Last week Nannas sang to delegates as they entered the NSW Labor conference, marched in a rally against violence towards women, went Ghostbusting in Western Sydney MPs offices and attended a Zoom meeting about water resources. We also plotted our next event to Welcome Back Pollies on Tuesday 6 August 11.45am at NSW Parliament House.
Tuesday 6 August – Welcome Back Pollies
11.45am – 1.30pm – Nannas will meet in Martin Place at the pedestrian crossing opposite NSW Parliament House. Once again we will welcome pollies back to parliament after their winter break to remind them that we are watching. We’ll be singing and asking pollies to speak to us about their aims for this session of parliament. Our leaflets and placards will be about stopping the proposed coal expansions and protecting koala habitat. Please join us.
Sunday 28 July – NSW Labor Conference
Nannas sang for the planet outside the Queen Victoria building on Sunday as Labor Party delegates walked into their conference at the Town Hall. The area was fenced off with lots of police and security staff at the entrance. We kept them and the public entertained by singing our ‘greatest hits’ on a very cold morning. To keep warm Nannas bopped around as they sang.
We handed out leaflets emphasising the need to revise our state environmental and planning laws and regulations to ensure the IPC can reject projects that contribute to #ClimateBoiling. After our efforts we rewarded ourselves with a cup of coffee.
In the conference NSW Labor rejected a motion to repeal anti-protest and youth bail laws. The motion also called for a charter of human rights to be enacted in the state. There were loud cheers in favour of, and against, the motion, but it was ultimately defeated. The Guardian
Sydney No More Violence against Women: National Rally
While in the CBD, some Nannas found joining another march irresistible, especially as it was a rally to stop violence against women organised by What Were You Wearing?
The march was almost a sprint from Hyde Park to Town Hall Square. Marchers chanted “Whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no”.
Speakers brought insights from First Nations, regional, disability and sex work communities. The talks were both informative and confronting. Senator Mehreen Faruqi spoke about the many structural changes needed across society if the many forms of violence against women are to be stopped.
The names of 54 women who have been killed so far this year were read out, and a flower placed for each one. That is two murders per week. The Sydney rally was one of many held around Australia to raise awareness about violence against women and the urgency of action. Congratulations to the organisers.
Wednesday 31 July – Ghostbusting with Lock the Gate
To the catchy, fun tune of ‘Who you gunna call? Ghostbusters!’ a group of Nannas dressed as ghosts in white sheets and wearing masks of John Barillaro, danced around two suited-up ‘ghostbusters’ outside the offices of several western Sydney NSW Labor MP’s offices.
Why this jazzy fun street theatre? This was the Lock the Gate’s Ghostbusters! campaign moving west. Organisers Nic and Zoe from Lock the Gate are coordinating the Coal Watch campaign to put pressure on the NSW government to stop approving coal mine expansions. There are now 18 in the planning system and two have been approved by the Department of Planning.
The Minns’ government’s policy is the continuation of John Barilaro’s 2020 Strategic Statement on Coal Exploration and Mining. It is a policy that includes expanding coal mining, and was delivered by John Barilaro without consultation or community buy in.
Since the ALP’s election last year applications for coal mine expansions have doubled from nine to 18, plus the two out two mines they have waved through under the Barilaro policy. This is completely contradictory to the government’s net zero pledge.
So we danced into the MP’s offices at Fairfield, Prospect, Granville, Parramatta, and Riverstone to deliver a serious letter and ghost biscuits for the staffers. To varying degrees they welcomed us, smiled or bopped along, but also listened to our concerns and promised to convey them to their bosses.
That evening Nic received a call from David Saliba, Labor MP for Fairfield. He’d read our letter and said he will raise the issue with his colleagues. He also said ours was the first protest he’s had outside his office since he was elected last March, and thanked us for being polite and respectful to his staff. He chatted with Nic for about five minutes about the economics of coal in NSW and the pipeline of new projects. That’s a good outcome from Ghostbusting that we know about.
NSW Coal Watch: Don’t pour fuel on the climate fire – Petition asking Premier Minns to put climate action first, scrap pro-coal policies that facilitate coal approvals and stop greenlighting coal expansions.
Climate Trigger Campaign
Nannas strongly support the Move Beyond Coal action campaign to amend our national environmental laws. Bills will come before the Senate soon, possibly as early as mid-August.
For background on the campaign see our Climate Trigger explainer
Nanna Water Team Report
The Connectivity Expert Panel’s Final Report has been published by the NSW Government. Getting the full report publicly released was a major victory, since the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) Water wanted to only publish their own summary. The Expert Panel met with quite a bit of obstruction from within the Department as they went about producing the report.
On first glance, the thrust of the report seems to be how to get as much water as possible flowing down the Northern Basin of the Murray Darling. Our job will be to make sure that the recommendations are followed in full – no small task.
Reconnect our Rivers – Voices from the Basin
Parliament House Thursday 15 August from 1pm to 2.30pm
Join the Nannas and hear from graziers, Traditional Owners and community advocates, all united in their vision for a healthy and sustainable Darling/Baaka River system. RSVP here and Facebook Event here
Water for First Nations cultural purposes
There are allowances of water that can be taken up by Indigenous communities for cultural purposes but very few have applied, perhaps because of all the paper work. The definition of cultural purposes is narrow too.
Macquarie Marshes Campaign
The NSW Resources Regulator has withdrawn its approval for drilling for copper and gold in the Macquarie Marshes. This was a victory for local community campaigning supported by the environment movement.
But sadly the danger to the Marshes has not passed because the Regulator has invited the company to put in a more acceptable exploration plan. There is no acceptable plan to drill or mine in the Marshes so we need to be ready to defend them. The Nature Conservation Council Marshes calls on the government to protect the Marshes.
March for Creatures Great & Small on Sunday 1 September
Organisers of the Koala Foundation’s March for Creatures Great & Small in Canberra want an idea of numbers for the two buses going to and from Sydney in a day. Bus #1 leaves at 6.30am from Central and Bus #2 leaves from Mona Vale at 6.00am and picks up at Warringah at 6.30 am. They both leave to come back to Sydney at 2.30 pm. Register here
The idea of the march is to make it as beautiful and as eye-catching as possible. Our swift parrot and koala costumes will be worn and possibly new ones will be made at a workshop before the event. More details and videos here
The Australian Koala Foundation is advocating for a Koala Protection Act, a proposed piece of Federal legislation to protect a connected swathe of koala habitat up and down the eastern side of Australia.
Fix our Trade Agreements
Sydney Knitting Nannas and Friends have signed the Petition to the Trade Minister to stop foreign investors from suing the Australian government if a change in law or policy reduces their profits. The extraordinarily greedy mining magnate Clive Palmer has registered his company in Singapore in order to use international trade agreements to sue the Australian government for $110 billion. He is doing so because a court refused his company a coal mining permit for environmental reasons, including increased carbon emissions.
The government’s policy is to make sure no further trade agreements make such claims possible, and they have promised to review existing agreements. Now they need to act quickly on these commitments.
Nannas are reading
Forestry Commission Crimes proved. The NSW Land & Environment Court has fined the NSW Forestry Corporation $360,000 for failing to protect areas that were unburnt or lightly burnt in Yambulla State Forest after the 2019/20 bushfires, and that the logging of those areas was likely to have harmed several threatened species. (Nature Conservation Council) Nannas are watching to see if anyone is held to account for these crimes.
Dangerously overlooked: Why we need to talk about methane. Most people understand that carbon dioxide is the number one culprit when it comes to climate change. But there’s another harmful gas permeating our atmosphere and warming up our planet: methane. (Climate Council Report)
Nannas are listening to
The end of Twiggy Forrest’s hydrogen dream (7am podcast)
Forthcoming Events