End of an era for Hazard

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It might be the end of an era for Hazard but you don’t need to worry, the local shop isn’t going anywhere.

Current owners Nikki Stokes and Catherine Boys have owned the local clothing and shoe store for close to 16 years and they will be handing the shop over to a new owner today.

The pair purchased a small boutique in the Stirling Centre in February of 1999, which was then called ‘Urge’.

Now nearly 16 years on, 8 children between them, a store name change, a shop move, Nikki and Catherine say they are both ready for a change of pace.

Urge changed names to Hazard in June 1999 and in 2003 the shop moved across the arcade and as a result, Hazard had both a shoe store and a clothes store. 

If that wasn’t enough, Nikki and Catherine opened another store, Fiori, in the Northgate Shopping Centre in 2005.

And in 2012, Hazard move to the new big super store in the Stirling Centre.

They will keep ownership of Fiori but will have their last day at Hazard today.

The shop will be in the capable hands of current employee Renee Facchini.

The 19-year-old has worked for Hazard for over 2 years and is excited to take on the new role.

“I’m very excited but I’ve got very big shoes to fill,” Renee said.

 “Hazard is very well known here in Geraldton and I really want to continue its great reputation.” 

Renee will work along side long-term employees, 2 who have both worked there for over a decade.

Nikki and Catherine reflected on their time owning the store and thanked their supportive families.

Top 5 images shared with us this week

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With some crazy rain last weekend, Kerrin Rowe Media took this during a break in the weather near Walkaway.

Stunning colours in this photo taken of Greenough River by Courtney.

Corey Milentis captured a beautiful evening in Drummond Cove. 

Taniya Nanayakkara took this photo of the afternoon sky over the Geraldton Harbour. 

Leonie Patman took this photo at the Chapman River.

Please feel free to inbox us on Instagram or Facebook or e-mail your photos to geraldton@justeverything.com.au

Using your phone while driving just got very expensive

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Pic ors.wa.gov.au

Using a mobile phone while driving, including talking, texting, Facebooking and emailing has been proven time and again to increase the risk of accident. And losing control of a 1.5 tonne projectile can do a lot of damage. 

So as of the 26 Sept 2014, fines for touching your phone while operating a vehicle have gone up to $400 in an attempt to break the habit of reaching for your phone when you hear that beep. You'll also get three demerit points added to your licence. (Get 12 and you don't have a licence.)

The fine increase is one of many fine increases coming into effect at that time, including tougher penalties for speeding, drink driving, failing to give way and many more. 

Click here to learn more. 

Midwest Fishing Report by Tackleworld Country

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OFFSHORE

Simon pictured with a 70cm Coral Trout.

Plenty of Dhuies and Coral Trout have been caught around the 40m mark west of town. Snapper are coming from mid reef while north of town has Mackies and Cobia.

BEACHES

Tailor are still on the move with lots of reports of fish around town. South Gates is holding fish to the 50cm mark while Separation and Point Moore have bigger models to 80cm, there have also been Spotted Mackerel in these locations.

Ben with a nice land based Spotted Mackerel .

HARBOURS AND MARINA

Fishermen’s harbour is fishing well with big Black Bream and Cod. Best baits are soft plastics and hard body lures.

Chopper, Tailor and Snook are plentiful as well. Herring can be found around most rock walls in the harbor and Whiting can be found along the Foreshore beaches as well as a few Flathead.

Drew with some solid bream on Strada lures and Ecooda live shrimp.

WEEKEND FORECAST

​THIS WEEK'S VIDEO

FISH REPORT WRITTEN BY

TACKLEWORLD COUNTRY

20 ANZAC TERRACE GERALDTON WA

08 99216822

Entrepreneurs learn and launch at Startup Weekend

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Geraldton Startup Weekend was held on the 19th and 20th of September, providing a structured fun and fast way for local people to launch new ventures or projects.

A mix of participants from business, government and community formed teams and used new tools to form, test and then present their ideas for new ventures. 

The benefits go beyond the prizes for the winning team, as this sort of event grows capacity in the Midwest region to grow new ventures for a diversified economy and stronger community.

Simultaneously on the same weekend, there were similar events held in Morocco, Brazil, United States, Peru and across Europe.

Startup Weekend is a global movement that inspires people to act on their entrepreneurial ideas by enabling them to meet collaborators, learn how to validate and build an idea and make compelling presentations to potential partners, funders or customers.

Since 2007 more than 700 cities have hosted Startup Weekends, all following the same ethos of “all action, no talk”.

Rather than being competitive and results-focused, Startup Weekend is actually focused on collaboration and learning about the process. The Geraldton Startup Weekend event attracted pastoralists, comedians, project managers, digital trainers, facilitators, photographers, and gardening gurus who each had an idea, or a desire to learn. 

After the Friday night pitches where people present themselves and ideas, a limited number of teams were formed around the most popular ideas. Mentors, presenters, educational videos and toolkits are then provided to all the teams to guide their work over the weekend.

 By the time the final presentations came round a day later, teams had:

  • Exploded vague ideas into ten thousand variations, then narrowed back down to a single focused business proposition.
  • Formed sub-teams to work on different aspects of the venture.
  • Tested propositions with potential customers through calls, surveys, and text messages.
  • Researched competitors, market size and then made decisions about features of the product and its pricing.
  • Prepared and presented a 3-minute summary to judges.

 The winning team “Express: Impress: Progress” did exactly that, turning a general idea that could have been relevant to community groups or businesses, into a very specific proposition for scalable group training in communication skills.

This idea proved very popular with the target market, even when surveyed on a Saturday, with 97% of those surveyed about the service interested in using it in the next 6 months. 

Based on a polished final presentation, the winning team shared in more than $1500 of prizes including a place in the Catalyst program, thanks to MMG Golden Grove, a co-working space, thanks to CityHive and pro-bono business support thanks to Lifetime Services.

The next steps after Startup Weekend for the teams and individuals are to use those new resources to progress their ideas. Several have committed to taking their ventures further through the Catalyst program where there are longer time frames to develop their ideas!

Pollinators have committed to run Startup Weekend again in 2015, with some of the participants from this year likely to facilitate the event. There have also been expressions of interest in running similar events within specific sectors (e.g. Tourism, Youth and Environmental issues), and inquiries can be directed to the team at Pollinators Inc.

Geraldton Startup Weekend in Geraldton 2014 would not have been possible without the support of many organisations and individuals, including:

  •  Local sponsors MMG, Lifetime Services and 3M,
  • Global sponsors including Google, .co and Amazon web services,
  • Mentors, coaches, speakers and judges including Alan Bradley, Jason Smith, Melissa Hadley Barrett, Brendon Davies, Jen Hanrahan, Euan Beamont, and Wendy Burr
  • Organisers and facilitators including Yvette Hollings, Jo Blayney and Andrew Outhwaite, and the Goodness team who helped with the initial planning.

Online survey for WA's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

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Western Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Jenni Perkins, has today released an online survey for WA’s under 18 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. 

The online survey is part of Ms Perkins’ consultation with the State’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, and she is seeking your support to ensure many have the opportunity to have a say.

“This consultation project aims to give WA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people a voice on what is important to them, their hopes for the future and what they need to help them do well,” Ms Perkins said.

The survey is open to all WA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people under 18 and will be available at www.ccyp.wa.gov.au until 21 November 2014.

“In addition to the survey, I have appointed 16 community organisations from Kununurra to Albany to run consultations with local groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people,” Ms Perkins added.

“I received a strong field of expressions of interest to run these consultations and I appreciate the support of the community and non-government sector in this project.”

The survey and other consultations will be used to develop a report that outlines the views and ideas of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, and gives recognition to the positive contributions they make to family and community life.

“I encourage you to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people’s participation in the survey and share details of this important project with your networks.”

Click here to take the survey. 

Geraldton and Mullewa pools get funding

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City of Greater Geraldton pools in Geraldton and Mullewa will be sparkling that little bit more this summer after $30,000 of grants funded by Royalties for Regions.

The grants come as part of the Community Pool Revitalisation Program, which through Royalties for Regions will contribute $13.2 million over four years towards supporting local pools and aquatic facilities in regional WA. 

Money will go towards aquatic centre maintenance, upgrades, purchase of pool equipment and staff training at the Geraldton Aquarena and the Mullewa Swimming Pool. 

Member for Moore Shane Love MLA and Member for the Agricultural Region Paul Brown MLC congratulated the City on receiving the grants, saying they hoped to see the funding boost in action over the summer months. 

“Anyone who lives in a regional area knows how important local pools are to their community, and we don’t mean just for taking a cooling dip,” they said.

“These facilities also play a valuable role in connecting the community socially, providing numerous health benefits, recreation opportunities and increasing education outcomes.

“This funding will keep our local pools as inviting and accessible as possible to people of all ages, encouraging them to lead an active, healthy and refreshing lifestyle.”

The Community Pool Revitalisation Program was a Nationals WA election commitment in 2013, providing regional local governments up to $30,000 per aquatic facility under their management each year.

In the inaugural funding round, a total of $2,708,128 was granted to 91 pools around WA. Of 127 public aquatic centres in the state, almost 100 are located in the regions.

It is estimated they receive more than 10 million visits each year and in 2012-13 employed more than 3000 people in a full or part-time capacity, including life guards, pool operators and swimming instructors/coaches.

For further information about the Community Pool Revitalisation Program visit www.dsr.wa.gov.au/cprp 

Life is ridiculous according to Hughesy

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Comedian Dave Hughes AKA Hughesy has no problem coming up with fresh material because, “everyday, life is ridiculous!” 

The well-known Australian comedian will bring his Pointless Tour to Geraldton next month and audiences are in for a treat.

“I never run out of new material because everyday life is funny,” he said.

“Like is ridiculous no matter what way you look at it.”

Known for his Aussie accent and laid back approach, Hughesy has been doing stand up for over 20 years and says he is in the form of his life.

“If you make the decision to rock up to the show it’s gonna be worth it,” he said.

“I’m doing stand up almost every night of the week so the audience is going to have a great time.”

Drawing from his everyday life for inspiration, Dave’s 3 young kids get dropped into his comedy acts a lot.

“I love making joke about my children, it helps me cope,” Hughesy said somewhat seriously.

“My kids think it’s all about them, honestly.

“It used to be different in my day. Back in the 70’s my parents would say that’s the way it is and there would be no further discussion, but now my kids are in charge.

“I don’t know how it has come to this but I’m not happy about it.”

Hughesy doesn’t like being ruled by his kids but it isn’t going to change.

“It takes so much to beat them. It’s easier to live under the fear of a dictator rather than try and have a revolution,” Hughesy said.

When asking Hughesy what makes for the best audience, he gave Geraldton some tips.

“The Geraldton audience needs to laugh at things that other audiences don’t laugh at,” he said.

“Me saying hello needs to be the funniest thing they’ve ever heard in their entire life.”

But Hughesy assures us there will be some ripper jokes throughout the show.

The 43-year-old started his career over 20 years ago in a pool hall in Northbridge.

Since then, Hughesy has co-hosted TV shows, worked in radio and been a regular at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

“I realised I had made it during my third gig at the same pool hall in Perth,” Hughesy said.

“I got a massive laugh from the audience and no doubt after that I was addicted to comedy and I was never going to stop.

“I went from struggling to fill a 60 seater room to performing at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and that’s when I thought, I’m not gonna have to borrow money off mum and dad anymore.”

Hughesy said he also played a big role in starting the career of fellow Australian comedian Rove. 

“Rove started the week after I did at the same club and he says that I inspired him to get into comedy because he thought if that guy can do it, anyone can,” he said.

But all jokes aside, if that’s possible, Hughesy’s passion for making people laugh is amazing.

He even answered some of the questions that our Everything Geraldton readers asked him. Here’s the answers:

Courtney asked: Can he whistle through his front teeth?

Hughesy: No I can’t and I can’t whistle at all. Maybe there’s too many gaps and they’re not close enough together to create the certain velocity you need. I’m a whistleless person which is one of the greatest challenges of my life.

Roshelle asked: Best and worst part of being a father of three?

Hughesy: Best part of being a father of three is that you finally have something to die for. But the fact is often you’d be happy for that day to be today…

Charmaine asked: How did you start in comedy?

Hughesy: I started in WA, in Perth in a little club called the Laugh Resort, which was a pool hall in Northbridge. I had an inkling I was funny so I went for it and died in the ass on the first night.

Annette asked: Will he marry me!!! Lol OMG seriously can’t want to see his show.

Hughesy: Look I wont because I’m already married. But I appreciate the offer and she didn’t need to do the “lol”. That could have been a serious offer.

Hughesy will be at the Queens Park Theatre on Wednesday, October 8th. Visit the QPT website for tickets.

16 Geraldton residents our great-grandchildren will one day thank

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The rain was horizontal at some points on Sunday. 

Fences were blowing over, and most of us were rugged up indoors. 

Pic: Amber Jayde

The ocean and port were barely visible from land

Pic: Jen Reed

And yet 13 adults and 3 children showed up at the Geraldton foreshore as part of the People's Climate March which was happening in many locations around the world on Sunday, September 21, 2014. 

A reminder of what the weather was like

Exmouth Defence proposal one step closer

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Member for Durack Melissa Price.

Defence is progressing its proposal to construct a Space Surveillance Telescope Facility at the Harold E Holt Naval Communications Station in Exmouth, Western Australia, with the referral of the project to the Public Works Committee.

The facility would be the cornerstone of a space situational awareness partnership between Australia and the United States, following a 2012 agreement that both governments would work towards locating a Space Surveillance Telescope on Australian soil.

Valued at $63 million inclusive of design, construction and fittings, Melissa Price Member for Durack said that the referral is a positive action in securing the project for WA and in enhancing the Defence presence in Exmouth.

“Exmouth is a vibrant town in my electorate of Durack and has played a global role for many years in Defence and in space technology,” Ms Price said.

“Exmouth was established in 1967 to support the nearby US Naval Communication Station and in the early seventies, Exmouth began hosting US Air Force personnel assigned to the nearby Learmonth Solar Observatory.

“As the town develops and diversifies its economy with tourism, fishing, and servicing of the oil and gas industry, Defence continues to be of fundamental importance to Exmouth’s economic base.

“I am extremely pleased that this latest proposal has been referred to the Public Works Committee, which will now conduct an inquiry into the project,” Ms Price said.

The facility would be located within the existing Harold E Holt Naval Communications Station offering the best conditions for telescope functionality of the sites available.

Subject to parliamentary approval, construction is expected to commence in early 2015. 

MMG sponsorship program open

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MMG strives to be a responsible business underpinned by strong values and a belief that, "We Mine For Progress" - our progress and our stakeholders' progress.

Benefits of our operations are shared by investment in the sustainable future of the communities in which we operate. The MMG Sponsorship Program is designed to provide assistance to local community groups and organisations in social, educational, economic, cultural development and health and wellbeing. 

If you would like to apply for assistance to benefit a local initiative that delivers a sustainable whole community benefit, please visit www.mmg.com and submit an application form.

For more information, please contact Danae Sheldrick, Community Relations Advisor, GGCommunity@mmg.com 

MMG, We Mine for Progress. Applications Close 15 October 2014.

Please Please Please back up your phone's photos

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At Everything Geraldton we regularly receive impassioned pleas from members of the public who have lost or had stolen a mobile phone or tablet that had precious photos on it, and they weren't backed up at all. 

If all your precious photos are on your iPhone and no-where else, it only takes a moment of thoughtlessness near a toilet, road, drain, sink, pool, river, beach etc and that's the end of your photos. 

But there's plenty of ways to back up your images. 

You can sync your phone with your computer. This is advised, but not a solve-all as your computer can get stolen, damaged, burnt, etc too. 

Off site backup of your images is a vital tool in today's digital age when it comes to preserving those precious photos. This means your images are also stored on a computer or "server" somewhere else. 

There's free services like Flickr, paid backup solutions like Backblaze, and products like Dropbox and iCloud are useful too. 

Some people use Facebook to back their images up, but Facebook greatly reduces the quality of the images and videos, so it's not the best idea. 

If you know how to back up your photos but just haven't bothered, do it now. And if you need help figuring out how, go and visit Geraldton's Digital Hub. They're located near the Library and are a free government funded service that helps people with using computers and the internet. 

They can be reached on 9965 6749.

Drought concessional loans now available

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Western Australian farmers can now apply for an Australian Government drought concessional loan.

Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney said today he wished to ensure all farmers throughout Geraldton and the Mid West understood that $20 million in drought concessional loans are now available and access to these loans was a priority.

Mr Blayney said drought concessional loans of up to $1 million or up to 50 per cent of eligible debt, whichever is lower, will be available to eligible farm businesses at an initial rate of four per cent for a five year period. 

To be eligible for drought concessional loans, a WA farm business must be experiencing a one in 20 year drought event, or a one in 10 year drought event that has caused significant financial impact.

Mr Blayney said applicants must submit a valid Bureau of Meteorology ‘Rainfall Deficiency Report’ as part of their application.

Drought concessional loans will be available for:

  • Debt restructuring: applicants can use the concessional loan to restructure a proportion of their existing eligible debt at a lower interest rate.
  • Operating expenses: applicants can use the concessional loan to fund operating expenses that are necessary to continue the normal operations of the farm business.
  • Drought recovery and preparedness activities: applicants can use loan funds to contribute to the cost of activities to recover from and prepare for future drought.

These drought concessional loans are in addition to other forms of federal support available to WA farmers such as Farm Finance concessional loans, Farm Household Allowance as well as rural financial counselling services.

Mr Blayney said drought concessional loans will allow eligible farm businesses to restructure their existing debt at a lower interest rate and provide finance to meet their ongoing business running costs and drought recovery and preparedness activities.

Further, he said the loans are for a term of five years over which interest only payments are required. At the end of the loan period, farmers will have the option of refinancing the remaining amount with a commercial lender, or repaying the loan in full.”

Farm businesses are strongly encouraged not to self-assess their eligibility for a loan and to contact the Rural Business Development Corporation to find out more about the scheme and what is required to apply.

More information on the Drought Concessional Loans Scheme in Western Australia is available from https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/drought/drought-concessional-loans-scheme-applications-open or by contacting 1800 198 231 (free call).

For information on Farm Finance, Farm Household Allowance and other Australian Government farmer assistance measures visit agriculture.gov.au/assistance.

Mid West Cat Shelter Cat of the Week

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This week's Mid West Cat Shelter Cat of the week is Keira.

She is available in September for $75 to the right home.

Keira is very affectionate, loves company and loves a good scratch behind the ears. She’s a very gentle girl who is good with young children, other cats and not too intimated by dogs. She would make a great family cat. Her passions in life are to catch the red laser dot and to sleep on the edge of your bed keeping your feet warm!

All of our cats have received their first vaccination, are micro-chipped, health checked and sterilised before going to their new homes.

If you would like to adopt Keira or any of the other cats or kittens, phone 0487 193 244 to speak to a co-ordinator.

A ten day explosion of art, culture and community

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From humble beginnings GFEST comes of age in 2014 with a 10 day celebration of arts, culture and community. Add a fabulous 60’s theme - what a ‘GAS’ (GFEST ARTS SPECTACULAR)! For the first time, from 3rd to 12th October, GFEST brings the gorgeous De Parel Speigeltent to Geraldton's Queens Park  as the hub of a program that promises something to delight and surprise just about everyone.

Jointly presented by GFEST, ACDC Community Arts and City of Greater-Geraldton, GAS features exhibitions, workshops, film, markets, world class performances and events for all ages.

Everyone will have the chance to experience the Speigeltent, with family friendly activities each day, and a diverse range of performances every evening. Across the City high quality art exhibitions will feature the cream of local and state artistic talent. 

The 10 day Spiegeltent program features:

  • Official VIP Mad Men style Cocktail Launch with Triple J Unearthed band Boom!Bap! Pow!
  • Gidget's Go Go Beach Bop – all ages 60s style family beach party with games and fun; alcohol & smoke free event.
  • Argentinian Tango and Ballroom Dance Night – featuring our twinkle toed and very talented MLC Paul Brown.
  • Two great comedy nights – with The Comedy Emporium – including a crazy Midnight Cowboys session where anything could happen.
  • Groove Lounge – featuring live jazz and blues bands – Blue Mercy and Hunter-Lloyd, plus dance performances.
  • Grrrowl Nightclub with local DJ powerhouse Bassway and a line up of DJs plus great light shows, sexy fire dancers and more;
  • our signature GFEST eXtravaganza cabaret night with Whisky A Go Go theme with Famous Sharron, Sideshow Superstars, burlesque, drag shows and bewitching circus acts.

Plus daily art, dance, poetry, yoga and circus workshops in the Speigeltent.

Festival Director Raina Savage said, "We can't wait to share this unique venue and program with the people of Geraldton."

"We have nurtured this vision for years, and now, with the huge support of the City of Greater-Geraldton, Lotterywest and our other sponsors, we are finally able to bring it to life."

AMAZING BELGIAN 'MIRROR TENT' LIGHTS UP QUEENS PARK GARDENS

For the first time Geraldton will experience the magic of a Speigeltent – one of the few remaining Belgian 'mirror tents' hand crafted in Europe during the elegant and glamorous art deco period last century. 

A perfectly round structure, with interior walls lined with brass and leather booths, stained glass windows, an elegant wood and brass bar, patterned dance floor, all contained under a jaunty circus tent roof. Speigeltents are a staple of major fringe festivals throughout Australia & overseas, and are passionately loved by cabaret, circus and vaudeville performers.

The Spiegeltent will be the venue for a 10 day program of arts performances, events and workshops – with something for everyone. 

RELAX AND CHILL IN THE LIGHT FILLED GO-GO GARDEN

The Speigeltent won’t be the only unique venue during the festival. Surrounding it, and continuing the Swinging 60s theme, the 'Go Go Garden' ]is an alfresco bar and dining area which patrons can enjoy throughout  the festival. Light sculptures, circus themed artworks, and giant projections on the surrounding greenery, will create an enchanting venue to enjoy craft beers and fine wines, and sample fresh, organic local food.

The Go Go Garden will have its own program of events – kicking off with GerMANIC Oktoberfest event – with DJ Victor spinning edgy Berlin beats from 2pm- 8pm on Saturday 4th October. There will be live music every evening and some special events including Midnight in the Garden on Wednesday 8th October, featuring fire dancers and aerial performers.

Ms Savage said, “There will be amazing things going on in the Spiegeltent every day – but you don’t have to go inside to enjoy the atmosphere. The Go Go Garden will be an ambient, relaxed and very cool place where people can just come and hang out and enjoy the beautiful Geraldton spring evenings.’

 THE FLAGSHIP EVENT - GFEST eXtravaganza

To cap off the festival, this year's signature GFEST eXtravaganza travels back to the Swinging 60s- to the famous Whisky A Go Go Nightclub on Sunset Strip.

Special guest stars this year include our fabulous MC – Famous Sharron – a real crowd pleaser; the incredible King of Swords – Aerial Manx; the Godfather of Modern Sideshow Shep Huntly ; go go goddesses Coco Poppin and Scarlet O'Harlot – from Sugar Bue Burlesque – and making their burlesque debut our very own House of Jezebelle dancers. There are sensational circus feats from Natural Wings Aerial dance and our own amazing PCYC Gidget Superstars and of course, no GFEST is complete without a raucously outrageous drag Show – with 60s Divas, beach bunnies and boots that were really made for walking! Dress to impress with beehives, miu mius, mop tops and stove-pipes.Ticket $50 or $60 at the door, available online www.gfest.com.au or at ACDC, 33 Marine Terrace Geraldton.

For THE FULL PROGRAM and tickets check out the website www.gfest.com.au.     

 

The Oil and Gas industry hated this advertisement in the Guardian

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On the 11th of July, Frack Free Geraldton ran this ad (it didn't have the big red x of course) in the Geraldton Guardian. Frack Free Geraldton are associated with the Conservation Council of WA (CCWA). 

10 days later, the Chief Operating Officer of the WA region of the Australian Pertroleum Production and Exploration Association Limited (APPEA) had a letter published in the Guardian. 

He essentially refuted the claims of the ad. 

Then on 29 July 2014, APPEA wrote to the owners of the Geraldton Guardian, West Australian Newspapers Ltd (SevenWest), formally complaining about the ad. 

The CCWA responded, basically declaring the complaint by Michael Bradley and the APPEA vexatious and motivated by a desire to suppress the true nature of the gas fracking industry.

SevenWest ruled in favour of the Oil and Gas industry in many of the points.

Click here to get the PDF of their ruling.

1. The APPEA claims that shale fracking is not the “process of extracting gas”. It says that hydraulic fracking is a technology used to enhance the flow of gas from a well once the drilling is completed and the rig is removed from the scene.

Totally different.

SevenWest actually ruled in favour of the advertisers CCWA in this point, stating that 

"While technically shale fracking is not a “process of extraction” but a method to enhance the extraction of gas, the ordinary reasonable reader will not be led into error by this description. The description is used generally to describe the process in an ordinary or garden variety way."

CCWA said that the APPEA doesn't own the word fracking, nor does it get to decide whether it's a noun, adjective or verb. "Fracking" is an umbrella term just like "mining" is an umbrella term used to describe many different processes that result in the extraction of minerals. 

2. APPEA contends that “toxic chemicals” are not used “to crack deep rocks”. It's the pressure that cracks the rock. 

Totally different.

But SevenWest says that's beside the point. 

Toxic Chemicals are used in the process.

But we only use a little bit of toxic chemicals!

SevenWest says because the ad says "toxic chemicals" are used, along with a drink bottle of water that has mostly turned black, you the reader will be mislead to think that ONLY toxic chemicals are used. But only .05% to .5% of the fluid pumped into the ground is toxic. 

Hope that helps you sleep at night. 

So SevenWest says the statement "toxic chemicals" is an exaggeration. 

CCWA says that as the total volume of water is so large (10-25 million litres per well) even if the toxic chemicals constitute as little as 0.05%, that's 50,000 to 125,000 litres of toxic chemicals being pumped into the earth to kill bacteria, break down minerals and initiate fissures. Per well.

The WA Health Department in their preliminary submission to the WA Inquiry on Unconventional Gas found 195 "chemicals of concern". Some are known as suspected carcinogens, others have been shown to have developmental or reproductive toxicity. Many of the chemicals have NO SAFE LEVEL OF ORAL INTAKE and many have been banned completely overseas. 

But does that image really imply that ONLY toxic chemicals are used?

The image in the ad shows a drink bottle with a syringe. The drinking container is approx 1.5 litres. 

The syringe with the black fluid has a capacity of 30mL.

The point of the image seems to be that it only takes a small amount of poison in your drinking water to render the entire amount non-potable. 

What about this image?

The APPEA has this picture of a lush green field and a big healthy tree at the top of their website, implying that using gas mining or gas usage as an energy source would be associated with such an image. While burning gas might create less CO2 than burning other non-renewable resources, this image implies things that could also be challenged.

The claims of gas being cleaner are being refuted by recent studies. While it may be cleaner to burn, the methane released into the atmosphere during the extraction process is worse the CO2 and many now believe that overall, gas is worse than coal. 

This study from Cornell University shows that when viewed on a 20 year time horizon after emission, the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas is considerably greater than that for coal or diesel oil, when the full effects of the methane emissions are considered. 

Click here to view study.

3. Frack Free Geraldton says that fracking can “turn our water into a dangerous chemical cocktail”.

The Oil and Gas Industry says using toxic chemicals in shale fracking will not turn our water into a dangerous chemical cocktail.

Frack Free Geraldton and the CCWA didn't say that it will, just that it can. 

And the APPEA didn't say that it can't, just that it won't.

A paragraph in the SevenWest report quoted CSIRO saying the risks of water contamination are low, in most cases.

However, the CSIRO website adds that the risks are low WHEN MANAGED PROPERLY.

This is a self evident statement however, as any contamination that has occurred can obviously be chalked up in hindsight to poor management. 

What the APPEA and the Oil and Gas Industry in general haven't convinced the world of is that "this time" they'll manage it properly. 

In addition to this...

SevenWest state in their report:

"That illustration (the water bottle) would appear to reflect a substantial contamination of the water by the black “toxic chemical” fluid. In the order of 70% of the water appears to be substantially “contaminated” by the black fluid."

But again, they seemed to have missed the entire point of the image. 70% of the water isn't poisoned. ALL OF IT IS. 

And it only took 30mL to do it. 

Moreover, CCWA say that the APPEA's claims of water never being contaminated by fracking are based entirely on a narrow interpretation of the term "fracking". They say there is extensive documented evidence of fracking well failure and subsequent leakage (of gas and fracking chemicals) into ground water. 

SevenWest concluded this point by stating:

CCWA have not produced any evidence that hydraulic fracking fluid has in the course of any hydraulic shale gas fracking process permeated a fresh water aquifer. Its contentions are against the scientific literature. The advertisement is misleading in this regard.

But by SevenWest's own acceptance of the term "fracking" applying to the entire process of gas extraction, the CCWA HAS produced evidence that fresh water has been polluted. 

In fact, they linked to a very thorough study that you can read here:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264817214000609

Here's a taste:

"poor well integrity is a far more likely cause of elevated concentrations of thermogenic methane in shallow groundwater and water supplies than pathways induced solely by hydraulic fracturing. Examples of leaks in shale gas wells have been reported and fines imposed."

In other words, the upward propagation of hydraulic fractures may not be the direct cause of the contaminations of fresh water aquifers, but other parts of the overall gas extraction process have demonstrably contaminated drinking water numerous times in the past.

Why SevenWest chose to semantically interpret "fracking" in this case, but accept that it applies broadly to the entire process in point 1, is unclear. 

4. “Research in the US has found that 6% of fracking wells leak into ground water in the first year”

CCWA has admitted that this statement is not materially correct.

And the APPEA are chalking this one up as a win. 

But, they should have read the response from CCWA. 

“We have reviewed the report and agree with Appea to the extent that Professor Ingraffea’s findings related to well barrier or casing integrity failure which does not necessarily mean that leakage into groundwater has occurred in all cases. On further consideration, a more accurate statement would perhaps be that “6% of fracking wells leak into groundwater, surface water, soil or air in the first year”

So instead the ad should have read:

6% of fracking wells leak into groundwater, surface water, soil or air in the first year. 

It's not likely to make the public fond of fracking, to know that risks apply to groundwater, surface water, the soil and the air we breathe. 

The CCWA states that the claims by the APPEA that fracking has not caused contamination of aquifers are misleading and rely on a narrow definition of fracking designed to exclude well casing failure, surface spills, wastewater re-injection, and other common causes of groundwater contamination due to the fracking processes.

But SevenWest still ruled that the original statement is "misleading and deceptive".

7. Once our water is contaminated, it will be forever

APPEA challenged this, saying someone probably would be able to clean up our drinking water if a fracking company accidentally poisoned it. 

But the CCWA said that there are no regulatory requirements in WA for contaminated groundwater to be returned to its original state. They also assert that remediation measures do not actually exist for all of the chemicals which could pollute our ground water. 

The CCWA also assert that while it may be possible for remediation of contaminated groundwater, it's not possible to bring it back to its original unaltered state, even if it is technically drinkable again. 

The APPEA provided SevenWest with some links to publications of how to clean up contaminated ground water, which record that to a greater or lesser degree, and depending upon the particular circumstances, remedial steps can be taken to resolve or alleviate water contamination.

So to a "greater or lesser" degree, if your drinking water gets poisoned, it's technically possible, depending on the circumstances, maybe, to possibly make it usable again, even though there's no legal requirement to do so, and the companies who do engage in fracking have made no commitment to do so.

Comforting. 

The short TV advertisement from Clean Water Healthy Land about the risk of gas fracking that the Geraldton Guardian ad was based on. 

What do you think of Andrew Forrest's proposal for welfare reform?

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You may have read about it last month. Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest, who works closely with Aboriginal communities in this state's north and has sunk a lot of money into helping local communities, has sent a very controversial proposal to the Abbott government. 

Pic: Wikipedia

Basically, under Mr Forrest’s plan, all welfare recipients, with the exception of aged pensioners and veterans, would be forced into income management with no discretionary spending. Essentially the goal is to make it impossible for welfare recipients to spend the money they are given on drugs or alcohol. 

Mr Forrest spoke with 7.30 WA;

"This is not income management, this is not welfare quarantining, this is full value but in the form of a debit card just like all of us have, just a debit card out of your wallet," he said.

"There's no stigma attached, it's just cashless so you do the drug barons out of a job, not your child out of a job."

"We won't get a different result by doing things the same way." 

Watch the interview and read more about the proposal here.