Attacks on Ngos Threaten Our Democracy
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Issue #122 | November 2014 chain RRP $5.50 reacti n The National Magazine of Friends of the Earth Australia www.foe.org.au ATTACKS ON NGOS THREATEN OUR DEMOCRACY • Malaysian eco-activists combat repression • Irradiated food labelling • Nanomaterials in food • Farmlands Not Gaslands • Water justice in the Murray-Darling Basin • Maralinga: a chilling exposé • Pesticide monitoring of Vic waterways • Why renewable energy matters • Maules Creek: front-line action on coal • Small-is-beautiful nuclear rhetoric exposed Contents Edition #122 − November 2014 Regular items Publisher - Friends of the Earth, Australia Join Friends of the Earth 4 Chain Reaction ABN 81600610421 FoE Australia News 5 FoE Australia ABN 18110769501 FoE International News 8 www.foe.org.au FoE Australia Contacts inside back cover youtube.com/user/FriendsOfTheEarthAUS twitter.com/FoEAustralia facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Earth- Articles Australia/16744315982 Attacks on NGOs are a threat to our democracy – Joan Staples 11 flickr.com/photos/foeaustralia Malaysia: eco-activists combat judicial repression – Meena Raman 14 Chain Reaction website Nanomaterials in food packaging: FSANZ fails consumers again – Jeremy Tager 16 www.foe.org.au/chain-reaction Throwing precaution to the wind: the government’s attempts Chain Reaction contact details to thwart the regulation of synthetic biology – Louise Sales 18 PO Box 222,Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065. Working for water justice in the Murray-Darling Basin – Will Mooney 20 email: [email protected] phone: (03) 9419 8700 Vale Eileen Wani Wingfield, 1920-2014 21 Irrational Emotions exhibition 24 Chain Reaction team Small-is-beautiful nuclear rhetoric fading fast – Jim Green 26 Jim Green, Tessa Sellar, Franklin Bruinstroop, Claire Nettle Historical pesticide monitoring of Victorian waterways – A jigsaw with many missing pieces – Anthony Amis 28 Layout & Design Tessa Sellar Maules Creek mine: front-line action on coal – Phil Evans 31 Printing The search for oil and gas continues − but at what cost? – Margaret Thiselton 34 Arena Printing and Publishing, Melbourne If irradiated food is glowingly good – why not label it? – Robin Taubenfeld 35 Printed on recycled paper Yes 2 Renewables 36 Subscriptions Farmlands Not Gaslands 37 Six issues (two years) A$33 Island Voices, Global Choices – Wendy Flannery 38 Twelve issues (four years) A$60 Why renewable energy matters – 39 See subscription ad in this issue of Chain Reaction Jenny Riesz (or see website and contact details above). Renewable energy is ready to supply all of Australia’s electricity – Mark Diesendorf 40 Chain Reaction is published three times a year ISSN: 0312 − 1372 Reviews Copyright: Art in Nature − David Rennie 42 Written material in Chain Reaction is free of copyright unless otherwise indicated or where material Ngarrindjeri Wurruwarrin − Dianne Bell 43 has been reprinted from another source. Please Let the Land Speak − Jackie French 43 acknowledge Chain Reaction when reprinting. The Green Leaf − Mariette Perrinjacquet-Spertini 44 The opinions expressed in Chain Reaction are not necessarily those of the publishers or any Friends Earth Jurisprudence: Private Property and the Environment − Peter Burdon 44 of the Earth group. Poisoned Planet − Julian Cribb 45 Chain Reaction Advisory Board The Coral Battleground − Judith Wright 45 Karen Alexander Banning landmines one step at a time − Jane Jolly and Sally Heinrich 46 biodiversity campaigner − Vic Fukushima books 47 Greg Buckman Maralinga: a chilling exposé 48 author/researcher − Canberra Damian Grenfell Album Review: The Yearlings, All the Wandering 50 Globalism Centre RMIT − Melbourne Geoff Evans sustainability researcher − Newcastle Jo Immig National Toxics Network − Bangalow, NSW Binnie O’Dwyer FoE representative − Lismore James Whelan Change Agency − Brisbane Front cover: February 1994 protest outside the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, organised by the East Gippsland Forest Alliance and supported by Friends of the Earth. Photo by Trevor Coon. Support Friends of the Earth 1 Help ensure FoE remains a vibrant & independent vote for social and environmental justice. 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Friends of the Earth Online You can join FoE by contacting your local www.foe.org.au group − see the inside back cover of Chain Reaction for contact details or visit foe. youtube.com/user/FriendsOfTheEarthAUS org.au/local-groups twitter.com/FoEAustralia There is a monthly FoE Australia email newsletter − subscribe via the website: facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Earth-Australia/16744315982 www.foe.org.au flickr.com/photos/foeaustralia To financially support our work, please visit foe.org.au/donate Tasmanian government attacking right to protest Yarra Sustainability Awards Friends of the Earth has joined a Congratulations to Beth Cameron and coalition of community groups Cam Walker who were acknowledged at opposing the draconian Workplaces the recent Yarra Sustainability Awards. (Protection from Protesters) Beth, who has been with FoE for Bill proposed by the Tasmanian the past 25 years, received the Yarra government. If passed, the legislation Sustainability Business Award. The could result in peaceful protesters award citation states: “For almost 40 receiving mandatory on the spot fines years, Friends of the Earth Food Co-op of $2,000 (rising to $5,000 if they go and Café has been a strong advocate to court) or a minimum three months for sustainable living. Friends of the in jail for a second offence. Earth promotes minimally-packaged, To find out more and take action ethical, organic and local products that visit http://yes2democracy.org Beth Cameron benefit people’s health and the planet. and Cam Walker. Bringing people together to collaborate Plantation logging and celebrate environmental and FoE Australia turns 40! social justice, Friends of the Earth is a in western Vic and community hub.” According to legend passed down Strzelecki Ranges through generations of activists, the Cam, who has also worked at FoE for the In July, Friends of the Earth (FoE) FoE Australia network was created at a past 25 years, was awarded the Frank campaigner Anthony Amis completed gathering of local FoE groups on French Fisher Award in recognition of being a a report on the impacts of logging Island in Western Port Bay, Victoria, in national leader for environmental justice. by plantation companies in western early 1974. At that point, French Island The award citation states: “Cam Walker’s Victoria and the Strzelecki Ranges. had been selected as a possible location work at Friends of the Earth over the last The report raises concerns about the for a nuclear power reactor. twenty-five years has seen him become nationally recognised as a leader on the Forest Stewardship Council and its Forty years on, we have been too busy environment. He has provided sustained complete lack of interest in working campaigning to celebrate our first and continuous service to Friends towards protection of Victoria’s four decades. So instead, we’re going of the Earth and our community for only endemic koala population in to have a party in early 2015. We are decades – an incredible achievement in Gippsland. The report highlights the also going to have a photo exhibition, the high stress, high turnover world of role of Hancock Victorian Plantations and we want to compile stories, community advocacy.” in the logging of 7,000 hectares of memorabilia and campaign resources koala habitat since 1998. from people who have been involved www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/ ‘Victorian Koala Issues, Plantations in FoE at any point in its history. We environment/Sustainability-Awards/ and Forest Stewardship Council will also be doing a feature in the next yarra-sustainability-awards---2014/ Certification 2000 – 2014’ edition of Chain Reaction. www.foe.org.au/sites/default/files/ If you have memories or Strzelecki%20Koala%20Issues%20 memorabilia to contribute, and%20Forest%20Stewardship%20 please contact Cam Walker, Council%20Certification.pdf [email protected], 0419 338047.