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Wind power gains momentum
Western Australia's Alinta is the latest energy distributor
to expand its "green" output, announcing
this month it will distribute power from a 90-megawatt
wind farm to be built near Geraldton.
The AUS $200 million farm, due for completion in mid-2005,
will be the biggest on the west coast of Australia
and able to power up to 60,000 homes.
Another renewable energy producer, Pacific Hydro,
is building an even bigger farm at Portland, on the
coast of the southern Australian state of Victoria.
It says its AUS $270 million 195-megawatt Portland
development will generate enough pollution-free electricity
for 100,000 homes.
Currently, about 200 megawatts of Australia's power
comes from wind farms, so the new Alinta and Pacific
Hydro projects will massively expand this output.
According to Atlinta, its farm will displace 400,000
tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions produced by traditional
power generation. Pacific Hydro expects its farm will
save 700,000 tonnes of emissions.
According to Pacific Hydro, wind is the world's fastest
growing energy source, with installed capacity over
the five years from 1998-2003 growing at an average
32 per cent a year.
It says the world's installed wind capacity at the
end of 2002 was 31,128 megawatts, with Denmark the
leading user, generating 20 per cent of its electricity
from the wind.
Global free trade out, one-off FTA’s in
It was reported this week that Australia has abandoned
its position as a global free trade pioneer to pursue
one-off free trade agreements (FTAs) with its major
export partners as negotiators met in Geneva to revive
stalled World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks on agriculture.
After successfully negotiating an FTA with the US,
trade minister Mark Vaile renewed his determination
to pursue a similar deal with China and others.
Vaile also indicated that free trade deals with countries
such as Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Gulf nations
including Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were
in the pipeline, although he admitted some would be
hard to achieve.
Former Australian trade negotiator Jane Drake-Brockman
said it was a major concession from a country that
had been at the vanguard of the push for global agricultural
free trade.
Wolfgang Kasper from the Sydney-based think-tank,
the Centre for Independent Studies, said bilateral
trade deals invigorated negotiations for a multilateral
deal through the WTO.
However, Australian National University economics
lecturer John Gage said bilateral agreements meant
international trade agreements would be bogged down
in bureaucratic details.
Drake-Brockman also said bilateral agreements would
not help moves to a multilateral trade agreement on
agriculture at the WTO. She said the idea that bilateral
agreements encouraged multilateral agreements defied
economic common sense.
The butt stops here!
Close to 70 per cent of NSW club and pub managers are
concerned about the effects of passive smoking on
the health of staff and patrons, according to a new
report.
The Attitudes To Going Smoke Free report, a study
released by the National Heart Foundation of Australia
(NSW division), also found 72 per cent of managers
say a total smoking ban is inevitable and 83 per cent
agree a total smoking ban is the way to go.
Heart Foundation executive director Tony Thirlwell
said there is a definite concern about the health effects
of passive smoking on club and pub patrons and employees.
"Every day hospitality workers continue to put
their health on the line," he said.
"
When a majority of managers accept that a total smoking
ban is on the way, why delay?"
Mr. Thirlwell said bans on smoking were already being
introduced by many countries.
"New York has had smoking bans for a year and
Ireland goes smoke-free next week. If they can do it,
why can't NSW?"
The study also found two-thirds of managers believe
their business is less likely to suffer if all venues
are subject to a smoking ban. However, according to
Mr. Thirlwell, there is evidence showing that smoking
bans do not adversely impact businesses.
Dr Choong-Siew Yong, President of the Australian Medical
Association added, “Most people in NSW are protected
from hazards in their workplace such as tobacco smoke.
Bar and club workers deserve the same rights for a
healthy work environment like other NSW employees.
Hospitality workers are a population at risk of increased
health problems.”
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