UN Human Rights Council expresses concern over Fukushima waste water
It's the first time for a UN body to comment on Japan's controversial plan to release 1.3 million metric tonnes of treated waste water into the Pacific Ocean.
The UN Human Rights Council warning was in response to a complaint filed by the Pacific Network on Globalisation.
"I think this is a landmark move for ocean justice in general," said Joey Tau, Coordinator for the Fiji based civil society group.
"It formally puts Japan on notice," he added.
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ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Red tape cut for farmers looking to build small on-farm abattoirs in Victoria
The Victorian government will change the state planning rules for micro abattoirs, allowing farmers to fast-track the construction of small processing facilities on their properties. On Thursday, the Victorian government tabled its response to the inquiry into the food security in Victoria report. The inquiry, which delivered its report in November, found demand for fresh fruit and vegetables was increasing as the state's population grew, and urban encroachment into farmland was making it difficult and expensive to grow food close to Victorian cities. The report made 33 recommendations and, in its response, the Victorian government said it would support in full or in part 29 of the recommendations, including the suggestion that it should be easier for small producers to access kill facilities for livestock. Small producers have faced limited options for processing their animals after large, often foreign-owned, abattoirs stopped taking small orders. In its response, the Victorian government said it would amend its planning provisions "to make it easier to establish micro abattoirs in appropriate rural and regional areas". This will mean that on most rural and agriculture-zoned land, small abattoirs will not require a planning permit. Those abattoirs will still be subject to health and environmental laws, with the Environmental Protection Authority and Victorian meat regulator Primesafe sign-off needed. Central Victoria farmer and spokesperson for the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance Tammi Jonas said it had taken her several years to get the planning permits for her micro abattoir, but the change would substantially lower the red tape. She said the facilities were important for small businesses like hers that did not process large numbers of animals to supply farmers' markets, local cafes and restaurants. Chinese-owned abattoir Kilcoy Global Foods stopped taking small orders last year, forcing Ms Jonas to drive more than three hours to get her animals processed. "It's going to be a massive relief for everyone to hear that we won this because the access has been diminishing rapidly across Australia, not only in Victoria," Ms Jonas said. She said small-scale abattoirs on farms could provide better welfare outcomes for animals, with less travel and stress on livestock prior to processing. Ms Jonas said she knew of at least six similar small abattoir projects that, once the changes were made by the Victorian government, would face minimal planning processes. Ms Jones said she thought other states should follow suit. A Victorian government spokesperson said they hoped to make the planning amendments by the end of the year. "Micro abattoirs will soon be treated as part of a full range of farming activities on those located in farming, rural activity, and green wedge zones — this aligns with the way boning rooms on farms are already treated," the spokesperson said. "This will make it easier for small-scale producers to control their whole supply chain while continuing to meet Victoria's high food safety and animal welfare requirements and environmental protection and community amenity standards." Victorian Farmers Federation livestock president Scott Young said the farming body would be "closely watching how these planning reforms are implemented" and wanted to make sure food safety, animal welfare, and traceability systems were maintained. "We must ensure any new micro abattoir approvals uphold those standards, not create loopholes that could put markets or community trust at risk," he said. "Supporting local processing is a good thing — but it must be done right, with appropriate oversight and a level playing field for all producers."
ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
Fiji's High Court finds nine men guilty in country's biggest drug bust
On the program this week: Fiji's High Court has found nine men guilty of various charges stemming from the country's biggest drug bust. Pacific countries spring into tsunami action plans following the massive eight point eight magnitude earthquake in Russia Tuvalu's Prime Minister visits Canberra following the first Tuvaluans being selected to migrate to Australia under the Falepili Migration Pathway Concerns around the skyrocketing rates of sexually transmitted diseases among PALM scheme workers Vanuatu marks 45 years of and celebrates the landmark advisory opinion passed down by the International Court of Justice.
The Australian
18 hours ago
- The Australian
Ex-Bechtel boss Andy Greig on boards of emerging miners and mentor for tech start-ups in Brisbane
The Australian Business Network US President Donald Trump's office hosts a bust of former British prime minister Winston Churchill, the infamous Diet Coke button and, improbably, a five billion-year-old fossil from the Pacific Ocean floor. The nickel, cobalt, and manganese nodule found its way into the Oval Office after a pitch by The Metals Company, an ambitious deep sea miner helmed by Queensland executive Gerard Barron. It hit Trump's sweet spot, with the President signing an executive order to fast-track US critical minerals exploration in international waters and putting the US toe-to-toe with China as an emerging mining battleground. Watching this unfold in Brisbane was Andy Greig, who stepped down as Bechtel's global mining boss a decade ago and has forged his own impressive path since. After years dealing with blockbuster commodities such as iron ore and copper, Greig was drawn to critical minerals and the challenges of deep sea mining as the next frontier of mining. He joined The Metals Company board in October 2022, and is also chairman and largest shareholder in tin and critical minerals miner Elementos. 'One of the things that really surprises me is that none of the major terrestrial mining companies have engaged in this yet,' Greig says, referring to seabed mining. 'If you're producing nickel or cobalt or copper or manganese, we're going to do it with a much smaller environmental footprint. 'We're going to do it without disrupting rainforests. We're going to do it without disrupting communities, and we're going to do it at a much lower cost than current production.' While scraping the ocean floor for minerals has attracted the ire of environmental groups, it's a bet Greig is happy to take. 'Gerard has been plugging away at developing this industry for a decade and I have to say having a scrappy Queenslander at the front end of a brand new industry is pretty neat,' he says. 'Likewise to have Elementos as a real small start-up with a handful of staff on the ASX living in Brisbane, which could produce 10 or 15 per cent of Europe's tin needs is special. It's a good feeling.' Greig has pulled off a few coups in his own career. Close to home, the most visible piece of infrastructure came through Bechtel's construction of all three LNG export plants built by Shell, Origin Energy and Santos in Queensland 15 years ago. Plenty have questioned the wisdom of building three rival gas facilities side by side, but the development from scratch of a major new export industry from the state still ranks as one of his proudest achievements. 'That was a big bet,' he says. 'Three lump sum contracts to build $30-odd billion worth of infrastructure. I look back at it with pride: we trained thousands of people, paid a good wage and everyone was safe.' And what of the claims the LNG plants have sucked away too much gas from the domestic market? 'Some people back then said there should be one plant or three,' he says. 'Well, again, that's not a matter for us. If it's one plant, we'll build it. If it's three plants, we'll build it. And we did.' After 35 years at Bechtel, Greig was keen to keep his eye on the mining industry but he's also established an impressive second innings in the tech start-up space. He set up ACAC Innovation in 2015, when he retired from the engineering giant, after identifying a gap in available capital for very early-stage start-ups. ACAC has invested in more than 40 start-ups to date with the company now run by his son, Bryce, a former litigation lawyer and construction contracts manager. Greig clearly gets a kick out of backing smaller-scale projects, many of which have been dreamt up from innovation hubs in Queensland. He points to the Healthcare Logic software business, founded out of the Gold Coast, and online marketplace Muval, established in Brisbane. 'My research discovered that right at the very front end where it was just people working out of the garage, there really wasn't a lot of funding available. So I committed $10m to setting up a fund,' he says. ACAC, with Greig still a director, has invested roughly $25m – 'somewhat over budget', he quips – with the typical investment between $100,000 and $1m for stakes that range from 10 to 30 per cent. 'We help the founders with advice and somewhere to work. And then they either fail or succeed, and off they go.' The business is a significant departure from Greig's former life overseeing some of the world's biggest infrastructure projects. But spending time with good ideas and smart innovations has proved a fruitful combination. 'It gives you a real balance, because you're just helping so many young people. And then from an economic perspective, these 40-odd companies created hundreds of jobs. 'They're all in Australia, most of them in Queensland. And it's just the feedback system. For me, it's fantastic.' Read related topics: Donald Trump Perry Williams Chief Business Correspondent Perry Williams is The Australian's Chief Business Correspondent. He was previously Business Editor and a senior reporter covering energy and has also worked at Bloomberg and the Australian Financial Review as resources editor and deputy companies editor.
