Surf Life Saving Queensland boss says swimmers not safe from crocodile attack

A warning now amplified by the apparent death of an elderly lady at Port Douglas -- apparently the result of a croc attack.

Since crocodiles were made protected under Greenie influence, their numbers have spiralled, with at least 100,000 of them in Australian waters now.  So there is no sense in continuing protection across the board.  I would argue that they be de-protected South of Daintree.  That would still leave them a large safe habitat.  Once an area had been cleared, some crocs would move South into it but that would simply make good targets for sporting shooters.  The core population would continue to thrive and human users of the waters would be safe from them

And what is this nonsense about relocating them?  Relocating them to zoos does stop them but relocating them to other areas and releasing them is a crock (Pun admitted).  They just swim back to their old stamping ground.  One croc that was relocated to the Western side of Cape York peninsula swam back all the way around Cape York to his old habitat well South on the East coast -- a journey of perhaps 1,000 km


A SURF Life Saving boss is warning swimmers they should no longer feel safe in some of our most popular waterways — as crocodile numbers keep rising.

A SURF Life Saving Queensland boss says swimmers can no longer feel safe in the state’s waterways due to the increased threat of crocodile attack.

SLSQ chief operating officer George Hill yesterday told a public hearing into Katter’s Australia Party’s proposed Safer Waterways Bill there was a growing risk to both Surf Life Saving staff and the general public at Queensland beaches.

“We have seen a growing trend and a higher risk to our community,” he said.  “The reality is that there’s tourists sunbaking and there’s crocodiles (basking) less than 30m apart.  “It’s a risk that has the potential to have a catastrophic result for the community.”

The revelation comes after The Courier-Mail this week revealed crocodile sightings in the state have increased by more than 38 per cent in the past two years.

Mr Hill said while the service did not support killing crocodiles, it did want to see them removed from popular swimming areas.

“Both those levels (life guards and life savers) have identified a trend of seeing larger crocodiles in what we call public space, waterways where people can frequent. And when I say larger crocodiles, over the past five years the trend has certainly grown to see 3m to 4m crocodiles.

“(This) is in public spaces such as Port Douglas Beach, Four Mile Beach, there was one there last week that we closed the beach for, Palm Cove, Trinity Beach, Forest Beach in Ingham, Townsville’s Strand.”

Mr Hill said members were becoming hesitant to patrol waterways north of Townsville and that he was particularly concerned for the safety of SLSQ staff manning stinger nets in north Queensland.

“Unfortunately crocodiles can enter those (nets) and ... we have situations where every morning in summer our lifesavers and lifeguards will drag those nets for stingers.

“But they’re going in knowing there may or may not be a crocodile in there.”

Mr Hill said he supported changes to the state’s crocodile management plan if it meant safer waterways for swimmers.

“We need to protect our environment but certainly we need to protect the public and our users and future surf life savers and people that frequent our waters,” he said.

“While we don’t want to see the crocs harmed in any way, we certainly do support the removal of any crocodile that’s in a public space that could be a risk to anyone in the community whether it’s a bite or a fatal attack.”

The proposed KAP Bill would introduce a number of new measures including controlled crocodile culls and egg harvesting.

A spokesman for Australia Zoo also spoke at the hearing and slammed the Bill saying it was poorly researched and would not make waterways any safer.

“This legislation will be disastrous for humans and for crocodiles,” he said. “The environmental research has been basic and sketchy.”

SOURCE






Three generations of the same family will soon be living under the same roof because of Sydney's 'out-of-control' population growth

And what is driving that growth?  Out of control immigration

Thanks to the out-of-control population growth Sydney, it has been predicted that multi-generational living will soon become the norm.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the majority of families will be living with three generations under one roof by 2031.

NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts said that multi-generation living is 'the way of the future' as the population of NSW is expected to increase by 30 per cent in the next 20 years.

A new analysis constructed by state government demographers indicates that the population increase is largely due to people living longer.

The average male life expectancy is now 80, as opposed to the 1950s when men were only expected to live until the age of 67.

Mr Roberts explained that there will be a 67 per cent increase in the 65+ age group thanks to people's healthy and active lifestyles.

'While that is a testament to our healthcare services...it certainly shapes the next 20 years and defines what services we will need,' he said.

The current trend is for young people to live in apartments closer to the city centre while older people are living in the suburbs, mostly in free-standing homes.

This trend points to a gap in the housing market - a lack of low-rise, medium-sized homes that allow dual occupancy, according to the demographic analysis.

Mr Roberts terms this gap the 'Missing Middle' and highlights the importance of diversifying housing in the next two decades. 

'Well-designed, medium density is how we will accommodate multiple generations living under one roof,' he said.

Meanwhile, Greater Sydney Commission chief executive Sarah Hill said that Sydneysiders need reassurance that the 'right infrastructure' was being put in place to handle population growth.

Ms Hill also said that along with increased population density comes more jobs and more houses - but also more difficult questions.

'[Questions like] where do you want your children or grandchildren to live? Do you want them nearby for when you are old and need support? Where do you want them to find good jobs?' she said.

It is expected that by 2036, NSW will have an extra 2.2 million people, and the Department of Planning expects 180,000 new houses to be built in Sydney in the next five years.

Suburbs slated to receive the most new homes are Haymarket, Mascot, Zetland and Roseberry.

SOURCE





The Federal governments brilliant way to avoid blackouts this summer

They want people to switch off

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) today jointly announced 10 pilot projects have been awarded funding under the demand response initiative to manage electricity supply during extreme peaks.

In total, the $35.7 million initiative will deliver 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity by 2020, with at least 143 MW to be available for this upcoming summer.

Over three years, the pilot projects will be trialled in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales to free up temporary supply during extreme weather - such as prolonged summer heatwaves - and unplanned outages.

On behalf of the Australian Government, ARENA has committed $28.6 million in total to fund set-up and operational costs for the projects, with $7.2 million to be matched by the NSW Government for NSW-based projects.

Successful funding recipients include energy retailers, an energy distributor, a demand response aggregator, a smart thermostat developer and a South Australian metal foundry.

Demand response involves paying an incentive for energy users to reduce their power consumption, switch to backup generation or dispatch their energy storage for short periods when electricity reserves reach critically low levels.

From Texas to Taiwan, demand response is commonly used overseas to avoid unplanned or involuntary outages, ease electricity price spikes and provide grid support services. In other countries, up to 15 per cent of peak demand is met with demand response.

The pilot projects will engage large scale industrial and commercial businesses - such as cold storage facilities, manufacturing plants and commercial buildings. Tens of thousands of households are also expected to voluntarily sign up to participate in exchange for incentives.

In the coming months, the pilot projects will be engaging customers and installing hardware to remotely monitor and control their energy usage. Household hardware will have optional user overrides.

This program, which was launched in May and run as a competitive round, is the flagship initiative of ARENA and AEMO’s collaboration to test proof of concept projects to support grid security and stability.

AEMO Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Audrey Zibelman said the projects would undergo testing by AEMO in November and would be up and running by December 2017.

“These demand response projects will help manage spikes in peak demand in a cost effective way using our existing electricity infrastructure and clever new technology.

“It is clear that demand response has untapped potential to manage demand during extreme peaks in Australia, just as it does in other countries,” Ms Zibelman said.

“We’re hopeful this will create the proof of concept for a new market mechanism that will ultimately be to the benefit of Australian consumers,” she said.  

ARENA Chief Executive Ivor Frischknecht said the funding round had well exceeded the 160 MW initially hoped for, and cost less than expected.

“Through this initiative, we’ve been able to build a virtual power plant the size of two of Tesla’s giant 100 MW batteries in a matter of months for a fraction of the cost of building new supply.

“We are also trialling an innovative range of technologies and behaviour change programs from voltage control to intelligent thermostats to app notifications,” Mr Frischknecht said.

“Demand response will not only ease the strain on the electricity grid and prevent blackouts. These projects will also put money back into the pockets of Australian businesses and households, helping to reduce their energy costs and emissions,” he said.

For further information, visit arena.gov.au/demand-response or arena.gov.au/blog

Media release






Plastic recycling Pow-Wow

A heavyweight occasion

Plasticity Forum Attracts International Speakers For Discussion On Transforming Plastic Waste Into A Valuable Resource

On Tuesday 31 October, the 9th global Plasticity Forum will be held at the Maritime Museum in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. World-renowned experts across education, research, renewable energy and retail sectors including entrepreneurs, financiers, plastics recovery experts and brand owners will discuss the big ideas on innovation, sustainability and business successes driving new plastics circular economies.     

The only global conference focused solely on plastic sustainability, a key area of discussion will be Australasia’s recycling efforts, which are under threat from China’s new “National Sword” policy that is disrupting the region’s plastic scrap marketplace. Rather than focusing on the doom, this changed circumstance offers opportunities for existing and new businesses across a range of industries.

Internationally renowned speakers taking part in the ‘TedTalk-style’ forum include Dr Steve Wong, founder and MD of Fukutomi Company Limited and a top player in the international plastic scrap market; Nev Hyman, founder and chairman of Nev House which provides innovative and affordable housing solutions using recycled materials; Stuart Clark, CEO of Foy Group, an Australian company with patented technology to convert end-of-life, non-recyclable waste plastics to road-ready fuel.

Other presenters include Phill White, Co-founder of Circular Economy and creator of Blockcycle, a world first blockchain platform with partner Coca-Cola; Rob Dvorak, Plant Manager of Visy rPlastics one of the leading recycling facilities which recycles PET and HDPE  bottles back to food grade pellets; and Dr Karen Raubenheimer, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, who is currently assessing the effectiveness of relevant international, regional and sub-regional governance strategies and approaches.

Media release for Plasticity Sydney from Sophie Olorenshaw. sophieo@avviso.com.au
 
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