Green Action News - Winter 2008 by Environment Victoria

WO R K I N G T O G E T H E R P R O T E C T I N G V I C T O R I A â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S E N V I R O N M E N T

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint The year ahead in climate change

The State and Federal Budgets Why a business-as-usual approach is failing the test of the times

Our Plan for the Future Getting 5 million people to look after our environment

ISSUE 4 Z WINTER 2008

THIS ISSUE Getting 5 Million People to Look After Our Environment

Joining Together to Restore Our Patch

Green Action News Issue 4, Winter 2008 Design 2Fish Productions Print Print Bound Contributing writers Daniel Clarke, Leonie Duncan, Katelyn Fryer, Mark Johnson, Vicki Kyriakakis, Juliet Le Feuvre, Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, John Sampson, Kelly O’Shanassy, Mark Wakeham Editor Vicki Kyriakakis (03) 9341 8125 editor@envict.org.au Membership enquiries (03) 9341 8100 admin@envict.org.au Green Action News is an Environment Victoria publication. For more information, visit www.environmentvictoria.org.au Environment Victoria would like to thank Print Bound for its in-kind support.

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Business-As-Usual Budgets Fail to Deliver

The Eddington Report: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Bob Anderson: Friend of the Helmeted Honeyeater

Multicultural Ambassadors Lead the Way

Land and Biodiversity Green Paper Fails Local Environment Groups

Green Town Hits Melbourne’s Multicultural Communities

Climate Change on Our Doorstep

Bush Easters: A Hattah Lakes Story

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Thirsty for Answers: Yarra Flows Still on Hold

The People’s Plan for Action

From the campaign director’s desk > Mark Wakeham, Campaign Director

The day I started working at Environment Victoria, it was a 40 degree, scorchingly dry day. Media debate swirled around the heat wave, possible power outages, new evidence of the decline of the Murray River and whether a new freeway was required for Melbourne.

All of this conﬁrmed for me the challenges we face to turn around environmental decline in Victoria and globally ASAP. We need to care for the whole planet, but that begins by caring for the environment closest to home, and for me that’s Victoria. Environment Victoria has a 39 year history of standing up for Victoria’s environment, and I’m proud to be able to play a role in shaping Environment Victoria’s campaigns over the next few years. I think that Australians understand the depth of the environmental crisis better than ever. There’s a huge appetite for putting the needs of people and our environment ahead of shortterm economic interests. Our longerterm economic prosperity depends on us developing new sustainable

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industries. Victoria needs to be a player, not a bystander, in the new powerhouse clean energy industries of the 21st century. Decisions that we make now will determine the extent to which we both prevent, but also survive climate change. We hope to tackle and provide leadership on the issues most important to Victoria’s future. We’ll campaign proactively and aggressively, but respectfully, to halt climate change and protect our ecosystems. We’ll work with anyone who wants solutions, but we’re prepared to confront those blocking progress. We’re running out of time, so the time for action is now. I look forward to working with you all to turn this thing around. Please contact me on (03) 9341 8127 if you want to discuss any of our campaigns.

future directions

Getting 5 million people to look after our environment > Vicki Kyriakakis, Communications Officer

Nearly 40 years ago people from all over Victoria came together to defend the Little Desert from government plans to divide it for agriculture. The result is a unique natural landscape that people can still enjoy today. From that ﬁrst success grew the ideals and endeavour that is now called Environment Victoria.

BORN FROM A MOVEMENT: Environment Victoria rose from a campaign to save the Little Desert OUR ACHIEVEMENTS THEN and since, however, are at risk from our ever increasing greenhouse pollution. We now face a far greater environmental disaster then we could have imagined when we ﬁrst started campaigning in the Little Desert. Environment Victoria needed a new plan to urgently protect our environment from destruction. Developed in consultation with members, supporters and stakeholders, the new plan sets future priorities for Environment Victoria in a way that ensures that we can achieve the best result for our environment with the limited resources we have. These priorities were matched with opinions and advice from respected leaders, experts and practitioners across many ﬁelds that interact with the environment. We now know we are working in the right areas: securing a safe climate, healthy rivers, wetlands and catchments,

smarter production and consumption, sustainable living and biodiversity. But we needed to change the way we work to make our environment central to every decision and action taken by every person in the state. At the heart of our new plan is our goal to get all Victorians, 5 million people, to look after our environment. Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, Kelly O’Shanassy said Environment Victoria’s bold new vision captured the urgency of the issues now facing our environment. “We are at a real

crossroads in terms of Victoria’s environmental future. The only way forward is to make our environment central to people’s thinking. That means every person, from the Premier to your next door neighbour, must act everyday to protect rather then harm our environment”. To achieve this goal, we believe we need to do ﬁve things: • Grow people’s connection with nature and their will to live within its limits • Amplify the community voice through a strong environment sector in Victoria • Defend the public’s interest in environmental decision-making and performance • Develop shared solutions for a just society and healthy environment; and • Build a strong and highly-respected organisation. Our new plan outlines how each of these priorities will be achieved. Environment Victoria President, Russell Fisher said it was important that the plan was not a static one. “We want the plan to constantly evolve with [our supporters] so that we can be as responsive and adaptable as the natural environment we are trying to protect.” Your opinion is therefore as vital as ever. During winter 2008, we will discuss our new plan with you. In June, we will host the ﬁrst forum to hear your views on our new plan and we’ll be visiting our member groups over the coming months.

To download the full plan, visit us online at www.environmentvictoria.org.au. Let us know what you think: contact Kelly O’Shanassy on (03) 9341 8119 or kelly.oshanassy@envict.org.au or Russell Fisher at russell@sustainabilityinmind.com.au.

COME AND HELP US SHAPE OUR STATE’S ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURE We’d like to invite all member groups and supporters to an evening brieﬁng to hear more about our plans, campaigns and programs for the coming year. When: Monday, June 23, 2008; 6pm-7.30 pm, Where: Ground Floor Meeting Room, 60 Leicester St, Carlton What: Drinks, nibbles and brieﬁng, with time for questions and discussion Please RSVP to helen.vine@envict.org.au or by calling 9341 8101

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biodiversity

Land and Biodiversity Green Paper fails local environment groups > John Sampson, Victoria Naturally Alliance

THE CALL FOLLOWS the release of the state government’s Land and Biodiversity Green Paper, which is open for public comment until June 30. A precursor to the ﬁnal Land and Biodiversity at a Time of Climate Change White Paper, the report should guide the way Victoria manages its natural environment for the next 50 years. However, the Alliance’s Carrie Deutsch says the Green Paper failed to come up with the leadership and funding needed to turn around Victoria’s biodiversity crisis, instead lumping the responsibility on private investment and small, local environment groups. “Regional Victorians have for years shouldered the bulk of the responsibility for looking after and restoring the small but extremely

‘THE SCIENCE CLEARLY SHOWS VICTORIA IS THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGED STATE IN THE COUNTRY.’ important patches of native bush that provide critical habitat for many of our endangered species,” Ms Deutsch said. “Landcare and community groups across the state are investing huge amounts of time and energy protecting their patch of native bush from threats such as weeds and feral animals, but many of them are doing it hard.” She said the Green Paper was an opportunity for these groups to send a

Photo: glen johnson dse

The Victoria Naturally Alliance is calling for at least a 10-fold boost in funding to restore and protect the state’s wildlife habitat from a range of threats including increasing problems with weeds and feral animals, land clearance and climate change.

Pygmy possum loud and clear message to the state government that they desperately need help carrying out this incredibly important work. “The science clearly shows Victoria is the most environmentally damaged state in the country,” Ms Deutsch said. “Nearly a third of our native animals and close to half our native plants are threatened with extinction.” “Clearly, quick ﬁxes won’t save these threatened species. The government has a responsibility to put in place long-term programs to ensure our unique wildlife is here for the future.” “We need a plan to support local communities right across Victoria to protect and restore habitat for threatened species.” “It’s a huge job and that’s why the Victorian Government has to take responsibility by putting in the funding and resources to make sure our unique

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wildlife is around for future generations to enjoy.” Led by the Victorian National Parks Association, the Victoria Naturally Alliance includes Environment Victoria, the Australian Conservation Foundation, The Wilderness Society, Invasive Species Council, Greening Australia (Vic), Trust for Nature and Bush Heritage Australia.

MAKE A SUBMISSION You can use the form in this edition of Green Action News to make your submission to the state government’s Land and Biodiversity Green Paper or use it as a guide to make a more detailed submission. To make your submission count, it’s crucial you also add your own comments. The Victoria Naturally Alliance has set up an easy-to-use form online at www.victorianaturally.org.au.

biodiversity

Joining together to restore our patch > John Sampson, Victoria Naturally Alliance

Community-based conservation groups have long done the hard yards when it comes to protecting and restoring the natural environment in Victoria. Here is a tiny snapshot of the thousands of regional communities pulling together to protect and restore their patch of Victoria’s environmental future. Project Hindmarsh Project Hindmarsh has been a successful habitat restoration project linking the Big and Little deserts in western Victoria by planting hundreds of kilometres of native bush along local roadsides. The project has brought together the local community and created unique links between country Victorians and people from Melbourne through its annual tree planting weekend. Every year for the past 10 years busloads of Melburnians have made the trip to Nhill to help local farmers plant native shrubs and trees on their properties, creating new wildlife corridors and habitat for endangered plants and animals.

To be part of this year’s tree planting weekend in August go to www.greeningaustralia.org.au or phone 9450 5300.

Regent Honeyeater Project Ray Thomas has run the Regent Honeyeater Project for more than 13 years. In that time the project has restored about 950 hectares of Box Ironbark habitat, with 350,000 seedlings grown by local school kids. By replanting native trees and shrubs on private land the project is beneﬁting farmers in the area by re-introducing natural pest controls that help keep insect numbers down. The project is also bringing back habitat for a range of native animals including the Regent Honeyeater and Grey-Crowned Babblers.

To get involved phone Ray on 03 5761 1515 or go to www.regent.org.au for more info.

Connecting Country The 1850s gold rushes that transformed Australia also came at a price. One of the costs was the wreckage of the beautiful box and ironbark woodlands that once covered large areas throughout Central Victoria. The Mount Alexander area has seen a century of slow recovery, but the goldﬁelds remain some of Victoria’s most damaged landscapes, and many local species are at risk including the Swift Parrot, Powerful Owl, Brush-tailed Phascogale and beautiful Spider Orchid. Connecting Country is a unique, community-driven project funded by The Norman Wettenhall Foundation that aims to increase biodiversity across the Mount Alexander Shire by producing a “biodiversity blueprint” that will be used to restore the area’s fragmented landscapes.

For more information phone Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests on 5472 2892.

Ballarat Environment Network Realising that much of Victoria’s last remaining patches of grasslands and grassy woodlands were at risk of being lost forever unless action was taken, the Ballarat Environment Network launched a system of “biodiversity” reserves. Ranging in size from just one hectare to up to 100 hectares these reserves can contain native grassland, grassy woodland, wetlands and forest remnants. With a motto of protect, enhance, restore, the Ballarat Environment Network, run mostly by volunteers, puts a heavy emphasis on research and monitoring of its reserves and recently celebrated its 50th acquisition, the Meredith Police Paddocks on the outskirts of Ballarat.

To get involved with BEN or to ﬁnd out more go to www.ben.org.au or phone 5331 7831.

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in the city

GREEN TOWN hits Melbourne’s multicultural communities > Vicki Kyriakakis, Communications Officer

Environment Victoria’s ground breaking work with multicultural communities has received a welcome boost with the help of newly announced funding from the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund.

GREEN TOWN Program Manager Michele Burton with participants of Seniors Eco-Wise, part of Environment Victoria’s Regional Sustainable Living Program. GREEN TOWN will capitalise on the lessons learnt from the successful program.

ANNOUNCED LAST MONTH, our new GREEN TOWN program will engage culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Melbourne in a customised education and behaviour change program. The program is designed to help them make long-term sustainable lifestyle choices appropriate to their cultural background and ﬁnancial means. The program will be rolled out over a two year period starting next month and will be held in partnership with the

Moreland Energy Foundation (MEFL). GREEN TOWN will recruit ten leaders from each community, including the Arabic and Assyrian Chaldean communities in Moreland, the Vietnamese community in St Albans and the Horn of Africa community in Flemington. An early scoping project is currently underway to identify a fourth community group. Sustainable Living Project Manager, Michele Burton, said GREEN TOWN came on the back of Environment Victoria’s award-winning Regional Sustainable Living Program and would use many of the lessons learned there for the new workshops. Michele said the key was the time spent earning each community’s trust and building crucial relationships. “We spend a few months before the program starts fostering connections with each community. Forming and maintaining these strong partnerships

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is important if we want long-term solutions instead of quick fixes.” Also important, according to Michele, is the choice to work with fewer participants over a longer period of time. “The first phase of the project will train participants in environmental sustainability. The workshops will help them build the skills and knowledge they need to promote sustainability within their own communities.” These leaders will then work with Environment Victoria to engage the rest of their community, including low income earners, seniors, young people and those with disabilities. The leaders will help conduct home and business environmental audits and work with all sectors of their communities to encourage change, including churches, community groups and schools. Other planned activities include a workshop series in each community to discuss sustainable consumer choices, home auditing and retrofitting options; field trips to places of interest; presentations on sustainable living to Saturday language schools in their native tongue; and professional development for adult ESL teachers to enable them to integrate environmental issues into their classroom teaching and community learning centres. Michele said a key aim of the program was to foster the community’s ability to continue running its own education and behaviour change programs long after Environment Victoria’s part in the process was over. “Most people want to help create a better future for their families. The key is to provide the knowledge and skills in a way that works within the context of their cultural background, instead of trying to work against it.” GREEN TOWN will also allow participants to share their stories about their relationships with the natural world in their countries of origin and to learn more about Australia’s natural environment.

For more information on the GREEN TOWN program, please contact Michele Burton on 9341 8123 or at michele.burton@envict.org.au

future directions

The state and federal governments prove tight-ﬁsted when it comes to saving our environment.

Business–as–usual budgets fail to deliver > Kelly O’Shanassy, Chief Executive Officer and Mark Wakeham, Campaigns Director

May was budget time and a good opportunity for the state and federal governments to put our money where their mouth is. Instead, they have both delivered underwhelming budgets when it comes to the environment. BEFORE THE STATE Budget was released on May 6, Environment Victoria made a detailed pre-budget submission. In it, we advocated for the removal of subsidies for pollution; major investments in our rivers and biodiversity; and new funds for energy efﬁciency. On budget day, however, the environment missed out on most of these things in ‘a brown budget’ dotted with ‘a few green spots’. Of a total of $35 billion allocated for

‘IT’S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC BEHIND TREATING SOLAR POWER AS A LUXURY ITEM…’ expenditure in 2008-09, climate change received just $294 million. Most of the allocation had been previously announced and the single largest item of expenditure was $127 million allocated to the coal industry to further develop carbon capture and storage, despite the fact that it will not help us reduce emissions any time soon.

Energy efﬁciency was largely overlooked with no new announcements despite it being widely recognised as the quickest and cheapest way to reduce greenhouse emissions. On the transport front there was some welcome and much-needed funding to make better use of our existing public transport infrastructure. However the urgent extensions to the train network are yet to materialise. There was also little in the budget for Victoria’s ailing rivers. The Victorian Government is allocating very large sums of money to secure water supplies for Melbourne and the regions through new infrastructure projects, but unfortunately there was no commitment in the budget to purchase water for Victoria’s stressed rivers. One positive was the $110 million fund for Natural Resources Investment which should provide a much needed source of funds for biodiversity and habitat protection. Environment Victoria also successfully lobbied for funding to improve irrigation efﬁciences in northern Victoria and provide 75 billion litres back to the Goulburn River.

THE FEDERAL BUDGET released on May 13, was a mixed bag for the environment. The highlight from a Victorian perspective was the higher than expected allocations for buying back water for the Murray-Darling. These water purchases have already started, demonstrating once again that the fastest way of reviving our rivers is to get more water back into them. On climate change the news was less positive. The coal industry received another $500 million for so-called ‘clean coal’ and the spending starts immediately. This is in contrast to the $500 million allocated to renewable energy, which can’t be spent in the next 12 months. Energy efficiency also missed out again in the Federal Budget, however the big budget blooper was the ALP’s decision to means-test rebates for solar power. Following on from the Victorian Government’s diluted solar laws this was the second blow in a week for our solar industry. It’s difficult to understand the logic behind treating solar power as a luxury item when the benefits of clean energy accrue to the whole community. Hopefully the ALP Government is big enough to admit it got this one wrong in coming weeks.

To discuss any of these issues with us, please contact Kelly O’Shanassy on (03) 9341 8119 or Mark Wakeham on (03) 9341 8127. Do you have an opinion about the latest budgets that you want to share? Send us a letter to the editor at editor@envict.org.au.

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safe climate

For those working on climate change, the past three years have been extraordinary. Catalysed by new scientific evidence, Al Gore’s influential film, the Kyoto Protocol and a new wave of climate change activism, there has been an unprecedented outbreak of community concern. As one of the first groups in the country to actively campaign on climate change, Environment Victoria has been at the forefront of a movement in the midst of a great transformation. In this special two-page feature, Mark Wakeham and Victoria McKenzie-McHarg consider the year ahead and look at the current state of play on an increasingly hot issue.

CLIMATE CHANGE ON OUR DOORSTEP:

The time for cutting emissions is now Federal government in the hot seat Some of the key decisions around climate change will be made by the federal government in the next two years. While Australia finally ratified Kyoto in December last year, the real challenge will come as emissions targets are set for the promised emissions trading scheme and the next phase of Kyoto. Australia needs an emissions trading scheme that cuts emissions and does not cave-in to polluter interests. A high price on polluting and strong renewable energy and energy efficiency targets is a great start, but rising emissions in transport and agriculture also need to be tackled. The recent Bali negotiations established that developing countries could be required to cut their greenhouse pollution by 25 to 40 per cent of their 1990 levels by the year 2020. In 1990 Australia’s greenhouse pollution was 547 million tonnes. In 2005, those emissions had risen to 559 million tonnes. If

Australia is to cut pollution by 40 per cent by 2020 we need to reduce annual emissions to 328 million tonnes in just 12 years. That’s like shutting down one coal-ﬁred power station the size of Hazelwood every year for the next 12 years.

So what about the state governments? Some state governments will be glad that the spotlight is currently falling on Canberra. However the reality is state governments will be responsible for making many of the decisions for the emission cuts required. The Brumby Government recently showed some signs of understanding the seriousness of the issue at the Premier’s Climate Summit in April. Environment Victoria was glad to be involved and we hoped it signaled a sea-change in their approach. Subsequent decisions around the solar feed-in law, however, suggest that there are still climate change deniers in the Labor Party that will make reducing Victoria’s emissions difﬁcult.

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Climate Emergency

JOIN US

on Saturday, July 5, 2008 for the Climate Emergency Rally and Human Sign. Meet at 1.00pm at City Square, Corner of Swanston Street and Collins Street in the city. Wear red and help us form a human sign reading ‘Climate Emergency’. This event is organised by climate action groups across Melbourne. Visit http://climaterally.blogspot.com for more. Proudly supported by Environment Victoria.

Environment Victoria Campaign Director, Mark Wakeham addresses a large crowd at our recent rally on the state government’s inadequate Solar Feed-In Law.

What does Environment Victoria want the State Government to do? Emissions must go down by 2010 Politically there is a real risk that state and federal governments will wait for the introduction of emissions trading before developing new policies and programs. If this occurs, valuable time will be lost. Environment Victoria wants the Brumby Government to develop an action plan for implementation to guarantee Victoria’s emissions start to fall by 2010, before the introduction of emissions trading. Take immediate action To reverse emissions growth in Victoria we will need to:

THE BRUMBY GOVERNMENT’S NEW SOLAR LAWS You may have noticed Environment Victoria in the news criticizing the Government’s new solar laws. Over the past six months, we’ve been working with community groups, the solar industry and unions to secure an effective solar law that would create a thriving new clean energy industry. The state government, however, has failed its ﬁrst real test since the Premier’s climate summit. Apparently there was division in the ALP on the issue and many MP’s supported a stronger solar scheme. Sadly it seems that the brown side of the party won the day. The Brumby Government’s solar scheme is ﬂawed for several reasons: 1) It doesn’t reward all clean energy generation. The Government chose not to value the full amount of clean energy produced by a solar system. Rather it will only pay the 60c tariff per

> Rapidly meet election commitments to reduce household energy use by 10 per cent by 2010. > Introduce a proper solar feed-in law. > Introduce bold new energy efficiency programs targeting commercial, industrial and government energy use. > Establish a target to reduce energy use in these sectors by 10 per cent by 2010. > Legislate for the mandatory capture of methane from landfill. > Conduct an independent assessment of emissions from land clearing and forestry practices in Victoria by December 2008. Make big decisions with emissions in mind Major investment and infrastructure decisions must support projects which lead to emissions reductions. We need to prioritise public transport upgrades and extensions over new freeways, and energy efficiency over new coal-fired power stations like the proposed HRL power station.

kilowatt hour on the difference between what a household produces and what it consumes, meaning most households will receive little or no beneﬁt. 2) It excludes larger systems, businesses and community organisations from participating in the scheme. 3) It doesn’t protect low income households from potential electricity price rises. 4) It fails to follow the example of 40 countries worldwide, where good feed-in laws have seen the explosion of solar power and related jobs. Environment Victoria is continuing to work with allied organisations to encourage all political parties to strengthen the solar legislation when it goes through Parliament. If you’d like to know how you can support this campaign contact Victoria McKenzie-McHarg on 9341 8112.

Get serious about green collar jobs Environment Victoria wants to explore opportunities for ‘green collar jobs’. Victoria can be at the vanguard of manufacturing for the global clean energy revolution. With grid-connected solar power experiencing global growth of 45 per cent per annum and Toyota Prius sales increasing by 400 per cent each year, Victoria has an opportunity to re-engineer its manufacturing sector and reduce its dependence on brown coal by pursuing the industries of the 21st century.

We need to act urgently With the help of experts and the wider community, Environment Victoria will develop a PEOPLE’S ACTION PLAN on climate change. To do it though, we need your help. Please support our PEOPLE’S ACTION PLAN appeal. For more information, turn to page 15.

Public submissions are also invited on the Victorian Government’s Climate Change Summit white paper by Friday, July 4, 2008. For more information, contact Victoria McKenzie-McHarg on (03) 9341 8112.

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m e l b o u r n e ’s t r a n s p o r t f u t u r e

PORTRT REPO ONRE DINGTGTON EDDIN THTHEEED

ly U g e h T d a n , d a B e h T , d o o G The e Campaigner McHarg, Climate Chang > Victoria McKenzie-

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You can help!

contact Victoria McKenzie-McHarg at Environment Victoria at Victoria@envict.org.au for more information.

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healthy rivers

Bush Easters: A Hattah Lakes Story > Mark Johnson, Hattah Lakes Storylines workshop participant

Environment Victoria put out the feelers for people to tell their stories of Hattah Lakes; a unique wetland in north eastern Victoria with majestic river Red Gums that are rapidly dying due to the lack of a flooding regime in the Murray River. I put up my hand, having spent years camping there with my family in what was once the most spectacular dry country wetland in this state. LUCKILY FOR ME, I was one of the selected few from a number of entries, to participate in a Digital Storytelling workshop in Mildura in March 2008 under the tutelage of documentary film maker, Malcolm McKinnon; all expenses paid. There was Lynne, a sufferer of arachnophobia; originally scared of spiders who overcame her phobia at Hattah by staring at individual spiders and learning their habits and ‘personalities’. There was Murray an elderly man in his 70’s who fell in love with Hattah and its rich bird life. There was also Lorraine, the aboriginal artist whose studio is her uncle’s backyard in Swan Hill and who plunders the local tip for found objects for her art. Mine was a story about how we’ve been assembling as a family for 37 years each Easter in different national parks, a tradition that has now spanned 3 generations. It was a great experience. I urge you to support this organisation that is fighting to protect these places for your children’s generation.

Mark used to dig out his dad’s beautiful old slides of Hattah Lakes when they were full of water at his family’s annual easter gatherings.

There’s only one Golburn River > Juliet Le Feuvre, Healthy Rivers Community Campaigner

Thirty people gathered in Shepparton recently for an Environment Victoria workshop called ‘There’s only one Goulburn River’. They were there to ﬁnd out more about the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy, how it might affect them, and to discuss their views, hopes and aspirations for the Goulburn River.

This is an edited reproduction of an article Mark wrote for Homesglen TAFE staff newsletter. The ﬁlms will be made into a DVD and be available from July 2008.

THEY CAME FROM all walks of life: from urban greenies to long-term irrigators, and their views differed widely. But they were united about the matter at heart: the importance of a healthy Goulburn River to the Shepparton region and the need for a balance between water for consumption and water for the environment. The workshop was part of Environment Victoria’s push to increase community awareness of and involvement in the development of the strategy, which is the Victorian government’s long term plan for water resources in northern Victoria. The draft is currently being written and will have two main objectives: a reliable irrigation system that functions effectively under drier conditions predicted by climate change scenarios, and improved management

of the environment’s share of the available water. How big that share will be will depend on the public response to the proposals in the draft strategy. These are likely to be the absolute minimum amount of water required to keep rivers like the Goulburn and Campaspe on life support under climate change and are unlikely to be sufﬁcient to ensure the future health of the rivers. The draft strategy is due out in the next couple of months and we’ll keep you informed on when it is released. You can help by checking what the government is proposing and letting them know that you value healthy river systems. Victoria’s rivers deserve better than starvation rations.

Contact Juliet Le Feuvre on 9341 8106 for more information.

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environmental champions

Photo: Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater

BOB ANDERSON: Friend of the Helmeted Honeyeater > Daniel Clarke, Media Officer

In 1989 Robert Anderson stood with friends on Parslows Bridge in Yellingbo and watched in awe as Victoria’s bird emblem, the Helmeted Honeyeater, painted golden ﬂight paths among the ageing Woori Yallock Creek swamp gums. ONE YEAR LATER the beautiful birds were gone from the habitat near the bridge and Bob knew he couldn’t let them disappear forever. With the help of hundreds of devoted members from the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater community group, a major revegetation project in the Woori Yallock catchment was undertaken.

“IT WOULDN’T SAY MUCH FOR VICTORIA IF WE LOST OUR BIRD EMBLEM TO EXTINCTION.” Almost 20 years since the group was formed, a healthier Woori Yallock Creek continues to ﬂow, thousands more plants and trees grow unimpeded in the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve and the amount of Helmeted Honeyeaters living in the wild has jumped from just 50 to about 100.

President Bob Anderson (far right) with fellow members of the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater, one of Environment Victoria’s many afﬁliate groups.

Bob, now 73, says the health of Woori Yallock Creek is a lifeline for the fragile state of animal and plant life in the region. The Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve and nearby Bunyip State Park are the only places in the world where the Helmeted Honeyeaters survive. “You wouldn’t have Helmeted Honeyeaters in the area without the creeks and you wouldn’t have the lowland form of the Leadbeater Possum, which is also Victoria’s animal emblem. It’s a special wet habitat that they need to survive,’’ he says. “It wouldn’t say much for Victoria if we lost our bird emblem to extinction. If we save the Helmeted Honeyeater we’re saving something special.’’

surrounded by a metropolis and farmland. If we don’t provide a vegetation corridor out, the birds and possums that live there could become extinct. “From my unscientiﬁc eye I think things are getting better for the Woori Yallock Creek. We came across a number of freshwater muscle beds with the Melbourne Water people recently and they said that was a good indication of the health of the stream being ok. Water tests have also come back ok so we’re pretty positive about it.’’ Bob says his happiest moments on the Woori Yallock include conducting tours with students through the revegetated forests.

Bob moved to Healesville 15 years ago from Warrandyte and in the words of a friend, the shift was to be “closer to the bird he knows’’.

“One little fella said last year that it was the best day he’d ever had in his life. The kids are really important to us and to hear a comment like that is really special and gives us hope for the future.’’

“One of the greatest things about this area is we’ve got the state bird emblem and the state animal emblem living only about 50km from the centre of the city. But it’s also a precarious situation that we must treat carefully. This little area is like an island,

For more inspiring stories, visit the Your River: Worri Yallock Creek page at www.environmentvictoria.org.au. Simply click on the Healthy Rivers link at the top of the page. For more information contact Leonie Duncan on (03) 9341 8120.

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go yarra flow

The media turned out in force to capture a community ﬂotilla on Saturday, May 31 organised by Environment Victoria and the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. The event raised awareness for the plight of the Yarra River.

THIRSTY FOR ANSWERS: Support swells, but Yarra flows still on hold > Leonie Duncan, Healthy Rivers Campaigner

April 20 was an unhappy anniversary for the Yarra River. It marked exactly two years since the Victorian Government first announced its intention to provide the Yarra with the critical water it needs. IN 2006, THE government celebrated its commitment as a lifeline for the Yarra. They would reduce water extraction permitted by Melbourne Water for city use and store a dedicated 17 billion litres in the upper reaches, to deliver as a series of flushes and flows to boost the health of the Yarra and the life it supports. More than two years on the government has yet to deliver on that promise. Instead it’s plundered the Yarra further by ordering another 10 billion litres to be taken from the dangerously low river. While the people of Melbourne have worked hard to save water, so far we haven’t seen any environmental benefit

in terms of reduced stress on the Yarra. The government argues that the river must share the burden of less water during drought, but the reality is that whilst per capita consumption is now 80 per cent of 1990s levels, the Yarra’s ﬂow is only 22 per cent of its long-term average level. Support for the Go Yarra Flow campaign – a joint initiative of Environment Victoria and the Yarra Riverkeeper Association – has been growing steadily, with hundreds of concerned people already pledging their support. Here’s what some of our supporters have to say: “The Yarra River is my daily training

venue, and over the last 10 years I have watched the water level decline to the extremely low levels. This has not only had a devastating effect on the wildlife and the water quality, but also to the development of my sport and the recreation opportunities available to thousands more people.’’ Warwick Draper – Australian Olympic Canoe Slalom athlete. “We are robbing future generations of residents, visitors and recreational users of the delightful river environment that we have grown to love if we allow the state government to choke it through withholding environmental ﬂows.” Andrew Hughes, Yarra Tourism Association President

Add your voice to the campaign to save the Yarra River. Visit Environment Victoria online now at www.environmentvictoria.org.au or contact Leonie Duncan on (03) 9341 8120.

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sustainable living

Environment Victoria’s Multicultural Ambassadors lead the way > Katelyn Fryer, Sustainable Living Program Officer

The second round of Environment Victoria’s Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability (MLS) program is underway with 18 young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in the Dandenong area committing their time and energy to sustainability projects. THE CURRENT GROUP of trainees includes Sudanese, Liberian, Ugandan, Central African, Afghan and Dutch participants, and the linguistic and cultural knowledge they possess is invaluable in supporting diverse communities to live more sustainably. MLS is delivered by Environment Victoria in partnership with the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI) and provides leadership and sustainability training to young people aged 18 to 25. The training introduces practical approaches to sustainability issues, takes students on ﬁeld trips to encounter environmental issues ﬁrst hand and supports the young leaders to take their message into their communities. It is also an accredited course and participants receive

Environment Victoria’s newest environmental ambassadors are eager to take the sustainability message into their communities. Certiﬁcate 1 in Active Volunteering in recognition of their contribution. On a recent ﬁeld trip to Mount Martha Treatment Plant, Devilbend Reservoir and ‘The Briars’ Park on the Mornington Peninsula, the young leaders were welcomed to country by Bunurong elder Chris West. Chris made a powerful impression by inviting the group to respect and enjoy their new land without forgetting their own culture. The young leaders have designed three community sustainability projects and they will be delivering them over the

coming months to their schools, communities and peers. The group is eager to begin using their new knowledge and leadership skills to enhance sustainable living in their communities.

For more information on the MLS program contact Charlie Davie on 9341 8108 or charlie.davie@envict.org.au. MLS is supported by The Ledger Charitable Trust and the Norman H. Johns Trust managed by Perpetual Trustees, Foster’s Group Community Grants, the Jack Brockhoff Foundation, the Reichstein Foundation and South East Water.

Greater Geelong and Corangamite next on our list > Katelyn Fryer, Sustainable Living Program Officer Developed by Environment Victoria in Greater Geelong and partnership with the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Regional Corangamite will be the next area Sustainable Living Program began in to beneﬁt from Environment 2006 with successful programs in the Victoria’s award-winning Regional Western Port Region and Central Sustainable Living Program Victoria. The innovative communitybased education and behaviour change following extensive discussions program has already led to great with the local community. results, helping people save over 10 million litres of water and 11,000 OVER 35 PEOPLE from local councils, kilograms of CO2 equivalent in charities and businesses, attended the 2006/07. preliminary meetings to discuss the With a focus on raising awareness of roll-out of the new program and the key environmental issues, the program beneﬁts for the community.

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provides practical skills for participants and supports Victorians in hard-toreach communities to live more sustainably. The programs include Families Go Green; the Youth EcoChallenge; Seniors Eco-Wise and a new pilot Multicultural Project. Environment Victoria will be organising the next round of meetings in the region to solidify partnerships and develop a forward plan in the coming weeks.

For more information please contact Katelyn Fryer, Sustainable Living Program Ofﬁcer, on 93418102 or katelyn.fryer@envict.org.au.

climate emergency!

The people’s plan for action Nearly 40 years ago Environment Victoria was founded in the wake of a successful campaign to save the Little Desert’s unique environment from destruction. Now we must ﬁght to save not only the Little Desert but our entire environment from destruction from climate change. TO DO THIS, WE NEED YOUR HELP. We want to raise $500,000 to fund and promote a PEOPLE’S ACTION PLAN to combat climate change. We’ll use our position as Victoria’s leading environment group to take the PEOPLE’S ACTION PLAN to the government, business and general community on your behalf. There is enormous community will for action, so we know this approach can

work. In November last year, 50,000 people joined Environment Victoria on the streets of Melbourne and in towns across the state to demand that governments take real action on climate change. It was the world’s largest climate change rally! Four weeks later, Australia ratiﬁed the Kyoto protocol. It’s time to harness this will to devise and demand the PEOPLE’S ACTION

PLAN and slash greenhouse pollution. Without your help, we simply will not be able to undertake this crucial work and the people’s voice will continue to be overwhelmed by the powerful lobby groups. Please donate generously to our PEOPLE’S ACTION PLAN using the form below and help us reposition Victoria as a leader in climate change solutions.

All donations of $2 and over are tax deductible, so why not give some of your taxable income to work that you care about instead of giving it to the Federal Government to spend it.

HELP US SLASH VICTORIA’S GREENHOUSE POLLUTION! YES! I WANT TO SUPPORT the PEOPLE’S ACTION PLAN and help slash greenhouse pollution.

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notice this

BEE IN YOUR BONNET? TELL US ABOUT IT WITH A LETTER TO THE EDITOR. Whether you have feedback for us, want to respond to a speciﬁc article or talk about an issue that’s important to you, we’d love to hear about it. Send a letter to the editor by emailing us at editor@envict.org.au, by fax on (03) 9341 8199 or via post c/- The Editor, Green Action News, PO Box 12575, A’Beckett Street, VIC 8006.

You’ve cared about the environment all your life.

Environment Victoria. Working Together Protecting Victoria’s Environment.

Protect the things that are important to you with a bequest to Environment Victoria. By leaving a gift to Environment Victoria in your will, you can make sure that Victoria’s natural environment is protected well beyond your lifetime and that your voice is heard on the issues most important to you. Your precious gift will help Environment Victoria protect our natural world on your behalf and take a strong stance on behalf of the environment. For more information on how you can leave a bequest to Environment Victoria, please contact Kelly O’Shanassy on (03) 9341 8119 or visit us at www.environmentvictoria.org.au

Speeding Towards Dangerous Climate Change:

FORUM SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2008; 2.30PM-5.00PM SUPPER ROOM, MELBOURNE TOWN HALL, CORNER SWANSTON AND COLLINS STREET, MELBOURNE HOSTED BY THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT USERS ASSOCIATION WITH ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA AND FRIENDS OF THE EARTH Hear what the world’s leading climate scientists are discovering about the speed of climate change, the potential impacts on our way of life, and what we need to do to safeguard our future. Speakers will include David Spratt (author of Climate Code Red), Dr Patrick Moriarty and Elliot Fishman. RSVP to ofﬁce@ptua.org.au.

WHO’S WHO AT ENVIRONMENT VICTORIA Chief Executive Officer Kelly O’Shanassy Campaigns Director Mark Wakeham OPERATIONS Organisational Services Manager Ivan Kolker Administration Helen Vine Communications Officer Vicki Kyriakakis Media Officer Daniel Clarke Finance Officer Despina Giannakis

SAFE CLIMATE Climate Change Campaigner Victoria McKenzie-McHarg Sustainable Transport Ofﬁcer Cathy McMaughton HEALTHY RIVERS Healthy Rivers Campaigner Leonie Duncan Community Campaigner Juliet Le Feuvre SUSTAINABLE LIVING PROGRAM Program Manager Annette Salkeld

Project Manager (Green Town; Eco-Wise) Michelle Burton Project Officer, Families Go Green Murray Irwin Multicultural Leaders Project Manager Charlie Davie Public Transport Challenge Project Officer Michael Chew Community Liaison Officer Kim Truong Sustainable Living Project Officer Katelyn Fryer

BOARD President Russell Fisher Vice-President Sue Noy Dr Sarah Bekessy Doug Gimesy Lee Godden Pam Keating Larissa Brown Jo Tenner

REGULAR VOLUNTEERS Janet Gelie Les Smith Colleen Guggisberg Pauline Ng Thi Truong Marion Silver Keshni Prasad Peter Flanaigan Ian Hazewinkel