Last week Sydney Nannas joined Wiradjuri Traditional Owners outside the Federal Court, protested about Westpac funding fossil fuels, received an update on NSW coal, and made a Christmas video.
Regis Resources vs Environment Minister
Knitting Nannas supported Wiradyuri heritage protection at a hearing of the Federal Court last week. The case heard a challenge by Regis Resources to the decision by the federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt.
Last year the then Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, ordered that a toxic tailings dam at McPhillamys gold mine (owned by Regis Resources) be blocked under Section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. The tailings dam was proposed to be built at the headwaters of the Belubula River near Blayney in Central West NSW.
‘Belubula’ means two rivers, one above and one below ground. It is part of the Murray Darling Basin catchment and has great cultural significance for local Wiradyuri people. A tailings dam on the proposed site would block 26 springs feeding the river.
Nannas joined Wiradjuri Traditional Owners outside the Federal Court. Some went into the court, while others watched the live stream at home.
Justice James Stellios reserved his judgement at the end of the three-day hearing and will deliver it at a later date.
Section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 attempts to prevent areas of Indigenous Heritage from being ‘injured or desecrated’ by its use. The Act states an area will be deemed as such ‘if passage through or over, or entry upon, the area by any person occurs in a manner inconsistent with Aboriginal tradition.’
Federal Court hears bid from Regis Resources to overturn protection order that stopped McPhillamys Gold Mine (ABC News)
Court hears Dreaming story not ‘trump card’ to halt Regis Resources’ McPhillamys Gold Project (ABC News)
Westpac AGM
On 11 December Knitting Nannas joined Market Forces, XR Drum Rebellion and people of faith to tell Westpac to stop funding fossil fuels. Westpac is the worst bank for funding new fossil fuel projects. Information on Westpac’s loans to fund the fossil fuel industry globally – $7.9 billion since 2016. The Bank continues to finance big polluters Woodside, Santos and BP.
Image: John Kelly
Nannas Christmas video
Sydney Knitting Nannas made our Christmas video in the city on Friday – Christmas shoppers stopped to watch the Nanna chaos and pantomime and took lots of photos. Watch out for the video closer to Christmas on the website and on our social media.
When practicing our Christmas song, choir director Nanna Penny told us, “Remember to sing in tune. If you can’t sing the high notes, bring the volume down and put your little girl voice on.” We try!
Rising Tide footnotes
You’ll be pleased to hear Nanna Jules got her father’s dinghy back and was not fined. Full story here
Coal
Coal Mine Emissions Spotlight Report by the Net Zero Commission was released on 12 December. The report is clear that coal mine expansions are inconsistent with NSW legislated emissions reduction targets, and with the Paris Agreement.
Following the release of the report Lock the Gate called publicly for a halt to all decisions on coal mining projects in NSW until the findings of the Commission are implemented. They point out that the Minns government has approved eight coal expansions since coming to office and there are a further 18 currently proposed by the coal industry.
For more information about this important report and the responses to it see this Guardian report.
Lock the Gate online update on NSW coal mining
Nannas attended this event starting with an introduction to coal mining in NSW – 35 coal mines are currently operating and 70% of NSW coal is exported. Hence the NSW government is not on track to meet its legislated emissions targets.
Moolarben Coal Mine – currently approved until 2038.
- The next expansion is an open cut pit which will clear a massive amount of habitat – koala, regent honeyeater, broad-headed snake, eastern cave and large-eared pied bats,
<white box – yellow box – blakeley’s red gum grassy box woodland, derived native grassland>, and more – this cannot be replaced with biodiversity offsets as proposed by the mine. - It will have a predicted groundwater drawdown of 2-6m – the impacts of which could last more than 25 years after mining is finished.
- An additional 72 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions will be produced.
- 79 Wiradjuri cultural sites exist within the OC3 Expansion area (not to mention the impact on the landscape as a whole).
Moolarben Call to Action
- Write a submission to the Independent Planning Commission in Jan or Feb 2026
- Watch and share the 20-minute documentary – <Voices For The Valley> or host a community screening.
- Support the campaign by <purchasing a t-shirt> (they’re on sale now), designed by a Mudgee artist.
Whitehaven Maules Creek Continuation Project
- Locals are already struggling with dust and air pollution. The existing mine already uses a lot more water than anticipated. <Whitehaven has a history> of stealing water and other environmental breaches.
If approved:
- the next phase is an expansion but is being spun as a continuation project
- it doesn’t begin until 2034 (this is called approvals banking), and this mine has already exceeded its original plans
- all coal out of this mine is exported
- this expansion project will include opaque pipelines (which allows them to shift water and other things without anyone knowing about it or being able to see it).
- it will be the third largest new emitter in NSW.
- it will remove 50,000 swift parrot feed trees, with 46% of the Leard Forest cleared. Part of the campaign is focusing on the swift parrot (there are only about 500 left in Australia).
Maules Creek Call to Action
- On 11 January in Newcastle there will be the launch of the <Big Swiftie Build> to create a giant swift parrot which will raise awareness of their flight paths across the regions.
- The best chance of stopping this expansion project is when it comes before the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) in 2026.
Hunter Valley Operations (HVO)
- HVO proposes to mine 429 million tonnes of both thermal and metallurgical coals for export and extend operations for 20 years.
- It will release 809 million tonnes of lifecycle GHG pollution to 2045 (equivalent to 7 years’ worth of emissions from NSW).
- It will go to the IPC in mid-2026.
Mt Pleasant
- The Mt Pleasant Optimisation Project proposal extends the mine to 2048 and will double coal production to 21 million tonnes/year.
- MACH Energy has been granted leave to appeal the decision in the NSW Appeals Court that overturned NSW planning authorities’ approval of the Mt Pleasant mine. The High Court case next year will be the first time <a climate case is heard in the high court>.
HVO and Mt Pleasant Call to Action:
Nannas are watching
VIDEO: How a ‘broken’ domestic gas system is contributing to high gas and electricity prices. Lead analyst for Australian gas at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Josh Runciman, says there are a couple of factors that have contributed to the shortage of domestic gas in Australia. The key factor is the start of the LNG export industry. Thank Santos. He explains what’s gone on to get us to this point and also advocates strongly for only one of the two options the government is considering to make sufficient gas available for the domestic market. The recent history of gas in Australia shows clearly that new gas supply does not fix the problem of high prices. (ABC The Business) All this in 4 mins 54 secs!
Webinar by the NT Environment Centre on offshore carbon dumping: ‘Don’t Dump on the NT’. Content warning: this is a horror story.
The Sunday Shot has some short reviews of 2025 by a few people we like – it’s after the usual program which is ok too.
Nannas are reading
Courage needed on gas policy – Ed Husic (The Saturday Paper)
It’s two years since we were told ‘the age of fossil fuels will end’. When will Australia get prepared for what’s coming? (The Guardian)
Polling reveals little appetite for new gasfields, strong support for export intervention (Lock the Gate)
Victorian government’s gas exploration plans in Gippsland and the Otways anger environmental groups (ABC News)
Court awards $54,000 to protester for Victoria Police’s use of capsicum spray (ABC News)
Forthcoming Events