Last week three coal mine approvals and a young woman handing herself in to police had some Nannas in tears.
It wasn’t all bad – feelings of outrage and betrayal about the federal government’s approval of three mines sparked instant actions in Sydney and Melbourne. Even the mainstream media sat up and took notice of Tanya Plibersek’s decision to approve the three mines – there was even coverage of the community outrage about the decision.
It was a hard week for us but good for building unity. And the government plot to minimise the outcry by announcing their decision during football finals and school breakup was a failure.
Now for keeping up the momentum!
Snap Actions – 3 coal approvals
At close of business on Tuesday 24 September, Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek approved three massive coal expansions.
The three coal projects will have combined emissions of 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon pollution – that is more than three times Australia’s total annual emissions.
By 9pm Tuesday evening Snap Actions had been organised for the following day.
Coal Train Arrests
On Wednesday morning, nine Rising Tide members, aged between 19 and 68, stopped a coal train in Muloobinba/ Newcastle on its way to the coal port. They climbed onto the top of the train and made videos for social media about why new coal projects must be stopped. The protest received good coverage in mainstream media as well.
They were arrested and held in police custody overnight. But their message was clear: it’s coal companies and our state and federal governments who are committing the real crimes.
All nine Rising Tide arrestees have been released on bail to appear in court on Thursday 10 October.
Snap Actions at Albanese and Plibersek’s offices
On Wednesday, heartbroken and disappointed activists gathered outside the Sydney offices of those responsible to share their grief and outrage.
Nannas joined the noisy gatherings wherever they could. Around 40 people attended the protest outside the Prime Minister’s electoral Office in Marrickville, and later many more gathered outside Minister Plibersek’s office in Redfern.
Short, sharp, and clear messages were delivered from representatives of many environmental groups. Lots of drivers honked their horns as they passed.
A highlight of the protest at Tanya Plibersek’s office was the sudden arrival of Alexa Stuart, a young activist from Newcastle. After blocking the coal train and escaping being taken into custody she came to Sydney with a bag of coal and a strong message for the Minister. After dumping the coal outside Plibersek’s office she spoke to the crowd.
“I am taking responsibility for my actions – that is what Albo and Tanya should be doing,” she said, speaking out for her generation.
Then she surrendered to the police, showing them video of her on the coal train. The police didn’t arrest her but they took her details and said they would forward them to Newcastle Police.
This action was on ABC 7 pm News and here’s an article ABC News
Congratulations to Move Beyond Coal for organising the protests so quickly and to Rising Tide for their splendid action.
Wollar Alive
Three Nannas did lots of dancing at Wollar Alive in the Mudgee region on Saturday 21 September. Wollar, a small village 316km northwest of Sydney, is surrounded by three huge coal mines owned by Glencore, Peabody and Yancoal.
On Sunday an information session and tour of the coal mines was conducted by local campaigners, including Bev Smiles and Julia Imrie. These are three of the four biggest coal mines in NSW. They want to expand and to continue working until 2060.
Yancoal’s Moolarben mine expansion will be assessed by the Independent Planning Commission in the coming months. If approved it would damage the Goulburn River, groundwater, koala habitat and significant Wiradjuri cultural sites including the Drip gorge, a popular tourist attraction.
Nannas enjoyed a walk on a track in the Goulburn River State Conservation Area to The Drip where rainwater trickles through the porous rock face and into the Goulburn River.
Nannas have been following the approval process for Moolarban but it is much, much worse than we thought. There will be a tunnel under the Goulburn River which flows through a State Conservation Area and a National Park. Huge longwall mines are planned to go under the National Park and The Drip, which is near the edge of the park. When the miners have finished and moved on, this part of the river will dry up.
Sydney Nannas support Mudgee District Environment Group in their efforts to save The Drip from rapidly expanding coal mines at Ulan.
Going to events where communities are directly impacted by mining is always a listening and learning experience for Nannas, and locals appreciate our interest in their research and activism.
We can’t afford Dutton’s toxic nuclear scheme
Nanna Tracey attended a small protest outside a venue where Opposition leader Peter Dutton was giving a speech on his plan for seven nuclear plants in Australia. The action was organised by Get Up! and Move Beyond Coal. Dutton has been widely criticised for spreading disinformation and pushing his nuclear plan without data on costs.
Nannas agree with the experts whose advice is that nuclear would be too slow, too expensive and too risky. It would also put the brakes on the transition to renewable energy and extend our use of fossil fuels for energy.
Manyana Matters
Last week the federal government approved Ozy Homes’ to develop 20 hectares at Manyana, one of the few NSW South Coast forests spared from the 2019/20 bushfires.
This Week Manyana Matters have been holding vigils each evening to support the community while behind the scenes they have been talking to experts, writing letters, making calls, working out what the decision means, and deciding on the next steps in the campaign to save the Manyana Special Conservation Reserve.
Nannas are watching
The Unions NSW committee fighting the Santos Pilliga project is organising a Picket the Pipeline convoy from Narrabri on Saturday 12 October with stops for rallies in Gunnedah and Singleton before a major demonstration in Newcastle on Sunday 13 October. NBN News
The First Wave – At the end of the hottest year in human history, a Rising Tide of 3,000 everyday people shut down the World’s Largest Coal port for an unprecedented 32 hours in Newcastle. (YouTube)
Raising Peace Festival recordings are here
Nannas are reading
In Slick, Royce Kurmelovs exposes just how long, and hard, the fossil fuel industry has worked to advance its interests. (The Conversation)
Forthcoming Events