Residents continue fight against 'filthy' gas projects

Hundreds turned out at a public meeting in Kingaroy against mining exploration for underground coal gasification (UCG) projects in Queensland's South Burnett region. Cougar Energy's UCG project in the South Burnett town remains on hold after traces of two dangerous chemicals were found in bore water on the site. The Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group (KCCG) says a Western Australian company, Red River Resources, has a permit to explore for coal seam gas in and around the town in the next few years. But the Queensland Government says there is a moratorium on any further development of coal gasification projects in the state.

Is ocean protection dead, buried and cremated?

Tony Abbott's announcement that a Coalition Government would rule out new marine parks is economically and environmentally irresponsible. With the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster fresh in our minds as a stark reminder of what can happen when fragile marine environments are left unprotected, it's astonishing that one of Australia's major political parties wants to put in the deep freeze the process for protecting special parts of our oceans. Mr Abbott appears to have turned his back on the Howard Government's marine protection achievements. These included the internationally acclaimed rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park which placed a third of the park under high-level protection.

Would you like grass with your junior Mac?

Kids still living at home? Energy bills too high? Looking for another source of income? A team of artists and architects may have a solution, and one that may allay fears about how our suburbs can sustainably house Australia's growing population. Reincarnated McMansion will take a large home, knock it down, recycle the materials and add energy-saving devices to build two or three homes with a minimal carbon footprint. The project, the brainchild of the architecture-trained artist Mathieu Gallois, aims to show how Australian homes can be converted into more space- and energy-efficient dwellings. New Australian houses are the largest in the world.