Nannas were ‘difficult’ as usual last week! We watched NSW Budget Estimates in Parliament House and online, protested Minns’ anti-protest laws outside the federal court, and took part in a protest against the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.
NSW Budget Estimates
A bunch of difficult, if not impossible, women attended the NSW Budget Estimates hearings at Parliament House both in person and online last week, and we’ll be back again this week.
The Knitting Nannas were interested in the following portfolios last week:
Environment – Tuesday 24 – Minister Penny Sharpe was grilled by MLC Jacqui Munro about how to power data centres. Jacqui Munro is the youngest Liberal woman to be elected to the NSW Legislative Council, and the NSW Liberal Party’s first openly LGBTQI+ female parliamentarian.
Planning – Thursday 26 – Paul Scully – The Chair, Greens MLC Sue Higginson, asked about the approval process for the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline.
Kiersten Fishburn (Secretary, Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure): The previous Narrabri Gas Project was determined by the IPC [Independent Planning Commission], so we would anticipate that this project would also be determined by the IPC.
Kiersten Fishburn then provided clarification, the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline is Critical State Significant Infrastructure.
Mr Paul Scully Minister for Planning and Public Spaces: There you go. I will approve it.
Kiersten Fishburn: Yes, the Minister will approve it.
The Chair: You will approve it? Is that…
Mr Paul Scully: No, the assessment will come to me for the ultimate decision. Just to be clear, before anyone… This is not a Barack Obama aliens comment. It will be assessed. It will come to me as the consent authority.
What does this mean? The previous LNP government designated the pipeline Critical State Significant Infrastructure, and the Minns’ government supports that decision. It means that the pipeline will not be independently assessed, and there can be no merit appeals against the Minister’s decision. Keep this in mind next time you hear a politician say that a project approval was made ‘independently’ of government. There are many labels the government can stick on a project to avoid independent assessments: Critical State Significant Infrastructure is one, and there’s also project classifications like ‘continuation’, ‘extension’ or ‘consolidation’.
Police – Friday 27 – Yasmin Catley
We’re used to knitting under all conditions and just about anywhere, but this was hard going!
NSW Police Minister, Yasmin Catley, says Palestine protest organisers are ‘untruthful’ and responsible for police violence against innocent people.
Check out how the Minister tried to explain away the extreme police violence against peaceful protesters at Town Hall on 9 February.
Program and transcripts are available here.
Supreme Court constitutional challenge to protest laws
On Thursday 16 February, Sydney Knitting Nannas attended a protest outside the Supreme Court before the hearing of the constitutional challenge to NSW Premier Chris Minns’ anti-protest laws.
A coalition of community groups, including the Palestine Action Group, Blak Caucus and Jews Against the Occupation, are challenging the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Act (2025) introduced after the Bondi attack in December 2025. They are also seeking amendments to the Major Events Act (2009) which they believe contributed to violence at the 9 February Hertzog protest in Sydney.
The outcome of the case is not yet known. (The Guardian)
Anti-AUKUS protest
Sydney Knitting Nannas took part in the Anti-AUKUS protest at Garden Island on Saturday 21 February to call out the $400 billion waste of public funds going to the unstable and bellicose US alliance. Nannas believe nuclear submarines designed for war with China are not going to give us security in the Pacific. We need funds for homes, schools, hospitals and for tackling global heating.
Nanna Catherine was one of the speakers at the rally. She spoke powerfully about leaving a better legacy for our kids.
BBF forest vigil
Nanna Bron spoke at the Bob Brown Foundation Rally at Martin Place on Wednesday 25 February. She explained ways in which the Great Koala National Park boundaries need to be improved to meet the park’s conservation goals. Video by Brian Mahony of Coffs Harbour.
Visits to MP offices
Visiting local MPs offices does pay off. During February, local Nannas joined with friends from Lock the Gate for a Friday morning awareness raising in Marjorie O’Neill’s electorate of Coogee. A rally was not needed on 27 February as the MP has agreed to meet them in person in late March. They’ll be talking about protest laws, coal mine approvals, the cause of extreme weather events, which have put up the cost of insurance.
Grace Tame
When asked for one word to describe Grace Tame during a series of rapid-fire questions, the Prime Minister described her as ‘difficult’. One of Grace’s supporters on social media said ‘difficult’ is the misogynist’s code for a woman who won’t comply. History tends to call her ‘courageous’. (ABC News)
Love Letters to Nature
Australian Conservation Foundation is collecting love letters to the places that have always been there: the beaches, the bushland, the sunsets that stop you in your tracks. Write your love letter and vote for your favourites here.
Nannas are watching
The Whitehouse Effect – Warnings about climate change divide George H W Bush’s White House at a pivotal moment for the planet in this documentary told through archival footage (2025). Netflix
Nannas are reading
How to kill a battery – A spark of misinformation at a council meeting derailed a not-for-profit community battery project in Narrabri NSW. (ABC News)
Japan’s LNG resales set new records despite looming oversupply in global markets. Japanese resales were approximately 1.7 times the total volume of Japan’s direct gas imports from Australia, the country’s largest LNG supplier. (IEEFA)
The South Australian government’s agreement with Santos to supply gas for the Whyalla steelworks suggests it has bought into gas-industry claims that the only way to secure Australia’s steel sector is by replacing coal with gas. (IEEFA)
Santos’ decommissioning liability matches a quarter of its $22b value, but its disclosures to investors fared poorly against the latest accounting standards, according to an international survey. (Boiling Cold)
NSW government reveals net zero display home in North Wilton, a suburb in Southwest Sydney. (realestate.com.au)
Forthcoming Events