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please help with a fast and furious EPA action

January 26, 2025

Hi FOE members and friends.
Remember how upset you were last year when the Environmental Protection Agency amendments for Environmental Standards were not voted on in Parliament?
We need you to use that energy for good and put pressure on Labor MPs and Senators to pass these environmental amendments in the February sitting of Parliament (weeks starting 3/2 and 10/2).
The Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) have mobilised their members to make calls to MPs and Senators next week. LEAN are inviting the environmental movement community to call their Labor MPs and Labor Senators as well, to show the widespread community support for the EPA amendments. We need to make the calls between 9am and 5pm Tuesday 28/1 to Friday 31/1.
Please take up this invitation to take this strong action for the environment. If you have a Labor MP, please make 5 calls to both them and the four SA Labor Senators. If you don’t have a Labor MP, please make 4 calls to each of the 4 Labor Senators.
If you chose to call and speak to the politician’s staffer, please be polite but clear about why you want the parliamentarian to take action. Each call should take less than 5 minutes, but is a powerful way you can let MPs and Senators know that their constituents are watching.
Phone numbers are below, and a suggested script is attached..
Please feel free to contact me if you need more information on 0423 219 096. It would be good if you could send me a quick email to let me know who you have called and what they have said.
Thanks for your support!
regards
Robyn Wood
0423 219 096

Steve Georganas

MP Adelaide

(08) 8269 2433

Louise Miller-Frost

MP Boothby

(08) 8374 0511

Mark Butler

MP HIndmarsh

(08) 8241 0190

Matt Burnell

MP Spence

(08) 8258 6300

Tony Zappia

MP Makin

(03) 9534 8126

Don Farrell

Senator

(08) 8231 8400

Penny Wong

Senator

(08) 8212 8272

Karen Grogan

Senator

(08) 8269 6022

Marielle Smith

Senator

(08) 8340 0444

Here’s the  script for the EPA ES Blitz

Adelaide FoE Notes, Clean Futures, Environmental Law

Script to assist calling your local MP/Senator

January 26, 2025

Script to assist calling your local MP/Senator (and yes they do want to hear from you)  — Of course it is only a guide to be used as you need

I am (insert name) and I am a local constituent.
I am hoping you can pass on a message to (insert MP/Senator name).

In brief, I’m ringing to ask (MP/Senator’s name) to raise their voice in the Labor caucus, and with the Prime Minister’s office, to ensure that the EPA bills are passed in the February sitting weeks – including the Labor amendments to deliver environmental standards within 12 months.

I really appreciate that the Prime Minister has promised to bring the bills back to Parliament, in the upcoming sittings. I am hoping the Government can work closely with the cross bench to get a good outcome.

I believe we need to pass this legislation to show to environmentally concerned voters that Labor cares about the environment.

My request is that (insert MP/Senator name) raises the deep concern within the environmental community that we pass the EPA bills in February, with amendments to create environmental standards. Maybe they can advocate for the EPA by bringing it up with caucus colleagues, in factional meetings and with the Prime Minister’s office.

Can you pass that on? Would it be worth me calling back tomorrow or the next day to hear how your conversation went?

Thank you

The bills: what are we asking for?

The legislation before parliament creates the EPA and a data agency to improve decision making, Environmental Information Australia. It also increases penalties and fines for not complying with current environmental laws.

Both business and environmental advocates want to see changes to how the legislation itself works. The creation of new institutions, while game changers for environmental governance, makes no immediate improvements to the environmental outcomes of the legislation, nor do they deliver increased certainty and clarity in decision making which business needs.… Read more >>

Clean Futures, Environmental Law

Rising Tide Alert

November 3, 2024

At 9am on Saturday 16th November, join us at Brighton Jetty.

Become part of a Bike ride, Walk, Scoot or… to show solidarity with thousands of people

blockading coal ships at the world’s largest coal port.

Start at 9am, moving slowly north along the shared paths and esplanades.

Finish at 11am back at Brighton Jetty. — Cafés close by, for cuppas.


Rising Tide Alert is supported by Unley Voices for Climate Action & Friends of the Earth Adelaide

Download PDF leaflet

Actions, Adelaide FoE Notes, Clean Futures, Climate

Adelaide is losing 75,000 trees a year

April 17, 2024

One of the best ways to keep our cool is to maintain leafy streets, parks and backyards. But in some cities, trees are being chopped down faster than local councils can replace them. Some councils are also fast running out of land to plant trees.

Most of the damage happens on private land. Usually it’s a result of large blocks being subdivided or undeveloped land being opened up for more homes.

Cutting down trees for urban development is well within the law. But tree-protection laws are weaker in some parts of Australia than in others. To ensure our cities remain liveable, some laws will have to change.
…

Beyond just providing shade, trees reflect heat into the atmosphere. They also cool the air by releasing water through pores in their leaves, acting like evaporative air conditioners.

Trees provide many other benefits such as removing pollutants, limiting erosion and improving public health.

The influential 3-30-300 rule for green cities, proposed by Dutch researcher Cecil Konijnendijk, states:

  • you should be able to easily see three trees from the window of your house or workplace

  • cities should have at least 30% overall tree cover

  • you should have a green space with trees within 300 metres (or a three-minute walk) of your house or workplace

Our team at the University of Adelaide produced a 2022 report on tree-protection laws across Australia. The state government commissioned us to verify a claim that South Australia’s tree-protection laws were the weakest in the nation. We compared state and local council regulations, and the claim turned out to be true.

— from the Conversation: “Adelaide is losing 75,000 trees a year. Tree-removal laws must be tightened if we want our cities to be liveable and green”, by Stefan Caddy-Retalic,  Kate Delaporte &  Kiri Marker

 

Adelaide FoE Notes, Clean Futures, Climate

Outrageous anti-protest laws

May 25, 2023

Clearly the SA government was annoyed by the protests at the APPEA conference: by the Thursday of that week, the lower house had passed legislation dramatically increasing penalties for public protests.

If you are concerned about this threat to democracy, come to the snap protest this Friday, May 26th at 6pm at Parliament House. Event by Adelaide Uni Students for Climate Justice, Adelaide Campaign Against Racism and Fascism and others

Earlier this week, the Human Rights Law Centre released an explainer which revealed many of the problems with the ill-considered legislation

The Bill: Summary Offences (obstruction of Public Places) Amendment 2023 (SA)

On 18 May 2023, the South Australian Legislative Assembly introduced, and passed, the Summary Offences (Obstruction of Public Places) Amendment (The Bill) in response to protest activity in Adelaide which briefly closed traffic. The Bill amends section 58 of the Summary Offences Act 1953 (The Act) to, among other things, dramatically increase the maximum penalty for obstructing a public place. The Bill is currently before the Legislative Council for deliberation.
…

Section 2(1)

2(1)

Section 2(1) of the Bill increases the penalty for obstructing a public place from $750 to a maximum of $50,000 or a maximum term of imprisonment of 3 months. This is a 60-fold increase to the maximum financial penalty; the Act does not currently provide imprisonment as a penalty for obstructing a public place. It is intended that these penalties would have a strong deterrent effect to protestors who block public space.

…

Section (3) (1a)

Section (3) (1a) of the Bill makes defendants criminally responsible for their direct obstruction of a public place, but it also intends to capture conduct even if it indirectly causes obstruction of a public place.

The Bill provides an example of what this may include, namely, if police or other emergency services need to restrict access to the public place to, “safely deal with the person’s conduct”.

… Read more >>

Actions, Adelaide FoE Notes, Clean Futures