Let us assume for one dreadful moment that the honourable Green Senator gets his way. All mining all Industry is arrested. The magic green wand is waved and the country is returned to its original pristine state. The great and illuminating artistic endeavours of ancient and not so ancient artists are preserved for all time. The Pilbara is successful quarantined from the modern world of technology and science and is metamorphosed into one vast natural history museum.

Let us go even further and make the stronger assumption that all geological processes are stopped. Climate is forever unchanging- In the Ludlam vision there will be no human activity that could conceivable cause a weather disturbance (anomaly).

Now let us ask the questions will any body be better off? What is the evidence that affordable dwellings, hospital beds modern obstetric services will miraculously appear? Will the art of fermentation be forgotten? Will Pilbara man live a longer and a more contented life? Indeed will there be a Pilbara man?

In the real world the mining boom is truly good news.

Let us assume that 'anti-green' is a 'resources' shareholder comfortably ensconced in hir 6 car garage Double Bay or Toorak mansion.

The 'resources sector' is central to the dominant mode of production threatening the extinction of more and more species of life on our small planet and its delicately balanced eco-systems. The social and ethical contradictions and crises extant in the 'modern' Pilbara region are simply another aspect of the financial/economic 'crisis' besetting the global(ised) political economy.

Millions of human beings and countless numbers of animal species and plant-life have already been destroyed by the Mr Greed's of this world in their insatiable desire to accumulate endless quantities of 'private' surplus wealth (Capital) and the power and privilege (that) such enormous wealth can command.

Hope 'anti-green' is still around to explain to hir surviving progeny
why life on Earth in "the modern world of technology and science" next century is so darned inimical to their happiness and very survival.

The mining towns are getting a raw deal, lack of housing, medical people, high prices for food product etc. So just who is raking in the money,its a fact that states with the so called boom are supporting the rest of the country. WA is getting out of hand when it comes to sustainability but the state government have blinkers on, they keep requesting more workers for industry but where are they going to live? There is a problem with a lack of water, gas, power,housing a health system that has been in critical condition for 3-4 years so how long before we fall in a heap?

An interesting multifaceted article.

“Unless sanity prevails and we transition toward a conserver economy, within a generation we will have drained the north-west gas fields, stripped the Pilbara of its ancient ironstone resources and permanently ruined the Burrup.”

As significant as the cultural aspects of the Burrup Peninsula are and the distortion of the local economy is, the quarry-Australia mentality is by far the most important thing here. But there is only this one sentence devoted to it.

Yes I know the topic is Karratha and the Burrup, but I get the feeling that Scott Ludlam and indeed the Greens overall are just not having anywhere near enough to say about the bigger issues here. That is; the exploitation of our primary resources or what this really means for our future or how it is not translating anywhere near well enough into improvements in quality of life across the country or how it should be being utilised to swing our economy and lifestyle onto a sustainable footing instead of taking us further away from sustainability or how the current rate of production is nowhere near enough for the powers that be and that they just want to increase the output massively.

In short, the Greens seem to miss the main issues and run off on tangents. Maybe this is a little unfair to Scott, I don’t know. But it isn’t unfair to the Australian Greens.

As an ex Qld Greens candidate, I have found this to be terribly disillusioning, to the point where I abandoned my membership in about 1996, shortly after my run at state politics….and I haven’t seen any real reason to rejoin.

Scott ,
Howard's government ok'd the new project Burrup project at the last minute . I was frankly disgusted with the tactic .

Howard ,his cronies ,Woodside and those responsible in the WA Government and for this cultural vandalism should not be allowed to forget their irresponsible and disgracefull actions .

Atleast those working and camping out in the Pilbara will hopefully be able to buy something decent when they get back home .

One wonders where are the Unions in all this production and wealth production .

Surely not providing accomodation is a copout by the companies .

Even in China they seem to house their workers .

Let us get real. Sowat it matters little wither I move to Toorak or Double Bay or follow my preference and live out my life in WA.

The question is how can the lot of some fellow citizens living in the north of WA be improved. I offer the following suggestions in the interest of pragmatism and wealth creation.

1. Extend the Northern Territory intervention to WA, Queensland and NSW.
2. Encourage the growth of mining through out Australia including the mining of uranium.
3. Encourage the growth of all industry in including smelters for iron ore. Aluminium, silica, Carbon arc furnaces for steel making and so on.
4. Encourage the development of large towns in relation to the Ord and Fitzroy rivers.
5. Provide a reliable and plentiful supply of cheap energy. This means giving 100% support to the nuclear industry.
6. On the subject of energy, every support must be given to the oil and natural gas industries. Environmental considerations should not be advanced as an impediment to further exploration and drilling of oil wells.
7. Recognise the importance of finding a site for an international repository for spent nuclear fuel. Such a repository would among things provide a regular inflow of foreign currency.
8. Encourage agriculture in the North West such as the Ord. In this regard we should favour GM crops which can be designed to resist salt, drought and many other desirable features. GM crops are known to have increased yield and require less in the way of pesticide use.
9. Develop all technological advances in animal husbandry including cloned animals.