An access road to the desalination project power and pipe line constuction works near Wonthaggi was blockaded on from 5 am on 20-10-10 to protest the following abuses of public rights by the Brumby Government -
Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org called in September for this years 350.org global actions on the 10/10/10 to be direct action focused. As far as I am aware the biggest action to occur in Australia on this day was the Hazelwood demo in Victoria. This action attended by 300 people did not contain any direct action component nor did any other actions around Australia on this day.
Approximately 300 climate activists have converged on Hazelwood Power Station in the Latrobe Valley in Victoria to demand its immediate shut down. The protest is one of the over 7000 thousand protests planned on the 10/10/10 to mark the annual 350.org protests. The protestors are planning to build a model of a solar power plant to symbolise how Hazelwood could be replaced to create a carbon neutral future.
For the latest photos see the Switch Off Hazelwood flickr Photostream | Takver's Replace Hazelwood Photostream | Climate Action Moreland | AYCC photostream | Youtube video: Shaun Murray on Replacing Hazelwood | Erecting the solar power tower | 'Switch off Hazelwood' Protest Rally - 10/10/10
To read updates from the day click here.
The Victorian Government officially finally launched on Friday the new East Gippsland National Park. Most significantly it contains the Goolengook Forest, an area where logging protestors maintained an inspiring five year blockade between 1997-2002. The government had announced the inclusion of Goolengook into national park four years ago, leading forest campaigners to accuse the government of "recycling" its announcements but acknowledged the new park was at least "a star". Jill Redwood from the Environment East Gippsland stated
The Victorian State Government has just announced grants for the community greenhouse programs for local community action on climate change. The O'Hea Biketown Project in North Coburg was used as the flagship for the launch of the program by Victorian Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings at CERES environmental park in Brunswick today.
Four protestors have been arrested this morning and charged with trespass on summons as they attempted to halt the bulldozing of a flora and fauna reserve to build the Peninsula Link Freeway in Frankston. Up to a hundred police converged on the site, forcibly removing around 30 protestors and arresting four.
Evgeny Morozov argues that Indymedia is no longer relevant today and "what looked novel in 1999 looks unnecessarily centralized and hierarchical today". He argues bloggers and citizen journalists can now tell their stories directly to "the live news sections of premier American and Europe TV stations" and they don't need any special equipment but cellphones and laptops, and they certainly don't need yet another platform for documenting what they see or what they think - they all have their own blogs and Twitter accounts, to post to." Has Indymedia outlived its usefulness or is it still a crucial central node "Within this 'networked hyper-individualist media environment" allowing co-ordination amidst an "increasingly fragmented audience."
Despite being a huge social issue, housing barely rated a mention during the federal election. With the Victorian State election looming, it is crucial that more is done to protect and to win back our housing rights. The campaign to end the public housing crisis being waged by the group "The City is Ours" is stepping up. A Public meeting is being held at 6:30pm Thursday 14th October, at Trades Hall in Carlton and a public rally has been called for November the 12th at Housing Minister Richard Wynne’s electoral office at 112 Smith St, Collingwood from 4.30pm.
Only 3 weeks to go till the International Day of Climate Action on Sunday, 10th October. Last year, this was the world's most widespread day of political action in history, and this year the protest at Hazelwood power station will be the lead Australian event for this day. Images and media from Hazelwood will therefore be seen around the world as this global day of action unfolds.
Gary Murray 14 September 2010
The Traditional Owner Settlement Bill 2010 (Vic) creates certainty for developers, land and water proponents and the State. The state legislative regimes further weaken native title and cultural heritage rights and interests through the surrendering and withdrawal of native title rights and in the destruction and salvage of cultural heritage.
1. Background
