Media Releases

December 10, 2001

An audit conducted by Friends of the Earth in a Brisbane supermarket has exposed the inadequacy of the new GE labelling laws with not a single product found to contain a GE label.

December 6, 2001

US Missile Defence Test 'Success'
Australian Peace Committee
Trade Union Green Caucus
Friends Of The Earth Australia

Australian peace groups have joined with US groups in criticism of the recent US Missile Defence system test, that took place yesterday after being postponed twice due to bad weather.

November 29, 2001

As the World Solar Congress meets in Adelaide, environment groups will target developers of the Honeymoon uranium mine that recently gained Federal approval. Friends of the Earth has hit out at the Federal Government's failure to support appropriate development while facilitating out-dated nuclear technology. The protests coincide with the Annual General Meeting of Sedimentary Holdings, partner company of Southern Cross Resources in the Honeymoon project.

November 22, 2001

National Environment Group Friends of the Earth (FoE) has condemned the approval of the Honeymoon uranium mine and has vowed to continue opposition to the project. The controversial project was given environmental approval by Federal Minister Robert Hill on Wednesday. FoE has attacked the assessment process that has kept key information on radioactive contamination of groundwater out of the public realm.

November 12, 2001

(Doha) The EU is bowing to pressure to weaken its already modest proposals on the environment in the WTO, according to latest sources. Friends of the Earth reacted by warning the EU that it should not use the environment as a bargaining chip in order to advance its objective to launch a new round of trade talks. The EU's compromise on the environment would help it to bring controversial new issues such as investment and competition into the WTO. It would also assist the EU to defend its farm subsidies.

November 10, 2001

Friends of the Earth gave a cautious welcome to the agreement adopted today in Marrakech - despite coordinated and persistent obstruction by Japan, Canada and Russia (the Umbrella Group).

November 9, 2001

Sale of the Century?
Friends of the Earth International presents Sustainable Trade Agenda at the Doha Ministerial

Doha: On the eve of the launch of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Qatar, Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) a worldwide federation of 68 independent national environmental groups, uniting close to 1 million activists worldwide has presented its sustainable trade agenda in Doha.

November 8, 2001

Environment groups release final report card

Australian Conservation Foundation - The Wilderness Society - Greenpeace - Friends of the Earth - Total Environment Centre - Arid Lands Environment Centre - Conservation Councils of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, ACT, Western Australia, Northern Territory & South Australia

With two days to the federal election, a coalition of national and state environment groups have today released a final report card on the four major political parties.

November 7, 2001

Since the election of the Howard Coalition Government in 1996 the Mirrar People of Kakadu have fought to stop the Jabiluka uranium mine from going ahead. Jabiluka is part of our traditional country. It is part of us and we say no to mining. We have taken our fight across Australia and the world and many people have heard our call and supported us. We are still fighting to protect our country, culture and sacred sites.

November 4, 2001

57 Organisations, Parliamentarians, Say No To War

Australian Peace Committee
People For Nuclear Disarmament W..A.,
Friends Of The Earth Australia

57 Organizations and Parliamentarians have written to the Prime Minister John Howard and the leader of the opposition Kim Beazley , rejecting a military response to the September 11 attacks.

November 2, 2001

National environmental group, Friends of the Earth Australia, was surprised and disappointed by today's statement on the environment by the Prime Minister.

"The Coalition has consistently rated poorly on its environmental track record since its election in 1996, and this long awaited announcement was an opportunity to address the issue of environmental sustainability seriously. A visionary policy would have been greeted with praise by environmental organisations, yet today¹s announcement has become one more missed opportunity."

November 1, 2001

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) and other Global Forest Coalition members announced three nominations for a special TREETANIC AWARD this afternoon. The TREETANIC AWARD is handed over during the climate negotiations to the company implementing the worst carbon sink project.

October 30, 2001

National environment group, Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA), has welcomed the launch of the Democrats environment policies.

October 29, 2001

Tony Blair must use his influence with President Bush to persuade the United States to back the Kyoto climate protocol, Friends of the Earth said today. The call comes as representatives of Governments from across the world meet in Marrakech, Morocco (Monday 29 October - Friday 9 November) to build on their agreement to ratify the climate treaty in Bonn in July.

October 26, 2001

National environment group, Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA) welcomed the launch of the ALP's foreign policy in Sydney yesterday.

It is essential that Australia take a proactive role in international negotiations. Under the current federal government, Australia¹s international reputation has sunk to an all time low. Australia¹s self interested approach to global issues has been consistently highlighted in climate change negotiations. The ALP has made a number of significant commitments in its foreign policy which would greatly improve Australia¹s international standing.

October 25, 2001

Environment groups disappointed by
Democrats policy free preference agreements

Australian Conservation Foundation * The Wilderness Society * Friends of the Earth* Conservation Council of WA * Conservation Council of South East Region and Canberra * Environment Victoria * Environment Centre of Northern Territory

Environment groups today expressed their disappointment at the Australian Democrats policy free approach to their preference negotiations with the Coalition and Labor announced yesterday.

October 24, 2001

Environment groups worldwide are working to stop the construction of the $1.1 billion OCP oil pipeline which is planned to carry crude oil from the Ecuadorian Amazon over the Andes and to the Pacific coast. The OCP consortium is comprised of Alberta Energy (Canada), Kerr McGee (USA), Occidental Petroleum (USA), AGIP (Italy), Perez Companc (Argentina), Repsol-YPF (Spain) and Techint (Argentina).

October 22, 2001

Friends of the Earth have stated the fire at WMC's Olympic Dam is inconceivable following a similar fire two years ago. Yesterday¹s fire, involving 1million litres of kerosene, started at the same place as the previous, 100 metres from the uranium extraction plant. It is unclear from initial reports whether there has been radiological exposure. Friends of the Earth have called for a full independent assessment into both fires.

October 18, 2001

Groups Condemn Troop Commitment: Not In Our Name

Friends Of The Earth Australia
Anti-Bases Campaign Committee
People For Nuclear Disarmament W.A.,
Trade Union Environment Caucus
No-War Sydney

Anti-War groups, peace groups, and environment groups Australia-wide have condemned the Howard governments commitment of 1550 defence personnel to Afghanistan as foolish and irresponsible.

October 9, 2001

National environment group, Friends of the Earth Australia, has welcomed Kim Beazley's statement that, if elected, the Australian Labor Party would ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

October 6, 2001

Premier Oil have survived round one in their contest with environmentalists over their plans to explore for gas in Kirthar National Park, Pakistan. The Sindh High Court has dismissed the legal challenge brought by local campaigners and Friends of the Earth International because the relevant wildlife laws were dramatically weakened while the case was being considered. But Pakistani environmentalists have questioned whether Premier Oil were behind the sudden legal amendment made by the Pakistani authorities, and they are now planning to take the case to the Supreme Court in Islamabad - the highest court in the land.

September 21, 2001

There was a significant development in Premier Oil's long legal battle over the its plans to explore for gas in the Kirthar National Park on Wednesday (19 September) when Pakistan's Attorney-General became involved in the case. The Attorney-General's involvement substantially raises the political stakes of an issue which has hitherto languished in the regional court.

September 7, 2001

Premier Oil and the military Government of Pakistan will tomorrow face a legal challenge in a Karachi court over plans to explore for gas in the country's oldest national park. Local NGOs are questioning whether the British company has been using its influence with the Pakistani military authorities, to secure a weakening of wildlife legislation and so win approval for its exploration plans.

August 8, 2001

On June 25, 2001, an oil spill and explosion occurred in the aged and rusty pipeline in Ogbodo, Nigeria.

It destroyed the only source of drinking water for 150,000 people. The spill has also destroyed community fishing equipment and farmlands, and resulted in fumes and pollutants that have sickened people and forced many to evacuate their homes. Shell's highly ineffective cleanup efforts and meagre offers of assistance are doing little to help the plight of the victims, the Ikwere ethnic nationality of the River State of the Niger Delta.

August 6, 2001

Environment groups today welcomed the announcement from the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) that they would impose 'Green Bans' on the construction of three proposed gas-fired electricity generators throughout Victoria.

July 26, 2001

Fossil fuel lobbyists, President Bush and other reactionary politicians will be the only ones with frowns on their faces as the political deal approved on Monday was adopted in a plenary at the Bonn UN climate conference today. Millions around the world rejoiced at the break-through climate deal struck earlier this week, now Governments must immediately make the steps to ratify the treaty at home.

July 22, 2001

The Franciscan International Group read the prayer written by Australian church leaders outside the Maritim Conference Centre in Bonn yesterday. Inside the Australian delegation has been swimming against the tide of international and domestic opinion, as countries try to reach agreement about the rules of implementing the historic Kyoto Protocol.

July 21, 2001

While the official Australian delegation obstructs progress on UN climate talks, environmental and social justice groups will hold a variety of actions and street theatre events across Australia today to call attention to Australia's dismal performance. Australia, Canada and Japan remain the few countries pushing for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the climate talks taking place in Bonn Germany from the 16-27th July.

July 20, 2001

While the official Australian delegation obstructs progress on the Kyoto Protocol, environmental and social justice groups will hold a variety of actions and street theatre events around the country this Sunday, July 22nd to call attention to Australia's dismal performance.

July 19, 2001

Two days into the Bonn talks - with Ministers starting to arrive - things are still looking bleak for the future of the Kyoto Protocol.

July 18, 2001

Friends of the Earth International, the world's largest environment network with groups in 68 countries, will be present throughout the Bonn climate talks. We are always ready to help with informed comment and opinion.

July 17, 2001  

The Australian Government's hypocrisy and disregard for less developed countries has again come under international scrutiny at the high-level climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany.

July 11, 2001

A night celebrating the resistance to corporate globalisation, the launch of 3CR's award winning CD, Globalisation Unplugged and a fundraiser for women's projects in Asia.

July 10, 2001

Mobil - Fuelling Global Warming
Action Alert: International day of Action
against Exxon-Mobil (Mobil) July 11

Thousands of protesters in fifteen different countries will take part in the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION against the transnational oil company EXXON-MOBIL tomorrow July 11th, 2001.

In Melbourne, protesters will hang banners over key arterial routes and then target Mobil service stations in the federal seat of Aston where a by election will be held this Saturday.

July 5, 2001

Come to Bonn on July 21!
Build a Lifeboat to save the Climate Treaty!
http://www.foeeurope.org/lifeboat

From July 16 to 27, Bonn, Germany: World leaders will meet for the UN climate negotiations. In Bonn they will decide if the Kyoto Protocol, the world's only binding agreement to reduce CO2 emissions, will survive, or if they will let political inaction cause climate disaster.

June 25, 2001

Friends of the Earth have declared Premier Peter Beattie a "BIOHAZARD" today, creating a quarantine area around him at parliament house, immediately prior to his departure for the bio2001 conference in San Diego.

June 7, 2001

Economic uncertainty over the controversial Honeymoon uranium project in South Australia is growing ahead of today¹sThursdays Annual General Meeting of mining company Southern Cross Resources in Ontario Canada. The company attempting to develop the controversial acid leach uranium mine near Broken Hill has been beset by delays and has failed to secure a joint venture. Southern Cross are seeking Australian Government approval before the next federal election as present Federal Labor policy opposes the project.

May 31, 2001

"We understand that Shell has, in recent years, invested heavily in an image laundering campaign in Europe and North America. However, the media campaigns have not resulted in improvement in practice of the company in the Niger Delta of Nigeria". Environmental Rights Action (Friends of the Earth, Nigeria) and a broad grouping of Nigerian civil society groups concerned about the environmental and human rights situation in the Niger Delta area have expressed grave concerns about the proposal of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to support the activities of Shell in Nigeria. The proposal involves the IFC contributing US$15 million to a fund to be managed in a partnership with Shell Nigeria and an unnamed Nigerian Bank. The purpose of the fund is to provide loans to so called small and medium-sized local contractors working for Shell and other Shell affiliates in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.

May 19, 2001

On Friday, May 19, the Australian mining giant Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) held its Annual General Meeting in its headquarters city of Melbourne, Australia. BHP shareholders attended the crucial meeting to consider a pending merger with the London-based South African miner Billiton, which owns the proposed Crandon mine project in Wisconsin, USA. (BHP shareholders were expected to approve the merger to create the world's second-largest mining company, which would be called BHP Billiton.)

May 15, 2001

Friends of the Earth Maryborough is very concerned about the ongoing culling of the Dingoes on Fraser Island. The question must be asked whether the QNPWS is planning to continue killing this rare Fraser Island icon until there is none left?

May 10, 2001

Shell is dropping plans to explore for gas in Kirthar National Park in Pakistan. The oil giant has announced a "re-alignment of their Pakistan business portfolio". The sudden move has been greeted with delight by Friends of the Earth International, which was pursuing a major legal case against Shell in the Pakistani courts.

April 25, 2001

Friends of the Earth to challenge oil giant in Karachi court

April 18, 2001

Friends of the Earth will today sail up Collins Street to ask BHP and Shell for asylum from the rising tide of climate change.

April 3, 2001

As the two worst greenhouse gas polluters prepare to white-out their signatures from the Kyoto Protocol, developing countries are being painted as the real threat to global warming.

Wednesday, 28 March 2001

The world is tottering on the brink of climate disaster today, as the White House confirrned that President Bush has decided to rat on the 1997 Kyoto Treaty. At Kyoto, the world's developed countries agreed for the first time to cut emissions of climate changing gases. White House officials have taken legal advice on how to pull out of the Treaty, which the US signed but which remains unratified by the Senate.

March 3, 2001

Joint Press Release
Friends of the Earth Australia
Anti-Bases Campaign

Friends of the Earth Australia and the Anti-Bases Campaign have welcomed a resolution passed by the Senate yesterday while condemning comments made at the same time by Alexander Downer that indicate the Howard government may be hardening its attitude to the 1972 ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) treaty, to allow the development of the controversial National Missile Defence program.

March 1, 2001

Joint Press Release by
Australian Peace Committee
Friends of the Earth Australia
People for Nuclear Disarmament
Anti-Bases Campaign

32 Federal Parliamentarians, 44 environment groups, peace groups, trade unions, church groups and others today called on the Federal Government to reject involvement in the US Missile Defence (NMD) /'Star Wars' scheme. Senator Vicki Bourne, the ALP's Laurie Ferguson, and letter coordinator John Hallam of Friends of the Earth, today released a letter that called on Foreign Minister Downer and Defence Minister Reith to refuse to allow the use of the Joint Facilities in any mode that would allow their use for National Missile Defence or Theater Missile Defense The letter calls on the government to use its diplomatic resources to argue against missile defence.

February 19, 2001

Rich countries such as Australia, Britain and the USA must cut fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal to prevent a climate catastrophe, Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) said today as the United Nations published its latest report on global climate change^[1]. The report warns that the world's poorest countries would "bear the brunt of devastating changes" from global warming.

February 2nd, 2001

Yesterday nine of Australia's leading environment, development and social service non-government organisations (NGOs)* met with Mr Mike Moore, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to discuss concerns about the impacts of global trade on communities and the environment.