Bloomberg - West Australia Gas Users Say Outage Report Backs Supply Concern

An Australian Senate committee report on Apache Corp.'s gas plant shutdown off Western Australia underlines the need for greater security of supply and competition, a group of gas users in the state said.

The report on the Varanus Island outage from the Senate economics committee shows the need to diversify the state's supply beyond the North West Shelf by developing smaller fields near the state capital of Perth, Stuart Hohnen, chairman of the DomGas Alliance, said today in an e-mailed statement.

Herald Sun - Victorian householders face huge rises in energy bills

HUNDREDS of thousands of Victorian householders will pay up to $150 more for energy bills next year in the latest wave of price rises.

Supply Chain Review - Greens want limits imposed on infrastructure fund

The Greens will not back the Rudd Government’s Building Australia Fund unless it rejects roads and coal ports, focuses more on climate change and adopts greater transparency.

Greens spokeswoman on transport and climate change Christine Milne wants the fund—which will be used to finance port, road, rail and communications projects—to be overseen by a parliamentary committee.

SMH - Fires to get bigger: report

THERE is no way to fire-proof Sydney, and big bushfires are expected to burn up to 35 per cent more land around the city by the year 2050 as a result of climate change, the first detailed government study of the region has confirmed.

The Telegraph - Australia's white possum could be first victim of climate change

The rare and timid white lemuroid possum could be the first Australian mammal to die out because of climate change.

The Australian - Kevin Rudd wants to redraw security priorities

KEVIN Rudd says Australia must adopt a new concept of national security to cope with an array of complex new challenges ranging from climate change to energy security and nuclear proliferation.

The Prime Minister yesterday nominated climate change as a "fundamental national security challenge" for Australia in the long term as he delivered the first annual national security statement to parliament.

"Significant climate change will bring about unregulated population movements, declining food production, reductions in arable land, violent weather patterns and resulting catastrophic events," the Prime Minister said.

ABC - Fuel tax cost could be passed on to consumers

Food prices could rise as a result of a new tax on the transport industry.

The Interstate Road Transport Charge Amendment Bill has been passed through Federal Parliament.

It mean truck owners will pay an extra 1.3 cents a litre, which will go to improving roads.

Scoop.co.nz - Maori Party must use influence on climate

Maori Party must use influence on climate: Greens

Welcoming the Maori Party's call today for 'urgent and meaningful' action on climate change, the Green Party urges Maori Party Ministers to help rescue New Zealand's climate credibility.

Scoop.co.nz - Time To Prepare For Climate Change Disasters, Now

Time To Prepare For Disasters Caused By Climate Change Is Now, Says UN

ABC - Sydney to weather 24 pc more bushfires: report

The New South Wales Government says a new report on climate change reinforces its approach to bushfire prevention and management.

Courier Mail - Anna Bligh change in water strategy to cost hundreds of millions

PREMIER Anna Bligh's sudden rethink of the southeast Queensland water strategy could end up costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of extra dollars.

The Queensland Water Commission has warned that new desalination plants, typically costing more than $1 billion each, might now need to be built earlier than planned.

ABC - Summit to discuss SA climate change

CSIRO scientist Elvira Poloczanska will outline how climate change is affecting marine environments.

She says marine creatures are used as indicators to show how much of a problem global warming is.

"In the southern hemisphere, they're moving south and we're certainly seeing greater currencies of warm water species like warm water fish, sea urchins etcetera appearing in south east Australia already," she said.

Otago Daily Times - Conference investigating CO2 capture

Spokesman Dr Peter Cook said a major study to determine the feasibility of carbon dioxide capture and storage began over a year ago in New Zealand, aiming to pave the way for pilot-scale projects and help planners develop policy to mitigate the predicted increase in production of the greenhouse gas.

New Zealand's top four stationary industrial CO2 sources annually emitted about 10 million tonnes, Dr Cook said.

"We believe that most of this can be captured at source, turned into a liquid and stored safely deep underground.