nuclear-news

 Rudd’s carbon flop Business Spectator Giles Parkinson 8 Dec 08

It’s just a week away from the release of the Rudd government’s white paper on carbon trading and its interim targets on carbon reduction, and there is growing speculation the path of least political resistance will be chosen, along with a modest reduction target of between 5 and 15 per cent.

Let’s hope not. For a start, a soft target would mean the government abandoning any pretence that it was a ‘leader’ on the issue of tackling climate change. Instead, it will suffer the ignominy of being the first developed country to run up the white flag as the world embarks on the tortuous negotiations for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, where the UN is pushing for cuts of between 25 and 40 per cent………………a compromise target of 10 per cent ……………… fails to recognise the opportunities and the economies of energy efficiency and the potential of new technologies. It fails the science – and you’d have to wonder why the government would be doing any of this if it didn’t believe in it – and it fails to satisfy the business craving for regulatory certainty.

For nearly a decade, investment in energy infrastructure in this country has been virtually paralysed by the federal government’s weak stance on climate change policy and an inability to plot a likely carbon price and build that into investment models.

Now, more than ever – thanks to the financial crisis and the recession it will inevitably cause – the country needs a strong carbon price signal that can provide a fillip to major investment. And it needs it soon, not in five or 10 years time.

The Western Australian Government has foreshadowed a push to extinguish native title on land needed for public works.
ABC North West WA 6 Dec 08 Currently the Government must negotiate an Indigenous land use agreement with traditional owners before building things like police stations, sporting facilities and rubbish tips……………………..The Minister is considering a number of options to streamline the process, including appealing to the Commonwealth to extinguish native title on land needed for public works and the use of umbrella agreements rather than case-by-case negotiations.
Aboriginal groups have rejected Mr Buswell’s suggestion, saying it would be a blow for Indigenous land rights.

Backlash at Aboriginal mining loss The Age * Russell Skelton * December 8, 2008 “……………….

Documents to be released today reveal that the system of devising and collecting royalties flowing from deals under the Native Title Act is shrouded in secrecy, lacks accountability and seldom creates jobs or lasting economic benefits.

An expert group advising the Rudd Government — drawn from mining industry, academia and indigenous bodies — has urged an overhaul in the way agreements are negotiated between the mining industry and indigenous organisations……………….60 per cent of mining operations are carried out next to indigenous communities, yet communities had missed out on the resources boom. “It is generally acknowledged that many indigenous Australians live on land rich in resources that create wealth for the nation and businesses but delivers little in respect to equitable wealth distribution and wealth generation,” it says………………..

Major flaws include:

■ Of the hundreds of agreements already struck between indigenous communities and industry, only 12 had provided substantial benefits to Aborigines.

■ Unnecessary confidentiality clauses had resulted in a lack of transparency and accountability. Little data was available on the structure and equitably of agreements.

■ A serious lack of expertise among native title representative bodies and traditional owners had created an unlevel playing field between mining companies and communities.