http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Whale-sharks-numbers-may-be-declining/2007/05/25/1179601638861.html

The mysterious whale shark species that lures eco-tourists in droves to the pristine Ningaloo Reef off Western Australia could be in decline, scientists fear.

Numbers of the gentle giants are steadily dwindling and little is known about the slow-growing long-lived species, researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Charles Darwin University say.

The scientists used 12 years of whale shark photographs from Ningaloo Reef to monitor and predict trends in population size and found a steady decline in numbers of the giant fish.

"Because these animals migrate up to 12,000 kilometres, Australia's whale shark population is shared with many other countries in South-East Asia and around the Indian Ocean," Dr Meekan said.

"Although many countries including India and Taiwan have recently halted or reduced their commercial take of whale sharks, continued harvesting throughout South-East Asia is probably still occurring."

US expert calls for 'peak oil' study

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/US-expert-calls-for-peak-oil-study/2007/06/26/1182623886838.html

The federal government must immediately and rigorously assess the looming impact of peak oil, a former White House consultant says.

Dr Roger Bezdek is in Australia for a series of lectures on the theory of peak oil - the idea that we have arrived at or are about to arrive at the high point of oil production ahead of a terminal decline.

He called for the government to create an independent body to study peak oil and create solutions ahead of a "liquid fuels crisis".

"On the demand side, they should stress transportation efficiency and enhanced fuel efficiency standards," Dr Bezdek said in a statement.

"On the supply side, the federal government should encourage and pursue all viable options including coal-to-liquids, oil shale, biomass, and hybrid vehicles."

But Dr Bezdek warned it may already be too late to address peak oil, which was first mooted in the 1950s.

"If oil peaks within 10 years, it may already be too late to avoid serious problems," he said.

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'Peak oil' advocates blast US study

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Peak-oil-advocates-blast-US-study/2007/07/14/1183833811792.html

Proponents of "peak oil" - the theory that global crude oil production has hit its zenith and is headed for a steep decline - are steamed with a US oil industry group's findings that the world has plenty of oil.

Next week the US National Petroleum Council - a board of high-level US oil industry executives - releases its study titled, Facing the Hard Truths about Energy, conducted at the behest of US Energy Secretary Sam Bodman.

According to the report's executive summary, obtained by Reuters, the world is not running out of oil but there are "accumulating risks" to securing supply through 2030.

Peak oil theorists say such findings gloss over Bodman's request to study the issue in detail.

"They've laboured mightily and come up with a mouse," said Randy Udall at the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, whose group dismisses the report as "petro Prozac".

http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/exiting-campbell-urges-climate-action/2007/05/10/1178390457173.html

In his final words to parliament, dumped former environment minister Ian Campbell urged Australia, and his own government, to get it right on climate change.

An at-times emotional Senator Campbell delivered his parting speech to the Senate on Thursday, declaring Australia was a much better place than when he started his parliamentary career in 1990, but adding it was imperative for the government to address climate change.

"You do need a mix of heavy investment in new technology, you need market mechanisms, we need to find a market mechanism that suits Australia's economy."

One of Senator Campbell's legacies was to sign Australia to the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, a pact known as AP6, with the goal of sharing low emissions technologies.

He said developing a climate change policy for Australia had to be done in conjunction with China.

The former human services and environment minister was dumped from the front bench in March after it was revealed he had a 20-minute meeting in 2005 with convicted fraudster Brian Burke, a lobbyist at the centre of a corruption scandal in Western Australia.

He gave credit to former Labor prime minister Paul Keating's leadership in floating the Australian dollar and had a message for all his colleagues to ditch written speeches and speak off the cuff.

Senator Campbell said one of the policies he was proudest of helping to implement was the introduction of voluntary student unionism.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Labor-claims-charities-intimidated/2007/05/09/1178390366553.html

Tax office audits are intimidating charities which criticise the government, Labor says.

Labor's human services spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said fear of losing their tax deductibility status frightened some charities into silence.

But Revenue Minister Peter Dutton said Ms Plibersek was a "fraud" and her claim was wrong.

Ms Plibersek was speaking on a government bill making a range of liberalising changes to the tax treatment of charitable donations and extending research and development deductions.

Labor didn't oppose the measure, but used the debate to criticise the government.

Ms Plibersek said she was worried by the number of charities in her inner Sydney electorate that had suffered the big blow of losing their status as a charity which enabled donors to claim tax deductions.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/PM-sends-mixed-messages-on-ad-spending/2007/05/25/1179601652829.html

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd says Prime Minister John Howard is sending mixed messages about the government's plans for an information campaign on climate change.

Mr Howard on Thursday told parliament he had not approved any mail-out information to be sent to citizens about climate change.

But Fairfax reported on Friday the government was planning a $23 million information campaign designed to sell its "leadership role" on global warming.

"Yesterday in parliament, Mr Howard denied all knowledge of (the) government having signed any contracts for any new advertising campaign on climate change or the environment," he told reporters in Wyong, on the NSW Central Coast.

"Suddenly, mysteriously today we have a $23 million campaign about to burst onto our television sets and into our letterboxes ... Funny that."

"You can't have ... 11 years of climate change inaction and, indeed, denial and scepticism and then spend tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers' funds in the lead-up to the election to gain credibility on climate change and water."

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Labor attacks PM on climate change ads

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Labor-attacks-PM-on-climate-change-ads/2007/05/29/1180205215097.html

Labor has accused Prime Minister John Howard of misleading parliament in continuing to hedge on whether the federal government planned a massive advertising blitz on climate change.

Labor water spokesman Anthony Albanese said Mr Howard, despite repeated questions on Monday, continued to deny the government had given final approval to an advertising campaign spruiking its climate change policies.

The opposition claims a $23 million blitz of commercials and mailouts would follow this week's report of Mr Howard's emissions trading task group.

Mr Albanese said the ads were actually in production.

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PM dragged to embrace climate change: SA

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/PM-dragged-to-embrace-climate-change-SA/2007/05/31/1180205410411.html

Prime Minister John Howard has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to accept climate change and must now catch up with the states, says South Australian Premier Mike Rann.

He called on the prime minister to join the states to create a national carbon trading scheme.

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Qld to announce climate change policy

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Qld-to-announce-climate-change-policy/2007/05/31/1180205404609.html

The Queensland government will launch a new climate change policy next week that will lead to major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, Premier Peter Beattie says.

The state government announced on Wednesday a tax increase on car sales that will raise $200 million a year.

But that money will be channelled into social services rather than being spent directly on the environment.

The tax hike will see Queensland's two per cent motor vehicle transfer duty increase to new rates linked to a car's number of cylinders.

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Cut CO2 or Australia will burn: experts

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Cut-CO2-or-Australia-will-burn-experts/2007/05/31/1180205415009.html

Unless action is taken now to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Australia will be unable to manage future catastrophic bushfires, leading climate scientists have warned.

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China, India, US 'key to emission issue'

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/China-India-US-key-to-emission-issue/2007/05/31/1180205413010.html

Origin Energy Ltd says the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions problem will not be solved unless China, India and the United States join regional trading schemes or a set of schemes.

Meanwhile on the local front, delegates at the conferences agreed Australian businesses that have invested in carbon technology, were looking for risk protection, which will only come when a price on carbon is set.

"We want a price on carbon," Mr Tureck said.

"We want the impacts to flow through the economy."

Origin believes there should not be "carbon holidays", or grandfathering arrangements for particular industries, whereby free trading permits for big polluters are issued in order to ensure electricity prices do not rise dramatically.

Origin believes some permit allocation should be auctioned to companies rather than given for free and that the income generated should be used to help low income or vulnerable customers who might have trouble paying higher electricity bills.

"It is not a subsidy of the electricity price, it is offsetting the impact on household income," Mr Tureck said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Mal-Brough-calls-Qld-minister-a-liar/2007/07/25/1185043154581.html

Federal Community Services Minister Mal Brough has had an angry confrontation with a state minister he accused of lying, in the foyer of a Sydney hotel.

Mr Brough accused Queensland Disability Services Minister Warren Pitt of telling a "lie" in front of a group of disability support carers.

Mr Brough was met by about a dozen carers of people with disabilities, to whom he sought to explain the delay in reaching agreement.

Mr Pitt then confronted Mr Brough, saying the commonwealth was the reason for the failed talks.

Mr Brough responded, "Warren, stop, you made your comment, these people aren't interested in that, but you just told a lie."

Mr Pitt replied, "That's a scurrilous thing to say".

Mr Brough said Mr Pitt had read a statement at the end of the April meeting in Brisbane declaring it closed.

"Now you've changed your position ... let's go up here and try to be constructive on behalf of these people."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Stoner-attacks-desalination-plant-costs/2007/03/14/1173722511042.html

The NSW government must tell taxpayers the truth about the cost of a proposed desalination plant in Sydney, NSW Nationals leader Andrew Stoner says.

The Sydney Water document, tabled at a July 19 board meeting last year, states that the cost of the desalination plant will "ultimately be in large part based on the impact of global desalination activity on the availability of equipment and material".

"Is it going to be $1.9 billion, is it going to be two, or three billion dollars?

"This looks like becoming the most expensive white elephant in history."

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Bass Coast community rejects desal plant

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Bass-Coast-community-rejects-desal-plant/2007/07/12/1183833696125.html

Residents opposed to a $3.1 billion desalination plant on their doorstep near Wonthaggi, south-east of Melbourne, have vowed to fight the proposed facility.

More than 800 residents voted to fight the desalination plant that the Bracks government has pushed as a long-term solution to protect Victoria's water supply.