An access road to the desalination project power and pipe line constuction works near Wonthaggi was blockaded on from 5 am on 20-10-10 to protest the following abuses of public rights by the Brumby Government -
The project has gone too far without public disclosure of the full costs. The Brumby Government must reveal the full desal contract to the paying public BEFORE more of our money is spent.The Brumby Government is creating a debt of some $24 billion during the project life to be paid to the Aquasure desal consortium (Auditor General report), and for approximately 1 million households that equates to $24,000 for each and every household.
The Government has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to release to Aquasure secret Police files on members of the public who have questioned the basis of this massive project, questioned whether the Brumby Government has followed due process. The Commissioner for Law Enforcement Data Security is scathing of this MOU agreement, the Chief Commissioner of Police now concedes the MOU was in conflict with Privacy Laws, and yet still it has not been rescinded. Protesters want the MOU cancelled, personal files held by Aquasure to be destroyed, and files held by Victoria Police to be likewise destroyed.
"We stand against the unnecessary ENVIRONMENTAL and SOCIAL destruction that is resulting from the construction of the desalination plant, when practicable and sustainable water options are available. "
The protesters kept up the vigil beside the van and on the roof of the caravan, blocking a gravel road into the works site all day, until DSE and police arrested 7 of them at around 5pm. The van was removed by police. Many supporters visited during the day, while the DSE and men in Aquasure uniforms tried out their amateur filming techniques.
Photo taken from the caravan roof shows first arrest.
Comments
Re: Desalination plant protest 20-10-10
This is what happens when the lunatics from the ALP/Greens are in power, you get stupid reckless spending. I'm sure this comment will be screened. Free speech is dead when dealing with commies.
One in four a loonie?
In Germany one in four (24% to be precise) would vote Greens now, if they could. True, they're only loonies. Their lunacy has made Germany the world leader in clean energy. How looney is that? Hundreds of thousands of them are going to demonstrare this Saturday (23rd) in around 100 cities against nuclear waste being trucked and railed across the country all the time. What a bunch of looneys!
What century does your political thinking originate from?
Re: One in four a loonie?
He has got a point, the government of that country (which the Greens are currenly not a part of) is behaving quite Freudian. Over the weekend it had nothing better to do than present a tax break for energy addicted industries balanced with a tax increase on nicotine (as opposed to a more specific set of incentives to reduce consumption). Such incidents teach why atomic is not a gateway out of cartel dependency. The current government even reintroduced the failed policy of credit guarantees for atomic exports that laid the foundations for the nuclear program in Persia, which is why they are laughing at them in the 5+1 dialogue when their diplomats try tell them to do as they say not as they do. I guess Khatami is already practising as a Wulff impersonator.
http://prourl.de/d28227