8 June 2001 Media Statement

Inquiry into carriage of chemicals premature

Environment Minister, Marian Hobbs, says an Opposition call for an inquiry into the storage of chemicals on trucks is premature.

New regulations under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act take effect on July 2 and explicitly take into account the risks to the environment as well as other hazards such as flammability, she said.

Other complementary initiatives recently undertaken by the government include a major rewrite of the Land Transport Rule for dangerous goods. This encompasses the proper packaging of those substances, the segregation of loads to avoid chemical cocktails in the event of accidents, and the proper provision of information, including what to do in emergencies.

"The HSNO Act and its regulations are designed to work in tandem with the transport rules," Marian Hobbs said. "These initiatives will all help address the risks of transporting hazardous substances.

"Education of all sectors affected by the new system for hazardous substances is currently under way.

"Everyone involved in transporting these substances must understand their obligations and carry them out, including being properly prepared for emergencies when they do happen."

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>