Professor Melissa Haswell and Emeritus Professor David Shearman
In this submission we present evidence supporting our severe concerns about the health and wellbeing implications for the proposed drilling and hydraulic fracturing of 20 wells in the Kimberley region near Derby. We urge the EPA to step back and re-evaluate the copious evidence of harms to the environment and human health that have accumulated since the Inquiry in 2019. Even now, new and alarming evidence continues to emerge on a monthly basis. A recent spate of research is demonstration the atmospheric harm of methane emissions on global warming, the USA and Australia being particularly responsible. Read the submission...

Pearls and Irritations
In October the International Conference COP 16 in Cali, Colombia will focus on biodiversity. The President will be Colombia’s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad prominent in curtailing deforestation in her country. President Muhamad has said, “The climate has much more awareness and political investment, but we are not seeing the other side of the coin, and it’s dangerous for humanity. One of the main purposes for Cop16 in Cali is to make biodiversity and the global biodiversity framework as politically relevant as the climate agenda.” She said that focussing on reducing carbon emissions while failing to restore and protect natural ecosystems would be “dangerous for humanity” and risk societal collapse. Read more...

New Matilda
Recently, New Matilda announced it had suspended use of its Facebook and Twitter accounts, on the basis of the harm social media was causing in society. Childhood Protection Week has just passed and Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman writes, “Our research shows that almost two-thirds of 14 – 17-year-olds have viewed harmful content (on social media) in the past year including drug use, self-harm, disordered eating and violent pornography and extremist imagery.” In my mind this requires drastic action. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has said, “The government is now going to step in, we’re going to ban kids (under 14) from getting access to these accounts." Read more...

Pearls and Irritations
The recent Climate Analytics Report indicates that Australia plays a major role in sustaining elevated global emissions, threatening the goals of the Paris Agreement. There are many thousands of preventable deaths caused by fossil fuels from climate change itself, air pollution and from the direct action on humans by toxins in gas. All these effects are more prevalent in children. Just five wealthy governments the new ‘petrostates’, Australia, Canada and Norway the UK and the US are responsible for 51% of planned expansion from new oil and gas fields through 2050 and are the biggest climate hypocrites in 2023. Read more...

Pearls and Irritations
A People’s Development Bank would have been appropriate to the needs and financial security of production in rural and regional Australia ever since the Commonwealth Bank Australia (CBA) was privatised. Crucially the rural sector must lead the charge for Australia to retain our life support systems. For decades the coal mining industry receiving loans from banks has been aware of the deaths and illness caused by their product, reported in the Medical Journal of Australia in 2011. In 2023 the ABC reported that Australia’s big four banks loaned $3.6 billion to fossil fuel companies. Read more…

Pearls and Irritations
with Melissa Haswell
By now many citizens of our planet recognise that the destructiveness of climate change is moving faster than they imagined, leaving our defences at serious risk and even the money men are concerned about the burgeoning costs and possible economic collapse. This article details the vast production on LNG by both the USA and Australia with the intent of producing even more. Gas hubs are being developed in Louisiana and at Middle Arm in Darwin where health impact studies have been availed by the NT government. Read more…

Human health and the natural environment (often called ‘Nature’) are indivisible. The Nature Positive initiative intended to replace the EPBC has failed badly, it ignores health. Health and survival should be the fulcrum around which all other Nature Positive legislation should revolve. Unfortunately the government has left this vital need for later consideration. Health Impact Assessment would prevent much ill health, many deaths and much environmental damage. If used it would delay or stop many developments. The resource industries do not want it in Nature Positive. The Middle Arm development is used as an example of how a current gas development is avoiding health assessments. Read Submission No. 157…

New Matilda
The continuing decline of our life support system of ecosystem services and biodiversity is a crisis needing urgent, collective action. At stake is food production and many other essential benefits for health and life itself. Our ecological life support system for food production, soil, consists of bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, mites, worms and insects. Their function is being damaged by climate change and bad management. Diminishing biodiversity and ecosystem services are also a factor in the increase of infectious diseases and epidemics. Read more…

Pearls and Irritations
In World War III the enemy is not an array of tanks, shells and soldiers, but a collection of beliefs damaging to the earth’s future. The enemies are the minds and actions of those with the cult of neo-liberalism and greed acting through the power of huge industries, the enemy within. The recent budget is business as usual with little attempt to carve out finance for climate adaptation or environmental degradation. Read more…

Professor Melissa Haswell BA, MSc, PhD (Epidemiology)
Emeritus Professor David Shearman AM MB, ChB, PhD, FRACP, FRCPE
Submissions on this important topic have not been assessed because the NT Government has withdrawn them presumably to avoid further scrutiny. So Despite Tamboran's plans to store up to 34 million litres of wastewater in open storage ponds, clear 145 hectares of land and emit more than 170,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the project has been approved and has not triggered further independent assessments such as an environmental impact statement. Read more…

Pearls and Irritations
Betrayal is the only word to define the delay with new environmental legislation which may allow gas developments to proceed. The environment has little legal protection and land clearing continues. Minister Plibersek must consider standing down – it is her obligation when she has not delivered her promises and has rolled over to the voice of her colleagues and the gas industry. This might precipitate and election with the possibility of election of more independents. Read more…

NT Independent
Many scientists, doctors and citizens of the Northern Territory are aghast at the NT and our national government’s enthusiastic plans for a gas exporting hub and polluting industries such as petrochemicals. Are those living in Darwin area truly aware of the ill-health to be imposed on them? Their government has published a press release entitled "Securing future of our gas industry” which makes no mention of health and the illnesses and deaths which will occur from gas pollution. Read more…

This submission addresses three vital interlocking life support systems, ecological services, water security and the natural environment and their role in providing a sustainable food system. The mechanism to deliver an outcome from the consideration of these issues together will be difficult to deliver because of the silo system of governance. An interdepartmental working group will be needed to start now on ecosystems in view of the urgency needed. This might be a “war time cabinet” subcommittee which should work continuously. Read the submission…

Pearls and Irritations
This article discusses the ill health and deaths caused by gas in three situations, our own homes, in our gas fields and hubs, and in the entire world through climate change. The government continues to support gas in homes which causes asthma particularly in children; it develops many gas fields which pollute water and land and causes many serious illnesses in those living nearby. Our export of LNG exacerbates climate change and for every thousand tonnes of fossil fuels mined, one person dies in the world. Read more…

Pearls and Irritations
Major government decisions involving truth and power are subject to influence from mining companies, often with the connivance of banks, financial houses and consultants all imbued by capitalism and economic growth. This is but one example of Julian Cribb’s World War Three – a universal conflict between tested truth – and convenient lies. We see this with the capture of Western Australia by mining interests and the abject failure of the Northern Territory to have effective government seems to be related to the endeavours of a mining industry and subsidised projects. Read more…

The Discussion Paper poses 10 topics requiring response, these being issues of importance to the government, but excludes those issues it doesn’t see as important e.g. population, and economic activity which is environmentally destructive. South Australia, the driest state in Australia will get even dryer with climate change, yet water resources are mentioned only in passing, yet they should be brought into the Biodiversity Act. Submissions will not be published by the Department so we will never know what important ideas are rejected. Read more…

Pearls and Irritations
“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt. We must educate and act urgently on the continuing decline of the life support system of ecosystem services and biodiversity. At stake are food production and many other benefits for health and life itself. Soil is estimated to consist of two thirds of the earth's species. It is being progressively damaged by climate change, land clearing and agricultural practice including the use of fertiliser and herbicide. Read more…

New Matilda
As explained by political philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, since the beginning of history, there was always a time when no-one could suspect that time could end, except in metaphysical terms. Wars would end and we could return to normal. Today the progression of climate change and environmental collapse are almost certain to continue. The elderly find this distressing for they have little time left to help resolve the situation. This article explains the life journey of one such older citizen. Read more…

This submission relates mainly to one topic – the health and survival of ecosystem services which, with the availability of water, produce our food and many other essential services to life. Too often water is regarded as a “given” for all economic endeavour. However a proportion of all water is needed to keep ecosystem services alive - this is called Environmental water and as climate change progresses and causes more evaporation, this proportion will have to increase. Read more…

The Canberra Times
with Melissa Haswell, Lisa Jackson Pulver
Australia offers the world outstanding higher education, intellect, innovation potential and access to world class scientific research and information systems. Yet we have failed to acknowledge Indigenous knowledge. Just one example is the use of thousands of years old Aboriginal cultural burning practices which can prevent or reduce severity of subsequent bushfires. Gas production with fracking is leaving Aboriginal communities with ill health, a damaged environment and loss of their cultural and spiritual homes. Read more online (with subscription), or download the original article…