Critical Times

Click on the link below to view the video, “Unmineable Minds” on YouTube. It is a plea to save Arkaroola from the devastation of mining this world heritage geological feature of South Australia.

http://www.

Source: St Clair Reserve Ratepayers Association

Feb 9th, 2010
by Jenny.

What a busy year 2010 is shaping up to be for us!

We are surrounded by lots of political activity and media news at this time with our forthcoming State election. Our continuing efforts to save St Clair are being referenced in the press/media along with Cheltenham and other related matters.

Last year Alyawarr leader Richard Downs led his Alyawarr people in a walk-off from their community town of Ampilatwatja, about 300 kilometres from Alice Springs in central Australia.

They were protesting about the terrible housing and the lack of action to assist them in the wake of the racist Federal Government “intervention” in the Northern Territory.

Richard Downs says the Alyawarr are becoming sick from living in tin houses which are ankle-deep in sewage.

RSVP essential via Hawke Centre web site or phone 08 8302 0215

Thursday 11 February
5.30pm for a 6.00pm start

Allan Scott Auditorium, UniSA City West campus, Hawke Building, 50 North Terrace, Adelaide

Keynote address by Professor Ian Lowe, President of the Australian Conservation Foundation “The truth and lies about water politics”

A sustainable Water Future without compromising the health of interdependent ecosystems is a critical issue for our state and our nation.

Source: Charles Sturt Ratepayers & Residents

The following letter was sent to City of Charles Sturt Ratepayers & Residents website and was forwarded to The Advertiser & other newspapers for publication, as well as TV channels.

Letter to The Editor
30 December 2009

I challenge you, Premier Rann, Treasurer Foley, Attorney General Atkinson, Minister Hill & Ministers Maywald & Gago to a debate on national television. The only condition I seek is the full protection of Parliamentary Privilege; not that I intend to disclose anything but facts & my opinion of them.

Source: Charles Sturt Ratepayers

Attention Attention Attention

This is a Reminder and a Call to Arms (figuratively)

A Reminder: Remember that we are holding the Christmas Picnic in the Park at St Clair this Sunday from 12 midday on. There will be events for children and a sausage sizzle for those who don’t want to bring a picnic lunch. Don’t forget your wallet or purse as we are always looking for donations to supplement our costs in running this campaign.

Last Thursday, 3rd of December, supporters of Spirit of Eureka and others recited the diggers oath of 1854 on the steps of Parliament House in Adelaide. The Honourable Robert Sneath, President of the Legislative Council lead those present on the steps of Parliament House in the original oath led by Peter Lalor.

“WE SWEAR BY THE SOUTHERN CROSS TO STAND TRULY BY EACH OTHER AND FIGHT TO DEFEND OUR RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES”

Click on the link below and allow some time to load before playing the video below.

Source: Charles Sturt Ratepayers

Great Turnout to Rally on Monday 23rd Nov – Thanks Everyone

Congratulations to all the supporters who came along and to those who spoke; it was a truly great turnout.

We really made our presence felt and had good coverage in the media the following day including a great segment on Today Tonight highlighting the interesting allegiances of 11 Charles Sturt councillors as Labour party members and government employees. Check our web page or Facebook page to view this and other highlights.

Eureka oath to be led by President of the Legislative Council, Thursday 3rd December.

Today at 1.15pm, President of the Legislative Council, Bob Sneath, will lead a gathering on the steps of Parliament in reciting the oath first taken by the miners of Ballarat at the famous Eureka Stockade.

Source: Charles Sturt Ratepayers

Members and supporters of the St Clair Reserve campaign,

This is the Reserve & here are some of the Trees we are fighting to keep for the enjoyment of residents & ratepayers.

This Thursday at 5.00pm, there will be a rally on the steps of Parliament House at 5.

Source: Western Adelaide Residents’ Association

Editorial Note: This article came to our attention after the event. Our apologies. Nevertheless it is still worth reproducing.

MEDIA RELEASE
Climate Emergency Action Network SA (CLEAN SA)

Monday, 9 November 2009 – For Immediate Release

“A war of attrition against the people of Adelaide”, is the way that one local climate action group today described the expected record heatwave for the city, saying that the continuous heat should be an urgent wake up call to all politicians about the need for urgent action on climate change.

“This November heatwave is likely to cause more deaths among the elderly and the isolated, like the 30 pensioners who died of heat-related causes during the heatwave earlier this year,” John Rice, spokesperson for CLEAN SA, the Climate Emergency Action Network, said today.

“Adelaide’s unprecedented November heatwave is classic climate-change weather.

Noted historian Humphrey McQueen (above) and South Australian State Secretary of the CFMEU Martin O’Malley were interviewed about issues in the construction industry by Catherine Zengerer of SA Unions for the Your Rights at Night broadcast on Radio Adelaide 101.5.

Here is a link to the first of several podcasts on the topic:

http://houndbite.

After being approached by the Spirit of Eureka Committee the Marion Council has decided to fly the Eureka Flag during the commemorative anniversary (Nov 28 to Dec 3) of the Eureka Stockade Rebellion of 1854.

It was put to the council that the Eureka Stockade Rebellion was a key event in the development of Australian democracy and Australian identity” (see http://www.cultureandrecreation.

The CFMEU will be bringing Humphrey McQueen to Adelaide to be one of the key speakers at the Ark Tribe Rally on October 30th.

McQueen is a well renowned Australian Historian who has written numerous books about political, social and economic issues. He has recently published, “A framework of Flesh” which tells of the battles that construction workers waged over safety issues in the dangerous building industry during the past century.

(Map, above, shows Port Augusta at the top of the gulf, and both Leigh Creek and Copley sandwiched between Lakes Torrens and Frome)

A small contingent of protesters calling for the closure of the polluting coal-fired Port Augusta power station last weekend were easily outnumbered by the corporate world’s protectors, the state police.

About 35 supporters of the Climate Emergency Action Network (CLEAN) took the 3-hour road trip from Adelaide to Port Augusta. They held a community forum on Friday night and marched on the power station the following morning.

Below is a letter from Spirit of Eureka (NSW) to the Sydney Morning Herald contrasting ABCC’s treatment of building workers and unions (and Ark Tribe) with the treatment of Michael McGurk, Sydney’s multi-million property developer murdered in Sydney last weekend.

..

In a front page article in the national daily The Australian Marathon Chairman Peter Williams claims that Marathon has the “full support” of South Australia’s Rann Labor Government (Australian 7/9/09).

He is referring to Marathon Resources’ plan to eventually mine uranium from within the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary.

This is similar to a boast made by then Chief Executive Officer Dr.

Three threads of struggle were woven by South Australian workers in Adelaide last Tuesday.

Working class activists are determined to weave these threads into a powerful strand and to raise them high for the benefit of all workers.

At 12 noon, several hundred construction workers and representatives from a range of unions gathered at the foot of a major construction site in the city.

The Marathon saga continues to be as messy as a bucket of mullet gut.

On August 29 the local Murdoch rag ran a story in its business pages quoting the state government’s Primary Industry and Resources department (PIRSA) as saying that a “mineral exploration licence in the Arkaroola area held by a Marathon Resources subsidiary is expected to be renewed.”

It added that “the extension would not enable the uranium explorer to recommence its drilling program”.