Gladstone harbour - the truth and the pain to bring it to light

Truth never lost ground by enquiry. - WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude

 

Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light. - GEORGE WASHINGTON

Photo by John Mikkelsen

Finally the truth has come out in the major metropolitan newspapers about what has been killing marine life in Gladstone harbour. To be fair the situation wasn’t helped by the Gladstone Port Corporation (GPC) withholding reports from public examination for over two years. The local newspaper, the Gladstone Observer, has finally reported the news instead of printing the version presented by the GPC without too much outside inquiry. The full page advertising by GPC at the time may have been co-incidental.  

The enquiry for truth has largely been pursued in the alternative media on blog sites. The most prolific writer about the disaster besetting Gladstone harbour is John Mikkelsen or Mikko to his online friends, a semi-retired journalist living at the time at Tannum Sands who could see first-hand the fish deaths, could talk to the local fishermen and the scientists who came to investigate.

John Mikkelsen in his latest blog post, Gladstone Harbour- dredging up what went wrong, writes of the “latest of the belated reports emerging showing how environmental breaches went unreported in Gladstone Harbour;” referring to Tony Moore’s December 20th Brisbane Times newspaper article, Gladstone Harbour bund wall failures explained.

The Australian in the November 18^th issue carried the article, Fish fears rise over LNG port dredging, revealing how GPC withheld reports for more than two years containing evidence contrary to the GPC claim that the problems were all caused by a flood in 2011, a scenario that as time went on became increasingly apparent to be unlikely.  The author of this article in the Australian is the Environment editor, Graham Lloyd who has since followed up with two more articles, Bad build blamed for fish deaths and Gladstone port plea to stem toxic leak.



 

Photo Brisbane Times

The evidence now available supports what John Mikkelsen has been writing since September 2011. His articles were published in two of Australia’s largest blog sites, Something’s really fishy in the Gladstone waters at The Punch on October 2011 and then on the 26^th at ABC’s Unleashed, Gladstone fish can't read.

But the enquiry into truth was not without cost, on October 17^th 2011 Mikko who several years previously had held the position of editor of the Gladstone Observer wrote:

“”Yesterday I watched a convoy of tugs towing barges loaded with dredging spoil past Tannum Sands to the dumping grounds in open waters just outside the entrance to Gladstone Harbour, the scene of widespread controversy surrounding continuing catches of sick fish and dead marine animals.

On Wild Cattle Island, a national park just south of Tannum beach, I saw the carcass of another dead adult turtle washed up at low tide, the latest in more than 200 strandings.

In the past week, local media outlets have all run full-page advertisements from the Gladstone Ports Corporation stating “Water quality in Gladstone Harbour is OK”. Tell that to the fish.

Meanwhile, for almost five years I have been writing a weekly column, ‘What Goes Around’ in The Gladstone Observer. For the past month, I have focussed on the harbour controversy but it has now been axed because of “budget restrictions”. All online comments to articles relating to the harbour and diseased fish were removed just over a week ago and since then new articles have not allowed online comment.

All that could be coincidental and I am not suggesting otherwise, just presenting the circumstances. My last article, published in today’s Observer (October 17)”

The above quote was published at a community blog site that no longer deserves to be named. This article attracted several thousand views to the ongoing comments that kept people up to date to the unfolding situation at Gladstone harbour. Most of these views would have been from people keeping themselves informed rather than those actually commenting.  Unfortunally the article also attracted a couple of people with the zealous desire to discredit the evidence being presented and although living far away from Gladstone were very persistent in harassment often using cherry picked Google searches. The article was deleted in November 2012 because of the abuse of trust that the community placed in one person to hold the site’s password; it was deleted for no other reason than this person choose at the time to disagree with it.

The original post was copied and is available at the pindanpost blog site. Many pages of updated comments, including informed scientific commentary, are lost.   

It appeared that the motivation to persistently harass the events at Gladstone harbour to be reported and commented upon was that environmental groups had subsequently become active about the issue and that if the ‘greenies’ were making statements they had to be automatically wrong. While it is certainly easy to find many examples of the extreme end of the environmental movement in their ‘the end justifies the means’ approach using alarmism, misinformation and even sabotage, it is simplistic to assume that everyone interested in environmental issues are of bad character with incorrect information. Whenever in this harassment it was pointed out the greenies were involved with Gladstone harbour, Mikko would patiently reply that “even a broken clock is right twice a day.”    

Social media can be and is being used for good; the enquiry into the truth about Gladstone harbour would not have proceeded without the use of blog sites. However it also provides a soap box for those that society would not have otherwise have provided for some people. It brings out the ‘haters’ from both the politically left and the right. It provides the opportunity for you to hear the viewpoint that you want to hear and to attack every view expressed by other sources that have been pigeon holed as wrong. Social media provides the opportunity for those that wish to rant, engage in absolutes and abuse just as it can provide the opportunity for enquiry, positive engagement and thoughtfulness. 



Photo sourced -

Science panellooks at water, not sick fish

 Those of us who are politically conservative and are interested in a balance of conservation with economic development and community values should stand strong against the attacks of some on the left who believe that the only legitimate comment on environmental issues is owned by them. Also those of us you are politically conservative and are interested into the enquiry into the truth of a situation should resist the weakness that requires one to retreat to known absolutes and not allow new events to challenge one’s thinking. Sometime there are circumstances where you end up on a parallel course to others that are normally in opposition; it appears that some are so insecure in their own convictions that they create an artificial world of “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet”.

 

 

Congratulations Mikko for the truth belatedly being reported in the major metropolitan main stream media. You have stuck to your guns; the truth has ultimately prevailed thanks to the pains you took to bring it to light. The pursuit may have not been without pain; there are a few people that owe you an apology.

The event of November 2012 was the catalyst for the beginning of this blog site and below is the list of the posts published by John Mikkelsen about the Gladstone Harbour

Turtle, dugong deaths 'directly linked to dredging'

Did the floods two years ago cause this?

 

Gladstone fishers unimpressed by compensation offer

Dredging resumed at the height of Gladstone's record flood

Gladstone Ports Corporation swimming in sea of controversy

Gladstone Ports Corp should stick with coal, not seafood marketing

Science panel looks at water, not sick fish

Resource consultants 'like supermodels who won't get up for less than $5000 a day'

Photo sourced from,

Bacterial infection ‘linked to dredging’

Call to halt Gladstone port development proposals

UNESCO's latest warning on threats to Great Barrier Reef

Bacterial infection ‘linked to dredging’

Fishers' lucky to have survived toxic algae'

‘Mining captures politics’ – author claims

Author calls for Royal Commission into 'political capture by mining'

 

Gladstone Harbour- dredging up what went wrong

 

UPDATE #1

May 9 2014

The independent report to federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt was released on and it reveals that there was an obvious determined attempt to cover up the whole devastating effects of the dredging and leaking bund wall, coinciding with the fish disease and toxic algae outbreaks.

Bad build and oversight failure at Gladstone gas hub.

.

Gladstone Ports Corporation swimming in sea of controversy

My article published in Saturday's Queensland Telegraph, also in The Great Barrier Reef Blog at
http://www.greatbarrierreef.org.au/gladstone-ports-corporation-swimming-in-sea-of-controversy/
gives some historical context to the ports chief's axing.

By John Mikkelsen

Gladstone Ports Corporation seems to be battling a sea of controversy including last week’s announcement that CEO  Leo Zussino’s employment contract  would end in August, against his wishes to remain at the helm.

The announcement by board chairman Mark Brodie, backed by Premier Campbell Newman, sent shock waves through the rapidly expanding industrial city. But many considered Mr Zussino was on borrowed time under the new LNP regime following the axing of former chairman Mr Ian Brusasco and several other board members including a former mayor and strong supporter, Peter Corones, last year.

Headlines involving the ports corporation did not end with Mr Zussino’s impending departure. Days later a national newspaper broke the news of a new federal investigation into claims it had breached environmental audit conditions surrounding the highly controversial Western Basin Dredging and Disposal project. This came hot on the heels of other media reports involving claims by an independent scientist that two varieties of seagrass in the inner harbour were in danger of becoming extinct, and local speculation over the make-up of a new science panel to monitor water quality in the harbour. 

The biggest talking point however, has been Mr Zussino’s looming departure. Despite praise by both Mr Brodie and Mr Newman of his dedicated service to the GPC over 21 years, the first nine years as board chairman, then as CEO, he was told it was time for a change and the introduction of new blood.

But the truth is, his long time at the tiller guiding the GPC through a period of  undeniably rapid growth in sometimes troubled waters, was almost brought to an early end when the  machinations of politics first threatened his visionary plans .

Gladstone residents with long memories will recall the now little known fact that following the ousting of long term Labor premier Wayne Goss in 1996, the new coalition premier Rob Borbidge, attempted a customary political hatchet job on ports chiefs, including Mr Zussino.  (Borbidge became premier in a hung parliament with the backing of Gladstone Independent, Liz Cunningham).

But the Nationals leader apparently backed off in the face of what he was convinced was a strong show of support for Mr Zussino from various community and local government figureheads. This even included the Catholic Parish Priest of the day a Fr John Begg, who went to bat for the Gladstone ports chairman publicly as well as within his Star of the Sea congregation.

Ironically, Mr Zussino held his job a lot longer than Mr Borbidge who was defeated just two years later by Peter Beattie.

Those decrying such political manoeuvrings then and now, could also be reminded that a former Gladstone Port Authority chairman, Graham Fenton had been unceremoniously and abruptly dumped from his position not long after Wayne Goss first came to power as Labor premier back in December 1989. He was replaced then by Mr Zussino, a strong Labor supporter. Later Zussino made the transition to CEO following the retirement of his former mentor and long serving chief executive, the late Reg Tanna.

And so the rudder turns, but on the surface now, there is no bitterness shown by either party. Mr Zussino has told media that he had offered to stay on to guide the next stages of Gladstone Harbour’s major growth. On one TV news bulletin he said he had no intention of “going off and growing roses” and would probably seek a position in private enterprise.

Mr Zussino has also said he had not been told there were political motivations behind the decision to drop him, and that he had always kept his political beliefs separate from his working life.

"It was decided that there was an issue in succession planning (for GPC) and a new CEO had to come in some time. I am devoted to the port. I would have been happy to stay.
But there comes a time when there needs to be change and the chairman and the board decided that (this) is the time.

He said he had offered to complete the transition required to accommodate the 60mtpa of new trade resulting from the LNG industry, the Wiggins Island Coal Terminal and increased coal exports from existing terminals.

However, in the interest of leadership succession planning, it was decided that there was benefit in the new CEO being fully immersed in the significant transformation process to accommodate the expansion in an orderly manner.

Mr Brodie said Mr Zussino’s passion and determination towards his role was well known and he had placed the GPC in a strong position.

It plans to have an interim CEO in place by June so the new chief executive could work alongside Mr Zussino until the end of August to help ensure a smooth transition.

Mr Newman gave a similar tribute to Mr Zussino’s service at a media conference but when asked, “Was he pushed?”,he replied:

“His contract wasn’t renewed. That’s the point. I mean he hasn’t been, his contract was up for renewal and the Ports Corporation Board have chosen not to renew it”.

Meanwhile some major environmental groups have been scathing in their criticism. Save the Reef claimed that during Mr  Zussino’s term as CEO “an environmental disaster” had  unfolded in Gladstone Harbour.

“The World Heritage Area, dugong sanctuary and turtle haven was turned into a massive oil, gas and coal hub which had led to a UNESCO mission visit, following an expression of extreme concern about the LNG developments ,” according to spokesman Dr Andrew Jeremijenko.

Co-ordinator of Australians for Animals, Ms Sue Arnold said it was “ gratifying to know that Leo Zussino will not have his contract renewed”.

“Mr Zussino’s  role as CEO of Gladstone Ports Corporation was summed up by Campbell Newman last year in a letter to me over a highly misleading press release disseminated by GPC.    

“Premier Newman wrote: ‘The past attitude of GPC on environmental matters has been a source of alarm to my government."