News from the Secretary January-February 2006

Nuclear policy
At the AGM in November 2005 it was resolved that DEA would develop a position on nuclear energy which would be encapsulated within a policy on the health aspects of energy generation. Work has commenced on the policy. The need for us to provide this as soon as possible has been emphasized when several politicians whom we have met have asked if we have a policy. Please could members of DEA with particular interests or skills in this area identify themselves so that we could consult with you.

Four Corners and Climate Change
We hope that members look at www.dea.org.au to keep themselves informed of articles of relevance to our aims. On February 13 ABC Four Corners program on global warming and CSIRO was a bad dream come true. To hear an eminent climate change scientist Kevin Hennessy repeatedly responding to relevant questions with the one liner “I cannot answer that” was 1984 revisited. To hear a member of the Liberal party and a former advisor to Minister Hill describe how the Minister’s good intent was thwarted by the lobbyists was a revelation.

Clive Hamilton in a speech to the Climate Change and Business Conference in Adelaide 20 February 2006 said “We now know that for a decade the Howard government’s policies have been not so much influenced but actually written by a tiny cabal of powerful fossil fuel lobbyists representing the very corporations whose commercial interests would be affected by any move to reduce Australia’s burgeoning greenhouse gas emissions”. These issues are explored further in an article on the DEA web page www.dea.org.au and you will find Clive Hamilton’s speech at the Australia Institute web site www.tai.org.au “The Dirty Politics of Climate Change”.

Appeal for Donations
All members will have received an appeal for donations from DEA Chairman Bill Castleden. The need to fund some secretarial assistance reflects our success in generating important activities within our policies of gaining access to politicians and in education. We are engulfed in the routine work of running a corporate organization and do not wish this to take time from our core activities. It must be somewhat unusual to send out an appeal letter by email! There are two reasons, firstly, no paper or postage and secondly it is time consuming preparing individual letters.

Prescription for a Healthy Planet
The DEA project Prescription for a Healthy Planet is running on schedule and posters with matching brochures will now be released by mid March. There will be a press release and media interviews The two posters, on “Human health and climate change” and “Human health and biodiversity” are both educational and provide brief and accessible advice on actions that individuals can take. The posters will be A2 size (4 times A4), though we may be able to supply a limited number of smaller posters if necessary, and are designed for the practice waiting room environment. We need to enlist the help of more doctors. Please encourage your colleagues – whether GP’s or specialists - to display these posters. You can join our mailing list for posters by either submitting your details from the DEA website www.dea.org.au emailing posters@dea.org.au or by phoning Dr. Sarah Morton on (03) 5962 5313.