Minister Turnbull, $10 million and the Murdoch connection ...
Seems Malcolm has lined up $10 million of government money for a member of the Murdoch family and the University of Qld to try out some unproven Russian rain-making technology.
Those involved in the Toowoomba recycled water debate will recognise Dr Jurg Keller who pops up in Minister Turnbull's press release as one of UQ's academics helping with the study. Dr Keller had his 5 cents worth on the Toowoomba debate and then quickly retreated. (Thought he researched how to clean water - is there sewage in space?)
Excerpt from Sydney Morning Herald:
Turnbull's $10m for 'rainmakers' with no proof
24 October 2007
The Environment Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is giving a $10 million boost to research promoted by a rainmaking company part-owned by Rupert Murdoch's nephew Matt Handbury, despite scientific experts hired by the Government stating the firm had provided "no convincing data" to support the technology.
Announcing the research assistance yesterday, Mr Turnbull said the project was backed by the Government's National Water Commission and it was looking at "all options" to secure future water supplies, including looking "outside the box".
The $10 million will fund the Australian Rain Corporation and academics from the University of Queensland to undertake a trial of so-called "rainfall enhancement technology", a highly controversial idea which involves sending negative ions generated by high-voltage electricity into the atmosphere to form clouds and rain. The trial would be overseen by experts appointed by the Water Commission, Mr Turnbull said.
In August, a critical report prepared for the commission by two leading scientists, the former head of the CSIRO Office of Space Science, Ken McCracken, and the Emeritus Professor of Physics from the University of New England, Neville Fletcher, was given to the Government. It was highly sceptical about the technology and recommended that a trial only go ahead after more scientific work on the proposal and if it could be done "at no great expense". On that basis, it said, a trial could be "worthwhile".
The expert report found "the proponents of the technology have provided no convincing experimental data or theoretical modelling to support the proposed mode of operation of technology". It also found that an evaluation by the Queensland academics for the company, while giving some support for the technology, lacked statistical controls and led to no firm conclusions.
But the report did give an opening for Mr Turnbull to grant a small amount of funding to explore the technology because of the severity of the water shortage. "Any approach that is not demonstrably ridiculous should be subject to careful experiment and statistical scrutiny," it said, "provided this can be done at no great expense."
Last night a spokesman for Mr Turnbull said the reviewers had concluded that "a carefully designed trial of the technique would be worthwhile".
However, the scientific report by Mr McCracken and Professor Fletcher suggested a process of several steps before the trial went ahead. With yesterday's announcement, Mr Turnbull has agreed to fund a full scientific trial that will get under way in south-east Queensland between December and May next year.
Mr Turnbull's spokesman said that doing all stages simultaneously "will enable the technology to be rolled out at least six months sooner if it is proved successful. This six months could prove critical in the context of the drought."
The water commissioner, Peter Cullen, expressed some surprise that the full $10 million in funding had been announced.
"I thought there was going to be a first step of getting a more serious evaluation of the actual technology," Mr Cullen said. "I am a bit surprised."
He noted the earlier Queensland demonstration of the rainmaking technology was inconclusive. "There was enough in it to be intrigued. But it was pretty hard to pick whether it made a difference or not."
Mr Handbury was unavailable for comment but he has been a passionate promoter of the technology, which has never been subjected to scientific "peer review" scrutiny outside Russia.
Mr Handbury established the Australian Rain Corporation with a Swiss partner in April this year. The company presented the results of its first Queensland demonstration to the Water Commission on August 14.
But much of the material and the presentation was in Russian and had to be translated, adding further difficulties for the assessing scientists, according to the commission report.
See - $10 million for unproven rain-making technology.
Also see - Minister Turnbull's press release - $10 million funding announcement.
You can see the 'very detailed' website for Australian Rain Corporation here - Australian Rain Corp website.
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 6:49 AM
5 Comments:
Excerpt from ABC's The World Today:
Govt defends $10m grant for untested rain-making technology
24 October 2007
ELEANOR HALL: The Federal Government is defending its decision to award $10-million to a company to trial rain-making technology.
The Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the grant to the Australian Rain Corporation, a company part-owned by Rupert Murdoch's nephew, Matt Handbury.
But researchers commissioned by the National Water Commission to investigate the technology have questioned whether the $10-million grant should have been awarded now, saying a more careful evaluation of the science is needed first.
Mr Handbury himself agrees the science is in no way conclusive, but denies his family connections have helped him secure the federal money.
Tanya Nolan has our report.
TANYA NOLAN: It's a technique developed in Russia in the last decade, and it involves sending electrical charges into the atmosphere to make clouds and ultimately rain.
But the problem with it, says Neville Fletcher, a visiting fellow at ANU and emeritus professor of physics at the University of New England, is that it hasn't ever been examined in a thorough scientific way, nor has it been peer reviewed.
NEVILLE FLETCHER: I haven't seen yet enough evidence to say that I'm persuaded that it's going to work. The measurements in Queensland showed that there was more rain in the catchment area than there usually was when the equipment was running. But there was a lot more rain in that part of Queensland at that time as well. So it's a little bit hard to say. It didn't show that the equipment worked, but there was nothing to indicate that it didn't work. So it was a possible.
TANYA NOLAN: Professor Fletcher's conclusions are contained in a report released in August, prepared in conjunction with Ken McCracken from the CSIRO and commissioned by the Government's National Water Commission.
The report warned the commission not to go ahead with any trials of the technology until the science behind it could be more thoroughly tested. But it did say that if it could be done "at no great expense" a trial could be "worthwhile".
The report was produced after a small-scale trial of the technology was conducted in May in conjunction with the University of Queensland, which concluded there was an increase in rainfall at the time and recommended more scientific testing be done.
Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has now awarded $10-million to the Australian Rain Corporation, which owns the technology, to conduct a full scientific trial of it.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: The report commissioned by the National Water Commission recommended a further scientific trial. The University of Queensland went a lot further than that and recommended a very substantial long-term operational trial as well, which would have cost a great deal more than $10-million.
What I've endeavoured to do is to ensure that we do, we have both a meaningful operational trial and a scientific assessment so that we can investigate this technology in a timely fashion.
TANYA NOLAN: Professor Fletcher says the money would be better spent in stages, rather than funding all the stages simultaneously as the Government is doing.
NEVILLE FLETCHER: My preference would have been first to spend a smaller amount of money doing a careful evaluation of the science, and then, if that looked reasonable, to go onto a field trial. The trouble with jumping in immediately with a field trial in parallel with the science is that the science may turn up things which indicate the field trial ought to be done in a different way.
TANYA NOLAN: Professor Fletcher's view is supported by the water commissioner, Peter Cullen, who is quoted in the News Limited press as saying he is surprised the full $10-million has been awarded before the first step is taken of seriously evaluating the technology.
Chairman of Australian Rain Corporation Matt Handbury says he appreciates that argument, and agrees there are some holes in the science.
MATT HANDBURY: I can understand that logic, but as I said, even when you've worked out the science, how it works, we still wouldn't have demonstrated that it works, and the need for water supplies is so critical in Australia.
TANYA NOLAN: You're name has come up in connection with your uncle, Rupert Murdoch, as possibly a reason why you might be getting all this money at once without the rigorous scientific testing?
MATT HANDBURY: Oh, I haven't heard that Tanya. I think I don't seem to be able to get my name in the paper without my family connections, which I'm proud of and delighted in, but I don't see how… Rupert's aware of this, he's pretty interested in the environment and climate change at the moment, and very interested, but he has no direct involvement, and…
TANYA NOLAN: You don't think your family connection may have precipitated this $10-million windfall for your technology?
MATT HANDBURY: Not in the slightest. I think that… not in the slightest, I can't see the connection.
ELEANOR HALL: The chairman of the Australian Rain Corporation, also the nephew of Rupert Murdoch, Matt Handbury, speaking to Tanya Nolan.
1:00 PM, October 26, 2007
Excerpt from Sydney Morning Herald:
Malcolm Turnbull has been testing the waters before the election, writes Michael Evans.
26 October 2007
In the clouds … can rainmaking ease the nation's water shortage?
As far as we are aware, Malcolm Turnbull is not known for his Russian-language skills. Just ask anyone who invested in Star Mining. But perhaps we are underselling him.
The Minister for Malcolm this week threw $10 million at a company called the Australian Rain Corporation and academics from Queensland University to do a spot of research into rainmaking.
Imagine our surprise when we learned the corporation is part-owned by Rupert Murdoch's nephew Matt Handbury.
We were taken by some of the commentary in an expert's report on the technology being promoted as there was "no convincing data" to support the technology.
Still, the experts were aware of the need for a solution to Australia's water shortage, noting "it is reasonable to propose that any approach that is not demonstrably ridiculous should be subject to careful experiment".
Who are we to suggest rainmaking is "not demonstrably ridiculous"?
The experts provided a window of opportunity for Malcolm to approve the investigation.
"There have been no peer-reviewed scientific publications describing this technology published outside Russia and translations of Russian material are not readily available," the report read.
Still, Malcolm appears to have found something - and understood it - given he's approved the funding. We can only assume there is some as yet unacknowledged Cossack blood in Mr Turnbullovski.
He's convinced of the need to look at "all options" and a willingness to look "outside the box". Either that or Malcolm is particularly keen on finding ways to win votes, er, make it rain.
1:00 PM, October 26, 2007
Turnbull would be better off spending that money on a project we know to work and that is wave powered desalination plants for Queensland.
I believe that Prime Minster Howard was very impressed when he visited Western Australia yesterday to view their operation.
It is sustainable and environmentally sound.
If we must throw our money around then put it where we know it would do some good.
7:14 AM, October 27, 2007
NWC release:
Scientific trials of innovative rainfall enhancement technology
South East Queensland
Total funding: $10 million (plus GST) from the Australian Government Water Fund to undertake scientific trials in conjunction with Australian Rain Corporation and University of Queensland.
About the project
The focus of this funding package is to undertake rigorous scientific verification trials of an innovative technology for rainfall enhancement. The technology was developed internationally and is owned in Australia by the Australian Rain Corporation (ARC). The ARC technology utilises a compact, light-weight, ground-based device to increase the amount of cloud condensation nuclei in the lower atmosphere (the building blocks of rain drops). This process in turn induces convection, cloud formation and precipitation.
The National Water Commission will engage ARC, University of Queensland, (and other independent scientific experts, as required) to undertake the trials, with the following components:
- operation of the rainfall enhancement field trial (Australian Rain Corporation)
rainfall and meteorological assessments (University of Queensland), and
- technology validation test of the rainfall enhancement technique (independent scientific experts).
The University of Queensland team will be led by Professor Jurg Keller, Director of the Advanced Water Management Centre and supported by Dr Hamish McGowan, Senior Lecturer in Climatology, along with other experts in scientific fields, including statistical science and atmospheric physics.
The scientific trial will take place in South-East Queensland from December 2007 to May 2008. The technology works best when there is sufficient humidity and instability in the atmosphere, which is South East Queensland is most likely in summer and autumn.
This project follows a demonstration trial of the rainfall enhancement technology by Australian Rain Corporation, assisted by the University of Queensland, in the Wivenhoe catchment of south-east Queensland in May-June 2007. Assessment of the May-June 2007 rainfall in the Wivenhoe target catchment during the trials by the University of Queensland found that the rainfall was significantly above average, however recommended that further trials were required to verify the technology.
Project benefits
Insufficient rainfall in Australia in recent years has had devastating impacts on farming land; water storage levels and the environmental health of river and wetlands.
Despite still being in the experimental phase, because of the central importance of rainfall in the Australian environment, the National Water Commission will oversee a carefully designed trial of the technology. The evaluation of the technique will validate or disprove the physical process that are central to the rainfall enhancement technology.
If proven, the rainfall enhancement technology would be able to provide relief to areas with rainfall deficits with immediate and obvious benefits to farming land, water storages and river and wetland health.
If proven, additional benefits of the rainfall enhancement technology would include:
- reduced energy inputs compared with other approaches such as desalination or piping water long distances, and hence substantially less greenhouse gas emissions
additional water for the whole environment across its target areas, including wetlands, streams and pastures, not just reservoirs. It puts new liquid freshwater in the system, rather than just relocating existing water, and
- unlike other water supply schemes with major fixed infrastructure, it can be easily relocated and consequently it can be targeted to the areas that most need rain.
The project will advance the National Water Initiative objectives of securing reliable water supplies and providing improved environmental outcomes.
10:07 PM, October 27, 2007
certainly not spending any money on their website
11:56 AM, October 28, 2007
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