Coal threatens Queensland
It is not a good look for Queensland internationally and here at home with the Chinese coal ship having run aground on the Great Barrier Reef, leaking oil and about to break up.
The massive mines of the Hancock and Waratah coal companies, together with the coal mines of the Bowen Basin coming through with the Northern Missing Link, mean that upwards of 230 million tonnes per annum of coal will be going through the nationally wetlands of Caley Valley and exported through the newly constructed port at Abbot Point.
The vision portrayed by government is that this port will become the largest coal export port of the world but fails to highlight the fact that it is situated in the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The government's planned privatisation of public assets means the state's ports, together with Queensland Rail, will be sold off — most likely to a consortium of coal companies who have already made their bid.
Mining already takes precedence over any other land use here in Queensland. With our valuable public assets of rail and ports privately owned, will the coal companies be left to regulate themselves? And then what of the future of the Great Barrier Reef and, indeed, ourselves?
Maria Macdonald
Coral Coast Greens
Bowen, Qld [Abridged]
Population minister
Sorry Tony Burke, we don't really need a ministry of population, just look over your shoulder. Poxy suburban sprawl and greedy Texas-style ranches are gobbling up our country.
Yvonne Francis
Apollo Bay, Vic
Israel: aiding occupation and oppression
Like many people, I am deeply distressed with the continual, tragic conflict and carnage in Palestine. It is therefore disheartening to read about more Israeli settlement building, the suppression of protests, arrests, beatings, detentions, killings and curfews and total lack of progress towards a just resolution.
Despite this bad news, a welcome development is that even staunch allies like Australia and the US are finally expressing mild criticism of the rogue state of Israel, in regards to the settlements, forging of passports and other matters. The recent actions by Israel have exposed the true nature of the Israeli state to many more people around the world.
This publicity has upset the US, and Israel's other allies. This is because Israel could not build illegal settlements, break UN resolutions and international law, and kill and oppress the Palestinian people without the support of countries like the US and Australia. The US in particular continues to provide the diplomatic, political, economic and military support to enable the Israeli war machine to operate. The US gives Israel over $US4 billion in direct aid each year.
It is vitally important at this juncture to increase the pressure on Israel's western backers.
Steven Katsineris
Hurstbridge, Vic
[Abridged]
'No' to uranium mine
It was great to see John Butler putting the proposed uranium mine at Angela Pamela to a vote at Triple J's One Night Stand in Alice Springs.
A resounding "No" vote of 10,000 people in a town of 20,000 is significant, even taking into account interstate visitors.
The Rudd Government should put this to a real ballot among the affected communities.
Chris Peterson
Melbourne, Vic
West committing genocide in Iraq
It is the seventh anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq by US, UK and Australian forces on March 20, 2003. What has been the human cost?
As of March 20, 2010 post-invasion violent deaths in occupied Iraq total 1.4 million (according to the eminent US organisation Just Foreign Policy).
Post-invasion under-5 infant deaths total 0.8 million and post-invasion non-violent excess deaths (avoidable deaths, deaths that did not have to happen) total 1.1 million (based on 2006 revision data from the UN Population Division), this being identical to an independent estimate from under-5 infant deaths.
Gulf War violent deaths totalled 0.2 million and excess deaths and under-5 infant deaths under Sanctions (1990-2003) totalled 1.7 million and 1.2 million, respectively.
In the period 1990-2010 Iraqi violent deaths totalled 1.6 million, non-violent excess deaths from deprivation totalled 2.8 million, under-5 infant deaths (90% avoidable and due to US Alliance war crimes in gross violation of the Geneva Convention) totalled 2 million and refugees totalled 5-6 million.
This is an Iraqi holocaust and an Iraqi genocide as per Article 2 of the UN Genocide Convention (compare with World War II Jewish holocaust, 5-6 million killed, 1 in 6 dying from deprivation).
Dr Gideon Polya
Macleod, Vic
[Abridged]