Mirboo North Policy Forum Speech - Sunday 1pm, 26 October 2014. My name is Christine Sindt, and I come from Morwell in the heart of Eastern Victoria. My Campaign Office is opposite Manny’s Market in Morwell, a couple of hundred metres from where I was born. I am standing as an Independent for Eastern Victoria because I am concerned about our air, our water, our land, our environment and our health. I am concerned about protecting our resources, and that we have been consistently ignored. The key issues for any State Government are Health, Education and Transport. In terms of community Health, there is still no health study underway for the 14,000 victims of the Morwell Mine Fire which burned for 45 days. Issues of air and water quality monitoring, and soil remediation are still to be addressed. It’s time to do something. As for Education, our world-class Group of Eight Monash University Gippsland campus was taken from us by stealth. It has now become a SuperTAFE controlled by another regional city on the other side of Victoria. This world-class institution had 900 employees, many of whom were recruited internationally. How could we accept this? As for Transport, our passenger services are inadequate, and all of Eastern Victoria is isolated from the rest of Victoria because the rail gauge for freight is inconsistent with the rest of the State. How is it that Eastern Victoria got into this situation, and that we are so totally isolated? Who was looking after our interests? In addition to the issues of Health, Education and Transport, I would add jobs growth, and proper regulation of our utilities - electricity, gas and water. “How is it that we provide all the electricity and gas but get no price reduction?” and “How is it that our water prices in Gippsland doubled in the period 2008-2013 when it had been agreed that there would be a 71.4% increase over those five years by the Essential Services Commission?” “Why is our water so expensive, when we are the providers of that same water?” The answers are clear, and were provided in a document I prepared two and a half years ago on “Gippsland Water Hardship Policy”. They reflect total neglect of our region in Eastern Victoria by those in Spring Street. We have a Region which is rich in farming, forestry and fishing; oil, coal, gas and water. It is the most precious part of Australia, and needs to be conserved for the future. I will address each of the policy issues for today’s forum in turn: NEW COAL There are several new projects which have been announced which will require careful regulation and monitoring to ensure that community health is not impacted. Firstly, there are Advanced Lignite Demonstration Projects (ALDP) relating to Coal Energy Australia, Ignite Energy Resources, and Shanghai Electric Australia Power & Energy Development. The total investment in these projects is $346 million. The Coal Energy Australia Project will include by-products of ammonium sulphate. The Ignite Energy Resources Project will produce synthetic crude oil. As for the Shanghai Electric Australia Power & Energy Development Project, I am not aware of any community consultation about the chemical processes involved or the long term implications of converting our coal into briquettes for transport to China. For this Project, we have been advised that there will be an 80% reduction in the coal moisture content. How safe is this to transport as freight from AGL Loy Yang to Wai Gao Qiao in China? Secondly, we have Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Projects which include scientific studies run by the CO2CRC and CSIRO, and commercial viability studies by CarbonNet. UNCONVENTIONAL GAS We have had offshore gas exploration in Bass Strait since the 1960’s, however I suggest that onshore gas exploration may be a very different matter, since 70% of water experts suggest that Coal Seam Gas exploration for methane provides a moderate to significant risk to water resources. We need to protect our land, our water and most importantly, our health. Coal Seam Gas exploration has the potential for cross-contamination of aquifers. The use of hydraulic fracturing or fracking which further stimulates the flow of CSG can release BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, all of which are volatile compounds). Fracking is required to obtain shale gas, from shale rocks, and tight gas, from sandstone rocks. There is currently a moratorium on these unconventional gas techniques in Victoria, and this is something with which I agree. RENEWABLE ENERGY There are exciting possibilities in this area, and this is where government policies can make a difference to our future. Rather than just dig up our coal for export to China, we could provide incentives to use the limitless solar energy generated by the sun. There are two which immediately come to mind. The first is a further RET Review, announced on Friday, after the Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and the Environment Minister proposed a reduction in the target, from 41,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy by 2020 to 27,000 GWh. This was definitely a retrograde step. It jeopardises more than $10 billion of investment in renewables, and is a massive impediment to the growth of the renewable energy industry. It has been described as “a corresponding free kick for fossil fuels”. In contrast, retention of the RET at 41,000 GWh by 2020 would allow Australia to reach more than 90% renewable electricity by 2040 by natural attrition of existing fossil fuel power stations – the deployment rate of wind and solar required to achieve the 2020 RET target is readily achievable, and fast enough to replace each fossil fuel power station in an orderly fashion as it reaches the end of its working life. The second would be to expand the Environmental Upgrade Agreement which was recently set up in the City of Melbourne, and to make this applicable to all of Victoria. The way this works is that if a business purchases a solar system, an LED light, or a variable speed drive, finance can be obtained through a bank supported by the Victorian Government, and repayments can be added to the rates notice. An example might be that I have a florist shop, but I’m a bit wary about investing in a new solar system, because I’m not sure how long I’ll be in business. However, if the repayments were put on the rates notice, then if I were to leave, any subsequent tenant would also benefit. The landlord benefits too. This means that in regional Victoria, we would have investment in local buildings. It’s positive for local business, the renewable energy industry, the landlord, the tenant and the local economy. Everybody wins. In summary, our brown coal industry which was established by General Sir John Monash has been a blessing to Victoria, providing 85% of our electricity. There are different pathways forward, and now it is up to us to choose what is most appropriate. It is for this reason that I stand for the Legislative Council, the Upper House, the House of Review. If I were to be elected, I would wholeheartedly support the renewable energy industry.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 11:50:38 +0000
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