[Ts-09] PC Bulletin - September

[Peace Convergence]

Dear Friends

Two amazing things happened this month.

The Shoalwater coal port and rail line proposal was rejected by Environment
Minister Peter Garrett.

And the Asia Pacific Defence and Security Exhibition (APDSE) was cancelled!!

Great work to everyone who took action on these issues.

Read the press releases below for more information about these successes.

To complete the hat trick we just need Talisman Sabre to be cancelled now.

A strategy meeting for the Peace Convergence is scheduled for the first
weekend in November in Brisbane. Read below for more information.

Regards

The Peace Convergence Team

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

What YOU can do! 
Attend the QNFA workshop and strategy weekend
Queensland Nuclear Free Alliance (QNFA) is planning its next NUCLEAR FREE
QUEENSLAND WORKSHOP & STRATEGY WEEKEND to take place in Brisbane on NOVEMBER
1 -2, 2008.

WHAT:  NUCLEAR FREE QUEENSLAND WORKSHOP & STRATEGY WEEKEND
WHEN:  Saturday November 1st and Sunday November 2nd from 9.00am to 4.45pm
each day.
WHERE:  at the CEPU Building , 41 Peel Street, South Brisbane
PRICE:  by donation  - billets and food will be provided.

The first day will be discussions, debate and a setting of priorities for
action on the peace, military and nuclear issues facing Queensland and
Australia including preparation for opposing the 2009 military exercises at
Shoalwater Bay and ongoing work to keep Queensland uranium-mine free.  The
second day will be set aside for strategising together on the issues.

The Queensland Nuclear Free Alliance is  a coalition of concerned groups and
organisations that came together in 2005 to campaign for sustainable and
peaceful futures.

Because of the social and environmental impacts of uranium mining and
military bases on indigenous rights, the environment, our political standing
in the region, we are inviting a broad section of the community including
religious groups, political parties and members of the unions to be part of
the discussion.

We invite you and members of your community to join us in our workshop and
planning weekend.

We also  invite you to get actively involved: Please let us know if you
would like to facilitate a workshop, propose a topic for discussion or get
involved in the planning and organising for the weekend, billeting a
participant from out of town, providing food or drinks for participants - or
to CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY to making this important event happen.

We aim to help people from other regions attend through:

- Provision of funds for transport
- Billets
- Free Meals during the working days

Please let us know what  your needs are - and also what you can contribute!
We would value your unique perspective and contribution for this weekend.

Please contact is to register your interest, or for more information - we
look forward to hearing from you!

Peace,
Robin Taubenfeld
Friends of the Earth Brisbane
mbl 0411 118 737
em nuclearfreequeensland at yahoo.com.au
 
Press Releases
Garrett rejects Shoalwater Bay coal terminal proposal
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/05/2356941.htm
Mr Garrett says the proposed coal terminal would destroy the ecological
integrity of the area.

The Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has rejected a proposed rail
line and coal terminal at Shoalwater Bay in central Queensland.

The mining company Waratah Coal wanted to build a rail line and coal port as
part of a $5.3 billion project to produce 25 million tonnes of coal a year
for export.

Mr Garrett says the proposed coal terminal would destroy the ecological
integrity of the area.

"This decision is based on clear advice from my Department that the Waratah
proposal would have clearly unacceptable impacts on the high wilderness
values of Shoalwater Bay and on the internationally recognised Shoalwater
and Corio Bay wetlands," he said.

OzPeace
Sunday 7 September 2008.

OzPeace welcomes the news that the Asia Pacific Defence & Security
Exhibition, scheduled to open on Remembrance Day, has been cancelled.

The stated reason for the show's cancellation however is a sad indictment on
the mindset of the military industrial complex. Before a peace sign had even
been waved, peace activists have been described by the Acting Premier, as
"feral low-life".

It is interesting that Mr Foley could make this assessment without anyone
from the SA Government or SAPOL officially contacting the protest
organisers.

Jacob Grech of OzPeace said today that

"the military and military befuddled governments are always jumping at
shadows and making rash decisions based on dodgy intelligence.

"The violent protestors coming to Adelaide bring to mind 'Saddam's weapons
of mass destruction' and 'Al-Queda orchestrating 9-11'.

"The military industry make billions of dollars every month through
convincing governments that there are evil people out there out to destroy
societyŠ..fortunately this time their myth making backfired and their show
was cancelled as a result."

As OzPeace told the Sunday Mail yesterday "The protest had a policy of
non-violent direct action and the peace movement was doing everything within
its power to ensure that the protests remained peaceful."

Mr Foley may well state that this is "not a victory for the protest groups
as the contacts with manufacturers had already been made and will be
followed up" but the fact remains that the manufacturers now know that the
Australian people do not want to be further entrenched in the death trade.
The Commonwealth Government were well aware of this all along and responded
accordingly by giving no support whatsoever to the planned exhibition of
death machinery.

OzPeace calls on the South Australian Government to make the Convention
Centre available to peace, church and veterans groups on 11 November to
properly commemorate the 90th anniversary of Remembrance Day in the spirit
it should be, as a day to remember the horrors of past war, not the profits
to be made from future ones.

Further comment

Jacob Grech

grech at ozpeace.com 

Don¹t forget:
* International Day of Peace September 21
* Peace Convergence strategy weekend November 1-2
* Talisman Sabre July 6-26 2009



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