Re: Dinosaur tracks at James Price Point, Western Australia: recent developments

[Tony Thulborn <paswamp@y7mail.com>]

Yes, I'm afraid y7mail is afflicted by nasty little verbivorous demons.   Here 
are the missing bits:

1)  Mr Barnett was keen to get started on his epoch-making project, awaiting 
only approval by the Australian federal government…   And then Woodside decided 
to pull out.  You can imagine the scenario.

2)  Within the space of 48 hours Mr Barnett had reorganized his parliamentary 
duties and assumed additional responsibility as Western Australia’s new 
Minister for Science.[6]   
(The first media release from the premier's office didn’t state this 
explicitly:  it said only that Mr Barnett was very enthusiastic about science 
and intended to promote it.  Subsequent media releases have disclosed rather 
casually that he is now the WA Minister for Science.  Politicians are rarely so 
modest about their promotion to new ministerial appointments.)

3)  The shadow Science Minister remarked that the Barnett government had 
treated the Council with contempt (sic) and slashed its science and innovation 
programs.  In its budget for 2009-10 the WA state government had allocated more 
than Aus $50 million to science and innovation grants, but every year 
thereafter the allocation has been substantially reduced.  It now stands at Aus 
$3.2 million for the year 2013-14.

     Why "sic"?   Usual reason - because 'contempt' is the word that was 
actually used.


4)  Those who welcomed news of the reprieve for James Price Point and the 
Kimberley ought to be seriously worried by Mr Barnett’s intentionto get “closer 
to the pure science and the research”.

Scientifically feasilble?   Well, there's feasible in theory and feasible in 
practice.

Here's some comment from an ABC News report:  <<Following the 2005 election, 
the Labor Gallop government
commissioned a study into the viability of bringing water down from the
Kimberley. That review, chaired by the University of Western Australia's Reg
Appleyard, found the cost would be too high.  Professor Appleyard said 
yesterday shipping the water would
probabl
an a canal or pipeline but there remained the extremely
expensive problem of massive ships returning to the Kimberley empty.  He said 
while a cheaper option was tug boats pulling massive
water bags, the most sensible pathway was to continue Perth's desalination
program, which is due to account for half the city's drinking water.  
Opposition Treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt labelled Mr
Barnett's proposal a "fairytale idea to bankrupt the state".  "If Colin Barnett 
is serious, which he appears to be,
because he keeps obsessing about the idea, fine," Mr Wyatt said.
"Come up with a cost, stick it in the budget, start the project.  But he's 
unlikely ever to do that because he knows
it's a project that won't ever deliver water at a price that West Australians
can possibly afford.">>


Tony Thulborn