LAPEROUSE

Coastal planning principles released today by NSW Planning
Principle 1 – Assess and evaluate coastal risks taking into account the NSW sea level rise planning benchmarks.
Principle 2 – Advise the public of coastal risks to ensure that informed land use planning and development decision-making can occur.
Principle 3 – Avoid intensifying land use in coastal risk areas through appropriate strategic and land use planning.
Principle 4 – Consider options to reduce land use intensity in coastal risk areas where feasible.
Principle 5 – Minimise the exposure of development to coastal risks.
Principle 6 – Implement appropriate management responses and adaptation strategies, with consideration for the environmental, social and economic impacts of each option.

Full document: Adapting to Sea Level Rise NSW Planning Guidelines

Link to submission to developmental proposal to fill and cap Southlands.  This 18ha site in Banksmeadow is floodplain, orginally melaleuca swamp (see photograph at left)

 Link to 60Minutes Story on Orica’s toxic presence in Botany, Banksmeadow, Hillsdale, Matraville and Pagewood.  

This is a story about a giant chemical company and environmental vandalism on a monumental scale — blatant negligence.

A vital underground water supply poisoned and above ground, a huge stockpile of one of the world’s most dangerous chemicals. Just what you’d expect from a Third World country, right? Wrong.This is all happening in the centre of Sydney, on the shores of Botany Bay. The culprit is one of the world’s biggest and richest companies, serial polluters, who’ve got away with it for decades. And now it’s going to cost millions to clean up the mess.

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In a prospectus (see relevant pages above) to shareholders issued by Orica in the later part of 2008, Orica outlined its current risks which included the Hexachlorobenzene stockpile at Botany.  On page 57, under section 6.2.11 Disposal of Hexachlorobenzene(HCB) they state:  “Orica is in the process of seeking all necessary permits o export its HCB waste, stored at Botany, to Europe for disposal.  In the event that Orica cannot secure the necessary permits, Orica would need to seek alternative arrangements which may have an adverse impact on Orica’s earnings. “

The Hexachlorobenzene stockpile at Botany.

 Details of the Commonwealth Export Licence

Letter from Danish Society for Nature Conservation (peak Danish Environment organisation)

Letter to Peter Garrett from Pro-Herten

Link to ABC SCIENCE REVIEW “Clock ticking on growing Toxic Waste”  30 June 2010 …………………………. excerpt:

Professor Ian Rae of the University of Melbourne, who also advises governments on HCBs and other POPs says he is “disappointed” about the move to export.He says Australia had the opportunity in the 1990s to develop technologies that could be used to dispose of POPs.”I think it would have been good for us to have developed the technology on the scale that was needed and to have done it here,” says Rae.He says the reasons for Australia’s lack of capacity to destroy POPs are “mainly political not technical”, with a lack of trust in those attempting to build waste management facilities a major barrier to finding a solution. (more…)

The NSW Government announced today that  the Kurnell desalination plant has been formally handed to its operators $89 million under budget.

The plant has passed all of its performance tests and is operating at full capacity, six months after being first switched on.

The plant’s power needs are reportedly offset by wind energy, from a new wind farm with 67 turbines at Bungendore.

It is one of the largest plants of its type in the world, and has been undergoing rigorous testing while gradually ramping up to its full capacity of 250 million litres a day.

Ports Australia, the peak body representing Australia’s Ports operators have complained about environmental scrutiny and paying for environmental management and mitigation.  Submission to the Draft National Ports Strategy. 

The current Chairman of Ports Australia  is Jeff Coleman (Brisbane) and Deputy Chairs are Gary Webb (Newcastle) and Vincent Tremaine (Flinders). The other Board members are Stephen Bradford (Melbourne), Andre Bush (Port Hedland), Brad Fish (NQBP), Grant Gilfillan (Sydney), Robert Ritchie (Darwin) and Paul Weedon (TasPorts - up until 2010 Chief Operating Officer at Sydney Ports).

Ports flounder in red tape, Annabel Hepworth, The Australian, June 28, 2010

Container ships at Port Botany in Sydney. Picture: Stephen Cooper Source: The Australian

THE country’s ports are demanding the federal and state governments fast-track approvals for channel dredging. (more…)

Up to 45 road deaths could be avoided every year if just 15 per cent of ‘contestable’ road freight was transferred to rail. This was revealed recently in an article published on the latest issue of the Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety.

“A simple shift to rail of the 15 per cent of road freight said to be transferable (or contestable) could save up to 45 lives annually (calculated on the basis of roughly three deaths for every 1 per cent of freight hauled).”

The article, written by independent transport and road safety researcher Peter MacKenzie, also suggests that by shifting the same amount of freight from road to rail, 275 people or more could be saved from paraplegia, quadriplegia, brain damage and other long-term serious disabilities. In economic terms, it is estimated that the potential saving to the nation would be more than 1 billion dollars.

Bryan Nye, chief executive of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) said: “I want to be very clear in that this is not a competition with the trucking industry, we are simply advocating for the optimisation (more…)

On Friday the 7th of May, 2010, the Premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, and the Minister for Ports and Waterways, Paul McLeay, officially opened the new $3 million, state-of-the-art gymnasium at J.J. Cahill Memorial High School in Mascot.

Questions to be asked:

Why wasn’t money given to the residents closest to the port for mitigation such as double-glazing and improvements to Sir Joseph Banks Park.

Why was this school chosen when others are closer to the Port.  The possible answer is it is located in the Premier’s electorate.  Up until the March 2007 election the Port was also located in this electorate.

AN emergency training exercise in Sydney’s Botany Bay ended with real casualties when volunteers needed medical attention after awaiting “rescue” in chilly waters.

Exercise Splash was designed to test rescuers’ ability to save lives if a plane from nearby Sydney Airport should ever ditch into waters off Port Botany.

But 12 of the surf life-saver volunteers who had been pretending to be aircraft passengers stranded in the water were treated for hypothermia and sea-sickness.

“Twelve people were assessed by ambulance officers for hypothermia,” a New South Wales police spokesman said today, adding that five were taken to hospital. (more…)

 With the Sale of Port of Business will Port Botany be next to be privatised?

This article by Martin Feil, author of “The Failure of Free Market Economics”, comes courtesy of the BRISBANE BUSINESS NEWS May 2010

With bidding underway for the Port of Brisbane sale, the question now leads to how it will be managed? Customs logistics economist Martin Feil is against privatisation, but tells Brisbane Business News that if the Queensland Government is to sell, it needs to do so properly to establish the port as a national hub.

PRIVATISATION has been one of the great swindles of the last 50 years, as both federal and state governments have sold fundamental assets to overseas and local financiers at prices that disadvantaged Australians. (more…)

At the Prime Minister’s request, Michael Deegan, infrastructure coordinator, Infrastructure Australia, and chief executive officer of the National Transport Commission, Nick Dimopoulos, have released the draft National Ports Strategy for public consultation. The strategy calls for long-term coordinated planning of Australia’s major ports and their related transport corridors and shipping channels. After submissions have been considered the Strategy will be presented to COAG (Council of Australian Governments).Submissions close 28th May    click here for terms of reference and other details.

Michael Deegan at Port Kembla 14 July 2009  from the Illawarra Mercury
“Yesterday’s tour was part of his research to prepare a strategy to maximise the use of all national ports, which is due to be finished late next year.”Port Kembla plays a significant role in that strategy,” Mr Deegan said. “Infrastructure Australia is having a look at all the issues associated with ports and road and rail connections.”I’ll be looking at the connections back into Sydney, the main southern routes, the Hume Hwy and the main rail links.”  Full Article

Michael Deegan was formerly Director General of Transport Co-Ordinator General of Rail in NSW until sacked by Michael Costa in 2003.

Ports Minister, Paul McLeay, has issued a media release listing penalties which will apply to Stevedores and Truck Drivers who don’t deliver on time.   “The issue for industry is to increase efficiency and productivity at Port Botany, by reducing congestion and continuing to drive towards high-performing 24/7 operations,” Mr McLeay said.  Sydney Ports will also increase existing wharfage by $10 per TEU (container) for all imports and exports.

Stevedore must pay the road carrier $25 for every 15 minute delay;
Stevedore must pay the road carrier $100 for cancelled slot if cancelled within 2 hours of slot or $50 to be paid for cancelled slot outside this period;
Road carrier must pay the stevedore $50 for late arrival; and
Road carrier must pay the stevedore $100 for no-show.

Sydney Ports and NSW Treasury argued for expanding at Botany and not at Kembla or Newcastle saying it would cost more to bring containers to distribution centres close to Sydney (the cost was supposedly $40 per container - in the case of Kembla servicing distribution centres in Sydney’s SW others, including the ex-CEO of that port,  argued that Kembla was just as quick.)  Yet since the decision to move ahead with the Port Botany expansion we have witnessed increasing congestion at Port Botany and now increasing wharfage fees.  The penalties will add more to the cost of moving containers and as with the wharfage impost doesn’t discriminate between importers and exporters of empties and Australian Exporters.   There is also a real fear that truck drivers caught  in traffic jams in the M5 tunnel may not be so tolerant of smaller vehicles  as they try their best to reach the port in time to avoid penalties.

full media release: (more…)