For those who missed the earlier screening, there’s a special screening organised by Doctors for the Environemnt Australia this thursday. There are still over a hundred tickets left; you can book at this site.
38-42 David Witton Drive, Noarlunga Centre, SA, AU, 5168 (map)
$19.00 AUD General
The China Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Are trade agreements really free? How do they affect you?
MP Tony Zappia is hosting a public meeting.
When: Tuesday, 28th July 2015
Time: 7.00pm – 8.30pm
Where: Ingle Farm Recreation Centre Sunset Room
Cnr Roopena St & Beovich Rd, Ingle Farm.
Speakers:
Dr Patricia Ranald, Coordinator, Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network
The Hon. Martin Hamilton-Smith MP, state Minister for Trade and Investment
Tony Zappia MP, Federal Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing
RSVP & for further information: Ph: 8265 3100 or makin@aph.gov.au
http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=15adf786c1bea042e044b14e1&id=1346fa1dc6&e=0f2835d95e
MEDIA RELEASE
13th July 2015
SCARCELY ACCURATE: NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE ROYAL COMMISSION ‘ISSUES PAPER’ INACCURATE
Friends of the Earth have informed Royal Commissioner Kevin Scarce and the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission of a significant inaccuracy in Issues Paper 1, regarding the current and future legal framework for the nuclear industry in South Australia. According to the Royal Commission, the Issues Papers are intended to provide factual information and background to assist the public in making submissions.
Issues Paper 1, which deals with the exploration, extraction and milling of uranium, states that Aboriginal sites of significance are protected by the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988.
“This is not the case for BHP Billiton, South Australia’s biggest miner,” explained Nectaria Calan of Friends of the Earth Adelaide. “Under the Indenture Act, which applies solely to BHP Billiton, the company’s Olympic Dam mine and some 15, 000 square kilometres of the surrounding Stuart Shelf, are exempt from the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988. This exemption would also apply to any future expansion of uranium mining by BHP Billiton at Olympic Dam or in the surrounding area.”
“This inaccuracy is significant as it misrepresents existing regulatory and legal arrangements and potential arrangements in the future, issues on which the Issue Paper invites public comment,” said Ms Calan. “The largest of the two operating uranium mines in the state is exempt from the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988, alongside a further 15, 000 square kilometres of South Australia. BHP Billiton is also the most likely candidate for the expansion of uranium mining, also the subject of Issues Paper 1. It is negligent to omit that this company is subject to a different legal framework than other companies operating in the state.”
“We have requested that the Royal Commission address this mistake, adequately publicise the required corrections, and extend the upcoming deadline for submissions to allow people to consider the new information that the Royal Commission should provide.… Read more >>
Fair Food Adelaide’s Kim Hill is delivering two workshops at next week’s Students of Sustainability conference at Flinders University – “The End of Agriculture” on Thursday 10th and “Edible Weed Walk” on Satuday 11th. Clean Future Collective’s Dr Philip Smith is delivering a nuke free workshop on Friday with FoE Australia’s Dr Jim Green.
Come and say hi at our FOE stall on Saturday – incorporating Fair Food Adelaide, March Against Monsanto and the Clean Futures Collective with a focus on the nuclear royal commission.
Details here.
Two major players have joined the divesters this fortnight:
Climate progress reports
At a business and climate change conference held this week in Paris, AXA — France’s largest insurer — announced that it would sell €500 million ($US559 million) in coal assets by the end of 2015, while increasing its “green investments” in things like renewable energy, green infrastructure, and green bonds to €3 billion ($US3.3 billion) by 2020.
During the announcement on Friday, AXA’s chief executive Henri de Castries spoke about the threat that climate change poses to the environment, and the responsibility of insurance companies to deal with those threats. Last year, AXA paid over €1 billion ($US1.1 billion) globally in weather-related insurance claims, citing climate change as a “core business issue” already driving an increase in weather-related risks.
The Climate Spectator notes
Norway’s giant Government Pension Fund Global is set to divest from companies that derive more than 30% of their revenue or operations from coal, with activists calling it the biggest step yet in the global fossil fuels divestment campaign.
However
Bloomberg said Australian coal mine operators BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Glencore were set to fall safely under the 30% threshold.
Details at “Norway’s giant fund to divest coal-reliant companies” by John Conroy at the Climate Spectator