The Generator

The power of your vote(GREENS)

Thursday, 02 September 2010 14:00 Neville Gillmore

Dear friend,

On Election Day, more than one in ten Australians voted for the Greens. Each and every vote for the Greens was powerful and here's why:

Yesterday, on behalf of the Australian Greens, I signed an agreement with Prime Minister Julia Gillard to work with the Australian Labor Party to ensure stability if it is returned to Government.

The Labor party will work with the Greens to improve Parliamentary processes, like making sure private member's bills are voted on and properly debated. This means important Greens bills to introduce equal marriage, end offshore processing of asylum seekers, or to abolish junk food advertising during children's TV viewing hours can't be swept under the carpet by the Labor and Liberal parties.

For the first time, the Greens will be able to submit policies to Treasury for costing.

The Labor Party will also work with the Greens on a range of issues including:

better dental health funding,
truth in political advertising,
a referendum to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution, and
a new Climate Change Committee to work towards a price on carbon.

In return, the Greens will ensure supply and oppose motions of no-confidence in the Labor Government from other parties.

You can read the full agreement here.

It is the responsibility of all newly elected Parliamentarians to deliver stable, productive Government. That is the Greens' primary aim in the agreement signed yesterday.

Regardless of which party forms Government, the Greens in the balance of power in the Senate and our newly-elected Lower House MP Adam Bandt remain the voters' backstop for accountability, scrutiny and progressive policies in our national Parliament. The Greens have always been your voice in the halls of Parliament and that voice has been strengthened thanks to the work of tens of thousands of supporters like you.

The agreement is not a coalition with Labor, but is a constructive contribution toward stable government.

We will continue to work to propose innovative new ideas in Parliament and improve the legislation of whoever is in Government.

Yours sincerely,

Bob Brown

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www.greens.org.au

Geothermal: Getting energy from the earth

Thursday, 02 September 2010 12:20 Neville Gillmore

Geothermal: Getting energy from the Earth 18

by Lester Brown

31 Aug 2010 10:32 AM

Steam rising from a geothermal power plant in Iceland.PThe heat in the upper six miles of the Earth's crust contains 50,000 times as much energy as found in all the world's oil and gas reserves combined. Despite this abundance, only 10,700 megawatts of geothermal electricity generating capacity have been harnessed worldwide.

Partly because of the dominance of the oil, gas, and coal industries, which have been providing cheap fuel by omitting the costs of climate change and air pollution from fuel prices, relatively little has been invested in developing the Earth's geothermal heat resources. Over the last decade, geothermal energy has been growing at scarcely 3 percent a year.

Roughly half the world's existing generating capacity is in the United States and the Philippines. Indonesia, Mexico, Italy, and Japan account for most of the remainder. Altogether some 24 countries now convert geothermal energy into electricity. El Salvador, Iceland, and the Philippines respectively get 26, 25, and 18 percent of their electricity from geothermal power plants.

The potential of geothermal energy to provide electricity, to heat homes, and to supply process heat for industry is vast. Among the countries rich in geothermal energy are those bordering the Pacific in the so-called "Ring of Fire," including Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, the United States, Canada, Russia, China, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia. Other geothermally rich countries include those along the Great Rift Valley of Africa, such as Kenya and Ethiopia, and those around the Eastern Mediterranean.

WA government acquires land for Woodside gas plant

Thursday, 02 September 2010 11:42 Neville Gillmore

WA government acquires land for Woodside gas plant

Amanda O'Brien
From: The Australian
September 02, 2010 1:49PM

THE West Australian government has begun proceedings to compulsorily acquire 2500 hectares of pristine Kimberley land to build a gas processing hub.

The move comes after Premier Colin Barnett admitted defeat in his long-running attempts to negotiate a consent agreement with the traditional Aboriginal landowners.

Mr Barnett issued the controversial acquisition instructions today amid fears that major resources projects were being put at risk by the delays.

Oil and gas giant Woodside - which intends to use the gas plant for a proposed $30 billion LNG project in the Browse Basin - issued a statement saying the move would provide greater certainty for the development.

Mr Barnett said the acquisition could take up to 18 months to finalise and he had not given up hope that an agreement could still be reached with the traditional owners in the meantime. He said discussions with them would continue in parallel to the acquisition process.

Labor blows economic trump card-again.

Thursday, 02 September 2010 01:22 Neville Gillmore

Labor blows economic trump card - again

Peter Hartcher

September 2, 2010

Comments 86

Green signs Labor deal

Despite Labor signing a deal with the Greens, a key Independent says it may be another week before a minority government is formed.

In a single day, we saw a snapshot of the best and the worst of federal Labor over the past three years.

There was a first-class economic outcome, juxtaposed with dubious political judgment.

And at the core of the judgment problem, as ever, was Labor's fatal neurosis - what to do about climate change.

Australia registered a copybook economic performance yesterday. The economy grew at an annualised rate of 3.3 per cent in the three months to June 30.

"The boom," announced the RBS Bank's economist, Kieran Davies, "is back."

Trumpeted Treasurer Wayne Swan: "Finance ministers elsewhere and prime ministers elsewhere would kill for a set of outcomes such as these."

He's quite right. And in an ideal postscript to the Rudd government's stimulus policy, Saul Eslake of the Grattan Institute pointed out: "The transition in the recovery from the public sector to the private sector is supposed to happen now, and it appears that it is happening now."