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Date: 26 July 2023 at 8:51:05 am AEST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Jul 26
Post of the Day
The threat Australia faces that’s ‘worse than rabbits, cane toads, and feral cats combined’
Fire ants are breaching their containment zones in Queensland and a recently-discovered nest was the closest one has ever been to the NSW border. There could be devastating consequences if they cross.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
Climate Change
Crucial global climatic system could face tipping point in two years
As the northern hemisphere swelters through historic heatwaves and Antarctic sea ice disappears, scientists fear a major climatic system could collapse as soon as 2025.
Susanne Becken and Johanna Loehr
Thousands of people on the beach. Children reportedly falling off evacuation boats. Panic. People fleeing with the clothes on their backs. It felt like “the end of the world”, according to one tourist.
National
Following an ABC Investigation, the Australian Tax Office admits criminals have fraudulently claimed more than $557 million from the Commonwealth using an identity loophole.
REDcycle founder says she had ‘no doubt’ stockpiled plastic would be recycled
Liz Kasell, who founded the REDcycle soft plastic recycling scheme which collapsed with thousands of tonnes of plastic stockpiled in warehouses across the country, insists she believed materials being collected by the company would be saved from landfill.
$13bn Murray Darling Basin plan won’t be delivered on time, Plibersek concedes
The $13 billion Murray-Darling Basin Plan will not be completed on time, according to official advice from the Basin Authority, prompting federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek to conclude, “we have to extend the time frame”.
The major supermarkets have started sending samples of soft plastics overseas to be recycled, as they deal with the legacy of thousands of tonnes of stockpiled plastics from the collapsed REDcycle scheme.
Plastic not so fantastic: do you know which numbers can’t be recycled?
Do you know your PP from your HDPE, your PVC from your soft plastics? Plastic recycling is a minefield, so here’s how to tell what you’re dealing with and which bin you should put it in.
Ahead of tonight’s premiere of War On Waste, host Craig Reucassel, eco stylist Nina Gbor and scientist Veena Sahajwalla answer your recycling questions, bust myths, and provide the inspiration to take action.
Labor is taking climate change ‘seriously’ but cannot ‘defy science’, PM says
With communities still recovering from the Black Summer bushfires, Prime Minister Albanese says his government is taking a “practical” approach to climate change ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.
Regional communities will be able to access hundreds of millions of dollars in a new fund created to spread the benefits of the renewables boom.
’Fantasy‘ carbon credits won’t aid a warming planet
Michael Pascoe
When an Australian National University law school professor and director of research tells you that you’ve made a mistake about what is illegal and perhaps criminal, it’s wise to pay attention.
Bait and switch: How ESG investors get duped
Elizabeth Knight
Investment managers have become increasingly adroit at marketing the environmental, social and corporate governance hygiene of their investments.
Wellbeing? Measure what matters, then start fixing it
Ross Gittins
They say what gets measured gets managed, but until what we know affects what our governments do, it’s just box-ticking.
Sorry Albo, there’s some territory to cover before we call full time on climate wars
Dennis Atkins
Anthony Albanese will probably boast that the climate wars are over when the Labor Party’s national conference assembles in Brisbane next month but Dennis Atkins wonders if it’s a little early to claim victory.
The feral flying under the radar: why we need to rethink European honeybees
Amy-Marie Gilpin et al
Australia’s national parks, botanic gardens, wild places and green spaces are swarming with an invasive pest that is largely flying under the radar. This is yet another form of livestock, escaped from captivity and left to roam free.
Paul Graham
Addressing climate change means enduring some economic pain in the early part of this century to avoid worse outcomes in the long run. But recently the narrative has shifted from pain to opportunity.
Wireless technology poses credible risk on wildlife
Reynard Loki
Research has exposed the risks posed by electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi and cell towers to birds, mammals, insects and even plants.
Victoria
Will the Metro Tunnel really shift Melbourne to a ‘turn-up-and-go’ timetable?
Experts say the Andrews government is yet to convince them that high-frequency trains will run in the suburbs outside peak hour and on weekends.
High-rise blitz coming as Andrews govt sidelines councils [$]
Councils will be stripped of decision-making powers in multiple Melbourne suburbs, paving the way for new high-rise precincts based around transport hubs.
New South Wales
A legal win for businesses that suffered losses during the construction of the Sydney CBD light rail, is a “positive development” for Parramatta retailers in the same predicament.
Metro West hangs by a thread as Minns flags project review
Nervous stakeholders in western Sydney – many of whom are braced for the worst following recent meetings with ministers – criticised the government for turning its back on the region.
Platypus rescue hospital to open to combat looming drought
Despite flooding rains across most of the state last year, parts of NSW this year are in drought. Animal conservationists are concerned about the impact these dry conditions could have on monotremes.
Newcrest slows mining at NSW flagship site amid dust pollution warnings
Newcrest, one of the largest Australian gold miners, has reduced underground mining rates at its flagship Cadia mine in New South Wales after the state’s environmental watchdog found it was failing to comply with clean air standards.
Mining inquiry to examine pollution impacts on health
The investigation was announced on Tuesday following complaints that pollution from one of Australia’s largest gold mines was contaminating nearby residents.
Any delay to our city’s much-needed Metro West rail line would be a disaster
SMH editorial
During its previous years in state government, delay became Labor-speak for never going to happen.
ACT
Heard of dunny budgies? ANU calls for your classic Aussie nature slang [$]
Australia is known for its unique wildlife almost as much as it is known for equally unique slang.
Queensland
Queensland creates new containment lines to stop fire ants spreading to New South Wales
It is hoped a horseshoe-shaped containment area and baiting three times a year will stop the spread of fire ants after the pests were recently detected just 5km north of the NSW border.
Senex gets a 10-year gas deal with Bluescope, but check the fine print
Senex has struck a deal to supply Bluescope with 20 petajoules of gas over a 10-year partnership but also said the deal was conditional and it was working with the Federal Government to satisfy those conditions.
More burn-offs for Brisbane as bushfire hotspots identified
Authorities have named 26 suburbs at risk of bushfire when the weather shifts to a hot, dry summer. Check our list to see if yours is among them.
What was the point of inquiry when rats return to ranks?
Courier Mail editorial
Queensland’s police commissioner needs the power to get rid of the rats in the ranks who are tainting the reputation of the majority of good cops
South Australia
Penguin that ‘should never pop up on the mainland’ discovered on SA beach
For the first time in 17 years, a northern rockhopper penguin has been discovered in SA. Carers hope the drastically underweight migratory bird will make a full recovery and return to the wild.
Fruit fly ‘red zones’ spiralling in Riverland
When the Riverland launched an all-out battle to eradicate fruit fly one year ago it was facing 14 outbreaks – now the powerhouse driving the $1.4 billion horticulture industry is dealing with 43 red zones.
Treasury switches on 6000 solar panels at flagship Barossa winery [$]
Penfolds owner Treasury Wine Estates says it now operates the largest solar network of any wine producer in Australia and is on track to soon be using 100 per cent renewables.
Everyone fell victim to the great Murray Darling basin scam [$]
Richard Beasley
We should stop talking about the Southern Murray being deprived only of 450GL per year. It is being defrauded of more than that.
Tasmania
80 groups worldwide demand action on Maugean skate, end to ‘sustainable’ certification
More than 80 organisations from around the globe are calling for the accreditation schemes, Best Aquaculture Practices and GlobalG.A.P., to immediately revoke their ‘sustainability’ certifications from farmed salmon and trout raised in waters adjacent to the World Heritage Area, Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania.
Wild deer aerial cull was a ‘barbaric’ massacre, says shooter [$]
The state-funded helicopter cull of wild deer in a Tasmanian national park is being labelled as a “barbaric” massacre by professional shooters, due to the amount of bullets used.
Timber furore escalates: sawmills ready to cut legs off competition [$]
With the supply of native forest timber in the market expected to dwindle in coming years, the director of a northern sawmill has hit back at criticism he is raiding Tasmania’s scarce log supplies and selling to Victoria following the closure of that state’s native logging industry this year.
Why scientists are watching on in horror at ‘alarming’ Antarctic change [$]
Scientists at Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies say they have been observing a “shocking” change on the frozen continent with their “mouths open”.
‘We’ll never let you down’: Rockliff slams Andrews over forestry [$]
Tasmania’s Premier has promised local timber workers that they won’t be left behind, as a Victorian decision begins to have impacts on the Apple Isle. His promise.
Labor pledges Tasmanian First Forestry Policy
Media release – Rebecca White MP, Tasmanian Labor Leader
Tasmanian Labor will seek to work with Independent MPs John Tucker and Lara Alexander to create a Tasmanian First Forestry Policy.
Northern Territory
WA Farmers pledge to fight heritage, live export ‘attacks’ from state, federal governments
At a rally in WA’s Great Southern, farmers say the combined policy push from state and federal Labor is hurting rural communities
‘More money for mining executives’: Land council criticises proposed changes to royalties system
With hundreds of millions of dollars in mining revenue due to stop in the Northern Territory by the decade’s end, the territory government is proposing a massive shake-up of the system.
Western Australia
Twice the size of Sydney Harbour: Australia’s other city water world
This city has undergone a transformation to become a playground of waterways, nature and giants.
Pilbara Minerals chases lithium sweet spot after ‘cracking year’
Pilbara Minerals shares jumped 5.2 per cent after the lithium producer finished its financial year with production of a vital battery ingredient surging by 64 per cent.
Shock move which could torpedo WA heritage laws [$]
The Albanese Government has not ruled out enacting federal Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation that overrides WA’s contentious regime.
Sustainability
Mines found at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, UN watchdog says
The International Atomic Energy Agency says mines were found in “restricted areas”, and that any detonation should not affect the plant’s nuclear safety and security systems.
AAP Fact Check: UN megacities claim is a mishmash of misinformation
Conspiracy theorists have gone back in time to a 1976 UN conference where they claim a grand plan to force people into tightly-controlled megacities was hatched.
Nature Conservation
Wildfires in Algeria kill 34 people, including 10 soldiers
Authorities say thousands of firefighters are battling to bring the flames under control after a heatwave swept across the region.
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