Jennifer Marohasy

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Snowy Hydro Must Immediately Stop Exacerbating the Current Flood Crisis

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Murrumbidgee Valley Food and Fibre Association (MVFFA) is appalled to learn that Snowy Hydro has been releasing water ostensibly as part of its environmental flow obligations that can only have exacerbated the current flood crisis.

This bureaucratic incompetence was uncovered by Dr Jennifer Marohasy and detailed in her article published by Quadrant on Saturday.

http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2010/12/bureaucratic-flood-damage

After ringing up to ask a genuine question, she was given the most amazing “run around” by the water bureaucracies.

MVFFA can confirm that similar questions have been asked by several of its members and they have also been stonewalled.

“We all knew that something was not right up there in the mountains but we couldn’t get a straight answer out of anyone”, said Mrs. Christine O’Callaghan, Public Officer for MVFFA.

“I have been trying to ring the two separate departments for over a week and could only get to those nice women who answer the phones. I have left messages for both David Harris (Snowy Hydro Limited) and David Harriss (NSW Office of Water).

 “I was asking the same questions that Dr Marohasy was asking.”

 “It is very fortunate for all of us that Dr Marohasy recognized that something was odd about the answers she was given and that she was tenacious enough and concerned enough to get to the bottom of it” said Mrs Debbie Buller, President. “At least we now have some answers.”

 “MVFFA calls for an immediate cessation of all environment flows into all catchments downstream from the Snowy Hydro System.

 “They are sending out water into dams that can’t store it, into river systems which are in major flood, through environmental assets which are already flooded.”

 “There is not one ounce of common sense or sensible water management here”, said Mrs Robyn Schmetzer, Treasurer.

“Why on earth aren’t they diverting every single drop possible into Lake Eucumbene to help alleviate the flood crisis?

“Eucumbene is the central reservoir in the Snowy system and is only 25% full, leaving a huge storage potential.

“The Snowy system was built to not only generate power but also as a storage system to help manage the excesses of our variable climate.”

Media enquiries to Debbie Buller on 0414374312

The Political Solution to Australia’s Energy Dilemma: Open Letter to Greg Combet from Phil Sawyer

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The Hon Greg Combet  AM MP

Dear Greg, 

Recognising the important role that you will undoubtedly play in shaping our future energy policies, and mindful of the difficult situation that we, as a party, currently find ourselves in, I write to respectfully suggest that there is, under our noses, a politically adroit solution to our dilemma, a policy change that would not only solve the knotty problem of arriving at a credible climate response that doesn’t compromise our national development trajectory, but would also serve to recast our relations with the Greens at the same time. 

I would be very interested in your thoughts on the merits of my arguments, and especially in your judgement as to whether or not the left could be persuaded to support such a policy change.  I am also forwarding a copy of this letter to Don Farrell.
 
Briefly put, I wish to argue that our traditional opposition to nuclear energy has effectively blinded us to the significant advantages that would actually follow from a well managed change in policy, and that our politically expedient concord with the greens on this issue is coming at a very high cost, to the party, to the Government, and to the public interest, and that it needs an urgent rethink. 

I go on to make the case for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the currently bipartisan MRET scheme, a policy change that, when analysed for its political implications, shows that distinct advantages would accrue to us if we did so.

[Read more…] about The Political Solution to Australia’s Energy Dilemma: Open Letter to Greg Combet from Phil Sawyer

Third Open Thread

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Please post comment below on any issue of interest to you concerning the natural environment. ..

Free Burma’s political prisoners

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Dear Jennifer,
Fantastic news!
After spending 15 of the past 21 years unjustly under house arrest, Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is finally free.
But the Nobel laureate was just one of 2,200 political prisoners in Burma punished for simply engaging in peaceful political activities. Now, as the people of Burma rally around Aung San Suu Kyi, we must remember her words that “the release of political prisoners is the most important thing for all those who truly wish to bring about change in Burma.”
Stand with Aung San Suu Kyi and call for thousands like her to be freed.
This morning in an ABC radio interview, Aung San Suu Kyi acknowledged your contribution to her freedom and the people of Burma’s. Yet her unfair treatment is only the tip of the iceberg of human rights violations in Burma. Imagine: if the government can subject her to such arbitrary detention, we can have little doubt about how vulnerable, less well-known individuals are treated.
People like Mie Mie – a 39 year old mother of two who was arrested in a violent crackdown following an anti-government protest. She is currently serving a 65 year sentence in a prison that is over 1,200 km from her family, making it almost impossible for her children to see her.
Or 32 year old Myo Min Zaw, arrested as student activist – and reportedly tortured – in 1998 for distributing leaflets and organising student. He is currently serving a sentence of 52 years in a prison.
These are only two of over 2,200 people unfairly imprisoned inside Burma: join us and others worldwide to demand the military junta free all prisoners of conscience.

http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/24153/?utm_source=assknov10&utm_medium=email-sf&utm_content=link2

Together, we have been campaigning for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi for over two decades. Thank you for everything you’ve done — your letters, demonstrations, phone calls and discussions with friends, family, and colleagues. Now Aung San Suu Kyi has her freedom, please help her achieve real change for Burma.
In hope,
Jenny Leong
Campaign Coordinator (and Aung San Suu Kyi admirer)
Amnesty International Australia

No Sydney Audience for Williams: Marohasy Debate

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THE planned debate on Monday at the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) in Sydney between John Williams from the Wentworth Group and Jennifer Marohasy from the Australian Environment Foundation on ‘Saving the Murray’ as advertised here has been cancelled due to lack of interest.

We hope it has nothing to do with Totschweigtaktik.

The word means “death by silence” and it’s an effective tactic for killing off ideas or news reports or contrary opinions that don’t fit the prevailing and fashionable mores according to Shelley Gare[1] writing for Quadrant.

Read the article by Gare here:  http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2010/7-8/death-by-silence-in-the-writers-combat-zone

Update from the CIS:

MANY thanks for your booking to attend our discussion on The Future of the Murray Darling Basin with Dr Jennifer Marohasy and Dr John Williams, scheduled for Monday, 15 November 2010. It is with regret that we advise the need to postpone this event until 2011. We apologise for any disappointment and inconvenience caused, and will refund any monies paid.    You will be contacted when a new date for this event has been established. In the meantime, we thank you for your understanding.

Best regards, Meegan Cornforth l Events Manager, The Centre for Independent Studies
www.cis.org.au

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[1] Shelly Gare was educated in Perth then trained as a cadet journalist there. She moved to Sydney and in her early 20s, Gare was appointed editor of Cleo magazine… moved to London to work as Features Editor at The Sunday Times, returning to Australia in 1985, where she was the first woman deputy editor appointed to The Australian newspaper. Gare was responsible for all newspaper features. Gare was also a consultant editor on the start-up of WHO magazine…  Gare was a founding editor of The Australian’s Review of Books, for which she won a Walkley Award. She is now a freelance journalist and regular contributor to a variety of publications.  [From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelley_Gare ]