by Gerry Georgatos, The Stringer - http://thestringer.com.au/
Photo (Publik15): Community Leader and Utopia resident Rosalie Kunoth Monks told Salil Shetty, that her people want to stay on the land, but are forced to deal with overcrowding, and lack of access to basic facilities like electricity and water
Following the 2013 Mardi gras parade (the corporate gaystream shadow of a radical and militant queer protest in 1978) a video was released online that showed a young shirtless man being choked by a police officer, then slammed headfirst into the pavement while handcuffed.
Outrage quickly spread across the Queer community and far beyond. Within two days, Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) called for a demonstration against police brutality on Friday 8th of March. The rally was to gather at 6pm Taylor square, then to march to Surrey Hills cop shop then back.
The Queensland Premier and Government have reopened logging in native forests with 2 million hectares of state forest being made initially available for environmental destruction. This will impact on habitat for endangered species, biodiversity and the huge carbon stores locked up in mature forests. Mature forests also tend to hold more moisture and are less susceptible to bushfire, and absorb more water during floods - providing a natural flood mitigation service, a natural service that is all the more needed with the increase in rainfall and extreme whether events with climate change. See Leaked Document (PDF).
Update 25 Feb 2013: Japanese Whalers escalate dangerous attacks on Sea Shepherd in refueling attempt
20 Feb 2013: In the Southern Ocean tempers are fraying over whaling with Sea Shepherd hindering all attempts to slaughter whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sancturay in their Zero Tolerance campaign this year being run from the Australian Sea Shepherd Organisation. A Major confrontation erupted today north of the Australian Casey Antarctic Base when Sea Shepherd used it's vessels to prevent the Nisshin Maru Whaling Factory Ship coming alongside the Panama registered Korean fuel supply ship the Sun Laurel.
Related: Whaling Fleet committed multiple breaches of international law says Sea Shepherd Director Bob Brown
Courtesy of The Stringer - http://thestringer.com.au/child-suicide-attempts-in-darwin-immigration-c...
Evidence has been obtained of suicide attempts and self-harming by children in Darwin Airport Lodge immigration detention centre. The document (attached) has been obtained by the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network (DASSAN) and reveals several disturbing cases of self-harming.
The child harming involves children as young as nine years old.
Courtesy of The Stringer - http://thestringer.com.au/gillard-swan-and-ferguson-did-a-deal-with-the-...
Gerry Georgatos - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Treasurer Wayne Swan were bent on a progressive thinking educated Australia which would be built from a fairer disbursement of sovereign wealth, according to credible parliamentary sources. The Stringer was told that Mr Rudd and Mr Swan were both adamant that other business sectors of Australia could not be hit for tax hikes till the resources sector was finally brought into line.
Gerry Georgatos - Western Australia could profit by over $400 million a year by the ending of logging in its native forests according to new research by the Australia Institute. The report confirmed logging is not only harmful to the environment, but also costs the State millions in potential profits.
Gerry Georgatos - On Tuesday February 12, the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) won a huge outcome in the Federal Court with Justice Neil Kerracher stating that only the YAC are authorised to negotiate with mining companies over certain Yindjibarndi Country. The claim area includes the vacant Crown land where Fortescue Metals Group is developing the Firetail mine site.
Maules Creek and Boggabri coal mines, and the Gloucester CSG Field in New South Wales get conditional go ahead from the Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke increasing Australia's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Decision strongly condemned by the local community and conservationists, with court challenge being flagged as possible.
Environment Minister Tony Burke has conditionally approved the Whitehaven Maules Creek open cut coal mine near Narrabri in the Leard State Forest as well as the four fold expansion of the neighboring Idemitsu Boggabri coal mine, and a major Coal Seam Gas field near Gloucester being undertaken by AGL Energy.
Related: Sydney's water supply under threat from BHP Longwall coal mine extension | Coal Seam Gas Field proposal for Pilliga Scrub withdrawn by Santos
Activists from environmental direct action group Groundswell have today taken peaceful action to highlight the detrimental impacts that mining in the Tarkine will have on healthy devil populations living in the region.
At 10am this morning, Groundswell activists deployed a banner reading “FOR
DEVILS SAKE, DON’T MINE THE TARKINE” from the Alexander suspension bridge, in Launceston’s Cataract Gorge. Two climbers suspended themselves alongside the banner.
