environment

Coomoora Woodland Flora and Fauna Reserve was a small oasis of biodiversity in an urban environment. Located in the City of Greater Dandenong in outer Melbourne, it was listed by the National Trust for it's local and regional environmental and heritage significance and provided an environmental refuge for remnant native bushland and wildlife. It was a place of tranquillity where people could reconnect with the natural environment, where school groups could study biology and ecology. But it's listing by the National Trust could not prevent it's destruction by Vicroads and the State Government to make way for the Dingley Arterial.

Friends of the Earth Brisbane have released our response on the AECOM Public Environment Report for Excercise Talisman Sabre 2011, the U.S.-Australian joint war games. TS11 is the biggest military operation outside of war and takes place in several places in Australia, including the Shoalwater Bay area in QLD, the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. The PER has no legal standing and is not an EIS. It is an elaborate greenwashing excercise for a toxic, dangerous and murderous industry: militarism.

Protests were held today in several centres across the country to mark BHP Billiton's AGM in Perth. In Melbourne, members of Friends of the Earth ACE collective and activists representing the Indigenous peoples of Latin America held banners outside the company headquarters in Lonsdale Street and distributed pamphlets setting out the case against it.

From 12th to 14th November, international activists will converge at Trades Hall in Melbourne to call for an end to the power of huge companies to exploit people and our planet.

“We will be building alliances and global resistance against the actions of Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold, Fonterra, Chiquita Brands International, Monsanto, Drummond, BP” said Rebecca Harrison from the Latin American Solidarity Network. “To protect the rights of workers, indigenous peoples and the environment we need to hold corporations accountable for their exploitative practices,” added Ms Harrison.