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The Forum > Article Comments > Pilbara: an industrial sacrifice zone > Comments

Pilbara: an industrial sacrifice zone : Comments

By Scott Ludlam, published 28/7/2008

Collateral damage: because of our mining boom housing and heritage is on the line in the Pilbara.

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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.
Posted by anti-green, Monday, 28 July 2008 11:24:00 AM
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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.
Posted by Sowat, Monday, 28 July 2008 1:14:06 PM
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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?
Posted by Anng, Monday, 28 July 2008 10:43:49 PM
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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.
Posted by Ludwig, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 2:20:56 PM
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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 .
Posted by kartiya jim, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 8:09:30 PM
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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.
Posted by anti-green, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 10:37:26 AM
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Anti-green, you are so totally hooked into rapid and massive expansionism.

How long do you think that can last?

What good is it going to if it is accompanied by rapid population growth, which you also presumably also support as it would provide the labour for of this growth?

Don’t you think that it is exactly this growth in mining and industry, propped up by still-but-not-for-much-longer cheap energy, that has led to the massive distortion of economies in some places, and the serious negative effects that flow from it??
Posted by Ludwig, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 10:15:59 PM
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Anti-green,
They have been mining around Kagoorlie, The Kimberleys and the Pilbara for over 100 years with a few getting very filthy rich .

Have a look at the health and housing of Indigenous people in these areas -it's a disgrace to most Australians, you EXcluded .

It's garbage to say that mammoth wealth creation from usurped Aboriginal Land has given or is guaranteed to them anything substantial in those things we whites take for granted in the future.

Your "wealth" makers are selfish and greedy .

No doubt any export price is a good price for you and your miners, when you get your spoil for next to nothing .

One wonders if you have a concrete backyard - maybe with a few plastic plants from Europe around - but atleast we know what your mindset is .
Posted by kartiya jim, Wednesday, 30 July 2008 11:11:48 PM
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kartiya jim and Ludwig,

Oh dear chaps I must disagree profoundly with your argument. Clearly life to-day is better, for the vast majority of people on the planet, then it was say a hundred years ago or even ten years ago. This is a fact in spite of your much feared growth in population. Although the mathematics is truly horrendous, there are conditions when the logistic equation for growth can brake down into wild and chaotic oscillations.

Evidence, compare the Dickensian descriptions of life in the nineteen century with life in London today. Think of how modern devices such as washing machines, dishwashers, and so on have relieved the drudgery of much house work.

Please look at trends in vital statistics, decreasing infant mortality rates, increasing longevity for both men and women. Look at advances in medical and surgical science and then tell me man is no better off.

Ok Public Health measures are statistical and represents mean, yes there are exceptions, pockets of poverty. Sometimes big holes of misery are to be found in the overall picture. I do not blame this (unlike the Greens) on technology and/or scientific progress. One example will illustrate my point: The misery in Zimbabwe is due entirely too disgraceful governance.

[to be Continued].
Posted by anti-green, Thursday, 31 July 2008 1:07:55 PM
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Continued

More good news:
You will have read in to-days paper of the collapse of the Doha trade talks. Clearly, this is not the good news. To a supporter of free trade, the market economy, capitalism etc it is very sad indeed. I put it as an article of faith that the best path out of poverty is trade, industry and technology.

So why talk of good news. The brake up of Doha implies that the chance of obtaining a multilateral agreement on greenhouse policy is Zilch. The threat of a universal carbon trading pact is no longer a possibility.
Further given the somewhat dubious science of greenhouse, industry [freed from the mill stone of a carbon tax] will be able to go ahead and further develop the Pilbara for the benefit of us all.
Posted by anti-green, Thursday, 31 July 2008 1:08:59 PM
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By all means "Let us get real” anti-green.

First off, please explain how 'Extend the Northern Territory intervention to WA, Queensland and NSW.' would improve the lot of ‘some fellow citizens’ living in the north of WA?

Given the proven neglect and indifference towards the 'fellow citizens' in question by the numerous multi-billion dollar private mining companies exploiting the region plus State and Federal administrations into whose coffers large royalties and taxes are said to flow, who do you think is likely to fund " ... 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.”

Corporate (including government) spin regularly informs us that we already benefit from ' ... a reliable and plentiful supply of cheap energy', ie, the huge reserves of natural gas in the area. (Security of supply to WA's small business and domestic consumers is proving to be an entirely different question however.)

Moreover, as with much of the rest of our 'wide brown land', an abundance of sunshine provides ample opportunity for widespread employment of solar energy capture and use. (Check out what the Germans, for instance, are doing in this regard). Advances in wind power technology are also enabling people worldwide to take advantage of this cheap and extremely safe form of energy.

Nuclear power is neither cheap NOR safe, demonstrated by governments worldwide turning to readily available alternate energy sources and cancelling orders for new nuclear plants.

2, 3 and 8. “Encourage the growth of mining through out Australia … the growth of all industry including smelters for iron ore, Aluminium, silica, Carbon arc furnaces for steel making and so on ... (and) agriculture in the North West such as the Ord

‘Encourage’ is a euphemism for ‘subsidise’. Huge amounts of public money are already handed over - each and every year – to the giant national and foreign corporations through ‘tax breaks, ‘development assistance grants’ and other forms of corporate welfare!

"Let us get real” allright
Posted by Sowat, Thursday, 31 July 2008 2:07:28 PM
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Anti-green, I notice that you have been on this forum for a long time, about a year longer than me. So presumably you’ve gone over this fundamental difference of opinion with other posters previously. But you have taken my interest, so can I request another go at it here, so that we may explore this very important issue.

I wonder just what it is that we disagree profoundly on, given that we presumably both want to secure a healthy prosperous future for our country and planet.

“Clearly life to-day is better, for the vast majority of people on the planet, then it was say a hundred years ago or even ten years ago. This is a fact in spite of your much feared growth in population.”

Yes… IN SPITE of population growth. If pop growth had been much less, improvements in quality of life would have been much greater, generally speaking.

So now we are getting to the point where population growth is catching right up with us in Australia and rendering even the most massive efforts to increase economic growth and average QOL neutral, by basically channelling the profits into creating the same QOL of ever-more people instead of improving it for the existing population.

Just because population growth has accompanied the resource boom and rapid technological advancement of the last century doesn’t mean that it can continue. There are enormous indications that an almighty economic bust is just around the corner, due largely to our inability to temper expansionism.

It is just ludicrous for the massive iron ore resource of the Pilbara or the Northwest Shelf gas province to be exploited as quickly as possibly…….unless it is used specifically to wean our society off of this growth addiction and onto a stable population / stable economy / much slower rate of non renewable resource consumption / much more renewable resource oriented / sustainable society!

If the Pilbara was to become an industrial sacrifice zone for that purpose, I could condone it, even if it did mean the degradation of the Murujuga petroglyph region and grossly distorted local economies.
Posted by Ludwig, Thursday, 31 July 2008 2:35:15 PM
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Whilst many posters express all sorts of idealistic and romantic
notions of how Australia could or should be, its seems to me that
nearly all are refusing to accept the reality of here and now,
which is not going to go away, because you hope that it will.

Fact is that Australia still runs a huge current account deficit
of around 5.5% of GDP. In simple terms, if nice lenders like
Japan and China, don't lend us the money each month to pay our
bills, we are stuffed basically. That is the reality.

So all those of you who suck on the Govt purse for your living,
should thank your lucky stars that areas like the Pilbara exist,
where people go to sweat and toil, under difficult conditions,
for it is due to them, that you can enjoy your cushy lifestyles.

Yes, rents are sky high and conditions rough. Thank our Govt
officials for refusing to release enough land for housing
developments, refusing to invest more $ in infrastrastructure
for the region, prefering to treat the NW as a cash cow of funds,
to finance various hairbrain schemes in the cities, where
politicians can gain votes. Politicians acting out of short
term self interest is fairly common. That is the case here once
again.

WA is not overpopulated, quite different from more crowded areas
of Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast etc. The State covers
a third of this country and 10% of the Australian population here
are producing 50% of our exports, to pay your bills. Thank your
lucky stars!

Given that many Australians have it so good, that they have no need
to move anywhere for a living, it stands to reason that if areas
like the NW are to move forward and keep producing export dollars,
to finance your cushy lifestyles, then migrants are the only option
for those areas.

Notions of solar and other energy are all wonderful, anyone is free
to develop them, if they please. Meantime, Australia can't afford
to give up the day job just yet, as we continue as a major debtor
nation
Posted by Yabby, Friday, 1 August 2008 3:58:43 PM
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“FIRST OFF, PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW EXTEND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY INTERVENTION ………..”

Sowat: You just have to read in the press of the disgraceful behaviour in some communities in respect to treatment of women and children. Excesses due to alcohol and drug abuse to find more then sufficient justification

“GIVEN THE PROVEN NEGLECT AND INDIFFERENCE TOWARDS THE 'FELLOW CITIZENS' IN QUESTION BY THE NUMEROUS MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR PRIVATE MINING COMPANIES……” WHO DO YOU THINK IS LIKELY TO FUND " .

If you have specific examples in mind you must make them public. In all fairness companies* should have the right of reply to specific allegations. Failure to do this means you are just indulging in meaningless rhetoric.

“…. THE DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE TOWNS IN RELATION TO THE ORD AND FITZROY RIVERS.'?”

I do not know about you, but most people buy their homes usually by mortgage. They also pay rates to local councils etc. Therefore the simple answer to your question is the inhabitants of the towns. Industry and commerce provides the employment so that the inhabitants get an income to pay for services.

“PROVIDE A RELIABLE AND PLENTIFUL SUPPLY OF CHEAP ENERGY. THIS MEANS GIVING 100% SUPPORT TO THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY.”

I quote from Cost of Generating Electricity – Royal Academy of engineering .March 2004.

Base Load Power in pence/kWh#

Gas fired CCGT 2.2; Nuclear fission 2.3; Coal fired (pulverised steam) 2.5; Coal fired circulating fluidized bed 2.6; Coal-fired integrated gasification combined cycle 3.2.

Selected renewables with standby generation in pence/kWh.

Poultry Litter 6.8; Onshore wind farm 5.4; Offshore wind farm 7.2; Wave and marine 6.6.

[To be continued]
Posted by anti-green, Friday, 1 August 2008 4:45:07 PM
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“CORPORATE (INCLUDING GOVERNMENT) SPIN REGULARLY INFORMS….. A RELIABLE AND PLENTIFUL SUPPLY OF CHEAP ENERGY', IE, THE HUGE RESERVES OF NATURAL GAS . …..) “

It is important to have a mix of power generation including nuclear. By the way is “green spin” ok.

“……AMPLE OPPORTUNITY FOR WIDESPREAD EMPLOYMENT OF SOLAR ENERGY CAPTURE AND USE. ………ADVANCES IN WIND POWER TECHNOLOGY ARE ALSO…….. “

I think you are calling for what some call boutique power and others piddle power. Expensive and unreliable power sources with low capacity

“NUCLEAR POWER IS NEITHER CHEAP NOR SAFE, DEMONSTRATED BY GOVERNMENTS WORLDWIDE TURNING TO READILY AVAILABLE ALTERNATE ENERGY SOURCES …….”

Expense has been considered above.

Safety see the Switkowski report chapter 6. Direct Fatal accidents expressed as deaths per GWe/year.

Coal 0.876; Oil 0.436; Coal (excluding China) 0.690; Natural gas 0.093; LPG 3.536; Hydro 4.265; Hydro ( Banqiao/Shimantan dam excluded) 0.561.
Nuclear a low 0.006.

For a list of new and proposed reactors see
http://www.uic.com.au/

”ENCOURAGE’ IS A EUPHEMISM FOR ‘SUBSIDISE”.

This is a matter of interpretation. Many Green groups claim tax exemptions on the basis of non profit making charities. Governments do subsidise wind and solar etc. Personally, if public money is to be spent in subsidies then I would like too see a maximum community return. I have no idea if a subsidy is paid to Woodside for instance. In fact I would think it most unlikely.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

*I have no connection with any mining or other commercial enterprise.
# I am not an engineer. I can not describe thee different types of coal plants. Can you help?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ludwig. I must be brief. I suspect our disagreement is in detail and not in objectives. I doubt very much if the earths resources are anything like exhausted. The relation of resource use, population and standard of living must in detail, be complex. I am not suggesting that there should be no public health and industrial regulation. As far as I know Scott Ludham is the only person talking of turning a vast area into, “an industrial sacrifice zone.”
Posted by anti-green, Friday, 1 August 2008 4:46:15 PM
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