Latest news with #WesternAustralian
West Australian
7 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Trish Cook: Bullwinkel MP uses first speech to honour ‘nursing hero'
WA Labor MP Trish Cook, who claimed victory in Australia's newest electorate, has used her first speech to honour the legacy of the seat's namesake WWII nurse Vivian Bullwinkel. In a historically-heavy speech to Parliament, Ms Cook — a former nurse herself — spoke of Lieutenant Colonel's incredible tale of survival in the 1942 Banka Island massacre. She thanked Australia's military nurses and soldiers for their 'incredible sacrifices and services' to 'fight for democracy' Australia holds today. Ms Cook said her aspirations to become a Federal MP came after watching the first term of the Albanese Government. She said it had been solidified after the new seat was created in her Perth Hills area and when she heard it would be named after the 'nursing hero.' 'Suddenly, here was a brand new electorate of Bullwinkel, which encompassed my home of Darlington for 17 years and was named in honor of World War Two nursing hero, Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel,' she said. 'I took this optimistically as a sign of encouragement. I ignored my campaign naivety, threw my nurse's cap into the ring, and to my delight, the Labor Party embraced my candidacy.' Prior to her candidacy, Ms Cook had been deputy Shire president of Mundaring. In her address, Ms Cook spoke of her experience working as a nurse across remote and regional Western Australian and a stint in the Solomon Islands. The fresh face said she wanted to fight for fairness, injustice and better health outcomes across her term. 'The professions of nursing and politics both require great commitment honesty and a great sense of wanting to help people and communities,' she said. 'As a federal Labor member, I pledge to care and advocate for the fair and equitable allocation of resources to target the social determinants of health, the factors which will improve life for those in Bullwinkel and for all Australians.' Ms Cook also declared she wants to support Bullwinkel farmers in the wake of the live sheep export phase out, an issue which had caused her some controversy ahead of the May 3 poll. Fifteen per cent of constituents in her electorate, stretching from Perth's metropolitan fringe out to the Wheatbelt, fall outside of the metropolitan region. 'The rural area of Bullwinkel consists of four historic Wheatbelt towns. As well as the townspeople, these rural communities include passionate farmers who produce our food and our agricultural exports,' she told Parliament. 'They see the ever changing impact of climate change, and while they have thankfully and recently got their barley markets back they are still transitioning to the ban on live sheep export by sea.' Among those watching on was new State secretary Mark Reed in the gallery and former secretary Ellie Whiteaker on the outskirts of the chamber in her new role as WA senator. WA Scarborough MP Stuart Aubrey and Nedlands MP Katrina Stratton were among her supporters also listening in. After her address Ms Cook was embraced by several WA MPs, including Assistant Minister Patrick Gorman who had been her campaign director during the Federal Election.
Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump kills Twiggy Forrest's US green hydrogen dream
Australian billionaire Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest has terminated a major hydrogen project in the United States as Donald Trump slashes tax breaks for clean energy investments and guts programs aimed at tackling climate change. The Forrest-led Fortescue Metals Group on Thursday said it would not proceed with a $US550 million ($830 million) plan to begin producing zero-emissions hydrogen at a new plant in Arizona, blaming the 'shift in priorities away from green energy' under the Trump administration. 'The lack of certainty and step-back in green ambition has stopped the emerging green energy markets, making it hard for previously feasible projects to proceed,' Fortescue head of growth and energy Gus Pichot said. 'As a result, we cannot proceed with our investments as they stand, and will explore future opportunities for our site in Arizona.' Since returning to the White House, Trump has passed laws to end lucrative tax breaks for wind and solar farms, electric cars and other technologies that would help combat global warming, which he falsely calls a 'hoax', while enacting sweeping measures to make it cheaper and easier for companies to extract more fossil fuels. The cancellation of the Arizona project comes as Forrest continues a years-long campaign to diversify Fortescue beyond its lucrative Western Australian iron ore mines and into the production of green hydrogen, a promising clean energy source that burns cleanly and could eventually help displace the use of coal, oil and gas in heavy industry. While Fortescue insists it remains steadfast in its commitment to green hydrogen, it has been forced to hit the brakes on the speed of its ambitions over the past year, blaming the high cost and the vast amount of renewable energy required. Most of the hydrogen produced across the world today is limited to 'grey hydrogen', made from gas through a process that emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The Age
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
Trump kills Twiggy Forrest's US green hydrogen dream
Australian billionaire Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest has terminated a major hydrogen project in the United States as Donald Trump slashes tax breaks for clean energy investments and guts programs aimed at tackling climate change. The Forrest-led Fortescue Metals Group on Thursday said it would not proceed with a $US550 million ($830 million) plan to begin producing zero-emissions hydrogen at a new plant in Arizona, blaming the 'shift in priorities away from green energy' under the Trump administration. 'The lack of certainty and step-back in green ambition has stopped the emerging green energy markets, making it hard for previously feasible projects to proceed,' Fortescue head of growth and energy Gus Pichot said. 'As a result, we cannot proceed with our investments as they stand, and will explore future opportunities for our site in Arizona.' Since returning to the White House, Trump has passed laws to end lucrative tax breaks for wind and solar farms, electric cars and other technologies that would help combat global warming, which he falsely calls a 'hoax', while enacting sweeping measures to make it cheaper and easier for companies to extract more fossil fuels. The cancellation of the Arizona project comes as Forrest continues a years-long campaign to diversify Fortescue beyond its lucrative Western Australian iron ore mines and into the production of green hydrogen, a promising clean energy source that burns cleanly and could eventually help displace the use of coal, oil and gas in heavy industry. While Fortescue insists it remains steadfast in its commitment to green hydrogen, it has been forced to hit the brakes on the speed of its ambitions over the past year, blaming the high cost and the vast amount of renewable energy required. Most of the hydrogen produced across the world today is limited to 'grey hydrogen', made from gas through a process that emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
7NEWS
11 hours ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Anthony Mundine hits back at critics of new bare-knuckle boxing league
Anthony Mundine has urged critics to 'embrace the first show and come back to him' after launching a bare-knuckle boxing league he says is the purest form of the sport. The former world boxing champion is behind World Bare Knuckle Fighting (WBKF), a concept barred by authorities last month in Perth but now set to launch in Brisbane later this year. Ben Horn, the younger brother of former world champion Jeff with a 6-9 professional boxing record, is set to headline the September show at Logan Metro Sports and Events Centre that will be streamed online. Last month the Western Australian government's decision to allow US organisation Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship to host an event was overruled by the state's combat sports authority. The Mundine production's application for a Sydney event remains under review by NSW's equivalent body. In the meantime, he's confirmed a Queensland debut, where they've received the green light from relevant parties and will have veteran ringside doctor Lou Lewis on duty. 'Everyone's going to have an opinion, right or wrong,' 50-year-old Mundine, who excelled in rugby league before switching to the ring, told AAP. 'I just want the people to embrace the first show and come back to me after that. 'It's going to be fair and professional with rules around it ... they're going to love it.' Mundine's camp argue that, while bloodier, there is less risk of brain trauma due to fewer repeated blows to the head than traditional boxing. Weight classes will also be wider so fighters aren't sacrificing durability to make weight. Mundine thinks WBKF can grow to rival the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which has exploded in popularity in Australian and been staged in both Perth and Sydney. ''Especially Australians; everyone loves a scrap,' he said. 'It doesn't matter what sporting event you're at ... if there's a scrap in the crowd, everyone's looking at the scrap, rather than the game. 'It's the purest form of fighting, since day dot.' The Perth event, planned for July, was blocked after advice from the Australian Medical Association's WA state president, Michael Page. 'Turning the act of bare-knuckle fighting into a 'sport' sets an incredibly bad example for children and adults alike,' he said.
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Gloves off as Mundine backs Aussie bare-knuckle debut
Anthony Mundine has urged critics to "embrace the first show and come back to him" after launching a bare-knuckle boxing league he says is the purest form of the sport. The former world boxing champion is behind World Bare Knuckle Fighting (WBKF), a concept barred by authorities last month in Perth but now set to launch in Brisbane later this year. Ben Horn, the younger brother of former world champion Jeff with a 6-9 professional boxing record, is set to headline the September show at Logan Metro Sports and Events Centre that will be streamed online. Last month the Western Australian government's decision to allow US organisation Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship to host an event was overruled by the state's combat sports authority. The Mundine production's application for a Sydney event remains under review by NSW's equivalent body. In the meantime he's confirmed a Queensland debut, where they've received the green light from relevant parties and will have veteran ringside doctor Lou Lewis on duty. "Everyone's going to have an opinion, right or wrong," 50-year-old Mundine, who excelled in rugby league before switching to the ring, told AAP. "I just want the people to embrace the first show and come back to me after that. "It's going to be fair and professional with rules around it ... they're going to love it." Mundine's camp argue that, while bloodier, there is less risk of brain trauma due to fewer repeated blows to the head than traditional boxing. Weight classes will also be wider so fighters aren't sacrificing durability to make weight. Mundine thinks WBKF can grow to rival the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which has exploded in popularity in Australian and been staged in both Perth and Sydney. '"Especially Australians; everyone loves a scrap," he said. "It doesn't matter what sporting event you're at ... if there's a scrap in the crowd, everyone's looking at the scrap, rather than the game. "It's the purest form of fighting, since day dot." The Perth event, planned for July, was blocked after advice from the Australian Medical Association's WA state president, Michael Page. "Turning the act of bare-knuckle fighting into a 'sport' sets an incredibly bad example for children and adults alike," he said.
