Wednesday 25 May 2016

Queensland infrastructure fantasist to hold "summit" on turning the Clarence River estuary into a coal & bauxite loading port


On 2 June 2016 Desmond John Thomas Euen will be holding a “summit” at the Returned Servicemen's Memorial Club in Casino NSW.

This A “Key” Nation Building Infrastructure Plan Summit holds the promise of containing more spin than the federal election campaign.

Readers may recall Mr. Euen (seen left) as that almost compulsive creator of shelf companies - Australian Infrastructure Developments Pty Ltd (created 31.08.12), Y.P.R (AUST) Pty Ltd (created 13.03.14), A.I.D (HK) LTD (possibly created in 2015), and N.S.W. Export Logistics Pty Ltd (created 17.03.16) – and the man who wants to turn NSW Far North Coast fishing port and popular holiday destination, Yamba, into a coal port.

Euen appears to have sent out many invitations to attend and has listed the following invitees on various websites:


Local Yagel & Bundjalung Land Council Representatives
Supply Nation (Indigenous Business Development)
Mr Lester Rogers (General Manager of Moree Shire Plains Council)
Tamworth Mayor Mr Col Murray
Mayor Richie Williamson (Clarence Valley Council)
Regional Development Australia RDANI
Regional Development Australia (Mid North Coast NSW)
Liverpool Council South Western Sydney
Australian Rail Association
Australian Industry Group
Riverina Inland Rail Alliance Group.

He has also listed a changing kaleidoscope of presenters/keynote speakers.

Starting with:



Which changed to this:



Des Euen’s grand plans get little media coverage in the Northern Rivers and what it does must give this Queensland fantasist little comfort.

This is an example of the Clarence Valley’s enthusiasm for a coal loading facility in the Clarence River estuary, published on the front page of The Daily Examiner on 27 May 2014:


The idea of establishing the Port of Yamba as the centre of a massive transport hub on the northern NSW coast has surfaced again.
The proposal, labelled the YPR Project, is the brainchild of Desmond John Thomas Euen, the managing director of the $1, one share company Australian Infrastructure Developments.
It aims to create a transport network linking the coalfields in the north-west of the state to an international port in Yamba, all funded by private equity.
The YPR website claims it will be ready to make a big announcement next month.
"YPR (AUST) Pty Ltd is currently in dialog with the relevant departments of both the NSW and Federal Government."
"THE company expects to be in position to submit development plans and financial endorsements by June 2014," it read.
The news has sparked alarm in the conservation movement, with Lock the Gate activists promising to fight any attempts to set up infrastructure for a massive port in the Clarence River estuary.
But an expert in the field believes the "common sense test" rules it out.
Harwood Marine managing director Ross Roberts said he had been following Mr Euen's plans but had spotted some major flaws.
"Anyone can come up with big ideas and put them forward," he said. "But when they do, they have to pass the common sense test.
"The first thing you ask is: who is going to pay for it and then why would you want to do it?"
Mr Roberts said the current economy was contracting, so finding people willing to stump up the amount of money required would be hard.
"The other question is why?" he said. "In 1990 there were 22 ships operating out of the port, now there are none. That has to tell you something."
Mr Roberts, who does marine industry business around the world, said the Clarence estuary contained 100 islands and nowhere on the planet had he seen an attempt to create a huge port in such an area.
"Dealing with floods would be the first worry," he said. "Do they build up all the islands by a metre? Then where does that water go in flood?"
Mr Euen claims to be in talks with Federal and NSW government departments, but these claims seem exaggerated.
Last year Mr Euen met with a senior policy adviser from the office of Duncan Gay, the NSW Minister for Roads and Ports.
The minister's office said a senior staff member met with Mr Euen, who signalled an intention to submit a proposal, but did not receive the ministry's in-principal support.
The Daily Examiner contacted Mr Euen, who said he would be happy to outline the plans at "a mutually convenient time".

A sample of unfavourable comments left under the online article:

Fedup - Junction Hill

NO,NO,NO. In my opinion if this was to go ahead Yamba would be ruined. Maybe Mr Euen should look at why vessels have left the port. It would not have anything to do with siltation would it? Just take a look at what has happened in QLD with their coal loader and the subsequent pollution of the Great Barrier Reef. Who has the money to build this or is he in discussions with the Chinese who are after the CSG and anything else they can get their hands on.

yambaman - Yamba 

Hmm, fantasy indeed, the day this is approved is the day I blow up Oyster Channel bridge!

BigUglyWaz - Waterview Heights

Does anyone really think this is something more than a dream?

Have a look at the YPR website, google a few things and tell me you can see any of this happening, forget the cost involved, and the environmental destruction.

Port of Yamba Depths. "Shipping channel depths are maintained at 4.0 metres"

"..... the deepening of the Suez Canal from 18 m (60ft) to 20 m (66ft) in 2009 permits most capesize vessels to pass through it."

Capesize bulk carriers. "Due to their large dimensions and deep draughts, capesize ships are suitable to serve only large ports with deep water terminals in the world. As a result, they can serve a comparatively small number of ports in the world."

Probably going to need a little dredging to get those to carriers into the Clarence.

Maybe Clive can get onto this, something to spend his billions on after he finishes the Titanic II?

EmmaB – Yamba

Has anyone looked closer at this crazy plan? It can be found at http://www.ypraust.com.au/project-1-p....

Mr. Euen is expecting that ships of Post-Panamax and Capesize will come into his proposed port.

Post-Panamax ships are larger than 294,13 m (965 ft) long, 32,31 m (106 ft) wide and have draughts in excess of 12,04 m (39.5 ft).

Capesize ships are very large and ultra large cargo vessels with a capacity over 150,000 DWT. They are categorised under VLCC,ULCC, VLOC and ULOC and can be as large as 400,000 DWT or even more. They serve regions with largest deepwater terminals in the world and are primarily used for transporting coal and iron ore. Because of their giant size, they are suitable to serve only a small number of ports with deepwater terminals.

See: http://maritime-connector.com/wiki/sh...


grippy - Yamba

Just remembered you have the sacred Aboriginal reef at Yambas mouth.
Who will blow that up?

JohnHancocks – Maclean

I won't be parting with any of my savings for such a scheme - nor would I advise anyone else to contribute a cent toward anything connected to it.

Not that Mr. Euen doesn’t have a gift for convincing the gullible, as this excerpt from a Queensland Bauxite Limited 4 March 2016 announcement demonstrates:


[http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20160304/pdf/435lqnp45v0yyd.pdf]

I wonder if Queensland Bauxite can hear the laughter coming from south of the QLD-NSW border?

For readers who have never sighted Des Euan's unrealistic and ever expanding grand plan for Goodwood, Chatsworth and Palmers islands, as well as for lands on the Iluka side of the Clarence River estuary and the Mororo district, here it is all neatly laid out:

http://www.aid-australia.com.au/project-1/


UPDATE

Facebook Clarence Forum:

John Hagger 

I am told that the plan includes:

The removal of the existing breakwater to open up the river and

Incorporating Chatsworth, Harwood and Gilbert Islands into the Port complex
The apparent goal is to become the biggest Port in Australia.

The claims include:
25% Australian Infrastructure Development shareholding by 1st Nations groups.
Current guarantee of 51.2 Billion Dollars funding.
The support of Clarence Valley Council and other Councils.
That Clarence Valley Council was represented at a recent joint Council meeting in Namoi and voted in favour of the proposal.
Three (3) letters of support from Mayor Richard on CVC letterhead.

Des Euen has promised to send copies of the above claims.
He has also promised that the Port would not be used for Coal or Gas.

To date none of the promised papers have arrived.


Letter from Clarence Valley Council Mayor Richie Williamson to John Hagger posted on Clarence Forum 24 May 2016:

“Dear Mr. Hagger,

Thank you for your email regarding the Australian Infrastructure Development (AID) letter of support and whether it was signed by me.


It seems the letter (which was signed by me in 2011) is being used to grossly misrepresent the truth as the letter is about a different proposal all together. I also draw your attention to the top of the letter, dated 11/2/2011, which thanks Mr Euen for presenting his proposal, which was “The Trans Seaport Eastern Integrated Land Proposal” my recall was that this proposal was about transporting containers via the road network to and from the Port of Yamba from Port Kembla and Brisbane, hence the reference to the Pacific Highway upgrade and other road transport businesses that council had worked with in the past. The letter does not support this proposal, but the larger “transport hub” idea that I know you have also supported in the past.

The letter is in no way supporting the current AID proposal around rail from inland NSW to the Port of Yamba. Any claim by AID of my support is strongly rejected by me; in fact, I have been completely opposed to the rail proposal from the first time I heard of it.

Please see the links below as an example;



I stress Council has given no written letter of support to the present AID proposal and would be, in my view, highly unlikely to provide such a letter.

I also note the claim that; “I and/or a council officer attended a meeting recently in the Namoi district regarding the current AID proposal” is completely untrue and false.

I hope this clarifies this matter.

Richie"


The original list of invitees to the Euen “summit” posted at Linked in, courtesy of Google Cache on 11 May 2016:

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce MP
The Hon Darren Chester MP the Federal Minister for Transport and Regional Development
Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten MP
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP Shadow Minister for Transport and Infrastructure
 [ this would be an opportune time for both parties to show bipartisan support for private enterprise funded regional and nation building infrastructure development]
Premier of NSW The Hon Mike Baird MP and/or NSW Deputy Premier
NSW Minister for Regional Development and Infrastructure Andrew Constance MP
NSW Trade and Investment
Transport for NSW
INNSW
IA (Infrastructure Australia)
ACTU President Ged Kearney
National Farmers Federation
NSW Farmers Association
Qld Farmers Association
Victorian Farmers Association
Riverina Inland Rail Alliance Group
Namoi Cotton Farmers and other Regional Industry peak bodies as they come to hand.

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