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Global warmingand grassroots

power

Environment Victoria News

PLUSImpact of a dying Darling

M O B I L I S I N G P E O P L E T O S A F E G U A R D O U R E N V I R O N M E N T ISSUE 26 • SPRING 2016

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WHO ENJOYED AUSTRALIA’SLONGEST ever federal electioncampaign? Okay, maybe enjoyed isn’tthe right word. It was a grindingcampaign with an inconclusive result.But one thing was made very clear –Australians reject the ideological attacksof the Abbott era and want a return tomore sensible government. Climatechange also featured prominently in keyelectorates around the country,including seats where we ran strongcampaigns, like Dunkley, Deakin andKooyong in Melbourne.

Post-election, Josh Frydenbergreplaced Greg Hunt in an expanded roleas Environment and Energy Minister.Minister Frydenberg’s early commentsacknowledging the decline of coal werea welcome change from past rhetoric,but do they represent a turning pointtowards bipartisanship on climate andenvironment protection? Or will the

Coalition’s policies remain stuck in thedeeply unpopular Abbott era? With thenews of record global temperaturesmore disturbing by the day, we need toensure that the Coalition chooses theresponsible path.

At the state level we’re seeing somegood steps forward. We now have atarget to eliminate pollution from theVictorian economy…albeit by 2050. Wealso look forward to strong renewableenergy targets announced by theAndrews government in recent monthstranslating into legislation and thenew projects and jobs we so urgentlyneed. But the big question remains:Will the Andrews government steptowards a pollution-free economy byphasing out brown coal powerstations, while supportingcommunities through the process?We’re doing all we can to make surethe answer is yes.

We’re also working to ensure that theAndrews government seizes theopportunities presented by their Waterand Biodiversity plans, and the Foreststask force, to turn around our extinctioncrisis and protect the places, plants andanimals we love.

Finally, with the federal election over,Environment Victoria staff and boardmembers are busy thinking of solutionsas big and bold as the environmentalchallenges we face. Running strong andeffective campaigns is no longer enough.We actually need transformativestrategies and leadership. By Decemberwe’ll have a new strategy to make thebiggest difference we can for ourenvironment over the next few years. Ifyou’ve got a strong opinion about howwe can do this, please drop me a line [email protected]

Thanks, and enjoy our newsletter,renamed Environment Victoria News.

> Mark Wakeham, Chief Executive Officer

Editorial

Global warmingand grassroots

power

Environment Victoria News

PLUSImpact of a dying Darling

M O B I L I S I N G P E O P L E T O S A F E G U A R D O U R E N V I R O N M E N T ISSUE 26 • SPRING 2016

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Environment Victoria NewsIssue 26, Spring 2016Design 2Fish ProductionsPrint Rooster PressContributing writersMark Wakeham, Nick Aberle, Juliet Le Feuvre, Jane Stabb, Greg Foyster, Cat Nadel, Anne Martinelli, Howard Jones, Will MooneyEditorGreg Foyster, Alex Merory(03) 9341 8125 [email protected] enquiries(03) 9341 8100 [email protected] Media enquiries(03) 9341 [email protected] Environment Victoria News is an Environment Victoria publication. For more information, visitwww.environmentvictoria.org.aufacebook.com/environmentvictoria@EnviroVic

Federal electionwrap 2016

Support forHazelwood is crumbling

The State of the Union: power, activism and social change

Impact of adying Darling

Renters deserve better

Turning ambitioninto action for ourclimate in Victoria

Our newSustainabilityHub

In case of (climate)emergency, break glass

Another election cycle is over, and here at Environment Victoriawe’re taking the long view.

Authorised by Mark Wakeham, CEO Environment Victoria, 60 Leicester St Carlton.

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THE VITAL URGENCY OF CUTTINGclimate pollution to stop global warminghas been a major issue for decades now.Sometimes we seem to be makingprogress. Other times the enormity ofthe challenge is overwhelming: afterdecades of awareness, there is still noclear downward trend in Australia’s orVictoria’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Indeed, Australia’s emissions are rising again.

Global concentrations of carbondioxide are spiralling out of control and,as a result, global temperatures are too.In May this year, humanity pushed theatmosphere over 400 parts per million(ppm), already way above the 350 ppmthought to be safe. Each of the last 16months since May 2015 has been thehottest on record for that month.February 2016 was the hottest of all, astaggering 1.6 degrees above thehistorical baseline.

The problem is, this is more thannumbers on a page. Real world evidenceof unprecedented warming is all aroundus: the Great Barrier Reef literally dyingbefore our eyes; unseasonably earlybushfires in the Otways; unprecedentedbushfires destroying ancient forests inTasmania; mysterious holes appearing inmelting Siberian permafrost; Sydney’s

coast being battered by crazy stormsand ocean swells. Sadly, the list goes on.

Recent analysis shows we are runningout of time. For just a fifty-fifty chance ofstaying under 1.5 degrees of warming,the world can only create another 250gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2. At the moment,we’re producing over 35 Gt every year.That means seven years left to get tozero pollution. Seven. Assume that a richcountry like Australia should be doingmore than others, and, for us, thattimeframe shrinks even further.

Make no mistake – this is a crisis. Sonow what? As Einstein famously said,those with the privilege to know havethe duty to act.

When events at Pearl Harbor forced hishand, US President Roosevelt called thecaptains of industry to the White Houseand gave them a list of how many tanks,fighter planes and bombers they wouldneed to build in coming months andyears. The industrialists said theycouldn’t do that while stillmanufacturing their cars. Roosevelt’sreply? He said they didn’t understand: he was going to ban the sale of private automobiles. Roosevelt knewhow serious the situation was and acted accordingly.

This story encapsulates how quickly

we can change our thinking and ourpriorities when we need to. And weneed to right now.

The last 16 months were the hottestever recorded, but they could also beviewed as a turning point for globalaction, with the Paris climate agreementmore ambitious than expected. Locally,Victoria is on the cusp of big stepsforward (page 13), support for Hazelwood is crumbling (page 7) andwe’re designing a new strategy learningfrom successful campaigning globally.(pages 8-9).

In the coming months, we’ll be askingyou to join us in a blitz of stalls, forumsand doorknocks around the state, callingon the Andrews government to getserious about tackling climate change,phasing out coal, and protecting naturein this term of government. Let’s do it.

In case of (climate)emergency, break glass.

S A F E C L I M AT E

Dr Nicholas Aberle Campaigns Manager

NASA Global Warming Map 2015.

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PHOTO: NASA

CLIMATE EMERGENCYDECLARATIONGrassroots climate action groups arecalling on the Australian parliamentto declare a climate emergency,mobilising government andcommunity resources to match thescale of the problem. Sign up atclimateemergencydeclaration.org

When we look back at social movements and large-scale changes thathave made our communities stronger and our societies better, there isone thing that always stands out as a key to success – people power.

Federal election wrap-up

IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE JULY 2federal election, Environment Victoriaran our biggest ever people-poweredcampaign. We’ve been buildingcommunity support for strong climatepolicies and nature protection incommunities that determine theoutcomes of elections — the Frankstonand Mornington areas and Melbourne’seastern suburbs.

We recruited and trained hundreds ofvolunteers to work in these electorates,talking to undecided voters about whatthe election means for our climate andour environment. They were out everyday for months, knocking on doors,making phone calls and talking to voterson the street. And together, we madeclimate change and our environmentkey issues this election.

The campaign was making such animpact that the then environmentminister, Greg Hunt, and shadowenvironment minister Mark Butler metwith us in Frankston and Ringwood.

When we analysed the climate policiesof the major parties, the Coalition cameup short. So we called them to accountfor their lack of credible climate policywith a giant billboard near Ringwoodstation. After the Deakin branch of theLiberal party had it taken down, weturned it into a viral tweet that was seen

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Jane StabbCommunity Organiser Manager

A volunteer-led meeting with the then Environment Minister Greg Hunt and Dunkley candidateChris Crewther to discuss environment policy.

Our mobile billboard was out on the streets every weekend.


Our billboard was displayed in the marginal electorate of Deakin, in Josh Frydenberg's electorate ofKooyong and seen by over 200,000 people online.

Volunteer doorknocking in south-east Melbourne.

by over 200,000 people – in fact it wasthe most-shared tweet of the election!

The same billboard displayed on abusy corner in Josh Frydenberg’selectorate prompted an article in TheAustralian, in which he complainedabout environment groups buildingpower in his electorate. The fact hesubsequently became our newEnvironment and Energy Ministerpresents a real opportunity — weknow he’s feeling pressure on thisissue from environment groups andthe community.

Now the election is over and it’smore important than ever that allparties listen to the community onour environment. The Coalition hasbeen re-elected with a reducedmargin, and no majority in the Senate.This means that to get anythingthrough Parliament, they’ll have tonegotiate with a mixed bag ofSenators – from centrist NickXenaphon to far right One Nation. Or,of course, with the Greens.

There’s an opening here to bringthe Coalition and all parties closer towhere they need to be on climate andenvironment protection. By creating apolitical space where all parties haveto raise ambition, and puttingpressure on them when they don’t,we can ensure that politics catches upwith community expectations.

We know our work to buildcommunity power is working. In fact,environment groups across thecountry are following our lead,creating community organising teamsto coordinate and scale up the workwe are doing here in Victoria.

Now it’s time to take stock and thinkabout how we can grow our impact.Over the next 18 months, we willreach out to more communitiesacross the state to force a power shift– making sure that governments anddecision makers act in our interest tostop dangerous global warming andprotect the beautiful natural placeswe all love.

StellaI believe we are all custodians of aglobal village. We can do our bit asindividuals, and we can cometogether as a community with astronger voice to ensure ourpoliticians truly represent us. Each of us has a responsibility toconserve and preserve our land toenjoy the privilege of knowing ourchildren and future generations cando likewise. Sadly we’re at a point intime where this continuum can nolonger be assumed.The First World values of growthand profit have gone into overdriveto the detriment of the Third Worldand the environment. We have a lotto fix in a short space of time. I can’tstand by while all this happens.Grassroots activism is the best wayto elicit change from thecommunity up, and neverunderestimate what a group ofcommitted and passionatevolunteers can do! All it takes is an idea …

ChrisThe rest of the developed world hasmoved towards renewable energy. Ibelieve we have the best conditionsto follow suit and, unless we do, weare going to be part of the problem,not the solution. It was in an effort to try and dosomething to bring on this changethat I gave up my last part-timework and small income to dosomething I believe in passionately.There was a huge cost involved inthis decision for me. I’m 75. I’llprobably never work again. But I’mproud to have done what I did.

MaddieI began volunteering in 2015. Sincethen I’ve gotten to know thiscommunity of strong, like-mindedpeople who believe in the samethings I do, have amazing storiesto tell, encourage me to act andgive me a great sense ofbelonging. I advocate for protecting theenvironment and combatingclimate change because I believewe can’t continue to carelesslytake and use without deepconsequences. We are not the onlylife on this Earth and it’s not allabout us! We have so much left tolearn about our planet and I wantto help safeguard this for the nextgeneration of scientists andexplorers, as well as for all life’sintrinsic right to live.

Why I volunteered with EnvironmentVictoria this federal electionTHANK YOU

A big thanks to everyone whocontributed to this campaign.

THANK YOU to all our extraordinary volunteers. To find outabout joining us, go to environmentvictoria.org.au/volunteer


HERE IN VICTORIA, WE ARE DOING PLENTY TO SPEED SPECIESon their way towards extinction. We are the most cleared state inAustralia and we are still bulldozing native vegetation. Seventypercent of our forests are gone. Our remaining native vegetation isincreasingly fragmented, surviving in isolated patches, and ourfreshwater environments are in decline. Thirty percent of ouranimal species are listed as threatened and our faunal emblem, theLeadbeater’s Possum, is critically endangered. Even commonspecies such as the Magpie and the Willy Wagtail are becomingmuch less abundant and the chance of seeing a Kookaburra inVictoria has halved since 1999.

Part of the problem is that the laws intended to protect natureare not doing their job. Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act wasgroundbreaking when it was passed in 1988 but it’s now decadesold and in need of a serious overhaul. The Act was intended toguarantee the protection and survival of plants and animals in ourstate. Unfortunately it’s turned out to be a toothless tiger and manyof its provisions have never been put into action.

The Act has focused on listing threatened species (631 speciesand 40 ecological communities to date) but not on protectingthem. Less than half of the species have published ActionStatements —statements outlining how the species will be broughtback from decline — and some of those are decades old and stillyet to be implemented. The Victorian government has never madeuse of their ability to declare critical habitat for species protection.

What’s needed is a fresh approach that focuses on protecting andreconnecting habitat for all our precious species. A revised Actneeds to operate at a much broader scale with revised principlesand objectives, and it needs to be embraced across all branches ofgovernment. Landscape-scale conservation and ecologicalrestoration should be the core business of the Act and the drivingforces for a new Biodiversity strategy with strong 20-year targets tohalt biodiversity loss and turn it around. Species protection needsto move out from a back corner of the Department of Environment,Land, Water and Planning and become the business of all publicagencies with enforcement provisions that are up to the task ofhalting the extinction crisis.

Fortunately the Andrews government has committed toreviewing the Act so there’s a great opportunity to update the lawsthat protect nature. Over the next few months we will be buildingsupport for making them more effective. We’ll be telling the storiesof Victoria’s threatened species, showing what we’re at risk oflosing, and developing the resources to demonstrate the status ofkey species and ecological communities. We’ll be building analliance of concerned voices and taking the message to ourpoliticians to make sure biodiversity and the survival of ourwonderful plants and animals are key considerations across all ofgovernment decision making.

Australia is facing an extinction crisis. We already havethe worst extinction rate in the world for mammals, andother groups of animals are not far behind.

It’s time to ACT on extinction.Sign our petition to EnvironmentMinister Lily d’Ambrosioenvict.org/ACTonExtinctionOr you can donate to the campaignusing the form on page 15.

The Swift Parrot is one of Victoria’s many endangered species.

P R O T E C T I N G N AT U R E

Fixing the lawsthat protect nature Juliet Le Feuvre

Healthy Rivers Campaigner

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PHOTO: SONJA ROSS, BIRDLIFEPHOTOGRAPHY.ORG.AU

HAZELWOOD HAS BECOME something of a scandal in France wherethe government is the largestshareholder in ENGIE, Hazelwood’s majorowner. In May, French televisionscreened a documentary telling thestory of Hazelwood’s intense climatepollution and the neglect andambivalence demonstrated by ENGIEduring the devastating mine fire of 2014.

It showed French Climate and EnergyMinister Ségolène Royal being handed apostcard – one of thousands signed byEnvironment Victoria supporters –calling on the French Government toretire the power station. In response,Minister Royal announced that ENGIEand the French government must“disengage” from Hazelwood.

The documentary caused a huge stir inParis. The day after it aired, ENGIE’s newCEO was called before a governmentcommittee to answer questions. She said“We are studying all possible scenarios,including closure, or a sale if the state ofVictoria tells us that it cannot meet

power generating needs without thisplant.”

The good news is, Victoria has morethan enough electricity to power thestate without Hazelwood. And it seemsVictoria’s minister for Energy and theEnvironment, Lily D’Ambrosio, has heardthat message loud and clear. Whenasked the next day in Parliament, shesaid “I think the whole world knows that

there is an oversupply in the market. I donot have to tell ENGIE…I think that isabsolutely clear.”

The latest blow for Hazelwood came inJuly, when ANZ bank failed to renew aloan worth US $147 million. Thisfollowed a sustained campaign – run byEnvironment Victoria supporters likeyou – to demand ANZ cut the dirtycredit to Australia’s most polluting powerstation. You sent thousands of emailsand left hundreds of messages on ANZ’scomplaint line. Many of you who areANZ customers threatened to close yourbank accounts and move your homeloans – worth over $37 million – if the

loan was renewed. In their end of yearreport, ENGIE disclosed that they’verefinanced the loan internally.

It’s clear that Hazelwood has lost theconfidence of business andgovernments alike.

What’s not yet clear is when and howHazelwood will close. Now is themoment for the Victorian government toannounce a plan for retiring Hazelwoodas soon as possible. This plan mustsupport the community in the LatrobeValley to prepare for economictransition. The allocation of $40 millionin the last state budget is a good firststep and many in the community aredeveloping plans to create a sustainableand diverse local economy.

The long campaign to close Australia’sdirtiest power station is close to winning.It’s time for our government to preparefor the inevitable clean energy transitionand provide real support for the LatrobeValley’s future.


Cat NadelSafe Climate Campaigner

Support forHazelwood is crumbling

THANK YOU! Together we’ve been calling forHazelwood to be phased out for 10 years. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or just gotinvolved, thank you!

“We are studying all possible scenarios, including closure, or asale if the state of Victoria tells us that it cannot meet powergenerating needs without this plant.” — ENGIE CEO

Time’s running out for Australia’smost polluting power station asthe institutions propping it uppull their support one by one. Inthe last three months, majorityowner ENGIE, major investor ANZand the French government haveall signalled that it’s time tophase out Hazelwood. Now it’sthe Victorian government's turnto step up. The French Energy Minister read our petition postcard on French television.


P O L I T I C S

The State of the Union: power,

IN JULY I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TOtravel to the United States on a studytour exploring cutting-edgecampaigning by environment groupsand other campaigning organisations.The trip was generously funded by theReichstein Foundation through theirannual ‘Jill Reichstein Award for SocialChange’.

When I left Australia it was unclearwho had won our election, and I arrived

in the US with Donald Trump riding highin the polls and the country in the gripof a series of violent shooting incidentsthat seem to have rocked confidence.

My plan was to learn as much as Icould about a few key questions:• Who is running the most exciting and

powerful campaigns in the USprogressive movement? How are theircampaigns relevant for Australiancampaigning organisations?

• The US has now closed over 200 coal-fired power stations. What lessons canwe learn about coal closure andtransition planning?

• What’s the next wave of digitaltechnologies that can turbo boostcampaigning?

• Which organisations are creating trulytransformative strategies? How arethey doing it, and how is it relevant tothe Australian climate movement andour ability to scale up our efforts?

These questions took me to Buffalo inNew York, to visit inspiring communitiesin transition from coal andmanufacturing, who are seeding andsupporting new climate-friendlyindustries. I joined the NetRoots nationconference in St Louis with the country’s

Mark WakehamChief Executive Officer

Community-led revitalisation – PUSH BuffaloBuffalo, New York, has lost more than half its population as its manufacturingindustries have folded. But local people are working together to revitalise thearea. Here, clean air campaigners, unionists and teachers have joined forces toform a powerful coalition and are campaigning to ensure that the March 2016closure of the Towananda coal-fired power station leaves their communitystronger and healthier.

PUSH Buffalo (People United for Sustainable Housing) is an incredible socialventure leading the revitalisation of Buffalo. Lots of community enterprises doone thing really well, but PUSH Buffalo does it all. Wherever PUSH Buffalo seea need in their devastated community, they set up a social enterprise to solveit. So now they are running energy efficiency programs, building new zeroemissions homes and apartments, creating parkland, establishing trainingand recruitment companies to provide jobs for people who had beenunemployed for a long time, opening schools and the list goes on.

And they’re supported by a powerful community of committed people whoovercome any political blocks they face with effective community organising.

PUSH Buffalo shows just how powerful and effective transition projects can bewhen they’re led by the community. I was inspired by the possibility ofcommunity driven projects injecting new energy and activity into places likethe Latrobe Valley, Shepparton and Geelong.

The NetRoots nation conference in St Louisbrings together the country’s best digitalcampaigners and community organisers. Thisyear they were dealing with two very large issues– a feeling of crisis in the wake of a series ofpolice shootings of black Americans, and anincredibly polarised and polarising US federalelection campaign. At the same time, the conference was abuzz withthe results of some exciting campaigns that had‘opened themselves up’ to grassroots power.These campaigns were designed in a way thatcould encourage replication across the country,creating an impact far beyond what a singleorganisation could achieve alone. A prime example is the union-led FightFor15

Networked pow

Fast food workers strike outsidea McDonalds in Chicago.


Working together with local communities, the Sierra Club has closed over 200 coal power stations.

activism and social changebest digital campaigners and communityorganisers. I spent time in Washington DCand New York meeting lobbyists,communications consultants andcampaigners.

By the end of my trip the Republicancampaign was a shambles and HillaryClinton was looking a strong favourite towin the election. Perhaps I should travelmore often!

I returned to Melbourne excited aboutthe potential for Environment Victoria towork with our colleagues across themovement to increase our impact.

Let’s design campaigns that bring

together building clean energy, closingcoal, ending fracking and other climatecampaigns and make them a unified,uncontrollable and viral call to action. Wecan also get cracking on community drivenenterprises in the Latrobe and HunterValley without waiting for government orindustry, making it more likely that powerstations will retire and less painful whenthey do.

Post federal election, the time is right toraise our sights and craft seriouslyambitious and well-designed strategies tofast track a safe climate and healthyenvironment.

campaign that started in New York with fast foodworkers striking for fair pay. Where most paycampaigns make demands for incrementalchange, FightFor15 chose a visionary target –doubling of their hourly pay to $15 an hour. Thefast food industry is a behemoth in the States –McDonalds alone employs one millionAmericans! Twelve months after the first strike inNew York, fast food workers striked for the samedemand in 200 cities across the country. Manystates and cities have now legislated this call fora living wage. Such deliberate networked campaign design isexactly what we need across the Australianenvironment movement if we are to make thenecessary big steps forward.

The 124-year old Sierra Club is the oldest and largest environment group in theUS. They have campaigned to close over 200 coal-burning power stations andprotected areas of parks and wilderness that total the size of Victoria and NSWput together.The Sierra Club was generous enough to share their strategies to modernisetheir own organisation and make it more representative of the US population. This commitment is critical to their long-term relevance as US demographicschange. But it has also helped them win campaigns to stop or close coal andgas projects because they had strong relationships with affected people onthe ground, who very often happen to be minority or disadvantagedcommunities.It shows that even the largest and most well-resourced organisations needgrassroots connections to achieve their goals.

wer at NetRoots

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THANK YOU!to the Reichstein Foundationfor so generously fundingthis learning experience.Thanks also to my partnerKirsten and sons Henry andLeon for coping (indeedflourishing) without me for a month!


H E A L T H Y R I V E R S

Impacts of a dying Darling

For most of this year, the lower Darling downstream of the (empty) Menindee Lakes hasbeen dry, with devastating consequences for the river and its people.

Juliet Le FeuvreHealthy Rivers Campaigner

THE DARLING RIVER, TOGETHERwith its tributaries, is Australia’slongest river system at 2,470km. It alsohas the most variable water volumes,with occasional boom years and a lotof bust years in between. It meandersfrom southern Queensland throughoutback New South Wales past Bourkeand Menindee to join the Murray atWentworth near Mildura. Some ofAustralia’s most important wetlandssuch as the Macquarie Marshes, abreeding area for hundreds ofthousands of water birds, are in theDarling Basin.

But the Darling is in trouble. Formost of this year, the lower Darlingdownstream of the (empty) MenindeeLakes has been dry, with devastatingconsequences for the river and itspeople. It would be easy to point thefinger at drought, but this is not thecause of the river’s problems. The NSWgovernment has changed the rules forirrigators upstream – cotton growersnorth of Bourke – allowing them topump more water out of the river,including environmental wateroriginating from Queensland, and

store it in huge private dams, leavingthe lower Darling high and dry.

The Darling is in danger of becominga divided stream with flows stoppingat Bourke. If this happens, the lowerDarling will die, along with its fish,trees and cultural significance, and itscommunities will run out of water. Andthe Darling Basin will be cut off fromthe Murray River with enormousconsequences for Victoria and evenmore for South Australia, whichdepends on the Darling for flows.

Why should we in Victoria care?Apart from its own worth as a naturalecosystem, the Darling is important forpractical reasons. If it stops flowingand no water comes down fromMenindee Lakes, Victoria has toprovide more water down the Murrayfor use in South Australia – whichmeans less for our own farmers,irrigators and environment.

The NSW government must changeits rules so that environmental watercan get down the Darling, and make itillegal to pump the river dry upstreamof Bourke. The current situation isthreatening the whole success of the

Murray-Darling Basin Plan in restoringthe Darling and the Murray Rivers tohealth.

In recent weeks some flows havereturned to the lower Darlingfollowing good winter rain in northernNSW. While this is great news for theriver and its people, we can’t rely onnature to do all the work to fix man-made problems.

PHOTO: FLICKR USER, D.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Sign our petition to state andnational Water Ministers, askingthem to stop over-extraction andto make sure environmental water can get through to the lowerDarling. environmentvictoria.org.au/save-the-darling


FOR THE BARKINDJI PEOPLE OFWestern NSW, the Darling Riveror Barka/Parka is more than just a source offresh water. It’s a source of spiritualsustenance and a defining element ofcultural identity. Barkindji literally means‘people of the river’ or ‘river folk’. Thecultural traditions, stories, spiritual beliefsand everyday economic lives of Barkindjipeople have been entwined with the riverfor many thousands of years.

When Barka becomes sick, thecommunity is sick. Allowing the extractionof large volumes of water in the upperDarling and tributaries has a direct impacton the wellbeing and cultural sustainabilityof Aboriginal communities. In June,community leaders in the town of Wilcanniacalled a protest to highlight the impacts ofover-extraction upstream. Barkindji manMurray Butcher explained to ABCRadio: “The Darling River is like our mother,it is our lifeblood, it is our identity. This riversustained our people for countlessgenerations. We can no longer do that,because of the situation of the river, and thepoor health of our water.”

In research conducted by the Universityof Technology Sydney in 2009, the long-term lack of water in the Darling River wasidentified as a factor in high crime rates forWilcannia. One Aboriginal Client ServiceSpecialist with the Broken Hill/WilcanniaLocal Courts noted that “When the river is

down, the crime rate is high. Most familiesspend weekends on the river – fishing,swimming and on boats. When there’s nowater in the river, they’re stuck in town,there’s nowhere to go.”

These issues are often ignored bygovernments making assessments aboutthe social impacts of water managementpolicy. Production statistics andemployment figures are deployed byirrigation interests to argue the need formore extraction. In contrast, Aboriginalcommunities often lack the resources andlobbying power to document their interestsand influence policy. In an effort to addressthis disparity, the Murray-Darling BasinAuthority recently coordinated a researchproject with the Northern Basin AboriginalNations (NBAN). The ‘Our water, our life ‘project demonstrated relationshipsbetween the delivery of environmentalwater and the social, environmental,spiritual, economic and cultural wellbeingof Aboriginal communities in the NorthernMurray-Darling Basin.

The next step for Traditional Owners andAboriginal communities is to build the casefor Cultural Flows: dedicated entitlementsthat Aboriginal communities own andmanage to meet their own objectives. ForBarkindji people, owning a share of water inthe Darling could empower them to care forthe river, maintain an ancient culture andgain new skills.

H E A L T H Y R I V E R S

To find out more about Murray Lower Darling RiversIndigenous Nations (MLDRIN), go to www.mldrin.org.au or www.facebook.com/mldrin

PHOTO: MURRAY DARLING BASIN AUTHORITY

In recent weeks some flows have returned to the lower Darling,but we can’t rely on nature to fix man-made problems.

My life onthe DarlingHoward Jones, irrigator,environmentalist andfriend of EnvironmentVictoria

For 44 years I’ve enjoyedcamping, fishing andhunting on the Darlingand the friendship of thelandowners along theriver as it meanders itsway south. I’ve watched itrage in a swirling eddiedflow in mid flood, thenobserved the serenefloodplain, when theDarling spills out of itsbank.

To be there at dawn anddusk, in the edge of anOxbow, reconnected tothe flow, looking at thecolours. The huge majesticRed Gums feasting on theonce-in-a-decade drink.The multitudes of everykind of bird. The joy in thefolk, whose families havelived there, settled inmany cases for over acentury, loving it,nurturing it through thedry and the wet, issomething to behold.

But sadly, not now. It is adivided stream. It finishesat Bourke, in the storagedams for next season’scotton crop. Not allowedto bring the fish for theWilcannia People or freshwater for the stock.Pushing Broken Hill folk touse bore water, andultimately a pipeline, thatwill further disconnect thisbeautiful, once vibrantriver. And finally force myfriends from their patch.

So you people downsouth, come up my way,meet the folk, look at theonce proud river, as soonas you can.

The Barkindji peopleWill Mooney, Executive Officer, Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN)


O N E P L A N E T L I V I N G

Renters deserve betterAnne MartinelliOne Million Homes Campaigner

MANY VICTORIANS ALREADY KNOWthat inefficient energy use in our homes isa big contributor to Victoria’s climatepollution. And that inefficient homes areuncomfortable and expensive to live in,particularly in the heat of summer and thecold of winter.

But for all the awareness-raising,government rebates and other incentivesto encourage efficiency, there’s alwaysbeen one big gap. What to do aboutrental properties?

Rental homes make up about a quarterof Victoria’s housing stock, so any seriouseffort to reduce emissions needs toinclude them. But landlords and tenantsare in a different situation to home-owners – it’s the landlord who has to footthe bill for efficiency improvements, butit’s the tenant who gets the benefits oflower bills and greater comfort. So mostlandlords don’t bother to makeimprovements, and most rental homes arenot that great in terms of efficiency,affordability or comfort.

It’s an entrenched problem, but rightnow we’ve got a rare opportunity to fix it.This year the Victorian government isreviewing the legislation which coversVictoria’s rental sector, and our submissioncalls for mandated minimum standards(for health, safety and efficiency) thatrental properties have to meet before theycan be leased. We think standards shouldstart at a low and achievable level tocapture the worst-performing properties,but be raised progressively over time sothat all renters benefit.

We’re working with our One MillionHomes Alliance partners to put the casethat standards – which we used to havebut were allowed to lapse in the 1990s –will make a big difference to reducingemissions and improving affordability andquality of life for tenants.

As long as standards are put in placewith a reasonable lead-time of severalyears, and low-cost finance and advice ismade available to landlords to help withcompliance, we’re confident thisimportant reform can deliver a real win forVictoria’s tenants, landlords andenvironment.

We know many Victorian renters andlandlords are on board because we askedtheir views in a survey (see box below).Rental standards exist in other Australianstates and overseas, and there’s no reasonthey couldn’t work here. After all, whatwe’re asking for is just common sense:rental homes should be liveable homes.

Freezing in winter. Sweltering in summer. Draughty rooms and risingdamp. We think renters deserve better than substandard housing, sowe’re calling for minimum standards for rental properties.

RATEYOUR RENTAL

If the average Victorian rentalhome were listed on AirBnb, how would it rate?This was the idea behind our RateYour Rental survey, which collectedresponses from more than 1000Environment Victoria supporters.Here’s what one renter had to say:

“Freezing in winter and boiling insummer, no insulation or externalblinds. In winter we huddle in thelounge-room as the rest of thehouse is 9 degrees.” – Kylie, CoburgBut there was also a strongrecognition of the benefits forlandlords too:

“If you respect your tenant byproviding decent housing then itstands to reason that your tenantwill reciprocate and respect yourproperty.” – Cathy, Kyneton SthThanks to everyone who filled outthe survey– these stories willinform our submission to thegovernment and media campaignover coming months.


Turning ambition into actionfor our climate in Victoria

to all of you who have been part of the campaign to put the environmentabove politics. We can be proud of what we’re achieving together.THANK YOU


In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore,after showing us the scale of thechallenge facing the world,explains how his political careertaught him that things canchange very suddenly. Is just such a moment emerging in Victorian politics?

THIS TIME TWO YEARS AGO,Environment Victoria was running ahuge ground campaign to encouragepeople in key electorates to pledge tovote for our environment in the 2014state election. We did this to send amessage to all candidates that if theywant our support, they need acompelling plan for protecting theenvironment and tackling climatechange.

Unfortunately, the then-Napthinegovernment had an appalling record onthe environment after dismantlingdecades of environmental protections,some of which had been introduced byformer Liberal governments.

We managed to make theenvironment a key election issue. And inthe wake of losing the election, a

number of figures in the Victorian Liberalparty publicly asked why the Coalitiondidn’t have better environment policies.

Our campaign also had an impact onthe then-Labor opposition. Ahead of theelection they released an environmentpolicy and, though it was short on detail,it was long on ambition.

We are now starting to see the fruits ofour work, as ambition is turned intoaction (though the full scale of actionremains to be seen).

A key commitment from the Andrewsgovernment is to make Victoria a leaderon climate change. As we approach themid-point of this term of government,they’ve taken some positive steps, suchas raising coal royalties and coal minerehabilitation bonds to moreappropriate levels, introducing a staterenewable energy target of 40 percentby 2025, and a commitment to reach netzero climate pollution by 2050. Alongthe way, the state energy and climateportfolios have been united. With energyaccounting for 50 percent of Victoria’sclimate pollution, this just makes sense.

However, the big tests for the Andrewsgovernment still lie ahead. By the end ofthe year, they should have released: apolicy on the future of coal; a detailed

Renewable Energy Action Plan; theirresponse to the review of the EPA;emissions targets for 2020 and anEnergy Efficiency and ProductivityStrategy. At the same time, thegovernment will need to make decisionson the future of Hazelwood. You can’t bea leader on climate change andsimultaneously allow the world’s mostpolluting power station to continue tooperate in your backyard.

We can feel optimistic that the rapidchange Al Gore referred to in 2006 mightbe about to happen in Victoria, but thejob is not yet done. Labor could delivermeaningful improvements acrossclimate and environment portfolios – the building blocks are in place. TheCoalition could be realising the error ofits ways in ignoring the protection ofnature and taking us backwards onclimate. At the same time, the Greenshave their largest ever representation inVictorian Parliament, with their eyes onmore inner city seats should Labor failon key tests.

To paraphrase Martin Luther King, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards the protection ofour environment. Let’s bend it furtherand faster.

Dr Nicholas Aberle Campaigns Manager

Premier Daniel Andrews invited leaders of Victoria's environment movement to the announcement of Victoria's new clean energy target.


Our new Sustainability Hub

O N E P L A N E T L I V I N G

Greg FoysterCommunications andPartnerships Manager

Check out the amazing illustrationto the left – it’s your vision of asustainable future.IN A SURVEY EARLIER THIS YEAR,nearly 400 Environment Victoriasupporters told us what they want oursociety to look like in 2050. There werestories of birdsong and bike paths, thesharing economy and solar panels, buttwo things that really stood out were theimportance of community, and needinggreen spaces to connect with nature. Weasked an illustrator to represent theseinsights in a single lovely picture.

Now, thanks to some generous supportfrom the Lord Mayor’s CharitableFoundation, we’re turning this illustrationinto the basis of a ‘Sustainability Hub’ forour new website, launching in lateSeptember! Environment Victoria hasbeen running award-winningsustainability programs for decades (infact, we’ve just been shortlisted again, forthe 2016 Premier’s Sustainability Award!)and our online hub will be a home for allthe tips and advice we have to offer.

Of course, there’s much more tosustainability than swapping light globes,and we can’t let dirty industries andirresponsible governments pass the buckonto households. So the newSustainability Hub will also link makingchanges at home with campaigning forchange in the wider world.

VALEMIKE HILLThe Environment Victoriacommunity was deeply saddenedto hear of the passing of a truevisionary – Mike Hill. A former Mayor of Brunswick,Mike was instrumental to somany of our most-lovedsustainability projects, fromCERES Environment Park toMoreland Energy Foundation toWestwyck eco-cohousing inBrunswick.Melbourne owes Mike anenormous gratitude for hisenduring contribution. Ourthoughts are with his family atthis sad time. E N V I R O N M E N T V I C T O R I A N E W S | I S S U E 2 6 | S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 | 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 u1414

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Time to ACT on ExtinctionTheir fate is in our hands.

Please complete this form, cut off this page and return it to Reply Paid 12575, A’Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC 8006 or visit www.environmentvictoria.org.au and make your donation online. Thank you for your generosity!

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WHEN Wednesday October 26

AGM 5:30 – 6:30pm CELEBRATION from 6:30 – 8:30pm

WHERE RMIT University Swanston Academic Building 80, 445 Swanston Street, Melbourne

RSVP essential by Friday 21 October at envict.org/envirocelebration16 or by calling 9341 8100

Join us for a keynote address about climate change with a twist.First, Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty will present on health in a warming world.Then the creative actors and musicians from Melbourne Playback will turn yourresponses to the topic into compelling theatre. Finally we’ll celebrate the groups andindividuals who achieved incredible things for our environment this year. Tickets free,food and drinks provided.

Chief Executive OfficerMark Wakeham

CAMPAIGNS & PROGRAMSCampaigns Manager Nicholas AberleHealthy Rivers Campaigner Juliet Le FeuvreSafe Climate Campaigner Cat NadelOne Million Homes Campaigner Anne Martinelli Community OrganisingCampaign Manager Jane StabbCommunity OrganisingCampaignerAdele NealeCommunications Managers Alex MeroryGreg FoysterCommunications Officer Cam Wheatley

OPERATIONSFinanceManager Kate Rogers Accounts Officer Jing LuOffice ManagerCate HoyleFundraising Director Jonathan StoreyFundraising Officer Shannan CourtenayDatabase Officer Karly Roolker

BOARDPresident Amanda NuttallVice-President Joan Staples

Robyn MurphySimone ZmoodPaul BaileyEmma HumannAlice SkipperKate ColvinPeter ChristoffMichael CollinsSue DavidsonREGULAR VOLUNTEERSEnvironment Victoria would like to thank our amazing crew of regular volunteers, who are now too numerous to mention.

TALK TO USPhone (03) 9341 8100 [email protected] (03) 9341 [email protected]/environmentvictoria

PO Box 12575A’Beckett Street, Victoria, 8006www.environmentvictoria.org.au

Authorised by M. Wakeham, CEO,Environment Victoria, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, 3053.

WHO’SWHO AT

2016 ENVIRONMENT

Celebration

PHOTO FLICKR/CC, ELIZABETH DONOGHUE

global warming and grassroots - environment victoria · translating into legislation and the ......

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