22Nov

Media Release: Malaysians to Occupy Lynas HQ in Sydney

Posted in Activism, Economics, Environment, International, Media Releases, Politics | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

MEDIA ALERT

EMBARGOED 6:00AM | Friday 22 November 2013

Malaysians to Occupy Lynas HQ in Sydney:
Protest shareholder meeting, divest from Lynas

WHAT
SYDNEY | Eight representatives from Himpunan Hijau, one of the largest environmental movements in Malaysia, will be travelling to Australia to protest against Australian rare earth mining company, Lynas Corporation. Lynas has started exporting its toxic and radioactive rare-earth pollution to it’s controversial refinery, the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Kuantan, Malaysia.

Himpunan Hijau will be joined by Friends of the Earth Australia, Beyond Nuclear Initiative, AidWatch and The Greens.

WHERE & WHEN
Occupation outside Lynas Headquarters
ALL DAY Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 November 2013
56 Pitt Street, Sydney

Press conference hosted by The Greens
Thursday 28 November 2013
10AM behind NSW parliament

Protest outside Lynas Corporation Annual General Meeting
Friday 29 November
8:30AM-1:00PM
Opposite Establishment Hotel,
252 George Street Sydney

BACKGROUND
On August 4th 2011 Australian company Lynas Corporation officially opened its Mt Weldrare earth mine in Western Australia. Lynas has started exporting rare earth concentrates, through the port of Fremantle in Western Australia to the port of Kuantan in Malaysia, to their polluting, energy intensive and highly controversial rare earths processing plant, the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP).

The LAMP is vehemently opposed by at least a million Malaysians. It was constructed without any public consultation and near fishing communities. Its pollution and waste management are seriously deficient according to a scientific report[1] by Germany’s Oeko Institute.

More info and for interviews with Himpunan Hijau representatives contact:
Tully Mcintyre,
Coordinator, StopLynas.org
An affiliate campaign of Friends of the Earth Australia
tully.mcintyre@foe.org.au
0410 388 187

[1] “Description and Critical environmental Evaluation of the Rare Earth Refinery Plant LAMP near Kuantan/Malaysia” http://www.oeko.de/oekodoc/1629/2013-002-en.pdf

*Note: Press Releases are authored by contributing organisation.

02Sep

Rudd To Seek Reinstatement of Sole Parents Benefit

Posted in Economics, Election 2013, Politics | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

Kevin Rudd has revealed it may be possible to reverse the decision to drop the Single Parents Payment, as “budget circumstances” permit, and that he will seek a review if he survives the election as Prime Minister. The decision by Gillard to drop the payment wasn’t popular with all Ministers, with some having spoken out against it.

“Can I say that the lot of all folks out there who are doing it tough is of deep and continuing concern to me,” Mr Rudd said.

“I have long believed that as our budgetary circumstances permit we need to provide more support (for single parents).

“It’s tough and there have been many, many long and internal discussions about this. It’s been a very difficult set of decisions, but I understand just how important it is to be providing support to all such folks.”

It would be premature to call this an election promise, since the move has not been costed in budget projections and depends on there being a healthy budget sometime soon after the election. Nevertheless Rudd’s statements will be something that can be used by lobbyists to keep up the pressure for these changes at a later date if Labor are successful at the polls.

[note: this article has been edited to improve accuracy – at 11:11:29 pm, Sept 2]

Kevin Rudd. Photo by Eva Rinaldi

29Jun

Editorial: Rudd to Refocus on Manufacturing, Gives Mining the Flick.

Posted in Economics, Editorial, Politics | Comments Off
by Max Riethmuller

During Kevin Rudd’s ‘Victory Speech’ on Wednesday, one of the policy directions he alluded to was a move to channel funding from the mining industry to manufacturing: “There’s a big future for manufacturing under this government”

Despite my misgivings about Rudd, this is something I wholeheartedly agree with. I am a bit over this attitude that Australian manufacturing is dead and that our only option for a strong economic future is to rely on mining. Mining does very little for the average Australian. It makes a very few people very rich. Manufacturing on the other hand provides jobs, exports, reduced transport costs due to locally produced goods, has flow on benefits for small to medium Australian business and many other benefits to the community.