News from the Secretary, October 2006
This newsletter is a report on the Management Committee Meeting and Annual General Meeting held in Canberra on October 28th, 2006.
Annual Report
This is now available at www.dea.org.au
DEA Energy policy
This is an integrated energy policy for Australia that contains important messages on nuclear power. Day by day it becomes clearer that the Commonwealth government will promote the development of nuclear power in Australia. This is supported by preliminary statements by Ziggy Switkowski on behalf of the Uranium Mining Processing and Nuclear Energy Review, by Prime Minister Howard who names nuclear power as “clean and green” and by Senator Campbell who quotes the International Energy Agency (IEA) (http://www.iea.org/Textbase/press/pressdetail.asp?PRESS_REL_ID=187) to support the need for nuclear power in Australia
The IEA report states
“The Outlook demonstrates that nuclear power could make a major contribution to reducing dependence on imported gas and curbing CO2 emissions in a cost-effective way. But this will happen only if the governments of countries where nuclear power is accepted play a stronger role in facilitating private investment, especially in liberalised markets”
We contest this position. The DEA energy policy indicates that if worldwide construction of one nuclear power station was commenced every week there would be only a modest alteration in the rising curve of greenhouse emissions beginning in 20 years. The climate change situation is more urgent than this. In any event this rate of expansion is near impossible and carries considerable dangers. Furthermore the statements of nuclear protagonists fail to indicate that the mining , processing and transport of nuclear fuel and the construction of power stations is green house productive and this will negate some of the supposed future gains from nuclear power. Finally we are concerned that the push for nuclear power as a technological fix will distract the government from actions that can be taken now.
DEA will pursue this matter as follows:-
(1) We will issue a press release on nuclear power and green house within the next two weeks.
(2) The revised Energy Policy as amended at the AGM will be available on the web site and will be referred to in the press release.
(3) Letters will be sent to all parliamentarians with the revised Executive Summary of the policy.
(4) Sarah Morton will write to all DEA members asking them to write to their commonwealth member and senator on energy issues. Her letter to you will suggest some points that you might make.
Plans for public education on the health aspects of climate change
The terrible drought in Australia and the Stern Report on the economics of climate change (see www.dea.org.au “What’s New”, article on the Stern Report) seems to have changed the position of some sceptics in the government. But the initial response of government is uncoordinated and emphasises the technical fix. However at last we have debate! Opinion polls show that the public is now deeply concerned by climate change. The time is optimal to indicate what they can do to help.
You will have seen from advertisements in the national papers that the Climate Institute is now very active (http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/cia1/topTen.php) We congratulate them. We think our role is complementary to theirs for we emphasise climate change as a health issue.
A revised climate change poster from DEA is to go out to 26,000 doctors via the AMA magazine on November 22. Those of you who are AMA members will get one and should place it on your waiting room wall. Unfortunately the AMA magazine does not indicate its purpose. For those without waiting rooms please consider your teenager’s school, your workplace corridor or any other public place.
We are preparing further educational material and will be developing our own national list for distribution. Each new poster will be displayed on www.healthyplanet.info
Green Clinics
This is a very important educational initiative. Grant Blashki, a member of DEA Management Committee, has been the medical input into this initiative by the ACF. We urge all members to get involved and make an immediate impact on green house emissions and save money in their practices. For an article in the Australian family Physician on Green Clinics go to http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200611/12686 and look at the related file on the actions you can take.
Plans for the future
In discussion at the Management and Annual General Meetings in Canberra there was discussion on two important issues.
Firstly, it was accepted that we must widen our profile within the profession. It was accepted that our modus operandi in meeting politicians privately made this difficult but in other areas we could develop structures to have more interaction with members. Central to this need was the establishment of State Committees that would facilitate interaction between members and address State issues. This initiative has not been pursued as quickly as it should have been because the Management Committee has devoted energy to many other issues which at the time seem to claim priority. However it has been resolved to have a new initiative to establish State committees along the lines of the increasingly successful WA State committee.
Secondly, we recognised that to move forward we now need some administrative assistance. Members of the Management Committee are devoting as much time to the DEA enterprise as they can. Time being spent on secretarial work and administration is now taking time away from our core activities of meeting and briefing politicians and on educational activities. Accordingly, we will be searching for funding, not an easy task for many grant giving organisations regard the medical profession as well healed and capable of providing their own funds.
Annual General Meeting in 2007
We have agreed that this will be held in Perth. WA has more DEA members than any other State and we will utilise this to hold a scientific/medical meeting at the time of the AGM.
David Shearman
Hon Secretary