Highlights and trends in exploration 2009

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Gordon Wakelin-King

2009 saw an overall decrease from high activity from 2008, levelling off in the December quarter as the economy stabilised. Unsurprisingly, most activity was in offshore Western Australia and on coal seam methane (CSM) in Queensland. Highlights include: good results in the Carnarvon and Browse basins for Western Australian operators, interest in Karoon and Conoco-Phillips’ enigmatic Poseidon project, over 180 CSM exploration wells in Queenslandd, and a relatively busy year for Tasmania. Western Australian seismic acquisition approached 10,000 km of 2D and 25,000 km2 of 3D for 38* wells and success rate around 50%. South Australia saw the highest conventional onshore drilling and seismic activity, with good results for 17 wells, while other states saw low activity in this sector. Victoria saw one offshore exploration well and no seismic. Tasmania also saw no new seismic, but saw four exploration wells and encouragement at Rockhopper–1. CSM is picking up in South Australia, and New South Wales saw continued high CSM activity in a historically low-activity region. High success rates suggest two trends: explorers finding value in 3D seismic, and a ‘flight to quality’ as operating costs and poorer access to capital reinforce risk aversion among operators. Elsewhere, geothermal energy helped small cap investors satisfy their appetite for risk outside of the petroleum industry, and results will be watched with great interest. *Numbers are from early public and departmental statistics and may be revised.

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 661 ◽  
Author(s):  
WF Ponder ◽  
GA Clark

The morphology of the abundant brackish-water hydrobiid snail known as 'Hydrobia buccinoides' is described. A new genus, Ascorhis, is provided for it and the valid species name for the southern (South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania) and eastern (New South Wales, Queensland) populations is shown to be victoriae T. Woods. The species name buccinoides is based on Assiminea tasmanica and is an earlier name for that species. Morphological and allozyme differences indicate that the Western Australian populations should be distinguished as a separate species and a new name (A. occidua) is provided for these. Both species show a considerable intrapopulation variation in shell sculpture. Salinity tolerance experiments on three Sydney populations indicate that Ascorhis victoriae tolerates a wide range of salinities, the middle of the preferred range being about that of normal seawater.


2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-298
Author(s):  
Peter Congdon

Constitutional systems of Westminster heritage are increasingly moving towards fixed-term parliaments to, amongst other things, prevent the Premier or Prime Minister opportunistically calling a ‘snap election’. Amongst the Australian states, qualified fixed-term parliaments currently exist in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia have also deliberated over whether to establish similar fixed-term parliaments. However, manner and form provisions in those states' constitutions entrench the Parliament's duration, Governor's Office and dissolution power. In Western Australia and Queensland, unlike Tasmania, such provisions are doubly entrenched. This article considers whether these entrenching provisions present legal obstacles to constitutional amendments establishing fixed-term parliaments in those two states. This involves examining whether laws fixing parliamentary terms fall within section 6 of the Australia Acts 1986 (Cth) & (UK). The article concludes by examining recent amendments to the Electoral Act 1907 (WA) designed to enable fixed election dates in Western Australia without requiring a successful referendum.


1957 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Blackburn

The diet of surface-swimming Australian barracouta was studied from over 10,000 stomachs. The principal prey organisms in Bass Strait are the euphausiid Nyctiphanes australis Sars, the anchovy Engraulis australis (White), and young barracouta, in that order; and in eastern Tasmania Nyctiphanes, Engraulis, and the sprat Clupea bassensis McCulloch, in that order. The pilchard Sardinops neopilchardus (Steindachner) is not an important item of the diet in these regions although it is so in New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia. The jack mackerel Trachurus declivis Jenyns is a significant item in eastern Tasmania and New South Wales but not in Bass Strait. These and other features of the fish diet of the barracouta reflect actual availability of the various small fish species in the waters. Barracouta eat Nyctiphanes by herding them into dense masses (or finding them already concentrated) and swallowing them. The movements of the anchovy make it unavailable to Bass Strait and eastern Tasmanian barracouta for much of the summer and autumn period, when the barracouta are thus dependent upon Nyctiphanes for the bulk of their food. A close positive relationship between the availability of barracouta and Nyctiphanes might therefore be expected at those seasons. There is evidence of such a relationship between mean availability (catch per boat-month) of barracouta and mean percentage of barracouta stomachs containing Nyctiphanes, at those seasons, from year to year. For southern Victorian coastal waters both show a downward trend from 1948-49 to 1950-51 and then an upward trend to 1953-54; for eastern Tasmania both show a downward trend (for autumn only) from 1949-50 through 1952-53. The records of catch per boat-month furnish independent evidence that the main variations in this index were effects of availability (population distribution or behaviour) rather than abundance (population size), at least for southern Victoria. It is therefore considered that when scarcity of barracouta occurs in summer and autumn in the coastal fishing areas it may be due to scarcity of Nyctiphanes, forcing the fish to go offshore for this food which is known to be available there. This would take the fish out of range of the fishermen.


Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Mycosphaerella linicola Naumov. Hosts: Flax (Linum usitatissimum) and other (Linum) spp. Information is given on the geographical distribution in Argentina, Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Bulgaria, Canada, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Russia (European), Russian Far East, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, Scotland, USA, Arizona, California, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Ukraine, Uruguay, Yugoslavia (former).


Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Monilochaetes infuscans Halsted ex Harter. Hosts: Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). Information is given on the geographical distribution in Africa, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Asia, China, Israel, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australasia & Oceania, Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Hawaii, New Zealand, US Trust Terr., Europe, Portugal, Azores, North America, USA, South America, Argentina, Brazil.


Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi (Sackett) Young, Dye & Wilkie. Hosts: Pea (Pisum sativum) and other Apiaceae. Information is given on the geographical distribution in Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Asia, India, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Armenia, Kirghizistan, Australasia & Oceania, Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, New Zealand, Europe, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Voronezh, Moldavia, Switzerland, UK, England, Yugoslavia, North America, Bermuda, Canada, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Mexico, USA, New York, South America, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay.


Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Dacus tryoni[Bactrocera tryoni] (Frogg.) (Dipt., Trypetidae) (Queensland Fruit-fly) Hosts: Many deciduous and subtropical fruits. Information is given on the geographical distribution in AUSTRALIA, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria.


Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) Coleoptera: Curculionidae Attacks Lolium spp. and other pasture grasses and cereals. Information is given on the geographical distribution in SOUTH AMERICA, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, OCEANIA, Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, New Zealand.


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