The COAG meeting today, notable for its coincidence with an increased scepticism about the clean energy industry among the conservative premiers of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, coincides with Campbell Newman’s battering ram impersonation. “Get out of the way”, Campbell Newman proclaims to the Prime Minister. It’s something of a case study in how [...]
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Coal Seam Gas in the news today
A quick roundup of developments not yet reported: * The CFMEU is concerned about the lack of social infrastructure accompanying fast-paced mining development; * ABC radio reports that Coal Seam Gas is shaping up as a key issue for farmers; * University of Queensland economist scores the parties’ policies for their environmental impact at The [...]
READ MOREQueensland Greens push CSG as campaign enters final stretch
As Dr Mark Bahnisch predicted at the start of the campaign, the Queensland Greens are heavily emphasising the Coal Seam Gas issue as the state election campaign enters its final stretch. The Greens are currently sitting on 9% in the latest Newspoll, which is slightly higher than the 8.39% they polled in the 2009 election. [...]
READ MOREAssessing claims about CSG tenements in Brisbane’s western suburbs
In the last week of the campaign, Coal Seam Gas has at last fired as an election issue. At an ill-tempered forum in Ashgrove on Sunday, a large number of questions were put to Campbell Newman by Brisbane voters on Coal Seam Gas. Today, the Courier-Mail is running with a story highlighting claims by Lock [...]
READ MOREWorld Wildlife Fund scores party policies in Queensland poll
The Courier-Mail reported on Friday that the World Wildlife Fund had released a scorecard rating the various parties contending for power or influence in the Queensland election on their policies to protect the Great Barrier Reef. There has been controversy over the potential impacts of dredging and the expansion of port facilities across the state, driven by [...]
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Strategic cropping land or strategic regional land use? Any difference?
As I observed recently, the Liberal National Party’s policy on ‘statutory strategic regional land use’ planning seems to have borrowed a leaf from Barry O’Farrell’s book in New South Wales. There is definite similarity between this approach – implying a mix of land use – and the Queensland Government’s strategic cropping land policy, enshrined in [...]
READ MORECoal Seam Gas on Brisbane radio and in the news today
Alan Jones interviewed Western Downs anti Coal Seam Gas activist Heather Brown this morning. You can listen to the segment here. I also understand that State Environment Minister and Labor MP Vicky Darling, LNP Shadow Minister Andrew Powell and Queensland Greens Spokesperson Libby Connors will be talking Coal Seam Gas on Brisbane local ABC radio [...]
READ MORECoal Seam Gas and the politics of alliances
Queensland, as we keep saying, always delivers when it comes to intriguing election campaigns. This year’s is proving to be a doozy. Just as the ALP launched its own campaign, and Campbell Newman was on the back foot over allegations concerning development approvals and his family’s business interests, and a Galaxy Poll showed Newman losing [...]
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LNP ‘Royalties for Regions’ policy
Writing in Crikey today, Ben Law gives readers a fabulous sense of the colour and movement at the LNP launch. The concerned voter, or tired journalist, has somewhat of a less pleasurable experience in navigating the LNP’s website, where, counter-intuitively, the various statements are arranged from 1 to 71 (at the time of writing) in [...]
READ MORECatholic Church enters the CSG debate
A large number of non-government organisations, particularly environment and scientific and farmers’ groups, have taken positions in the debate over the impacts of Coal Seam Gas. It’s interesting to read, though, that Catholic Religious Orders have now intervened, raising serious concerns about the social and environmental effects of CSG, and its ramifications for justice and [...]
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