It has been an eventful few months in the Office of Robin Chapple and while much has been achieved, there is still such a way to go on the path to sustainability for the Mining and Pastoral region.
An incredible highlight of these past few months has been accompanying Bob Brown on his voyage on the Steve Irwin (Sea Shepherd) . It was an honour to be able to take this trip and to continue to support the fight to save James Price Point.
The office submitted an appeal to the Environmental Protection Authority’s Assessment report into the Browse LNG Precinct at James Price Point. With the release of that report the Government set a new, even lower standard in environmental protection. The report was marred by a lack of professionalism and independence, which should be the necessary hallmarks of the EPA, and to allow just two weeks for appeals to be prepared in response to the 379-page report was hugely unreasonable.
Both the EPA report and the appeals process were incredibly flawed, and yet the government would appear to be fast-tracking the approvals process, despite the obvious unrest in the Broome community regarding this massive development. Now we even hear that the project, proposed by the Western Australian Department of State Development, is expected to emit up to 41 MTPA CO2-e. Conditions, recommended by the environmental regulator (the EPA) and supported by the Appeals Committee, have been removed via the Minister's determination. In lieu of a greenhouse gas abatement plan, 'Condition 22 is amended to only require annual reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from the LNG plant'. If this is allowed to occur it will be the first time since 1998 that a large project has been approved without a requirement for a greenhouse gas abatement plan. I urge our supporters to continue their work in opposing the Browse development and to continue to make public the myriad reasons for keeping Broome and the Kimberley the pristine, environmentally sensitive and valuable area that it is.
Read my recent speech on this issue here: http://www.robinchapple.com/browse-lng-project-james-price-point-%E2%80%94-environmental-protection-authority-assessment.
Aboriginal Suicides in the Kimberley
I am incredibly concerned about the awful rate of Aboriginal youth suicide in the Kimberley. This is not now simply an ‘issue’, it is a national emergency. The rate of Indigenous youth suicides in our own Kimberley region is estimated at one in 1200. This can be compared to the rate of Indigenous youth suicide in New South Wales at one in 100,000, or even in the Northern Territory where it is 30 in 100,000.
The children taking their lives in the Kimberley are not schizophrenic or bipolar, nor do they generally suffer from any other form of severe or persistent mental illness. This is not, at its heart, a Mental Health issue – at least not a clinical one. It is a socio – cultural issue.
If one thing is clear from recent conversations with Indigenous people in my electorate it is that investments into cultural continuity and programs run by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people, will far outstrip the value of investments into anglo-centric ideals of mental health and welfare when looking at the issue of Aboriginal suicides in the Kimberley, and in other communities.
I recently read into Parliament an adjournment speech on this issue – you can read the speech here: http://www.robinchapple.com/aboriginal-suicide-state-suicide-prevention-strategy.
Climate Change
Western Australia has one of the highest per capita greenhouse emissions footprints of any developed country. When many of our pending developments come on stream—Pluto, Gorgon, Wheatstone and Browse, and the redevelopments of Muja A and B—our emissions profile will simply go through the roof. Current projections show that we will emit between 83 million tonnes and 124 million tonnes of CO2 within the next few years. If this is allowed to occur we will more than treble our 1990 baseline figure. It would appear to me that this government intends to do absolutely nothing to ensure that the emissions of Western Australian industry do not contribute disproportionately to climate change. This is something that I feel we all must acknowledge and ensure our government is held accountable for.
However the Western Australian government has seen fit to release a document, the only climate change release in four years out of the Department of Environment and Conservation which is barely fit to call itself a strategy. The nine page document outlines some approaches to climate adaptation, none to mitigation specifically as it appears to consider this the purview of the Federal Government despite this state’s disproportionate contribution, and has absolutely no financial allocations outlined. Given that we know that there is no funding for the Climate Change Unit going forward, that the Indian Ocean Climate Initiative has been de-funded and that the Climate Change relevant staff numbers in the DEC have gone from over 12 FTE down to 4.6 FTE over the past term of government it is clear that there is no intention behind the document whatsoever. You can find the document here: http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/news/7136-adapting-to-our-changing-climate.html
You can read my speech on this issue here: http://robinchapple.com/climate-change-western-australia%E2%80%99s-high-emissions-profile.
Issues in the Kimberley
My recent trip to the East Kimberley was a great opportunity to get to know our new Greens WA candidate for the Kimberley, Chris Maher, and to get to know the places and people from his perspective. We were given some great opportunities to talk first hand to some of the people on the front line when it comes to protecting our environment, in particular the Kimberley Toad Busters Group.
Chris and I were lucky enough to be invited on one of the group’s ‘toad busting’ tours near Kununurra. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t to capture over 500 toads in a little over an hour at one site. There are huge numbers of Cane Toads already invading the Kimberley, one of our precious wilderness areas, causing significant harm to the native wildlife. There is only $300, 000 allocated to Cane Toad eradication in the current budget, and nothing in the forward estimates, which, if not rectified will mean long term programs to stop the toads will simply not be enabled. If the government itself is not acting to eradicate this feral menace, then the least it can do is adequately fund those proactive organisations that have made it their mission to do so.
You can watch the video from our ‘toad busting trip’ here (however please be advised that this is NOT for the squeamish and shows some dissection images): http://www.robinchapple.com/toad-busting-kimberley-ivanhoe-billabong
You can read my speech on this issue here: http://www.robinchapple.com/cane-toads
Toro Uranium Mine in Wiluna – Approval
The Western Australian Minister for Environment has recently handed down his flawed decision to approve the Toro Energy Wiluna Uranium Project. This mine, if not stopped, will be the first uranium mine to open since the change in uranium policy by the Western Australian Government in 2008.
The proposal by Toro Energy is full of gaping holes. Toro has not revealed estimates of future mine closure liability and has not submitted a final rehabilitation plan. Minister Marmion has failed to place conditions on mine closure for Toro’s Wiluna Project. Despite the scarcity of water in the area, the Minister failed to determine a water resource for the life of the mine. The State Government is pushing ahead with this foolhardy project in the absence of a proper comprehensive study of its impact. This is remarkable given the company intends for post-closure liability to pass to Australian taxpayers only 10 years after mining ceases, though the consequences of the mine will endure for many centuries.
I have called for a full public inquiry - as provided for under the Act - into the wider environmental and public health consequences of uranium mining in our state which has seemingly fallen on deaf ears. We now have only one avenue for stopping this mine, to appeal to the better judgement of Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to oppose this appalling decision. Your support as members and supporters in this matter is paramount and I ask you to make your voice heard on uranium mining in Western Australia.
Read our recent media on this issue here: http://www.robinchapple.com/uranium-mining-western-australia-%E2%80%93-barnett-government%E2%80%99s-betrayal.
An invitation to join… The Radio Caroline Fundraiser - The Boat That Rocked!
From 1964 Radio Caroline, the first UK Pirate Radio Station, freed the airwaves and gave independent Rock ‘n’ Roll music the chance to be heard when the Government of the time chose to close its fist on freedom. Believe it or not I was on that boat, supporting the cause, campaigning for free speech, peace and the right to protest… and generally rocking out…
I am gearing up for the next election and hoping to continue making a difference in the Mining and Pastoral region. But rather than just call for donations to support my cause, I’m going to be throwing one extraordinary party to kick off my fundraising campaign and I’d like to invite you all to join me for that party!
I will be your host DJ for the evening, and will bring Radio Caroline back to life with rare and original recordings from my time aboard the ship, ably supported by DJ Gareth Bird, incredible live band Stratosfunk and stunning performances from Beehives Gogo.
The Radio Caroline Fundraiser will take place on the MV James Stirling.
DATE: Sunday the 9th of February 2012
TIME: 7:30pm - leaving Barrack St Jetty at 8pm, returning 12am, 10th Feb
COST: $150 per person
INCLUDES: Cruising, live music, all drinks and food for the evening
For more information contact HMS PopUp Productions at productions@hmspopup.com or Captain Harry on 0419 679 579 or check out the Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greens-WA-for-Mining-and-Pastoral/199441939663?ref=hl#!/events/436107986448010/.
This will be a night to remember, and one that few politicians would be brave enough to rival. Be there at the birth of rock and roll, with a man who really was!
All the best for the coming year, I look forward to working with you,
