. Since the NSW State Election in March, The Greens have successfully moved to get a parliamentary inquiry established and have introduced a bill for a moratorium on CSG activities.

I have spoken to a lot of locals about this issue. Most people agree with me that, as a basic precaution, there should be a moratorium on the industry until the current NSW parliamentary inquiry submits its report and its recommendations are implemented. I believe we need a moratorium on CSG until it is proven safe. The rapid growth of this industry has out-stripped our current regulations. We can learn from the experiences in Queensland and do not need to repeat their mistakes.

In Federal parliament, the Greens have tabled a bill which would give land owners greater rights when it comes to dealing with mining companies, and allow the federal Environment Minister to consider the impacts of CSG on water.

Hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' is one of the more riskier activities associated with the extraction of coal seam gas and other forms of unconventional natural gas such as shale gas. It involves injecting sand, water and chemicals into the coal seam under pressure to create fissures for gas to flow. This can crack aquifers and contaminate underground water.

I am also concerned about the amount of saline and chemical laden water that is produced when extracting gas from the coal seams. The use of evaporative ponds to dispose of this water has been banned for new exploration licences but continues on existing licensed areas.

I have welcomed the NSW Government's current moratorium on the practice and hope this will be extended indefinitely.

5). Could the candidates for the Clarence By-election please give their preferred location for a second bridge crossing for Grafton and provide an explanation as to why they reached their conclusion?

My preferred location is the northern edge of town so that the new crossing will allow heavy traffic using the Summerland Way or accessing the industrial estates at Koolkhan / Trenayr to bypass the residential parts of town.

In making this decision I am considering future traffic volumes on the Summerland Way, particularly once the rail hub at Casino is constructed.

6).Would you go against your political party's policy to protect your electorate from any threat to, say, pure clean drinking water?

There is no conflict between my views and Greens policy regarding the need to protect the Clarence electorate from any threats to our drinking water supply.

Greens councillor Mark Graham (from Coffs Harbour City Council) first alerted the media about the potential impacts of the proposed antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek on the Nymboida and Clarence Rivers, and our communities that rely on these rivers for their water.

Antimony is a highly toxic substance. Any leak at the mine would have a devastating impact on the Coffs-Clarence water supply, and downstream industries such as fishing, agriculture and tourism.

The NSW Government has to give a guarantee that antimony mining will not be permitted in this area. Proposing a 'balance' between mining and farming is not good enough. The fate of the Clarence catchment population rests in this 'balance'.

7). I would like to know about your interest in the manner in which "Cooperate greed" is increasing at such a rapid rate and wether you consider it is now time to act to stop its increase. Or do you favour it as most of our retired politicians seem to be getting involved in it through becoming members of mining company boards?

Unlike other parties, The Greens are not about money or power. We share your concerns about corporate greed and big business destroying the world in the name of short-term profit.
As far as I know, there are no ex Greens MPs working for mining companies (unlike the Nationals). I believe this give The Greens a unique strength when we're dealing with mining companies.

8). When you make a promise, will you actually keep it?

The Greens stand for honesty and integrity in politics. If I make a promise, I do intend to keep it. However I am enough of a realist to recognise that, as new information comes to light, some decisions need to be changed to ensure the best possible outcomes.

9). Sports and tuition tourism is the fast growing tourism areas for rural Australia. What do the candidates feel need to happen to improve this for the electorate?

The State Government needs to provide funding for improved facilities and also event organisation.

10). With support for some of our long running festivals beginning to dwindle due to a change in demographics, should we also be putting more money into tuition events such as the heavily underfunded Artsfest?

I was disappointed that this year's Artsfest will be the last. After 18 years as Australia's premier creativity workshop event, its loss from Grafton will affect not just the economy but also the cultural environment of our community.

The Greens NSW believe that the arts are an integral part of people's lives, and we recognise the importance to all Australians of a rich and lively artistic life, both as audience and as participants. In particular, we believe everyone should have a right to education that develops individual creativity, irrespective of their age, financial circumstances, or their physical or cultural differences.

If elected, I will work to increase substantially the total funding of arts organisations in NSW, and the proportion of arts funding set aside for small to medium organisations. I will also work to increase the proportion of the NSW Arts Budget devoted to community and local projects in the regions.

Events need to be coordinated and funded, and it annoys me that Events NSW has not supported any events this year in the Clarence electorate, apart from the Coffs Harbour World Rally Championship (which only marginally benefited the electorate). This contrasts markedly with Port Macquarie which has benefited from several flagship events this year.

The role of tuition events needs to be recognised by Events NSW and I would lobby for both State and local government support for future cultural and tuition events in this electorate.

Janet Cavanaugh, the candidate opposing antimony mining in your water catchment

2011-11-18T17:22:00.000+11:00

Janet opposes the reopening of the antimony mine

Mining and its threats to the Clarence’s water and food security is the key issue in this by-election. We have antimony mining proposed in the catchment of the Coffs-Clarence water supply and coal seam gas operations expanding throughout the area.

Janet Cavanaugh is the candidate saying, ‘Never!’ not ‘maybe’ to the antimony mine. The Clarence electorate is yet to become aware of the danger an antimony mine represents to the Clarence. We are not talking of a little bit of pollution. We are talking of open cut mine 1.5km x 0.5km under a very high rainfall. A tailings dam will collect antimony and arsenic (a byproduct) in polluted water, and must eventually overflow into the Clarence catchment. Like the Macleay River, our river will be poisoned for thousands of years. For a few jobs on the Dorrigo Plateau our jobs including farming, tourism and fishing will be lost.

Janet Cavanaugh is one of the few local candidates really opposing dangerous mining practices. The Greens’ priorities are long-term investment in education, health , services, an upgraded highway and other transport services, and the creation of local jobs for our youth. Janet Cavanaugh wants to expand and improve the quality of tertiary education in the area, to improve transport options to jobs and services, and will fight to keep public sector jobs in our towns.

Media Release from Beyond Zero Emissions: CSG report

2011-11-18T06:15:00.000+11:00

Worley Parsons suppresses explosive gas emissions report under gas industry pressure

Posted on 14 Nov 2011

An explosive report demolishing gas industry claims that coal seam gas is "clean energy" has been suppressed by the Board of the company that wrote it.

The report was commissioned by the not for profit renewable energy research group Beyond Zero Emissions and fully completed in September.

Worley Parsons have a $580 million contract with Queensland Gas Company for engineering and procurement services for the company’s massive Queensland Curtis LNG project.

"We have a contract for the delivery of this report. The report has been completed, and the fact that its findings are inconvenient for the gas industry and Worley Parsons is not a good enough reason for its suppression. It is of the utmost importance that the proper scientific research into the true emissions impact of coal seam gas sees the light of day" says Matthew Wright, Executive Director of Beyond Zero Emissions. "We need to clear the air on gas emissions."
This report supersedes a report selectively and repeatedly quoted by oil and gas industry lobby group APPEA, but hidden from public view until its release under pressure a few days ago.

***The supressed report includes information that:

There is no Australian field data on fugitive emissions and that the American Petroleum Industry data that the industry and government rely on is out dated and superseded, including well workovers having emissions around 8500 times previous estimates. Individual wells in the US have reported fugitive emission levels of up to 30 percent, and fields of up to 15 percent of total well yield.

In addition the American Petroleum Industry compendium which is the basis for industry claims that coal seam gas is lower emissions are blown out of the water by the compendium itself which says:

"The Compendium is neither a standard nor a recommended practice for the development of emissions inventories"

The process for extracting CSG involves pumping of aquifers which allows the gas to migrate through an underground field and be extracted. The geology of these individual fields is not understood, and the gas takes different migratory paths in parallel to the intended path of the drilled extraction wells. A wide example of a path that is unknown is via existing and old abandoned stock water and cropping well bores. No mapping exists of these wells and bore holes that have been sunk over the past two centuries. In the US, fugitive emissions in a field of 12,000 wells have been reported as high as 30% of total well yield.

Gas will not displace any coal power plants in China. According to the report absolutely no coal fired power plants in China will be taken off line and replaced by gas plants, making a mockery of claims by Rick Wilkinson of APPEA any coal will be displaced by gas in China. Rick Wilkinson must stop taking Australians for mugs and come clean on the real emissions of gas.

Another trick used by the industry is to create exaggerated well and field lifespan projections to overestimate production and therefore grossly underestimate total life cycle emissions.

Inaccurate and misleading WorleyParsons response

An inaccurate and misleading public statement has since been released to select media outlets by a public relations company on behalf of Worley Parsons.

The statement falsely claims that Beyond Zero Emissions agreed to not to proceed with the report. We deny this and call on Worley Parsons to release any written evidence to prove this allegation. Correspondence in writing with Worley Parsons clearly confirms that the report was completed two months ago, and despite repeated requests, Worley Parsons have refused to release it.

The statement also claims that Worley Parsons will release a new and different academic paper instead. "If Worley Parsons wish to release another paper (peer reviewed or otherwise) that is an entirely separate issue to their contractual obligation to release the report commissioned by Beyond Zero Emissions and completed two months ago. Releasing a watered down version in an obscure academic paper is a an attempt to bury this critical information."

We call on WorleyParsons to immediately deliver the complete and unaltered original document completed two months ago to Beyond Zero Emissions as they are contractually obliged to do.

Shooting and Trucks Don’t Mix

2011-11-17T17:18:00.000+11:00

17 November 2011

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, today was joined by Greens NSW MP David Shoebridge in calling for safer highways while inspecting the new section of motorway through Glenugie State Forest, an area that the government is proposing to keep open for recreational hunting for the next decade.

Ms Cavanaugh said: “As a regular highway user I continue to be dismayed by the delays in making the highway a dual carriageway.

“However, this proposal to allow recreational hunting in the forest on both sides of the highway raises another fear with motorists at risk from hunters’ bullets.

“I question the new sign for Glenugie State Forest declaring that ‘Your forests are in safe hands’. 80 hectares of forest has been lost to construct this 7km road.

“Glenugie State Forest is one of 39 state forests which are being proposed to be kept open for recreational hunting for the next 10 years.

“This is effectively turning our state forests into Game Reserves to the exclusion of other users and causing a risk to highway traffic through the use of high-powered rifles,” Ms Cavanaugh said.

Janet and David at Glenugie State Forest

Mr Shoebridge said: “The Minister is supposed to give consideration to issues such as public safety, other users of state forests, and also whether recreational hunting is actually the most humane and effective form of feral animal control.

“However the current proposal lacks even basic details on how the public can be heard on this proposal. In recent hunting declarations the only voice the government has listened to is the pro-hunting Game Council.

“How can the Minister give proper consideration to the local needs, including safety issues, via a mass declaration with no proper consultation process?

“Feral animal control is a serious issue, for landowners, the agricultural industry and the environment. But it should not be done by done by amateur hunters, who have an ongoing interest in maintaining feral animal populations on public land, in order to have game to hunt next season.

“The Government must review the process for declaring public land open for hunting and prohibit hunting in forests adjoining public roads,” Mr Shoebridge said.

ENDS

Contact: Janet Cavanaugh 0429 479 968

David Shoebridge 0408 113 952

Piccoli's preschool fees bad news for public education in Casino

2011-11-16T17:01:00.000+11:00

The O'Farrell government is sacrificing educational outcomes for a short term boost to the state's budget bottom line, according to the Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election Janet Cavanaugh and the party's education spokesperson Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Nationals MP and Education Minister Adrian Piccoli announced as part of the September state budget that compulsory fees will be introduced from next year in the 100 preschools attached to public primary schools.

The fee structure for 2012 for preschools attached to the two public primary schools in Casino will be as follows:

School	Full fee (per child per day)	Aboriginal children (per child per day)	Healthcare card (per child per day)
Casino Public School	$10	$5	$1
Casino West Public School	$10	$5	$1

For more information see:

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/administrative/financial/preschool_fees/PD20110423.shtml

Media comments:

Greens candidate for the Clarence Janet Cavanaugh said: "Compulsory fees are not only a deterrent to entry for low socio-economic background families but an insult to the notion of free, secular and comprehensive education.

John Kaye MP & Janet Cavanaugh in Grafton

"Requiring principals to ask parents to demonstrate hardship in order to obtain the cheaper fees is an insult to their professionalism. It will also undermine the important relationships principals have fostered with members of their local community.

"School principals are educational leaders not fee collectors.

"Strong relationships based on trust and compassion between schools and their communities are integral to improving student outcomes," said Ms Cavanaugh.

Greens NSW MP John Kaye said: "The lack of consultation with the early childhood sector, parents, teachers and their union before this new fee structure was announced suggests that the Minister knew that he was breaking faith with the community.

"The benefits of preschool are well established in Australian and international studies, particularly in towns such as Casino which have problems with youth crime.

"Fees put at risk improvements to lifelong learning outcomes, social adjustment to school life, long-term further engagement in education and income levels.

"These benefits comprehensively outweigh any budget savings that the fees will bring.

"This isn't even good economics, given the long run savings on costs in the health, criminal justice and school education systems," Dr Kaye said.

Contact: Janet Cavanaugh 0429 479 968, John Kaye 0407 1954 55

Greens support regional jobs and services

2011-11-16T13:46:00.000+11:00

Janet Cavanaugh & David Shoebridge MP outside Grafton Jail

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, and Greens NSW MP David Shoebridge today spoke at Grafton Jail in support of regional jobs and public sector wages and conditions.

Ms Cavanaugh said: “The O’Farrell Government is attacking the public sector that is vital to deliver government services to our region.

“This was a government that came to power by promising jobs in regional NSW and yet one of its first actions was to slash jobs here at Grafton Jail and at the Forest Science section in Trenayr.

“The relocation of the long-term female inmates to Kempsey has led to the loss of 13 jobs at the Jail.

“This is 13 pay cheques taken out of our region, with flow on effects to the rest of the local economy,” Ms Cavanaugh.

“The relocation of the women prisoners means their families now have hundreds of kilometres to travel to maintain contact. This is a punishment on their innocent children,” she said.

Mr Shoebridge said: “In eight short months, a pattern has developed of the O’Farrell Government consistently attacking the public sector.

“Cuts in jobs and wages and conditions will have a real ongoing impact on the Clarence’s economy. It will also see the government’s ability to deliver quality services continue to decline,” he said.

ENDS

Contact:
Janet Cavanaugh – 0429 479 968 David Shoebridge – 0408 113 952

Ian Price Anchor Resources; ABC interview November 16

2011-11-16T10:26:00.004+11:00

Well my concerns weren't allayed, soothed or otherwise calmed. Jacquie Hudson from the Antimony Action Group spelled out the concerns of a Sawtell citizen, why she was worried about the proposed antimony mine in the catchment for Coff Harbour's water, very clearly.

When Ian Price from Anchor Resources was interviewed the main point he wanted to make was that Anchor Resources is at the exploratory stage and the company has not decided to mine. Well we knew that. It is necessary to argue against further investment by Anchor Resources because once more is invested by the foreign and local shareholders the prevention will be much more difficult. Indeed Anchor Resources is very clear on its website that mining prospects are very 'positive' at that site, otherwise why spruik the asset to prospective shareholders?

"A scoping study released early 2011 indicates that positive financial returns are achievable from the project."

However, mining companies do not invest millions in exploration to walk away from a viable mine if they will make a profit for their shareholders. Under incisive questioning Mr Price admitted there was at least a 'moderate' amount of antimony ore. He did say some of the ore was deep and could not be mined using an open cut but he did say some of the ore could be mined using an open cut.

Once the company has invested in exploration and environment studies and reports the company's investment is massive. Anchor Resources will promise 'the world' to persuade the government to approve the mine. We know that mining companies walk away from polluted sites and we know that governments do not have a strong track record in monitoring and preventing pollution. We know this from the Hillgrove mine experience.

We all want productive industries with job opportunities but not at the expense of our children's health or jobs in other industries.

John Vernon for the Clarence Greens

Letter to the Editor: Antimony mining is unsuitable in a cloudfall zone

2011-11-16T08:09:00.001+11:00

"With a State by-election on Saturday the 19th, voters might consider the toxic matter of an open cut Antimony mine in the headwaters of the magnificent Clarence River system.

Antimony is in increasing demand for modern electronics. Antimony is an aid to this letter. That said, Antimony as an element is rated on a par with arsenic. If the matter of open cut gouging is not worrying enough, the Dorrigo Plateau has one of the highest rainfalls in the state. Control of run-off in flood events is impossible, Antimony mining is unsuitable in a cloudfall zone.

Lower Creek residents at Bellbrook Bridge. Their river was poisoned. (Published Macleay Argus September 27, 2011)

There is a parallel in Kempsey's Macleay system. Winding 300 kilometres upstream is a currently disused Antimony mine, mostly pits, slightly safer than the open cut method. "The Macleay River Estuary Processes Study " estimates that Antimony contamination of the Macleay system is 80-90% due to mine leakage. It says, "The time frame of contamination in the Macleay River system will continue for the foreseeable future with time frames of at least hundreds to thousands of years."

Transfer this information and apply it to the Clarence system and you fore-see disaster. What does it mean? People along the Macleay system have been told not to pump the water. Soft advice for don't drink it. The State Environment Minister Robyn Parker said it was "standard advice and remained in force at all times." (SMH 22-10-11) For "hundreds to thousands of years" perhaps?

I urge voters to consider the candidate who is against this proposal.

Warren Tindall.
Bellingen."

Editor's note: The only candidate who is campaigning for a complete ban on an antimony mine in this unsuitable area is the Greens Janet Cavanaugh.

Letter to the editor: Daily Examiner with voting advice

2011-11-16T07:49:00.000+11:00

Reblogged from http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com/

On November 19, the voters of the Clarence electorate will have to go back to the polls, not long after the last state election, because their elected local member had to fall on his own sword after getting caught out doing something very inappropriate. After a fairly short selection process, the National Party was able to find a National Party candidate who could both read and write, so they selected him as their nominee.

Now, if you want someone to represent the Clarence Valley in NSW Parliament, who likes to do photo opportunities and sound bites for the media, then this might seem like a suitable representative for you. You know, like standing outside Grafton Hospital while your photo is being taken, is doing something about local health, or standing next to the Pacific Highway while the press takes your photo is doing something to improve local roads, or standing outside Maclean High School for another photo-op to garner red neck votes over the bat issue. You get the idea? The usual National Party fare to gather the country bumpkin, or local red neck votes.

However, if you want someone to represent the whole of the Clarence Valley and its diverse needs, you should consider casting your vote more wisely this time. If you want someone who will stand up for local interests in NSW Parliament, and fight tooth and nail to represent us, and not big business, then cast your vote for the Greens. Recent history has shown that independents such as local Greens candidates are able to get much more for their electorates than party hacks can.

Your previous National Party representative tried to assume as low a profile as he could in the O'Farrell Government. Hardly likely to bring much benefit to the Clarence Valley, or protect the local environment and local jobs from greedy big businesses or O'Farrell Government razor gangs.

The National Party has failed to stand up to the Liberal Party when it came to the best interests of their electorate time and time again. When the Liberal Party says jump, the National Party says how high, please sir. You are starting to hear all about coal seam gas extraction, fracking and the like, and how much damage it can do to the environment, farmland, damage to the Great Artesian Basin and underground water supplies. Then there is the likelihood of an antimony mine being opened up in the catchment of the Nymboida River - your water supply. If this gets polluted it will be for hundreds of years.

Don't expect a Liberal/National party government to do anything to stop these, other than making lip service statements. They are deeply in the pocket of big business and vested interests, and everyone with two eyes and tolerable hearing knows it.

They can hardly wait to sell off the rest of the State electrical generation system, completing the job started by the Labor Party. If you think your electricity bills are high, wait until big business owns it all and the only thing that matters is keeping the stock holders happy. Screw the customers and the staff. They don't matter (and this has nothing to do with a carbon tax despite all the misinformation and deliberate lies being put out by the Liberal/National parties).

So, if you want to save your bacon, so to speak, you have one clear choice, vote green. Janet Cavanaugh is your local Greens candidate. She is well educated, intelligent and motivated to look after the local environment and local jobs; she already has a great track record in those areas. Already there are reports of government jobs being lost from the Clarence Valley, plus loss of services that are already poor enough.

Police, nurses, teachers, etc., will be leaving the NSW public service in droves soon because of O'Farrell Government policies. Stop the rot - cast your vote wisely. If you don't and get what is coming to you from that choice, then don't whinge about it afterwards. You had your chance and blew it.

M Casey

Source: Letters, The Daily Examiner, 16/11/11

Lock the Gate urges Clarence to vote Greens in by-election

2011-11-16T07:34:00.001+11:00

Date: 14-Nov-11
Author: Drew Hutton

Janet Cavanaugh in front of her Casino shopfront

The Lock the Gate Alliance has urged voters in the Clarence by-election to give their first preference to Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh because of her strong stand on coal seam gas.

Lock the Gate Alliance president Drew Hutton said his organisation had no political affiliation but would recommend a vote based on candidates' record on coal and coal seam gas.

Mr Hutton said he had studied the records of all eight candidates and was pleased that one of the independents and the Labor candidate had supported a moratorium on coal seam gas until all social and environmental issues had been addressed.

However, Ms Cavanaugh's strong advocacy on this issue over a long period made her the best candidate for voters to express their opposition to coal seam gas moving into their region.

The New South Wales Greens had also done a great deal to keep this industry under control, especially through the work of mining spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham.

"The people of Clarence have companies like Metgasco, Red Sky and Arrow looking to cover much of the region with gas wells, pipelines and other infrastructure turning this beautiful region into a bleak industrial zone," Mr Hutton said.

"The tourism and agricultural industries will be at risk and underground water will be threatened.
"Coal seam gas is the biggest issue facing the voters of Clarence and the best way to send a clear message to Premier Barry O'Farrell that it is not wanted here is to give a vote to the Greens."

Contact: Drew Hutton 0428 487 110

Nationals statement on coal seam gas fails the credibility test

Letter to the Editor: Our health is in the hands of our Pollies

2011-11-16T07:28:00.000+11:00

Nymboida River before pollution. Keep it this way

Most of us put our health up there as pretty important. We expect our government to maintain decent health services. We expect our nurses and doctors to do the best for us and our children. We could quite easily “undermine” and poison these efforts when we vote next Saturday.

The health effects of antimony mining has already shown itself in the last 6 months, with serious contamination of the Macleay and its tributaries, from Hillgrove to the ocean. With a huge new open-cut Chinese antimony mine ready to be approved for the Nymboida River, we have a clear choice at the pooling booth to either protect or threaten our health. Do we want poisonous heavy metal pollution in our waterways, threatening fish stocks and town drinking water?

Labor has decided (after years of indifference) to study the problem. The Nationals have taken a “balanced” stance where we can perhaps have clean drinking water most of the time, and poison ourselves when accidents inevitably happen with the storage ponds. The Greens instead have already put a motion to the NSW Upper House to deny approval for the mine, at least until a Land Use Plan has been developed for the Mid North Coast. The Liberal-National Coalition opposed this motion, and indeed the State Government says that such a plan is a “low priority”. So we are destined to see a hole, measuring 1.5 kilometre by 0.5 kilometre, opened up to extract and process a poisonous combination of sulphur and heavy metals, with a tailings dam perhaps many times the size of the Hillgrove version that recently overflowed 900,000 litres into the river system. This new one ultimately connects through the Nymboida to the Shannon Creek and Karangi dams and thence to the taps of Coffs residents.

A clean water supply is a privilege in this country. Its hard to see an issue that is more important this time around. For all the talk about the “radical” Greens, safeguarding our water seems a whole lot more rational than pussy-footing with “development” that could be very, very expensive to our river, our fish stocks, our environment and our very health.

...... (Dr) Paul Bryce, Bellingen

Greens call for overhaul of Forests NSW

2011-11-16T06:54:00.002+11:00

Janet Cavanaugh and David Shoebridge in Doubleduke State Forest, November 15, 2011

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, today joined calls by NSW Greens Forestry spokesperson David Shoebridge MP for an overhaul of Forests NSW and their timber supply contracts to ensure the long-term sustainability of the native timber industry. These calls were made while visiting Doubleduke State Forest southwest of Woodburn.

Ms Cavanaugh said: “I am a strong supporter of continued forestry in native forests but it needs to be environmentally sustainable.
“The threatened species licence (TSL) and codes of practice are meant to be controlling forestry’s impacts. However the destruction of threatened species habitat and endangered ecological communities (EECs) is still occurring.
“When I inspected the alleged breaches of the TSL of in Doubleduke State Forest in January this year, I expressed concern that our state forests were not in safe hands, contrary to the signs and the intent of the legislation.
“Those breaches had been first reported by the Clarence Environment Centre in April 2010. It is only in the last month that the Office of Environment and Heritage is finally taking action on this case in the NSW Land and Environment Court.
“In a separate case, Justice Pepper commented on Forests NSW’s cavalier attitude to compliance with environmental laws. This is not good enough for our public native forest assets,” she said.
Mr Shoebridge said: “It was revealed last week through court documents obtained under FOI applications that Forests NSW is facing ongoing commercial damages claims from Boral Ltd for failing to supply enough timber from state forests.
“The same documents reveal that in 2006 Forests NSW paid $500,000 to Boral for shortfalls in timber supply from 2003 to 2005. Now Boral is again taking Forests NSW to court seeking uncapped damages for shortfalls in wood supplies from 2005 to present.
“It is evident that Forests NSW is, for the most part, running our forests at a serious commercial loss, with the NSW public now paying Boral for the privilege of logging state forests.
“Major shifts in NSW forest policy are urgently required in order to achieve ecologically sustainable forest management and to protect tax payers from ongoing commercial damages claims.
“The Greens are pressing for an urgent review of this State's forest policy. If we don't act soon, our state forests will be irreparably damaged by Forests NSW in order to meet the short-term and unsustainable timber demands of Boral,” Mr Shoebridge said.

ENDS
Contact: David Shoebridge 0408 113 952
Janet Cavanaugh 0429 479 968

Frances Pike, Forest Campaigner, has sent this evidence of the damage to our forests in these two videos.

"My aerial footage of the damage at regional level. What is really taking place in Mid North Coast Forests.

Without voice over aerial footage of destrution from to the Coast...note that this does NOT include the vast areas of clear fell of plantations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzwmCxJxdlI

With voice over explanation

http://youtu.be/Pb7nfmhS-PM

Frances has more evidence at www.nativesrule.org Look for "more evidence" on home page under Aerial Footage mention. It is a short comprehensive summary.

We want a ban on coal seam gas drilling in our special 'country'.

2011-11-15T18:25:00.000+11:00

Janet Cavanaugh said, "The coalition is claiming the Liverpool Plains represents a special case for not continuing drilling for coal seam gas.

"I happen to believe the Clarence and Richmond Valleys also represent a special case. Minister for Western NSW Humphries may believe his 'country' is special. We want a ban on coal seam gas drilling in our special 'country'."

Coal seam gas blowing up Coalition

Media Release - Jeremy Buckingham MLC - 14 November 2011

Desperate National Party members have broken ranks on coal seam gas only to be reigned in by their Liberal colleague, with Resources Minister Chris Hartcher slapping down the Minister for Western NSW, Kevin Humphries today after Humprhies promised an announcement that coal seam gas pilot production would be halted.

Greens Mining Spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham today said Nationals MP Kevin Humphries was on the right track in defending rural communities from the threat of coal seam gas and should not tolerate being reigned in by his Liberal colleague Chris Hartcher who said there would be no change to coal seam gas policy.

"This is a massive rebuke for the National Party and the Coalition is in complete disarray on coal seam gas," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"If Kevin Humphries can't deliver on the pending announcement he promised this morning, then he will have lost the confidence of the people of Barwon and Western NSW.

"Labor's reversal on coal seam gas policy has left the government exposed out on a political limb. Nervous Nationals are now starting to break ranks, while the pro-industry Liberal Minister attempts to reign them in.

"The government's handling of this is a dog's breakfast and Barry O'Farrell needs to step in.

"The Greens Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill won't pick winners and losers as the O'Farrell Government seems to be attempting with its ad hoc announcements. The Bill will press pause on the industry state-wide for 12 months while we investigate whether it should be granted a social licence," he said.

Jeremy Buckingham will tour Santos' coal seam gas operations in the Narrabri area with the Legislative Council Inquiry into the industry on Tuesday. Hearings will be held in Narrabri on Wednesday and a hearing will be conducted at Parliament House on Thursday.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

The following Coalition MPs have CSG activities and significant community opposition in their electorates:
Kevin Anderson (Nat) from Tamworth,
Kevin Humphries (Nat) from Barwon,
George Souris (Nat) from Upper Hunter,
Pru Goward (Lib)from Goulburn,
Brian Doyle (Lib) from Campbelltown,
Thomas George (Nat) from Lismore
Steve Bromhead (Nat) from Myall Lakes
Andrew Stoner (Nat) from Oxley
Tim Owen (Lib) from Newcastle
Craig Baumann (Lib) from Port Stephens
Lee Evans (Lib) from Heathcote
Geoff Provest (Nats) from Tweed
Gareth Ward (Lib) Kiama

Greens support Police

2011-11-15T18:10:00.000+11:00

Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh and Greens MP, David Shoebridge with Police officers, Dean Ferguson (in uniform) and Detective Sergeant Paul Fredericks, outside Casino Police Station.

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, was today joined by NSW Greens spokesperson on justice, David Shoebridge MP in meeting police in Casino to discuss the town’s crime statistics, changes to the Police Death and Disability Scheme, and the recently revealed cover-up of asbestos in Police housing.

Ms Cavanaugh said: “One of the key issues in this area is crime, both within Casino and also in outlying areas. I agree that this town needs more 24 hour policing, and preferably a 24 hour police station.

“But that is only part of the solution. The Greens are calling for justice reinvestment, which focuses on addressing the underlying causes of crime, rather than just another ‘law and order auction’ which exploits community fears.

“The Greens support youth clubs and other early intervention measures such as smaller classes, better educational opportunities and annual hearing tests for all Aboriginal kids. These have been shown to reduce crime and are cost effective. It costs as much to hold a person in prison as it does to employ a teacher.

“While the O’Farrell Government is promising 550 new police for the state, I can’t believe that they are working to undermine the morale and conditions of serving police officers,” Ms Cavanaugh.

In August it was revealed that a report finding police housing to be riddled with asbestos and lead paint was covered up for eighteen months.

Greens NSW MP and Police spokesperson David Shoebridge said: “Police officers in NSW have a tough job. They deserve better support from the government than sub-standard housing and a watered down Death and Disability scheme.

“These cuts will have an unfair impact on police officers suffering psychiatric injuries.

“Approximately 80% of police medically discharges are because of psychological injury alone. 90% involve some degree of psychological injury.

"We expect police to place themselves in harm's way on an almost daily basis when at work, in return the government must ensure they are fully protected when they are injured.

“Police have been willing to negotiate in good faith with the Minister on disability benefits, but the Minister has walked away from the negotiating table.

"The NSW Government stepped further away from negotiations last week by forcing its police death and disability legislation onto the Parliament’s agenda in a close vote in the NSW Upper House last week.

“On one scenario provided by the government a psychologically injured police officer will see their benefits cut from some $569,000 to just $76,000.

“Society has recently made real progress in recognising mental health as a significant issue. By slashing the benefits payable to psychologically injured police, the government is taking a large step backwards.

“The Greens are calling on the Police Minister to take a step back and return to the negotiating table with the Police Association to come up with a remodelled scheme that better protects injured police,” he said.

ENDS

Contacts: Janet Cavanaugh – 0429 479 968David Shoebridge – 0408 113 952

Coalition confusion. CSG exploration continues.

2011-11-15T10:04:00.002+11:00

CSG exploration suspension put on ice

By Catherine Clifford, ABC Updated November 14, 2011, 3:07 pm

The New South Wales Government has been forced to pour cold water on the announcement by one of its ministers of a temporary halt to coal seam gas exploration.

Minister for Western New South Wales Kevin Humphries this morning flagged the need to suspend pilot well exploration while better regulations were developed.

But Resources and Energy Minister Chris Hartcher says the suspension will only apply to the operations of mining company Santos at Spring Ridge, in the state's north-west.

It was not a distinction made by Mr Humphries, who was commenting ahead of a forum sponsored by the Murray Darling Association in Narrabri today to discuss the co-existence of mining and agriculture.
"Those people that have got an exploratory licence, and you've had exploratory activity undertaken and it's progressed to pilot activity, then we're looking to work with industry... on them standing down until we've got a much tighter regime, particularly when it comes to water or aquifer interference," Mr Humphries said.

Mr Humphries said 44 petroleum exploration licences were issued under the previous Labor government and said every one of them was being reviewed to determine their futures.
"It's obvious that there will be places where this industry, and I'm talking about coal seam gas in this case, will be able to go and there will be places where the industry won't be able to go," he said.
"Now does that mean that some of those exploratory licences won't convert into extraction? I have no doubt that will be the case."

But Mr Hartcher has previously defended the need for CSG projects in the state, provided the concerns of farmers are also considered.

Labor announced a change of policy last week, with Opposition Leader John Robertson criticised by Mr Hartcher and others for advocating a freeze on all CSG exploration.

The Greens have also pushed for a moratorium on CSG exploration and mining, and currently have a bill before the Upper House.
Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham says the backdown sounds like a political fix.
"If this is just about Spring Ridge all this will do is enrage all those communities across New South Wales who are in exactly the same position," Mr Buckingham said.
"The farmers in the northern rivers, the Manning, the people fighting to project the drinking water catchments of Sydney.
"All of those communities will be enraged if this is just about ending the blockade at Spring Ridge."

...........................................

The Sydney Morning Herald's

Win for gas blockade as Santos pulls back

Ben Cubby, Sean Nicholls

November 15, 2011 (last three paragraphs)

......................"The Resources and Energy Minister, Chris Hartcher, said the government ''has not announced any change of policy related to coal seam gas licences. The legal rights of all exploration licence holders across NSW remain unchanged.''

The Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham said the Nationals feared a public backlash. ''Nervous Nationals are now starting to break ranks, while the pro-industry Liberal minister attempts to rein them in,'' he said.
The Herald has learnt that Stuart George, the son of the prominent Nationals MP for Lismore and Deputy Speaker, Thomas George, has been recruited by the coal seam gas explorer Metgasco to negotiate access to private land for the company.
Mr George, a Richmond Valley councillor, was appointed land administration officer. In August the former deputy director of the NSW Liberals, Richard Shields, was appointed Metgasco's manager of external relations."

Headwaters not Deadwaters. No antimony mine near our water.

2011-11-15T06:34:00.001+11:00

This Saturday the electors in Clarence will be able to clearly send a signal to the O'Farrell government about the proposed antimony mine on the headwaters of the Clarence and Nymboida Rivers. This message is also crucial for the residents of Sawtell and Coffs Harbour dependent on the same water source.

Only the Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh is pressing for a complete ban on the reopening of the mine.

The National Party is enticed by the possibility of short term jobs and talks of a 'balance' between the environment and mining. The Nationals recently ruled out the possibility of even expediting a land use assessment when this was proposed by Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

Labor still talks of a moratorium and safety measures.

Fence sitting politician with our future at the Karangi Dam protest

There is only one candidate that clearly states, “Don’t ever mine antimony at Wild Cattle Creek and risk our water.’ Don’t take the risk with ‘fence sitters’.

Are these candidates seriously considering the possibility that an open cut antimony mine, 1.5 km long and 0.5km wide, could be made safe? That could be a very long time. In our high rainfall it is inevitable that tailings containing arsenic and antimony will be washed into the Nymboida and Clarence, as has happened to the Macleay River. It may not happen next year or in the next ten years or even the next 50 years but these sites have the capacity to pollute for thousands of years. The only safe way to contain antimony and arsenic is to not to disturb the ground.

Mr Wade Walker has represented ‘Steve Cansdell’s Office’ at at least one meeting and requested Pauline Hanson to stand in the Clarence electorate. http://paulinehanson.com.au/pauline-hanson-2011/. He might stand as an independent but his politics are ‘conservative’.

'Among Mr Walker's other key policies is more of an emphasis on renewable energy in the Clarence and also a halt to coal-seam gas exploration and antimony mining in the Clarence area until more is known about their environmental and health-related impacts.' Daily Examiner, November 8, 2011

In reality these candidates are mouthing ‘appropriate’ words like ‘balance’, ‘safeguards’, ‘protection of the environment’ and ‘calling a halt until more is known’ hoping that this greenwashing will sooth the concerned voter. Don’t be fooled.

There is only one candidate that clearly states, “Don’t ever mine antimony at Wild Cattle Creek and risk our water.’ That candidate is the NSW Greens Janet Cavanaugh.

Don’t take the risk with ‘fence sitters’. Send a message to the O’Farrell government. Vote Green on Saturday.

John Vernon for the MNC Greens

Current logging practices on the mid north coast

2011-11-15T05:11:00.001+11:00

Wedding Bells State Forest

Why are many dismayed by the current logging practices evident on the mid north coast?

See the short video 'Are Our Forests in Safe Hands?'.

Janet opposes privatisation of Grafton Jail

2011-11-14T16:11:00.000+11:00

Janet Cavanaugh has come out strongly in opposition to any proposal to privatise the jail.

"The Greens have opposed privatisation of the jail system under Labor and will continue to do so under the Liberal Government," Ms Cavanaugh said. "The Greens believe that introducing the profit motive into the prisons system is not in the interests of prison officers, prisoners or the rest of the community.

"Convicted criminals are removed from society to protect public safety, deter others and to be rehabilitated, not to be fodder for corporate profit. The government has an obligation to run the prisons system in the best interests of society. Making corporate profits from punishment is unethical.

"The government also has a responsibility to ensure a safe working environment for prison officers and a safe living environment for prisoners. Privatising prisons is selling out that obligation.
"The escape of 3 prisoners from the private Parklea Jail at the beginning of the year was clear evidence of a failing private operator.

"The Grafton community needs the best protection it can get. Our town also needs public sector jobs, and these include those jobs at the jail," she said.

Possible clean industries for the Clarence

2011-11-14T16:08:00.001+11:00

John Kaye MP

Greens launch 'Zero Carbon NSW' plan in Clarence by-election

Greens candidate for Clarence Janet Cavanaugh and Upper House MP John Kaye launched their party's Towards a Zero Carbon NSW plan in the lead up to Saturday's by-election vote. They were joined by Greg Schubert from Northern Rivers Renewable Energy, a local company that has had to shed jobs due to the downturn in the solar energy industry.

Ms Cavanaugh said: "Premier Barry O'Farrell and the Nationals have played politics with the future of hundreds of jobs in the Clarence by continuing to oppose the price on carbon.

"We want to use the federal government's Clean Energy Future package as a first step towards turning the Clarence into a renewable energy powerhouse, with hundreds of new jobs in Grafton, Casino and the surrounding areas.

"A state-wide ban on new coal-fired power stations, restoring a sustainable feed-in tariff for roof-top solar, stopping the spread of coal seam gas and the other industry policy measures in our package will create a place in the sun for local renewables.

"Turning NSW over to coal and gas mining will destroy jobs in the long run. The future of the Clarence has to be with the clean industries that will grow rapidly with the right state support.

"The Nationals have consistently opposed the development of renewable energy in NSW. They are putting at risk the potential to create tens of thousands of new jobs across the state," Ms Cavanaugh said.

Greg Schubert said: "The coal industry has enjoyed decades of government subsidies, including diesel fuel rebates, and it continues to enjoy them. The fledgling solar industry enjoyed a government subsidy for less than two years before it was abruptly removed.

"Obviously, Labor's 60 cent gross feed in tariff was unsustainable and established solar industry players said so when it was introduced. A number of fly-by-night solar installers sprang up and at least they all disappeared as quickly as they came when the Coalition scrapped the feed-in tariff altogether.

"However, at the moment, if you install some grid-connected roof top solar, you get nothing for the power you put back into the grid. You can offset the amount of power you draw from the grid but only by the amount of power you can use during the day. This means it's still a good idea economically for many businesses but not for most home owners who use most of their power first thing in the morning and in the evening."

"All the solar industry is asking for is a one for one feed-in tariff, so that you could sell power to the grid at the same price you pay for the power you buy from the grid. After all, the price of coal will only continue to rise whereas the cost of sunshine remains at a stable zero..."

Dr Kaye said: "The Greens will be introducing legislation early next year to ban the construction of new base-load fossil fuel power stations, stop the development of new gas pipelines and create a new, sustainable set of feed-in tariffs for roof-top solar and community-owned wind generators.

"We want to explore the possibilities for small scale solar thermal plants in the Clarence. Using the heat of the sun to drive turbines makes a lot more sense than destroying the water table and polluting the air with coal seam gas drilling.

"The University of Newcastle identified 73,800 new jobs in clean energy in NSW but none of these will become reality if the O'Farrell government continues its hostility to wind and solar power," Dr Kaye said.

ENDS

For more information: Janet Cavanaugh 0429 479 968;

John Kaye 0407 195 455

Greg Schubert 0403 821 076

Clarence future at risk from O'Farrell's attack on TAFE

2011-11-14T15:45:00.000+11:00

Janet Cavanaugh, Greens Candidate for Clarence
Environment – Social Justice - Peace - Democracy
Vote 1 The Greens.

PO Box 1324, Grafton NSW 2460
ph: 0429 479 968
clarence@nsw.greens.org.au
www.facebook.com/Janet4Clarence
clarencegreens.blogspot.com

----------

Greens candidate for Clarence Janet Cavanaugh today joined Upper House MP John Kaye in calling for an end to the attacks on TAFE.

Ms Cavanaugh said: "A strong TAFE system is central to the economic future of the Clarence.

"It makes no sense to force TAFE into competition against low cost, low quality private providers. It makes even less sense to cut its budget.

"Yet this exactly what the O'Farrell government has done since it came to power eight months ago.

"As the world's economy lurches towards the abyss, the Clarence is particularly vulnerable to economic stagnation and rising unemployment.

"Maintaining and extending the local skills base is essential to ensuring that industries and primary producers can make their way through uncertain times.

"The election of the O'Farrell government has opened the floodgates in NSW to Federal Labor's TAFE privatisation agenda.

"We urge voters on Saturday to send a message to both state and federal governments that the development of skills is too important to be sacrificed to a dangerous experiment in competitive markets and reduced funding," Ms Cavanaugh said.

Dr Kaye said: "First the O'Farrell government cut TAFE's annual funding by $55.9 million. Then the Minister for Education and National Party MP Adrian Piccoli published his Smart and Skilled discussion paper that argues for competition between TAFE and private providers for funding, greater fees and loans so that students can pay them.

"Last month they rammed legislation through state parliament to dump TAFE employees onto the Federal industrial relations system. Teachers could soon face the choice of cuts in wages or massive job losses.

"The future of TAFE now hangs in the balance. Voters in the Clarence have a lot to lose if the O'Farrell government abandons TAFE to market forces," Dr Kaye said.

For more information: Janet Cavanaugh 0429 479 968;

John Kaye 0407 195 455

-----------

Coffs Coast Advocate Story: Stop the mine

2011-11-14T13:34:00.001+11:00

Stop the mine

Belinda Scott | 14th November 2011

A protester makes her point

on a placard at an anti-mining protest at Karangi Dam.

Leigh Jensen

ANTIMONY mining and its toxic aftermath has no place in the high-rainfall catchment of coastal rivers that supply the drinking water for hundreds of thousands of residents.

This sentiment attracted 70 people from all walks of life at Coffs Harbour's Karangi Dam on Saturday to protest a proposed antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek at Dorrigo.

Wild Cattle Creek runs into the Nymboida River which, in conjunction with the Orara River, supplies Karangi Dam and the residents of Coffs Harbour City and Grafton with their town water supply.
Among those with placard in hand was Jacqui Hudson, who has helped to form the new Sawtell Antimony Action Group.

This is the second community action group spawned by the proposed mine.

"History has shown there is no way of preventing toxic run-off into our water systems when you have large open-cut mines in high-rainfall water-catchment areas, and the area proposed has some of the highest rainfall in the State," Mrs Hudson said.

"The few jobs that might be created locally from the mine opening will be far outweighed by the loss of jobs and economic damage caused to tourism, agriculture and fishing."

"We are concerned local residents - not members of any political party - just passionate about our beautiful waterways and wanting to protect our natural environment for future generations.

"Everyone is concerned; this is an issue that affects us all directly."

The Sawtell Antimony Action Group is placing posters on local noticeboards, letter-box dropping and collecting signatures for a petition to the State Government against toxic mineral mining.

SAAG can be contacted on antimonyaction@gmail.com.

Will the O'Farrell government's Orica performance sooth our concerns?

2011-11-13T19:52:00.000+11:00

Will the O'Farrell government's Orica performance sooth our concerns about the proposed antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek? No way!!!!

The poor performance of Minister Parker in ensuring the people of Stockton are not exposed to toxic gases is indicative of the care they will take in ensuring an antimony mine will not poison our drinking water and rivers.

Will O'Farrell's government Orica performance sooth our concerns? No way!

Neither will the lack of public commitment by National, Labor or Independent Clarence byelection candidates to a complete ban on this mine's reopening as an open cut mine 1.5km by 0.5km.

Call the Greens 'extreme', then let them make the unpopular but necessary moves to save our environment. What hypocrisy!

Read the full story.

Media Release: November 13

Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann says the recent
Orica incidents are "only the very tip of the Orica pollution
iceberg".

Data from the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI), which tracks
pollution across Australia, shows during 2009/10, there were 69,000 kg
of fugitive air emissions of ammonia from the Orica Kooragang Island
facility, 77 times the quantity released during last week's accident.

This is amongst a total of 550,000kg of ammonia and hundreds of
thousands of kilos of other serious pollutants such as carbon
monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds, and harmful
particulate matter. Full details are attached.

"The response to the Orica incidents needs to be more than a witch
hunt against an underperforming Minister. We need comprehensive reform
that assesses and then reduces pollution being released into the
environment and communities," said Ms Faehrmann.

"Orica's fugitive ammonia emissions are the equivalent to last week's
incident occurring at least once a week, we just aren't told about it.

"This level of polluting is not acceptable. The government can no
longer look at the hexavalent chromium release and other recent
accidents in isolation. Business as usual at Orica meant nearby
residents were probably being exposed to dangerous chemicals every
week.

"The EPA must get an urgent funding boost to undertake ongoing and
extensive auditing. This is the only way to protect communities around
the clock instead of only being able to respond when something gains
media attention.

"The government should be reviewing and strengthening pollution
reduction targets across the board. Monitoring and compliance by the
EPA needs to be designed to meet those targets and reduce community
exposure to chemicals that are routinely released into the
environment," said Ms Faehrmann.

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727

Full details of Orica pollution in 2009-10 here:
http://www.npi.gov.au/npidata/action/load/emission-by-individual-facility-result/criteria/state/NSW/year/2010/jurisdiction-facility/395;jsessionid=8D9A082A3E0175614EB4B2E6CF6868DC

Honesty in Politics. Janet is an honest, local resident.

2011-11-13T07:13:00.002+11:00

A Sunday, November 13 story in the Brisbane Times brings to mind one of the main planks of Janet Cavanaugh's and the NSW Greens policy platform, honesty in politics. Apart from respecting our laws it also means, for a NSW Greens' candidate, not accepting donations from corporations to avoid any 'conflicts of interest'. You will note that Janet's campaign cannot afford any TV advertisements.

...................................

November 12, Daily Examiner

Electoral and Funding Reform

Fix disclosure laws. Donations from large corporations to political parties erode the Australian democratic process. Big donors get access to politicians that ordinary people don't. This is wrong. Download Full Policy PDF

Janet Cavanaugh's Message to the folk at Karangi Dam

2011-11-12T18:30:00.000+11:00

12 November 201
Hi Everyone –
Thanks for turning out to this rally, to protest against a major potential risk to the Coffs-Clarence Regional Water Supply.

I apologise for not being here today but, with only a week left until the Clarence by-election on 19 November, it is hard to find the time to attend every public event.

Thank you for allowing this short speech to be read out on my behalf in my absence.

I have made the by-election a referendum on mining regulation. My key message throughout the campaign has been to protect our rivers from mining. There’s coal seam gas mining in the north of the electorate and, just south of the southern boundary, at Wild Cattle Creek, there is a proposal for an open cut antimony mine.

I am concerned about the potential impacts of the proposed antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek on the Nymboida and Clarence Rivers, and our communities that rely on these rivers.

Antimony is a highly toxic substance. Any leak at the mine would have a devastating impact on the Coffs-Clarence water supply, and downstream industries such as fishing, agriculture and tourism.
The NSW Government has to give a guarantee that antimony mining will not be permitted in this area. Proposing a ‘balance’ between mining and farming is not good enough. The fate of the Clarence and Coffs communities rests in this 'balance'.

Vague statements from Premier O’Farrell that a newly formed Environmental Protection Agency will somehow guarantee the safety of our water supply are too weak. For a start, he is not recognising that compliance with pollution licensing is likely to be constrained by a lack of staff and the remoteness of the site.

Most significantly, he is not recognising that an open cut mine in that area, with extremely high rainfall, will generate an enormous amount of polluted water in the Nymboida River, which could end up in the Shannon Creek Dam and here in the Karangi Dams. And then it may end up in our taps.

The Government made a very poor decision when it renewed the exploration licence for Anchor Resources’ Project in late September. Unlike coal seam gas exploration licences, this is not something they can blame on Labor.

I firmly believe that, when it comes to high rainfall areas in the catchment of our domestic water supply, the only safe way to contain antimony and arsenic is to not to disturb the ground.

The residents of Coffs Harbour should be demanding Andrew Fraser MP to represent their interests and secure a guarantee from the Government that no large open cut mine will be permitted in the catchment of our shared water supply.

Voters in the Clarence Valley should be also be sending a message to Sydney by casting their vote for the candidates who are raising this issue on their behalf.

There is however only one candidate who is clearly stating, “Don’t ever mine antimony at Wild Cattle Creek and risk our water.”

That candidate is me, the Greens Janet Cavanaugh.

The community protests Wild Cattle Creek antimony mine.

2011-11-12T18:04:00.003+11:00

Over 60 people attended this protest at Karangi Dam which was an excellent number given the protest

Over sixty attendees

was organised in three days. Groups attending were: The MNC Greens, Coffs Harbour Greens, Clarence Greens, Dorrigo Environment Watch, Antimony Action (Sawtell) and other concerned locals including the owner of a tourism business.

Click on any pic to enlarge

Messages were read from Greens Cr Mark Graham and Greens Clarence candidate Janet Cavanaugh. There were numerous other speakers.

An unknown politician attended but found it was most uncomfortable trying to 'balance' and sit on the fence. These visitors from the Dorrigo plateau brought home to all of us that our concern must be for our future generations and those in our care. Only politicians who demand that no antimony mines are ever developed in such a high rainfall location can be comfortable about their political policy. Talking of a 'balance' between mining and the environment won't 'cut the mustard' in this case. Waiting to see if environmental aspects are sufficient is not good enough. A 1.5km by 0.5km open cut mine with a tailings dam in that high average rainfall location will never be safe for future generations no matter what the miners promise the gullible and those who want excuses to profit either financially or politically.

Bob Palmer

Businessman Bob Palmer spoke of how the old site of the Wild Cattle Creek mine is already poisoning the water of Wild Cattle Creek and how fish are only present above the tailing wash from the old mine. Water tests are being undertaken by the Dorrigo Environment Watch group.

A collection was undertaken and over $250 was collected to fund stickers. The residents of the Dorrigo Plateau, Clarence Valley and the Coffs Harbour area will continue protesting the reopening of this mine and their protests will grow in size. A petition is being circulated to gather enough signatures for presentation to the NSW parliament.

NBN News Story link

O'Farrell Government blocks motion on antimony mining

2011-11-11T16:30:00.001+11:00

JEREMY BUCKINGHAM MLC
THE GREENS NSW

MEDIA RELEASE

11 November 2011

The Greens NSW mining spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham is shocked that the government has blocked a motion in the NSW Legislative Council that outlined the dangers of antimony mining on the Dorrigo Plateau and called for a moratorium on mining approvals until a Strategic Regional Land Use Plan for the Mid-North Coast was adopted for the region.

"It's concerning that Barry O'Farrell does not seem to be taking the threat of antimony mining to water supplies seriously," said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

"Nationals Duncan Gay confirmed yesterday that a Strategic Regional Land Use Plan for the Mid-North Coast was a low priority. Their blocking of today's motion confirms this irresponsible view.

"Mining a highly toxic substance at the top of an important river system should be rejected."

The motion is attached.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

Wild Cattle Creek/Biesldown Antimony Mine

Mr Buckingham to move:-

1. That this house notes that:

(a) Anchor Resources Ltd have conducted scoping studies that indicate a resource of 17,500 tons of antimony have been found at both Wild Cattle Creek, near Nymboida and the Blicks River to the northwest of Dorrigo on the mid north coast of New South Wales;

(b) Anchor Resources Ltd has recently been subject to a majority takeover by the Chinese minerals company China Shandong Jinshunda Ltd which now owns over 90% of the company;

(c) Antimony is a mineral resource used for a range of high tech products such as polymers, fire retardants and electronics;

(d) Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic and the World Health Organisation has stated that oral consumption can result in "a strong irritating effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa and trigger sustained vomiting ... abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and cardiac toxicity";

(e) The Wild Cattle Creek project is located within the headwaters of the Nymboida River, which is the highest rainfall catchment in New South Wales;

(f) The majority of the municipal water supply for more than 100,000 residents in Coffs Harbour is provided by Shannon Creek Dam which is fed by pipes directly from the Nymboida River;

(g) The Nymboida also flows into the Clarence River which provides water for domestic and agricultural purposes and is part of an important fishery based around Yamba;

(h) The high rainfall of the catchment means there is a significant risk that run off containing antimony and arsenic from any mine site could contaminate the river systems.

(i) A previous antimony ore processing plant at Urunga Lagoon has been described in the Bellingen Council 2009-10 State of the Environment Report as seriously contaminated and unable to be rehabilitated; and

(j) The government has admitted that mining activities at Hillgrove have caused serious and long-term contamination of the Macleay River from the mine to the Pacific Ocean.

2. That this house calls on the Government to:

(a) Place a moratorium on mining approvals on the Dorrigo Plateau and Clarence are until the Strategic Regional Land Use Plan has been completed for this area.

(b) Consider declaring the area around Wild Cattle Creek at the headwaters of the Nymboida, an environmentally sensitive area, off-limits to mining as per the Coalition's Strategic Regional Land Use Policy.

Regional Strategic Plan for Clarence a low priority for O'Farrell Government

2011-11-11T16:28:00.000+11:00

JEREMY BUCKINGHAM MLC
THE GREENS NSW

MEDIA RELEASE

10 November 2011

The Greens NSW mining spokesperson, Jeremy Buckingham MLC, today called on the government to cease mining approvals in the Clarence area until a Strategic Regional Land Use Plan has been developed, after the government revealed that Clarence was a low priority for them.

In Question Time today, Jeremy Buckingham asked: When will the government conduct a regional strategic land use plan for the Clarence region? Will the government commit to finishing this plan before it approves any further mining activity?

The answer from the Nationals The Hon. Duncan Gay was:

"We have indicated the priority areas that will be addressed in the first instance. Once we have finished addressing those priority areas we will work through the rest of the State.Jeremy Buckingham said: "The first Strategic Regional Land Use Plans are for the Hunter and Liverpool Plains areas. It may be many years before the government looks at the Clarence area."

"Clearly for the Liberals and Nationals, Clarence is a low priority. Residents have a chance to send the O'Farrell government a message that protecting their water and land should be a high priority.

"Mining should not occur until we've had a strategic look at the effects of mining on water and land use, and protect sensitive environmental areas and productive farm land.

"The Nationals are still trying to walk both sides of the street on mining issues," he said.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916

HANSARD - 9 November 2011

CLARENCE REGIONAL STRATEGIC USE PLAN

Page: 25

The Hon. JEREMY BUCKINGHAM: My question is directed to the Hon. Duncan Gay, representing the Minister for Resources and Energy. The Minister will be aware that Metgasco has extensive plans for coal seam gas fields around Casino and Grafton. Metgasco has even mentioned a possible liquefied natural gas terminal off the north coast. The Minister will also be aware of the proposal for an antimony mine at the top of the Nymboida and Clarence catchment. When will the Government conduct a regional strategic land use plan for the Clarence region, and will the Government commit to finishing this plan before it approves any further mining activity?

The Hon. DUNCAN GAY: The first two parts of the question asked whether I am aware that Metgasco has large holdings and has a plan to develop an antimony mine. The answer to both parts is yes. The third part of the question asked when the Government will conduct a strategic plan. My response to that is that the Government will do that once it has completed the strategic plans that are underway at the moment.

I remind the member that until the Coalition developed a strategic plan while in opposition there was nothing in this regard. The friends of the Hon. Jeremy Buckingham with whom he sits and votes day after day on that side of the House are the greatest hypocrites in the world. They did absolutely nothing about this while in government. And the greatest hypocrite of all was the former member for Monaro before his electorate woke up to him and threw him out. He now sits on the Labor losers lounge. This Government has a policy to develop a strategic plan and we have implemented it. We have indicated the priority areas that will be addressed in the first instance. Once we have finished addressing those priority areas we will work through the rest of the State.

This State has never been as well protected as it is now—and as it will continue to be—under this Government. That does not mean that we can put our feet up on the sofa, pull the cigars out, talk French, think the job is over, and call in the spirits. We need to do a lot more work. We accept that there is a lot more work to do in this State to get the right balance between protecting strategic agricultural lands and having a proper mining industry. Labor should remember that the mining industry employs many people and contributes considerable money to this State's coffers. That money is used to fund education, policing and health across this State. I know that the Hon. Jeremy Buckingham wants us to live in the dark. We know he has been given the keys to the company Prius this week; he is the leader in waiting.

The Hon. Greg Donnelly: That's a bit of an old line.

The Hon. DUNCAN GAY: The old lines are the good ones. However, a Green wearing an orange tie is unbelievable and makes no sense at all.

Media Alert:Greens vision for low carbon future & a strong TAFE sector

2011-11-11T16:24:00.000+11:00

John Kaye

Greens NSW MP John Kaye will be in Grafton on Monday 14 November 2011 to join with Janet Cavanaugh, Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, to announce the Greens NSW plan to introduce new legislation to push NSW towards a zero carbon future.

Ms Cavanaugh and Dr Kaye will also be commenting on the O'Farrell government's series of attacks on the public provider of vocational education. TAFE is under threat from increased competition with private training providers, higher student fees and cuts to teachers' wages and conditions.

A strong TAFE sector is essential for the future of the state as it faces the challenges of climate change. TAFE creates the skills needed both to develop and implement new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of unavoidable global warming.

When: 11:30 am, Monday 14 November

Where: Grafton TAFE, Clarence St entrance, 11 Clarence St, Grafton

Who: Greens NSW MP John Kaye

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election Janet Cavanaugh

Greg Schubert, Northern Rivers Renewable Energy

Ms Cavanaugh and Dr Kaye are also available for interview or for photo opportunities at other times by arrangement.

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455

Janet Cavanaugh 0429 479 968
Greg Schubert 0403 821 076

Greens confirm support for safer highway, more funding for rail

2011-11-11T15:52:00.001+11:00

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, and Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon today confirmed the Greens support for safety upgrades of the Pacific Highway and town by-passes.

Ms Cavanaugh said: “As a regular user of the Pacific Highway, I am as concerned as the rest of our community that the upgrade to dual carriageway, recommended by the NSW coroner more than twenty years ago, is yet to be implemented.

“The RTA’s agenda of converting the highway into a motorway standard has hijacked and unnecessarily delayed these urgent safety upgrades.

“I am also concerned that the highway traffic, including an ever-increasing number of B-doubles, still goes through small towns and school zones.

“The Pacific Highway’s annual death toll is a major ongoing concern to our local communities who have to travel the highway every day. The Greens believe that local families deserve safe roads, safe towns and safe public transport.

“Urgent upgrades and towns bypasses are needed. We also need to divert more of our freight, including local freight, onto our railways.

“Investment to expand the Pacific Highway to a major motorway is a classic case of responding to the pressures of the powerful truck lobby rather than addressing the urgent need for safer roads across our whole community.

“The proposed motorway through the Clarence Valley will not benefit most highway users. I’ve seen figures that less than 35% of highway users would use the major re-alignment between Glenugie and Tyndale,” Ms Cavanaugh said.

Ms Cavanaugh’s comments come after Senator Rhiannon was misrepresented as criticising the Pacific Highway upgrade.

Senator Rhiannon said: “I strongly support safety upgrades.

“I have visited many communities over the years who are seeking road and highway upgrades to address safety concerns over bad stretches of road and the Greens have been consistently supportive.

“It is disappointing when the Greens call for more transport dollars to go to north coast rail services our position is so misrepresented,” Senator Rhiannon said.

ENDS

Contact: Janet Cavanaugh – 0429 479 968

Lee Rhiannon – 0487 350 880

Gabrielle's banner will be there tomorrow, 11.00 AM at Karangi Dam

2011-11-11T12:01:00.000+11:00

Gabrielle's banner

Media Release: Investment needed to fix disadvantage says Janet Cavanaugh

2011-11-11T08:18:00.000+11:00

November 11, 2011

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, today called on major investment to address disadvantage in the Clarence electorate.

“It is 5 years since three postcodes in the electorate were included in the list of most disadvantaged areas in the State,” Ms Cavanaugh said. “The NSW Government needs to invest in services, particularly transport and health services, to improve the quality of life in this area.

“I am a resident of the Richmond Valley and know that some local residents are doing it tough. I live in Whiporie, within the postcode zone of 2469 – a postcode it shares with South Tabulam, Rappville and Woombah.

“When Tony Vinson mapped social and economic disadvantage in NSW in 2006, the postcode 2469 came up in the top 5 in the state suffering most disadvantage, 2470 (Casino) was in the next band of 5 and 2471 (Coraki/ Bora Ridge/ Bungawalbin) was in Band 3. These are all in the northern half of Clarence.

“One of Tony Vinson's key recommendations was improving transport options to enable people to travel to jobs and access vital education, health and human services. He specifically mentioned rural areas where public transport options are extremely limited.

“In many places the only public transport is the school bus. But, of course, it doesn’t run during school holidays and it leaves town during work hours.”

Ms Cavanaugh recognises that this is not just a problem for rural areas but is an issue affecting town centres as well.

“There is no way that you can get from Casino to Lismore before 10am by public transport during school holidays. The early bus is only viable due to the school bus subsidy but it is vital for people wanting to access work or services in Lismore.

“Successive state governments have failed to invest in our public transport system, particularly in rural areas. There is an assumption that anyone who lives out of town – no matter how much or how little they earn – has to get around by private car. This leaves residents extremely vulnerable when their car breaks down.

“In the absence of the train, local buses are the only public transport option. Countrylink buses, which could supplement the current inadequate services, are prohibited from competing with current providers within their licensed areas, even if no bus service is being provided on the ground.

“If elected, I will lobby for improved transport services covering our electorate,” she said.

ENDS

Contact: Janet Cavanaugh – 0429 479 968

We all benefit from the achievements of 'noisy' minorities.

2011-11-11T07:16:00.001+11:00

Chris Gulaptis appears to have a problem with 'noisy' minorities.

Some of the achievements of noisy minorities:

• voting rights for women

• the end of child labour in the U.K.

• the end of open slavery

• the protection of the Franklin River

• the end of cigarette advertising in the media

Do you belong to a noisy minority?

If a state election was held today the Nationals would gain 6% of the state's primary vote. The Greens would gain 14%. (Latest Newspoll- The Australian, November 10)

Protect our Water Supply from Mining

2011-11-11T06:45:00.000+11:00

10 November 2011

Coffs Harbour Greens Cr Mark Graham

Coffs Harbour councillor, Mark Graham, can understand why a group of local citizens would choose to demonstrate their concern by rallying at the Karangi Dam this Saturday at 11.00 am.

“ I have already warned that the Coffs Harbour Council’s investment in a safe water supply is at risk.

“The proposed antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek has the potential to poison the waters of the Nymboida and Clarence Rivers. The Macleay River has already been poisoned with arsenic and antimony for millenia, a result of mining.

“It is extremely unlikely that this proposed Chinese owned mine can operate safely and remain safe after its Chinese owners have moved on. An open cut mine 1.5km long and 0.5km wide open to the sky in that extremely high rainfall area will generate an enormous amount of polluted water.

It could end up in the Karangi Dam and then in the taps of our homes, schools and nurseries.

END

Cavanaugh Media Release:Antimony concern not just an issue for the Clarence

2011-11-11T06:21:00.001+11:00

Janet Cavanaugh

10 November 2011

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, today gave her support to the rally at Karangi Dam on Saturday morning which is demonstrating against the proposed antimony mine at Wild Cattle Creek in the headwaters of the Coffs-Clarence regional water supply.

“This rally should be a reminder to the O’Farrell Government that this proposed mine is not just an issue for the Clarence electorate but also for Coffs Harbour,” Ms Cavanaugh said.

“The residents of Coffs Harbour should be demanding Andrew Fraser MP to represent their interests and secure a guarantee from the Government that no large open cut mine will be permitted in the catchment of our shared water supply.

“Voters in the Clarence Valley should be also be sending a message to Sydney by casting their vote for the candidates who are raising this issue on their behalf.

“Vague statements from the Premier that a newly formed Environmental Protection Agency will somehow guarantee the safety of our water supply are too weak. For a start, he is not recognising that compliance with pollution licensing is likely to be constrained by a lack of staff and the remoteness of the site.

“Most significantly, he is not recognising that an open cut mine in that area with extremely high rainfall will generate an enormous amount of polluted water in the Nymboida River, which could end up in the Shannon Creek Dam and also in Karangi Dam, and then our taps,” she said.

The protest picnic at Karangi Dam will be held this Saturday morning (12 November) at 11am.

Contact: Janet Cavanaugh – 0429 479 968

Antimony mine: O'Farrell says the government was working toward implementing an independent body to regulate

2011-11-10T16:03:00.001+11:00

Whenever the O'Farrell government wants to shelve an issue that might not show this government in a positive light it institutes an enquiry or, as in this case, establishes an independent body. This is meant to be an alternative to stating their position. Well in this case, the position of the government, at the very least, is that the reopening of the antimony mine may proceed.

I wonder if the science employed by this 'independent' body will be as derided as was the science of the government's own fishing scientists? If a recommendation does not appeal to the Liberal/Nationals will the mine be allowed to proceed until another scientific enquiry occurs?

Excerpt from The Daily Examiner Saturday, November 5 .

Were the Liberals and Nationals calling for this independent body over the last sixteen years?

Just for Fun No.2 - The Unspeakable Greens!

2011-11-10T15:33:00.001+11:00

Watch out for those nasty Greens. The Hamster Wheel team is at it again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy90ylMRjLY

Greens Media Event: Action at Karangi Dam to protect our water

2011-11-10T11:20:00.001+11:00

Will you be there to support this action?

Nymboida River at Platypus Flat

What:

Members of the Greens and concerned citizens will assemble at the Karangi Dam to protest the proposed reopening of the Wild Cattle Creek antimony mine and the capacity of the mine to pollute the Coffs Harbour and Clarence Valley water supply.

Where:

1) Drive west along Coramba Road to Karangi.
2) Turn left onto Upper Orara Road at the Karangi shop "T" intersection.
3) Travel along Upper Orara Road until you see the Karangi Dam gates on the left hand side (approximately 2.3km).

4) Turn left through the Karangi Dam gates and follow the road to the parking area at the top of the Dam wall.

When:
11.00 a.m Saturday, November 12.

Background:

Karangi Dam is part supplied with water from the Nymboida River. Wild Cattle Creek water eventually flows into the Nymboida and Clarence Rivers. END

..............................................

This motion was put to Coffs Harbour Council meeting by Greens Cr Mark Graham and seconded by Cr Rodney Degans.

NOTICE OF MOTION: Prohibiting Antimony Exploration and Mining and protecting water quality in the headwaters of the Regional Water Supply (Nymboida Catchment).

RATIONALE:
The majority of the municipal water supply for Coffs Harbour is provided by Shannon Creek Dam, part of the Regional Water Supply Strategy shared with Clarence Valley Council. This 30,000 megalitre dam is located southwest of Grafton. It is an off-river storage reservoir gravity-fed by pipes directly from the Nymboida River. The Nymboida River has its headwaters across 1700 square km of the Dorrigo Plateau, an area renowned as the highest rainfall catchment in NSW.
END

...........................................................

THE GREENS have issued a challenge to all contenders for the upcoming Clarence by-election - state your position on mining at the headwaters of the Clarence River.

NSW Greens MLC Jeremy Buckingham was in Grafton yesterday in support of Greens candidate for Clarence, Janet Cavanaugh.
The pair raised grave concerns for the Clarence River if a 1.5km x 0.5km open cut antimony mine was approved at Wild Cattle Creek - a tributary of the Nymboida River.
Readings near the proposed mine site, which is being explored by Anchor Resources, have already shown dangerously high levels of antimony and arsenic.
"We are calling on voters to send a message to Barry O'Farrell, letting him know that they want him to rule out mining in the headwaters of the Clarence," Mr Buckingham said.
"We're not against all mining but it's got to be responsible mining.
"The risks associated with mining - especially for antimony and gold in the headwaters of the Clarence are too great.
"The experience in the Macleay should be a cautionary tale - you've got an entire river system that's been polluted that's going to be impacted for a millennia to come. "
Some 271km of the Macleay River, from Armidale to South West Rocks, have been polluted with antimony and arsenic from the Hillgrove mine and residents were warned by NSW Health last month not to drink the traditionally pristine river water.
"We've seen at the antimony mining at Hillgrove, even with modern mining techniques, even with irrigation and evaporative ponds we've seen four overflow and pollution events there since last year," Mr Buckingham said.
"You would not want to see that happen in the Clarence and put at risk the tourism, the agriculture, the fisheries.
"Would you eat the fish or the shellfish from that area (Macleay)? I think the answer's no." END

........................

“The major parties seem unable, or unwilling, to act to protect our land and our water. This by-election is an opportunity for voters to voice their disapproval by casting their vote elsewhere.

The dangers of arsenic and antimony are well documented. “Antimony and many of its compounds are toxic, and the effects of antimony poisoning are similar to arsenic poisoning.... in small doses, antimony causes headaches, dizziness, and depression.’ Wikipedia. According to a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences, arsenic in drinking water causes bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. The study also found that arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems.

Anchor Resources a Chinese company is proposing to reopen the Wild Cattle Creek mine with a one and a half km open cut. Wild Cattle Creek flows into the Nymboida River, part of the Clarence River system which supplies water from Sawtell to the Clarence estuary. Antimony is found with arsenic. Once antimony and arsenic are released from the ore and clays they are carried by the high rainfalls of this area to the sea. These elements enter the groundwater in higher than normal concentrations and there are no guarantees they will be permanently contained by ponds or dams at mine sites. END

Greens welcome Labor’s CSG backflip

2011-11-10T10:07:00.003+11:00

10 November 2011

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, today responded to the Labor Party’s back flip on coal seam gas mining, admitting surprise at their new found support for Greens’ policy and reversal on the policy direction they took when in government.

Ms Cavanaugh said: “While I welcome the fact that Labor is finally responding to community concerns about coal seam gas mining by urging the suspension of all exploration licences before irreparable damage is caused to our groundwater reserves, I am suspicious of the timing.

“I suspect that this announcement is just a desperate grab for relevance in the lead-up to the Clarence by-election, which I identified as a referendum on mining.”

Ms Cavanaugh urged the electorate to remember Labor’s track record on coal seam gas mining.

“Labor set the coal seam gas industry loose on NSW – they issued exploration licences and allowed drilling to occur without any detailed environmental impact assessment.

“And Labor continued the exemption for gas mining companies from paying royalties for 5 years, so that the state’s budget would not even benefit from the gas rush.

“I ask the electorate to remember that we are only facing this risk to our land and water because of the decisions Labor took while in government,” she said.

The Greens NSW mining spokesperson, Jeremy Buckingham MLC, has also welcomed the NSW Labor Party's back flip and believes their position now makes it possible for his Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill to pass through the NSW Upper House.

Mr Buckingham said: “The Labor Party's position now mirrors the Bill, and I look forward to their support when it gets debated in the Legislative Council this Friday.

“A recent Galaxy poll showed 68% of Australians want a moratorium on coal seam gas. So do the NSW Farmers, the Greens, Lock the Gate Alliance, Alan Jones, Nature Conservation Council and now the NSW Labor Party. Even the Nationals are urging more controls on the industry.

“The O'Farrell Government is now out on a political limb. It's time for the Premier and the Liberals to get on board,” he said.

The Coal Seam Gas Moratorium Bill will be debated this Friday. Information on the bill is available at: http://www.jeremybuckingham.org/?page_id=147

ENDS

Contact: Janet Cavanaugh – 0429 479 968

Jeremy Buckingham – 0439 460 691

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-10/labor-reversal-burns-nsw-coal-seam-gas-industry/3656616?section=nsw

Suspicious of the timing!!! How convenient for Labor to change its policy one week before the folk of Clarence electorate vote. How credible is this change when Qld Labor is busy advocating CSG mining and NSW Labor issued the licences? Do not be surprised if Labor changes its position again.

Nationals fail to vote for own policy on coal seam gas

2011-11-10T08:40:00.001+11:00

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Nationals fail to vote for own policy on coal seam gas

The new Nationals' blueprint on coal seam gas has been abandoned after just 72 hours, as the Nationals didn't show up for the vote on the Greens motion backing their first policy principle.

The Nationals' first core principle was that: "No coal seam gas development should proceed where it poses a significant impact to the quality of groundwater or surface water systems. It must be absolutely clear that no coal seam gas development should occur unless it is proven safe for the environment."

Australian Greens mining spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said: "They've sold out their constituents to the coal seam gas companies by lacking the courage to stand by those words in Parliament."

"The Liberals have now voted down the Nationals' position on coal seam gas - it seems that the Coalition are divided on this issue, and the Nationals are too afraid to stick up for their own policies.

"Both sides of the Coalition have been trying to tell the bush that they are listening to people's concerns about coal seam gas, while taking no action at all to reign in the risky industry.

"The Liberals and the Nationals are deep in the pocket of big mining, and are ignoring the concerns of farmers and communities in the bush who are speaking out in great numbers about impacts of coal seam gas on our water and our environment.

"The bush deserves better, communities deserve better and Australia deserves real action to address the risks of coal seam gas."

Greens candidate in the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, said she was not surprised by this outcome.

"It just confirms my opinion that The Nationals are not prepared to stand up to their former colleagues who are now working in the Mining companies. This is where their loyalties obviously lie," she said.

"I challenge the Nationals candidate, Chris Gulaptis, to publicly state whether he supports the Nationals so-called 5 core principles when even his federal parliamentary colleagues seem to be running away from them."

Media contact: Elissa McKay 0419 626 725/ Janet Cavanaugh 0429 479 968

Piccoli's preschool fees bad news for NSW future

2011-11-09T12:37:00.001+11:00

Media release: 9 November 2011

The O'Farrell government is sacrificing educational outcomes for a short term boost to the state's budget bottom line, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: "Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has demonstrated a singular lack of understanding of public education.

"Compulsory fees are not only a deterrent to entry for low socio-economic background families but an insult to the notion of free, secular and comprehensive.

"The O'Farrell government's plan to provide differentiated fees smacks of charity and risks stigmatising children on the basis of their family background.

"The lack of consultation with early childhood sector, parents, teachers and their union suggests that the Minister knew that he was breaking faith with the community.

"The benefits of preschool are well established in Australian and international studies.

"Fees put at risk improvements to lifelong learning outcomes, social adjustment to school life, long-term further engagement in education and income levels.

"These benefits comprehensively outweigh any budget savings that the fees will bring.

"This isn't even good economics, given the long run savings on costs in the health, criminal justice and school education systems," Dr Kaye said.

For more information: John Kaye 0407 1954 55

Message from Janet Cavanaugh

2011-11-09T11:15:00.000+11:00

Mining and its threats to the Clarence’s water and food security are the key issue in this by-election. We have antimony mining proposed in the catchment of the Coffs-Clarence water supply and coal seam gas operations expanding throughout the area.

I love this region: my connections to it go back 5 generations. I want to see Clarence develop and grow, but mining is not the answer, especially when it threatens our rivers and the industries they support: farming, fishing and tourism.

The Greens’ priorities in the Clarence are long-term investment in education, health and transport services, and creation of local jobs for our youth. I want to expand and improve the quality of tertiary education in the area, to improve transport options to jobs and services, and will fight to keep public sector jobs in our towns.

Living in the Richmond Valley part of the electorate for nearly 20 years while working in Grafton, has given me a broad knowledge of the main local government areas in Clarence.

I hold degrees in engineering, natural resources and environmental management. By working in the public sector since 1992, I have extensive experience in the operation of Government.

In the by-election, you can vote: to protect our land and water from mining; for honesty and integrity in politics; for local jobs; and for improved services.

You won’t change the government but you can Vote 1 for me BEFORE another candidate and send a strong message to the current Liberal/National Government.

Janet Cavanaugh's Casino Speech -police, jobs, education

2011-11-09T10:15:00.000+11:00

On Wednesday 9 November 2011, the Casino Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a meeting for members with regard to the increase in crime and anti-social behaviour within the community.
Candidates in the by-election were invited to attend the gathering to meet to give an overview of themselves and their policies that will be of interest to businesses within the Richmond Valley.
Here is Janet’s speech:

Good evening everyone.

My name is Janet Cavanaugh. I’d like to acknowledge that this meeting is being held on traditional Aboriginal land, and I pay my respects to the Elders past and present.

I’m the Greens candidate for Clarence in this month’s by-election. By voting for me, you won’t change the government but you CAN send a very strong message to the O’Farrell Government.

I’ve been living and working in this area for 20 years. By training, I hold qualifications in engineering, and in natural resource and environmental management.

I live at Whiporie. That’s halfway between Grafton and Casino in the Richmond Valley Council area.
I am passionate about our local environment, our local economy and local jobs.

For jobs, we need strong local businesses and government services. I love the “Buy local” campaigns. This builds the viability of local businesses and this, in turn, builds the resilience of our community.
Local jobs need to be supported by TAFE colleges providing good quality vocational training, so workers can keep up to date with their qualifications, and your business keeps up with your competitors.

I love this area: my connections to it go back five generations. I want to see it develop and grow.

So why should you vote for the Greens?
Well, in many ways we have been the true opposition. We opposed electricity privatisation under Labor and we’re opposing it now, again, under the Liberal party.

And The Greens voted against dairy deregulation.

In parliament, The Greens MPs have worked hard to improve essential public and community services in regional areas.

The Nationals are not the only party interested in regional NSW. I firmly believe there is an alternative and that is The Greens.

As a resident of the Richmond Valley, I am acutely aware of the problems facing this local government area. While some of them are not State issues, there are some which are and, if elected I would give my attention to them.

One of these issues is crime, both within Casino and also in outlying areas. I agree that this town needs a 24 hour police station.

But that is only part of the solution. The Greens support a humane justice system that focuses on genuinely addressing the causes of crime.

In the pursuit of short-term electoral gain, Labor and the Coalition have participated in “law and order auctions” over the years to exploit community fears. This approach has failed to reduce crime but has increased the prison population. It is expensive and damaging to our society.

Remember: it costs as much to hold a person in prison as it does to employ a teacher. Sending out a social worker with a basketball in a well-resourced diversionary program – to give something fun and constructive for our kids to do in the evenings or on the weekend – is a much cheaper option than sending out the police, a prosecutor and providing Legal Aid when they’ve caused trouble because they’re bored.

The Greens support PCYC and other early intervention measures such as smaller classes, better educational opportunities and annual hearing tests for all Aboriginal kids. These have been shown to reduce crime.

We also support better resourcing of rehab programs and social support services to assist prisoners in cleaning up their lives on release. At the moment 80% of first-time prisoners in NSW re-offend. The rate is much lower in other states.

I’m talking about Justice Reinvestment – this approach seeks to address the causes of crime rather than always just paying more and more for the consequences of crime.
Quite simply, greater use of detention in NSW is not making this state a safer place.

I’m sorry, this probably isn’t what you want to hear. It won’t fix your immediate problems but it will stop the problem growing, and it will make for a better community in the future.
To fix your current problem, you need a good police force, plus you need some law reform.

The Coalition Government may promise to give Police more powers and more work.
But it seems they won’t support the police when it comes to ensuring they have adequate support to take on this work. They expect police to place themselves in harm's way on an almost daily basis but won’t ensure the Police are fully protected when they are injured.

Police need ongoing support from the Government in terms of wages and conditions to make the job attractive. It just doesn't make sense to undermine these conditions and the morale of the police service, while the community is calling out for more police.

In the by-election, you can vote: to protect our land and water from mining; for honesty and integrity in politics; for local jobs; and for improved services.

You won’t change the government but you can Vote 1 for me BEFORE another candidate, and send a strong message to Macquarie Street.

A Vatican working group has called for action on climate change.

2011-11-09T08:25:00.000+11:00

A Vatican working group has called for action on climate change. A story published in the Catholic News Service quotes a report from the Vatican working group as recommending an immediate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, the halting of deforestation, and reforestation amongst other strategies. It also recommends helping countries adapt to the environmental and social changes climate change will bring.

In a Catholic News Service article Pope Benedict was said to be vocal about his concern for environmental degradation and as being critical of a lack of real commitment to mitigating climate change.

Read more at: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101834.htm

This is in dramatic contrast to statements by Australian Cardinal Pell that attempts to rein in climate change were 'misdirected'.

Bad week for Pell and climate change deniers

Tim Stephens November 06, 2011

....(Cardinal Pell) "delivered a much-publicised lecture on climate change science to the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a think-tank in London that aggressively pushes climate change denialism.

"Yet what followed demonstrated a misunderstanding of the fundamentals not only of climate science but the scientific method and the history of modern science."

Read more at: http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=28882 (Eureka Steet.com.au , A publication of Jesuit Communications Australia)

Tim Costello is calling on Christians to act on climate change.

"Speaking at the start of a national day of prayer on climate change yesterday, Mr Costello said it was incumbent on Christians to take the problem of global warming seriously, and to battle cynicism and despair."

Greens confirm opposition to electricity privatisation

2011-11-08T10:35:00.000+11:00

Greens candidate for the Clarence by-election, Janet Cavanaugh, today confirmed her

Electrical Grid (courtesy Wikipedia.org)

opposition to electricity privatisation in response to the challenge from the Electrical Trades Union.

“The Greens have a good track record when it comes to electricity privatisation,” Ms Cavanaugh said.

“We opposed it under Labor and we are opposed to it now under the Liberal/ National Coalition Government.

“It doesn’t make sense, particularly when it comes to the poles and wires which deliver electricity to our region and our households. These are an essential service and a natural monopoly. They should not be run for profit.

“I fully support the Union’s campaign and have been collecting signatures on their petition at markets and at my shop in Casino.

“Electricity privatisation will result in massive losses of local jobs, with negative impacts throughout our local economy. It will exacerbate already high levels of youth unemployment.
“It will also mean higher electricity prices, and a less reliable network with more blackouts and reduced public safety as maintenance work is sacrificed in the name of profit.

“At the same time, it will rob NSW of what's left of an important revenue stream, and badly constrain greenhouse gas abatement strategies.

“I am assured by the Greens MPs in the NSW Parliament that, if Barry O'Farrell breaks his election promise and tries to sell the wires and poles he will face a hard slog through the NSW Upper House.”

According to Greens NSW spokesperson on Energy, Dr John Kaye MP, the Greens will join with the unions to mount a massive campaign to stop electricity privatisation happening.

ENDS

Contact: Janet Cavanaugh – 0429 479 968

http://johnkaye.org.au/tamberlin-inquiry-here-we-go-again-on-power-sell-off-1