Last week was all about threatened species. We were shocked to find out how many there are, and to learn that many have not been assessed recently. We hope the new Environment Minister, Murray Watts, is up for what needs to be done.
Wednesday 14 May – Bob Brown Foundation Forest Vigil
Protesters gathered outside the NSW Parliament for their weekly midday vigil while parliament sits. They are calling for an end to native forest logging, the urgent protection of koala habitat, and for the creation of the Great Koala National Park NOW. Three Nannas attended the rally which was more subdued than usual, as everyone was tired after the election and apprehensive about what to expect from the new federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt.
Endangered Species Day – Friday 16 May
The three highest ratings on the threatened species status scale are Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered. Sixty-seven species are now extinct and many more are endangered, mostly due to habitat loss. See: EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna
The following video was made by us for social media to create awareness about what we could lose.
Nannas and their friends Kylie the Koala and Gladys the Greater Glider sent a message to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at his office in Sydney on Endangered Species Day.
Election 2025
Queensland Senator Murray Watt is the new Environment Minister. Unfortunately, unlike the last Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, whose electoral office is conveniently located in Redfern, he is not so accessible to us.
Chris Bowen has retained the Ministry for Climate Change and Energy, and his electoral office is in Fairfield West.
Senator Larissa Waters from Queensland is the new Greens leader.
To pass legislation through the Senate (the house of review), the Labor government will have to rely on the support of the Greens or the Liberal Party.
Menindee Memorial Loop
Julie Paterson, from the Blue Mountains, started a project called the Menindee Memorial Loop after taking part in a show about the cultural and ecological damage inflicted on the Baaka-Darling River from neglect and maladministration. Everyone is invited to contribute to this beautiful project, which has grown. It’s been chosen as a finalist in the Dobell Drawing Prize!
Nannas are watching
OCEAN with David Attenborough is a new 1 hour 35 minute documentary now showing in Sydney cinemas. It’s a must-see according to Nannas who’ve seen it. See the Official Trailer
Cheek Media’s Hannah Ferguson speaks at the National Press Club. Twenty-six-year-old Hannah announces a run for the Senate as an Independent in 2028. Heartwarming to see young people being so articulate and smart!
Fighting for a Green Future, Episode 4, Waste Not – looks at how much we waste we make with our throwaway culture.
For all episodes of Fighting for a Green Future by the Total Environment Centre see here
Nannas are listening
Is a River Alive? – In the last decade, courts around the globe have granted legal personhood or explicit rights to rivers, largely driven by environmental activism. (David Marr ABC Late night Live)
Nannas are reading
Parkes residents oppose plans for $1.5b waste incinerator over health concerns (ABC News)
To the new environment minister, Murray Watt: it’s time to get reforms right (The Guardian)
Abi Daré wins the inaugural UK Climate fiction prize for her latest novel, And So I Roar, the follow-up to her bestselling debut The Girl with the Louding Voice (The Guardian)
Forthcoming Events