Last week: Nannas walked across the Harbour Bridge on a rainy, windy day with Koala Man. We attended the Rising Tide Action Camp and kept watch at the NSW Budget Estimates Hearings.
Walk Across the Harbour Bridge with Koala Man
On 20 August many Nannas joined Koala Man, Peter Elzer, for the final stretch of his long walk from Coffs Harbour. He spent a month walking to Sydney to publicise the plight of koalas and other native wildlife in the forests around Coffs, which should by now be part of the promised Great Koala National Park.
We joined Peter, a seventy-year-old grandfather, for the walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to parliament house. Bob Brown Foundation activists, a few big koalas and a swift parrot walked with us through the pouring rain and windy conditions to Circular Quay. We stopped there for some chanting and singing: “Hey Chris Minns, where’s our koala park? Stop logging our native forests and save precious habitat!”. We were pleased when some of the onlookers joined in.
Peter had a letter to deliver to Chris Minns but security at parliament house wouldn’t let him in.
The walkers relax after a very wet walk.
Rising Tide Sydney Action Camp
Rising Tide’s Sydney Action Camp built links between climate activists, First Nations people, workers and the peace movement at Addison Road, Marrickville on Augst 15-18.
Sydney Knitting Nannas were among several hundred people who attended the two-day event to build a “powerful, non-violent movement to stop coal and gas corporations from destroying our planet”.
Rising Tide aims to
- cancel all new coal and gas projects,
- tax fossil fuel export profits at 78% to fund community and industrial transition, and pay for climate loss and damage,
- end all coal exports from Newcastle, the world’s largest coal port, by 2030.
The focus was bringing together people who support these goals to get to know one another and share information and skills. Sessions included building alliances with the trade unions, using our stories in conversations, planning direct actions and knowing our rights.
Nic Clyde from Lock the Gate and Tim Buckley from Climate Energy Finance gave briefings on the national and international coal industry.
Paul Towney, a Wiradjuri elder, held a session on his campaign for Wiradjuri sovereignty. He occupied vacant land that had been gifted to Charles Sturt University in Orange. He was arrested for “trespass” on the Wiradjuri land when he refused to leave. He will appear in Orange court on 9 September.
On August 18, Rising Tide held a chalk-up protest outside NSW parliament leaving colourful messages for pollies: “No to Genocide, Yes to Protest”.
Registrations for The People’s Blockade from 27 November to 2 December are now open. If you’re going now is a good time to book accommodation.
NSW Budget Estimates
Nannas have continued to attend Budget Estimates both online and in person.
Coal – Nannas dropped a few stitches when out of the blue the Premier Chris Minns said, in a discussion about feral species control, that our largest export is still black coal and that exports last year were between $40 billion and $50 billion mainly to the Asian market. He added that “those countries will continue to buy it and there’s a future for those jobs. I accept that. But they’ve all indicated to us, over different time horizons in different ways, that they’ll be buying less of it in the future to the point where they don’t buy any of it at all.”
Nannas were surprised to hear this admission from the leader of a government that has approved coal mine expansions and is allowing 18 more projects to proceed through the planning system. Especially when some of the expansion projects wouldn’t start until 2035.
Hunting – Robert Borsak of the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party questioned the Premier about his Party’s promotion of recreational hunting on state owned and private forests. He described recreational shooters as “volunteer conservation hunters” who should be recognised as part of the solution to feral pests. He said that these shooters killed 1.6 million feral pigs in 12 months on private and public land, which Minns seemed to be visibly impressed by.
Minns also said we need “all hands on deck” in terms of invasive species control, especially in view of declining coal exports, to protect our agricultural industry – but no mention of protecting native species and biodiversity.
The Shooters Party’s Game and Feral Animal Legislation Amendment (Conservation Hunting) Bill 2025 would create a new ‘Conservation Hunting Authority’ – a publicly funded propaganda arm of the gun lobby that will enshrine a so-called ‘right to hunt’, and to promote recreational hunting over genuine conservation programs.
Schedule 4.2 amends the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 to provide that conservation hunting may be considered a genuine reason for the Commissioner of Police to issue a permit for the possession and use of a prohibited weapon.
The Invasive Species Council’s representatives have given evidence against the Bill, following their written submission.
Forestry – The Chair, Jeremy Buckingham, asked the Premier, “since your Government came to office, Forestry Corporation, a State-owned company, has had cumulative losses from its native forest hardwood logging divisions of $59 million. It has been prosecuted multiple times, including having a senior judge describe the corporation as having “a significant history of unlawfully carrying out operations”. It’s also been fined $1 million for environmental breaches, and as of today the EPA has 10 open investigations into potential breaches of logging and environmental rules. Are these ongoing financial losses and the history of illegal logging operations acceptable to you?”
“Well, no,” said Chris Minns. “Breaches of EPA guidelines or the laws are not acceptable, and we need to make sure that when it comes to government agencies in particular that they follow the law, and I accept those judgements.”
In part of a response to who is accountable Minns said, “The Government is, in the not-too-distant future, about to make a major decision in relation to the Great Koala National Park, and we believe that will address in some respects the significant challenges associated with hardwood plantation production in the State.
Future Sessions of interest to Nannas
Thu 28/8 Attorney General (Daley)
Fri 29/8 Climate Change, Energy, Environment (Sharpe)
Mon 1/9 Agriculture, Regional NSW (Moriarty) Renewables
Tue 2/9 …. Natural Resources (Houssos)
Wed 3/9 Police, Counter Terrorism and The Hunter (Catley)
Here is the link to the hearings and transcripts available the next day. Scroll down to find sessions of interest then search for key words and MP.
Senate Committee into Climate mis/disinformation
Further information on the Senate committee on climate change and energy misinformation is here. There has been so much mis/disinformation around it is overwhelming, making it hard to start a submission. We suggest you start with the issue you are most passionate about, search for links to lies and evidence to the contrary, then lodge a submission before September 12.
Nannas are reading
Selling out or selling up? The battle for Santos takes a twist (ABC News)
Green legal push for Santos decommissioning guarantee (Boiling Cold)
Federal Court knocks back doctors’ challenge to Woodside gas project’s environmental approval (ABC News)
Risks of climate crisis to Australia’s economy and environment are ‘intense and scary’, unreleased government report says. Sources say delayed risk assessment includes modelling of effects of climate crisis in ways that have been little discussed in political debate so far. (The Guardian)
NSW Coal exports- what sort of coal, and what do we get out of it? (The Australia Institute)
[Nannas were prompted to read this article from November 2024 after the Premier said in Budget Estimates that there will be falling demand for NSW coal exports.]
Forthcoming Events