Pittwater Online News

Thursday, 15 October 2015

Environment Minister Mark Speakman tonight announced the winners of this year’s Green Globe Awards, which recognise environmental excellence, leadership and innovation.

Mr Speakman congratulated this year’s 21 winners across 19 categories for their role in leading sustainable development across the economy and community.

“Some of the projects and causes for which this year’s winners were recognised include a world-first portable solar system, a high school student sustainability champion and Australia's first and largest community solar project,” Mr Speakman said.

A family owned northern rivers macadamia producer won the Awards’ highest commendation, the Premier’s Award for Environmental Excellence, for its commitment to sustainable processing operations.

“The prestigious Premier’s Award for Environmental Excellence was awarded to Byron Bay’s Brookfarm,” Mr Speakman said.

“Brookfarm has 288 solar panels, it saves 160 kilolitres of water a year through recycling rainwater and has planted more than 30,000 trees that have collectively stored over 2,310 tonnes of carbon.”

The Young Sustainability Champion award went to Liverpool Girls High’s Seda Hamoud for her devotion to raising awareness of sustainability issues. Three Sydney organisations were recognised; namely, The University of Technology Sydney, the City of Sydney and the Sydney Opera House. The Sustainability Champion award, given posthumously, acknowledged the tireless and passionate work of Dr Chris Reardon, who passed away in November last year.

“This award honours Dr Reardon’s work over two decades developing several influential sustainable housing training programs,” Mr Speakman said.

An independent panel of environmental experts helped select this year’s winners. The awards are considered the leading environmental awards in NSW and have been running for 16 years. 

A list of all winners is available at:www.environment.nsw.gov.au/greenglobes. 

 Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Infrastructure project

Media release: 15 October 2015 - The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Minister for the Environment

The Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Infrastructure project has been approved in accordance with national environment law subject to 36 of the strictest conditions in Australian history.

The project is located approximately 300 kilometres inland in remote central Queensland.

In making this decision I have considered additional information provided by Adani and environmental groups, including the Mackay Conservation Group, the Environmental Defenders Office and the Australian Conservation Foundation.

The conditions I have imposed take into account issues raised by the community and ensure that the proponent must meet the highest environmental standards. The strict conditions:

implement all advice from the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC).

protect and improve 31,000 hectares of southern black throated finch habitat.

require $1 million of funding for research programs to improve conservation of threatened species in the Galilee Basin over 10 years.

ensure protection of Doongmabulla Springs through strict monitoring of groundwater and triggers to take action so impacts do not exceed the approved limits.

The rigorous conditions will protect threatened species and provide long-term benefits for the environment through the development of an offset package. These measures must be approved by myself before mining can start.

I have the power to suspend or revoke the approval and strict penalties apply if there is a breach of the strict conditions. Department of Environment compliance and enforcement officers will closely monitor the operation of the mine.

Protecting precious water resources from impacts of large coal mines is a priority of the Australian Government and that is why I visited the site with the previous Chair of the IESC and fully incorporated her suggestions in the approval conditions.

The proponent is required to provide a Groundwater Management and Monitoring Plan, which must receive approval from myself before mining can commence.

The previous decision to approve the project was set aside at the request of the Australian Government in August 2015 as a precautionary measure. This was due to the possibility that the advice on the approval decision had not been provided in a particular manner which may have affected the validity of the decision.

I have also remade the approval decision for Adani Mining Pty Ltd's North Galilee Basin Rail Project with 23 strict conditions, as a precautionary measure to provide investment certainty.

Further information on the Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Infrastructure project, including a factsheet and Frequently Asked Questions, is available online:www.environment.gov.au/protection/assessments/key-assessments

 Carmichael reapproval risks threatened species, water, public funds

OCTOBER 15, 2015 MACKAY CONSERVATION GROUP

Only two months ago we won a Federal court challenge to the controversial Carmichael coal mine but Minister Hunt’s reapproval risks threatened species, precious groundwater, the global climate and taxpayers’ money.

Minister Hunt has again failed the people of Australia by failing to address new evidence on the devastating impacts of what would be Australia’s largest coal mine.

Hunt’s new conditions do not adequately deal with the seriousness of the implications of this mine. Simply put, these impacts are very serious, and can’t be offset. The mine should have been refused.

We launched legal action in January 2015, challenging Minister Hunt’s approval of the Carmichael megamine on three grounds: that climate impacts were not considered, that Adani’s poor environmental record was ignored, and that the Minister failed to consider the impact of the mine on two vulnerable species.

With Adani’s job figures revealed to be fictitious and the global financial markets backing away from coal and towards renewables, the sensible decision from Minister Hunt would have been to reject this mine with all its unattractive baggage.

Minister Hunt is sacrificing threatened species such as the Black Throated Finch and precious groundwater resources for the sake of a mine that simply does not stack up economically.

The Black Throated Finch will be pushed to extinction if this mine goes ahead, and countless other species will suffer as precious groundwater springs are depleted of water by the Carmichael mine.

Adjacent landholders are also rightly concerned about the impacts on their property from the billions of litres of water that will be taken from precious groundwater resources.

The project has failed to find a single financial backer in the face of a depressed coal price and ongoing concerns about Adani’s poor environmental record.

Adani has repeatedly exaggerated the economic impacts of the mine and admitted in court that total jobs from the project, including short term constructions jobs, will be less than 1,500, a fifth of the 10,000 jobs the company originally promised

Clean drinking water the real loser in Blue Mountains mine approval

16 October, 2015: Nature Conservation Council- NSW

The NSW Nature Conservation Council has called on the NSW Government to permanently protect Sydney’s drinking water supply following the Federal Government’s approval of a coal mine extension in the Blue Mountains region near Lithgow.

“The Federal Government has given the green light for a damaging coal mine in Sydney’s drinking water catchment to expand, despite its well-documented impacts on endangered swamps that act like giant sponges to secure our water supply,” said Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski.

“Springvale Colliery already discharges unacceptably saline water into the Coxs River and Sydney’s drinking water supply – it should not be allowed to increase its environmental impact by being licensed to dump even more toxic water into the environment.

“It is simply unacceptable that the NSW and federal government’s are doing everything they can to approve this mine and allow this company to threaten the life of a river and the purity of Sydney’s water supply.

“The community of Lithgow shouldn’t have to rely on an industry that pollutes Sydney’s water supply. Instead, they deserve a serious commitment from both levels of government for an orderly transition away from dirty fossil fuels."

Dirty water from the Springvale mine was treated to acceptable levels by a nearby power station until 2012 when the power station closed. Ever since, Springvale has been releasing highly saline water into the Coxs River.

“Unbelievably, both levels of Government are rewarding bad behavior by allowing the mine to continue to release waste water with salinity levels way above natural limits,” Ms Smolski said.

“The Federal Government acknowledges that the mine could harm 14 endangered species and plant communities, but still granted approval.

“The environmental impact of the mine will increase significantly if it the expansion goes ahead, so it is more important than ever that discharges be adequately treated before being pumped into the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

“This mine is further proof that our planning system is skewed towards approving mines regardless of the negative impacts, nothing short of a major overhaul will fix the system for communities and our environment.”

 Rising seas will drown mangrove forests

October 14, 2015

Mangrove forest at high tide. Credit: Global Change Institute

Mangrove forests around the Indo-Pacific region could be submerged by 2070, international research published today says. Even with relatively low sea-level rises, many mangrove forests had a poor outlook said Professor Catherine Lovelock, a University of Queensland ecologist.

"Mangrove forests are particularly vulnerable," she said.

"Mangroves are predicted to be submerged in parts of Thailand, Sumatra, Java, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands."

However the outlook in other parts of the world was more positive.

"Our modelling shows mangroves are likely to persist in east Africa, the Bay of Bengal, eastern Borneo and north-western Australia -- areas where there are relatively large tidal ranges and/or higher sediment supply," said Professor Lovelock, who works in UQ's School of Biological Sciences and the Global Change Institute.

"Even in other areas though, the good news is that through accretion of sediment and maintenance of wetland soils, mangrove forests do have the capacity to avoid inundation and keep pace with sea-level rise."

Professor Lovelock said this was why there was an urgent need to plan for the maintenance of sediment supply in river systems that were likely to be dammed or heavily modified in future.

"The Indo-Pacific region holds most of the world's mangrove forests, but sediment delivery in this region is declining, due to activities such as dam construction," she said.

"This is of particular concern as this region is expected to have variable but high rates of future sea-level rise."

Forest degradation had to be reversed because it reduced organic inputs to soils that was vital for mangrove survival, Professor Lovelock said.

Plans should be made for the landward migration of vulnerable mangrove forests to higher elevations.

"Intertidal mangrove forests occur on tropical and subtropical shorelines, and provide a wide range of ecosystem services -- to fisheries, in coastal protection and in carbon sequestration -- with an estimated value of $USD194,000 per hectare per year," she said.

"Sea-level rise could threaten the long-term sustainability of coastal communities and of valuable ecosystems such as coral reefs, salt marshes and mangroves.

Professor Lovelock said the researchers analysed trends based on data from an international network of 27 sites.

UQ's Global Change Institute and the Australian Research Council funded the project.

The vulnerability of Indo-Pacific mangrove forests to sea-level rise is published today in Nature.

Co-authors are from the US Geological Survey; National University of Singapore; Cambridge University; University of Wollongong; Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia; National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand; Macquarie University; Vietnam National University; and the International Crane Foundation, US.

Catherine E. Lovelock, Donald R. Cahoon, Daniel A. Friess, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Ken W. Krauss, Ruth Reef, Kerrylee Rogers, Megan L. Saunders, Frida Sidik, Andrew Swales, Neil Saintilan, Le Xuan Thuyen, Tran Triet. The vulnerability of Indo-Pacific mangrove forests to sea-level rise. Nature, 2015; DOI: 10.1038/nature15538

 Seismic Exploration by Bight Petroleum

October 13: EDO NSW (Environmental Defenders Office NSW)

On behalf of International Fund for Animal Welfare - IFAW, we have filed evidence in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for the release of documents about NOPSEMA’s approval of seismic exploration by Bight Petroleum in blue whale feeding grounds near Kangaroo Island, off South Australia.

Our evidence includes a scientific report from Dr Douglas Nowacek, a leading international expert in impacts of seismic testing on marine life.

Science plays an important role in the implementation of environmental law and the development of environmental policy. Read more about our Scientific Advisory Service at our website.

http://www.edonsw.org.au/science

Image: Blue whale. NOAA/Wikimedia Commons, Photo D Ramey Logan

 Land for Blacktown open space handed to community

09.10.2015, Ministerial Media Release: The Hon. Rob Stokes MP, Minister for Planning

Planning Minister Rob Stokes, Member for Mulgoa Tanya Davies and Member for Seven Hills Mark Taylor today announced over 17 hectares of land will be handed to Blacktown City Council for open space and cemetery lands in Western Sydney.

The total of 28 separate lots worth $4.4 million in the Prospect and Mount Druitt areas will be transferred to the council at no cost.

“Blacktown is a thriving community with a strong city centre, cultural diversity, and great restaurants, cafes and shops,” Mr Stokes said.

“This is the time to invest in parks and reserves, to open up space for one of Sydney’s major growth centres and ensure future residents of Western Sydney have the opportunity to enjoy their neighbourhood.”

The parcels of land transferred to Blacktown City Council include:

• Two recreational open space areas totalling 9.5 hectares;

• The Prospect Post Office, which is the last remaining building of the original Prospect Village;

• Land surrounding the ‘Neoblie’ heritage listed property at Mt Druitt; and

• Land around St Bartholomew’s Cemetery.

Mrs Davies and Mr Taylor welcomed the land transfer.

“We want to make sure our community has the open public space to complement the growth we’re experiencing in Western Sydney,” Mrs Davies said.

“I am delighted this land will now be used for community recreation, and for extra cemetery space which is an important asset for our community,” said Mr Taylor.

The land had been progressively acquired through the NSW Government’s Sydney Regional Development Fund for open space purposes.

For more information, visit www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Office-of-Strategic-Lands

 Ocean beaches and headlands assessment

The NSW Government has announced its decision on the recreational fishing amnesty in NSW marine parks. Based on the Marine Estate Expert Knowledge Panel's advice and further consideration of social values and use conflicts, the NSW Government proposes to:

• rezone 10 sites from sanctuary zone to habitat protection zone to make shore-based recreational line fishing lawful, and to continue the amnesty at these sites until the rezoning process is finalised.

The amnesty has been removed from all 20 remaining sites and enforcement of sanctuary zone rules has recommenced. All forms of fishing are prohibited in sanctuary zones and significant penalties apply including on-the-spot fines of up to $500.

Current arrangements in marine parks 

Community and stakeholder engagement  

Have your say on the draft management rules for marine parks for inclusion in the Marine Estate Management (Management Rules) Regulation 1999. The changes will:

• rezone 10 sites within the Solitary Islands, Cape Byron, Port Stephens–Great Lakes and Batemans marine parks from sanctuary zone to habitat protection zone and to allow recreational line fishing from the shore in those areas,

• update the maps for marine parks. There are a small number of amendments that make corrections to various descriptions and spellings and ensure that the maps are consistent.

For more information please read: 

• Draft Regulation

• Consultation paper

Make a submission

It is recommended that you read the consultation paper, alongside the draft regulation, before making a submission.

• Online submission  or • Hard copy of submission form (PDF)

You can lodge your submission online, via email at contact.us@marine.nsw.gov.au or through the post at:

Ocean Beaches and Headlands- Draft Regulations, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Locked Bag 1, Nelson Bay NSW 2315

Submissions close on Friday 13 November 2015.

See all document and submission form at: ocean-beaches-assessment

 Global marine analysis suggests food chain collapse

October 12, 2015

A world-first global analysis of marine responses to climbing human CO2 emissions has painted a grim picture of future fisheries and ocean ecosystems.

Published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), marine ecologists from the University of Adelaide say the expected ocean acidification and warming is likely to produce a reduction in diversity and numbers of various key species that underpin marine ecosystems around the world.

"This 'simplification' of our oceans will have profound consequences for our current way of life, particularly for coastal populations and those that rely on oceans for food and trade," says Associate Professor Ivan Nagelkerken, Australian Research Council (ARC)Future Fellow with the University's Environment Institute.

Associate Professor Nagelkerken and fellow University of Adelaidemarine ecologist Professor Sean Connell have conducted a 'meta-analysis' of the data from 632 published experiments covering tropical to artic waters, and a range of ecosystems from coral reefs, through kelp forests to open oceans.

"We know relatively little about how climate change will affect the marine environment," says Professor Connell. "Until now, there has been almost total reliance on qualitative reviews and perspectives of potential global change. Where quantitative assessments exist, they typically focus on single stressors, single ecosystems or single species.

"This analysis combines the results of all these experiments to study the combined effects of multiple stressors on whole communities, including species interactions and different measures of responses to climate change."

The researchers found that there would be "limited scope" for acclimation to warmer waters and acidification. Very few species will escape the negative effects of increasing CO2, with an expected large reduction in species diversity and abundance across the globe. One exception will be microorganisms, which are expected to increase in number and diversity.

From a total food web point of view, primary production from the smallest plankton is expected to increase in the warmer waters but this often doesn't translate into secondary production (the zooplankton and smaller fish) which shows decreased productivity under ocean acidification.

"With higher metabolic rates in the warmer water, and therefore a greater demand for food, there is a mismatch with less food available for carnivores—the bigger fish that fisheries industries are based around," says Associate Professor Nagelkerken. "There will be a species collapse from the top of the food chain down."

The analysis also showed that with warmer waters or increased acidification or both, there would be deleterious impacts on habitat-forming species for example coral, oysters and mussels. Any slight change in the health of habitats would have a broad impact on a wide range of species these reefs harbour.

Another finding was that acidification would lead to a decline in dimethylsulfide gas (DMS) production by ocean plankton which helps cloud formation and therefore in controlling the Earth's heat exchange.

More information: Global alteration of ocean ecosystem functioning due to increasing human CO2 emissions, PNAS,www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1510856112

 Have your say on the proposed Bylong Coal Project

Date: 23.09.2015: Departmental Media Release; NSW Department of Planning and Environment

A proposal to construct and operate an open cut and underground mine in mid-western NSW will be on exhibition from today for community feedback.

The proposed project would be located approximately 55 kilometres northeast of Mudgee. 

The Department of Planning and Environment is keen to hear the community’s views on the application which seeks to:

• construct and operate an open cut and underground mine to extract up to 6.5 million tonnes of coal a year for 23 years

•construct and operate a range of infrastructure including:

o plant for washing and preparing coal to be transported

o rail loading facility and rail loop

o mine access roads

o accommodation for workers

o ventilation shafts

o water supply and water management

o electricity supply

o communications and administration infrastructure

• transport coal from the mine by rail

• progressively rehabilitate the site.

The proposal and its environmental, social and economic impacts will be thoroughly assessed against rules set out in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.

It will also be subject to an independent review by the Commonwealth Independent Expert Scientific Committee.

A spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Environment said the local community always has an opportunity to share their views. 

A public information session on how to make a submission will be held by the Department during the exhibition period. 

“Community consultation is an integral part of the planning process and the applicant will have to respond to the feedback we receive and this is taken into consideration when we develop our recommendations,” the spokesperson said. 

“It’s easy to participate by going online and we encourage everyone to take a look and have their say.”

To make a submission or view the environmental impact statement, visit www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au. Submissions can be made from Wednesday 23 September until Friday, 6 November 2015. 

Written submissions can also be made to:

Department of Planning and Environment

Attn: A/Director- Resource Assessments and Compliance

GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW 2001

The EIS is also available to view in person at:

• Department of Planning and Environment, 23-33 Bridge Street, Sydney

• Mid-Western Regional Council, 86 Market Street, Mudgee

• Mid-Western Regional Council, 77 Louee Street, Rylstone

• Mid-Western Regional Council, 109 Herbert Street, Gulgong

• Kandos Library, Angus Avenue, Kandos

• Nature Conservation Council, Level 2, 5 Wilson Street, Newtown

___________________________

DIRECT LINK:  www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/actionjob_id=6367

 Bubble plumes off Washington, Oregon suggest warmer ocean may be releasing frozen methane

October 14, 2015

Sonar image of bubbles rising from the seafloor off the Washington coast. The base of the column is 1/3 of a mile (515 meters) deep and the top of the plume is at 1/10 of a mile (180 meters) depth. Credit: Brendan Philip/University of Washington

Warming ocean temperatures a third of a mile below the surface, in a dark ocean in areas with little marine life, might attract scant attention. But this is precisely the depth where frozen pockets of methane 'ice' transition from a dormant solid to a powerful greenhouse gas.

New University of Washington research suggests that subsurface warming could be causing more methane gas to bubble up off the Washington and Oregon coast.

The study, to appear in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, shows that of 168 bubble plumes observed within the past decade, a disproportionate number were seen at a critical depth for the stability of methane hydrates.

"We see an unusually high number of bubble plumes at the depth where methane hydrate would decompose if seawater has warmed," said lead author H. Paul Johnson, a UW professor of oceanography. "So it is not likely to be just emitted from the sediments; this appears to be coming from the decomposition of methane that has been frozen for thousands of years."

Methane has contributed to sudden swings in Earth's climate in the past. It is unknown what role it might contribute to contemporary climate change, although recent studies have reported warming-related methane emissions in Arctic permafrost and off the Atlantic coast.

Of the 168 methane plumes in the new study, some 14 were located at the transition depth -- more plumes per unit area than on surrounding parts of the Washington and Oregon seafloor.

If methane bubbles rise all the way to the surface, they enter the atmosphere and act as a powerful greenhouse gas. But most of the deep-sea methane seems to get consumed during the journey up. Marine microbes convert the methane into carbon dioxide, producing lower-oxygen, more-acidic conditions in the deeper offshore water, which eventually wells up along the coast and surges into coastal waterways.

"Current environmental changes in Washington and Oregon are already impacting local biology and fisheries, and these changes would be amplified by the further release of methane," Johnson said.

Another potential consequence, he said, is the destabilization of seafloor slopes where frozen methane acts as the glue that holds the steep sediment slopes in place.

Methane deposits are abundant on the continental margin of the Pacific Northwest coast. A 2014 study from the UW documented that the ocean in the region is warming at a depth of 500 meters (0.3 miles), by water that formed decades ago in a global warming hotspot off Siberia and then traveled with ocean currents east across the Pacific Ocean. That previous paper calculated that warming at this depth would theoretically destabilize methane deposits on the Cascadia subduction zone, which runs from northern California to Vancouver Island.

At the cold temperatures and high pressures present on the continental margin, methane gas in seafloor sediments forms a crystal lattice structure with water. The resulting icelike solid, called methane hydrate, is unstable and sensitive to changes in temperature. When the ocean warms, the hydrate crystals dissociate and methane gas leaks into the sediment. Some of that gas escapes from the sediment pores as a gas.

The 2014 study calculated that with present ocean warming, such hydrate decomposition could release roughly 0.1 million metric tons of methane per year into the sediments off the Washington coast, about the same amount of methane from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout.

The new study looks for evidence of bubble plumes off the coast, including observations by UW research cruises, earlier scientific studies and local fishermen's reports. The authors included bubble plumes that rose at least 150 meters (490 feet) tall that clearly originate from the seafloor. The dataset included 45 plumes originally detected by fishing boats, whose modern sonars can detect the bubbles while looking for schools of fish, with their observations later confirmed during UW research cruises.

Results show that methane gas is slowly released at almost all depths along the Washington and Oregon coastal margin. But the plumes are significantly more common at the critical depth of 500 meters, where hydrate would decompose due to seawater warming.

"What we're seeing is possible confirmation of what we predicted from the water temperatures: Methane hydrate appears to be decomposing and releasing a lot of gas," Johnson said. "If you look systematically, the location on the margin where you're getting the largest number of methane plumes per square meter, it is right at that critical depth of 500 meters."

Still unknown, however, is whether these plumes are really from the dissociation of frozen methane deposits.

"The results are consistent with the hypothesis that modern bottom-water warming is causing the limit of methane hydrate stability to move downslope, but it's not proof that the hydrate is dissociating," said co-author Evan Solomon, a UW associate professor of oceanography.

Solomon is now analyzing the chemical composition of samples from bubble plumes emitted by sediments along the Washington coast at about 500 meters deep. Results will confirm whether the gas originates from methane hydrates rather than from some other source, such as the passive migration of methane from deeper reservoirs to the seafloor, which causes most of the other bubble plumes on the continental margin.

H. Paul Johnson, Una K. Miller, Marie S. Salmi, Evan A. Solomon.Analysis of bubble plume distributions to evaluate methane hydrate decomposition on the continental slope. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2015; DOI: 10.1002/2015GC005955

 Tweed Shire Koala Endangered Population Preliminary Determination

THREATENED SPECIES CONSERVATION ACT 1995 

NOTICE OF FINAL DETERMINATION 

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, has made a Final Determination to REJECT a proposal to list a population of the Koala Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss, 1817) in the Tweed local government area east of the Pacific Highway as an ENDANGERED POPULATION in the Schedules of the Act. NOTICE OF PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION 

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, has made a Preliminary Determination to support a proposal to list a population of the Koala Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss, 1817) between the Tweed and Brunswick Rivers east of the Pacific Highway as an ENDANGERED POPULATION in Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Act. 

Any person may make a written submission regarding the Preliminary Determination. Send submissions to: Scientific Committee, PO Box 1967, Hurstville BC 1481. Attention Suzanne Chate. Submissions must be received by 4 December 2015. 

Copies of these Determinations, which contains the reasons for these determinations, may be obtained free of charge on the Internet www.environment.nsw.gov.au, by contacting the Scientific Committee Unit, PO Box 1967 Hurstville BC 1481. Tel: (02) 9585 6940 or Fax (02) 9585 6606, or in person at the Office of Environment and Heritage Information Centre, Level 14, 59–61 Goulburn Street, Sydney. 

Copies of the determination may also be obtained from National Parks and Wildlife Service Area Offices and Visitor Centres, subject to availability. 

Dr Mark Eldridge 

Chairperson NSW Scientific Committee.

From New South Wales Government Gazette – Published online October 9th, 2015: http://legislation.nsw.gov.au/maintop/epub

 Sunday Morning Birdwatching with PNHA

Would you like to know more about our local birds? Our guides can help you discover the birdlife in these wonderful bushland reserves.

15 November, Warriewood Wetlands, Warriewood

Our birdwalks start at 7.30 or 8am and last for a couple of hours. Bring binoculars and morning tea for afterwards if you like. Older children welcome.

Contact us to book and get details for each walk. Email pnhabirdwatching@gmail.com or ph: 0439 409 202 / 0402 605 721. 

14 Oct 2015: AIS

Australian rowers are set to benefit from a new collaboration between the AIS, Rowing Australia and Brisbane-based company Oar Inspired, which will underpin the rollout of Oar Inspired’s ground breaking new performance data measurement technology.

The collaboration project, titled A Next Generation Performance Instrumentation System for Elite Rowers, ensures that Australia’s elite rowing crews, coaching staff and sports scientists will be the first in the world to experience how Oar Inspired’s innovative IntelliGate® oar lock system provides crews, coaches and scientists with the most comprehensive set of measurements on key performance data ever available in rowing.

Head of AIS’ Innovation, Research and Development, Joe Winter, said the collaboration with Oar Inspired meant that Australia’s elite rowers would be the first in the world to have access to data about their performance that was more comprehensive than ever previously available in the sport.

"The Oar Inspired technology has the potential to give our athletes, coaches and their support staff “actionable data” that informs not only training load, but measures to optimise technique to get the most out of each stroke" Winter said.

"The AIS is keen to promote Aussie innovation in the quest to take on the world at major sporting events, and Oar Inspired has come up with something that will benefit our elite Australian athletes greatly."

Oar Inspired’s Founder and Solutions Architect, Des Jacobsen, said the collaboration confirmed the critical role that new technology played in developing sporting excellence.

Read more on the Rowing Australia website

 Improvements seen in elective surgery waiting times

Canberra, 15 October

A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows there have been improvements in the length of time public hospital patients waited for elective surgery.

The report, Elective surgery waiting times 2014-15: Australian hospital statistics, shows that between 2013-14 and 2014-15, the time within which 50% of patients were admitted (median waiting time) for elective procedures decreased from 36 days to 35 days.

'In addition, the proportion of patients who waited longer than a year to be admitted for their procedure decreased from 2.8% in 2010-11 to 1.8% in 2014-15,' said AIHW spokesperson Jenny Hargreaves.

Despite these improvements, the report shows significant variation in waiting times across Australia, and for different population groups.

'In 2014-15, the median waiting time ranged from 27 days in Queensland to 55 days in Tasmania,' Ms Hargreaves said.

The proportion of patients who waited for longer than a year ranged from 0.5% in Queensland to 12.9% in Tasmania.

The report also found that the median waiting time for Indigenous Australians was higher than for other Australians (42 days compared with 35 days), and that the proportion of Indigenous Australians who waited more than a year was higher than for other Australians (2.3% compared with 1.8%).

The surgical specialties with the longest median waiting times in 2014-15 were Ear, nose and throat surgery, Ophthalmology, and Orthopaedic surgery (73, 70, and 64 days, respectively). Cardio-thoracic surgery had the shortest median waiting times (18 days).

Coronary artery bypass graft was the procedure with the shortest median waiting time  (14 days) and Septoplasty had the longest median waiting time (214 days).

Between 2011-12 and 2014-15, the largest average annual increases in admissions were for Total hip replacement and Total knee replacement, which increased by about 4.5% and 4.0% per year, respectively. Admissions for Myringotomy (surgery on the ear drum for example for middle ear infections) decreased by about 5.0% per year.

In 2014-15, Australia's public hospitals admitted almost 698,000 patients from elective surgery waiting lists.

The AIHW is a major national agency set up by the Australian Government to provide reliable, regular and relevant information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare.

Full publication: Elective surgery waiting times 2014-15: Australian hospital statistics  

 Aerial response team deploys to Sumatra to commence firefighting operations

Media release: 14 October 2015; Minister for Foreign Affiars, The Hon Julie Bishop MP

An aerial response firefighting team departed Australia on Tuesday 13th October to assist Indonesia in its efforts to combat forest fires in South Sumatra.

Two aircraft, a L100 Lockheed C130 Water Tanker (“Thor”) supported by a Turbo Commander 690B lead plane, have now arrived in Sumatra and are scheduled to commence operations today.

An advance assessment team from Australia arrived in Palembang, Sumatra on Sunday 11 October and is coordinating arrangements on the ground with Indonesian authorities.

The aerial response team will be based out of Palembang.

I reiterate my gratitude to the NSW Rural Fire Service for its rapid response to Indonesia's request for assistance and acknowledge the contribution of Victorian Government personnel to this operation.

 Redefining temperature with precision lasers

October 14, 2015

A team of Australian scientists has produced a precision laser device that creates an accurate international standard for temperature.

Published today in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers from the University of Adelaide, University of Queensland and University of Western Australia, have come up with a new way to determine Boltzmann's constant, a number which relates the motion of individual atoms to their temperature.

The experiments contribute to a worldwide scientific effort in redefining the international unit of temperature: the kelvin. (Zero kelvin or 'absolute zero' is the absence of all thermal energy and equivalent to -273.15 degrees celsius).

"Although temperature is a familiar concept to all of us, remarkably it can only be measured accurately at a handful of locations around the globe," says project leader, Professor Andre Luiten, Director of the University of Adelaide's Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), where the experiments were conducted.

The researchers used lasers to make highly accurate measurements of the speed of individual atoms moving in a gas.

"An atom sitting at rest will absorb light of a particular frequency or colour -- if it is moving towards you or away from you then the absorbed light is very slightly changed because of something called the Doppler effect," says Professor Luiten. "This is exactly the same effect that makes a police siren sound different depending on whether the car is moving towards you or away. We use a pure laser to measure these changes in light absorption, from which we can infer the speeds of the atoms and the temperature of the gas."

By conducting the experiments with world-record precision the team came across a completely unexpected effect. The light has an apparent effect on the atoms themselves: the measurement itself ends up changing the result. One of the breakthroughs of the project was to develop an explanation of how this happened and ensuring that it didn't affect the result.

The development means any laboratory in the world with appropriate skills and equipment could accurately measure temperature. Further development could deliver this capability to industry -- something never before possible.

"Traditionally scientists kept a set of special clocks, rules and standard masses to define units such as the second, metre and kilogram," says Associate Professor Tom Stace, from the ARC Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems at the University of Queensland. "Over the last 50 years we have been getting rid of these standards and replacing them with universal quantities such as the speed of light or the frequency at which certain atoms vibrate.

"This program is completed for time, electrical quantities and length but mass and temperature still make use of special objects. In the case of temperature, it is based on the freezing point of a very special type of water to define the kelvin which makes it difficult for all laboratories around the world to agree about temperature.

"Our work will bring a universally agreed temperature scale to the globe. As with any upgrade, this one will be deemed successful if people hardly notice the transition on a day-to-day basis. But for those at the cutting edge -- whether developing new metal alloys at very high temperatures, or measuring the temperatures of the coldest substances, the need for absolute temperature is critical."

"When we started this research as an Australian Research Council Discovery Project in 2010, we decided to take a fundamentally different approach to measure temperature," says Professor Eric May from the Centre for Energy at the University of Western Australia.

"The results show that taking a different approach clearly pays off -- it has allowed us to observe and explain new phenomena.

"Creating agreed definitions of quantities is crucial for the industry and economy of all advanced technological societies."

G.-W. Truong, J. D. Anstie, E. F. May, t. M. Stace and A. N. Luiten.Accurate lineshape spectroscopy and the Boltzmann constant.Nature Communications, 2015 DOI:10.1038/ncomms9345

 The Telecommunications (Interception And Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Act 2015

13 October 2015: Attorney-General for Australia; Senator the Hon. George Brandis QC

The Government welcomes the commencement of theTelecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Act 2015 today.

Metadata is the basic building block in nearly every counter-terrorism, counter-espionage and organised and major crime investigation. It is also essential for the investigation of child abuse and child pornography offences, that are frequently carried out online, and other forms of organised crime.

With the expiry of the initial six month implementation period, telecommunications companies can apply for an extension of up to 18 months (April 2017) to comply with the legislation.

The Government continues to work constructively with the industry to achieve full compliance by April 2017.

Over $131 million has been committed by the Government to contribute to the upfront capital costs of the scheme.

Telecommunications companies have always retained metadata and law enforcement agencies have been permitted access to these records for decades, however industry practices have varied. The new scheme implements a uniform standard.

The Data Retention Act standardises the timeframe and type of data held giving law enforcement and national security agencies consistent information of the kind they need to keep the community safe.

The Act also introduced new and strengthened safeguard arrangements, in particular by significantly reducing the number of agencies that can access metadata.

The Attorney-General's Department is finalising details of a grants program and it is expected that payments will be made early next year, well before April 2017.

The Government will continue to work closely with industry; the focus will be on implementation rather than enforcement.

 $60 million to reduce domestic violence

14th October 2015: NSW Government Media Release

The NSW Government is committing $60 million to help reduce domestic and family violence (DFV). The funds make up a package that targets perpetrators and supports women, men and children who experience DFV.

NSW Premier Mike Baird said that domestic violence was a plague that needed to be eradicated across NSW and Australia.

“No one should have to live in fear in their own home,” Mr Baird said.

“We need to target these offenders to change their attitudes and behaviours to make a lasting change.”

The package is in addition to the $148.5 million over four years the government committed for specialist DFV services in the 2015-16 Budget, and augments the government’s It Stops HereDFV reforms.

Targeting perpetrators

The package will target perpetrators of DVF though:

• $15 million to introduce Domestic Violence High Risk Offender Teams in all six police regions. The teams will target repeat offenders and investigate serious DFV matters. The teams will roll out over the next three years.

• The NSW Police Force will apply Suspect Targeting Management Plans for repeat domestic violence offenders. The Central Metropolitan Region has kicked off using the plans in October with a view to rolling them out across the state in 2016.

• $4.1 million to advance roll out of all 24 Domestic Violence Liaison Officers positions. These positions play a critical role for police in investigating and supporting victims of DFV.

• $19.5 million for mandated perpetrator behaviour change programs to make perpetrators face up to their actions, attitudes and behaviours.

Supporting victims

The package will support victims of DVF through:

• $20 million to increase the Specialist Homelessness Services’ capacity through additional emergency accommodation and support for women and children affected by domestic violence, and enable services to respond more quickly.

• Australia’s first Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme will begin in four Police Local Area Commands from early 2016 including Oxley, Shoalhaven, St George and Sutherland.

• $2.3 million over two years for police Non-Government Organisations (NGO) partnerships to provide NGO-led early intervention support and crisis responses to applicants of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

• $1.3 million over four years to increase Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in high-risk communities in rural and regional NSW.

• The Staying Home Leaving Violence program will expand to four new sites including Coffs Harbour, Inverell, Orange and Clarence Valley.

• The DFV Blueprint, an analysis of the service gaps in the DFV system, which is underway with experts across the NGO and government sectors. Work will be completed in 2016 as part of the It Stops Here reforms.

Getting help

Anyone in immediate danger should call 000.

For information and support call the NSW Domestic Violence Line on 1800 656 463 or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

For information and referral to crisis accommodation and support call Link2home on 1800 152 152.

Men having problems with violent behaviour can call the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

 Uncovering the mystery of migraine

14 October 2015: University of Sydney

New study reveals more about what's happening in the brain

It's a disease that has baffled health professionals for years, but our researchers have taken a significant step forward in understanding migraine.

A new study, published in NMR in Biomedicine, reveals higher levels of the chemical gamma-aminobutyric acid in the brain of migraine sufferers, supporting the theory that migraines are linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain.

"The finding paves the way for the discovery of new, effective treatments for migraines," said lead researcher Maria Aguila, PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

"For such a debilitating condition, very little is known about migraine so this is a big step forward and could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of the disease in the future," she said.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA as it is commonly known, is the most abundant inhibitory brain chemical and has long been suspected to play a role in migraines due to its ability to influence pain. This study is the first to accurately measure GABA levels in the living brain.

"We still don't know what causes migraine, how it starts and ends, or why the triggers appear to differ from one person to the next, but this discovery means that we can now be much more specific with our research going forward," said Ms Aguila.

"For example, GABA could be used to help us identify migraine sufferers and track responses to drug trials, and measuring GABA levels over a period of time could well reveal what’s causing attacks.”

The study compared the levels of GABA in twenty chronic migraine sufferers to an age and gender matched control group who did not experience any form of regular headaches. Brain scans were conducted when the participants were not having a migraine.

The measurement of GABA levels in the brain was made possible by a novel spectroscopy technique associated with MRI developed by researchers at the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre.

Associate Professor in Neuroimaging, Jim Lagopoulos said the ability to directly measure these chemicals in the brain would not have been possible several years ago.

“These advances not only allow us to study fundamental changes in brain chemistry that are associated with migraine, but they also open a whole new world with respect to monitoring a patient's response to treatment and compliance," he said.

The researchers were unable to tell if the increase in GABA is related to a recent migraine attack or signalling a new one as the scanning process is currently too complex to carry out during a migraine attack.

The study design was conceived by Professor Kathryn Refshauge and executed by researchers from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Brain and Mind Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, University of the Philippines and University of New South Wales.

 NASA | Jupiter in 4k Ultra HD

By NASA Goddard: Published on 13 Oct 2015

New imagery from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is revealing details never before seen on Jupiter. High-resolution maps and spinning globes (rendered in the 4k Ultra HD format) are the first products to come from a program to study the solar system’s outer planets each year using Hubble. The observations are designed to capture a broad range of features, including winds, clouds, storms and atmospheric chemistry. These annual studies will help current and future scientists see how such giant worlds change over time.

This video is in the public domain. It can be downloaded along with the new Jupiter globes and maps at: 

http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?12021

 NSW Cancer Plan 2016-2020 - Invitation for review and comment

The Cancer Institute NSW provides statewide strategic direction for cancer control in NSW and has a 12 year history in developing and implementing activities that support the community to decrease their risk of cancers, utilise cancer screening services and access world class treatment services.

The Cancer Institute NSW is seeking your comments on the draft NSW Cancer Plan 2016-2020. This draft has been developed following a substantial consultation process to date on key areas of cancer control in NSW with a range of partners and stakeholders, via nine workshops held in February-May 2015, including two consultation and formative research processes with Aboriginal communities and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities. Thank you to those that have contributed as part of this process.

The current NSW Cancer Plan 2011-2015 reflected an integrated and collaborative approach to reducing the burden of cancer in NSW by coordinating priorities, resources and efforts among individuals, organisations and governments agencies involved in cancer control. We will be building on these efforts in the NSW Cancer Plan 2016-2020 where we will continue to focus on:

• reducing the incidence of cancer,

• improving the survival of people with cancer

• improving the quality of life of people with cancer

The draft plan also highlights the importance of focusing particular attention on priority populations and priority cancers to both improve cancer outcomes and lessen the gap for groups within the community who experience poorer outcomes.  

Thank you for your support and involvement in the implementation of the current NSW Cancer Plan 2011-2015. We look forward to receiving your feedback on the draft state-wide Cancer Plan for 2016-2020 and working with you to further reduce the burden of cancer in our community.

A copy of the draft NSW Cancer Plan 2016-2020 is available on the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s ‘Your Say’ website. ANDHERE 

Please provide your comments and feedback on the draft plan via our online survey by 30 October 2015.

Additional comments can be sent tocancerplanfeedback@cancerinstitute.org.au. 

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey and review the draft NSW Cancer Plan 2016-2020. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.