Thursday, March 12, 2009

ALEC Update March 12

G’day all,
Hope this finds you well.
We have got a bumper update for you this week.

Thanks for the feedback regarding the Container Deposit Legislation announcement yesterday. I wholeheartedly agree that we must hold them to this now and ensure that we do indeed have a CDL system in the Northern Territory as soon as possible.

If you’re receiving this email as a non-financial member, please renew your membership. If you sign up for a year now, you will be financial until July 2010. Also, please consider donating to ALEC. Although we will be receiving substantially larger funding from the NT Government this year, we are still in a tight situation due to the loss of income from the Centre for Sustainable Arid Towns and the Threatened Species Network.

We will be launching a 3 month fundraising campaign from April to July.
Stay tuned for details of fun nights out, informative film sessions, guest speakers and the tax-deductible community infrastructure and development fund, soon to announced.

Also, there will be no ALEC Update next week as I will be attending the Mittagong Forum in Victoria. It’s a 3-day conference of national and regional environment organisations on building capacity and effectiveness of the environment movement in Australia.

Have a good week.

Key dates:
Grab your diaries:


Fri Mar 13 FFANFF Pram Jam Council Lawns 9am (details below)

Sat Mar 14 DKA COOLmob – Gardens Challenge – 9.30am – (details below)

Fri Mar 20 Alice Solar Cities 1st year anniversary 5-10pm – Araluen Arts Centre (details below and attached)

Fri Mar 20 Dance in the Dust - 6:00pm - 8:00pm – Ilparpa (details below)

Sat Mar 21 Massive Native Plant Sale Sat. Olive Pink Botanic Gardens 8 am–11am (see below)

Sun Mar 22 World Water Day – Todd Mall Markets- All day

Sun Mar 22 Miss Pink Birthday celebration 3pm at Olive Pink Botanic Garden (see below).

Fri Mar 27 Public Meeting Kon Vatskalis re: Angela Pamela – Andy McNeill Room – 11.30am-12.30pm (details below)

Fri Mar 27 Climate Action meeting with Warren Snowdon 2.30pm (details below)

Sat Mar 28 Earth Hour – Switch off all non-essential electricity between 8.30-9.30pm

Mon Apr 6 Expressions of Interest for Caring for Our Country grants close


Sun May 24 Biodiesel-making workshop (See Attachment) more details to come

Also don’t forget
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Alice Springs Artists response to the uranium threat

Calling all poets, song writers, artists etc to create works responding to the uranium mining-dumping threats to our town.
We are hoping to create an exhibition to be displayed in the ASTC Library May-June
Queries please call Unanyntji ;0488266478 ,unanyntji@hotmail.com
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No piecemeal solution is going to prevent the collapse of whole societies and ecosystems ... a radical re-thinking of our values, priorities and political systems is urgent. -- Maude Barlow

Kind regards

Jimmy

COOLmob NEws

COOLmob Gardens Challenge… Open Day – Saturday March 14
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Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob is presenting another FREE workshop as part of the ongoing “Gardens Challenge” project.

This weeks workshop is focused on developing a ‘family friendly’ garden relevant for suburban Alice Springs households. The garden will be transformed into a space idea for children and incorporate some lawn, veggies, fruit trees and native plants. However, the overall emphasis will be how to achieve this by using the least amount of water possible.

Geoff Miers, local gardening guru and manager of Geoff Miers Garden Solutions will be sharing his desert horticultural experience, and answering questions. The particular focus will be on garden planning and how to eliminate unwanted grass – especially couch.

Come along for a cuppa, and share ideas with other interested people…

Details:
** Saturday 14th March 2009 **
9.30 am to 12.30 pm at 16 Clarke St.

Numbers are limited please indicate your interest with
Robbie Henderson on 89520299 or Claire Bastin
Email: Claire.Bastin@cdu.edu.au

Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob is a network of sustainable households in Alice Springs supported by the Arid Lands Environment Centre and Desert Knowledge Australia


Robbie Henderson


Project Manager
Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob
Ph: (08) 8952 0299 Fax: (08) 8953 2988
http://dka.coolmob.org

Families for a Nuclear Free Future (FFANFF) Events

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PRAM JAM- Friday 13th March
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You are invited to join our monthly PRAM JAM in 2009, a pram-friendly, peaceful demonstration of community concern about uranium exploration at Angela Pamela.

Where: meet @ the Council Lawns
When: Friday 13 March, 9am
Bring: Placards, signs, pram decorations.

All ages welcome, with or without a pram!

We will leave the Lawns at 9.30am for a pram walk to a surprise location and show a positive, family friendly presence on the streets of Alice Springs.
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Dance in the Dust – FFANFF Fundraiser
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5 Rhythms Autumn Equinox Dance Workshop
Friday, March 20, 2009
6:00pm - 8:00pm
The Quandong Block
Lot 7776 Ilparpa Rd

Phone:
0488266478 Email: unanyntji@hotmail.com

Autumn equinox is the point of perfect balance between night and day. Dance the 5 Rhythms to create more balance in our life.Bring fruit to shareComfortable clothesDonations for FANFF
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World Water Day March 22
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All day
Todd Mall Markets
A morning of water -friendly, anti-nuclear activities for families, friends, children. Join in the fun!
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Public Meeting with Kon Vatskalis on Uranium Exploration and Mining
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27th March 2009 11.30am-12.30pm
Andy McNeil Room,
Alice Springs Town Council.

Kon Vatskalis, Minister for Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources will face up to the Alice Springs community at a special event to discuss the exploration and mining of uranium at Angela Pamela.
Put this event in your diary now!

Attention****
We want a big turnout to this event to show Kon in numbers our concerns about this issue! Tell your work mates (take an early lunch break!), tell friends, message people by text and talk to your neighbours!
All welcome.****

You are invited to submit questions to the Minister. Email questions to ffanff@aapt.net.au or info@alec.org.au and as many as possible will be asked by a selected representative community panel as time will be limited, questions will not be taken from the audience.

Climate Action Alert

Labor's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme not going to cut it.

MMETING WITH WARREN SNOWDON MHR re CPRS Friday 27 March 2.30pm

The Climate Action Group is very disappointed with the Rudd Government's proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) and emission reduction targets given how strongly the government committed to strong action when elected. We are concerned that the current design of the CPRS is badly flawed.

The Climate Action Group has made an appointment to speak with our elected representative, Warren Snowdon MHR on 27th March at 2.30 pm.

This meeting is part of a national day of protest about the CPRS.

We wish to provide an opportunity for anyone concerned about the CPRS to meet with Warren to send a message to government about the strength of feeling of local residents and businesses. Hopefully the legislation can be improved upon before it is passed.

If anyone wishes to attend the meeting, and/or receive further information please contact Mandy Webb ph 8952 2492 or Jimmy at ALEC info@alec.org.au, 8952 2497.

Alice Solar City Party March 20

It’s time to party
Alice Solar City invites you to help celebrate its 1st year anniversary
Friday March 20
5-7pm Free BBQ
Displays, live music, competitions and giveaways, visit by Yamba, jumping castle, face painting and balloon twisting
7-10pm Two Free Films
An Inconvenient Truth
Telling the Truth
For more info phone 8950 4350 or visit the Smart Living Centre at 82 Todd St. www.alicesolarcity.com.au

8CCC

Tune into 8CCC Drive (102.1FM) on Tuesdays after the 4.30pm news and weather for the Radioactive Show, see http://www.3cr.org.au/podcasts/
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Tune into Sustenance to hear the latest on the sustainability and environmental frontline.Hosted by Kat Taylor and Lucy Snedden and friends, listen to inspiring interviews, groovy music and stimulating conversation from 7-8:30pm every Wednesday night on 8CCC 102.1FM

Food Not Bombs

Are you for food and social justice?

Are you against bombs and other items of military spending?

Then come along on Sundays and become part of central Australia's Food Not Bombs group. Each Sunday afternoon they cook up a delicious meal with donated food and then serve it that evening. Everyone is welcome for a feed at sunset (~6pm) on Sunday on the lawn across the road from the court building (cnr Hartley and Parsons St).
To be involved in Alice Food not Bombs, email:
fnbalicesprings@gmail.comTo find out more about Food Not Bombs in general, see http://www.foodnotbombs.net/

Greening Australia Nursery S OPEN FOR PLANT SALES 9am - 4 pm Thursdays

Greening Australia Nursery S OPEN FOR PLANT SALES 9am - 4 pm Thursdays
Nursery is located at Charles Darwin University.Entrance 2, off Grevillea Dve, Primary Industries Nursery
Lots of Lovely Plants
Tubes, Pots and Advances Stock, Ready to Go
Desert Peas, Grevilleas, Eremophilas, Eucalypts, Figs & many more Trees, Shrubs and Groundcovers. VOLUNTEERS MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US ON A THURSDAY TO HELP WITH PROPAGATION
Enquiries. Contact Frances on 0427 775027
Locally Sourced, Locally Grown Plants for Central Australia

Alice Solar City

ALEC is a proud member of the Alice Solar City Consortium Alice Solar City is very much aligned to our objective of creating healthy futures for arid lands and people. The $37 million, six year program is part of the Australian Government's Solar Cities initiative and aims to explore how technology, behaviour change and new approaches to electricity pricing can combine to provide a sustainable energy future for Australia. Elements include residential, commercial and large scale solar trials.

Alice Solar City provides the residents and business operators of Alice Springs with free energy surveys, financial incentives to save energy, and advice on solar energy and energy efficiency.

The Alice Solar City project has continued to attract a high level of interest from the Alice Springs community. As of mid November, 500 householders had formally joined the program, with over 400 home energy surveys now completed. Over 20 solar photovoltaic systems and over 50 solar hot water systems have been installed witha the help of an Alice Solar City incentive. There has also been an increased interest from the business community, with 24 local businesses, both large and small, now participating. Work is well underway on the first of the Alice Solar City iconic solar energy projects - a 300kW solar photovoltaic installation (the biggest roof mounted system in
Australia) on Crowne Plaza. The project received national recognition in September, when it was awarded Best Energy Initiative, at the national Keep Australia Beautiful Awards.

Congratulations Alice Springs!

To find out more or to sign up just drop into the Smart Living Centre at 82 Todd Street (next to Bojangles) and have a chat with their friendly staff or visit the website www.alicesolarcity.com.au or call 8950 4350.

Member advertisment: CARTRIDGE WORLD

THE environment is on everyone's minds, but some aspects of modern technology conflict with it. Locally owned Cartridge World Alice Springs is dedicated to the three R's -- reduce, reuse and recycle.
Millions of printer cartridges are thrown away across Australia each year, but reusing and recycling them is an alternative. Laser print cartridges account for more than 90 per cent of all throw-away cartridges and each one can take 450 years to decompose. With increased use of office printers, the demand for print cartridges has grown enormously.
About 3.4 litres of fuel is used to produce one new laser cartridge.
Recycling cartridges can save about 10 million litres of oil in Australia.
To reduce the production of these mass-produced cartridges overseas, it is essential that cartridges are reused as many times as possible. The plastic and metal components within the cartridges can be reused many times -- the plastic alone has a lifespan of 400 years.
Even if you do not reuse, others do.
Cartridge World Alice Springs always requires cartridges for reuse, and when they can't be reused any more they will be recycled.
By reusing and recycling, we can reduce the importation of cartridges while creating jobs for Australian remanufacturer's.
Refilling and remanufacturing, not only helps the environment but creates employment for local people, as this we produce locally.
We can refill & remanufacture most ink and laser cartridges in store. It produces a top quality, reliable product and there is a 100 per cent money-back guarantee.
Cartridge World in Alice Springs is one of more than 1300 Cartridge World stores world-wide.
The Alice Springs store services the region including Yulara, Tennant Creek and each of the surrounding borders, with a free local delivery and pick-up service within Alice Springs.
Using a recycled cartridge helps save the environment and makes a saving for the consumer.

Contact Cartridge World, in Elder Street, on 8953 8700.

Olive Pink Botanic Gardens

Hi All,

Hope you’ve had a good summer. Olive Pink Botanic Gardens would like to invite you to participate in the following upcoming events. We are very excited about 2009 - with a full events calendar, the café re-opening and new staff coming on board. Come and catch up with all the latest news, meet the new personalities and enjoy the gardens!

Massive Native Plant Sale Sat. 21st March, 8 am–11am. A huge range of attractive local native shrubs, trees and rockery plants to choose from in tubes or pots. Some hard to get hold of species. Ready to plant now! Gardening advice available. Olive Pink Botanic Garden at the Blakeman Shelter. Ph 89522154.

Miss Pink Birthday celebration Sunday 22nd March, 3pm at Olive Pink Botanic Garden. Join us for afternoon tea to celebrate the life of the garden’s founder, Miss Olive Pink. We will be launching our new audio guide and interpretive display – and you can listen to fabulous stories by people who knew Miss Pink well. All welcome!

Breakfast with the Birds at the Bean Tree Café within Olive Pink Botanic Gardens each weekend from 8.30am. Café operates Tues – Fri 10am – 4pm. Sat & Sun 8.30am – 4pm.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

ALEC Update Tuesday March 3, 2009

ALEC Update
Tuesday March 3, 2009
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G’day all,
The ALEC Update is early this week due to the Strategising for Change workshops on Wednesday and Thursday plus there are loads of things happening this weekend and further into March.

ALSO...

I’m interested in what you folks see as priority areas for me to work on this year.

Currently ALEC is involved in:

1, Community Garden – working with CG Steering Group and Town Council

2, Building Community Resilience and adaptation to climate change– organising workshops - tba

3, Recycling – lobbying for CDL but also interested in setting up a system for plastics

4, Uranium mining – Supporting Angela Pamela campaign but more broadly Central Australia

5, Rangeland Management – pastoral land management, reducing camel impacts on vegetation and involvement in Caring for Our Country

6, Water Efficiency Program (WEP) – lobbying for implementation of WEP

7, desertSMART - Built environment sustainable housing, energy, water and waste

or are there any I have missed or things you’d like to see ALEC do.

Please email me with your insights and interests. Some of these things, like recycling plastics just needs some serious time dedicated to it to set up a system of collection (drop off), baling and sending to Adelaide, others will be on-going.

Also, we need to raise funds. If anyone is interested in assisting in organising fundraisers or fundraising for ALEC please contact me.
info@alec.org.au
8952 2497



Grab your diaries:

Sat Mar 7 COOLmob Gardens Challenge and Workshop 8204 Ragonesi rd 9.30am-12.30pm (details below)

Sat Mar 7 Labyrinth Walk and Multifaith Prayer Circle 6.45pm- 9pm
8204 Ragonesi Rd (details below)

Sat Mar 7 Frog Watch Simpsons Gap BBQ Area Frogwatch 7-9pm

Sun Mar 8 International Women’s Day Celebration 10am-2pm
Council Lawns (details below)

Fri Mar 13 FFANFF Pram Jam Council Lawns 9am (details below)

Sun Mar 22 World Water Day – Todd Mall Markets- All day

Fri Mar 27 Public Meeting Kon Vatskalis re: Angela Pamela – Andy McNeill Room – 11.30am-12.30pm

Sun May 24 Biodiesel-making workshop (See Attachment) more details to come

Have a great week.

Kind regards

Jimmy

The ecological crisis is doing what no other crisis in history has ever done -- challenging us to a realization of a new humanity. - Jean Houston

COOLmob Gardens Challenge… Open Day

COOLmob Gardens Challenge… Open Day
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Interested in gardening, but concerned about saving water?
Let show you how to develop a Waterwise garden

Gary Dinham Assistant Curator … Botany at the Alice Springs Desert Park
is sharing his desert horticultural experience at a FREE WORKSHOP

Come along for a cuppa, and share ideas with other interested people…

** Saturday 7th March 2009 **
9.30 am to 12.30 pm at
Campfire in the Heart
Lot 8204 Ragonesi Road (2 blocks before the Steiner School)


Numbers are limited please indicate your interest with
David Woods Phone: 08 8952 6607
Email: info@campfireintheheart.com.au
Or to Claire.Bastin@cdu.edu.au


--------------------
Robbie Henderson

Project Manager
Desert Knowledge Australia COOLmob
Ph: (08) 8952 0299 Fax: (08) 8953 2988
http://dka.coolmob.org

Beyond Nuclear News

Sounds like Nat and Mitch are making waves in the United States.
Stay tuned for more info...
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From the Age.

US lawmakers warned about uranium mining
February 28, 2009 - 1:04PM
Australian aborigines, a French physicist and a US actor joined representatives of indigenous peoples from Africa and the United States on Friday to send US lawmakers a stark warning about the dangers of uranium mining.
"We want US lawmakers to understand that uranium mining is highly pollutant and that there is currently no scientific answer to the question of radioactive waste containment," said Bruno Chareyron of France's CRIIRAD laboratory, which measures radioactivity in the environment.
"We want them to know that the information they are given by the mining companies is not wholly reliable," he said.
Representatives of the Tuareg nomads of Niger, Native Americans and Australian aborigines told of the ravages of uranium mining on their communities.
In Niger, French company Areva has been mining uranium for more than 40 years with "no regard for the environment, people's health, animals", said Sidi-Amar Taoua, a Tuareg who has lived for seven years in the United States.
"Uranium mining has impacted every area and sparked a war between the Tuareg who took up arms to defend their land, and the government, which is complicit with Areva," he said.
Areva announced last month that it has applied for US government approval to build a $US2 billion ($A3.08 billion) uranium enrichment plant in the northwestern state of Idaho.
The project would be the French state-controlled group's first uranium enrichment plant in the US.
Native American lands in the southwestern US have been the site of more than 1,300 uranium mines.
Although most have been closed, the mines' legacy includes contaminated drinking water and illnesses from cancer to kidney disease, said Native American environmental activist Manny Pino.
"In this process of nuclear renaissance, it's almost like the federal government is ignoring the historical legacy of uranium mining in the past and prioritising the economic benefits of nuclear power in the future at the expense of our land, our water and our people," he said.
Mitch, an aboriginal militant against radioactive waste dumps and uranium mining in Australia, the world's biggest producer of the mineral, said: "Short term monetary gain will leave us with long-term deadly waste for generations to come."
Uranium mining saw a long boom period in the US between the 1940s and 1980s, before coming to a near halt in the 1990s as prices paid for the mineral plummeted.
In 2005, as uranium prices were starting to climb upwards again, the Navajo passed a law banning the mining or processing of uranium on their lands.
But when the price of the mineral peaked at around $US140 ($A215.52) a pound in 2007, mining companies descended "like vultures" on uranium-rich areas, 70 per cent of which are situated on land inhabited by low-income indigenous communities, said James Cromwell, the actor who played George H.W. Bush in the film W, which has just opened in Australia.
As oil and gas prices spiked last year, nuclear power gained ground as an attractive energy option to ensure US energy independence.
Then secretary of the interior Dirk Kempthorne authorised uranium exploration near the Grand Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
"There's a lot of activity. When uranium prices went up we saw proposals for exploration all over the place," said Sandy Bahr of environmental group the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter.
In January, Arizona lawmaker Raul Grijalva introduced a bill in Congress that would permanently withdraw from mineral extraction one million acres of public lands in watersheds surrounding the Grand Canyon.
© 2009 AFP

http://beyondnuclearinitiative.wordpress.com
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Beyond Nuclear Initiative Uranium Project
natwasley@alec.org.au08 8952 20110429 900 774

Families for a Nuclear-Free Future (FFANFF) Events

Join Families for a Nuclear Free Future (FFANFF)

email ffanff@aapt.net.au to get involved.

Labyrinth Walk and Multifaith Prayer Circle

Labyrinth Walk and Multifaith Prayer Circle
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March 7, 2009 from 6:45pm to 9pm
Campfire in the Heart
Lot 8204 Ragonesi Rd, 1.5 km from the roundabout on the left hand side
Contact Info: 89533628 / 040097187

Walk the earth and share prayers for the protection of this beautiful country and all who live here from the threat of uranium mining.

6.45pm Meet and greet

7.00pm Labyrinth walk
A simple and beautiful way of coming into the stillness of the heart together

8.00pm Shared prayers
A chance to offer a prayer, reading or song from your faith or tradition, or a heartfelt prayer of your own - or simply listen and absorb

9.00pm Go home in peace taking the gifts of the evening with you. (Please eat an early dinner before you come!)

Gold coin donation welcome for use of the venue.

PRAM JAM- Friday 13th March

PRAM JAM- Friday 13th March
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You are invited to join our monthly PRAM JAM in 2009, a pram-friendly, peaceful demonstration of community concern about uranium exploration at Angela Pamela.

Where: meet @ the Council Lawns
When: Friday 13 March, 9am
Bring: Placards, signs, pram decorations.

All ages welcome, with or without a pram!

We will leave the Lawns at 9.30am for a pram walk to a surprise location and show a positive, family friendly presence on the streets of Alice Springs.

World Water Day March 22

World Water Day March 22
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All day
Todd Mall Markets
A morning of water -friendly, anti-nuclear activities for families, friends, children. Join in the fun!
Contact:
ffanff@aapt.net.au

Public Meeting with Kon Vatskalis on Uranium Exploration and Mining

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Public Meeting with Kon Vatskalis on Uranium Exploration and Mining
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27th March 2009 11.30am-12.30pm
Andy McNeil Room,
Alice Springs Town Council.

Kon Vatskalis, Minister for Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources will face up to the Alice Springs community at a special event to discuss the exploration and mining of uranium at Angela Pamela.
Put this event in your diary now!

Attention****
We want a big turnout to this event to show Kon in numbers our concerns about this issue! Tell your work mates (take an early lunch break!), tell friends, message people by text and talk to your neighbours!
All welcome.****

You are invited to submit questions to the Minister. Email questions to ffanff@aapt.net.au or info@alec.org.au and as many as possible will be asked by a selected representative community panel as time will be limited, questions will not be taken from the audience.

International Women’s Day Celebration Council Lawns Sunday March 8

International Women’s Day Celebration Council Lawns Sunday March 8
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Join in the celebrations for International Women’s Day, 8 March 2009 Alice Springs Town Council Lawns
10am-2pm
Singing, Dancing, Sharing Our Stories
Women and children welcome

Lunch provided

Caring and Sharing for our Future
More Information: Contact Nadine Williams 0488 786 275

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Public Meeting on Uranium with Vatskalis

Put this date in your diary and organise an extra long lunchbreak from work!
Friday March 27th, 2009
11am for prompt 11:30 start- 12:30pm
Andy McNiell Room, Alice Springs Town Council, Todd St

Come and show the Minister for mines, Kon Vatskalis, how much opposition there is to uranium exploration at the Angela Pamela site just 25km from town. Due to the short time available questions will not be taken from the floor during the meeting. Submit your questions before the meeting and the panel will try to ask as many as possible.

YOUR HELP NEEDED
Post your question suggestions in the comments below or email them to info@alec.org.au
We also need an experienced timekeeper for the meeting.
Help leading up to the meeting ( putting up posters, market stalls, distributing fliers, contacting media) would be much appreciated. Please contact the email above or stop by the Arid Lands Environment Centre