An update on the influence of the Not In My Back Yard movement in Australian politics.

Defending the Sea Lions?

Thursday, 9th March, 2006

The Friends of Elliston are opposing an aquaculture development in South Australia's south east to protect sea lions drowned in the abalone nets. The group claims the farm was approved without "proper scrutiny" because the government had pushed through the development by changing regulations.

No Wind Farm in WA's Denmark Please

Tuesday, 24th January, 2006 - A proposal to establish a wind farm in Denmark, West Australia, an area much loved and populated by politically correct green nimbies, is being torpedoed by the residents. more

Not My Park Please

Tuesday, 14th March, 2006 - In the suburb of Newton in the South Australian city of Campbelltown there's a 10,000 square metre reserve with an asbestos fence around it. The nearby residents love the reserve but hate the asbestos so last November they went to the Campbelltown Council with a request that the fence be replaced. Faced with a potential cost of tens of thousands, councillors thought they should have a look at the requirements for open space and found that Newton, even without the asbestos fenced hectare, had more than the average of the council's other suburbs. Hence a decision to sell off four fifths of the reserve ... more

Development Yes But No Lead and Zinc for Strathalbyn Please

Saturday, 25th February, 2006

Plans for a small lead and zinc mine at Strathalbun in South Australia are producing the predictable responses. Local residents are concerned about pollution impacts and environmental damage. They want the mine abandoned. Not much interest in that from the Labor Government. Strathalbyn is not in one of their seats. The closest to political interest is coming from Greens Legislative Council candidate Mark Parnell who wants the project delayed "until a proper environmental impact statement has been prepared."

SA's Oil Refinery

Monday, 20th January, 2006 - It is not often that Labor Government and Liberal Opposition unite during an election campaign but they did today over the future of South Australia's mothballed Port Stanvac oil refinery. If Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane thought he was doing his state colleagues a favour for saying he was "startled" that state Labor had given Exxon-Mobil until 2009 to make a decision on the refinery's future, then he was wrong. For Port Stanvac is slap bang in the middle of a marginal beach-side seat of Bright and the locals not only want the refinery kept closed they would love to see it demolished.

Hence the Opposition energy spokesman Angus Redford, the Liberal candidate for Bright, was not impressed by Minister Macfarlane's argument that at a time of petrol refining shortage Port Stanvac should be immediately reopened. "This is what happens when you get a Queenslander poking his nose into what is essentially a South Australian issue," is how Mr Redford put it. "I'm furious with Mr Macfarlane... State Opposition policy ... is extremely clear - it is not to be reopened as a refinery."

Not so clear is where the Labor Government stands. Treasurer Kevin Foley clearly has a mind to SA's susceptibility to petrol shortages without its own refinery and keeps talking of the need to establish Port Stanvac as a storage facility while the company makes up its mind about the long term future. With an eye on the local voters he stops short of calling for a reopening and suggests that Exxon-Mobil would make a decision by July - but safely after election day. Mr Foley certainly did not want the locals to know that it would probably not be until 2009 that the decision was made because of a provision that enables an extension of time if conditions in the world oil market were such that a decision could not reasonably be made.