[Greens-Media]
Wednesday 20th August 2008

Brendan Nelson's confused call for a renewed debate on nuclear energy
would be funny if it were not so serious, Australian Greens spokesperson
on nuclear issues Senator Scott Ludlam said today.

"The Greens welcome the call for yet another rational, informed debate
on nuclear energy. Australia has these debates every couple of years,
and the pro-nuclear side keep losing. They never seem to figure out
why."

"Australians have a deep distrust of nuclear technology. It is not
because they are emotional, irrational or uninformed, but because
nuclear power and uranium mining have no place in a sustainable society
and people know it," said Senator Ludlam.

"Nuclear weapons, nuclear waste and the risk of accidental contamination
for thousands of years stands in stark contrast to the prosperous,
renewable society that most Australians want. So by all means lets have
the nuclear debate again, and this time let's talk about the role
Australia plays in providing uranium fuel to this most destructive of
industries. I'm eager to hear Minister Peter Garrett's views on that
subject," he concluded.

For media enquiries contact Scott Ludlam on 0417 174 302

Tim Norton
Communications & Campaigns
Office of Rachel Siewert | Australian Greens Senator for Western
Australia
Tim.Norton@... | M: 0418 401 180
www.rachelsiewert.org.au | www.greens.org.au | www.greensblog.org
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Wong ducks deforestation hypocrisy-Greens
Tuesday 19 August 2008

The Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, has ignored Australia's
logging and burning of native forests as a critical contribution to
global warming in her Sydney speech to loggers today, Australian Greens
Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The latest Australian National University research shows that such
logging may produce up to 25 per cent of Australia's carbon pollution of
the atmosphere. But Minister Wong, while outlining the Rudd government's
overseas aid to stop logging in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, ducked
Australia's need to stop logging here," Senator Brown said.

"In fact, Prime Minister Rudd has committed $100 million to Tasmanian
transport infrastructure spending with Gunns' proposed pulp mill the
beneficiary.

"Senator Wong's promise to the loggers to fund reforestation activities
is crazy when she backs public funding of a pulp mill which entails
deforestation of 200,000 hectares.

"Senator Wong advocates carbon sinks as "practical action" while also
backing destruction of Australia's biggest carbon sinks - its native
forests. This is bad economic, environmental and forest policy," Senator
Brown said.

Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603
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S-E NSW biomass power is no solution to climate challenges
19 August 2008

Developing wood-fired power stations based on so-called wastes from
native forestry in NSW's South-East would weaken Australia's ability
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye who is today visiting the South Coast to talk about energy
issues said: "We will be working hard to stop biomass electricity
generation from native forestry feed-stocks  being included in
renewable energy targets.

"Recent research from the ANU massively increased estimates of carbon
locked up in the native forests.

"This moves these biomass power stations from the green side of the
ledger to the brown team. They should should sit alongside coal-fired
generators as major contributors to global warming.

"In a climate change-constrained world, continued wood-chipping of
native forests will inevitably be recognised as an irresponsible and
unnecessary release of greenhouse gases.

"Developing power plants based on biomass from these forests would not
only create new economic dependencies on a high emission activity. It
would  actually increase greenhouse gas emissions.

"Professor Mackey's research released two weeks ago shows that ending
the exploitation of Eastern Australia's native forests and allowing
them to regrow would take about 24 per cent of Australia's current
annual greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere for each of the
next 100 years.

"That would be a massive and welcome 136 million tonnes of CO2 annual
contribution to repairing the climate.

"With figures like these there is little hope of generating
sustainable electricity  based on products coming from an industry
that is a major emitter.

"Forestry industry propaganda talks about burning wastes to create the
impression of sustainability.

"Wood-chips would inevitably end up in the furnaces and  biomass would
drive the continued expansion of an unsustainable industry," Dr Kaye said.

For more information: John Kaye
Greens member of the NSW Parliament
phone: (02) 9230 2668
fax: (02) 9230 2586
mobile: 0407 195 455
email: john.kaye@...
web: www.johnkaye.org.au

mail: Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000
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TAMAR VALLEY POWER STATION PURCHASE NOW A FAIT ACCOMPLI?

As Government Energy Strategy Collapses Under Basslink Gamble
Tuesday, 19 August 2008


The Tasmanian Greens today responded to the Premier's Ministerial
Statement regarding the government's buy back of the Tamar Valley Power
Station, which had been predicted by the Greens, saying that the
purchase was now a fait accompli due to Labor control of the Lower
House.

Greens Shadow Energy spokesperson and Member for Bass Kim Booth MP said
today that all domestic power consumers would ultimately pay the price
of both the Tamar Valley Power Station buy-back, and the Basslink
gamble, which has left Tasmania in a perilous energy position, through
increased power prices.

Mr Booth also pointed out that the Premier suddenly has had to take over
the issue of the Tamar Valley power saying that it appears that Mr
Llewellyn had bungled this project and misinformed the public about its
future so badly that Mr Bartlett has had to intervene in a desperate
attempt to restore government credibility.

"The Labor government has now locked Tasmania into expensive power with
no room to move," said Mr Booth.

"This latest farce of the government buying back the Tamar Valley Power
Station is just another sad chapter in Labor's book of energy mistakes."

"Thanks to Labor incompetence and failure to listen to advice, we are
now taking over a half finished lemon with no grid connection at this
time, instead of a unit that should have been custom built to operate
within the frequency restraints of the current Tasmanian system, as the
Greens had advocated when we were the only Party in the Parliament to
vote against the station's sale last year."

"Again and again I queried what was going on with the Tamar Valley Power
Station, and I was just fobbed off by Mr Llewellyn, I broke the news
publicly last week that the government intended to buy back the station
and was ridiculed by the Minister at the time."

"Now it is David Llewellyn who looks ridiculous as his ducking and
weaving, and bungling of the Energy portfolio, has been exposed to the
extent that it has required the Premier to have to step in, confess to
the Tasmanian public, and clean up the mess," Mr Booth said.

Kim Booth MP
Greens Shadow Energy Spokesperson
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens,
(03) 6233 8300
www.tas.greens.org.au