A forum for issues important to the people of the Scenic Rim Region and surrounding areas.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Greens Volunteers Needed for Election 2010
There is much to do in a short space of time and the clock is ticking. If you think you might be able to offer some assistance either leading up to or on election day please use the 'contact me' icon at the top of the screen or download our volunteers form here. The electorate of WRIGHT is huge and there are 59 polling booths to look after ! Hope to hear from you soon !
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Anna Bridle Greens candidate for Wright
The Scenic Rim Greens are proud to announce the selection of Anna Bridle as the Greens candidate for the seat of Wright in the upcoming federal election.Anna is a member of the Green’s Gold Coast branch and helps to manage a Chiropractic business in Nerang. As well as having a large extended family to enjoy, in her spare time, Anna’s interests include the arts, yoga, and great books.
Anna is a firm supporter of human rights, environmentally responsible and sustainable development. Anna’s time is divided between her work, occasional teaching and a variety of local community campaigns. She has been involved in a number of community groups who are active in protecting and preserving the environmental values of the Gold Coast Hinterland and Scenic Rim.
Her varied career has included teaching English as a second language in high schools, working in the public service, teaching English at an Indonesian University, work in overseas aid and the owner of a bookshop.
Anna was in Boonah last week and spoke about her commitment to representing the people of Wright and identified the following as key priorities:
- Secure federal funding for the Scenic Rim and Lockyer Regional Councils to provide public transport services that will meet the needs of rural communities within Wright.
- The need to improve local community mental health resources.
- Ensuring Federal Government support for midwifery services in the larger centres of Beaudesert, Boonah, Jimboomba, Gatton and Nerang
- Protecting our local farming communities and South-East Qld food bowl from noxious industry and mining exploitation.
- An increase in support and federal government funding to improve the health of the Logan, Bremer and Lockyer River catchments.
- A society based on clean, nuclear-free renewable energy sources.
Anna may be contacted by phone on 5630 4435. Via email: wright@qld.greens.org.au
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sustainable Seafood
Three quarters of the world's oceans are already officially over-exploited or fished right up to their limit. There are literally too many boats taking too many fish, often by methods that are damaging to both fish populations, other marine wildlife and ocean habitats. Once considered inexhaustible, our oceans are now in a state of global crisis, and they really need a break.
The good news is that we can lessen our impact on our oceans by choosing our seafood wisely. The fish you choose affects the health of our oceans.
If you love our oceans but also love seafood, then you need Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide. The Sustainable Seafood Guide is the country's first independent national tool to choosing your seafood wisely. Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide has been developed in response to growing public concerns about overfishing and degradation of our seas, and helps ocean lovers make a responsible seafood choice. The Australian Marine Conservation Society has published a pocket-sized sustainable seafood guide to help us make better choices.
The good news is that we can lessen our impact on our oceans by choosing our seafood wisely. The fish you choose affects the health of our oceans.
If you love our oceans but also love seafood, then you need Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide. The Sustainable Seafood Guide is the country's first independent national tool to choosing your seafood wisely. Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide has been developed in response to growing public concerns about overfishing and degradation of our seas, and helps ocean lovers make a responsible seafood choice. The Australian Marine Conservation Society has published a pocket-sized sustainable seafood guide to help us make better choices.
Planting the Seeds of Learning – BFA Organic School Gardens program
In response to popular demand, the Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) is proud to announce the launch of a free organic school garden program – the first of its kind in Australia – available free to all Australian primary schools from today. The BFA engaged the services of Lyn Bagnall, esteemed organic gardener, farmer, author and educator to research, design and write the program, which is a free on-line resource for teachers and students.
Ms Holly Vyner, General Manager of the BFA, says that gardening programs are being adopted in schools around the world as educators recognise the benefits to their students and the relevance of these programs to other subjects in the school curriculum.
“School gardens provide practical applications for nutrition, mathematics, the sciences, the environment, social studies and art, and makes learning more meaningful for students,” she says. “As well, reviews indicate that children who grow their own food are more likely to understand good nutrition and eat fresh fruits and vegetables, work well as a team and demonstrate positive behaviour. Increased parental involvement in garden programs is an added bonus.”
Ms Vyner says that the many advantages of organic food, as well as the record levels of childhood obesity and poor nutrition, make teaching organic production an excellent advantage for encouraging long-term health.
Lynn Bagnall, who has recently published the second edition of her popular book “Easy Organic Gardening and Moon Planting”, says that children are the future guardians of the planet. “Sharing our knowledge of organic cultivation will provide the younger generation with the skills and enthusiasm they need to face the challenges of producing delicious, healthy food, in a sustainable manner, for an increasing population on a warmer planet,” Lyn says.
“This program differs from other available resources, being based upon Australian organic standards, written for Southern Hemisphere growing seasons and, while lessons are provided on nutrition, the focus is on environmentally-friendly growing more so than home economics.”
The program will be available to view and download within the next day at the link: http://www.organicschools.com.au/
Ms Holly Vyner, General Manager of the BFA, says that gardening programs are being adopted in schools around the world as educators recognise the benefits to their students and the relevance of these programs to other subjects in the school curriculum.
“School gardens provide practical applications for nutrition, mathematics, the sciences, the environment, social studies and art, and makes learning more meaningful for students,” she says. “As well, reviews indicate that children who grow their own food are more likely to understand good nutrition and eat fresh fruits and vegetables, work well as a team and demonstrate positive behaviour. Increased parental involvement in garden programs is an added bonus.”
Ms Vyner says that the many advantages of organic food, as well as the record levels of childhood obesity and poor nutrition, make teaching organic production an excellent advantage for encouraging long-term health.
Lynn Bagnall, who has recently published the second edition of her popular book “Easy Organic Gardening and Moon Planting”, says that children are the future guardians of the planet. “Sharing our knowledge of organic cultivation will provide the younger generation with the skills and enthusiasm they need to face the challenges of producing delicious, healthy food, in a sustainable manner, for an increasing population on a warmer planet,” Lyn says.
“This program differs from other available resources, being based upon Australian organic standards, written for Southern Hemisphere growing seasons and, while lessons are provided on nutrition, the focus is on environmentally-friendly growing more so than home economics.”
The program will be available to view and download within the next day at the link: http://www.organicschools.com.au/
Koalas abandoned by Peter Garrett
This week there is every indication that the Australian Government is not going to list the koala as ‘vulnerable’, under the EPBC Act, but rather as ‘conservation dependant’. This is flagged in the initial pages of their document on their website in Question 13, and also in Section 1, where they have ticked both the ‘Vulnerable’ and ‘Conservation dependant’ box. The protection of koala habitat will be left in the hands of the States as before, and it is the Federal Governments viewpoint that this is where it should stay. The Koala Campaigners website has a letter available for you to write to both the Minister and our Prime Minister. With a Federal election coming up, I would encourage you all to contact your local members of all political persuasions and say that you insist - insist that the koala is protected by Federal environment laws.
NO TREE, NO ME !
NO TREE, NO ME !
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Moreton Energy Coal Project revisited
Core sample drilling was undertaken late last year by Lodestone Energy. The drilling outcome results have been posted on their website and can be found on page 3 of the linked report. Quarterly Activities Report .
The objective of the program was to explore for coal resources suitable for opencut mining. In summary it would appear that in the Veresdale Scrub, Albert River and Rathdowney deposits no obvious economic seam thicknesses were encountered. That still leaves the Bromelton deposit as an area of interest. Seems quite a coincidence that it is very close to the Bromelton off-stream water storage, rail-line and the new Wyaralong Dam. ?? EPC1299 is the area in question.
The objective of the program was to explore for coal resources suitable for opencut mining. In summary it would appear that in the Veresdale Scrub, Albert River and Rathdowney deposits no obvious economic seam thicknesses were encountered. That still leaves the Bromelton deposit as an area of interest. Seems quite a coincidence that it is very close to the Bromelton off-stream water storage, rail-line and the new Wyaralong Dam. ?? EPC1299 is the area in question.
World's Largest Coal Mine another nail into the coffin of Climate Change
Friends of the Earth in Brisbane, Australia have described the proposed Waratah Coal Galilee mine, set to become the world's largest coal mine, as another nail into the coffin of our climate. Waratah Coal's Clive Palmer and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh jointly announced on February 7, 2010 a multi-billion dollar deal which would see a twenty year supply of coal to Chinese power-stations, and a substantial expansion of coal exports.
"This deal drives another nail into the coffin of our climate. If the project goes ahead, then emissions from the exported coal would equal 20% of Australia's total domestic emissions," said Friends of the Earth spokesperson Bradley Smith on the Galilee mine being declared a 'significant project' . "This makes a mockery of claims made by Premier Bligh that the Queensland Government is serious about tackling climate change," Mr Smith said. "The 8000 Ha Bimblebox Nature Refuge near Alpha would be cleared and mined by this project. How ironic that in the International Year of Biodiversity, Queensland still lacks legislation to protect areas of high conservation significance from mining," commented Mr Smith, echoing similar calls from the Mackay Conservation Group.
Bimblebox was purchased in 2000 with the savings of a number of concerned individuals, as well as funding from the Australian National Reserve System program. In 2003, the Bimblebox Nature Refuge Agreement (category VI IUCN protected area) was signed with the Queensland state government to permanently protect the conservation values of the property. Nature Refuges and the protected areas that make up the National Reserve System are not automatically protected from mineral exploration and mining, which in Australia are granted right of way over almost all other land uses.
The Bimblebox Nature Refuge website describes "We are faced with the absurd irony, that in 2009 with all that we know about Australia's biodiversity crisis and the threat of climate change, that a protected area rich in biodiversity and with carbon stores intact could be sacrificed for the sake of producing more climate changing coal." "This case reveals a stunning contradiction in Australian government priorities and policies, which aim to conserve biodiversity on protected areas, but yet which affords no protection for these areas if minerals are found beneath the soil." says the Bimblebox Nature Refuge website.
"We want to know why the Queensland Government continues to put coal mining first when it is destroying our biodiversity and our climate," Mr Smith said.
The open cut coal mine, projected to be the world's largest, is on the traditional land of the Darumbal indigenous people. The project involves construction of a railway line 490km to the Port of Abbot Point, where a new coal terminal will be built, and construction of a dam within the Belyando River catchment and a water pipeline from the Burdekin Dam. Waratah Coal website advises the project's estimated total development cost is AU$7.5 Billion.
Queensland is the largest coal exporting state in the largest coal exporting country in the world, accounting for as much as 20% of the global trade, with mining and infrastructure projects set to double coal exports.
Story by " Takver - Australia Indymedia "
"This deal drives another nail into the coffin of our climate. If the project goes ahead, then emissions from the exported coal would equal 20% of Australia's total domestic emissions," said Friends of the Earth spokesperson Bradley Smith on the Galilee mine being declared a 'significant project' . "This makes a mockery of claims made by Premier Bligh that the Queensland Government is serious about tackling climate change," Mr Smith said. "The 8000 Ha Bimblebox Nature Refuge near Alpha would be cleared and mined by this project. How ironic that in the International Year of Biodiversity, Queensland still lacks legislation to protect areas of high conservation significance from mining," commented Mr Smith, echoing similar calls from the Mackay Conservation Group.
Bimblebox was purchased in 2000 with the savings of a number of concerned individuals, as well as funding from the Australian National Reserve System program. In 2003, the Bimblebox Nature Refuge Agreement (category VI IUCN protected area) was signed with the Queensland state government to permanently protect the conservation values of the property. Nature Refuges and the protected areas that make up the National Reserve System are not automatically protected from mineral exploration and mining, which in Australia are granted right of way over almost all other land uses.
The Bimblebox Nature Refuge website describes "We are faced with the absurd irony, that in 2009 with all that we know about Australia's biodiversity crisis and the threat of climate change, that a protected area rich in biodiversity and with carbon stores intact could be sacrificed for the sake of producing more climate changing coal." "This case reveals a stunning contradiction in Australian government priorities and policies, which aim to conserve biodiversity on protected areas, but yet which affords no protection for these areas if minerals are found beneath the soil." says the Bimblebox Nature Refuge website.
"We want to know why the Queensland Government continues to put coal mining first when it is destroying our biodiversity and our climate," Mr Smith said.
The open cut coal mine, projected to be the world's largest, is on the traditional land of the Darumbal indigenous people. The project involves construction of a railway line 490km to the Port of Abbot Point, where a new coal terminal will be built, and construction of a dam within the Belyando River catchment and a water pipeline from the Burdekin Dam. Waratah Coal website advises the project's estimated total development cost is AU$7.5 Billion.
Queensland is the largest coal exporting state in the largest coal exporting country in the world, accounting for as much as 20% of the global trade, with mining and infrastructure projects set to double coal exports.
Story by " Takver - Australia Indymedia "
Walk Against Warming 2009 December 12
Walk Against Warming 2009 took place on the Global Day of Action on Climate Change - Saturday 12 December.
Climate change is happening much faster than predicted. In December 2009, Governments of the world were to meet in Copenhagen to decide a new global climate treaty. This Climate Summit was the world’s best chance to avoid catastrophic climate change. It required global and national leaders to take strong and urgent action.
On 12 December 2009, mid-way through the Copenhagen meeting, there was a global day of climate action where people all over the world take to the streets to urge world leaders to cut greenhouse pollution.
In Australia, Walk against Warming was the national event held on this date in capital cities and many regional towns. Thousands of Australians took to the streets asking for a stronger government response on climate change. Now more than ever, it is important to show our political leaders that people from all walks of life are demanding action for a safe climate future.
Climate change is happening much faster than predicted. In December 2009, Governments of the world were to meet in Copenhagen to decide a new global climate treaty. This Climate Summit was the world’s best chance to avoid catastrophic climate change. It required global and national leaders to take strong and urgent action.
On 12 December 2009, mid-way through the Copenhagen meeting, there was a global day of climate action where people all over the world take to the streets to urge world leaders to cut greenhouse pollution.
In Australia, Walk against Warming was the national event held on this date in capital cities and many regional towns. Thousands of Australians took to the streets asking for a stronger government response on climate change. Now more than ever, it is important to show our political leaders that people from all walks of life are demanding action for a safe climate future.
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