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My comment just now on Cubby opinion piece in the SMH reacting to same news:

1. TA references on 7.30 last night to outdoorsy interests is recreation not conservation. So first fallacy.

2. There is nothing practical - Howard or TA - in woodchipping mature wet forests 1996 to present. Shameful, wildfire promoting landuse policy.

3. TA is seeking a reverse wedge just as Howard did on 1996 $1B Telstra sale heritage trust fund. It worked on ACF and TWS sitting on their hands back then.

4. ALP wedged back in 2007 using climate, which also worked. But now Coalition has more to play with like business friendly WWF at peak level, to offset ACF and TWS. [ALP has annexed Garrett and ACF despite protestations.]

5. Both Coalition and ALP are wrong footed by Hansen/NASA, IMF, McKibbon etc calling for a carbon tax, not cap and trade. Only Greens have the intellectual framework right so far as science bears down us all.

6. Greens and indy senators Troeth and Boyce can make glorious changes if Rudd shifts ground towards Greens for a majority vote on climate. Ironic.

7. Abbott’s green corp 1998 was always about pre empting the ‘Jabiluka express’ phenomenon where hundreds of the cream of Oz youth [bused up from SE Aust and] blocked a U mine in NT in alliance with traditional owner Yvonne Margarula. And similar forest blockades of the 90ies [which helped changed state govt in NSW in 1995].

The gambit was to harvest and re-direct youth. Cynical? Soon after Jabiluka infusion to society up there, NT state referendum defeated, ALP elected first time in 30 years in NT. Ouch. No wonder he wants a youth busy painting rocks.

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Oh a couple more things after a closer read:

a. In holiday mode pollies talk about green stuff, so it has to be read down a bit, just as press run a natural history story every Monday because folks have been out and about. It’s trade work rather than sincerity as such.

b. Hepburn is right but he got active after Jabiluka above, if memory serves. Freudenberg too, though recall WWF were very pragmatic when Howard exploited their ambition in 1996 to step up into the peak level of national affairs, preface to current oil industry refugee leader now. (Head of Greening Australia (nsw?, previously national?) was ex WWF CEO in 1996.)

c. Never forget only 10% or so of farmers were card carrying members of Landcare pioneered late 80ies by National Farmers (umbrella group to state bodies) and ACF (again more umbrella than numbers?). Sincerity is very limited in our society when it comes to sustainability.

d. note similarly Rural Fires Service in NSW claims some 60K vollies but a captain said to a public meeting last year really about 15K or so! Ouch!

e. Ironic that TA is virtually parading the Turnbull agenda - irrigator efficiency in MD basin, confronting his own side of politics about the environmental policy framework. On a live blogging by TA on SDT I wrote but was omitted, “Saul, what’s it going to take for you to fight for your planet?” referencing to Paul/Damscus, but also Rural Fire Service tv adverts last month for bushfires ‘what will it take for you to fight?”.

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Lastly, I noticed TA on 7.30 biblical reference to ‘not hiding his bushell’. So is he Tony or Saul? Every year the Green Party vote trends up by 1% just as the rate of change in sea level goes up (on a J curve).

.......................[end crikey publsihed comment string Friday 15 Jan 2010]