GreenMOBILISING PEOPLE TO SAFEGUARD Action OUR ENVIRONMENT News ISSUE 18 • SPRING 2012 Reclaiming Victoria’s Environment PLUS How we stopped HRL Green Action News MOBILISING PEOPLE TO SAFEGUARD OUR ENVIRONMENT ISSUE 18 • SPRING 2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Reclaiming Victoria’s Environment PLUS How we stopped HRL Victorians take on Taking stock 3 new coal power 4 on Hazelwood and win Green Action News Issue 18, Spring 2012 Design 2Fish Productions Print Almar Press Why Tammy van Contributing writers Brown Coal Alex Merory, Kelly O’Shanassy, Tom 6 Wisse wants to 7 Hartney, Mark Wakeham, Victoria Disaster McKenzie-McHarg, Jean Young, save the Murray Ayeesha Cain and special guest Tammy Van Wisse. Editor Alex Merory (03) 9341 8125 Reclaiming [email protected] A State Membership enquiries 8 Victoria’s 10 (03) 9341 8100 in reverse [email protected] environment Media enquiries (03) 9341 8127 [email protected] Green Action News is an Environment Victoria publication. For more information, visit Environmental Thinking www.environmentvictoria.org.au news from 12 globally, acting 14 around Victoria locally Never say never > Kelly O’Shanassy, Chief Executive Officer How do you make the seemingly polluting coal plants in the world is both up to tackle the big challenges ahead. impossible into something that extremely important and incredibly We’ll also officially launch our Reclaim hard. We know there will be set backs Victoria’s Environment campaign, which seems inevitable? You never, along the way, but if we’re going to aims to ensure our political leaders (of all ever give up. create a safe climate future, we can’t shy key political affiliations) stop ignoring away from the tough stuff. the overwhelming community support WHAT A ROLLERCOASTER ride we’ve We’ve successfully set the agenda. for our environment and a clean energy had over the past few months. From the We’ve created huge public momentum future and start taking action (page 10). highs of stopping HRL, the new coal to shut Hazelwood, and journalists and We’d love you to come along on 24 plant proposed for Victoria, to the politicians around the country now refer October (see back cover for details). devastation of the Gillard Government to Hazelwood as Australia’s most People have asked us how we keep reneging on negotiations to close polluting coal station. Right now the going after such a big disappointment. It polluting stations like Hazelwood. government is ignoring this community certainly helps that we achieve so many Congratulations to everyone involved momentum but that can’t and won’t last. wonderful outcomes like Stopping HRL, in Stopping HRL. Whether you donated People like you Stopped HRL. And we but most of the time I just reflect on to our campaign, signed a petition or are going to shut Hazelwood (check out Christopher Reeve’s philosophy (after all, attended a rally, you have made an our plan on page 3). he was Superman): “At first dreams seem enormous difference. Doesn’t it feel These are the times we have to stay impossible, then improbable, then great? strong and remember the amazing wins inevitable”. And while you may have been that people like you are achieving all the For now, I’m taking a few minutes to dismayed by the government’s backflip time (see page 12). Our 2012 AGM and dream about the next big environmental on Hazelwood, I want you to remember Environment Celebration has been outcome that we’ll achieve together, and three very important things: created to do just that — celebrate these then I’m going to get stuck into Closing down one of the most wins, recognise amazing efforts and gear achieving it! 2 GREEN ACTION NEWS | ISSUE 18 | SPRING 2012 | www.environmentvictoria.org.au SAFE CLIMATE > Mark Wakeham, Campaigns Director WEDNESDAY 5 SEPTEMBER was a The price on carbon, or ‘Clean Energy electricity and more than half of the tough day for anyone concerned about Future’ package, was always a delicate state’s greenhouse pollution, it’s clear climate change and Australia’s clean balance with some contradictory that replacing our dirtiest power energy future. elements. On the balance Environment stations remains priority one. At 9.15 Minister Martin Ferguson Victoria supported the package, in large ‘Contracts for closure’ didn’t happen. So announced that the Gillard Government part because of the ‘contracts for closure’ the biggest barrier now to closing these was walking away from its commitment commitment that Environment Victoria dirty power stations and letting the to close 2000 megawatts of our dirtiest elicited from the federal government to carbon price do its job is the $5.5 billion power stations like Hazelwood and retire our dirtiest power stations. However compensation that these same power Yallourn, known as ‘contracts for closure’. the ALP’s decision to walk away from this stations are receiving from the federal In the face of a low carbon price and commitment destroys the equilibrium of government to keep polluting. huge compensation payouts to big the carbon price package and makes So we’re going after these ludicrous polluters, ‘contracts for closure’ was critical hollow talk of Australia’s clean energy compensation payments to big polluters. to achieve the necessary transition to a future. You can’t have a clean energy After all, if they were telling the clean energy future by getting rid of our future if power stations like Hazelwood government in the ‘contracts for closure’ dirtiest polluters. Unfortunately, it now are allowed to pollute indefinitely and negotiations that they have a profitable seems that the Gillard Government wasn’t indeed paid by the government to future and their asset value remains high, trying particularly hard in its negotiations continue operating. then why are we compensating them for with power station owners. asset value lost through the introduction One of the biggest obstacles to closing So where to from here? of the carbon price? our dirtiest power stations like Well we’ve been on the brink of closing Our ‘paid to pollute’ campaign will track Hazelwood is the $5.5 billion of Hazelwood before. Remember back in taxpayers’ dollars that are propping up taxpayers’ funds they’re pocketing as 2010 when the Brumby Government polluters and pressure federal politicians compensation for the introduction of the committed to starting the process of to pull the $5.5 billion compensation carbon price. closing Hazelwood only to lose the 2010 package in the lead up to next year’s election? Back then we dusted ourselves Federal Budget and the federal election. off and came up with a new plan that has We won’t be letting the Coalition off the successfully put replacing Hazelwood on hook either. One of the main reasons the national agenda - no small ‘contracts for closure’ failed was due to achievement. uncertainty about the future existence of We’ve also suffered significant a carbon price if Tony Abbott becomes campaign setbacks in the past. When we Prime Minister. We’ll be highlighting the lost our court case to prevent the inadequacy of the Coalition’s so-called THANK YOU construction of the HRL coal-fired power ‘direct action policy’ and the Chicken for your continuing support of station it was a huge kick in the guts. But Little nature of the Coalition’s carbon this important campaign. You in that defeat were the seeds of victory price fear campaign over the coming year. helped get Hazelwood on the and we ultimately won that campaign. So the campaign continues. While this At Environment Victoria we don’t failure of leadership on ‘contracts for national agenda and together focus on what’s easy, we focus on what closure’ is deeply disappointing, with your we can strike it off the list of is important. And with brown coal support and people power we know we’ll Australia’s heaviest polluters. making up over 90 percent of our get there in the end. GREEN ACTION NEWS | ISSUE 18 | SPRING 2012 | www.environmentvictoria.org.au 3 SAFE CLIMATE Victorians take on new coal power and win > Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, Safe Climate Campaigner EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO, Victoria was amazing display of people power. It at a crossroad. A new coal fired power involved years of hard work from people station - the first in 20 years - was across the climate movement and approved for the Latrobe Valley. If it Environment Victoria supporters in went ahead it would keep Victoria in the particular. And it was our legal challenge technological dark ages for decades to (that you funded and supported) against come, addicted to brown coal and the EPA’s approval of HRL, combined shunning clean energy and the jobs that with the impact of community action come with it. But if we could stop it, we that ultimately stopped HRL. knew that no new polluting coal-fired Despite many setbacks and decisions power stations would be built in Victoria that made it seem like we’d lost, the again – a proud legacy for our determination of thousands of people environment. resulted in a campaign win that at times Faced with this prospect, over 10,000 had seemed impossible! Here’s how it people like you took action in an happened: YOU DID IT! Stopping HRL, the new coal-fired power station destined for Victoria is a major victory for people power and a lasting legacy for our environment. Your support made this happen. Thank you so much for caring enough to take action. 4 GREEN ACTION NEWS | ISSUE 18 | SPRING 2012 | www.environmentvictoria.org.au Timeline to victory 2002 2006 2007 SEP 10 Premier Bracks awards HRL a $50 The Federal Howard Government HRL submit their application for a The Bracks Government awards a million grant for development of a awards HRL a further $100 million Works Approval for their now $1.3 new coal exploration licence to HRL 400 mega watt (MW) coal-fired towards the costs of their $750 billion project to the Environment for the development of a power station.