Gaza: End the Silence & Make YOUR voice heard

... because the media won't. Download this email from Sonja Karkar, Australian Friends of Palestine, explaining how out of 35 letters to the media in Melbourne, only one was published. Download the 35 letters and decide for yourself if they were unpublishable.

END THE BLOCKADE OF GAZA

END MEDIA SILENCE ON ISRAELI WAR CRIMES

BREAK TIES WITH ISRAEL

Please come to Charlestown this coming Saturday- the more bodies, the more impact and the more chance that our voices will have an influence.

Go to the GETUP survey https://www.getup.org.au/ and take opportunity to request that Australia break ties with Israel until it respects meets UN resolutions and International Law. 

Have you sent a letter re Gaza to the Ncsle Herald & not had it published? Send it to niko@idl.com.au and NoWAR Collective will display it during the action in Charlestown

Download printable copy of the flyer (3 per page) from here (colour) or (black n white)

From Protest to Campaign this Saturday

Its not over yet

Hi all
As Israeli tanks re-enter Gaza, even more important that you make it
to Saturday's meeting 2pm Suspension Coffee Lounge Beaumont St Hamilton to work out longer term protest/campaign.

Re delegations to Gaza- see below:


1. From Australians for Palestine, Kamahl Mashni is being sponsored to go with the George Galloway delegation- download details here. 

2. Another delegation, Melbourne Palestine Solidarity Network, go to this link 

" Hi All,

Some of us are involved in organising a delegation to Gaza. Assuming we get permission we will be leaving soon. We are trying to get Trade Union members along if possible and representatives from other groups. If any comrades are able to come or have contacts who might be interested please contact me ASAP 0406 402 401.

The program will involve the following: 

The departure will be in mid February, depending on arrangement with Egypt;
The trip will be 7-10 days;
We will visit destroyed areas, hospitals, meet with the injured and NGOs;
We will witness the effect of war and siege on 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza;
All transportation and accommodation will be covered;
We have limited resources to help with some flight costs.

If you are interested in attending please let us know ASAP as we are trying to get permission within the next 10 days.
 
Regards,
Ema Corro"



Niko
Moderator

Nobbys should not be privatised for profit

The inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America
appears to herald an attempt to change the culture of that country.

The decision of Peter Garratt to throw away sovereignty of Nobbys heralds the
return of the Commonwealth of Australia to obeisance to feudal benefice.

I intend to spend some time today mourning my country's loss of vision.

Helen Smith

All Aboard The 73rd Study Into Newcastle Rail

Minster David Campbell MP.,
NSW Minister for Transport,
Level 35,
1 Farrer Place,
Sydney 2000

Dear Minister Campbell,

A member of the Premier’s Task Force to study Newcastle rail explained to me in 2005 that he must study the previous 70 reports on this subject to make the 71st report. In 2006 then NSW Transport Minister John Watkins told me;

“You have won! Rail services between Newcastle and Sydney will not be cut, however for political reasons I’ve had to authorise a study into electrification to Warabrook”.

So in 2006 the ALP was re-elected on that mandate. $500,000 later in October 2008 the 72nd report declared that the Warabrook proposal wasn’t feasible.

A month later an unelected developer, General Property Trust demanded a 73rd report. Hunter Development Corporation CEO Craig Norman is now proceeding with the developer’s demands.

Also, Minster for the Hunter Jodi McKay tells us:

“She expects the community will be consulted”.

But she didn’t enlarge on who would consult whom.

The last national survey reported that most commuters using Newcastle rail services come from Lake Macquarie, then Maitland, then Newcastle. All the previous studies despite their various titles of ‘Lower Hunter’, ‘Hunter Regional’ ‘Newcastle rail’ etc. have considered nothing but the 5 km from Broadmeadow to Newcastle. Can we expect the 73rd study to pretend to consider the effects on the people who use the rail? Can we be confident in expecting this seventy third study will be conducted by transport planners rather than real estate planners?

In 2006 NSW Democrats politician Arthur Chesterfield-Evans lamented that there were 23 reports on Newcastle Rail still being held by the government as ‘confidential’ for no obvious reason. At least that still leaves fifty more reports for the public to peruse. But at what cost? We were told $500,000 was set aside for the Warabrook electrification inquiry. If all the studies are of that order then the NSW taxpayer has paid out something like $35million so far for studies that achieved almost nothing. I hope that the government is not involved in that type of expense all over NSW.

Minister Campbell, it would restore a great deal of confidence to see the government take control of this situation, and put a stop to these eternal expensive developer initiated studies and let the government and the people put their energies into more useful pursuits.

Thank you for your time and considerations.

Yours faithfully,
George Paris

NEXT GAZA RALLY

Wens 21st

Hammo clocktower 5_30 pm - pls download and print off flyer at top to put up around the place or give out to people.

Dont be deceived by the fake ceasefire just announced.  Jo Trainor reported from the Sydney Rally on Sunday, that John Pilger spoke of the timidity of the media & the Australian Labour party's support of Israel. He said “The media has built a wall between the massacres in Gaza and the truth of what has happened there”  (Download her report here with useful links).

War is Over ! (Find Something Else to Sell)

Australian Solar Institute Launched Today

A new Australian Solar Institute was launched today at the CSIRO facility at Mayfield, New South Wales.

The institute will fund solar energy research projects and create export opportunities for Australian businesses.

The Energy Innovation Fund, which was set up by the Australian Government to support research and development in clean energy technologies, is providing $100 million for the establishment of the Australian Solar Institute.

The chief of the division of energy technology at the CSIRO, Dr David Brockway, says the research will initially focus on solar thermal technology and photovoltaics (PVs).

"The principal objective is to reduce the cost of energy from solar technologies, in the solar thermal area," he said.

"What we're using is sunlight to produce high temperatures and to generate electricity and in the PVs it's direct electricity production from photovoltaics - the project is designed to make the technologies as cost competitive as we can in the future."

Key objectives of the Australian Solar Institute include:

• advancing and accelerating innovation in solar thermal and solar photovoltaic technologies in Australia
• driving research that will have a major impact on the efficiency and cost effectiveness of solar technologies
• increasing the competitiveness of solar technologies
• retaining local and attracting international expertise in solar energy research to Australia
• establishing Australia as a key player in the development of solar energy technologies in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Australian Solar Institute was officially launched at its Newcastle headquarters on 15 January 2009 by the Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP, Minister for Resources and Energy.

A fact sheet [PDF, 55KB] has been developed to provide greater detail on the Australian Solar Institute and its planned operations.

The majority of the Institute's research funding will be allocated through a competitive grants program. A smaller proportion of research funding will be provided to core Institute projects and activities. The Institute's competitive grants program will be designed to encourage any Australian researcher in solar photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal technologies to apply for funding. This includes researchers from the public and private sectors.

Guidelines for the competitive grants program will be developed over the coming months, with the allocation of these grants occurring through an open, competitive and transparent process.

An Establishment Committee and an Interim Executive Director have been appointed to begin work immediately on bringing the Institute into operation. The Committee and Interim Executive Director are developing the Institute based on consultations with stakeholders and the directions set out in a scoping paper [PDF, 110KB]. The scoping paper, released in late 2008, was prepared by the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism following consultation with stakeholders.

A governing board and permanent Executive Director will later be appointed to allow the Institute to commence full operations by July 2009.
Further information on the Institute will be made available later in 2009. An Australian Solar Institute website is currently under development. Once the website is launched, a link will be provided on this webpage.

Any queries or comments relating to the Institute should be forwarded to:

Denis Smedley
Manager
Solar and Clean Energy Innovation
Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
P: 02 6213 6401
E: Denis.Smedley@ret.gov.au