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Trials of the three remaining arrestees from the anti-G20 demonstrations in Melbourne 2006 will begin on June 30 at the Melbourne Magistrate's Court. We urge people to come to Melbourne to show their support and political solidarity to the arrestees.

These trials do not mark the first of such kind, but more importantly, they do not mark the last. We need to build a strong culture of providing meaningful political solidarity to those targeted by the state. 


About the trials

The Brisbane contingent of Saturday 13th's National Climate Emergency Rally numbered about 200 people.

People marched through the streets of the city under police escort chanting anti coal slogans.

Speakers included Greens rep Larissa Waters, Friends of the Earth's Six Degrees campaign spokesman John MacKenzie, Kirsten Kennedy from Pine Rivers Climate Action Network, Sandra Bayley from St Johns Wood Sustainability, Peter Simpson QLD Secretary, Electrical Trade Union.

Thousands of Australians have rescued Australia's top Green politician, Senator Bob Brown, from a legal bill that would have bankrupted him. He ran up the bill defending his native Tasmania's magnificent old growth forests against logging.

In a note of thanks for donations to court costs he said the action against him was "typical of the pressure tactics used by the native forest logging industry".

Here's the text of a round-robin email from him:

Dear Friend,

On June 13, 2009 thousands of people around Australia rallied for action on Climate Change, calling for 100% renewable energy by 2020 and demanding that Australia must make the shift from fossil fuels to wind, solar and other available renewable technologies. Rallies were held in capital cities around Australia, with people siting down outside Kevin Rudd's city office in Sydney and a sitdown protest in front of the Melbourne Town Hall where the Victorian State ALP conference was ocurring.


Perth Indymedia | Melbourne Photos, Takver's Photos, Melbourne Protests, Rally Video, Damien Lawson video | Sydney Report, Youtube Video | Brisbane Report

On Saturday afternoon a small group protested on the steps of Flinders Street Station that 'Scientology is a cult!'

No idea why but they must be pretty pissed off to go and spend all their afternoon standing around gathering signatures for a petition...

On the last Sunday of May, hundreds of Indian students and supporters gathered in front of the Royal Melbourne Hospital for a peace rally urging the Victorian Government to take action to stop violence against Indian students. The rally was called by the Federation of Indian Students Association (FISA), following another violent attack on Indian students on Friday night where 5 Indian men were injured, one man was left fighting for his life from stab wounds.

Thousands of Melbourne people rocked up to St Kilda Beach to be part of a Climate Change Human Sign near the St Kilda Sea Baths. The event was organised by Locals into Victoria's Environment and promoted by the Climate Emergency Network and is a call for politicians at all levels of Government to make the hard decisions by legislating to drastically reduce carbon emissions and negotiate meaningful international carbon reduction targets at the Copenhagen Conference of Parties in December 2009.

The Federal Government has been much criticised for its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in that too many free permits were handed out to business and targets were set far too low. In the budget handed down by the Rudd Labor Government the environment and climate change funding was relegated to second fiddle to economic recovery.

In Victoria the Brumby Labor Government is proceeding with a Desalination plant for Melbourne which will boost carbon emissions. Alternative water sources that are less costly and more environmentally friendly, such as stormwater harvesting, rainwater tanks and tertiary treatment and purification water recycling have been passed over in favour of a high tech, high cost and polluting solution.

Photo by Aerofoto

Eight people were arrested in a dramatic climate protest at Canberra during the 2009 Government budget session over the Government's inadequate response to climate change. So, how did the Environment fare in the budget?

"This is a historic level of Commonwealth investment in solar energy and public transport and we warmly welcome it. The money for solar gives a good kick start to this crucial industry of the future. In contrast, the $2 billion of new funds over nine years for carbon capture and storage research is public money not well spent. The companies that make huge profits from mining and burning coal should fund the research into technologies that may – or may not – help reduce Australia’s carbon emissions in ten, fifteen or twenty years." summed up Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) executive director Don Henry.