Kevin Rudd and his Federal Government ministers have lately taken to uttering the catch-cry that they "want Australia to be a place that makes things". However, this will not happen in a world of slave-labour economies, until the abandonment of protectionism, supported by both the major Australian political parties, is reversed.

See also: "Whatever happened to Australian manufacturing?" by Martin Feil in the Age of 20 May 10.

Unlike the Western dragon of Europe that is representative of evil, the many eastern versions of the dragon are powerful spiritual symbols, representing seasonal cycles and supernatural forces. Until 1912, the dragon was the national emblem of China. Many Chinese consider the dragon a god, one to be worshipped. Now, the god of Growth is the one that is worshipped!

Chinese government owned China Metallurgical Construction (MCC) corporation's efforts to establish the massively destructive Ramu Nickel mine in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea -- the largest investment in metal exploration and mining by the Chinese outside of China -- is in serious jeopardy. Local landowners are successfully initiating court cases and protests to demand mine tailings not be dumped into the sea -- poisoning fish stocks and causing extreme ecological destruction -- or the mine be stopped.

Article originally published as "Resistance Growing to Ecologically Devastating Chinese Mining Invasion of Madang, Papua New Guinea" on rainforestportal.org o 1 Apr 10. What you can do: e-mail China Metallurgical Construction Corporation to let them know of your objection to their invasion of Madang.

The mining company Cape Alumina has lodged a request to strip mine over 12,000 hectares in the western part of Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve for bauxite. This reserve is home to six highly vulnerable plant species. The nearby Wenlock River is the richest in freshwater fish diversity of any Australian river, including speartooth sharks, sawfish and the estuarine crocodile. Of the 32 ecosystems found on the reserve, 21 are threatened.

What you can do: If you are a Queensland resident, please sign the e-petition on the Parliamentary web-site (see text below), The petition is open until 17 May 2009. If you live outside of Queensland, please sign the petition on the Save Steve's Place. (www.savestevesplace.com) web site.

(photo Wikipedia commons)
Thousands of litres of oil, gas and condensate has been leaking into the sea since August 21 from a wellhead near PTTEP Australasia's West Atlas oil rig, 250km from shore. A private environmental consultant's report commissioned by the WWF has found 15 species of whales and dolphins, 30 seabird species and five turtle species could be affected by the oil slick.

The local indigenous population is upset at Government plans to open up much of the land in Peru's Amazonia region to oil and gas and to mineral exploration, even though much of the land is officially protected.

See also: "Thousands of indigenous Peruvians protest invasion of Amazon by oil, mining and agricultural companies" of 1 Jun 09, Resource boom threatens indigenous people, EcoEarth newsdesk.

For the past 40 days, indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon are protesting investment laws passed under a free-trade pact with the United States and against concessions granted to foreign energy companies. Indigenous communities complain that some 70% of Peruvian Amazon territory is now leased for oil and gas exploration, putting at risk their own lives and the biodiversity of the Amazon.

See also: Action Alert: Resource Boom in Peru's Amazon Threatens Indigenous Peoples' Livelihoods and Their Rainforest Homes"

Lake Titicaca, which straddles the border between Bolivia and Peru, and which was venerated by the ancient Incas who ruled throughout South America from the 13th to the mid-16th centuries, is threatened by overfishing, the introduction of exotic species, pollution from 30,000 small illegal mines near its shores and the dumping of raw untreated sewage.

See also: Peru, Bolivia to clean Lake Titicaca of 22 Nov 08, 30,000 illegal mines pollute Lake Titicaca of 22 Sep 08, Bolivia's Lake Titicaca strangled of 3 Aug 07.

The bids by Chinese state-owned companies to buy out Australian mining companies have alarmed ordinary Australians. As before, however, opposition to this growing encroachment upon Australian sovereignty has been equated with cold war 'yellow peril' racism in an apparent attempt to stifle debate.

Update: 75% of respondents to a Courier Mail online poll believed that Australia was too reliant economically on China, 2 Apr 09.

See also: Forum discussions "More on the Yellow Peril" of 31 Mar 09 on Laratus Prodeo, , "Federal government and China" of 30 Mar 09

There are serious flaws in state and federal policy that allow significant conservation areas, rich in biodiversity and carbon, to be destroyed for the sake of digging up more climate-changing coal. In an era where climate change and food security should be at the top of government agendas, the superior rights that mineral interests hold over all other land uses are in desperate need of review.

What you can do: 1. Queensland residents can sign the petition here, the text of which is to also be found here. 2. To learn more of the devastation with which the Bimblebox Nature Refuge is threatened by the proposed open-cut coal mine, please visit www.bimblebox.org.

Australia should take advantage of the financial crisis to re-establish a proper industrial base as well as to relocalise our economy.

Peru is still under the thumb of Colonialism, just the names have changed! Corruption is rife, and so is crime and human rights abuses. Mining companies are making a small minority mightily rich, and the indigenous and rightful owners of the land are suffering torture, death and death threats, loss of land, water pollution and loss of food.

The collapse of the global house of credit-cards and consequent stalling of demand for our mineral wealth is beginning to show up how truly unproductive our economy has become after decades of 'reform'. How can we begin to repair the damage?

Why is Australia helping to plunder Peru? The indigenous people in Peru are being dispossessed of their land by a corrupt government, and the mining companies with their "free trade" agreements are being supported by President Garcia!

See also: Peruvian forest laws overturned of 29 Aug 08 by Rick Kearns in Indian Country Today, Seizing Native land in Peru, one parcel at a time Peru of 4 Jul 08 by Rick Kearns in Indian Country Today

Insight program shows limited perspective on problems surrounding labour supply in Australia.

See also : Transcript of Insight program of 17 Jun 08 Labour Pains