A great week
Oz Federal Politicians gave themselves a 6.5% pay increase as they are passing twice as much legislation, now they have control of both houses. Such an increase in productivity! Inflation is only 4%!
(Nurses
may be allowed a 2% increase)
Melborne & Sydney are going to build de-sal plants
Who, I hear you ask, will pay for these?
Quote:
Parched Australia plans giant desalination plant
19 Jun 2007 09:57:53 GMT
Source: Reuters
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SYDNEY, June 19 (Reuters) - Australia is planning to build one of the world's largest desalination plants as part of a $4.9 billion ($4 billion) programme to provide drinking water to the nation's second-largest city Melbourne.
The plan, announced Tuesday, followed a warning from environmental group WWF that removing salt from sea water to overcome a worldwide shortage of drinking water could end up worsening the crisis.
The Victorian state government said water bills for consumers could double to fund the A$3.1 billion plant planned for Wonthaggi, south-east of Melbourne. It also plans another A$1 billion expanding pipelines and the city's water grid.
The plan was part of a drought-proofing package to generate 150 billion litres of drinking water annually -- about one-third of Melbourne's current consumption, Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported.
Much of southern Australia has been in the grip of the worst drought in living memory and many reservoirs feeding major cities and towns are at alarmingly low levels. Water restrictions are widespread.
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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SYD122671.htm
To coincide with the release of Pirates 3 movie
the Oz government is going Spanish Maine
Quote:
Australia to buy Spanish warships
CANBERRA - Australia is to buy three Spanish designed warships and two large Spanish landing ships, Prime Minister John Howard announced today.
Mr Howard said the navy would be equipped with three Navantia F100 air warfare destroyers worth a total of A$8 billion ($9.02 billion).
To be Australia's most advanced and expensive warships, they will enter service from 2013.
And in another win for Spain, the Australian navy will be equipped with two 27,000 tonne Navantia landing ships at a cost of about A$3 billion
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Australia to buy Spanish warships - 20 Jun 2007 - NZ Herald: World / International News
"landing ships" should Indonesia or the Philippines be worried?
But,
War games are fun!
Quote:
U.S., Australia Launch War Games
Associated Press | June 19, 2007
SYDNEY, Australia - Australia and the United States launched their biggest joint war games Monday, with 27,500 troops backed by a U.S. aircraft carrier engaging in exercises aimed at consolidating the allies' military dominance in the Asia Pacific region.
The biennial Talisman Sabre exercise pits 20,000 U.S. troops and 7,500 Australian forces against two fictional enemies - the Kamarians and Musorians - in a variety of land and sea-based scenarios designed to test their skills in combat, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief efforts.
The exercise, which runs until July 2, will also include 10 U.S. ships, 20 Australian ships and 125 aircraft operating off the coast of Rockhampton in northeastern Queensland state.
"The United States and Australia have a long-standing relationship ... we share the same values and interests. Foremost among those interests is the stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region," U.S. Vice Admiral Doug Crowder told reporters on board the USS Blue Ridge in Sydney.
"Therefore it is very important that our militaries train together to carry out the types of missions our governments may call upon us to execute to ensure regional security and stability," he said.
The exercise comes as the United States and Japan step up efforts to build a joint missile defense system in Asia, partly as a bulwark against regional threats, such as a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Australia, a steadfast U.S. ally that maintains around 2,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, is studying whether to participate in the defense shield, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said this month.
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.
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U.S., Australia Launch War Games
