A video shows Nannas rushing a knitted river to intensive care, Nannas knit-in with Pacific Islanders, Victorian Nanna’s visit, craftivism opportunities and Pilliga gas update.
NSW Rivers
Nannas rushed a knitted representation of the Darling / Baaka river to intensive care at Sydney Hospital on 29 May. Our latest knitted puppet, Murray Cod, made his first appearance on the steps of the hospital, and explained why the river is so sick. He survived the massive fish kill on the river near Menindee in 2023 and gained great hope when Premier Chris Minns came with a promise to protect the rivers and stop the fish kills.
But now Murray is worried about the new water-sharing plans for the rivers in the northern basin that feed the Darling / Baaka – the Wambuul Macquarie, Namoi, Peel and Gwydir rivers.
The water-sharing plans are due to be gazetted on 1 July, but so far, the drafts shown to the community do not adopt the recommendations of the Expert Panel on the Connectivity Report provided to the government last year.
The report calls for better regulation of the NSW tributary rivers in the northern Murray Darling Basin, so they contribute more to the flow of the Darling / Baaka, which relies on its tributaries in Queensland and NSW for over 95% of its water. The problem is over-extraction: too many people are taking too much water out of the rivers.
To find out more, and to take action see the campaign by the Nature Conservation Council. Thanks to the River Yarners for the loan of the knitted river, and Nanna Elizabeth for creating Murray Cod.
NSW Methane Forum
Several Nannas attended the NSW Methane Forum at NSW Parliament House on 4 June to learn about methane emissions from coal mines and how to address them.
Presenters at the Forum agreed that methane emissions from fossil fuels are severely underreported and underregulated and constitute a serious threat to our climate targets.
Further information: Report by Lock the Gate
Knitting at Edmund Rice Centre in Balmain
Seven Nannas met with the Director, Alopi Latukefu, and the staff of the Edmund Rice Centre at Balmain on 5 June. Rose Parker, Project Officer on the Pacific Islands Fellowship Program, invited us to sit, knit and talk with their group. She told us what is happening in Tuvalu and with the Centre’s work in the Pacific.
We laid out examples of our craft, and they briefed us on the Centre’s refocus to more adequately represent the global nature of issues affecting humanity, social justice and the complexity of the barriers to addressing those issues. They will be using evidence-based advocacy at both the community level, including with communities in Western Sydney, and with government.
They have a program to provide six young community leaders from Tuvalu and Kiribati with contacts, skills, encouragement and experience in leadership, organisation and advocacy. The program includes workshops and visits to Tuvalu and Kiribati. The young leaders even held a kava ceremony with Pacific Friendship MPs at Parliament House in Canberra. One of the participants, Gitty Yee, made a short video ‘A Drowning Memory’, about the depth of loss being felt as a result of climate change.
Rose spoke of her meetings in Western Sydney and the struggles of the growing numbers of people arriving from Tuvalu on Pacific Engagement Visas. They face difficulties with visa processes, unfair employment and children’s services consistent with cultural norms.
The Nannas in turn spoke about our history and structure and on-going ways of communicating our message. We discussed how the two organisations may be able to co-operate on issues, and welcomed ongoing contact.
We discussed the possibility of:
- including each other in mail outs and invitations
- the possible use of meeting rooms at the Edmund Rice offices
- our involvement in the women’s groups in Sydney’s Western Suburbs, around craft.
We thanked them for inviting us and sharing the discussion and gave them three of our hand-made face washers in acknowledgement.
Craftivism
Twelve Nannas met for a chatty Crafternoon on 31 May, eating cake and other nibbles and talking craft ideas.
The craft group is working on several ideas including a tree costume and pictorial representations of forest destruction, coal and gas, and dying rivers compared to what we want for the forests, energy, rivers and wetlands.
Julie Paterson exhibiting at the National Art School, Sydney
Julie Paterson’s work, Menindee Memorial Loop, is on display until 21 June at the National Art School (NAS) in Darlinghurst as part of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize exhibition. To contribute to her work, all you need to do is stitch 100 small crosses onto a small piece of cotton and send to her. Details are on her website. The finished piece will form a ‘river’, with the cross stitches representing fish kill.
Julie is planning on being at NAS on Friday 13 June at 1pm for a small stitch-in and is welcoming others to join her.
She is starting a new large-scale artwork based on coral bleaching. She will be in Sydney during the week of 17 June at the Tiliqua Tiliqua Gallery in Enmore, where she’ll be making a large artwork in situ, and then will cut it up into pieces for people to help her stitch it back together. It’s called a Repairable Landscape. Nannas and others can join her in stitching this piece, too. She’ll be doing this cut-up-and-repair job on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 June.
Sydney Nannas welcome Victorian Nanna at Customs House
Kirsty McIntyre came to the Sydney Nannas’ meeting at Customs House on 6 June. In January, Kirsty started the Mount Alexander Knitting Nannas loop in Castlemaine in Victoria.
Kirsty became involved as her daughter, a longtime environmentalist, encouraged her to attend the Rising Tide Blockade in Newcastle. She said, “So many of the activists there are old people like you!!!”
Kirsty returned to Castlemaine inspired to get involved in the environmental movement. Since then, around 25 Mount Alexander Knitting Nannas have met once a month with tea and cake. They put posters up everywhere, post on social media, get publicity, and Kirsty has shown documentary screenings in her home.
Many don’t see themselves as political, but Kirsty is building connections through social sessions, crafternoons and singing. They’re loving all the Sydney Nanna resources!!
Kirsty is doing most of the organizing, and is trying to get guest speakers, for example, from the local Wombat Rescue. She even got a grant of $3,000 to get t-shirts made.
The Sydney Nannas are VERY impressed with what Kirsty has achieved in such a short time.
Narrabri Gas Project
Community action group the Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA), represented by Environmental Justice Australia, is challenging the federal government’s decision not to apply key water protections to the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline – a proposed 50km gas pipeline enabling Santos’ 850-well coal seam gas development near Narrabri and the Pilliga Forest. More info here.
The first court appearance may be six months away with a decision in a year.
The Port Kembla gas import terminal is complete, and gas can be imported by 2027. AEMO predicts a shortfall on the east coast in 2028. Gas can come from Australian gas fields or from Qatar to this import terminal.
Gas demand and therefore costs peak in winter. Being located in the southern hemisphere, Australia’s winter peak does not overlap with high demand in Europe and Asia during the northern hemisphere winter.
It is very unlikely that Santos Narrabri Gas can come online before the 2028 winter because
- 5-7km of the Hunter Lateral pipeline from the Hunter Gas Pipeline at Millers Forest to Hexham is a modification of Jemena’s existing infrastructure. Documents still need to be prepared so it can go through the government assessment process.
- The Hunter Gas Pipeline has been creeping along with NSW government approvals for low impact work, while the federal governments reconsiders if it needs to go for further assessment, given it was approved many years ago.
- The Pilliga Lateral Pipeline links the Narrabri Gas Project to the Hunter Gas Pipeline. Documents still need to be prepared so it can go through the government assessment process.
- The Gomeroi people have until 16 June to appeal the Native Title Decision on an error of law. Suellyn Tighe says, “Now is the time to step up the fight and we need you all to join us.” (Indigenous X)
Maitland Council were informed by the community that 125 of their property owners would be affected by the Hunter Gas Pipeline. They had not been advised by Santos or the government.
When Santos wanted to contribute $500,000 to the Hunter flood victims’ recovery, they refused to take their money because Santos is part of the problem.
United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), Nice, France
The UN Ocean Conference draft declaration is being criticised by Greenpeace International for failing to address the ocean crisis with pitifully weak language on deep-sea mining, lack of urgency on the ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty, and more. (Greenpeace)
Australia and Cape Verde, Africa are co-facilitators of this conference to be held June 9-13. Australia’s UN Ambassador, James Larsen, will represent Australia. Environment Minister, Murray Watt, has confirmed that the government will introduce legislation later this year to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty.
Nannas are reading
Israel is preparing to deport Gaza aid boat activists, including Greta Thunberg (The Guardian)
Natural disasters cost Australia’s economy $2.2bn in first half of 2025, new Treasury analysis shows (The Guardian)
North West Shelf gas extension will deliver ‘almost nothing’ to Australia’s public purse (The Guardian)
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