Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group

Pacific Islanders Talk: People on the Frontline of Climate Change

2007-12-07T17:50:00.000+11:00

Australian Conservation Foundation & Friends of the Earth cordially invites you to a talk.

Islands in Peril: Climate Change and its impact on our Pacific Neighbour
Special Guests from the Pacific atolls of Carterets and Papua New Guinea will be with us to share their stories.

Date: Monday 17th December 2007

Time: 6.30pm for 7.00pm start (to 8.30pm)

Venue: The Library, Carrington Hotel
Katoomba St., Katoomba

The Pacific islands of Carterets are under threat from rising sea level believed to be induced by climate change. These islands were once idyllic and peaceful supporting a rich and diverse cultures. Now climate change is taking its toll. The island communities are fearing for their future. Our special guests will share with us their courageous stance and determination both to cope with their impending fate as well as to protect their unique cultures. A special guest from PNG Ecoforestry Forum will also be at the forum to share her experience in forest campaign in PNG. There will be amble time to ask questions at the forum.

Gold coin donations (Light refreshments provided)

RSVP: Natalie Lowrey [natalie.lowrey[at]foe.org.au] 0421 226 200

VOTE NUCLEAR FREE: Short film Screening

2007-11-07T09:17:00.000+11:00

Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group invites you to

VOTENUCLEARFREE: Short Film Screening

Monday 19th November (5 days before the election!)
@ Tris Elies, Katoomba, 6.30pm
waged $8 / underwaged $5

PERFORMANCES: Andrish Heks and Ash Wanders (7.20pm)

SCREENINGS INCLUDE: Climate of Hope, documentary film by Scott Ludlam & Jose Garcia (7.50pm) [please see program below for other screenings]

www.nuclearfree.blogspot.com
www.votenuclearfree.net

The current push to expand the nuclear industry means a greater risk of nuclear weapons, nuclear waste and terrorism. This federal election sees Australia at a crossroad. Will we become a world leader in renewable energy solutions or a world loser with nukes?

Join the Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group in a collection of recent short films on the impacts of the nuclear industry from uranium mining to nuclear weapons, nuclear power to positive solutions to climate change.

Don’t radioactive waste your vote this federal election. To find out where the political parties stand on nuclear issues and for more info go to: WWW.VOTENUCLEARFREE.NET

Program for the evening

6.30: Opening speaker from Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group

6.40pm: Living Country – 22 minutes – 2005
A documentary about the Indigenous peoples of the Northern Territory’s fight to prevent the federal government from dumping nuclear waste in their country.
Living Country is part of the Nganampa Anwernekenhe series produced by Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) Productions. Nganampa Anwernekenhe means ‘ours’ in the Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte languages, and the series aims to contribute to the preservation of Indigenous languages and cultures.

7.10pm: Atomic Footprints - 10 minutes - 2007
Australia could be about to see one of the largest expansions of its involvement in the nuclear fuel chain. Here are a few reasons why this is not a good idea.
By Pip Starr | Music by Mark Daniel | Animations by Dermot Egan | Voice over by Dave Sweeney

7.20pm: Performance by Andris Heks and Ash Wanders

7.45pm: Introduction to next three films

7.50pm: Climate of Hope - 30 minutes - 2007
While the threat of climate change is now widely accepted in the community, the potential for a host of nuclear power stations in Australia has raised questions about the best strategy for our country to move to a low-carbon economy.
A documentary by Scott Ludlam | Soundtrack by Jose Garcia
Produced by Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia

8.20pm: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons - 6 minutes - 2007
Outlines the state of nuclear weapons today and celebrates the achievements of the peace and anti-nuclear movement.
Produced by International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

8.30pm: Genie in a Bottle: Unleashed – 16 minutes - 2007
A film by two 13 year old boys from the US, on the issue of nuclear weapons and the Manhattan Project and in memory of the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombs in August 2005.
Produced and Directed by Stephen Sotor and Trace Gaynor

www.nuclearfree.blogspot.com
www.votenuclearfree.net

For more info please contact Natalie: natalie.lowrey@foe.org.au | 0421 226 200

Vote Nuclear Free Australia

2007-10-23T14:33:00.000+10:00

Vote Nuclear Free Australia summarises the nuclear policies of Australian political parties to allow readers to make informed decisions. Some are now pushing hard to expand uranium mining, uranium enrichment and domestic nuclear power despite the serious weapons proliferation risks and public health and environmental dangers of this industry. There are even those who want Australia to become the world’s high-level radioactive waste dump.

Visit http://www.votenuclearfree.net

Stop uranium mining
Prevent uranium enrichment
Stop nuclear reactors
Stop nuclear waste dumps and transport
Clear the world of nuclear weapons
Stop food irradiation

please signup as our friend on myspace
please signup as our friend on facebook

Depleted Oz

2007-08-07T01:10:00.001+10:00

Recently posted on YouTube by BSharpProductions
"US military's use of depleted uranium munitions an it's side effects. Now the Australian government has agreed to allow American military hold war games on Australian soil. Pressure is on to go nuclear power and mine more uranium."

Congratulations Joel and Sophie AND to Kevin Buzzacott!

2007-06-08T11:50:00.000+10:00

From the South Australian Conservation Council newsletter 

Jill Hudson Award

The CCSA’s Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection was awarded
this year by the Minister for Environment and Conservation, the Hon Gail
Gago. The Minister presented the prestigious awards on May 19th at the
CONNECT 07 Conference. The $1000 Award recognises significant
environmental achievements and this year was jointly presented to two
entries.

*Sophie Green and Joel Catchlove* jointly received the Award for their
outstanding voluntary commitment to educate and engage the general
public about environmental issues. They have established Friends of the
Earth (Adelaide) and the Clean Futures Collective and have campaigned
tirelessly against the expansion of the nuclear industry in SA.

*Kevin Buzzacott, Arabunna Elder,* received the Award for his
long-standing commitment to Keepers of Lake Eyre, working to protect the
region from the effects of the Olympic Dam uranium mine. His
participation in the annual Radioactive Tour also high-lighted the
effects of uranium mining in his country, in part-icular in the use of
ground water for the mine. (see photo overleaf).

Ian Woods of Strathalbyn was highly commended by the Award panel for his
personal contribution to the community of Strathalbyn, particularly
during the No Mine campaign in Strathalbyn.

Other nominees were Colin Endean of Burra, a volunteer with the Climate
Project; Andrew Nance of Woodville Park who has worked on climate change
and sustainability issues; and Wolford Parsons of Port Vincent for his
achievements in Landcare. ‘We were very impressed by the quality of all
the nominations, and it is particularly wonderful to be reminded of the
efforts in rural and regional South Australia,’ said Julie Pettett, CCSA CEO

The annual Award is in memory of Jillian Hudson (7/9/48 – 9/8/97), a
passionate educator who believed

‘Life is an opportunity and its purpose is to stand
for something and to make a difference.’

`David v Goliath' Indigenous nuclear campaigner wins national environment award

2007-06-05T10:21:00.001+10:00

Elder Kevin Buzzacott
Photo: Jessie Boylan

MEDIA RELEASE
5th June, 2007

Veteran Aboriginal activist Kevin Buzzacott has been awarded the Australian Conservation Foundation's 2007 Peter Rawlinson Award for two decades of work highlighting the impacts of uranium mining and promoting a nuclear free Australia.

An Arabanna man with traditional custodial responsibilities for the area around Lake Eyre in northern South Australia, Kevin Buzzacott has drawn attention to the environmental, social and cultural impacts of the massive Olympic Dam uranium mine.

Taking on the world's largest mining company as it moves to develop the world's largest uranium mine is tough work - but Kevin Buzzacott has never been afraid to think big or to take a strong stand.

ACF Executive Director Don Henry welcomed the recognition of Mr Buzzacott's work, describing him as “a passionate and effective advocate for sustainable water management and for responsibility, respect and recognition of the rights, aspirations and traditional knowledge of Australia's Indigenous peoples”.

“Kevin is a cultural practitioner, an activist, an advocate and an educator. He has travelled tirelessly, talking to groups large and small about the impacts of uranium mining and the threats posed by the nuclear industry. Kevin has had a profound impact on the lives of many people - especially young people - with his many tours and `on-country' events.

“For many young activists `Uncle Kev' is truly an unsung hero and, against the current pro-nuclear tide, his is a very important struggle and story,” said Mr Henry.

BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam mine currently uses 35 million litres of Great Artesian Basin water a day - every day and free of charge - making it the largest industrial user of underground water in the southern hemisphere. The company is attempting to greatly increase its water allocation and expand the size and the impact of the mine.

ACF's annual award commemorates Dr Peter Rawlinson's outstanding contribution as an environmental campaigner and researcher. Peter was an ACF Treasurer and Vice President and one of Australia's leading biologists and conservationists. He died while doing field work in Indonesia in 1991.

Further info and comment: Dave Sweeney, ACF Nuclear Campaigner,
0408 317 812

TRADITIONAL OWNERS SPEAK OUT: NO RADIOACTIVE DUMP IN THE NT

2007-06-04T17:44:00.000+10:00

Photos: Jessie Boylan

Traditional Owners National Speaking Tour

A BBQ with Traditional Owners will be held
June 24, 2pm – 5pm, Redfern Community Centre.
29-53 Hugo St Redfern.

SYDNEY PUBLIC MEETING
From the Heart, For the Heartland
Traditional Owners Speak Out:
No radioactive dump in the NT
June 25, 6pm, Redfern Community Centre
29-53 Hugo St, Redfern.

If you live locally in the Blue Mountains and want to go to
these events in Sydney please contact: Natalie Lowrey
T: 02 4782 1181
E: natalie.lowrey[at]foe.org.au 

VISIT slideshow to hear Traditional Owner, Dianne Stokes talking
http://www.timbonham.com/slideshows/Muckaty/


Proposed sites for nuclear waste dump

Traditional Owners Speak Out: No radioactive dump in the NT
This month, Indigenous traditional owners and community members
from areas proposed for the Federal radioactive waste dump are
undertaking a national speaking tour.  Timed to coincide with the
announcement of the Federal Government’s preferred dump site,
the tour is an opportunity for national audiences to hear how the
dump proposal is impacting the targeted communities in the Northern
Territory. Speakers will share their stories and experiences and raise
concerns related to contamination of the country that sustains their
communities, livelihoods and traditional culture.

Speakers confirmed for the tour include:
- Mt Everard traditional owners, Audrey McCormack and
Benedict Stevens
- Harts Range community members Priscilla Williams and Mitch
- Muckaty traditional owner Dianne Stokes
- Top End Aboriginal Conservation Alliance (TEACA)
convenor and Larrakia Nations’ representative Donna Jackson.

A public meeting is being held in Sydney on June 25 at Redfern
Community Centre, 25-53 Hugo St. The evening will comprise
speakers, an exhibition of artworks from affected communities,
photos of the proposed dump sites and a short film.

The speaking tour aims to confront and dispel the myth used
to justify nuclear activities in Australia; that remote areas are
uninhabited and lifeless places. Federal Science Minister Julie
Bishop suggested that all of the proposed waste dump sites are
“some distance from any form of civilisation” when in fact, there
are communities living and running successful enterprises three,
five and eighteen kilometres away from the four areas currently
being assessed.

This is a unique opportunity to hear first hand, the impact of
the Federal radioactive waste dump proposal on remote and
indigenous communities. With Australia poised to expand involvement
in the global nuclear industry, this public forum will enable discussion
of domestic radioactive waste management issues, social and
environment concerns regarding the NT dump proposal and ways
people interstate can engage with and support the NT
community campaign.

Please advertise this public event widely amongst your family,
friends and colleagues and contact the tour coordinator for
any further information.

Adam Wolfenden
Friends of the Earth, Sydney
0401 045 536

HARD RAIN - David Bradbury's new film

2007-05-28T18:03:00.000+10:00

Traversing five countries – China, France, UK, Japan and Australia, and using what Bradbury learnt from his previous three nuclear documentaries (Public Enemy Number One, Jabiluka and Blowin' in the Wind), A Hard Rain takes a closer look at the global nuclear industry in its entirety – from the mining of uranium through to the nuclear power plant to the radioactive waste and weapons manufacturing. It exposes the hidden agendas behind this latest push for Australia to go nuclear.

The film can be bought at:
http://www.frontlinefilms.com.au

Green Left Weekly/Blue Mountains Socialist Alliance will
be presenting the film Monday 28th May 2007

David Bradbury's newest anti-nuclear film

A Hard Rain

Monday May 28, 7.30 pm, Red Room
Tris Elies nightclub
Katoomba (next to train station)
Arrive early to ensure a good seat!

NUCLEAR WASTER DUMP IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

2007-05-28T11:04:00.000+10:00

Natalie Wasley, Beyond Nuclear Initiative campaigner, Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC)
with Dianne Stokes, Muckaty Traditional Owner. Photo: Tim Bonham

Tim Bonham put together this slide show after a couple of trips
up to visit Muckaty mob over the last month.

http://www.timbonham.com/slideshows/Muckaty/

____________________________________________________________

MUCKATY Station near Tennant Creek has been nominated by the Northern
Land Council (NLC) as the site for the national nuclear waste facility.

"Despite some media and Northern Land Council rhetoric, there is strong
opposition to the dump proposal, from Ngapa Traditional Owmer's whose land
has been nominated and from other Muckaty mob, whose dreaming passes
through that area and who look after country along the haulage access road."

Says Beyond Nuclear Initiative campaigner, Natalie Wasley from the .
Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC)

The Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group (BMNFG) will continue to support
Traditional Owners who oppose the proposed nuclear waster dump on their
lands. BMNFG calls on Federal Science and Education Minister Julie
Bishop to not accept the nomination.

There is still no safe way to store nuclear waste. The proposed nuclear
waster dump is unwanted and unneccesary. If the nomination of Muckaty
Station in the Northern Territory to host the dump goes ahead we will see
radioactive waste transported all the way from Lucas Heights exposing
communities along the transport route to risk of spill and contamination.
The possible transport route includes the World Heritage Listed
Blue Mountains.

For more info on the nuclear waste dump please go to:
http://no-waste.org

Nuclear Free Ways - Public Meeting at the Blackheath Climate Action Now meeting

2007-04-16T12:02:00.000+10:00

Friends of the Earth's Nuclear Free Ways campaigner, Michaela Stubbs with members of the Blackheath Climate Action Now group, Peacebus.com and the Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group at Govetts Leap in Blackheath. Photo: Peter Veevers

Over the past week the Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group and Friends of the Earth have been hosting the Nuclear Free Ways Campaign.

Forty people attended the Nuclear Free Ways public meeting held in Katoomba on Wednesday 11th April. The night was opened with photographs by Jessie Boylan from her 'Inhabited' Exhibition. These exquisite portraits of communites who are fighting the proposed nuclear waste dump on there lands also included audio of them talking abot their struggle. A powerful exhibition that will come back to the Blue Mountains for 3 weeks later this year.

Dr. Jim Green the national nuclear campaigner from Friends of the Earth gave us an overview of the political situation at present including the Howard governments push for nuclear power and the possiblility that the ALP will over turn the no new mines policy. Over turning of the no new mines policy would inevitably mean an expansion in the uranium mining industry in Australia.

Nuclear Free Ways campaigner, Michaela Stubbs continued the evening with a presentation around the possible transportation of nuclear waste through the Blue Mountains to the proposed nuclear waste dump site in the Northern Territory.

This public meeting was followed up by a meeting and photo with Mayor Jim Angel and Councillor Kerrin O'Grady.

On Sunday Michaela was also invited to talk at the Blackheath Climate Action Now meeting and an interview on the Katoomba Surf Club's radio show on Blu FM.

For more information on the Nuclear Free Ways campaign, how you can get involved and how you can support contact:

Michaela Stubbs
(m) 0429 136 935
(e) michaela.stubbs[at]foe.org.au

To get involved in the Blue Mountains please contact the Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group:
manager[at]kncinc.org.au

Angels Unite for a Nuclear Free Future

2007-04-15T12:51:00.000+10:00

Mayor Jim Angel, Lesley Sammon (BMNFG), Dianne Jacobus (BMNFG), Councillor Kerrin O'Grady,
Jana Michaels (FoE), Natalie Lowrey (BMNFG, FoE) and Friends of the Earth Nuclear Free Ways campaigner, Michaela Stubbs.
Photo: Peter Veevers

Friday April 13, 2007

Mayor Jim Angel and Greens Councillor Kerrin O'Grady joined with local and
visiting Nuclear Free activists in Katoomba today, to support the Nuclear
Free Ways campaign led by Friends of the Earth and the Blue Mountains
Nuclear Free Group.

The campaign aims to educate and strengthen communities along proposed
nuclear waste transport corridors from Lucas Heights to one of three
possible dump sites in the Northern Territory.

“I am very happy to host this Nuclear Free Ways tour in the Blue
Mountains.” said Mayor Angel. “It helps us reinforce our opposition to
nuclear waste transports through this World Heritage area.”

Councillor O'Grady also welcomed the presence, with a reminder that our
strength is our community. “We are the gatekeepers of the Blue Mountains,
the guardians of the highway.” She has urged the people of the Blue
Mountains to support those actively engaged in work like this.

“The Federal governments proposals to impose a nuclear waste dump on
communitites in the NT could see nuclear waste tranported through the NSW
for the next 40years.”  said Michaela Stubbs, Nuclear Free Ways
Coordinator “This poses unnecessary and unacceptable risks to communities
across Australia and must be stopped”

The Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Zone status and active opposition to
nuclear waste tranport is a significant step to protecting peoples health
and the environment.

Cycle Against the Nuclear Cycle

2007-04-09T14:59:00.000+10:00

Come and ride with Cycle Against the Nuclear Cycle
to help make Australia nuclear free.

Cycle Against the Nuclear Cycle is a community campaign to raise awareness about and build opposition to the nuclear industry in Australia. We're converging on Canberra with pedal power to tell the pollies we don't want a nuclear future! We're cycling from Rockhampton to Canberra and from Port Augusta to Canberra from late June to early September to make Australia nuclear free.

This will be a fantastic way to build positive political change towards a truly sustainable future. We need your ideas, passion and input to organise this event properly; everyone has something to offer. We also need riders, and lots of them! You can join us for as for as long or as little as you like. Don't be afraid of the distances. There will be riders of all levels of experience and fitness and always someone who is as slow or fast as you.

Contact us to find out how you or your group can get involved.

Website: canc.org.au
Email: contact@canc.org.au
Join our email list

Beck Pearse
0405 105 101

Georgina Pike
0431 303 084

Regards Beck and the CANC crew

Three Mile Island Anniversary

2007-03-28T11:29:00.000+10:00

Four legged daddy-long-legger spider photographed on Sunday, July 27, 1996, about 6 ½ miles north-northwest direction. These spiders in a normal, healthy state have 8 legs. Following the accident at TMI, many insects disappeared for many years. In this location, there were no bumble bees, certain type caterpillars, or daddy-long-leg spiders for 10 to 15 years. Pheasant have disappeared as well as hop toads. Carpenter bees disappeared from the location where the 31"dandelion leaves were found, and many dead birds were found there shortly after the accident.
(taken from http://www.tmia.com)

Twenty-eight years ago on 28 March 1979, Three Mile Island Unit 2 nuclear reactor underwent a partial meltdown, risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

All 3 emergency feedwater pumps had been undergoing maintenance for 2 weeks
prior to the accident - a serious violation of regulations.

The reactor was not equipped with a supplementary safety system. Temperatures
inside the reactor vessel climbed above 752°F (400°C). A hydrogen gas bubble
(with oxygen, xenon, argon, etc) reached 30 cubic meters, which, at about 2,000
psi, had the equivalent explosive potential of 3 tons of TNT. On March 30,
52,000 cubic meters of radioactive water were discharged into the Susquehanna
River without permission from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). --
The Truth About Chernobyl, by Grigori Medvedev.

"The 237,013 bottles of saturated Potassium Iodide (KI) (to protect the
public's thyroids from radioactive Iodine 131) solution that were delivered to
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania mostly too late to have been effective if the Three
Mile Island accident had become an uncontained meltdown were stored in secret
in a warehouse, and were never used."

It was not until the third day of the TMI disaster that Pennsylvania's Governor
Thornburgh decided to recommend that pregnant women and preschool children
leave the region within a 5-mile radius of Three Mile Island and to close all
schools within that area.
http://www.ki4u.com/three_mile_island.htm

Background:
http://www.tmia.com

"The sequence of certain events - equipment malfunctions, design related
problems and worker errors - led to a partial meltdown of the TMI-2 reactor
core..." (US Nuclear Regulatory Commission 'The Accident At Three Mile
Island').

Approx. 66 million curies of Iodine 131 was in the reactor at the time of
accident.

"More than half the unit's core melted". - National Geographic, April, 1989.

"It flowed like hot olive oil," - Vice President of the company operating Three
Mile Island, in reference to TMI's uranium fuel. - Edward Kintner, executive
vice president of General Public Utilities (GPU) Nuclear.

GPU denies that TMI releases could have harmed anyone, but the company has
quietly paid at least $15 million in out of court settlements.

Although the nuclear industry repeatedly told the public that Three Mile Island
didn't have a meltdown, about 48 tons of fuel (32%) melted, of which 30 tons
reached the bottom of the containment, having melted a 2x5 ft. hole in the
inner wall of the containment. - New York Times.

"Jack Herbein [MetEd's plant manager] confidently predicted that the amount of
failed fuel was 'considerably under one percent.' [the NRC will allow a
commercial nuclear reactor to operate with 'up to one percent failed fuel.']
...As the fuel-damage debate continued, at least 80 percent of the reactor fuel
had failed." - Mark Stephens, Three Mile Island.

"[the information exchange between the licensee and the NRC included] A 12:15
p.m. suggestion [by the NRC on March 28] that the primary cooling system be
'blown-down' or de-pressurized - a maneuver followed by the utility and
resulting in the reactor core's being uncovered for a second time."- "Three
Mile Island" by Mark Stephens (Random House).

"...a year after it all began, Unit 2 was still not in cold shutdown. In the
reactor 1,500 gallons of water had to be added each day to replace the 1,500
gallons that continued to leak daily into the containment sump. With the
control rods gone - 69 silver and boron rods melted by the intense heat of
March 28, 1979 - only the boron-laden cooling water kept the reactor from
coming back to life. After a year, Unit 2 still relied on a single safety
system in each area of plant operation. And these systems had been running for
a year without maintenance in radiation fields far stronger than they were ever
designed to withstand. If the last cooling pump or the last steam generator
failed, then the accident at Three Mile Island would pick up right where it had
left off in April 1979. Only, this time, there would be no safety systems at
all to save the plant."

Statistics indicate that there was a tripling of Harrisburg's infant death rate
in the three months after the tmi accident. - Harvey Wasserman, Killing our
Own: The Disaster of America's Experience with Atomic Radiation, Dell
Publishing, 1982.

The following journalists, who spent long periods of time in the area covering
the accident, developed cancer and died: Pete Stoler (Time magazine), Bob
(CBS), Paul Cowan (Village Voice), Cathy Machen (ABC), and Jack Pollard (New
Era, Lancaster, PA).

"From the three months of 1979 prior to the accident at Three Mile Island to
the four subsequent months, the infant mortality rate rose in Pennsylvania by
almost sixteen percent, in Maryland by 41 percent. The... official 1979-1980
infant mortality rate for Dauphin County [site of tmi] was 37 percent higher
than the rate for the previous two years; during the same period, the U.S.
infant mortality rate dropped by eight percent. The probability... by chance is
less than one in one thousand." - Deadly Deceit.

2,500 lawsuits have been filed against Metropolitan Edison, alleging that the
accident at TMI has caused a host of radiation induced illnesses (March '91).

The environmental consultants retained by Metropolitan Edison (owner of TMI)
reported: "Based on techniques used in this analysis, dose estimates are
consistent with the release of seven million curies of noble gases in the first
one and one half days and one million in the next three days, and a relatively
small amount thereafter." - Kemeny Commission.

- compiled by Nuclear Liabilities http://www.ki4u.com/three_mile_island.htm

World Water Day, 22 March 2007

2007-03-21T21:01:00.000+11:00

A number of problems associated with the nuclear industry are much-
discussed – the repeatedly demonstrated link between "peaceful"
nuclear programs and weapons proliferation, the nuclear waste legacy,
and the small risk of catastrophic accidents.

Less well understood are the various impacts of uranium mines and
nuclear facilities on water resources.

Check out the new paper published today by Dr. Jim Green, National nuclear
campaigner, Friends of the Earth Australia:

http://www.foe.org.au/campaigns/anti-nuclear/issues/water-nuclear/

_____________________________________________________________

'Inhabited' Exhibition viewing in Katoomba

2007-03-21T17:01:00.000+11:00

left: Yami Lester, Wallatina Station, SA, 2006.
In 1953, Yami, a Yankunytjatjara man, was ten years old, living at Wallatina Station when Totem One went off, it was the first of a series of atomic bombs that the British and Australian governments were testing during the 50's and 60's at Emu Field and Maralinga in South Australia and Monte Bello Islands off the West Australian coas. he was blinded by the fallout.

middle: Kath Martin, Mt Everard, Alice Springs, NT, 2006.
Kath is a Traditional Owner and Athenge Lhere woman who has been working tirelessley to oppose the Commonwealth radioactive waste dump proposed for the Mt Everest site just 13km from her home, which has sacred Arrernte site within the boundaries.

right: Kevin Buzzacott, Alberrie Creek Station, SA, 2006.
Kevin, an Arabunna elder, has been fighting against Roxby Downs (Olympic Dam) uranium mine since its inception in the 1980's. The mound spring areas, which are dotted all across Arabunna land, are drying up due to the mine sucking up 30-40 million litres of water each day from the Great Artesian Basin
_____________________________

‘Inhabited’ is an exhibition of photographs and stories from remote communities that are affected by uranium mining and the nuclear industry in Australia.

Photographer Jessie Boylan, audio Bilbo Taylor

It can be viewed at the Nuclear Free Ways Public Meeting
Wednesday 11 April, 2007 @ 6pm
Katoomba Masonic Hall, Station Street
(opp, courthouse)
entry and food by donation

For more info on 'Inhabited' Exhibition:
Jessie Boylan:: 0408 448 493 :: jessie[at]sustenance.net.au

for more info on the Nucler Free Ways Public meeting
natalie.lowrey[at]foe.org.au :: 02 4782 1181 :: 0421 356 067
Nuclear Free Ways Public Meeting

Current Actions

2007-03-19T14:55:00.000+11:00

Continued lobbying of all 3 levels of government on this issue

Ensuring that the nuclear issue is on the agenda for the federal election 2007

Maintaining links with like-minded groups throughout Australia

Continuing community outreach on nuclear issues through local stalls, letters to the editor and radio interviews

Hosting visit of Nuclear Free Ways, a Friends of the Earth campaign against nuclear waste transportation and the proposed nuclear dump site in NT. (See photos here and here)

Co-hosting the Climate Change Despair and Empowerment Roadshow in Katoomba with Ruth Rosenhek

Participating in the Palm Sunday, Nuclear Fools Day Parade in Sydney

BMNFG stall at the Blues, Roots & Folk music festival

2007-03-19T14:46:00.000+11:00

BMNFG stall at the Blues, Roots & Folk music festival

The Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group held a stall at the recent Blues, Roots & Folk music festival in Katoomba. Although we had to contend with rain and mist we were able to engage with local and non-local community at the festival on nuclear issues. This included the possibility of the Blue Mountains being the transportation route for nuclear waste if the proposal for a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory is approved.

Circus Solaris at the festival taking a pic of the BMNFG stall

Resources

2007-03-19T14:13:00.000+11:00

Oxfam Briefing: Adapting to Climate Change

Impacts of Nuclear Power & Uranium Mining on Water Resources

Nuclear Power: No solution to Climate Change

Yellowcake Country: Australia's Uranium industry

Illusion of Protection
The unavoidable limitaions of safeguards on nuclear materials
and the export of uranium to China

Hot Politics: Testing Times
Friends of the Earth feature on nuclear issues in Australia

__________________________________________________________

Labor facing U-mine turn

2007-03-19T13:30:00.000+11:00

ELISSA DOHERTY

March 18, 2007 12:15am
Sunday Mail

LABOR'S long-standing "no new mines" uranium policy is under threat

The state Labor Left has softened its 25-year opposition to uranium mining and is poised to support Premier Mike Rann and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd's national push to overturn the party's "no new mines" policy.

But factional leader Mark Butler said a number of significant concerns would need to be addressed before they considered agreeing to any plan to lift restrictions on mining.

Key members of the faction – but minus ministers Pat Conlon, Gail Gago and Paul Caica – met yesterday to determine its position ahead of the national Labor conference next month.

Mr Butler, who chaired the meeting, said the Left wanted assurances that safeguards would be tightened before it would back further uranium mining.

"We remain deeply concerned about matters relating to uranium mining and nuclear energy," he said.

"We would only consider supporting the (Opposition leader Kevin) Rudd position to change the policy if we could be convinced there would be significant tightening of various safeguards regarding proliferation and environmental standards.

"We'd also look for a strong commitment to an investment in renewable energy"

"We haven't seen those commitments yet and once we do, we'll consider our position finally."

He said until they saw the detail of Mr Rudd's proposal "we can't really say yes or no".

Before the forum at Mile End yesterday it was evident factional members were divided on the issue and Mr Conlon's backflip on the Left's traditional stance.

Mr Conlon revealed in a column for yesterday's The Advertiser he supported the export of uranium to China for nuclear power, arguing it was the only way to curb the country's harmful carbon emissions.

Former minister Steph Key said Mr Conlon had "very strong views that don't accord with the Left".

"My opinion is until we have safeguards for uranium mining and wastage we shouldn't be mining it," she said.

Hindmarsh MP Steve Georganas said the existing policy "serves us well". "Until the concerns about waste and proliferation are tackled, I think we should be very cautious about what we do," he said.

Mr Butler said the Left would seek more discussions with federal Labor before the conference and draw up proposals around safeguards.

He said yesterday's meeting was the first "genuine debate" by the Left in many years.

"There are different views within the Left about this," Mr Butler said.

"People around in those hot and testy years 25 years ago when debate was first heard still feel very strongly about this.

"But I think people recognise there are different dynamics at play now than there were 25 years ago."

The "three mines" or as it's sometimes known, "no new mines", policy introduced in 1985 allowed Roxby Downs and two existing mines to go ahead.

But it also prevented more being developed.

If the policy is abandoned at the conference this year, it will open the door to unlimited uranium mining in Australia.

When Do We Meet?

2007-03-16T11:30:00.001+11:00

The Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group (BMNFG) usually meet monthly at the Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre. To get involved contact: manager[at]kncinc.org.au

For more info contact Dianne on:
02 4782 1117
manager[at]kncinc.org.au

Climate Change Despair & Empowerment Roadshow

2007-03-14T18:29:00.000+11:00

Climate Change Despair & Empowerment Roadshow
with Ruth Rosenhek

Kindly supported by the Blue Mountains City Council

MC: Elisabeth Bastian
Sunday 22nd April 2007
1.30pm for a 2pm start
Katoomba Civic Centre,
Katoomba Street

http://www.climate.net.au

John Seed and Ruth Rosenhek of the Rainforest Information Centre are taking to the road with their Climate Change Despair and Empowerment Roadshow to help catalyse and support a dynamic climate change movement across Australia.

The roadshow, which premiered at Woodford Folk Festival in December 2006, features a multi-media presentation including video footage of Al Gore speaking on the Australian situation. During the 90-minute presentations, Rosenhek and Seed address the hopeless despair that many feel and how this can be transformed into the fuel for empowerment and effective action.

The presentations address the false and "business as usual" solutions being touted by the major political parties such as nuclear power and "clean" coal and suggest where the real solutions may be found (eg. removing Australia's $6.5 billion a year in subsidies to the fossil fuel industries - and supporting instead energy efficiency, solar, wind, geothermal, protecting our forests etc.).

At the presentations, participants are encouraged to join or form Climate Study/Action groups as a vehicle for communities to build resilient networks in which we can support each other in the changes we need to collectively make as well as to encourage each other to lobby government for strong climate change platforms in the lead-up to the state and federal elections.

http://www.climate.net.au

Ruth Rosenhek, MS in Organisational Management, is Director of the Rainforest Information Centre in Lismore (NSW). Ruth is an international environmental activist who organizes and campaigns on behalf of forest protection, land rights and global justice and teaches deep ecology. See: http://www.rainforest.org.au/deep-eco/ruth_photos.html

This event has been endorsed and supported by:
Blue Mountains City Council
Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre
Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group
Friends of the Earth Blue Mountians
SEE-Change

if you would like to endorse the event or would like more info please contact:

Email: natalie.lowrey[at]foe.org.au
Mobile: 0421 356 067
Phone: 02 4782 1181

Nuclear waste headed your way? Keep your community nuclear free.

2007-03-14T18:01:00.000+11:00

Nuclear waste headed your way?
Keep your community nuclear free.
Public Meeting & 'Inhabited' Exhibition
Wednesday 11th April 2007 @ 6pm
Katoomba Masonic Hall,
opposite the council buildings

Join Friends of the Earth, the Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group and special guests for presentations and discussion.

Nuclear Free Ways Public Meeting & viewing of ‘Inhabited’ Exhibition

Speakers:
Dr. Jim Green
Dr. Jim Green is the national nuclear campaigner with Friends of the Earth, Australia, national coordinator of the Beyond Nuclear Initiative, and a member of the Energy Science Coalition. His PhD thesis was on the debates over the replacement of the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor.

Dr. Kathleen Sullivan
Enthusiastic disarmament educator, film producer and social scientist with a special interest in (pop) nuclear culture and the perspective of young people. Kathleen will talk about the international experience with nuclear waste and her experiences with the Yucca Mountain campaign in US.

Michaela Stubbs
Michaela Stubbs is the nuclear campaigner for Friends of the Earth Melbourne and the Nuclear Free Ways Campaigner, Friends of the Earth.

Exhibition: ‘Inhabited’ An exhibition of photographs and stories from remote communities that are affected by uranium mining and the nuclear industry in Australia. Photographer Jessie Boylan, audio Bilbo Taylor.

The Federal Government switching on the new nuclear reactor in Sydney and proposing to dump radioactive waste in outback Northern Territory would mean that dangerous radioactive waste would be transported through communities across Australia. Friends of the Earth believe that this poses an unacceptable and unnecessary public health and environmental risk to these communities.

The current plans could see over 130 truck loads of nuclear waste transported through the Blue Mountains in the first year with ongoing transports of nuclear waste for the next forty years. Some of the waste will be of a much higher level of radioactivity than was proposed for SA.

Communities standing up for their right to be nuclear free have stopped the imposition of a radioactive dump that was planned for SA. It’s time for NSW to come together and help do it again.

The Federal Governments’ current plans are a crude attempt to solve a complex problem. They have introduced undemocratic legislation in their attempts to impose a nuclear waste dump on unwilling communities in the NT. Radioactive wastes need isolation from people and the environment for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s important that we take the time to get it right.

Supported by:
Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre
Blue Mountains Nuclear Free Group
Friends of the Earth

For more info contact:
natalie.lowrey[at]foe.org.au
Phone: 02 4782 1181
Mobile: 0421 356 067

Palm Sunday - Nuclear Fools Day Parade

2007-03-14T17:56:00.000+11:00

Palm Sunday - Nuclear Fools Day Parade
Gather Sunday 1st April, 1pm
Prince Alfred Park, Parramatta
for a colourful community parade for
a Peaceful and Nuclear-Free Future.

Palm Sunday falls on April 1 and will be a major national day of anti-nuclear events and actions ... Nuclear Fools Day. Please join in the fun and help spread the word about events in your region.

Excellent Palm Sunday website which is updated regularly:

http://www.NuclearFoolsDay.org

Palm Sunday will help galvanise and organise opposition to the
nuclear push, and send a message to the Labor Party ahead of its
national conference in late April, at which uranium policy will be
debated.

A whopping 58 organisations have endorsed the Palm Sunday events, and
this list is growing every day! It's great to see the diversity of
groups that are part of the alliance - see
http://www.nuclearfoolsday.org/endorsers

The website now has fliers and posters which people can download. For
people wanting to adapt the flier with their local details, a
template is available there also for you to adapt. If you would like
a personalised flier, please e-mail details to: azane83[at]gmail.com

To get involved in Palm Sunday activities in Parramatta contact:
Contact: Holly Creenaune, Friends of the Earth, 0417 682 541
holly.creenaune[at]foe.org.au


The website again: http://www.NuclearFoolsDay.org

2007-03-14T17:16:00.000+11:00

SOLAR ENERGY
Everlasting environmentally friendly energy
Solar energy has supported life on Earth for millions of years.
It may be used to support life for ever.

Free Lecture with Professor Helmut Tributsch
Monday, 26 March, 6pm
UNSW, The Scientia, Leighton Hall

2007-03-14T17:01:00.000+11:00

Nuclear Power & Radioactive Waste:
No Solution to Climate Change
Saturday 31st March @ 4pm
Carrington Hotel Katoomba


Speakers:
Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Information & Resource Servic
in Washington, D.C., USA.

Why the safety and security risks of high-level radioactive waste storage is a major problem for the next 500,000 years.
Why modern reactors are not a solution.
How you could be living downstream from an Aussie nuclear plant

Imogen Zethoven, The Wilderness Society

Where proposed Australian nuclear power stations could be built.
Fallout zones.
Transport routes in Australia.
The clean renewable energy alternatives.

For more information call 0412 141 753 or email amber.jacobus@gmail.com
Organised by the Labor Environment Activist Network
and Blue Mountains Young Labor

'Nuclear Free' Events

2007-03-14T16:34:00.000+11:00

April 2007

Palm Sunday - Nuclear Fools Day
Sunday April 1st, 2pm
Prince Alfred Park, Parramatta
more info

Nuclear Free Ways
Public Meeting & 'Inhabited' Exhibition
Friends of the Earth & Dr. Kathleen Martin
Wednesday 11th April, 6pm
Katoomba Masonic Hall
more info

Climate Change Despair and Empowerment Roadshow
Public Meeting with Ruth Rosenhek
Sunday 22nd April, 2pm
Katoomba Civic Centre
more info

_____________________________________

March 2007

BMNFG stall at Blues, Roots and Folk festival
March 16-18, 2007

Solar Energy
Free Lecture with Professor Helmut Tributsch
Monday, 26 March, 6pm
UNSW, The Scientia, Leighton Hall
more info
Why Nuclear is not a solution
Public Meeting with Kevin Kamps & Imogen Zethoven
Saturday 31st March, 4pm,
Carrington Hotel Katoomba
more info
_____________________________________

News Update 10 March 2007

2007-03-14T16:01:00.000+11:00

March 10, 2007 
OWNERS OFFERED 100-YEAR RENT PLAN FOR NUKE DUMP

TRADITIONAL owners have been offered $9 million every five years for 100
years to allow a nuclear waste facility to be built on their land.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,21356937-662,00.html

By Nigel Adlam

TRADITIONAL owners have been offered $9 million every five years for 100
years to allow a nuclear waste facility to be built on their land.

The Federal Government money would go to the Northern Land Council for
distribution among the 395 owners of Muckaty Station, north of Tennant
Creek.

The offer was put by the land council at a meeting on Muckaty Station.

The meeting became heated as supporters and opponents of the plan
clashed.

The Northern Territory News was told some of the opponents - dubbed
"dissidents" by the land council - were threatened with violence.

But the alleged victims said yesterday they had been told not to reveal
what happened at the meeting or they would not be paid their share of
the Federal Government royalties.

One traditional owner said: "Those in favour were screaming at the
'dissidents'. It got very ugly. Many people were shocked at the anger
and threats of violence."

Land council chairman John Daly, who addressed the meeting, could not be
contacted last night.

Nobody lives permanently at Muckaty, with the majority of the land's
traditional owners living at Tennant Creek. The rest live at Elliott.

They go to Muckaty only for business meetings, ceremonies and hunting.

The Federal Government will carry out an environmental assessment at
Muckaty if traditional owners support the nuclear waste facility.

The land council has been asked by some traditional owners to put
forward a second site -- near Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula.

Land council chief executive Norm Fry said in a written statement:
"Privacy and confidentiality requirements mean that the NLC is not
prepared to comment regarding matters discussed at the meeting.

_______________________________________________________

March 10, 2007 
MEDIA RELEASE
Secret dump dealing must stop

Revelations of the perverse secret dump dealings of the Federal
Government's radioactive waste club highlights why we need an open,
transparent process on this issue Senator Trish Crossin says.

"Why has Minister Julie Bishop allowed the offer to Muckaty Traditional
Owners of $9 million every five years for a hundred years to be hidden
behind confidentiality and commercial in confidence excuses?" Senator
Crossin said.

"If the process isn't farcical why keep it a secret including refusing
to answer questions about it in Senate estimates hearings.

"Why target some of the poorest, most vulnerable people in Australia
with a secret deal instead of a transparent process which might generate
other expressions of interest from communities elsewhere?

"The Minister is going for the expedient political quick fix.

"Her departmental officers, whose job is to dump the waste, are the only
outsiders being able to present a view on the dump to Traditional
Owners.

"Even then it seems just a select group of the Muckaty Traditional
Owners have been welcome at the meetings so far.

"Dissenting voices amongst traditional owners should be heard, as well
as the balancing view from an organisation such as the Australian
Conservation Foundation.

"This radioactive dump and the caskets of intermediate level waste will
be with us much longer than one hundred years.

"Labor calls for an open, transparent process to decide the fate of this
waste" Senator Crossin said.

Media Contact:  Senator Trish Crossin & Chris Hallett
04 3981 7050

Chris Hallett
Office of Senator Trish Crossin - Darwin NT
Tel: (08) 8931 0830 /  Mob: 04 3981 7050 / Fax: (08) 8931 0513
chris.hallett@aph.gov.au / www.trishcrossin.com.au

News Update

2007-03-14T15:35:00.000+11:00

JUNE 2007

PM supports uranium enrichment investigation
Prime Minister John Howard is supporting an investigation into
domestic uranium enrichment, after it was revealed the Government was
in talks with businesses looking to establish a facility in Australia.

Switkowski: No chance for nuclear without support
With an election expected to be dominated by environmental and energy
policy and climate change, the Government's anointed nuclear champion
is pushing for Canberra to underwrite Australia's nuclear industry.

Nuclear doesn't have power to halt global warming. 
Nuclear power would only curb climate change by expanding worldwide at the
rate it grew from 1981 to 1990, its busiest decade, and keep up that
rate for half a century, a report said this week.

Uranium to Russia
AUSTRALIA is set to strike a controversial nuclear deal with Russia.

Green groups steps up climate change campaign
Ten green groups will today launch the largest community climate
change campaign in Australia targeting federal MPs.

Company plans uranium plant pitch to Fed Govt
Nuclear Fuel Australia (NFA) says it will make a submission to the
Federal Government proposing a new uranium enrichment plant in
Australia.

SA Premier in dark on uranium enrichment submission
Premier Mike Rann says South Australians have a right to know if any
nuclear enrichment plant is considered for the state.

Uranium enrichment not top priority, says Switkowski
The head of Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation,
Ziggy Switkowski, says uranium enrichment is feasible in Australia
but that nuclear power should be a higher priority.

No sites mooted in uranium enrichment report, says author
One of the authors of a submission for a uranium enrichment plant in
Australia says there is no firm plan on possible locations.
Democrats demand inquiry into uranium enrichment
The Democrats say the Senate or an independent body should hold an
inquiry into uranium enrichment and other nuclear issues.

Company's nuclear plans 'shock' Garrett
The Federal Opposition says the Government should rule out uranium
enrichment facilities for Australia.

Uranium plant proposed
A PROPOSAL is being prepared for the Federal Government on building a  
uranium enrichment plant.

Scientists reveal secret 1980s nuclear work
The ABC has learned that uranium was secretly being enriched at  
Sydney's Lucas Heights reactor 20 years ago.

Warning on nuclear deal
THE Howard Government should be wary of striking a new uranium deal  
with Russia because of that country's "dangerous disregard" for  
treaties and human rights.

Liberal MP starts anti-nuclear petition against her own Govt
The federal Liberal Member for the south-eastern New South Wales 
seat of Gilmore, Joanna Gash, has started a petition against her 
own Government on nuclear power.

Blowing in the wind
NEITHER "clean coal" nor nuclear power can significantly reduce
Australia's greenhouse gas emissions before 2025, writes Mark
Diesendorf.

Carbon market to cut need for nuclear: Rudd
KEVIN Rudd insists a market for carbon emissions can achieve Labor's
target for reducing greenhouse gases without the need for nuclear fuel.

10 June Worse than Chernobyl: 'Dirty timebomb' threatens Europe. 
A decaying Russian nuclear dump inside the Arctic Circle is threatening
to catch fire or explode, turning it into a "dirty bomb" that could
impact the whole of northern Europe, including the British Isles.

Anti-nuclear stance becomes law
PREMIER Alan Carpenter will introduce legislation this month to the
WA Parliament banning a nuclear industry in WA.

Navies to watch out for whales
WHALE sightings could shut down key US-Australia war games being held  
off the Queensland and Northern Territory coasts this month.

No foreign waste for Muckaty nuclear dump
The Federal Science Minister, Julie Bishop, has restated that there  
are no plans to establish a dump for overseas nuclear waste at  
Muckaty Station, a remote site north of Tennant Creek in the Northern  
Territory.

Premier opposed to nuclear power
The Premier Paul Lennon has repeated his opposition to 
nuclear energy in Tasmania.

Russia, Australia could sign new nuclear power treaty in Sept.
MOSCOW, June 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Australia have coordinated a
new nuclear energy agreement and may sign it in September, Australia's
nuclear security chief said Tuesday.

`David v Goliath' Indigenous nuclear campaigner wins national environment award
Veteran Aboriginal activist Kevin Buzzacott has been awarded the Australian Conservation Foundation's 2007 Peter Rawlinson Award for two decades of work highlighting the impacts of uranium mining and promoting a nuclear free Australia.

Minister rejects nuclear dump bid
LIBERAL delegates have urged the Howard Government to set up a  
worldwide nuclear dump as Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane accused  
the states of hypocrisy, warning that one was keeping nuclear waste  
in a hospital car park.

Nuclear push gains momentum
THE Federal Government will consider dismantling legal barriers to  
the development of nuclear power before the election, the Minster for  
Industry, Ian Macfarlane, said yesterday.

Referendum on nuclear power
PREMIER Alan Carpenter will hold a referendum if the Federal  
Government tries to override state laws and establish a nuclear power  
plant in WA.

Street talk -- Uranium mine
Would you support the development of a uranium mine in Tasmania?

Uranium hopes soar
THE push is on to mine uranium in central Tasmania with a Western  
Australian miner testing historic high-grade ore south of Rossarden.

MAY 2007

PM facing fight over nuclear powers
The New South Wales Premier, Morris Iemma, has reacted angrily 
to the Prime Minister's proposal to take over state laws which 
ban the development of nuclear power industry

Canberra's nuclear power play against states
The Federal Government is seeking legal advice on whether it can  
force the states to allow the construction of nuclear facilities,  
including power stations, inside their borders.

Pine Gap trespass trial starts
FOUR anti-war protesters face up to seven years in jail for breaking  
into the top-secret Pine Gap defence satellite tracking base.

ANSTO reiterates nuclear waste dump safety
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
says the nuclear waste dump proposed for Muckaty Station in the
Northern Territory will be completely safe.

NT nuke waste deal a joke: Garrett
Labor's environment spokesman Peter Garrett says all Northern Territorians 
should feel let down by the consultation process for a nuclear waste site 
at Muckaty Station.

Clan allows nuclear dump for $12m
ABORIGINAL elders in a remote Northern Territory  community
have agreed to accept $12 million for allowing Australia's  first
national nuclear waste dump to be built on their land.

Nuke dump process not a joke, says Bishop
The Federal Science Minister has rejected the Northern Territory
Government's claims that the consultation process for the nuclear
waste site at Muckaty Station was a joke.

Nuke site deal
MUCKATY Station near Tennant Creek has been
nominated by the Northern  Land Council (NLC) as the site for the
national nuclear waste facility.

Jabiluka owners deny mining deal
JABILUKA'S Aboriginal owners in the Northern Territory yesterday
slapped down mining giant Rio Tinto's optimism for restarting uranium
mining at the site by reaffirming their opposition to the project.

Owners sink Rio's Jabiluka hopes
Rio Tinto's hopes that its uranium subsidiary Energy Resources of
Australia would soon secure Aboriginal approval for the development
of the $50 billion Jabiluka deposit in the Northern Territory have
been dashed, sending ERA shares down 5 per cent.

Nuclear power a turn-off: Flannery changes stance

Rio big talk on Jabiluka backfires as Mirrar people say no
RIO TINTO'S hard sell this week on its rising hopes for a near-term
clearance from the Mirrar people to develop the $50 billion Jabiluka
uranium desposit in the Northern Territory has backfired on the mining giant

Rudd defends uranium u-turn
Labor's plan to expand uranium mining but oppose nuclear power
is not hypocritical,Labor leader Kevin Rudd says.

ALP: No U-Turn - No expansion of uranium mining
Saturday April 27th, the 400 delegates to the Australian Labor Party
National Conference will vote to discard or retain the long-standing
NO NEW Uranium Mines policy. Join the public lobby to stop an expansion
of uranium mining in Australia.

Radiation leak inquiry
THE Defence Department is conducting an investigation and review of
its use of radioactive tritium in military equipment after
contamination of an army barracks in suburban Brisbane.

Environmentalists Do Not Support Nuclear Power: Critique of James
Lovelock and Patrick Moore

APRIL 2007

Nuclear dead end
WE can only hope the link between uranium exports and weapons
proliferation gets due attention from the ALP, writes Richard
Broinowski.

Proliferation must shape the nuclear debate
Uranium is a moderate export earner, but a big principle in the Labor
Party, Anthony Albanese writes.

Rudd faces uranium challenge
KEVIN RUDD'S plan to overturn the Labor Party's long-held ban on new
uranium mines may be scuppered by attempts to impose stringent waste
and proliferation conditions on any new mines.

Uncle Kev's devotees celebrate credence for a clear water revivalist
A maverick social activist will be honoured in absentia today.
"UNCLE Kevin" Buzzacott is unlikely to catch his own benefit
concert today at the Northcote Uniting Church Hall. In fact, none
of his Melbourne friends can say where he is, but that's not an
unusual state of affairs.

Protesters target Sydney reactor opening
Anti-nulcear protesters plan to target Prime Minister John Howard
on Friday at the opening of a new reactor at Australia's only
nuclear facility.

Uranium theft terror warning
A TERRORISM expert yesterday warned that radioactive material stolen
from the Olympic Dam site could have been used to paralyse the city
in an attack if it had not been recovered.

Sustainable energy has powerful future
By Mark Diesendorf
OPPONENTS of renewable energy from the coal and nuclear industries,
and their political supporters, are disseminating the fallacy that
renewable energy cannot provide base-load power to substitute for
coal-fired electricity.

Limited scrutiny on nuclear projects
Controversial nuclear facilities can be approved by Federal
Government with only limited scrutiny, according to a respected lawyer.

ERA output downgrade to boost price of uranium
The uranium price, already at $US95 ($117) a pound, could be set for
further gains this week after Energy Resources of Australia said
production from its Ranger mine in the Northern Territory would be
flat this year and 25 per cent to 35 per cent lower next year

'Mini Grand Canyon' lure for students
THE Olympic Dam open-cut mine expansion will be a "mini Grand Canyon"
to lure thousands of visitors each year, Premier Mike Rann says.

States to retain powers on uranium mining, says Rudd


MARCH 2007

Herald Sun: Owners offered 100-year rent plan for nuke dump

Media Release: Secret dump dealing must stop

Sunday Mail: Labor facing U-mine turn

Giant EU Energy Flag
(Friends of the Earth Europe climate change action)

World Water Day, 22 March 2007

Links

2007-03-14T14:48:00.000+11:00

NUCLEAR ISSUES
Australian Conservation Foundation
Dr. Jim Green
Energy Science
Friends of the Earth Australia
Friends of the Earth Melbourne
Friends of the Earth Adelaide
Greenpeace Australia Pacific
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Irati Wanti
Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW)
The Mirarr Gundjeihmi Clan
Novocastrians Against Nuclear
Nuclear Fools Day
Nuclear Task Force
No-Waste Alliance
The Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA)
The Environment Centre Northern Territory (ECNT)
The Sustainable Energy and Anti-Uranium Service (SEA-US)


LOCAL FRIENDS
A Year In A Day
A Year in a Day started as a personal blog in 
response to governmental unwillingness to set 
targets for carbon emissions. 

AKEMI
Akemi is a non-profit, DIY, music, arts and activism venue/space
located in Medlow Bath Blue Mountains - roughly Two hours west of
Sydney. 

Blue Mountains Conservation Society
A voluntary group of around 880 members who help to conserve the
World Heritage Blue Mountains region in eastern Australia.

Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute
An independent and collaborative organisation that brings together research,
local communities, and government regulatory agencies in conserving the
natural and cultural heritage of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage
Area (GBMWHA)

Citizens Climate Campaign
The Citizens Climate Campaign Committee is a small group of people,
all members of the Blue Mountains Conservation Society, and all with
long histories of significant environmental and social activism.

Health & Harmony
Blue Mountains Natural Healing and Spirituality Directory

Togs Place
Website of an Unembedded Australian Radio Man

more to come ...

Our Aims

2007-03-14T14:16:00.000+11:00

To oppose the transportation of Nuclear Waste

To support World’s Best Practice of on-site waste storage

To lobby for safe non-reactor production of medical isotopes

To inform our community on nuclear issues

To support the campaign against radioactive waste repository (dump) in NT

To support the campaign against a new nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights

To support other campaigns opposing the nuclear industry

Our Achievements

2007-03-14T14:14:00.000+11:00

Screened Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth and David Bradbury's Blown' In The Wind

Hosted the Children of the Gulf War Exhibition, launched by Helen Caldicott

Ongoing letters, press releases and radio interviews in local media

Lobbied Blue Mountains City Council to : Reinstate Nuclear Free Zone Signs on GW highway; Include Anti nuclear notation in their weekly Gazette page (Communicator); Produce 2 large Nuclear Free Zone banners for display on overhead bridges

Lobbied State Member, Bob Debus, to take leadership on this issue at State level

Submission to the State Parliamentary Inquiry into transportation of Nuclear Waste

Hosted visit of German anti-nuclear activists

Who Are We

2007-03-14T14:12:00.000+11:00

We are a group of local residents and community workers, who meet at the Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre, to oppose the transportation of nuclear waste through the mountains.