look over there

Tariana has come out with a statement that it is 'tragic' that Hone is building a 'left' maori party rather than one built upon tikanga and kaupapa. She thinks the new party will threaten the greens because they represent the values of 'left' within the parliment. I don't agree with her view. The greens and Hone's new party will get on well and work together without conflict because their philosophy's are in alignment.

Waatea news

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says Hone Harawira's new party could be more of a threat to the Greens than to his former colleagues. Mrs Turia says it's tragic the Tai Tokerau MP is talking about setting a party of the left, rather than one based on kaupapa or tikanga. “I think that his party could have a huge impact on the Greens who of course are the most left wing party who do work quite hard to address what we would consider are left-wing issues,” she says. Mrs Turia says it has taken years for Maori to be able to sit at the table with Government to advance their aspirations.

hey Tariana our rangatira sat at the table in 1840 didn't they? Which side of the table would the maori party have sat on?

The powers that be are very, very scared of Hone and his new Left Maori Party and those powers that be include the usual suspects and labour and their various fake-left supporters. I love the fact that they are scared - it shows we are on the right track. The compromisers and assimilationists can do their worst but it won't matter because it is all coming together nicely.

oh stop them we will

This countries draft energy policy has been obtained by the Coal Action Network Aotearoa and it makes clear what the government think - and they think massively expanding coal and oil and gas exploitation, while pretending to focus on renewable energy sources. After hundreds of submissions ignored, this government is following through on its "we are open for business" line.

As the CANA post says

Its top priority is to “Develop petroleum and mineral fuel resources”, ahead of other priorities like 2 Develop renewable energy resources 3 Embrace new energy technologies

While it’s been obvious that this has been the Government’s priority from the moment they came to power, they have now laid it out with a whole lot of pretty pictures to accompany it. It’s always helpful to know what you’re up against, and this document clearly shows it.

Yes we know what we are up against - exploiters and thick-heads, liars and misinformation experts, and idiots who just don't see the big picture apart from the big payouts. In other words they are the enemy of the land, the sea and the people - the enemy.

Who can stop them? The greens will be strong and Hone's new Left Maori Party will be too and the rest of the political parties? I hold no hope for them - sure labour will make political points but not on principles.

Who can stop them? - the people can and we will.

they know but still continue

The truth does come out, but it can take some effort. The greens have had to use the OIA to get the official truth about the Bill to replace the Foreshore and Seabed Act and the information recieved confirms what we have been saying - that the Bill is discriminatory against Māori. And not only that but the Government knows it and that means the maori party knows it. They will vote for a Bill that they know discriminates against Māori.

Scoop

(my emphasis) "In relation to the spatial definition of the shared marine space, the exclusion of private titles creates a double standard whereby pre-existing Maori rights (e.g. customary title) are within the shared marine space, while the rights of private title holders are left outside it. This approach continues the discriminatory effect of the 2004 Act."

The Ministry of Justice refused to release this information on the basis that it was legally privileged. It was only released after a complaint was made to the Ombudsmen. The original request for information was made in October 2010, the relevant excerpt of the cabinet paper was provided yesterday.

As Metiria says,

"The cabinet paper we have received under the OIA confirms that the Government knows this bill creates a double standard and discriminates against Maori but they have done nothing to change it," added Mrs Turei.

Why, why are they doing it? They know but still continue - why? This great article from Rawiri Taonui tells us the answer

The Maori Party is supporting a bill because it has become too wedded to the idea of obtaining utu over Labour for what it did in 2004, overly wedded to the relationship with National and the charismatic John Key, and simply wedded to power.

Rawiri also discusses the hikoi and the diference between this and the last one. This is Māori against Māori is his answer and I agree, this is a silent hikoi of shock.

Maori Party support for the bill has stunned Maori into silence rather than action upon an execration for mobilising against other Maori.

Some may believe that the maori party can survive this but not me.

I can hardly see you

They are going to ram the Bill replacing the Foreshore and Seabed Act through parliment over the next few days and when they do the maori party will stand guilty of lowering rights for maori. One aspect of this legislation is to solidify that maori rights are lessor than other rights and they do this by creating Customary Title. The stipulations around Customary Title are only for maori not for any other owner of the foreshore and seabed. Those private owners have wider rights than maori and the maori party will create and vote for that position. It is all over for them.

A good press release from Green Party Co-leader, Metiria Turei.

The hikoi that is making its way down the country highlights that National’s foreshore Bill is the same as the deeply flawed and unjust 2004 Act, said the Green Party today. “I would to acknowledge and pay my respect to the hikoi takutaimoana that is making its way into Auckland today... Maori have been denied representation in the super city, and this new foreshore bill discriminates against Māori. This cannot go on, it is time for the voices of Maori to be heard. This bill should not go forward as it is.”

“This bill is unfair as it does nothing to change the status of the 12,500 existing private titles in the foreshore and seabed. This creates a double standard which treats Māori rights as inferior. “Nothing in this bill will stop owners of private title stopping access or selling the foreshore into foreign ownership,” said Mrs Turei.

This point is also explained well by Moana Jackson in his primer

... However that “Maori customary title” is not the title exercised by Iwi and Hapu prior to 1840. Neither is it the full and exclusive title guaranteed in the Treaty of Waitangi. Rather it is a limited bundle of rights subject ultimately to the presumed authority of the Crown to define their limit and extent. They are necessarily subordinate rights. For example they are less than those that might be held by a Pakeha person with land contiguous to the foreshore and seabed. Indeed the Crown has stated several times that while they are a “property interest” they are something less than a freehold title. That is not only discriminatory but a blatant redefinition of tino rangatiratanga and any accepted understanding of mana tuku iho.

The maori party will let us down in the worst way - they are becoming smaller as they move away from the people.

spits of reign

The latest Household Labour Force Survey figures show unemployment has risen. yes we know about the global recession and financial stack of cards but what has happened to the initiatives to generate meaningful employment options for people. Cycleway? job summits? This government blames the unemployed for being unemployed and they are going to let the 'market' sort it out and that will put many more people into that status - that is how their system works. It is based on inequality.

No Right Turn

The Household Labour Force Survey is out, and it shows that unemployment has spiked again to 6.8%. 158,000 people are now out of work - an increase of 53,000 since National took office. In addition, an extra 92,000 have given up and left the labour force, while we have an extra 31,000 long-term unemployed.

I latest breakdown of the figures show that

The figures showed the rate of unemployment for those aged 15-19 was more than 25 percent, that Maori unemployment was 15.5 percent and Pacific Islanders unemployment was 13.5 percent.

Have no illusions - things are going to get a lot worse with the gnats in for another 3 years. Lew at Kiwipolitico tells it like it is and it is very scary. Labour are toast. The Greens are struggling with cutthrough but at least provide some opposition. The maori party have different priorities. What to do?

Communities and people together is the only answer. We may or may not be able to stop or slow them down (we will try though) but we must strengthen our connections and bonds. Every storm passes and when it does, the destruction becomes apparent. The tears can flow and then we rebuild together, as communities.

tempting buns are not for revenue?

The department of conservation - the title would imply protection and conservation but is that what they actually do? We have seen the enroachment of commercial interests into the conservation estate - the stall at Cathedral Cove, for instance. The director general of the department of conservation has had some hard questions to answer and his answers don't convince me.

From Stuff

Battling with a $54 million budget cut has shifted the Conservation Department's focus toward reaping commercial rewards – but this does not mean the environment will suffer, its director-general says.

Al Morrison has fended off Green Party accusations that it is focusing on attracting big business at the expense of biodiversity.

That budget cut is real and a disgrace.

Morrison - When you say we have got a commercial focus, what it means is we have a lot of New Zealand involved in conservation ... the untapped part in involving New Zealand in conservation is in business. It is not, I can assure you, so we can get lots of revenue."

The untapped part??? What is he talking about. It is untrue to say that you have had a budget cut and are courting commercial interests but not for revenue - why are you doing it then al?

Green MP Kevin Hague at an environment select committee meeting yesterday argued there was an obvious tension between the department's needs to maintain a focus on conservation values and trying to make inroads into business.

For example, when an icecream kiosk opened at Coromandel's Cathedral Cove beach last year, a flurry of angry emails went to Prime Minister John Key and then conservation minister Tim Groser, saying DOC's decision to allow commerce on the beach was "philosophically wrong". This showed that trying to make money from conservation land in this way was misplaced, he said.

But Mr Morrison said only a handful of people had objected and, on his visit to the beach, the vendor was not a nuisance – and was in fact selling "tempting" buns.

So we go from philosophically wrong to tempting buns. That is a fail in my book - it doesn't answer the question regarding the underlying philosophy - or maybe it actually does - (shudder).

Good on the greens for skewering this spinner.

It has always been about the land

I'm less than convinced by Labour's turnaround to now oppose foreign ownership of NZ - this seems like trying to stake out ground others already have, but maybe they will get some traction from it - I'm into anything which forces this government to adjust their policies. So good luck to them. I do agree with the Greens who say, from TV3

"The Greens say while they’re glad to see a change of intent, they’re not entirely convinced it will make a difference."

For many maori foreign ownership of land is already here and is an effect of colonisation. It is good that this subject is being discussed because it gives us an opportunity to look at the bigger picture of how tangata whenua are treated. To exhalt loudly on foreign ownership, without using the same gusto in addressing maori inequities around land, seems a little shallow and false to me. And the same people who sold so much of our land when in government are still there, still wanting power.

Under our current world view no one would think to perhaps ask maori what they think and what solutions they may be able to offer.

Ka whawhai tonu matou

a tree is green and brown

I have recently been placed on the māori party press release list and I'm really pleased to recieve the emails detailing what the māori party have been up to. I'm going to post the ones that resonnate because it is important to get a full view of the goings on rather than just the MSM spin - sure these are spin too, but they record what's happening.

For instance this is a good stance by Tariana and the māori party

"Maori Party MP for Te Tai Hauauru Tariana Turia is disappointed that the South Taranaki District Council has dismissed iwi and backed a move to give control of a major water supply to farmers.

"The decision goes against the spirit of this country's most significant freshwater report that was handed to the Government just last week," said Mrs Turia who was referring to the council's decision last night to back a local bill, sponsored by Chester Burrows, giving local landowners control of the Cold Creek Rural Water Supply Scheme.

"The report [from the Land and Water Forum] recommended that councils must engage with iwi about the way in which their water bodies are valued, and to work collaboratively with them and other relevant land and water users.

"I am very sad to hear that the council has sidelined Ngati Ruanui and not engaged them properly.

"The water that ends up in the creek runs from the head of Ngati Ruanui's ancestral mountain, Maunga Taranaki, so they must be included in all major decisions concerning the resource.

"I will be talking to the Minister of Local Government and the Minister for the Environment, to ensure Ngati Ruanui is not left out and that the recommendations of the report are upheld."

The report Land and Water Forum: A Fresh Start for Freshwater looked at freshwater management at local, regional and national levels."

Fighting for the right of māori to be heard and respected, protecting the mana of the people and the mauri of the waterway, showing the hypocracy and injustice around disempowering decisions - this is the role of the māori party. Well done.

 and now, while the pressure is building is the time to take it up a notch - put some olive branches out to the greens and work together on a bill or amendment or protest and opposition. Use the values of manaakitanga to build relations and support. I can't really see much downside - it puts pressure on the gnats thus increasing bargining power, it strengthens a relationship with a potential partner with many shared values, it creates more opportunity to make positive changes in whatever is focused on by using two sets of resources and activists, and it increases mana.

It's time to focus on similarities and connection not differences.

two wrongs make two wrongs

Isn't it a bit weird that the maori party are supporting the bogus repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed legislation and the greens oppose it. The greens are showing good integrity on this issue and their spokesperson gets it just right with this statement.

From Scoop

“The proposed legislation is discriminatory because it creates one set of rules for Maori title, and another for the 12,500 existing private titles in the foreshore and seabed,” said Green Party Maori Affairs Spokesperson David Clendon.

The Marine and Coastal Area Bill being introduced to Parliament today does not guarantee public access to the foreshore and seabed owned under private title and does not stop these private titles being sold. It also outlines that Maori customary title can be overridden by mining interests whereas private title interests cannot.

“This bill effectively treats Maori rights as second class,” said Mr Clendon.

There is no argument against this because it is true and the maori party are voting for it - I wonder how many votes they will get next election. I voted for and believed in the maori party, but there is something missing within them at the moment.

With ACT disintegrating like they deserve, the maori party had a real opportunity to put the pressure on and get some real gains for their constituents. The danger is that more baubles will be dangled and egos stroked and nothing will happen. I'm not holding my breath.

I like Hone, but he is not a leader of a political party, he is too hot headed. Others needs to be found that can carry the mana and responsiblity. Leadership is about bringing the people with you, it is about walking backwards to the future, it is time for new leaders to be bought forth to push the political agenda for maori. And these people need to be immune from the poisoned fruits of the exploitive, comodification driven, capitalist quagmire. Let us turn our backs to that system opposite to kaupapa.

Good on the greens for supporting maori - they are doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Smug finlayson says

"When the Attorney-General was asked at question time why private titles were being treated differently to Maori title his response was because “two wrongs don’t make a right”.

How about - two wrongs do make two wrongs - or does that not compute?

running free

Frog at Frogblog has some great news about the Nevis River.

"A special tribunal has agreed to a variation on the Kawarau Water Conservation Order that would prohibit the damming of the Nevis river , a tributary of the Kawarau. The variation was sought by Fish & Game back in 2008.

One of the key factors in the tribunal’s decision was the recent discovery of a rare species of galaxiid known as the Gollum Galaxias in the Nevis, the only place it has been found in Otago.

It has been eyed up for a hydro dam by Pioneer Generation for years, but now thanks to the efforts of Fish & Game, and of course the Gollum Galaxias, it will run free forever."

Thank you Fish & Game.

back away from the dangerous animal

I'm not going to gloat - too much - but this is a great victory. They have seen the people and their anger and they have backed away from their dangerous plans to open up more of our most protected areas to mining. Thank you to all who contributed to this win. Now onto the next one, because their will be a next one. This backdown has drawn a line in the sand and that is good for opponents of this governments policies. It will be easier to get another line in the sand, and then another and before you know it, they will be gone. And whilst not wanting to get personal the biggest loser is gerry brownlee.

from Stuff

"Mr Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson this morning announced that plans to allow mining on 7000 hectares of Schedule Four conservation estate land - which included parts of the Coromandel, Paparoa National Park and Great Barrier Island - had been permanently shelved."

"Mr Brownlee acknowledged the decision was influenced by the huge public outcry and concerns that controversy over allowing mining on a small area of the conservation estate would undermine an industry with "enormous potential''."

"... Greenpeace Senior Climate Campaigner Simon Boxer said the decision was "a heartening example of people power in action"."

"This is a historic victory for the record number of New Zealanders who stood up to protect our most treasured places and for a vision of a truly sustainable and progressive 21st century economy for New Zealand."

"... Forest & Bird advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell said the decision effectively created a cross-party consensus against mining on protected conservation land."

"''The decision is a victory for the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who marched in Auckland and other centres against the proposal and who sent almost 40,000 submissions during the consultation.''"

"... Green Party leader Metiria Turei has a private members bill in the ballot that would require such a change."

"Today's decision is a major embarrassment to the Government, whose senior ministers were touting mining earlier this year as one way to lift New Zealand's economic performance and help bring about a "step change"."

All very good and now we must raise our gaze to the oil and gas exploration and black sand mining and the various other ways they are trying to exploit our world and us.

i love my greens

Well done to the greens for supporting the rights of the indigenous people of this land. They have kept the pressure on gerry brownlee and he has nowhere to hide. A great sadness that the maori party are almost silent on this issue of drilling for oil and gas without the proper environmental protection and with out consulting maori.

The greens care.

such as Brownlee thinks he knows best for East Coast

"Monday, 28 June 2010, 3:27 pm Press Release: Green Party

“Digging a hole on land requires public consultation, but offshore oil drilling is pretty much at the whim of the Minister”, Dr Kennedy Graham, Green Party Energy Spokesperson said.

The public have been denied a say in whether Petrobras can drill an exploratory oil well in the Raukumara Basin. Beaches across the Bay of Plenty and East Coast were set alight by peaceful protesters yesterday, who are calling on the Government for proper consultation.

“Having failed to make a case for expanded mining in our National Parks, the Minister is using his powers under the Crown Minerals Act to bypass any significant consultation with local iwi or the general public”, Dr Graham said.

“The Minister is convinced he knows what’s best for the local people and instead of asking them, he’s telling them".

and Maori put ‘on hold’ while Brownlee ignores claims

"Wednesday, 7 July 2010, 3:16 pm Press Release: Green Party

A Crown Minerals official told the Waitangi Tribunal’s Management of the Petroleum Resource Inquiry in April that Te Aupouri had formally asserted its rights over the Reinga Block area, calling for a halt to the process. The official also testified that Te Aupouri was sent a ‘holding response’ letter from Crown Minerals while the Minister considered the issue. However, no formal response to Te Aupouri was ever sent and the Reinga Block offer formally opened in January of this year, despite their claim.

“The Minister is trying to hide behind the Continental Shelf Act, claiming that ownership of petroleum and the EEZ is vested in the Crown, but his Ministry has testified otherwise and has acknowledged Te Aupouri’s assertion to the Waitangi Tribunal.”

Crown Minerals confirmed to the Tribunal that the Crown does not own the petroleum in the EEZ and is obliged to investigate to see if there are customary rights extant when those are raised; that it is an obligation under both international law and under the Treaty of Waitangi.

“The Waitangi Tribunal is aware, Crown Minerals is aware, but the Minister doesn’t seem to care,” David Clendon, the Green Party Maori Affairs Spokesperson said."

and Brownlee ignores aboriginal title

"Tuesday, 6 July 2010, 4:20 pm Press Release: Green Party

“All offshore oil exploration permits should be suspended until clear title to the resource has been established beyond the 12 nautical mile limit,” David Clendon, the Green Party Maori Affairs Spokesperson said today.

“I am disturbed to learn that Crown Minerals is aware of aboriginal title issues but that Minister Brownlee is proceeding with permit offers as if it doesn’t matter.

A Crown Minerals official told the Waitangi Tribunal’s Management of the Petroleum Resource Inquiry in April that he was aware of issues with aboriginal title. It is not clear whether aboriginal title outside the 12 nautical mile limit has ever been formally extinguished by the Crown."

That is all really good stuff. There are so many reasons to oppose this madness and the greens are leading the way with continued pressure on brownlee. He is the weak link and he should be placed under the microscpopic, because he just hasn't got it and he knows it, and by his foolishness their pack of cards shall fall - that's my hope anyway :)

greens and maori party - the old one-two

Good work by the Greens, especially Metiria. Got to keep the pressure on regarding their evil plan to mine our National Parks. And also very good to see the maori party get their supplementary in - it caused a few problems for double dipton.



Hat tip Frogblog

mining pr campaign begins in earnest

I'm pretty cynical and when I see this sort of story on the news it makes me wonder.

The pr campaign has begun in earnest. It's going to get dirty. From TVNZ

"At a time when the government is considering opening up more conservation land to mineral exploration, Rio Tinto is giving some back.

The international mining giant is backing a conservation project aimed at helping the westland petrel.

Now I'm all for saving the petrel - how did it get to be endangered anyway, did destroying it's habitat have any thing to do with it, perhaps.

"The 80 hectares of land was once a mining site but now the company is giving it back to the community.

Good, we'll take it - thanks.

We need to begin solidifying the opposition to mining our national parks. I have started talking with people about the issue and we need to think about meetings and groups. We need some very simplfied messages that cut to the heart of the issue. And these messages will need to be repeated and amplified. Some calls will need to be considered, for instance what is more likely to move people, a beautiful picture of our wilderness or the same picture with an open-cast mine in it. It may be okay to use both when necessary but we will have to go emotional and visceal, and that may mean using images and copy that show the consequences of doing nothing. I still think the whole approach can be positive. It's about protecting our wilderness for all of us to enjoy and marvel at. It is about treasuring the environment and the ecosystems and living within nature instead of fighting nature, and commodifying and corportising nature.

It's about us.

Metiria is a leader

Thank you for this post Metiria. I agree with your conclusions that keys attack on hone are wrong and i think you have highlighted why they are wrong very accurately.

The greens are leading the way politically and morally at the moment - they are showing that they are the true left in this country.

Hint for key - say tino rangatiratanga slowly and it will come out less mangled.

Hint for goff - I can't be bothered.

shock resignation from jeanette

I am in shock - not because i didn't think she wouldn't go at some stage - but because i don't want her to go.


from stuff

"Green Party MP Jeanette Fitzsimons confirmed today she had resigned from Parliament.

Ms Fitzsimons, the former co-leader, said it was time for a change of pace after a 13 year parliamentary career.

At age 65 she wants to spend more time with her grandchildren - fair enough Jeanette - I give the highest praise to you for the work you have done to save the planet and this country. Thank you.

greens are giving me hope

The greens give me hope. Kevin Hague, Green MP has written an excellent piece on opposition to a proposed goldmine in Ruatapu, about 10km south of Hokitika.

The whole article is very well written and i recommend you go here to read the whole post.

Some highlights for me

"I’d read the application and Assessment of Environmental Effects before heading down there, and was surprised just how close (15m) the mine would come, and what a valuable piece of regenerating podocarp forest would be lost if it were bowled. It’s the usual infuriating assessment: the bush is ’significant’, it is a rare piece of lowland forest, it represents the southern limit on a numbe of species, and provides habitat for some birds that are at risk, but compared to the larger amount of forest around neighbouring Lake Mahinapua, loss of this would be of minor effect.

... But whether or not the town is currently safe to live in (and I have asked the Medical Officer of Health to investigate this), what is certain is that an alluvial gold mine will make things much, much worse. The nature of alluvial mining is that soil is dug up and turned over into large piles. Wind blows across these, dispersing PCPs far and wide. To muffle the noise of the mining operation, ‘bunds’ are created. From the mine soil. Same problem – 15m from people’s kitchen windows. And that dredge pond? The mining operation has to continuously clear large volumes of water, and some of it will be pumped into the dredge pond. Some of that water will be forced down into the ground water, but mostly it’s likely to raise the water level in the pond. We do occasionally have extreme rainfall events on the Coast, with the prospect that the pond will overflow, but in fact before that happens the water (and sediment) will flow through tunnels (known by the old timers, but not officially until yesterday) into Lake Mahinapua.

This is good writing by Kevin. We must get people emotionally as involved as those directly affected by these developments and this type of article is one of the ways to do it. Thanks Kevin - good work.

Hat tip Frogblog

maori and greens the future

They will take your DNA

The maori party are saying that young maori men - who for some reason are over represented in the police statistics will resist this move. The move to take DNA, without consent or a judge saying it is okay.

"From 2011, the police will be allowed to take DNA samples from anyone they intend charging with an imprisonable offence.

Consent will not be needed, and samples will be able to be taken without judicial approval."

Resist this move - got that fucken right!!!!!

Why resist it?

"Britain had the world's largest database; it held the DNA of 75 per cent of young black men compared with 22 per cent of white men, Ms Katene said."

The same will happen here. Maori will be on their database while the big crims - the ones who rip off millions, like the banks and energy companies - will just happiliy truck along.

How about DNA-ing all white collar crims. All the rip off artists - instead of targetting petty crims.

Too hard and doesn't fit within the pre-concieved ideas of who crims are - does it?

"the bill was passed into law on a vote of 108 to 13, with the Greens and Maori Party opposing."

The future is maori and greens.

Good information at Tumeke

Hey lets privatise water - then air, hugs, sunlight, mitochrondria and your DNA

Not surprising that they want to privatise the water - it will be the air next.

"The Government is planning to make it easier for private companies to take over water and wastewater services from councils.

Local Government Minister and Act leader Rodney Hide yesterday said "flexibility in delivery of water services" was part of changes to the Local Government Act 2002."

... "Under the act, councils can contract "any aspect of the operation of all or part of a water service"."

'Any aspect of all or part' - total wriggle room there.

"Green Party local government spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said the changes would effectively privatise all aspects of water supply services.

"This has the potential to be hugely harmful to the public," she said.
"This theft of the public's assets is alarming and dangerous."
Auckland water campaigner Penny Bright was totally opposed to the plan.
"In no way is the commercialisation or privatisation of water services to be supported."
She said water services should never be run to make a profit. Affordable water was a basic human right."

Basic human right - not everything is a commodity rodders. Is there anything you wouldn't sell - maybe your rosebud?

oil spill disaster

Photo by Chris Twomey / Australian Greens, courtesy of WA Today

This is a bad leak.

"The Greens have been highly critical of the government's handling of the oil spill, which has been leaking for more than two months into the Timor Sea.

Equipment failure has caused further delays in the attempt to plug an oil well that has been leaking for more than two months into the Timor Sea."

This is the australian greens but our greens have highlighted it as well.

"The government just yesterday announces it's giving this same company a massive new area for oil exploration in Australian waters," Senator Brown told the Nine Network on Sunday.

"They're rewarding this failure... with further exploration leases."

Hard to believe that they are giving this company more ability to explore.

"The Greens believe anywhere from 10 to 20 million litres of oil has spilled into the ocean since the leak began on August 21.

Oil and gas began flowing from a well at the Montara oilfield, more than 200km off Western Australia's northwest coast, on August 21.

Photo courtesy of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority

PTTEP, a Thai-based company which operates the oilfield, has failed three times to plug the leaking well with mud."

This is an ecological disaster bigger than the exxon valdez. How bad is it?

"The spill is reportedly Australia's worst since offshore drilling began more than 40 years ago.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said the area around the West Atlas drilling rig was "teeming" with marine life, and 16 seabirds had died after coming into contact with the toxic slick.

Biologist Gilly Llewellyn led a WWF survey of the area and said there were times when they watched as dolphins surfaced "literally in a sea of oil".

"Clearly, wildlife is dying and hundreds if not thousands of dolphins, seabirds and sea-snakes are being exposed to toxic oil," she said.

"It's a massive contamination event, it's posing a massive risk to wildlife that is largely confined to sea, that we won't actually see on our shorelines.""

NASA / MODIS image taken from the Terra satellite

and

"Conservationists estimate that the oil is covering an area of at least 5,800 square miles (15,000sq km). "

The risks of putting these types of oil platforms up around our coast is too high. Even the attempt down south is not worth it for the potential disaster that could be caused by inevitable failure - either mechancial or human. i know we already have them - so be it - but putting up more is not the way to go.