Arabana Mound Springs stories v. BHP

November 28, 2025

Arabana Traditional Owners, elders and rangers, and environmentalist David Noonan got strong ABC media coverage about BHP’s water extraction for its Olympic Dam copper–uranium mine. Long term water extraction has had severe impacts on the unique and fragile Mound Springs of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB).

1. The second of two ABC stories, ‘Call to protect the Springs now’, was broadcast on ABC SA Ch.2 TV News on Monday 24th Nov 2025 and is available on IVIEW. See Intro “Under pressure, how fresh water extraction is taking a toll on an ancient underground reserve” at 30 sec in, and story “Water concerns” at 4 minutes 55 sec in:

https://iview.abc.net.au/video/NU2506S328S00

(ABC IVIEW may ask you to free sign in.)

See also related article on ABC News website, Calls to end water extraction from Great Artesian Basin before culturally significant springs are lost – ABC News, published Monday 24th Nov.

2. The first of two ABC stories with Arabana Elders and Rangers on Mound Springs of GAB was broadcast on ABC SA TV News on Sunday 23rd November 2025. It is also available on IVIEW. Coverage starts about 11 min 25 secs in, and runs 4.5 mins:

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/abc-news-sa/series/0/video/NU2506S327S00

See also related article on ABC News website Water is under pressure in the Great Artesian Basin – ABC News, published Sunday 23rd Nov.

3. You can read a more detailed article by David Noonan published in Friends of the Earth Australia’s national magazine Chain Reaction, #149, April 2025, p.36-37:

The SA government and BHP need to protect the Great Artesian Basin Mound Springs

 

Adelaide FoE Notes, Nuclear

Nuke Submarine ‘community consultation’

November 23, 2025

Australian Naval Infrastructure (ANI) is conducting a ‘community consultation’ about its plan to lodge a site licence application for the ‘Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Yard Project’. An application has to be lodged with the new Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator before it can prepare a site for a Naval Nuclear Propulsion facility.

We wonder why they are in such a hurry to apply for a site licence when the Strategic Impact Assessment (SIA – Commonwealth process) and the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS – State government process) haven’t even been finalised. FoE Adelaide made submissions to both these processes (click to read our SIA submission & our EIS submission) in March 2025, but no public submissions and no follow-up report have been published. We also made a submission on the new nuclear powered submarine Regulations, which came into effect on 1 November 2025 without any response to the public comments received.

Click here (251123FoEAdelaideSubmission) to read our submission to ANI’s site licence ‘community consultation’.

And let us never forget that acquiring nuclear powered submarines is a bad idea in the first place.

Adelaide FoE Notes, FoE, Nuclear

AUKUS nuclear waste targets SA

November 10, 2025

David Noonan via Beyond Nuclear <beyond-nuclear@googlegroups.com> wrote:

see ‘AUKUS nuclear waste targets SA’ a new 2-page Briefer, please distribute and consider getting involved.

with Calls on all SA politicians (Federal & State) and candidates for the SA State Election on 21st March to declare their positions on storage of AUKUS nuclear waste in SA, and a Call for full disclosure on the Federal Gov’s ongoing nuclear waste storage siting review ‘process’.

please consider taking up this initiative in your own way and raising awareness toward the SA Election, so we can have an informed debate on the Calls:

Q: Will you accept or reject Federal imposed storage of AUKUS nuclear waste in SA?

Q: Will you respect and support Indigenous Peoples Human Rights to Say No to Federal siting of AUKUS nuclear waste storage on their country in SA?

Q: Will you rule out untenable ‘decommissioning’ of nuclear subs and nuclear reactors at Osborne Port Adelaide, or else-where in SA?

“The people and environment of South Australia must be protected from Federal imposed storage of AUKUS High-Level nuclear waste”

Brief by David Noonan Independent Environment Campaigner 

— https://nuclear.foe.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Noonan-AUKUS-nuclear-wastes-target-SA-Briefer-9-Nov-2025.pdf

Adelaide FoE Notes, Nuclear

FoE Adelaide AGM Saturday Nov 15th, 2pm

November 10, 2025

Our AGM is at the Minor Works Building Community Centre at 2pm on Saturday, November 15th.
[The Minor Works Building is at 22 Stamford Ct, Adelaide —
there is a wide path leading to the centre between 50 and 52 Sturt Street]

Non-members are welcome.

Agenda

2pm – videos and discussion on AUKUS nuclear submarines
David Noonan and Jim Green will be present for the discussion.
See
 ‘AUKUS nuclear waste targets SA’ a new 2-page Briefer, with Calls on all SA politicians (Federal & State) and candidates for the SA State Election on 21st March to declare their positions on storage of AUKUS nuclear waste in SA, and a Call for full disclosure on the Federal Gov’s ongoing nuclear waste storage siting review ‘process’.“The people and environment of South Australia must be protected from Federal imposed storage of AUKUS High-Level nuclear waste”

Brief by David Noonan Independent Environment Campaigner 9 Nov 2025 here.

3.15pm – AGM – reports from officebearers, election of new Admin & Strategy Collective.
3.45pm close
Zoom – please RSVP for  link
Tea, coffee and snacks provided
We’d love to have some new people join us on the Admin & Strategy Collective.
We meet mainly via zoom, and occasionally at a cafe in the city, at mutually convenient times.
Please come along and help us make quorum.
RSVP and enquiries: Robyn Wood, Secretary adelaide.office@foe.org.au or 0423 219 096

Adelaide FoE Notes, FoE

No Consent for Missiles – Rally Friday 10 October, at noon

October 7, 2025

You are invited to stand in solidarity with Aunty Sue at the “No Consent for Missiles” rally, this Friday 10 October at 12noon,
beginning at the Australian Space Agency, Lot 14 (corner of North Terrace and Frome Road, Adelaide, Kaurna Land).
The rally will then march to Parliament House.
 
STATEMENT OF NO CONSENT
Aunty Sue has addressed a Statement of No Consent to Southern Launch and every company that works with them—including the Australian Defence Force, Australian Space Agency, Thales, Varda, HyImpulse, Reaction Dynamics, German Aerospace Centre, AtSpace, and Perigee.
She has made it clear: there is NO CONSENT for the ongoing militarisation of Googatha Country.
In July, this statement was delivered in person to the head offices of these companies around the world.
Each company is now unambiguously aware: they are not welcome on the so-called “Koonibba Test Range.”
No more rockets.
No more missiles.
No more radioactive capsules.
This is sacred Googatha Country. It is not a military zone.
Please attend if you can—and share this message widely.

In solidarity,
Port Adelaide Community Opposing AUKUS (PACOA)

Actions, Adelaide FoE Notes, Nuclear