Climate & Energy Justice
Jemenas fracking pipeline shown to be a white elephant by concerned citizens
A crowd of concerned citizens joined Friends of the Earth and Quit Coal out the front of Jemena in Melbourne to protest the Federal approval of the 622km Northern Gas Pipeline from Tennant Creek to Mt Isa.
Land & water
Nuclear power crisis reaches dramatic new levels
The rapidly-evolving nuclear power crisis escalated dramatically yesterday (March 29) with the announcement that US nuclear giant Westinghouse, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Toshiba, has filed for bankruptcy. The Chapter 11 filing took place in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City.
Land & water
Judge approves some of the suit in citizen law suit of the people of Central Kalimantan
Palangkaraya, Tuesday, 22nd March, 2017 was the unforgettable moment happened in legal world of Central Kalimantan. The CTS number 118/Pdt.G/LH/2016/PN.PLK has been decided by the Presiding Judge who is also the Deputy Chairman of District Court of Palangkaraya, Kaswanto. The decision which initially planned to be read on Tuesday, March 15th, 2017 was postponed due to several reasons. In the Verdict being read, the judge granted some of the claims in the CLS filed by the plaintiff. The case filed on August 16th, 2016 was going through a two-month mediation process and 6-month court.
Land & water
Confirmed pesticide contamination of Victorian water supplies
Several Freedom of Information requests over the past couple of months have confirmed that low level pesticide contamination of Victorian water supplies is commonplace.
Indigenous Land & Rights
Close the gap 2017 - start by funding Indigenous Protected Areas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders live 10 - 17 years less than non-Aboriginal Australians and the infant mortality rates are more than twice than the rest of the population. We need to close the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues.
One way to begin to close the gap is to fund Indigenous Protected Areas so that First Nation people can access jobs to care for their own country.
Climate & Energy Justice
Snowy Hydro expansion welcomed
But shift to hydro is a concession the market is failing on climate change
Friends of the Earth welcomes the Turnbull government's proposal for a $2 billion upgrade to the Snowy Hydro scheme, saying the large scale investment in renewables and energy storage is a positive step but shows the market is failing to address climate change.
Indigenous Land & Rights
Melbourne protest Jemena NT pipeline approval
Friends of the Earth Melbourne and Quit Coal campaigners joined with concerned citizens gathered outside Jemena’s Melbourne headquarters to protest against the Federal government approval of the Northern Gas Pipeline. The group claimed that the pipeline, if built, will facilitate controversial on-shore unconventional gas fracking in the state and wished to express solidarity with Traditional Owners in the NT.
Food & Technology
Dr Michael Antoniou is visiting Australia
In late March, Dr Michael Antoniou, Reader in Molecular Genetics at King’s College London School of Life Sciences will be visiting Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. He is here to discuss his concerns with a range of new genetic engineering techniques that the Federal Government is currently proposing not to regulate.
Anti-nuclear
Undemocratic nuclear waste law disempowers communities & traditional owners
Friends of the Earth Australia is today releasing a detailed report on the National Radioactive Waste Management Act 2012 (NRWMA). The report ‒ written by Monash University fifth-year law student Amanda Ngo ‒ comes against the backdrop of the federal government's targeting of a site near Hawker in SA's Flinders Ranges for a national radioactive waste store and repository.
Climate & Energy Justice
"Supply crisis" or Coalition con? What's really going on with the gas market?
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) released its annual gas market statement on March 9th, this time telling us that we're facing a looming gas shortage that could mean interruptions of supply of gas and electricity in the coming years.
They're saying that as a result of the new demands of the export market and the closing of coal fired power stations, there won't be enough gas to run the gas fired power stations that provide energy during usage peaks.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has used the announcement to call for "urgent crisis talks" with east coast gas companies, blaming the restrictions on unconventional and onshore gas developments for potential future supply problems.