The Australian Greens have welcomed the arrival of the Sea Shepherd vessel ‘Steve Irwin’ on a brief stopover in Hobart this morning.
“The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has again shown up the timidity of the Government, seeking to enforce international law while the Australian Government stands on the sidelines,” said Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.
“These campaigners have inspired Australians with their courage and willingness to act while notionally anti-whaling states like Australia stand by and do nothing.
“The Australian Government has a range of options, starting with official condemnation of Japanese deployment of military personnel to protect illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean and deployment of vessels to at least monitor the situation.
“We should make any future Japanese free trade agreement conditional on an end to the slaughter, and we should commence immediate legal action to enforce the law of the sea. Instead, the Australian Government has gone silent and left it to the Sea Shepherd to uphold international law,” he concluded.
Australia’s government is absent as the SS Sea Shepherd faces up against the odds in the nastiest confrontation ever between whalers and whale protectors in the Southern Ocean.
“This is a whaling war with Kevin Rudd missing from action,” Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Hobart today.
“Japan has two naval vessels involved. Rudd should at least send surveillance planes or vessels to record this David-and-Goliath war over whales.”
“The news that part of Japan’s fleet refuelled in Australia en route to killing whales in Australian waters is revolting. The Rudd government must show some spine,” Senator Brown said.
“The report clearly validates many of the concerns raised by Darling Downs and Surat Basin communities at the epicentre of the conflict between resource extraction and farming.
“The inquiry learned that tightening the regulations on a case by case basis – while essential – does not address the question of whether the short term benefits of coal mining on productive farmland outweigh the long-term costs.
“These costs can be great indeed: compromised land, damaged aquifers and reduced food security.
“The Australian Greens believe that leaving this for State Governments to determine is unacceptable and will inevitably lead to the irreversible destruction of some of Australia’s prime farming country.
“The Commonwealth reserves the right to assess and, if necessary, block development projects if they breach matters of national environmental significance.
“We think similar tests should apply in the case of irreversible damage to water resources or destruction of prime farmland.
“We want to see the Water Act 2007 amended to ban mining and extractive industries where they will have adverse impacts on groundwater resources and the environment,” Senator Ludlam concluded.
The Queensland Greens reacted angrily to the announcement by the Bligh government that private investors will be sought to build ‘eco-tourism’ holiday accommodation in seven Queensland national parks.
“It is outrageous to suggest that hotels and permanent accommodation facilities – just resorts by another name – can be built within these sensitive ecosystems without having massive environmental impacts,” said Australian Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland, environmental lawyer Larissa Waters.
“This sort of activity is currently illegal under our nature conservation laws and for good reason. Construction and operation impacts from hotels would devastate national parks by creating edge effects which would see the natural values of the areas degraded and native wildlife utterly disturbed.
“National parks are not income streams for financially incompetent state governments – they are vital areas for preserving what little biodiversity we have left. National parks and profits simply do not mix.
“Our National Parks desperately need more management funding and more rangers, not to be prostituted to resort tycoons to boost state government coffers.
“By all means build eco-tourism facilities just outside of national parks to encourage more people to experience the beauty of Queensland’s diverse ecosystems – but not within the park’s boundaries,” concluded Ms Waters.
The Australian Greens say World Toilet Day is an opportunity to highlight the importance of world-wide sanitation.
“It is shocking that 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation. This risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, most of which are children, every year,” said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.
“Today is World Toilet Day, which some think is funny, but the number of deaths and suffering as a result of poor sanitation is a sobering reminder that more is needed to reduce suffering around the world.”
“Lack of proper sanitation is the world’s biggest cause of malnutrition and infection, causing diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and worm infections that kill 5,000 children each day.”
“Clean toilets contribute to poverty eradication by protection one’s health and ability to work. Safe collection and treatment of human waste and other various wastewaters protects drinking water sources and eco-systems, creating clean and healthy living environments, particularly in urban areas,” said Senator Siewert.
“Australia’s contribution to sanitation projects in the developing world should be increased. By next year it is expected to increase to $250m, however, this is still below our fair share – Australia’s calculated fair share to sanitation in the Millennium Development Goals is estimated to be $350m.”
“The current sanitation problem in Timor-Leste illustrates this point. Diarrhoea is a leading cause of under-five child deaths in Timor-Leste, accounting for 22% of the total 5,000 children that die every year. Access to sanitation in Timor-Leste is estimated at 41% and the country is perilously short of meeting the MDG target for sanitation. The sanitation improvements that will dramatically improve child mortality and general community health in Timor-Leste are relatively cheap and easily implemented.”
The Senate yesterday passed a Greens motion recognising the importance of World Toilet Day, and calling on the government to invest in foreign aid projects aimed at improving sanitation levels.
“The Senate has backed my calls for the Australian Government to play a constructive, proactive role at the upcoming Global Framework for Action on Water and Sanitation meeting in Washington April 2010. This is the opportunity for global support of sanitation policy leadership,” concluded Senator Siewert.
Greens Leader Bob Brown says the Rudd government and Turnbull opposition are on the verge of a polluter’s pact which will lock Australia into failure in dealing with climate change.
“The opposition, in winning a ‘permanent’ exclusion concession on agriculture, is now set for more featherbedding of the worst polluting industries before endorsing the emissions trading scheme with its risible 5% minimum greenhouse gas reduction target”, Senator Brown said.
“A Galaxy poll released by the Greens today shows most Australians want the minimum 25% reduction target called for by scientists, environmentalists and the Greens.
“A separate poll released by Australian Greens Higgins candidate Clive Hamilton shows 69% of Australians want the government to negotiate with the Greens.
“The big polluters have the big parties captured and stored. This is a Labor-Coalition recipe for failure,” Senator Brown said.
Anna Bligh should pump recycled water into Wivenhoe Dam rather than squandering billions on more energy-hungry and expensive desalination plants, said the Greens today.
“The $9 billion water recycling plant and pipelines are ready to go – taxpayers have already footed the bill. Bligh just needs to show leadership and turn on the tap to supply sustainable water which is cleaner than what we are drinking now,” said Australian Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland, Larissa Waters.
“Bligh is continuing the Community Futures Taskforce in the Mary Valley, but what about the impact on new communities threatened with eviction, damage and pollution from desalination? No community should ever again be subjected to the cruel uncertainty and arrogance that the Mary Valley people were.
“The federal government has saved Anna Bligh $1.8 billion dollars by refusing Traveston Dam – she should use that money to supply a free rainwater tank to every remaining South East Queensland home without one, and to invest in stormwater harvesting in our cities to catch the rain where it falls.
“If Bligh is determined not to use money saved from Traveston on providing sustainable water solutions, then it should be used to reduce government debt. The cost of Traveston was one of the reasons she used to justify selling off the state’s valuable assets – now there is even less excuse for this ill-conceived flogging off of public goods.”
“Bligh should also bring back the tough water restrictions that South East Queenslanders showed they were easily able to meet. A permanent water saving target of 170L per person is achievable and will keep a lid on water costs.
“If we are to get serious about sustainable water supply for South East Queensland, we must ensure that population growth in our region is sustainable. We should refuse to grant new development approvals unless the proponent can demonstrate that the necessary water is available and that planning processes address sustainable water supplies.
With timely planning and provision of water recycling, demand and supply management, rainwater tanks, stormwater harvesting, evaporation reduction, water efficiency and sustainable groundwater extraction, there should be no need for energy-guzzling desalination.
“Bligh should also scrap the planned Nathan Dam on the Dawson River which is designed to provide water to coal mines, and invest that money into providing renewable energy which will create Queensland jobs,” concluded Ms Waters.
“This is a victory of science over politics. The Greens and the community are thrilled with Minister Garrett’s decision,” said Queensland lead Senate candidate and environmental lawyer Larissa Waters.
“Minister Garrett’s decision to apply the precautionary principle by refusing a dam with palpable risks to the environment is one which restores my faith in our federal environmental laws,” said Ms Waters.
“The challenge is now for Premier Bligh to invest in the alternative sustainable water supply solutions which the Greens and the Mary Valley community have been calling for for years.
“The Queensland government must focus on demand and supply management, rainwater tanks, water recycling, stormwater harvesting, evaporation reduction, water efficiency and sustainable groundwater extraction.
“Only after all these options have been delivered should the government consider the need for more energy-hungry and water-polluting desalination plants. If they are found to be necessary, desalination plants must be powered by 100% renewable energy, be sited out of national parks and have safe brine disposal,” concluded Ms Waters.
We would love to hear from you, what you consider our priorities should be to ensure our community remains special and sustainable. Please feel welcome to contact our Convenor Steve Haines directly at steve@noosagreens.org or mobile 0421 00 1956.
The Australian Greens say World Toilet Day is an opportunity to highlight the importance of world-wide sanitation.
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