Indigenous Elder wins Environment Award
09/06/2007
The Australian Conservation Foundation's (ACF) Peter Rawlinson Award was given to 'Uncle' Kevin Buzzacott, an Arabunna elder, on World Environment Day in 2007 for two decades of work highlighting the impacts of uranium mining and promoting a nuclear free Australia. Uncle Kev has been a tireless campaigner for indigenous rights including reclaiming the kangaroo and emu sacred totems from the Coat of Arms from Parliament House in Canberra and accusing the Federal Government of genocide. [ Full Story]
Wikipedia |
ACF Award citation |
Video: reclainming sacred totems from Parliament House
Tasmania: Forest Activists Attacked and Terrorized
22/02/2007
Forty police raided a peaceful blockade in the Upper Florentine valley, Tasmania with eight people arrested. According to protestors heavy handed tactics were used, and it is alleged that a crow bar was employed against activists. "The tactics used to remove activists here today have been a breach of duty of care" said activist Kylie MacFarlane. "The safety of the brave people using non violent direct action to make a last stand and create much needed awareness has been severely compromised."[ Full Story]
In the Weld Valley campaign Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Jenny Weber, and her daughter, were run off the road by a log truck. Greens Senator Bob Brown has called for the police to investigate the incident. Weld Valley activists were in the Supreme Court on Friday to prevent an injunction being imposed by Foresty Tasmania against a protest walk-in on the weekend.
Critical time in Tasmania's forests
Forest Defence Unit | Weld Valley Campaign |
Videos
Sea Shepherd Engages Japanese Whaling Fleet
9/02/2007
Sea Shepherd found ( photos) and engaged the Japanese whaling factory ship, Nisshin Maru, at approx. 0530 9 February (PST) close to the Australian Antarctic Territory in the Southern Whale Sanctuary. A rigid-hulled inflatable boat, with two crew onboard, went missing during the direct action and a truce was called between whalers and anti-whaling activists engaged in the search. The missing crew, stranded when their inflatable's engine broke down and a heavy fog precluded use of the helicopter, were found after seven hours by the Sea Shepherd flag ship Farley Mowat.
The Greenpeace ship Esperanza also responded to the search and rescue call and is about a day away from the location of the Japanese whaling fleet and the two Sea Shepherd ships. The Sea Shepherd ship Robert Hunter is continuing a close pursuit of the Nisshin Maru.
Sea Shepherd | Greenpeace weblog | Aotearoa IMC: Sea Shepherd uses direct action against whalers
Fight to save McArthur River
26/01/2007
A coalition of environmentalists and traditional owners is building a campaign to stop a mining company bid to redirect the course of the McArthur River in the Northern Territory. The company, Xstrata, proposes to convert the McArthur River Mine in to an open cut mine and, in the process, divert the river through a 5.5 kilometre channel. The river has strong cultural and spiritual significance for the Gurdanji, Mara, Garrawa and Yanyuwa Indigenous language groups and is environmentally important, providing a habitat for the threatened Freshwater Sawfish. [ Full Story]
[Don’t Muck Up The McArthur]
Ongoing Resistance to Logging Weld Valley
26/11/2006
Resistance to logging in the Weld Valley continues with 5 arrests after more than 50 people, including Tasmanian Greens leader MHA Peg Putt, walked through a police exclusion zone to the site of a previously destroyed blockade
camp. [ Read more...] [ huon.org |
Video Nov 25 |
Video Nov 19]
Protests and arrests continue in Weld Valley Wilderness
20/11/2006
Forest defenders halted logging operations on November 20 in the wilderness forests of the Weld Valley. Three community members were arrested for trespass in the newly created media and public exclusion zone. “Today's forest defense continues the success of the last six days where over a hundred community members have been a part of the campaign to ensure the world heritage of the Weld Valley are protected,” said Adam Burling, one of the people arrested. [ Read more]
[ Earlier Reports:
Nov 19 | Nov 18 | Nov 17 | huon.org]
Conservationists Arrested Defending Weld Valley
17/11/2006
After the police raid on the anti-logging blockade on Wednesday, Weld Valley protests continue with 50 people defying the forest exclusion zone in the Weld Valley, Southern Tasmania. “Two people were arrested today as community activists continue to oppose
construction of a forestry road into world heritage valued forests. The Camp
Weld blockade, established at the road site for over 14 months, was raided
by 60 police on Wednesday morning. Eight people have now been arrested over
the past three days defending the Weld Valley,” Spokesperson Jess McLachlan
said.
Sixty Police Raid Weld Valley Logging Blockade
15/11/2006
"Weld Valley Blockade has today been raided by 60 police in the early hours of the morning. One activist has been arrested. Three activists remain in tree sits and locked on to a vehicle blocking the road." Spokesperson Jenny Weber said. [ Read more...]
[ Melbourne Solidarity action | huon.org |
Save the Weld Blog ]
melb-imc
(top)
|
On a clear summer afternoon the crew of the Sea Shepherd ship Robert Hunter arrived in Melbourne after 6 weeks in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary searching for, then briefly engaging, the Japanese Whaling Fleet. The British Government has bowed to pressure from Japan and deregistered the Robert Hunter from Midnight 19 February. (Photos: 
Weld Valley protesters ignore police caution - About 50 protesters have entered a Forestry Tasmania exclusion zone in the Weld Valley, south-west of Hobart. The protesters are trying to stop the logging of two coupes of temperate rainforest, next to a World Heritage Area. In the past week, behind locked gates, wilderness forests in The Lower Weld Valley have been attacked, and their world heritage qualities devalued at an alarming rate. [
A complaint by cyclists against a report of Critical Mass in Sydney's Daily Telegraph in November 2006 was upheld by the Press Council on Friday. The paper had failed to distinguish between fact and opinion and had blatantly breached the privacy of a member of Critical Mass, according to the Press Council. [
Japanese whalers are facing a concerted campaign of protest and disruption to their annual whaling slaughter in the Southern Ocean Whaling Sanctuary. The six vessel whaling fleet will be matched by two Greenpeace vessels and two vessels from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Sea Shepherd Flagship, the Farley Mowat, sailed out of Melbourne on Monday 
Twenty activists locked down machinery and stopped logging in the headwaters of the catchment feeding the Blue Rock Dam, earmarked by the Bracks government to be Melbourne’s next water supply catchment. Spokespwerson Lauren Caufield said "Victoria is facing its worst ever drought and Melbourne is in a water crisis." [
