Green Action News MOBILISING PEOPLE TO SAFEGUARD OUR ENVIRONMENT
I S S U E 15 • WI NTE R 2 0 1 1
Come Hell or High Water PLUS Victoria says YES to a price on pollution
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Legal challenge mounted against new coal power plant
Green Action News Issue 15, Winter 2011
Design 2Fish Productions
Budget time
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State government slashes funding
Australia’s Lifeblood
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Print Print Bound Contributing writers Vicki Kyriakakis, Mark Wakeham, Kelly O’Shanassy, Sarah Dobney, Domenica Settle, Charlie Davie, Tricia Phelan, Amelia Young, Louise Matthieson, Fionnula Nguent. Editor Vicki Kyriakakis (03) 9341 8125 editor@environmentvictoria.org.au Membership enquiries (03) 9341 8100 admin@environmentvictoria.org.au Media enquiries (03) 9341 8127 louise.mathiesson@greenmedia.org.au Green Action News is an Environment Victoria publication. For more information, visit www.environmentvictoria.org.au
Could a carbon price replace Hazelwood?
Busting the Murray Myths
The trees have it
8 10 13
We take on the big polluters
What’s special about our programs
Rob Michael: Forever Green
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We are the ones we’ve been waiting for > Kelly O’Shanassy, Chief Executive Officer
When the going gets tough, it can be all too easy to give up. But if the last three months have taught us anything, it’s that the will and commitment of Victoria’s environment movement can’t be broken. IT’S BEEN A TOUGH three months here at Environment Victoria as things begin to heat up for our campaigns and programs. At the heart of it, is a new state government that has taken many backward steps on our environment. On the one hand, we’re heavily engaged in two large federal processes that are our best hope to turn things around for our suffering Murray River and finally take action on climate change. On the other, the state government has come after us hard – slashing our funding and letting us know in no uncertain terms that they’re unhappy with our commitment to put a Price on Pollution. (Read our article on what the funding cuts mean for us on page 5).
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The net effect has been to up-the-ante on our work across the board and we’re more committed than ever to safeguarding Victoria’s environment. While Environment Victoria will survive the funding cut, and our campaigns will continue, our award-winning community education programs, tailored for some of Victoria’s most disadvantaged communities, will take a big hit. (See our article on page 11). Thankfully, we’ve worked hard over the past three years to diversify our funding base, putting us in a strong position to secure our financial independence. And we remain committed to running innovative and unique education programs for Victorians. But we need your help now more than ever.
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Unlike some of our biggest polluters, our environment doesn’t have an insurance plan. We are the insurance plan. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. In the absence of political leadership, it is up to us to act. So I would urge you to get involved in any way you can. You’ll see there are many actions you can take right now to help us make a real difference to our environment. And if you can, please consider making a financial donation to our work or becoming a Green Action Partner with a regular monthly gift. Above all though, I’d like to thank you – from the bottom of our hearts – for your commitment and dedication to Victoria’s environment. It means the world to us.
VICTORIA’S COAL ADDICTION
Come hell or high water > Vicki Kyriakakis, Communications Manager
As discussions over a carbon price heat up, Environment Victoria’s solutions have made it onto the national negotiating table. Meanwhile, thousands of Victorians and over 140 Australian leaders and community groups have come together to Say Yes to a Price on Pollution. So why is the Baillieu Government still stuck in the coal age?
VICTORIA’S COAL INDUSTRY is on the war path. But the war they’re waging is against some of Victoria’s most treasured natural places. Huge swathes of land in places like Ninety Mile Beach, the Gippsland Lakes, and the Strzelecki Ranges have all been licensed to coal mining companies, Environment Victoria’s CoalWatch has revealed. The alarming expansion plans could threaten some of Victoria’s favourite holiday locations. The plans were revealed just as 10,000 Victorians joined thousands of Australians across the country to Say Yes to a Price on Pollution as part of a big nationwide rally on World Environment Day. The upcoming carbon price will see big polluters forced to pay for the pollution they emit, yet Victoria’s Coalition Government has reaffirmed their commitment to the expansion of dirty brown coal, “come hell or highwater”. This seemed to be further solidified with the appointment of exInternational Power staffer, Patrick Gibbons, as chief energy and resources advisor to the state government. (International Power owns Australia’s dirtiest power station, Hazelwood.) It’s a series of decisions that Environment Victoria’s CEO, Kelly O’Shanassy, says makes little sense. “In the last couple of months, we’ve seen them shut-down negotiations to replace Hazelwood and we’ve seen the EPA approve the staged construction of the first new coal-fired power plant for Victoria in 23 years,” Kelly said. “In the meantime, thousands of Victorians support a price on pollution that would make both Hazelwood and any new coal-fired power station financially unviable. It’s economic and environmental lunacy.” The state government’s reticence makes a strong price on pollution the best way to put a stop to the Victorian coal industry’s expansion plans. That’s why Environment Victoria has been lobbying key federal decision makers
and mobilising Victorians to support a strong price on pollution. In conjunction with the Say Yes Australia alliance, we’ve hit the ground running and gathered growing support across the state. And – in a big win - we’ve succeeded in getting key solutions that we’ve proposed on the negotiating table for a carbon price. (See our article on Replacing Hazelwood, on page 8) The state government, however, hasn’t seemed to appreciate the support our campaign is garnering. In an extraordinary move, they decided to defund Environment Victoria. (See our article on page 4). And just last month senior members of government told The Herald Sun that they were furious at our campaign supporting a strong Price on Pollution. Kelly said the moves were a sign our campaign was working. “A strong price on pollution is our best bet to make projects like the new HRL coal-fired power station unviable and kill off the state government’s love affair with dirty coal.” “Frankly, though, we’ve never need more support. The campaign is working but now more than ever we need to ramp it up. We can’t afford to take a backwards step now.”
Climate scientists say the floods that hit Queensland earlier this year could be a sign of things to come.
CAN YOU MAKE A DONATION TO HELP US STOP THE COAL INDUSTRY IN ITS TRACKS? The state government has come after us hard in response to our growing campaign to put Price on Pollution. It’s a sure sign that OUR CAMPAIGN IS WORKING! But we need your help us keep it going. Make a donation to our price on pollution campaign and help us put a stop to the dirty, brown coal industry’s expansion plans for good. Just use our simple donation form at the back of this newsletter. And if you've already donated, THANK YOU!
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VICTORIA’S COAL ADDICTION
Environment groups mount legal challenge against new coal power plant When the Victorian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) announced the approval of the staged construction of a new coal-fired power station for our state late last month, we sprang into action.
> Vicki Kyriakakis, Communications Manager, Louise Matthieson, Media Officer, and Tricia Phelan, Safe Climate Campaigner IT BEGAN WITH A snap rally on the steps of Parliament House that drew over 300 people and mainstream media coverage. And it’s continued with Environment Victoria and climate action group LIVE mounting a legal challenge to the proposed new HRL coal power station planned for Morwell in Victoria. If it goes ahead, the polluting power station will spew at least 2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas into our skies each and every year, for the next 40 years. The challenge to the EPA’s approval has been prepared by solicitors from the Environment Defenders Office (EDO) with expert environmental law barristers Adrian Finanzio and Rupert Watters. It was lodged with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) earlier this month. EDO Principle Solicitor Felicity Millner said the case would be an important test for how well the law protects people and the environment in the context of climate change. “If successful, this case
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TAKE ACTION Help us STOP HRL by signing our online petition to Prime Minister Gillard and Premier Ted Baillieu. Ask them to SAY NO to new coal-fired power for Victoria. www.environmentvictoria.org. au/say-no-new-coal-powervictoria. SIGN UP TO OUR SAFE CLIMATE BULLETIN You can keep up to date with our legal challenge against the EPA’s decision by signing up to our regular bulletin at www.environmentvictoria.org. au/sign-up.
will make approving new coal-fired power stations under current laws very difficult.”
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EDO Solicitor Nick Croggon (left) with Environmental Law Barrister Adrian Finanzio, Environment Victoria Campaigns Director Mark Wakeham, and Deborah Hart from LIVE.
Environment Victoria Campaigns Director, Mark Wakeham, said a key argument of the case would be that the power station could prevent Victoria from meeting its legislated emissions reductions target. “If this power station proceeds it will crowd out genuinely clean power stations and make it impossible for Victoria to achieve its legislated target to reduce greenhouse emissions by 20 percent by 2020,” Mark said. Despite the original Chinese partners pulling out and the project struggling to find the finances it needs to go ahead, the state and federal governments have thrown a combined $150 million in tax-payer dollars at the financial white elephant. The legal challenge could be the nail in the coffin for the struggling project. “This is the first time a new major power station has been the subject of a review in VCAT,” Ms Millner said. “This important case will test the relevance of broader state and federal policies to individual proposals for new coal power stations.”
BUDGET NEWS
State Government slashes Environment Victoria funding > Kelly O’Shanassy, CEO
By now you will have heard the news: the Baillieu Government is slashing Environment Victoria’s funding. The extraordinary move came as the Baillieu Government expressed its fury at our strong campaign against the dangerous expansion plans of the coal industry and our support for an effective price on pollution.
IT STARTED ON state budget day, when the Transport Minister pulled our funding to engage communities on sustainable transport issues. Environment Victoria was the only notfor-profit mentioned in over four volumes of budget papers. The next day, the EPA ended over 12 months of negotiations with us to develop new ways to help them effectively engage with Victorian communities. With the environment sector specifically singled out, the move seems to be part of a larger agenda to silence environmental activism in Victoria and shut-down our efforts to safeguard our environment. For over 40 years we’ve received funding from successive state governments to train and educate community leaders to engage in government environmental planning and decisions. And we receive funds to help the most disadvantaged Victorians – including newly arrive refugees – to save water and energy. So this loss of funds will affect our environment and
the most disadvantaged Victorians the most. (Read about what makes our programs so special on page 11). But slashing our funding is just a symptom of a bigger problem. Since being elected, the Victorian Government has taken many regressive environmental actions. They’ve returned cattle to the Alpine National Park, stymied wind farms, supported coal, and ended discussions to replace Hazelwood with clean energy. And that’s just the beginning.
donors and supporters, we’ll survive this funding loss. We’ll keep you posted on any further developments, including how we’ll continue our important education work. We believe absolutely that if we are to solve the environmental challenges before us, we need everyone to take action. Education is the first step. In the meantime, we wanted to sincerely thank you for your ongoing support for Victoria’s environment. Together you’ve helped us make our state a better place to live. At the end of the day isn’t that what it’s all about?
So what’s next for us? We want you to know that we’re not going anywhere. Our campaign and advocacy work is independently funded by concerned Victorians like you who want a healthy future for our state. And this work will continue. As for our finances, over the past few years we’ve launched our Green Future Fund and boosted our fundraising activities to fast-track our transition to financial independence. We’ll still take a big hit but thanks to the help of our
We need you now more than ever. Help us continue our important work to safeguard Victoria’s environment. Become a Green Action Partner today or upgrade your monthly gift and help us secure our financial independence. Just fill in our form at the back of this newsletter or sign-up online at www.environmentvictoria.org.au/give. (You can see this article in full on Environment Victoria’s blog: www.environmentvictoria.org.au/blog)
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BUDGET NEWS
EVERY STEP THEY TAKE,
WE’LL BE WATCHING
Putting your money where their mouth is
The Victorian Government is responsible for ensuring a healthy environment for all Victorians. So we think the Baillieu Government is caretaker numero uno when it comes to safeguarding our environment. That’s why we’ve launched our online EnviroWatch resource. We’ll be tracking all the decisions the state government makes for and against our environment and making sure you know what’s what. Keep up with the latest announcements at www.environmentvictoria.org.au/envirowatch Does this get your temperature rising? Ask Ted where his plan is. www.environmentvictoria.org.au/ted
> Mark Wakeham, Campaigns Director
The first half of May was budget time and the state and federal governments both made some crucial decisions on their spending priorities for the next year. The annual budget announcements are where the rubber meets the road, so what did this year’s efforts hold for our environment?
THE THEME THIS year for the state government’s efforts was ‘piecemeal’. Having failed to release a comprehensive environment policy before the election, the state budget was a good opportunity for the Baillieu Government to set a clear agenda to tackle Victoria’s most urgent environmental problems. Before the election, the Coalition had committed to cutting Victoria’s greenhouse pollution by 20 percent by 2020, overhauling Victoria’s housing stock for water and energy efficiency, and returning water to rivers. Unfortunately, the budget didn’t deliver on this agenda and contained few new environmental programs. There were some positive initiatives, including funding for public transport, water recycling, and stormwater capture. They also funded local community environmental works and Landcare. Elsewhere, and buried in the budget, was the welcome decision to increase landfill levies next year. The decision will
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see an increase in recycling rates and lead to positive environmental outcomes. But these positive measures are inadequate without an overarching plan for environmental protection and emissions reduction. Closer to home, Environment Victoria was also the only organisation mentioned in four volumes of budget papers for funding cuts. The decision sends a worrying signal on top of the Coalition’s dubious environmental track record for the state of our environment moving forward. (See our article on page 5 for more on their decision to defund Environment Victoria). Outside of carbon price negotiations and the Murray Darling Basin Plan, the federal budget was also disappointingly quiet on the environment. There were a couple of bright spots with the announcement that fossil fuel subsidies are set to be reduced. The Fringe Benefits Tax subsidy that encourages over-use of company cars
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is set to be reformed. This will hopefully put a stop to end-offinancial-year trips to click up car miles and receive a tax deduction. Elsewhere nearly $500 million worth of funds earmarked for dodgy carbon capture and storage projects was deferred. This reflects the fact that there are very few genuine carbon capture proposals on the table. Overall, however, it was a disappointing budget for the natural environment. No major new investment in biodiversity protection or land management was announced, and no commitment of funds was made to end old-growth logging. The big bucks and all eyes are currently attached to a price on pollution and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. These processes, however, will not deliver across the broad spectrum of environmental issues – making it more important than ever that we continue to work towards a greener budget in coming years.
W AT E R A N D H E A LT H Y R I V E R S
Australia’s lifeblood: our Save the Murray campaign heats up. During our recent Doorknock Day, we gathered the support of hundreds of Victorians who want our mighty Murray River to get its fair share of water. Yet the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is still at risk of being far off target. Healthy Rivers Campaigner, AMELIA YOUNG, reports.
“Worst-case scenario is that in five or six years time when we have another drought we’ll be in the same situation as we are now, we’ll be seeing the same impacts as we have seen in the recent drought. We will have spent $10 billion. We’ll have a hell of a lot more irrigation infrastructure that we have to support and pay for. I don’t think it’s a good outcome for anyone.” — Tim Stubbs, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
IN THE LEAD-UP to World Environment Day on 5 June, Environment Victoria took to the streets of Moonee Ponds and Werribee (in the PM’s electorate) for a community doorknock. A group of fabulous volunteers went door-to-door to talk to householders about the two most important environment issues we’re currently facing – putting an effective price on pollution, and saving the Murray-Darling. What we found was that there are great levels of public support for the important national water reform to give our mighty Murray a fair share of water. In Werribee 67 percent of householders who answered our doorknockers signed our petition; and in Moonee Ponds it went up to a whopping 80 percent. It’s a result that’s all the more important given the hot debate that has sprung up around the science behind the soon-to-be-released Basin Plan. Just last month, a group of leading scientists – the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists – stepped back from the Murray-Darling Basin Plan reform process. Not only do the group say the plan is flawed, they also claim it will be a waste of billions of taxpayer
dollars as returning too little water to the environment won’t rescue the ailing river system. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has since confirmed that a paltry 2,800 gigalitres is being considered for the river system. The figure falls well short of the 4,000 plus gigalitres that independent scientists say is needed to revive the system. Environment Victoria has written to Victorian MPs and Senators about the looming crisis in the reform of water management in the Murray-Darling Basin, and called for the immediate appointment of a Basin Scientific Advisory Committee. In the meantime, we’ve been gathering support for a strong Basin Plan with our online petition. We know your voices are being heard as Authority Chair Craig Knowles jested that he had to lock his Blackberry in the boot of his car, it was making so much noise as your petitions flowed in! In coming weeks we’ll be stepping up the pressure and doing our best to ensure that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan released is based on sound science and delivers results for the Murray River.
Read more on the science behind the plan at www.environmentvictoria.org.au/blog/posts/science Get the latest on our campaign: www.environmentvictoria.org.au/save-the-murray
TAKE ACTION: Make sure one of the Blackberry beeps is yours! It’s not too late to throw your support behind our campaign. Sign our online petition at www.environmentvictoria.org.au/ content/save-murray and make sure Craig Knowles’ blackberry continues to beep!
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PRICE ON POLLUTION
Thousands of Victorians rallied to Replace Hazelwood in the lead-up to last year’s state election. A price on pollution could make it a reality.
Could a Price on Pollution replace Hazelwood? As this goes to press, intense negotiations are underway on the details of the carbon price package. Many questions remain to be answered, such as what will the starting price be? What will the ramp-up rate be? What support will it include for renewable energy and energy efficiency? Will it help us Replace Hazelwood? Campaigns Director, MARK WAKEHAM, outlines why the answer to the last question at least could be yes. THE KEY DECISIONS of the Multi Parliamentary Climate Change Committee around a price on pollution are still being made, but these discussions will set the scene for the future of Victoria’s dirty brown coal industry. One of the most controversial areas of the Rudd Government’s original proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) was the exorbitant assistance provided to coal-fired generators. Under the proposal, the operators of our most polluting power stations would have received $7.3 billion worth of free permits. The compensation was to come with few strings attached. There was no requirement, for example, for these coal-fired power stations to reduce their emissions or retire generating units over time. It’s a difficult policy area, where few environment groups have dared to tread. But here at Environment Victoria we decided it was critical to offer up some new ideas. So we’ve been working in recent weeks with energy market analysts to develop proposals that would see some of the carbon price revenues raised through a price on pollution used to secure the closure of our most polluting power stations – like Hazelwood. The solutions we’ve provided to the ALP, Greens and Independents will ensure we don’t end up with a repeat of the CPRS deal and fistfuls of public cash going to
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big polluters for little environmental benefit. We particularly wanted to make sure that a price on pollution saw the replacement of Victoria’s brown coal generators, and not their continuation. While we’d prefer that coal-fired generators receive no compensation and are forced to close through a strong carbon price, the ALP has made it very clear that some assistance will be granted. So we’re trying to ensure that the deal at least delivers the maximum emissions reductions possible. We’ve now met with many of the key decision-makers, from the Prime Minister’s office to the Greens and Independents. And we’ve been running a strong media campaign on the issue. With our proposal now forming part of the discussions of the MPCCC, we’re hopeful that it may lead to a deal that will close Hazelwood once and for all. As we see it, for the public to support a price on pollution it will need to transform Australia’s energy supply. Replacing Hazelwood and other polluting coal-fired power stations would be a very tangible sign that we are getting on with the job. We’ve been working hard to secure Hazelwood’s replacement for the past two years. And we won't rest until we achieve this critical step in the fight to reduce emissions and tackle climate change.
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Help us SAY YES to Staff here at the Green Building have joined over 45,000 Australians to say ‘YES’ to a price on pollution. And over 140 Australian leaders and community groups – including actors Tom Long, Cate Blanchett, and Rebecca Gibney, climate scientist Professor David Karoly, ex-Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, and organisations like Environment Victoria – have thrown their support behind the Say YES campaign. Meanwhile, here in Victoria, we’ve been lobbying the key decision makers hard and getting our crucial solutions onto the negotiation table. We’ve been out in the community talking to everyday Victorians and gathering community support for an effective price on pollution. The result has been a strong, grassroots campaign that’s making a real impact
PRICE ON POLLUTION
Environment Victoria takes on the big polluters > Mark Wakeham, Campaigns Director
TAKE ACTION Check out PolluterWatch online at www.environmentvictoria.org.au/ polluterwatch and arm yourself with the Big Polluter facts. Sick of their belly-aching and whinging? Send the Big Polluters a petition using our easy online form and tell them to stop crying wolf > www.environmentvictoria.org.au/the-bigboys-who-cried-wolf
With the federal ALP, Greens and Independents making critical decisions about a price on pollution, many of our biggest polluters are making outrageous claims to avoid responsibility. Enter: PolluterWatch.
a Price on Pollution on the political stage. As negotiations enter a critical stage, it’s not too late to get involved and Say YES to a strong price on pollution. Here’s four things you can do right now to Say YES: 1. Make a donation to support our grassroots campaign for a strong price on pollution. 2. Return your petition to the Prime Minister enclosed with your newsletter. 3. Phone, visit or write to your local MP and tell them that you support a strong price on pollution. 4. Spread the word. Ask your like minded friends, family and work colleagues to take these actions too!
LAUNCHED LAST MONTH, Environment Victoria’s new PolluterWatch is testing the bogus claims of our biggest polluters. And the rhetoric doesn’t match the reality. After all, if these big companies don’t pay their fair share under a price on carbon, the burden will fall on Australian households. And there will be less money to support the shift to a renewable economy. That’s why we released our first wave of PolluterWatch briefings in conjunction with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, ACF and Greenpeace, last month. We put the claims of five of the biggest polluters under the spotlight in briefing papers on Alcoa, Bluescope Steel, BHP Billiton, International Power and Woodside. What we found was that far from being brought to their knees, a price on pollution will have a minimal impact on these companies. What’s more, the price is a big opportunity for them to clean up their act and catch-up with their international counterparts who are polluting less. Our research shows that Australia’s big polluters are some of the dirtiest companies in the world. The industries in which they operate have had numerous opportunities to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their pollution
Environment Victoria, ACF and Greenpeace launch PolluterWatch with supporters dressing as ‘greedy pig’ polluters demanding money to pollute. over the years. For the most part, however, their profits, revenues, sales, and CEO salaries have continued to rise into the multimillions and billions of dollars while they’ve continued to push out millions of tonnes of pollution that Australians are paying for. While publically threatening to cut jobs, close plants and shelve planned investments in Australia – these companies fail to make any such announcements to their shareholders. In fact, some of them are telling the market they could even benefit from a price on pollution. Now more than ever, it’s important that we keep an eye on what’s real and what’s not when it comes to the scare tactics of the big polluters. And PolluterWatch is already having an impact. Over 1000 of our supporters joined us to email the CEO’s of these polluting companies and they all received a response from BlueScope’s CEO attempting to justify their claims. We’ve been providing the media and politicians with our information to weaken the hand of the big polluters as negotiations on a price on pollution reach crunch time. And we’ve followed up the briefings with actions targeting BlueScope and BHP Billiton. We’ll be releasing a second round of PolluterWatch briefings in coming weeks on Rio Tinto, TruEnergy, Xstrata and a special brief on big polluter industry associations such as the Minerals Council of Australia.
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W AT E R A N D H E A LT H Y R I V E R S
Busting the myths: should the water act be changed? As we go to press, the Senate Inquiry into the Provisions of the Water Act (2007) is due to report. The Inquiry was instigated in February by Nationals Senator, Barnaby Joyce. Healthy Rivers Campaigner, AMELIA YOUNG, busts the myth that the water act needs to be changed.
WINDSOR
INQUIRY REPORTS The Windsor-chaired inquiry into the socioeconomic impacts of the Murray-Darling Bain Plan was announced in the aftermath of the release of the Draft Basin Plan last October. In a bid to calm irrigator hysteria - who could forget the bookburning in the streets Minister Simon Crean announced the Inquiry, with a committee made up of a cross-section of government opposition and independent MPs.
BACK IN 2007, Senator Joyce along with all other members on both sides of Parliament (bar one), supported the Act. Now, together with irrigator and farming lobbies and some Coalition colleagues, Senator Joyce wants an investigation into whether the Act provides an equal balance between economic, social and environmental factors. Should a Commonwealth Act of Parliament – set up with bipartisan support to rescue a dying river system – be changed? We think the suggestion is reckless. The Act is sound. However, it’s inevitable that different stakeholders will view the Act’s implementation through the Plan with different values and objectives in mind. It’s true there are a range of legal viewpoints about interpretation of the Water Act. But in their submission, the Environment Defender’s Office caution against oversimplification and misinterpretation of the Act and point
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out that although the concept of ‘balance’ might have superficial appeal, in practice it is problematic. Expert constitutional lawyer, George Williams has said that if the Basin plan does not properly look after the environment, then the Commonwealth Government can be taken to court for being in breach of the international conventions. And international conventions are the item upon which one international legal opinion has found fault with our Water Act, saying that it is an environmental Act because that’s all it could be. Frankly, if it’s an environmental Act, that’s because it needs to be. Without important national water reform, the Murray-Darling Basin faces a very uncertain future – environmentally, socially and economically. This is an excerpt from one of our Irrigator-lobby Myth-busting series. Read the full post and other myth-busting articles at www.environmentvictoria.org.au/busting-myths
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The Committee members reached what's been presented as a unanimous conclusion and handed down their report earlier this month. The report calls for the suspension of nonstrategic buybacks. Environment Victoria, however, believes that voluntary water buybacks are the most effective and efficient way of returning water to the environment and must continue. For the full wrap-up of what's in the report and our response to it, go to www.environmentvictoria. org.au/blog/posts/windsor -inquiry
S U S TA I N A B L E L I F E S T Y L E S
What makes our sustainable living programs so special? > Sarah Dobney, Communications Officer
NINA BAILEY HIT the ground running at Environment Victoria two years ago, and she hasn’t stopped since. From working with the Burmese community to lunch with young people from the East-African community, each day brings something new. It’s a challenge Nina says she thrives on. “It’s not uncommon for me to skip from a Buddhas Day celebration in Flemington, to a field trip at CERES with Arabic speaking women, to a meeting with the Burmese community in
Over the last decade, our Sustainable Living team has helped thousands of Victorians from all walks of life – learn about sustainability, take action and make a real difference in their homes and communities. So who are the brains and brawns that make our unique and award-winning programs happen? We’re glad you asked.
MICHELE BURTON HAS been with the Sustainable Living team for nearly ten years, and worked with hundreds of Victorians on projects as diverse as SmogBusters and GreenTown. So she’s uniquely placed to talk about the difference the program has made in the lives of thousands of Victorians. “I’ve really enjoyed watching the program take on a life of its own. Through capacity building, I’ve seen sustainable living knowledge deeply embedded. Conversations with family, friends and neighbours continue long after our programs wrap up. Some have even gone as far as receiving their own funding to continue our work and spread the benefits wider and deeper within their community. So the success of our projects is gladly shared.”
SINCE STARTING WITH Environment Victoria seven years ago, Charlie Davie has trained and inspired hundreds of young refugees and migrants to become Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability. His reward? Being inspired by them in turn. “I’m truly inspired by the enthusiasm of my participants. When they learn that Australia has serious environmental challenges to deal with, they want to jump straight in and help, which is really heartwarming. Their passion for our environment, hope for a greener community and willingness to learn and make a positive contribution to society really shines though. It makes my job so rewarding. Some have even spoken of how proud they are of their role as influential environmental leaders, so playing a role in that brings great personal rewards. I’m also inspired by my workmates. They’re such a talented, compassionate bunch – I find it an absolute joy to come to work every day.”
Ringwood – all in a day’s work. So you can imagine, this makes for one superbusy but exciting job. One of the really exciting things is hearing about the environmental issues and effects of climate change in different parts of the world and how different communities are meeting these challenges. It makes for fascinating and illuminating discussions. I often find I have as much to learn from them as they do from us.”
WHAT MORE INFORMATION OR ADVICE ON RUNNING SUSTAINABLE LIVING PROGRAMS? Contact our inspiring team on (03) 9341 8105 or at michele.burton@environmentvictoria.org.au INSPIRED? Our Sustainable Living Programs are under threat from funding losses by the state government. Help us keep inspiring Victorians by becoming a Green Action Partner today. Just fill in our simple form at the back of this newsletter.
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S U S TA I N A B L E L I F E S T Y L E S
Nature close to the heart for Victoria’s Karenni community > Domenica Settle, Sustainable Living Project Officer
Altona is a long way from the forests of Burma, but that doesn’t stop the Karenni community of Melbourne from celebrating their annual Kay Hto Boe Festival in their traditional way. Environment Victoria’s Nina Bailey and Charlie Davie were both invited along for the ride. THE KARENNI PEOPLE come from the mountainous Karenni State in the east of Burma. Many have been on refugee journeys that have taken them from camps on the Thai border to the sprawling suburbs of Melbourne. For six young Karenni people that journey led them to Environment Victoria’s Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability project in Sunshine. While the young leaders learned about the Australian environment and sustainability, our Sustainable Living Project Managers Nina and Charlie were learning first hand about Karenni culture with a special invitation to go along and participate in this year’s festival. Held at The Pines Scout Camp in Altona, not far from the oil refineries of Melbourne’s west, the festival is one of the most important on the Karenni calendar. It was a proud display of how deeply this community cares for Victoria’s environment. “When we got there, a community elder called Augustino came over and explained was was happening,” said Nina. “In the Karenni state, the whole village would walk into the forest to cut down a tree. After this they thank the tree and ask blessings for the tree that will grow in its place. Then they carry the tree back to the village to erect it as a totem pole, to honour the grandfather creation god and bring about an abundant rainy season.” This deep-seated concern for the environment makes the Karenni people, and in fact many refugees and migrants, very willing to live sustainably in Australia. But without much English they often don’t know the environmental pressures Australia faces or where to start. “Burma and Thailand are much wetter places than Victoria,” Environment Victoria Project Manager, Charlie explained. “People arrive here and water comes flowing out of the tap whenever you want it. If you don’t speak much English, how are you supposed to know
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that you shouldn’t just use as much as you like?” Our Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability program helped the young participants to translate their culture’s concern for nature into reducing the environmental impact of day-to-day living in urban Melbourne. It also helped them to communicate this to others in their community. Several of the participants took fellow Karenni on a trip to a local reservoir to give them a first hand understanding of water issues. “I love working with young people from all kinds of backgrounds, learning their perspectives on sustainability and starting them on their environmental journey here,” says Charlie. “We know that the environmental messages get through to them, because we measure the results. But it’s an honour to know that we’re also accepted by the communities we work with. It’s a real honour to be invited to be part of what really matters to them.”
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Deep-seated concern for the environment makes the Karenni people, many refugees and migrants, very willing to live sustainably in Australia.
S U S TA I N A B L E L I F E S T Y L E S
The trees have it
SUSTAINABILITY, TANNUR-STYLE…
The trees they love don’t seem so far away as Hawo, Djuldjan, Ipek and fellow participants from Environment Victoria’s Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability program get up close and personal with Victoria’s natural beauty. > Charlie Davie, Sustainable Living Project Manager
Hawo, Djuldjan and Ipek are all in their early twenties and have lived in Australia for just a few months. But they’ve already embraced environmentalism through Environment Victoria’s Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability project. THE TRIO love studying English at AMES English Language school in St Albans. “It makes me feel that Australia is my home, that I really belong here. I am starting to feel confident about getting to know this place,” Djuldjan said. Green Action News spoke to them about their home countries and experiences in learning about the environment in Australia. Hawo believes that the most important thing she has learnt is that using energy causes pollution and affects the air. “Even though we can’t see it, it has an impact. People need to know this. I think they forget,” she said. And MLS has got Ipek thinking about
saving energy and water. “Shorter showers, unplugging the phone charger, I am thinking about these things instead of sleeping.” Djuldjan and Ipek recently helped organise a planting activity for the group in St Albans. In her home in the FYR of Macedonia, Djldjan explained, there is a tree-planting day every year. “Schools, businesses, politicians all get involved,” she said. Fellow organiser Ipek said one thing she misses from her home town in the north of Cyprus is her orange tree. “One big difference between Melbourne and Mogadishu is all the trees in the streets and parks here,” adds Hawo. “In Somalia, there are no trees on
Making bread, heating the home, and heating water all at once. Multicultural Leaders in Sustainability Zuhra and Saamer tell us that back home in Afghanistan and Iraq, they use a versatile earth-oven called a tannūr. While the bread is being baked, the water heats up, and after dinner there is warm water for bathing – not in a shower, but with a bucket and a ladle. Now that’s tasty and resourceful!
the streets, but every house has one big tree. Planting a shade tree is the first thing you do when you build a house. There is no air-conditioning in Somalia, so the shade is what keeps us cool. That is sustainability!” MLS is funded by the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation, the RE Ross Trust, City West Water, Brimbank City Council and AMES St Albans. It was designed in partnership with the Centre for Multicultural Youth.
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BEQUESTS
‘I can fully offset my carbon emissions… it’s my personal contribution to reducing CO2 emissions…’
Rob Michael has been financial supporter of Environment Victoria since 2000. Eight years ago, he decided to leave a lasting legacy to Environment Victoria in his Will, helping to create a Victoria that’s Forever Green. Green Action News spoke with Rob about what drives his passion for the environment.
ROB MICHAEL: Forever Green AS THE STAKES continue to rise for our environment and climate, many of us wish we could help a little bit more. But many people are also not able to give as much as they would like during their lifetimes. A Will is the place where you can thoughtfully provide not only for your family and friends, but also to a better future and the environmental issues close to your heart. So what motivated Rob to become Forever Green? GAN: What are your greatest environmental concerns? ROB: For me, global warming is my biggest concern. If global warming wreaks environmental and climatic havoc, then to me everything else becomes secondary. Global warming will directly touch humanity via reduced food cultivation, potentially resulting in starvation of millions of people all over the globe. I use a 3kW PV solar system, solar hot water, and double glazing in addition to other CO2 reduction methods around my home. I can fully offset my carbon emissions… it’s my personal contribution to reducing CO2 emissions while recognising that still more needs to be done by commerce, government,
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industry and individuals. Addressing global warming is where I’m directing all my charitable funds. GAN: When did you decide to leave a bequest to Environment Victoria? ROB: Eight years ago, I included Environment Victoria in my will. I periodically adjust my Will to reflect the changes in my philanthropic priorities and presently 80 percent of my Will is directed to five environmental organisations, including Environment Victoria. Having worked with and seen Environment Victoria’s work first hand, I’m confident to donate a vast proportion of my Estate to Environment Victoria. I’m sure the funds will be used in the manner I’ve come to expect from them – that is, that the monies are used wisely, effectively, and prudently. GAN: Why do you think Environment Victoria would be a good choice to leave your legacy? ROB: I’m really into the concept of ‘Thinking Global, Acting Local’ and Environment Victoria’s work is aligned to my environmental objectives. Environment Victoria is able to fight the battles that we all want to fight for the benefit of our environment — against
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ill-conceived notions of governments, commerce, industry – all those misaligned vested interests. My bequest ensures my commitment provides support to Environment Victoria once I’m gone, ensuring they can continue their environmental protection activities. GAN: What is your hope for the future of Victoria’s environment? What would you like to imagine the state would be like 100 years from now? ROB: Global warming is what I’m worried about, so I suppose I maybe naively optimistic that the world will be alright – that we’ll have made the changes required in time before environmental degradation. By supporting Environment Victoria, my funds will assist in achieving the changes we need for our environment to prosper, now and into the future.
BECOME FOREVER GREEN Like Rob, you too can help Victoria become Forever Green. Simply fill in the form on the next page and we’ll send you your very own Forever Green Information Pack.
Take a stand and help us protect Victoria’s environment
At this crucial time, it’s up to us to stand up for Victoria’s environment and environmental activism. But we can only do it with your support. Help us continue our work to safeguard Victoria’s environment and stop the coal industry’s dangerous expansion plans!
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■ Please send me information about how I can create a Victoria that’s FOREVER GREEN by making a gift to Environment Victoria in my Will. ■ Please send all future correspondence by email. Are your personal details correct on your letter? Or are you moving soon? Please update your personal information here if necessary. Help us to help you by telling us a little bit more about yourself. (All information will be kept strictly confidential). Date of Birth: D_______/ M_______/ Y_______ Occupation: _____________________________________________________ Please complete this form, tear off this page and return it to Reply Paid 12575, A’Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC 8006 or visit www.environmentvictoria.org.au/give and make your donation online. Thank you for your generosity! G R E E N A C T I O N N E W S | I S S U E 1 5 | W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 | w w w. e n v i r o n m e n t v i c t o r i a . o r g . a u
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NOTICE THIS!
WHO’S
The Repair Workshops
WHO AT
Chief Executive Officer Kelly O’Shanassy CAMPAIGNS Campaigns Director Mark Wakeham Healthy Rivers Campaigner Juliet Le Feuvre Healthy Rivers Campaigner Amelia Young Safe Climate Campaigner Victoria McKenzie-McHarg Safe Climate Campaigner Tricia Phelan OPERATIONS Organisational Services Manager Ivan Kolker Administration Officer Alice Sainsbury Communications Manager Vicki Kyriakakis Communications Officer Sarah Dobney
Free Repair Workshops Unsure what to do with that broken stereo? Given up on those one-armed sunglasses or conked-out iPod? It’s time to clean out the cupboards, get creative and do your bit for the environment at the same time!
The Repair Workshops is a creative, interactive exploration of the power of repair. Guided by professional artists, designers and engineers, your broken items will get repaired or – if they can’t be fixed – completely reimagined! So get on board and register for a FREE repair session at the exciting Repair Workshops.
When > Saturday, 30 July – Sunday, 31 July 2011 Opening times > 10.00 am – 5.00pm Where > Basement of Donkeywheel House, 673 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Cost > FREE! Register here to repair
>
www.therepairworkshops.com
AND THAT’S NOT ALL! The Repair Workshop geniuses have already saved mountains of broken objects from landfill and will be repairing and reimagining them in the lead-up to the workshops. They’ll be auctioning off these fabulous creations during the festival, with all proceeds going to Environment Victoria! So get along, check out the treasures and do something great for the environment at the same time.
Fundraising Manager Amber Sprunt Finance Officer Despina Giannakis Media Officer Louise Matthieson Database Officer Tony Cox SUSTAINABLE LIVING PROGRAM Project Manager Michele Burton Project Manager Nina Bailey Program Manager Charlie Davie Project Officer Domenica Settle BOARD President Russell Fisher Vice-President Elizabeth McKinnon Sue Noy Amanda Nuttall James Meldrum Robyn Murphy Simone Zmood Jeana Vithoulkas Hugh Wareham REGULAR VOLUNTEERS Paul Batey Peter Flanagan Janet Gellie Colleen Guggisberg Ian Hazewinkel Polly Hughes Laura Knight Lance Lessels Cathryn Ryan Les Smith Talk to us: Phone: (03) 9341 8100 Email: admin@environmentvictoria.org.au Fax: (03) 9341 8199 PO Box 12575 A’Beckett Street, Victoria, 8006 www.environmentvictoria.org.au