Gavin,
Done and Done !!!
Sent a letter today.
I live in a south west port town so I know where you're coming from.
Maybe you'd reciprocate with this one, planning to ban spearfishong on Scuba (as well as reduce bag limits etc. which is a good thing) ??
I'ts the greedy fisho's and use of nets that's killing the fish population not the selective hunting and spearing of individual fish.
Info can be found herehttp://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/WestCoastDemersal/form.php
as i have never kited or sailed oakagee, and would dearly love to in future years.
i sent the minister the email, certainly can't hurt and maybe just maybe, we will buy some time or reverse the decision.
it certainly didn't take much time or cost me any money!
just do it everyone!
good onya hirchausen.
I sent a cut and paste to david templeman
btw
do the locals know where you could put a port close by?
maybe shifted out of the way of coronation and spot x,
an onshore port with a channel would be better than rock walls poking out in the ocean stuffing up the littoral drift patterns. somehow I dont think we will end up with a superbank eg Kirra, as they wont allow costs to bypass pump for the littoral drift of sand
both parties could have a win, but I doubt it, as money talks, and there is a shizen load in iron ore at the moment
There is a wall of money coming over to WA due there being dirt in the ground........now that is cool.
Resource booms have always been a blessing for this land, but what have we got to show for how we spent our easy dough from the last one in the 50's? Past durations have been 20-30 years, so there is a bit left in this one. Trouble is, we are so much faster at getting dirt out of the ground, and the forces of greed are great, that they may exploit the resource today in 1/2 the time or even less than in the past.
This resource boom is creating the search for new energy sources also; and so the wall of money is also heading for sun, wind and wave power as well as dirt. We have miles and miles of empty where there is plenty of natural power. I would personally like to see our government doing more investment trades with the big mining companies. Now come on, "our dirt" has brought some mining folk billions in no time.
All of us in this lucky country are privileged to participate in what happens with the funds heading our way. I wouldn't mind seeing some investment in natural energy plants as a balance to all that investment in getting our minerals out of the ground asap. Yea, we as a community often help fund private infrastructure and actually receive only a miniscule crumb.
Let us hope that the development of this fine land is balanced towards future generations and that the original owners of the land are full participants in their land's future. Look at the effect previous rapid change has had on the original inhabitants anywhere and it is a sad picture.
One doesn't have to slow down change and progress per se, just find a better balance.
Looks like wind later today...
Sent,
but personly I dont think this should be about kiters or windsurfers, its a bigger issue. profits from this one are not going to Australians, the share majority is in the hands of the Chineese government.
Ray
what about all the jobs it creates? (there's no point having a place to kite/sail if you don't have enough money to feed your family)
both in the construction and operation plus the billions of dollars of company tax which goes to the government to build roads, schools, hospitals, keep police on the beat etc etc you forget all of that stuff don't you. this country is as good as it is because the government has money to spend. health care and education is free because the government has the money to finance it. social security is better than most countries because the government has money to finance it. would you prefer to pay more income tax to keep up our standard of living? no, i didn't think so....
you guys are so narrow minded.
I cant believe you tools are pulling the "its progress" bullsh1t.
Did you know Noosa was going to be used as a coal mining town, with a whole heap of people backing the "its progress" debate. Thank god people were around with the same mentallity as hirschausen to make a stand. Dont you get it???... we are pulling enough out as it is, why pull it out faster? So we can get rich now and leave our kids without? Don't you have enough of a quality of life as it is? Why do you want more?
Perhaps some of you arrogant victims of corporate propaganda should watch this video...
Yep, righto Rosko,
Great stuff, we know where you stand. Lot's of people in this country would step right in behind you. You are not a minority.
Unfortunately your view is so short sighted that I simply pity people like you because you just don't get it.
I'd be prepared to bet that you reckon' going to war is for the purpose of defending our democratic freedom and preserving the "Australian" way of life. Heck you possibly even believe that immigrants should just piss off and stay where they come from or do it properly and get a visa. But I doubt that you are that narrow minded, heck your'e a kiter!. To be a kiter you need to take risks, listen to someoneelse more knowlegeable than yourself and think of others safety.
I'm not in the business of judging people as you might JUST be a really well educated, informed human being that actually does something in your local community to make things better for others. You might even be tolerant of others cultures and accept others opinions and see their side.
You might EVEN be prepared to change your own opinion on further information from others that are more informed than you.
If so, great then you would be in the minority and you can just take my comments with a grain of salt..
But generally speaking comments like yours reflect the type of person that really doesn't give a rats ass about much except money. The type of person who is happy as long as their back yard isn't being touched.
If you had ANY idea what situation we have in terms of jobs already in this state and the effects it's having on our school kids I doubt you would be so outspoken on the wonderful opportunities such a project creates.
Trying to keep Police on the beat and hospitals full of nurses and teachers in schools is the biggest problem we are facing in WA right now. Because as a trainee, that's unskilled labour. You can go and make $86,000 dollars before bonuses in certain occupations on the mines in the Mid West.
Great for the economy...absolutely swell. Until you get sick, until your kids need an education, and....God forbid, when you actually need a Copper to help you out, he's 30 minutes late because their simply isn't enough boys on the streets in blue.
Oh wise Hosko,
Who might be the narrow minded one?. Hmmm?
special recreational places are worth preserving forever.
they can't be recreated!
jobs and infrastructure can be restructured anywhere.
Spot x has primarily been the local's 'spot'.
Being well out of town and strictly 4 wheel-drive accessable only,
the challenging track has maintained a certain exclusiveness about the place.
Closing the gate after entry and exit reminds you that you are in the back-country and away from the public.
Euros and non-locals have never been welcome....
and probably for good reason.
The surfbreak is congested and the parking is cramped.
When you sail or kite Oakajee,there's no hint of civilization in sight.
No homesteads, no roads, no shops, nothing man-made to see......
just 4 x 4's scattered amongst the dunes.
It's bush-sailing at its best.
That's pretty to see out of the corner of your eye, when you are faanging down the line.
Now if Oakajee had been more exposed, more accessable, more public....
(of course this is not the reality of the situation)
then this fight may have been less of a battle.
For the public ever to save something so very private...
the secret needed to be whispered in a loud voice, years ago.
It was my understanding that the location of deep water port in Oakajee was not all support from the Grealdton locals as anothre proposal was to build a large jetty from existing port facilities at Point Moore and may felt this would contribute more to the community than a port 30kms out of town relying on long distance commuters or FIFOs to staff the place and ultimately undermining the validity of Geraldton's own port. Is there truth in this and if so what is it as it may be another argument for EPA review.
The big issue with the original kingstream proposal was the ore price and total chinese control of the facility, and the latest proposal is no different. Australians need to understand that China is not a free market economy rather 'China Inc.' a centrally controlled economy that can in effect operate as one giant corporation. Now I have nothing against China accessing the resources it requires for economic deevelopment any more than WA profiting from Chinas demand for resouces.
The state is going through a unprecedented boom in the view of all economic observers but too much is hinged on china. China is actually stockpiling a huge reserve of iron ore as a mountain at their port of delivery, so far from chewing through the ore to make steel, they will have sufficent reserves to control the world iron ore price, ultimately this would allow manipulation of share prices of BHP Rio Tinto etc and having destroyed that China could move in to by them cheap. This is not idle musings, some very serious economic thinkers have been trying to point this out but are ignored in everyones greed to make profit now so we can buy ever bigger house boats cars etc. No doubt the palms of those in power have been 'greased with silver' in some shape or form, a thing this state has a proven and ignominious history of.
Wake up and think.
Well wake up west australians , do you think China wants to fund billions dfor a port of Oakajee out of teh goodness of their hearts and concern for the ecnomic welfare over are already ludriculously wealthy population [by Chinas standards].
Slave,
You know your "Spot" well.
I agree with all the points you have raised.
In actual fact there was only two windsurfers from the entire Geraldton community that fought the good fight in 'round one' against Kingstream. The rest comprised concerned locals with a heart for the environment. Thet were called "industry Inland". A group that were not anti-development, they just didn't agree with poluting up our coastline.
If the "whispers" were shouts, maybe more people would have came out in support earlier, maybe not. History tells us that watersports users are quite a selfish bunch and would rather not get involved.
Well now the cry is a SHOUT. So it's a shout that hopefully will be heard by those that might like to venture along that dusty road, through that gate to a bush sailing site of epic memories. The Oakajee is crowded, if your'e a windsurfer. Their fins are too long to utilise the generally unridden smorgasboard of sets upwind.
One day, it might be a popular wave sailing spot, one day it might be exclusive and limited to specific numbers of water users. Who knows. But at the moment we are fighting against a big kick ass Port, funded by China that is causing Govt. to take short cuts with huge dollar signs in their eyes.
It's a fight worth fighting, back then and now.
Actually a thread full of "useful information," I feel I am learning a fair bit thanks to the contributions.
I've never kited at Oakajee because I wasn't shown the place and I've been up to Gero many many times. Can't wait to go, seems like a place for me, cat food and all.
Thanks to Slave, Gav and Niall I now know so much more about the place and the issues. Lots of real stuff to think about and actually do.
Passionate and informed arguments here.
Well done to all for their work in promoting this cause, my original stirring efforts have borne fruit, in bucket loads too I see. Keep it up and remember: Internet democracy is a powerful thing.
My spin on this one is that we shouldnt just be stopping the port building at Oakajee but we should be stopping the whole export of iron ore from this region - temporarily at least.
From the little that I know the ore which now feeds through Pt Gero and the additional planned mining of ore that requires the new port at Oakajee is very low grade compared to that which is being mined and sent out from other more northern regions.
This very short sighted, greed based scramble to extinguish our ore reserves as quickly as possible is ludicrous. Our iron ore is not going to rust away if its left in the ground, the price will not go down over time. As world reserves diminish the price can only go up. All we are doing by getting as much out a possible for todays dollars is keeping even todays price low.
Why not do like the Arabs with their oil. Set the price and let the world decide how much they want to buy at this over-inflated price (which is not necessarily related simply to extraction cost plus a margin).
- production would be down so reserves would last longer.
- dollar return may not vary much, if at all, because a higher price at lower volume cancels out.
- interest rates wouldnt have to be pushed up to counter the ore driven heat in the economy
- the benefits returning to Aust would be far longer lasting.
- the overall amount and value of earnings from a limited supply of resource would be way beyond what we stand to get from the fire sale now in full flame.
- production costs could be dramatically reduced by having to only cater for a limited and prep-planned level of extraction. ie less machinery working, less workers needed on site & in support etc etc.
- if we mine only the highest grade ore sequentially the cost of production is always the lowest possible and with set pricing the profit margins will therefore be greater at every stage.
- as reserves diminish prices go up even further to offset more expensive extraction costs of lower grade ore.
This will never happen of course because sadly money controls the game in Oz completely. Greed is still no. 1 but this is greed gone berserk. Sensible greed would be to ration extraction & production. Who looses - only those very few who benefit from clambering for the short term marginal gain - at a huge long term cost.
AND it would be so so easy. All it would take would be federal legislation setting a production cost limit on extraction. This cost to mining ratio determined by how much ore we want to release over any given period. Active mining licences would only be granted where cost of production relates to a given desirable level of aussie production.
Game over.
Simple as that.
Mining and our long term future secured, controlled & funded by cost & profit not greed and short sighted stupidity.
I have responded Gavin but imo its the little game. But at least it is one which might be temporarily winnable. Good work.
hopefully everyone is getting an email back like this,
Thank you for your submission dated 7 April 2008 regarding the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Bulletin on the proposed changes to conditions for the Oakajee Deepwater Port, Oakajee, Shire of Chapman Valley. My office will be managing the submissions process for the Minister and I will be preparing advice for the Minister on the submissions.
The Minister will then consider the submissions on the EPA report as well as my advice prior to making a final decision on the recommended changes to Conditions for the proposal. You will then be notified of the outcome of the Minister’s considerations.
Should you have any queries regarding this matter, please contact this Office on 9221 8711.
Yours sincerely
Garry Middle
Appeals Convenor
it's never too late to send the letter in this thread to the government.
public opinion stopped an artificial reef on palm beach on the gold coast and a marina at snapper rocks that threatened to destroy a surfing break.
please keep pressure on the w.a. government.
good link.
Ah the irony.
The individual stances of these all these parties may just blitz each other.
...... spot X may just be saved by too much greed!
Good post Gav
