Proposed desal plant, dual motor EV's and State Election info
Members of GCC have been participating in a process to select a site for a proposed desalination plant. Desalination is essential for future industry in Gladstone, especially green hydrogen. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to have more water security.
Our rainfall becomes ever more unreliable, and we will definitely need this in drought years.
The site location will be on mostly disturbed land, and the only concern I have is the new jetty disturbing a small amount of mangroves alongside QAL’s existing jetty. It looks to me like the project is designed to minimise disturbance, and to use existing infrastructure as much as possible. Honestly, I think this is a very reasonable and important project for our community for all sorts of reasons.
It’s important to note that this is merely a feasibility study, and not a project approval - so get out there to the community consultation sessions, or contact us directly with any concerns.
Anna
From Arthur Hunt:
Question of the Week: Should I buy a single-motor or dual-motor EV?
Answer: In my experience of driving a rear-wheel drive (RWD) Tesla Model 3 and a front-wheel drive (FWD) MG ZS EV, I have found a single motor quite adequate. Both cars are able to accelerate quickly and to ascend steep hills without difficulty. The Tesla will accelerate from 0 -100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and has a top speed of 225 km/h. Neither car has shown any tendency to skid or lose traction. Front tyre wear is greater in the FWD car as the front wheels have to cope with all the driving, braking and steering. The RWD car has superior cornering. A dual-motor car with all wheel drive (AWD) would have greater performance and possibly have better traction in mud or snow. AWD cars generally have a higher rate of energy consumption. Having two motors provides AWD without having to join the axles with drive shafts and differentials; they are an excellent, cost-effective way of getting AWD without complex transmissions. Interestingly, the two motors in a dual-motor car are often of different types. One is likely to be a permanent-magnet motor and the other may be a current-excited (induction) motor that is more efficient at higher speeds.
Queensland Conservation Council have released their State Election scorecard.
You can read the full analysis here: https://www.queenslandconservation.org.au/2024_scorecard
Here’s some information from the Electoral Commission Queensland on how to vote in the upcoming State Election on October 26th - and yes, you can use a pen, if you bring one in!
Full preferential voting
In a state election you must number all boxes in order of your preference, this is full preferential voting (FPV).
FPV means numbering every box on the ballot paper in your preferred order.
Formal and informal votes
To ensure your vote counts, follow the instructions on the top of your ballot paper and complete it accordingly. This is called placing a formal vote. Only formal votes can be counted and contribute to the election result.
If a ballot paper isn't completed correctly, it's called an informal vote. An informal vote doesn't contribute to the election result.
A ballot paper may be deemed informal for a number of reasons including:
it's blank or unmarked,
ticks or crosses have been used when numbering in order of preference is required,
the required number of boxes haven't been marked, or
it has writing on it which identifies the elector.
