The campaign against Pilliga Narrabri Gas revs up, Labor disappoints Nannas yet again, UN Special Rapporteur steps in, Forest Roadshow in Sydney, Lendlease Chairman hands out a Caramello Koala.
Santos Pilliga/Narrabri/ gas and pipelines
Unions NSW campaign
A report We Stand with Gomeroi: Trade Unions oppose the Santos’ Pilliga Narrabri Gas Project was launched by Unions NSW on the roof of NSW Parliament House on 18 November.
Two Sydney Nannas and two Hunter Nannas joined the union members, crossbench MPs and Lock the Gate representatives at the launch. The speakers included Gomeroi activists, Suellyn Tighe and Raymond “Bubbly” Weatherall, who have been fighting for years to stop Santos’ destructive and unnecessary Pilliga Narrabri Gas Project.
The coal seam gas project poses unacceptable risks to Gomeroi country, including the Great Artesian Basin, the beautiful Pilliga Forest and prime agricultural land. It would also unleash 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon during a climate emergency.
Court appeal: Gomeroi People vs Santos
An appeal in Brisbane to a decision by the National Native Title Tribunal was meant to be heard starting 25 November. Earlier this year the Tribunal ruled against Gamilaraay/Gomeroi peoples and granted Santos permission to drill gas wells in the heart of Gomeroi Country. But five days before the appeal Justice Natalie Charlesworth removed herself from the case after her connections to Santos were confirmed.
Submission writing at Rising Tide
Sydney Nannas will have a stall at Rising Tide in Newcastle, where you can take time out from the Protestival to write a submission with our help. The Narrabri Lateral Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) went on public exhibition on 20 November and closes on 18 December. This pipeline connects the Narrabri Gas Project to the Hunter Gas Pipeline. Submission Guide here
Fighting off coal seam gas in NSW is how the Knitting Nannas started in 2012. We had seen what happened in Queensland! The Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga is the only project left in NSW and the Lateral Pipeline is the last approval it needs. If this project goes ahead, coal seam gas extraction will spread to the very fertile Liverpool Plains.
Watch how quickly this Queensland state forest and surrounding farmlands became a gas field. We cannot allow this to happen to the Pilliga State Forest. https://x.com/i/status/1629790871901306880
Labor’s Environment Protection Reform Bill
The Albanese government could do a dirty deal with the Coalition this week to pass the Environmental Protection Reform bill, dragging our environmental laws backwards.
The Coalition looks set to help Labor rush through new nature laws, providing they water down environmental protections by changing:
- the powers of Labor’s proposed Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
- the requirement for large projects to disclose projected emissions upfront
- the threat of ‘excessive’ financial penalties for breaches of nature laws
- ‘stop-work’ orders that could halt projects
- a new definition of ‘unacceptable impact’ on the environment
- a ‘net gain’ test that is supposed to force developers to make up for damage and deliver an overall benefit for the environment.
The Greens’ want Labor to include new protection for native forests, measures to consider the climate impact of projects and to not devolve power over water resources to the states and territories.
Everyone is encouraged to ring up their federal government MPs and Senators to voice opposition to the bill being debated until after the inquiry report by the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications is released. They are accepting submissions until 5 December on the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 and six related bills.
Coalition to help Labor rush through new nature laws if environmental protections are dropped. (The Guardian)
Meeting at Tanya Plibersek’s office
Sydney Nannas met with staff member, Kerry Hackett, at Tanya Plibersek’s office to deliver a message about the Environment Protection Reform Bill. Ms Hackett gave us plenty of time to put our case and to ask questions. She took notes and agreed to pass on our concerns on to Ms Plibersek, along with a reference document from Environmental Justice Australia.
Meeting Murray Watt on environmental law reform
Barton constituents, Nanna Louise and Truc from Voices for Power attended a meeting organised by the Member for Barton, Ash Ambihaipahar, to meet Murray Watt. It was a small gathering of local residents and Louise and Truc were able to ask the Minister questions about his reform bill. Sadly, he did not seem inclined to strengthen the bill so it would protect nature.
UN Special Rapporteur steps in
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment has made an unprecedented bid to join an Australian climate court case as an amicus curiae, a ‘friend to the court’.
The Australian Conservation Foundation’s challenge to the North West Shelf gas project expansion will be heard on 21-24 July 2026. A decision will be made before the hearing as to whether the Rapporteur is granted leave to assist the court on points of law or not.
Environmental Justice Australia gives an overview of three legal challenges to the project.
Bob Brown Foundation (BBF) Events
Forest Roadshow
A delegation of Nannas and friends attended the BBF Forest Roadshow at Addi Road, Marrickville on 16 November. This spring, the BBF Forest Roadshow is travelling along the East Coast for a series of events to connect with their supporters, to share skills, and build momentum towards ending native forest logging.
Nannas heard from experts about the amazing resilience of forests when they are allowed to stand and mature. We signed up to join the nationwide March in March For Forests 2026, and also to go on glider-spotting excursions and to write to politicians.
BBF Forest Vigil
Nanna Bron, aka the swift parrot, joined other Nannas and BBF activists opposite NSW Parliament House, on 19 November. Now there’s a moratorium on logging in the Great Koala National Park, the current campaign is to end native forest logging across NSW to protect endangered species and ecosystems.
Lendlease AGM
The Lendlease AGM on Friday 14 November provided a chance for Save Sydney’s Koalas (SSK) to ask questions about the threats south-west Sydney koalas are facing from Lendlease residential developments.
Diana Pryde, Secretary of SSK, asked whether Lendlease would still be handing over land to the George’s River Koala Reserve. She was told that the land at Glen Lorne and 28 hectares at Browns Bush will be donated to the Reserve.
Her second question was about two koala underpasses on Appin Road. These are urgently needed because the survival of the Campbelltown Koalas depends on their ability to disperse and access their biobanks west of Appin Road. The response was “it’s all sorted”. What that means remains to be seen.
After the meeting Diana was talking to a Lendlease staff member when the Chairman, John Gillam, came up to speak to her. In a breathtaking display of Lendlease’s dismissive attitude to the vital issue of koala protection on their properties, he handed her a Caramello koala saying, “I think Diana deserves one of these, doesn’t she?”
News in Brief
COP Belém Brazil is over. Australia will not host COP 31. In Brazil countries agreed to scale up climate finance and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement – but without a clear commitment to move away from fossil fuels. COP30 UN News Special Coverage
Outside MP Jo Haylen’s office, Nanna Jackie is worried that local homeowners will soon find they can’t continue to insure their homes. Insurance premiums in Sydney’s Inner West have increased by 69% since 2020 and hundreds of houses in the area are at risk of becoming uninsurable this year. The insurance industry knows the real cost of climate change, and they are doing the sums. It’s time for the Minns government, including Jo Halen, to understand that their coal expansions are driving up the cost of living. Lock the Gate has arranged to meet with Jo Halen in the new year to talk coal, climate and cost of living.
Redbank Power Station – The Independent Planning Commission’s decision to refuse the application for the power station’s conversion and restart, using up to 700,000 dry tonnes of biomass per year as a fuel source is now under appeal in the Land and Environment Court. A formal notice of the Court appeal is linked here, including detail on the rights of objectors to be heard on the appeal.
World Children’s Day was on 20 November. The Knitting Nanna mandate is to save the land, air, and water for the kiddies! This World Children’s Day, we were thinking more than ever about the future of our children – we demand justice for them.
Nannas are reading
“The wheels fell off:” Farmer tells Senate how misinformation killed a community battery project – Sally Hunter tells her story to Renew Economy
Water is under pressure in the Great Artesian Basin (ABC News)
The fish bowl: how Murdoch media and mining billions strangled Australia’s climate future (Urban Wronski)
‘A national humiliation’: Australia at bottom of new renewables ranking (Pearls and Irritations)
Climate Risk Index 2026 – Australia ranked 55th out of 174 most affected countries in 2024, Papua New Guinea is 4th, Philippines 7th and Vietnam 10th (German Watch)
Forthcoming Events