Yet more climate regulation?
Ask a law firm to advise the government on anything, and the answer will invariably be: we need more laws, which inevitably means more lawyers.
And so it is with the latest announcement from the Department of Climate Change, which has released a report from law firm Maddocks on the “threats” to infrastructure from “climate change”, as The Australian reports:
LAWS governing key infrastructure assets such as airports, ports, roads, buildings and the electricity network should be tightened to cope with potential catastrophic events caused by climate change.
A report to be released by the federal government today warns that risks to the nation’s infrastructure “cannot be overstated” and intrusive regulations may be justified where key assets are vulnerable to catastrophic weather events.
The review was prompted by CSIRO predictions that the nation will suffer longer dry spells interspersed with increases in the intensity of wet spells.
More days of higher fire danger are predicted and forecast sea level rises will make coastal communities more vulnerable to storm surges.
The report by Maddocks Solicitors says liability laws could be used in the transport industry as “motivation” for the industry to adapt to climate change.
Rules governing airport master plans could be changed to take into account potential climate change events and the nation’s building codes altered to take into account extreme events.
The report says existing assets are more vulnerable than new infrastructure and governments may have to consider “retreat” strategies.
“This will require consideration of property rights, constitutional provisions, insurance, risk sharing, government funding and new regulatory provisions,” the report says.
The report also calls for the government to examine setting up a new national body to co-ordinate regulations aimed at climate change adaptation, with representatives from federal,state and local government. (source)
This proposal appears to have the potential to open the floodgates to yet more control and interference from government concerning areas of our lives in which government has no place, all justified by the overarching imperative to “tackle climate change”.
“Intrusive regulations may be justified”? An excuse for draconian legislation.
“Liability laws” used as “motivation”? Sounds more like a threat – in other words, widening the scope of liability to include losses suffered by third parties arising from an organisation’s failure to implement the government-decreed climate risk mitigation strategies.
“A consideration of property rights”? Using the planning regulatory regime to force property owners to take certain actions (or face the consequences).
“Retreat” strategies? Ordering people to leave property where some bureaucrat says so, for example due to projected sea level rise.
And the phrase “New regulatory provisions” to a government addicted to regulation (like Labor) is akin to giving Dracula the keys to the blood bank.
Not to mention the millions of dollars wasted annually on yet another “national body” on climate change.
So not only will our economy be slugged with a carbon tax which will achieve nothing, it will also, if the recommendations of this report are implemented, be hamstrung with miles and miles of additional climate-based red tape and bureaucracy, forcing businesses to prepare for events predicted by the cracked crystal ball of notoriously unreliable climate models.
See the Department of Climate Change page here, and the full report (170+ pages) is here (PDF).
Australian Climate Madness 
barf
That is frightening. It never stops.
this is getting out of control.
getting?
It was always a synergy of legal and financial interests (litigation and carbon credit trading), socialistic politics and bad science environmentalist religion). The real fuel was te money, e.g. the finance industry quietly motivating politicians. The environmentalists are useful idiot that are bad at science.
SCUM!
yes, because all lawyers also moonlight as scientists, so they know what they are talking about
I meant “is” lol
Most scientists that are practicing and therefore seen as legit have received grants.
It might seem a tad doom filled prophesyish, but I believe this is precisely the sort of thing the Green Party (and hence this government) will try and push through parliament. We can only hope there is insuffiicient time to debate the legislation before the next election. Otherwise, expect this to happen.
“cannot be overstated” means the most ridiculous climate claims must be true. Great premise to start with for a lawyer looking to sue.
More revenue rasing.
Don’t forget the universal beneficiary the accountant
Is this a softening to bring in the NDAA Laws that Obama has just signed the US onto? Nothing this Socialist Government does surprises me, Nothing!
Yes Vivienne,
Unless we stand united and ask for more democratic rights for the people of Australia – otherwise this will go on and on.
I don’t believe for a moment that any of our politicians (of any colour) will do anything about it – they have their job and try to keep it as nice as possible. They don’t want the Australian people to have a real say.
This just pushes the UN agenda 21 further into place with population control. They tighter the communists can hold on you comrades the better.
When they have you tied up with their false premise of democracy they will become your new totalitarian government when you wake up one morning you will be wearing drab grey because colour is evil for the party line.
lol , or at least industrial ‘prison green ‘ ( green is fashionable right now isn’t it )
The propaganda being fed to the nation is going to expand to huge levels between now and July in order to try to “sell” the great big new tax on everything.
Believe me fish are not the only living organisms being driven crazy by all this Co 2 crap as well as the devious, immoral, lying “red haired ding bat” in Canberra.
Can anyone tell me how many millions $$ she is going to borrow to give to the IMF to bail out the Euro!!! Funny that the MSM does not even mention this treachery.
The report could be worse … as is so often the case, it says everything and nothing.
A word search on “Liability” produces this gem in paragraph 5.70:
” … regulatory regimes may need to be re-visited to determine the extent to which liability might attach to inadequate (or excessive) responses to climate change … ”
LOL Clever … don’t blame Maddocks if the “excessive” response bit gets left out.
“Excessive” responses already happening in NSW, eg “Retreat Strategies” already introduced for non-existent sea level rise.
As far as I know*, nothing as lunatic as this is happening yet in Queensland, but my advice* is, make sure you have a very close look at the new SPA Planning Scheme for your area when the drafts come out.
(* – planning consultant, building designer, 42 years experience)
Have to love Agenda 21 and those wishing to cull most of the population. What next electricity allowance, food and fuel rations? WWIII shall be a great opportunity to do just that. They need a crisis, AGW failed.
@Mike R – if we did that – think of all the carbon dioxide exuded from the rotting flesh!
More laws, more bureaucrats. All those Labor loving greenies will go along with that advice, from solicitors NOW!! When are the people going to get a break?
And this government is quite willing and happy to employ more and more carbon police and bureaucrats to oversee the whole mindless mess. No doubt they rubbed their hands together with glee.
Just what Australians want their hard earned tax dollars spent on – BIGGER AND BIGGER GOVERNMENT… AS IF!