Although the Rising Tide Blockade was Nannas’ focus last month, there was plenty of other news from the loops to share at our monthly online catchup.
Hunter
The Hunter Knitting Nannas are resting after a huge effort at Rising Tide’s Blockade. They welcomed all the Nannas from out of town and gave out lots of free hats and sunscreen during the heat wave and high winds. They were there to the end – helping to pack things away and clean up the parklands.
Daily summaries of Rising Tide events are on the Sydney Knitting Nanna website.
Hunter Nannas supported small landholders impacted by the Hunter Gas Pipeline at Maitland Community Market on 7 December. They joined Maitland Greens and Hunter Gas Landholder Rights Alliance in handing out factual information on the Hunter Gas Pipeline.
Hunter Nannas met with their Federal MP, Dan Repacholli, on 10 December. It was a wide ranging and, at times, frustrating meeting. We hope that the standards and resources for the EPBC act to be established next year will be strong enough for this legislation to become an effective guardian of our precious environment.
Along with Lock the Gate, Hunter Nannas are building a huge swift parrot – the symbol of community resistance to the Maules Creek Mine expansion on Gomeroi Country near Narrabri.
Sunday 11 January is the community launch day for the Big Swiftie Build from 10am to 12.30pm.
Narrabri gas and pipelines
Nannas and Gomeroi friends are very disappointed in the decision taken at the Gomeroi Nation Native Title meeting last weekend. The vote went Santos’ way by a slim majority, and there is now an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) for both the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline and Hunter Gas Pipeline.
Some blame NTSCorp, an organisation supposedly established to support Traditional Owners during native title negotiations. The Gomeroi people had been promised money and were gagged as part of the agreement, but many will continue the fight against Santos’ costly, destructive project. Knitting Nannas will be listening for ways we can support their continued resistance to Santos.
Santos is pressuring landholders along the pipeline route, offering as much as $30,000 for permission to enter land to “just to do a survey”.
Our next step
There’s something we can all do right now as residents of NSW – write a submission objecting to the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline through the NSW Planning portal. The Planning Department is only accepting submissions through the portal, we think it’s perhaps because AI powered bots can cause chaos with emails. Submissions can be just two paragraphs long if you are short of time. Please encourage your friends to write one too. A high number of objections will make it clear to the NSW government that there is strong community opposition to a high-pressure gas pipeline through the Pilliga. We have until 18 December to lodge submissions.
Information on making a submission and submission guides are here.
We await the Albanese government’s announcement about its gas reservation plan, promised before the end of the year. An east-coast gas shortage is predicted because Santos oversold their gas on contracts. Bass Strait supplies were meant to last the east coast for 200 years, but Santos sold them to fulfill their overseas contracts.
Meanwhile Twiggy Forrest’s Squadron Energy has completed a gas import terminal in Port Kembla, and it’s expected to accept imported gas early in the new year. (Energy News Bulletin)
Coffs Harbour
Blueberries: Knitting Nannas in Coffs Harbour are very concerned about the dangers of blueberries as they are currently being produced in their area. Nannas sit and knit outside the office of Gurmesh Singh, their NSW MP and the leader of the National Party. He is a key person in pushing blueberry production in the area.
The industry is not monitored, and Nannas are alarmed by the use of pesticides that are banned in the EU – dimethoate, omethoate and chlorpyrifos. These chemicals are all nerve disruptors and systemic in their action. They are particularly toxic for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. The chemicals are also being found in oysters in Nambucca and in water in Hearnes Lake.
Nannas advice: Don’t eat ‘em unless they are guaranteed organic.
Coffs Nannas finished off their year of action with a knit-in outside Gurmesh Singh’s office. Led by charismatic choir conductor, Nanna Jill, Coffs Nannas had a bit of non fossil fuel foolishness on 12 December. Now they just need some political lyrics. But hey it’s the season.
https://www.facebook.com/100001251387495/videos/pcb.3076796639168479/2567594070294089
Five Nannas went into Gurmesh’s office to outline our concerns mostly about the climate catastrophe. Sadly, he’s not a listener but he’s very good at deflecting. His fundamental position is that Australia’s contribution to climate change amounts to no more than a hill of beans and, even more worryingly, the bad guys are China, India, and the USA and there’s no point in us doing anything while they are the major emitters. And of course blueberries are not a problem. It’s all the usual National’s codswallop that papers over the issues.
It was heartening to read that the EPA are to undertake chemical analysis and testing for 150 substances from several sampling sites. We can thank Cate Faehrmann from the Greens for her exceptional work bringing the blueberry issue to the forefront in NSW and essentially cornering the Minns government and the EPA. Nannas will be watching closely.
Lismore
On a swelteringly hot day in between storms, floods and fires, Knitting Nannas took to the streets in Kevin Hogan MPs’ electorate on 27 November. They received lots of support from passers-by, residents and visitors travelling through. But there was no sign of the local MP. But no matter, his party has zero to contribute, that much is clear. A lovely barista came out of the nearby coffee shop to thank the Nannas for what they were doing and handed out free coffee cards for next time.
Nanna Robin was sent off with hats, life jackets and rashies for the kiddies. all collected by the Lismore Nannas to give out at the Rising Tide Blockade in Newcastle.
Lismore Nannas will be back on the streets in 2026.