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Our magazine, Habitat, is jam packed with inspiring interviews, green living tips and more!We've put some of the articles up online for you to get a taste.If you become a member of ACF, you'll receive Habitat four times a year.
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1Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
VOLUME 38 NUMBER 3: JULY 2010
Brisbane
Melbourne
Gold Coast
Sydney
Darwin
Perth
Bendigo
Population and sustainability: the myths, the factsRadioactive politicsAn agenda for a sustainable Australia: what we need, what you can doPhoto essay: the human face of climate change
Hobart
Which is Australia’s most
sustainable city?
2 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Application formThe Earth needs kids like you!
When you joinyou will receive…
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3Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Vol 38 No 3 July 2010
Habitat Australia is published by the Australian Conservation Foundation Inc. ABN 22 007 498 482
Melbourne (Head Offi ce)Floor 1, 60 Leicester St, Carlton, Vic 3053Ph: (03) 9345 1111 or 1800 332 510 (free call)Fax: (03) 9345 1166
SydneySuite 504, 32 York Street Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: (02) 8270 9900 Fax: (02) 8270 9988
CanberraPO Box 2699, Canberra City, ACT 2601 Ph: (02) 6247 2472
AdelaideLevel 1, 157 Franklin Street, Adelaide SA 5000Ph: 1800 332 510
CairnsSuite 1/Level 1, 96 – 98 Lake Street, Cairns, QLD 4870 Ph: (07) 4031 5760 Fax: (07) 4031 3610
Broome PO Box 1868 (Lotteries House) Broome WA 6725Ph: 08 9192 1936Fax: 08 9192 1936
ACF website: www.acfonline.org.auHabitat email: [email protected]
Membership email: [email protected]
ACF campaigns to protect, restore and sustain the environment. New members are welcome.
PresidentProfessor Ian Lowe
Vice PresidentsRosemary HillAlex Gordon
Chief Executive Offi cerDon Henry
EditorMargaret Ambrose
Contributing EditorAlex Monday
Design and ArtworkPang & Haig Designwww.panghaig.com
PrintingFinsbury Green46 Wirraway Drive, Port MelbourneVIC 3207 (03) 9644 9644
AdvertisingStavro DascarellosAdvertising Representative Habitat [email protected]
ISSN 0310-2939Habitat is ACF’s membership magazine. Membership fees are:Individual/Group/Household $65, Concession $39, Junior $16.50 (includes GST).
HABITAT AUSTRALIAAUSTRALIACONTENTS
Eco-Shopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Innovative new green products.
Letters to the editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Letter from Don Henry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Dispatches from the fi eld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Campaigners report on the status of ACF campaigns.
The human face of climate change . . . . . . . 8A photo essay capturing the faces of ordinary people living with the impacts of the climate crisis.
A national agenda for a sustainable Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13ACF’s new National Agenda for a Sustainable Australia spells out actions needed to transition to a cleaner economy and healthier environment.
The population myth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Habitat examines the misconceptions surrounding population and sustainability.
Announcing Australia’s most sustainable city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16A ground breaking study ranks Australian cities according to a variety of sustainability indicators.
Radioactive politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16The politics of radioactive is getting dirtier and hotter.
The road to a sustainable society is paved with good intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Is there a disconnect between expressed concern and willingness to act by most Australians?
Ask The Economist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Taxing the environment or tax for the environment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Did the environment see any wins from the Henry Review?
A healthy economy vs a healthy environment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Do we save the economy or the environment? Or both?
Behind the scenes as people-power pumps water back into wetlands! . . . . . . . . 24A convoy of activists make their way to the Hattah Kulkyne National Park to watch the fi rst of 400 million litres of the water pumped back into the wetlands.
Green choice: washing machines. . . . . . . . 26CHOICE tests the environmental credentials of washing machines.
Cockburn Range, Australia all over . . . . . 28This magnifi cent Australian destination is a secret that’s hard to keep.
Ecotrust arrives in Australia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Are conservation and development at opposite ends of the spectrum?
Introducing… Denise Boyd! . . . . . . . . . . . . 31ACF Campaigns Director, Denise Boyd, shares with us her journey to environmental activism.
CopyrightReproduction in whole or in part may only occur with the written permission of the editor. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Habitat is printed on Cyclus, an unbleached paper made from 100 per cent recycled post-consumer waste.
This publication is authorised by Don Henry, Executive Director, Australian Conservation Foundation, 60 Leicester Street Carlton, VIC 3053.
4 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Win seeds sent by PipSend Me Seeds Pip have fi ve seasonal
seed subscriptions to give away to
Habitat readers. Simply email your best
vegetable gardening tip to [email protected] for your chance
to win!
4MyEarth sandwich wraps & pocketsHere’s a unique and eco-friendly way
to wrap your food! Fabrics are created
in manufacturing conditions that are
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Aromababy skin careAromababy produces a luxurious
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skincare products for mother and
baby. Fragrance-free for sensitive
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the range includes shower gel, body
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refreshing botanical sprays.
Send Me Seeds Pip Send Me Seeds Pip mail out to
subscribers a full year of veggie,
herb and companion fl ower seeds,
which arrive in your mailbox at the
beginning of each planting season,
along with all the tips you need to
stay on top of your veggie patch,
including harvesting information and
recipes. Seasonal subscription $25.00,
yearly subscription $85.00, www.sendmeseedspip.com.au
Eco-ShopperEco-ShopperHabitat takes a look at the latest must-try eco-inventions.
Compiled by Margaret Ambrose
Keep CupsDid you know that the average disposable coffee cup takes around 50 years
to break down? Keep Cups is a range of reusable coffee cups designed to fi t
professional coffee machines and can be taken to your local café time after
time. They are lightweight and easy to clean. Keep Cups start at $12.00,
www.keepcup.com.au
Win an Aromababy gift pack!Aromababy, Australia’s leading
producer of organic baby care, are
giving Habitat readers a chance to
win one of fi ve baby skincare packs.
Simply write to us at [email protected] and tell us about
your favourite environmentally-
friendly baby product.
5Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
PopulationAs I read through the
biodiversity article in April
Habitat I became increasingly
fl abbergasted that no mention
was made of population and
its contribution to the state of
the planet. What do you say to
sceptics who say what is the
point of making all the changes
to our lives and the way we do
things if nothing is being done
to address the problem of
over-population?
Virginia Simmonds, Kairi QLD
Habitat responds: ACF agrees
that rapid population growth
globally and in Australia
hinder our ability to achieve an
ecologically sustainable society.
This is why ACF has formally
nominated population growth
as a ‘key threatening process’
to Australia’s biodiversity
under federal environmental
law. We are also actively urging
the adoption of a national
population policy that would
aim to stabilise Australia’s
population by mid-century,
ensure our economy operates
within ecological limits, and
ensure Australia is playing a
leadership role internationally
on population, humanitarian
and environmental issues. Turn
to page 14 for more.
Just add waterI want to thank Habitat for the
story on water being returned
to Hattah Lakes. I think it is
wonderful that ACF supporters
were able to participate in an
activity that has made a real
difference to the environment.
ACF, please do more of this! A
lot of us are very eager to get
involved.
Teagan Wilson, Elsternwick VIC
Letter from the CEO
Dear Supporter
All of us who share a love
of Australia’s natural places
and a desire to protect them
for future generations have
been heartened, but also
disappointed, by recent
developments.
I was really moved by the
actions of ACF supporters
who banded together and,
with a donation from mecu limited, purchased and returned
400 million litres of water to Hattah Lakes near Mildura
in northern Victoria and sent a strong message that more
action is required to repair our stressed rivers. You may
have seen the media coverage. It was an outstanding
achievement by you all and I warmly thank you for your
efforts. Read the full story about the water buy-back on
page 24.
It’s a pity the decisions of our leaders do not always
mirror the aspirations of Australians. I’m talking, of
course, about the recent government decision to shelve
implementation of emissions trading until the end of 2012.
A decision like this is totally unacceptable. To put
comprehensive climate action in the too-hard basket until
2013 is bad for the environment, de-stabilising for business
and totally unacceptable to the millions of Australians who
want government leadership on climate change.
We need leadership from the government and opposition
on an issue that truly is the great moral and economic
challenge of our time, as well as other pressing issues. This
is why ACF has developed a new National Agenda for a
Sustainable Australia. It outlines exactly what we believe
needs to be achieved if we are to protect the Australian
landscape and way of life, in plain, easy-to-read terms.
You can read more about the National Agenda on page 13.
What we saw at Hattah Lakes just reinforces my belief
in the commitment and dedication of ACF supporters
and reminds me that if we work together we can achieve
great things.
Don Henry, CEO Australian Conservation Foundation
Got something to say?Write a letter or send in a photo to the editor of Habitat and
you could win a copy of Staying Alive by acclaimed Indian
author and environmental activist Vandana Shiva. Simply
email us at [email protected]
Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and
Survival in India
Examining the position of women in
relation to nature, the author links the
violation of nature with the violation
and marginalisation of women in
the Developing World, and builds a
compelling argument that the ecological
path of harmony, sustainability and
diversity is crucial to the survival and
liberation of nature, women and men.
Spinifex Press, $34.95.
Photo of the issueHabitat reader and
budding amateur
photographer
Jessica from
Northcote, Victoria,
took this photo in
Wye River, Victoria.
Jessica believes
that capturing our
native animals
on camera can
help with their
preservation.
Letters to the editor
6 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
In early April, a Federal Senate inquiry into
the Wild Rivers Act visited Cairns. It is not
often such Inquires make it to the far north,
and with the legislation attracting national
media coverage, people were eager to
speak out on the issue.
At a packed hearing, presenters
included representatives from the
conservation sector, the Queensland
Government, Indigenous representatives
and organisations, as well as Indigenous
people from Cardwell, Gulf of Carpentaria
and, of course, Cape York Peninsula.
Interestingly, a number of Indigenous
people and groups spoke strongly in
favour of the legislation, stating that
economic development had not been
impeded by the laws. Indeed, they said
the legislation fi ts well with their future
aspirations to develop economically and
protect their traditional lands and waters.
Other Indigenous groups, however,
remain critical of the legislation and say the
issue causing most of the disagreement is
that of consent. Any decision, they insist,
be it conservation-related or development-
related, must have the consent of
Traditional Owners. ACF wholeheartedly
supports free, prior and informed consent
in relation to conservation on Indigenous
lands and stated this in our submission. We
are hopeful a solution that delivers river
protection and development opportunities
will be found.
The Senate inquiry came about after
Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott
introduced his Wild Rivers (Environmental
Management) Bill 2010 into the House
of Representatives. It was defeated but
an identical Bill was introduced into the
Senate and was passed. The Committee
will deliver a fi nal report in June.
Dr Suzanne Jenkins, Northern Australian Program Manager
First there was the Chinese coal carrier
that crashed into the Great Barrier Reef,
gouging a three-kilometre scar into the
World Heritage-listed natural icon. Weeks
later, an oilrig exploded off the coast of
Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill
began. And all this not even a year after
Australia experienced one of its worst oil
spills: the three-month Montara oil leak
in the Timor Sea off Western Australia’s
northern coast. Disasters such as these
serve as an important reminder of what’s
at stake when we don’t look after our
oceans.
Less than fi ve per cent of Australian
waters are highly protected. Over the next
year, Australia has a unique opportunity
to deliver some good news for our oceans
by establishing marine sanctuaries right
around the country.
Ruchira Talukdar’s article in this issue
tells the story of the freshwater work we
have been doing over the last couple of
months.
ACF and ENGO partners in Victoria
and Tasmania are doing exciting work
fi nding solutions to the confl ict over our
forests. Our colleague, Dr Phil Pullinger
from Environment Tasmania, said recently:
“We’ve had 30 years of worsening trench
warfare in Tassie over forests and now is
the time and the opportunity to essentially
solve the forest confl ict – and solve it
properly”.
Finally, congratulations to NSW Premier
Kristina Keneally for passing legislation
that will increase protection for the
Riverina’s red gum forests on public land.
Dr Paul Sinclair, Healthy Ecosystems Program Manager
7Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
We’ve been busy on many fronts with the
development and launch of the inaugural
ACF Sustainable Cities Index, which came
out in June. The Index has 15 indicators
covering a broad range of environmental,
quality-of-life and resilience issues. By
providing a snapshot of comparative
performance in each of Australia’s 20
largest cities, we hope to generate plenty
of local debate about how our cities
can improve, in particular with greater
investment in public transport, improving
our energy and water effi ciency, and
enabling genuine community participation
in the decision making with all levels of
government.
As part of our ongoing work with
the Rapid Active and Affordable Transport
Alliance, and leading up to the Federal
Budget, we published a joint opinion
piece with the Heart Foundation in the
Canberra Times. In May, we launched a new Alternative
Technologies and Fuels Coalition, working
with NRMA Motoring Association,
Environment Business Australia and
others, to advocate for reducing our
dependence on imported fuels, while
at the same time achieving necessary
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In
particular we’re asking parties to commit
to: developing a national strategy to reduce
Australia’s demand for imported oil;
mandating fuel consumption and emission
standards to be compatible with the
European Union and Japan; legislating to
ensure all electric vehicles will be supplied
by clean renewable energy; and drastically
increasing investment in and service
quality of our public and active transport
systems. With such powerful allies we
hope to get some movement on these
issues over the coming months.
We have also been in discussions with
the motor vehicle manufacturing industry
to promote mandatory fuel consumption
standards for all new vehicles.
Active behind the scenes, ACF has
worked on a submission to the Prime
Minister’s Taskforce on Energy Effi ciency,
as well as engaging in a more organised
Just when we thought the campaign for
climate action couldn’t get tougher, Prime
Minister Rudd announced that a Labor
government would put their already
watered-down emissions trading scheme
on ice until 2012. Both major parties say
they remain committed to lacklustre targets
of between 5–25 per cent by 2020, but
neither can string together a coherent set of
policies to achieve even a pathetic fi ve
per cent cut.
However, media coverage of the
decision was deeply critical, and the poll
results showed that Australians are angry
at inaction by government and opposition.
Meanwhile, while the budget fi nally
delivered some money for helping our
pacifi c island neighbours cope with the
impacts of climate change, the opposition
swiftly cut it all away in their budget reply.
Despite these setbacks, ACF has been
working for many months now on a
fantastic project with the Australian
Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) on
climate action and jobs. For so long we’ve
been lectured to by the big polluting
industries that climate change will cost
jobs. In May we blew apart that myth,
releasing a report that shows that, in fact,
jobs grow in every region of Australia bar
one (far western NSW), even with strong
action on climate change. Check out the job
stats in your region at www.acfonline.org.au/jobs-map.
Tony Mohr, Climate ChangeCampaign Manager
push – working with industry associations
and community groups to support greater
effort on energy effi ciency.
Our Werribee Plains project fi nished in
March. We successfully negotiated with the
Victorian Government for a continuation
of the project through LeadWest, and
ACF’s formal role in this project is
now complete. We are in the process of
informing various bodies, including local
government associations across Australia
and professionals in the built environment,
about the project.
Monica Richter, Sustainable Australia Program Manager
Rising Tide wins Peter Rawlinson Award!Rising Tide, the Newcastle-based
activist group, has won this year’s
Peter Rawlinson Award after 12
months of tireless and fearless action
drawing attention to the looming
climate crisis.
Rising Tide is a small, committed
group of volunteers that has
consistently punched above its weight
since its inception six years ago.
In 2009, Rising Tide generated
national media coverage when its
activists abseiled down the front of
Parliament House on Federal Budget
day with a banner that read ‘Carbon
Budget Blowout’, convened a huge
summit for community climate
action groups, stopped work at a
notorious aluminium smelter for
several hours with a non-violent
protest, organised a peaceful sit-in at
Parliament House a week before the
Copenhagen climate talks and staged
a day-long blockade of the rail line
into the world’s biggest coal port at
Newcastle.
ACF’s annual Peter Rawlinson
Award acknowledges the outstanding
voluntary contribution of an
individual or group to conservation.
8 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
As the climate change debate grows increasingly scientifi c, it’s worthwhile taking a step back and meeting the real victims of the climate catastrophe. Swiss photographers and friends of the Climate Project, Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer, travelled the world to capture the faces of ordinary people bravely living with the impacts of the climate crisis.
Tobikeinano, Kiribati: Karotu Tekita’s family lives in a sinking village.
Their hut, once 10 metres from the coast, is now on the water. “They’re
warning us to do whatever we can, but there’s nothing we can do. We’re
just now left here to the mess of the climate change,” says Karotu Tekita.
Tuktoyaktuk, North West Territories, Canada: Inuvialuit hunter Sandy
Adam, 55, says, “The ocean has taken part of our world, I know that”.
Hongse, Guangxi, China: Shop owners Yang Gengbao and Huang
Lianfeng, both 69, lost their house and their shop in a fl ood in July, 2009.
Lake Chad, Chad: “Before there was all water around where I am sitting
now. It was a big lake,” says Abakar Maydocou Mahamat,59, farmer and
former fi sherman.
9Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
1.
India: Farmers Rinchen Wangail, 38, his wife Phuntsok Amgmo, 37, and
their son Tsewang Tobjor, 1, in Rongjuk, Ladakh, lost their home in a fl ash
fl ood. Rinchen said: “I am scared that the situation will get worse. I think
we will have to face a worse situation in the future.”
Banglasdesh: Amena Khatun had to abandon her village to live in the
slums of Dhaka after river erosion destroyed her home. “The whole house
was washed away by the river,“ she says. “When we fi rst arrived in the
slum, I cried a lot.”
Paru Paru, Peru: Juliana Pacco Pacco, llama herder, recalls, “Over these
last years, our animals didn’t have much food to eat, and many illnesses
have appeared, the number of animals is decreasing. Now things are
very diffi cult”.
Kiribati: Taibo Tabokai, 15, is watching her home village of Tebunginako
in Abaiang Atoll, Kiribati, sink. “They called the village people to the
maneaba (our traditional meeting hall) and explained to us that there is no
hope for us because we will eventually loose everything here.”
Indigenous Knowledge for a Sustainable FutureShaping a sustainable future of Australia means understanding where we have come from and understanding Indigenousknowledges is crucial in the light of climate change and when considering issues of the sustainability of our current society.
A degree, postgraduate diploma or postgraduate certifi cate in Indigenous knowledges gives you a broader knowledgebase and a strong foundation from which to participate in policy formulation and decision making.
The course is available as a fully external program or come and study in Darwin.Intensive programs and fi eld trips in the Top End of the NT are scheduled regularly.
Units of study include: Yolngu Languages and Culture : Indigenous Engagement – Land and Water : Cultural Tourism :Communication and Negotiation : Indigenous Cultures and the Environment : Representing and Recording Country.
For more information contact the School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Phone: (08) 8946 6482 Email: [email protected]
www.cdu.edu.au
10 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
‘I’m a graphic designer for an ethical organisation, so it makes sense for the money I earn to be invested ethically too!’
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ABN 43 079 259 733 RSEL L0001441. A PDS is available from our website or by calling us and should be considered before making an investment
decision. Australian Ethical® is a registered trademark of AEI.
Australia: Sheep farmer in Booroorban, NSW, Ken Butcher, 57, says he
has had to reduce his stock because of the lack of water. He has put an ad
in the newspaper to sell his remaining sheep. “I don’t even know what a
normal year is or what an average year is. I’ve got to look at photographs
to remind me what it can be like.”
Peru: Farmers Gomercinda Sutta Illa, 54,
and her grandson Richar Guerra Sutta, 10,
are potato farmers and say that now that the
temperatures in the Peruvian Andes have
increased, the crops they depend on are no
longer reliable. “The life that we are living
does not have much future.”
Russia: Konusheva Luiza Arkadievna,
54, says her house is threatened by by
permafrost melt water. “My house cracks
and it is sinking.”
The human face of climate changeContinued
These portraits were taken in countries where the Climate
Project presenters work. A year ago, the Climate Project trained
people from across the Asia Pacifi c region including the Pacifi c
Islands, India, China and Pakistan in how to work with their
communities to address the impacts of climate crisis. They say
that they have been overwhelmed by their community’s desire
to create action on climate change.
11Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Change corporate behaviourSharemarket returnLow fees
Australian Ethical Investment Ltd (‘AEI’) ABN 47 003 188 930, AFSL 229949. A PDS is available from our website or by calling us and should be considered before making an investment decision. Australian Ethical® is a registered trademark of AEI.
Engaging for change
Mali: Soumbou Bury, 25, is a member of a
nomadic tribe, the Peul from Ngnamerourè,
which is suffering from the consequences of
a lack of rain. “We the Peul people are really,
really tired at many levels.”
Italy: Marcello Plati, 33, a life guard, says the sand on Metaponto beach is
disappearing. “Should nothing be done to contain this coastal erosion we
will have great diffi culty managing this situation.”
Alaska: Margaret Aliurtuq Nickerson, 54, is
a Yup’ik Eskimo. As the weather gets warmer,
her hamlet will be destroyed the next few
years, by erosion.
Spain: Farmers in Valencia, Spain Miguel Angel Casares Camps, 46, and
Miguel Casares Cortina, 76, are experiencing more common heat waves.
“For us, today, climate change represents the stress that the plants have,
the impossibility to adapt to severe changes of temperatures especially
in the summer,” says Miguel.
12 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Sick of Climate Change? So Are We …Adam MajcherAccording to Google News Archive, in 1990 there were 3,450
articles published mentioning the term climate change. In 2009,
there were 123,000.
Climate change has fi rmly cemented itself in the
vernacular, almost at times to the point of saturation. But how
much has changed?
Sheer coverage can at times move someone to believe there’s
progress, but the debate has had only a slight departure from the
status quo.
We’re now hovering at the halfway point between the
anticlimax that was Copenhagen (COP15) and incrementally
increasing hope of what Cancun (COP16) may deliver, and the
disappointment and despondence over the lack of momentum is
being felt in both Australia and around the globe.
It’s particularly understandable given the level of expectation
that built up before Copenhagen – especially given that that
expectation hung on our awareness of what the best science was
telling us. And the emerging science isn’t telling a happier tale.
But let’s also recognise the failure for what it was: a
political one.
In sharp contrast to the political impasse, the community
response to climate change has been nothing short of a
burgeoning revolution.
Since I started at the Climate Project – Australia in 2006, soon
after the release of An Inconvenient Truth, I’ve drawn considerable
strength watching the exponential growth of the climate
movement.
I’ve personally watched 330 Climate Project Presenters around
Australia, and another 120 in the Asia Pacifi c region, plant their
feet and take the issue to their communities, organisations and,
most importantly, to the Federal Government.
I’ve watched some of them have ‘eco-piphanies’, as being
active on climate change develops from an interest into a way of
life; and others who were already involved increase their efforts
manifoldly.
At a conservative estimate, there are now over 120 groups
spread across the country that are active on climate change
and a host of organisations moving to make the issue a principal
focus.
Further affi rmation lies in the fact that every Federal
Government initiative promoting or supporting personal action
on climate change in Australia, from solar PV to insulation,
has been oversubscribed to the point at which it cannot be
administered properly.
Personally, I fi nd great solace in periodically revisiting one
question: if civilisation went back 200 years, what would we do
differently if we knew what we know today?
Considering this projects me to a place of infi nite possibilities
– possibilities that are not only achievable, but that lead
to a world with the foundations to better maintain social,
environmental and economic equilibrium.
We, as individuals, have a real need to take back the
conversation that’s been hijacked by special interests. To leave
behind the ‘why didn’t we?’ and with unswerving conviction
replace it with the ‘how do we?’. Not only to re-motivate
ourselves, but to awaken those who have been allowed to sleep
in on the issue for too long.
If we continue to wait, we will place ourselves precariously
close to a point of no return – not a cataclysmic, end-of-theworld
scenario, but a point at which we’re unable to reclaim a front-foot
position because we’re forced to focus instead on adapting to the
consequences we’ve bequeathed to ourselves.
If you need me, I’ll be on the phone to my Federal Member for
Parliament, ensuring they know I’ll hold them to account.
Adam Majcher is ACF’s Climate Project Coordinator.
The human face of climate change
Continued
Chad: Three of the children of Fatama Djapraul Mousa, 25, have died due
to poor water quality, and she is pictured with her surviving children Ruca,
7 months, Koundoum, 7, and Omer, 3. “It is very diffi cult for me. To lose
children… And now my little daughter here has become sick too.”
Alaska: Grant Kashatok, 46 and a school principal, says “Climate change
deniers – they are the ostriches hiding their heads in the ground.”
The human face of climate changeContinued
13Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Do you support the need for Australia
to shift away from a pollution-dependent
economy to a clean economy? Do you
believe we must take serious action to turn
around the decline of our rivers, wetlands,
forests and oceans? Do you want our
political leaders to be talking about the
opportunities to build healthier local
communities by investing in energy- and
water-effi cient cities and towns with better,
cleaner transport systems?
ACF has a plan of action with 23
practical, achievable steps to turn these
hopes into reality. The plan is summarised
in ACF’s new National Agenda for a Sustainable Australia, updated for 2010.
It spells out a series of specifi c and
measurable actions a federal government
would take if it were serious about
reducing pollution and leading the
transition to a cleaner economy and
healthier environment.
ACF has mailed the plan to all federal
Members of Parliament. However, to lift
our hopes and plans into mainstream
political debate we need your help. We
need the combined voices and letters and
emails and other local actions, small and
large, of thousands of ACF supporters.
What you can do1. Talk about the plan of action with
your family, friends, work colleagues.
Share the hopes you have for a truly
sustainable future by talking about the
practical steps toward achieving it. Invite
people to local events where climate and
environmental action solutions are being
discussed. If you run into some headwinds,
help dispel myths using ACF’s fact sheets
and myth-buster resources.
2. Help lift the ACF plan of action into
your local community conversation.
Send an email or letter to your local paper
using information from our National
Agenda and fact sheets to help draw
attention to issues that are relevant to your
community. Keep writing (enlisting a few
local friends to join you if need be) until
you see your letters or stories appear.
3. Help broaden community and
business support for the plan of action.
Phone, email or mail relevant parts of the
plan of action to local businesses, chambers
of commerce and community organisations
asking them to publicly support the plan
of action.
The tools you’ll need
• The plan of action outlined in ACF’s
National Agenda for a Sustainable Australia: www.acfonline.org.au/nationalagenda
• Region-by-region fact sheets outlining
the clean economy job opportunities
resulting from strong climate change
action: www.acfonline.org.au/jobs-map
• City-by-city sustainability assessment
fact sheets for Australia’s 20 largest
cities outlining each city’s strengths and
where things need to be improved:
www.acfonline.org.au/citiesindex• To help you make the case for restoring
and protecting our vital ecosystems,
we also have fact sheets on restoring
the Murray-Darling river systems and
wetlands to health, creating a world-
class network of marine sanctuaries
around our coastline and protecting the
unique and pristine Kimberley region
as part of Australia’s National Heritage.
Check them out at www.acfonline.org.au/policy-briefs
• Finally, to help you dispel common
myths about action on climate change
and the environment, ACF has some
short myth-busting fact sheets in a
question-and-answer format – ideal to
follow up and inform conversations
with family, friends and work
colleagues. (See www.acfonline.org.au/myths-busted)
Don’t forget that the majority of
Australians still want serious action on
climate change and strong action for a
healthy environment. Recent polls show
72 per cent of Australians still support
unilateral action on climate change and
78 per cent of people remain concerned
about environment issues. The question
for most people is not about whether to
act, it is about how to act. Our challenge
is to answer those questions with a plan of
action explaining the serious, not cosmetic,
steps that are needed to turn things around.
Graham Tupper is ACF’s National Liaison Manager
A national agenda for a sustainable AustraliaA Federal Election year is a big opportunity to make your hopes and views known. You’re eager to voice your opinions, and you know what the Australia you want looks like, but do you know what decisions need to be made to get us there? Well, ACF has a plan…
Graham Tupper
14 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Tourists are not a common sight in
Jakaypuram, a company town centred
around a cement plant in rural Rajasthan.
The town itself is prosperous and tidy, an
island of organisation in the vast chaos of
northern India. I found myself there as a
guest of the company, Lakshmi Cement,
which is a partner in a rural health-
care project jointly organised with the
Population Foundation of India.
For about a week, aside from being the
object of the focused curiosity of the entire
town, I travelled with the doctor and his
team of four as they made their rounds of
the surrounding villages.
These villages presented a stark contrast
to Jakaypuram. They struggle with the
daily realty of rural poverty: poor health
and education, few or no government
services, never enough land and other
resources to go around, and the ever-
present strictures of the caste system.
Each of these can be traced, in part, back
to overpopulation, and in a vicious circle,
each in turn is also a driver of increased
population.
In most of these villages, the
government is nearly absent, and the only
health care available is the weekly visit of
the doctor from Jakaypuram. With great
energy and good cheer, he and his team
attended to basic care, with a focus on
maternal and child health, and provided
reproductive health education and services.
By all accounts, they were achieving
impressive results in improving health
while reducing reproduction rates – a
goal with which everybody I met in
India agreed.
I’ll never forget an exchange between
the doctor and a desperately poor mother
in one of these villages. The woman had
just given birth several days earlier but the
newborn died within a few days. Already
she was at work in the fi elds again – a
matter of survival, not choice. Though she
suffered from anaemia and inadequate
nutrition herself, she had four other young
children, all girls, to support. Still, she
resisted the doctor’s suggestion that she
take steps to cease having children.
The population mythACF’s Director of Strategic Ideas, Charles Berger, examines the misconceptions surrounding population and sustainability.
Charles Berger
She said she would continue trying no
matter what until the family had a boy,
because only a boy would offer them some
hope of economic security.
In northern India, the myth of the
superiority of male children fi nds
expression in many ways: greater
educational and economic opportunities
for men, selective abortion, skewed
gender ratios in the population, and the
dowry system. Each of these tends to
encourage larger families as well. It is easy
to understand why families prefer male
children in the cultural and social context,
and yet it is equally clear that the myth of
male superiority has a devastating effect on
women and on the whole community
in Rajasthan.
The contrast between northern and
southern India is stark. In the populous
and rapidly growing north, natural
resources, infrastructure and government
services are not keeping up. In some
areas, the water table has dropped by
up to 200 metres as a result of over-
extraction of water by rapidly growing
rural communities. Much of northern India
remains stubbornly mired in poverty. In the
south, the myth of the superiority of male
children is far less prevalent, the dowry
system is not as strong, and population
growth has stabilised in many areas. It is
no coincidence that the high-tech industries
and scientifi c innovation that many see as
India’s future are fl ourishing in the south.
What does all of this have to do with
Australia? In some ways, we are worlds
apart. People I met in India could barely
fathom living in a country twice as large
geographically as India but populated by
only 21 million people.
But just as India’s demographics are
powerfully shaped by cultural practice
and myth – such as the preference for male
children – so, too, does Australia have its
own population myths, which continue to
shape our own rapid population growth
trajectory.
One long-standing myth is that our
economic success depends upon
population growth. In fact, the opposite
is often true, as the case of India
demonstrates. In India, the most
economically successful regions are those
that have stabilised their population, not
those that continue to grow rapidly. And
among OECD nations in the decade up to
2007, no fewer than 13 countries had lower
population growth than Australia, but more
successful economies on a per-capita basis.
Another, more recent, myth is that
Australia won’t be able to care for its old
folks without importing labour and growing
its population. Yet, as one of the world’s
wealthiest nations, surely Australia should
be able to fi nd the resources to look after
those who can’t fully look after themselves.
Caring for the elderly is easy if we prioritise
compassion over growth in material wealth,
and conversely impossible if we insist on
economic growth above all else.
And, indeed, nations such as Norway
and the Netherlands are already coping
just fi ne with populations that are ageing
more dramatically than Australia’s.
They are working out the models for
successful and sustainable aged care in the
community, from which we could learn a
great deal.
A third myth is that we have the
capacity to manage population growth so
that it doesn’t result in increased pressure
on the environment. The great diffi culty
with this argument is that it is optimistic to
a reckless degree.
ACF recently examined in detail
four regions in Australia where human
populations are growing much more
rapidly than the Australian average: the
Swan River plain, the Fleurieu Peninsula,
the Western Port region in Victoria, and
Southeast Queensland. In each case, our
best efforts at sustainable management of
growth are not keeping pace, and pressure
on already threatened ecosystems is
increasing.
And so while the notion of sustainable
management of rapid population growth
is a comforting idea, in practice we have
not succeeded in putting it into effect.
Even our best efforts at sound planning
often are overwhelmed by rapid growth.
15Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
For example, the Melbourne 2030 plan
envisioned fi rm boundaries to urban
expansion, but this planning framework
has been put aside in the face of a
burgeoning urban population.
A better approach is that suggested in
1991 by the National Population Council,
a nonpartisan independent government
body. It believes that: “Solutions should
not be assumed for population-related
problems through other policies, unless
the institutional and other mechanisms
required to effectively implement those
solutions are in place”.
This suggests, for example, that until
Australia has reversed the decline in our
ecosystems and our greenhouse pollution
levels, we should be very cautious about
policies that would increase our population.
ACF has acted on these fi ndings by
fi ling a formal nomination of population
growth as a ‘key threatening process’
to Australia’s biodiversity under the
Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. In addition,
ACF has been strongly advocating a
national population policy that would
stabilise Australia’s population by mid-
century at around 27–30 million people.
Such a policy can be achieved without
compromising Australia’s humanitarian
and family reunion commitments. In fact,
Australia could increase our intake of
refugees but still stabilise the population,
provided we are willing to reduce the
skilled migration program, which has
ballooned in size in recent years.
A stable population is an important part
of a sustainable future, whether you live
in northern India or Australia. Together
with efforts to reduce the impact of our
consumption-intensive lifestyle, stabilising
the population will give Australia the
best chance of meeting our long-term
ecological goals.
Charles Berger is ACF’s Director of Strategic Ideas.
PopulationACF is calling for a national population
policy that:
• stabilises Australia at an ecologically
sustainable level by 2050,
• reduces Australia’s high migration
levels by reducing business
migration categories, while
maintaining or strengthening
humanitarian migration,
• sets clear long-term sustainability
limits, and ensures that population
and consumption patterns will not
exceed those limits
• commits Australia to stronger
support for assisting other
countries to achieve stable
population, in particular through
investments in child and maternal
health, education, reproductive
health services, and economic
empowerment of women.
In India, poor health and education, few or no government services, and a shortage of land and other resources can be traced, in part, back to overpopulation. PHOTO: AAP Images
16 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Six months in the making, the inaugural
ACF Sustainable Cities Index covers a
broad range of environmental, social and
economic issues and provides a snapshot
of the performance of each of Australia’s 20
largest cities.
Cities were ranked in order of
comparative performance from 1 (most
sustainable) to 20 (least sustainable)
based on 15 different indicators covering
environment, quality of life and resilience
factors.
In 2010, Darwin has emerged as
Australia’s most sustainable city, scoring
highly on biodiversity, household
repayments and employment, despite
coming second-last on ecological footprint
and health indicators. Darwin was
followed closely by the Sunshine Coast and
Brisbane. In contrast, Newcastle, Geelong
and fi nally Perth came out as Australia’s
least sustainable cities in 2010.
Unfortunately, no city did well across
all 15 indicators; and while each has its
own unique strengths and weaknesses,
no Australian city can yet be held up as
a real champion in sustainable urban
development. For instance: Darwin is
almost eight times less sustainable than the
ideal city (one that would rank fi rst on all
15 indicators), while Perth is only 1.5 times
less sustainable than Darwin.
Where to from here?Given that cities are responsible for
generating 75 per cent of our employment
and 80 per cent of our GDP, they are the
key to Australia’s long-term economic
prosperity and will form the basis for
whether we can create a healthier and more
sustainable future for all Australians.
Toward this, all of our cities would
benefi t immediately from increased and
better-targeted investment to provide:
• Effi cient, affordable and healthy
transport choices: reducing our oil
dependence and vulnerability;
• Improved energy and water effi ciency
for both households and workplaces:
protecting Australians from future
price rises.
A groundbreaking new index reveals that wasteful consumption of resources, substantial population growth, poor planning decisions and lack of infrastructure investment has come at a cost to our economy, society and the environment. So how does your city rate?
Matthew Trigg
ACF hopes that the
ACF Sustainable Cities Index will assist our
car-dependent cities,
which today fuel
asthma, obesity and
biodiversity loss, to
be transformed into
cleaner, more effi cient
places with great
public and active
transport, improved
amenity, and happier,
healthier residents.
For more
information visit:
www.acfonline.org.au/citiesindex
PHOTO: David Silva, Tourism NT
BrisbaneEcological Footprint Green BuildingDensity Transport Climate Change
3rd
Sunshine CoastAir QualityGreen BuildingHealth Transport Household Repayments
2nd
DarwinAir Quality Ecological Footprint Green Building Water Biodiversity Health Density Subjective Wellbeing Transport Employment Climate Change Public Participation Education Household Repayments Food Production
1st
Sustainable CitiesACF is calling for:
• A well-designed and well-
funded 10-year Smart Energy
Use Program to cut energy
waste that builds on the
2009 COAG National Energy
Effi ciency Strategy;
• Implement world’s best
practice energy and water
effi ciency standards for all new
buildings and homes by 2020;
• Work with state, territory
and local governments to
provide incentives and
remove impediments for rapid
progress to green precincts and
healthy carbon-neutral cities.
www.acfonline.org.au/nationalagenda
17Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
TownsvilleAir QualityGreen BuildingBiodiversity Education Food Production
4th
HobartAir QualityBiodiversityTransport Climate ChangeHousehold Repayments
6th
Gold Coast – TweedEcological Footprint WaterDensity Climate Change Public Participation
8th
BendigoAir QualityEcological FootprintDensity Public Participation Household Repayments
10th
SydneyEcological FootprintGreen BuildingHealth Density Public Participation
12th
AdelaideAir QualityGreen BuildingHealth Transport Education
14thEqual
14thEqual
Albury-WodongaEcological Footprint WaterDensity Climate Change Education
15th
NewcastleAir QualityDensityTransport Climate ChangeFood Production
17th
PerthGreen BuildingWater EmploymentPublic Participation Education
19th
Canberra-QueanbeyanEcological Footprint Green BuildingDensity Climate ChangeHousehold Repayments
5th
MelbourneEcological FootprintBiodiversitySubjective Wellbeing EducationPublic Participation
7th
CairnsWaterDensity TransportEmploymentEducation
9th
ToowoombaWaterBiodiversityEmployment Climate Change Education
11th
LauncestonAir QualityEmploymentClimate Change Education Household Repayments
13th
BallaratBiodiversitySubjective Wellbeing Employment Household RepaymentsFood Production
WollongongAir QualityEcological Footprint Health Transport Public Participation
16th
GeelongEcological FootprintGreen BuildingHealth Public Participation Education
18th
For the complete picture visit:www.acfonline.org.au/citiesindex
18 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Radioactive politicsLike the stuff itself, the politics of radioactive waste is getting hotter and dirtier. Dave Sweeney takes a look at a controversial Federal Government plan for a dump in the Northern Territory.
Dave Sweeney
Territory laws that might delay or frustrate
the opening of a waste dump.
The only site in Australia under active
consideration as a national radioactive
waste dump is Muckaty in the Northern
Territory. The Howard government fi rst
nominated Muckaty, 120 kilometres
north of Tennant Creek, as one of four
possible sites for a nuclear waste dump in
September 2007.
It was a controversial choice then and
remains so now. The Federal Government
secured a ‘voluntary nomination’ from the
Northern Land Council and one Aboriginal
family group. The terms of the agreement
have never been made public.
While some members of the Muckaty
Land Trust support a national waste dump
in return for cash benefi ts and access to
improved services, many do not.
The secretive process by which
Muckaty was chosen is out of step with
growing international support for genuine
community consultation and consent in
decisions about nuclear facilities, articulated
in this way by the UK Committee on
Before the 2007 Federal Election, Labor
promised a new approach to radioactive
waste, characterised by international best
practice, full community consultation and
consent. It would restore transparency,
accountability, procedural fairness and
legal redress and adopt a ”consensual
process of site selection” with ”agreed
scientifi c grounds for determining
suitability” and “community consultation
and support”.
And it was scathing of the Howard
government’s legal framework – the
Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act.
In February this year the stridently
pro-nuclear Resources Minister, Martin
Ferguson, broke two years of silence to
introduce Labor’s ‘new’ approach – and
sadly the result was not worth the wait.
Instead of the promised repeal of
the Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Act, it has been cynically
repackaged as the National Radioactive Waste Management Act in a move described
by veteran journalist Paul Toohey as “one
of the most plainly insincere examples of
legislative sleight of hand ever seen in this
country”.
Labor’s recycled law fails to restore
procedural fairness and appeal rights,
suspends the application of key Indigenous
and environmental protections and
overrides all Commonwealth, State and
New!
Available at Coles, Bi-Lo, Woolworths and selected independents. For more information see www.awareenvironmental.com.au
ABOVE: Sign of the times: community opposition to the dump plan is being expressed in many different ways. LEFT: Drawing a line in the sand as outrage at the proposed nuclear waste dump grows.PHOTOS: Dave Sweeney
19Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Radioactive Waste Management in 2007:
“There is growing recognition that it is ethically unacceptable to impose a radioactive waste facility on an unwilling community”.
Imposing radioactive waste on the lands
of Indigenous people in the 21st Century is
not responsible management – rather it is
shameful political expedience.
Traditional Owners opposed to a
dump at Muckaty are taking legal action,
travelling widely to address forums and
exploring international avenues as part of
their efforts to build awareness and halt the
plan – and their supporters are growing.
The Northern Territory Government,
Unions NT, the ACTU, medical and public
health bodies, Indigenous rights groups
and environmentalists are all actively
LEFT: Hands up for a future free of radioactive waste: part of the crowd at an Easter protest in Tennant Creek against the Federal Governments dump planPHOTO: Dave Sweeney
RIGHT: Sign of the times: community opposition to the dump plan is being expressed in many different ways. PHOTO: Dave Sweeney
contesting Labor’s ‘out of sight – out of
mind’ approach to waste.
Radioactive waste remains a direct
environmental and human hazard for
extremely long periods of time and we
need to get the policy architecture right.
The ethical, democratic and effective way
to choose nuclear waste storage sites is
based on robust science, voluntary consent,
transparency and democratic dialogue. All
these features are missing from Minister
Ferguson’s politically expedient agenda.
Radioactive waste is a reality and a
serious issue. Its management should be
based on the principles of reduction at
source, transport minimisation and above-
ground dry storage – not a combination of
broken promises, carrot, stick and secrecy.
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As our political leaders position
themselves for the 2010 election it is time for
the Rudd Government to honour its 2007
election commitment on radioactive waste.
It is time for politicians to stop playing
political football with a human and
environmental threat that will last far
beyond their limited tenure.
Dave Sweeney is ACF’s Nuclear Free Campaigner.
Nuclear-free AustraliaACF is calling for:
• An end to plans for a national
radioactive waste dump at Muckaty
in the NT
• Responsible radioactive waste
management based on waste and
transport minimisation
• An approach based on independent
review, best science and informed
community consent
www.acfonline.org.au/nationalagenda
20 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Is the failure of national politicians to exercise leadership on climate change out of step with public opinion or does it in fact refl ect a disconnect between our expressed concern and willingness to act?
Danny Vadasz
Recently, the Lowy Institute released
their annual Lowy Poll examining various
aspects of foreign-policy-related public
opinion, including attitudes to action on
climate change. It shows that 72 per cent
of the population believe that Australia
should take unilateral action on climate
change, but only 46 per cent support action
that involves signifi cant costs. Another 40
per cent believe in gradual, low-cost action.
The poll used hypothetical increases in
energy charges as a proxy for determining
how willing people were to put their
money where their mouth is. It found that
only 19 per cent were prepared to pay a
premium of $20 or more per month as their
contribution to climate change abatement,
while another 15 per cent were prepared to
pay $11–20.
Of greater concern was the fi nding that
since the previous survey, taken in 2008,
the proportion of people not prepared to
pay anything had risen from 21 to 33
per cent.
Does this mean that Australians are
hypocrites, happy to demand climate
action but not prepared to pay for it? Not
necessarily. The responses could simply
mean that people believe mitigation efforts
should be otherwise funded, possibly
by reprioritising existing government
spending or even perhaps through a super-
profi t mining tax.
Nevertheless, there is an accumulation
of sound evidence to show that people are
generally inclined to secretly trade off their
public statements against private self-
interest. It’s the sort of disconnect between
good intention and practice that sees us
wanting to lose weight without giving up
chocolate cake.
It is very diffi cult to pinpoint how much
people really care about anything, given
that expressing concern doesn’t neatly
translate into consequent action.
But why should that surprise us?
Behavioural cues are anything but
consistent. A recent survey by the
Australian Food and Grocery Council
found nearly a quarter of households
purchases toilet paper made from recycled
paper but an insignifi cant number
purchases sustainable tuna. The survey
further points out that while 80 per cent
of consumers claim to be environmentally
aware in their shopping choices, only 13
per cent buy sustainable products. Clearly,
we have trouble being the people we
want to be.
So are we really prepared to personally
wear some of the collective pain required
to mitigate climate change? The Lowy
Poll suggests that almost 60 per cent of
Australians are happy to make some level
of individual sacrifi ce but how does this
stack up against reality?
You may be surprised to learn that
over one million Australian households
currently subscribe to some percentage
of Green Power from their energy utility
and that they are paying a premium of
$100–$300 per year for the privilege. This
is an impressive level of commitment
but it represents less than 12 per cent of
households, compared with the 34 per cent
who say they are willing to pay a Green
Power tariff.
This certainly compares favourably with
the number of Australians who have made
a commitment at the high end of personal
consumption, such as purchasing the iconic
hybrid motor car, the Toyota Prius. By
contrast to Green Energy subscription, total
Prius sales at August 2009 had reached an
unimpressive 13,300. (Total Australian car
sales for 2009 were 937,328 and that was a
‘bad’ year.)
Rough as they are, these examples
provide useful bookends for what we can
expect of public support for voluntary cost
related behavioural initiatives. But personal
cost is by no means the only barrier to
transitioning to sustainable living.
Transformation through behaviour changeUntil now, the onus for energy effi ciency
has been directed at consumers (rather than
at the production end) through campaigns
You’ve made your home as sustainable as you can manage - but are you prepared to let go of your plasma TV? PHOTO: Murray Fredericks for Caroline Pidcock Architects
21Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
encouraging frugality and prudence.
Programs run by State Government, local
councils and NGOs like ACF encourage us
to modify our energy lifestyle by switching
off appliances at the socket, installing long-
life light bulbs, choosing energy effi cient
appliances and walking further. They
emphasise individual responsibility and
promote the virtues of personal restraint.
Take-up rates vary according to the
inconvenience and cost of the proposition.
In general, social marketing attempts to
create new standards of social ‘normality’
by effecting change to routine behaviour.
However, there are shortcomings to this
approach.
Firstly, it is diffi cult to create an
engagement path beyond easy lifestyle
adjustments. That is, once you’ve changed
your light bulbs, signed a petition and
commuted by public transport the easy
boxes are ticked but the stretch to high-
cost/inconvenient actions – such as giving
up fossil-fuel-based transport or making
an appointment to see your local MP –
remains a bridge too far for most people.
Secondly, it’s much harder to deal with
the invisible hand of socially constructed
behaviour. This relates to unconscious
behaviour embedded as community
normality – the sort of unthinking
patterned behaviour that leads us to take
daily showers whether we need them
or not.
A good demonstration of how
technology, for instance, can infl uence
socially constructed behaviour comes from
data on domestic power consumption.
Research shows that shoppers are greatly
infl uenced by energy effi ciency ratings
when making white goods purchasing
decisions.
Coupled with the signifi cant
improvements in appliance effi ciencies
over the last fi ve years, this should
translate into signifi cant reductions in
average household consumption rates.
However, these savings have failed to
materialise. Unfortunately, over the
same period, household aspirations
have expanded to include previously
unavailable goods such as domestic
air-conditioning systems and fl at-screen
televisions (particularly plasma). This
has overwhelmed energy savings from
appliance improvements.
Moreover, these energy-hungry
appliances are still in the early days of
market penetration, meaning that for some
time they will continue to drive increase
in average household consumption,
irrespective of star ratings on washing
machines. (Plasma accounts for 25 per cent
of TVs sold in Australia.)
A more dramatic example of
unconscious consumption is the growth
in the average size of housing stock.
According to BIS Shrapnel, Australia now
lays claim to the largest new homes in
the world. Since 2000, the average size of
new Australian homes has grown 12 per
cent, from 226sqm to 252sqm, despite the
continued decline in average household
occupancy rates. Amenities once unheard
of in a standard house – ensuite bathrooms,
walk-in robes, entertainment rooms,
twin garages – have become common
features, with all their attendant energy
requirements for lighting, heating
and cooling.
In other words, overt commitment to
behaviour change can be undermined
and overwhelmed by constantly changing
socially constructed behaviour norms.
In recognition of this there is an
emerging refocus on strategies that set
high resource consumption behaviour
in a societal/cultural context, examining
the relationship between affl uence,
materialistic values, wellbeing, community
engagement and ecologically damaging
behaviours.
This lends itself to a different model
of behaviour change, one that frames
individual responsibility within the
supportive context of community. Using
our weight-loss metaphor, it’s moving
the problem from a private space into a
community context, such as that provided
by highly successful, participatory
programs like Weight Watchers.
We need to create such safe, inclusive
and collective places around climate
change. There is an opportunity to engage
with concerned communities by reframing
the nature of individual involvement. To
date, concerned citizens have had limited
opportunity to participate in climate
change mitigation other than to reform
their own (implied) selfi sh behaviour
through lifestyle changes.
While personal responsibility remains
the lynchpin to social change, there is a
potential to encourage collective effort
around community enterprise. Examples of
this, both constructed and spontaneous, are
emerging in townships around Australia
and the world.
The second part of this article, in the
next issue of Habitat, looks at potential
models for using communities to generate
their own momentum for change while
we wait for leadership from above.
BELOW: Eighty per cent of consumers claim to be environmentally aware in their shopping choices, only thirteen per cent buy sustainable products? PHOTO: iStockphoto
22 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
The final report of the Henry Tax Review was released by the
government in May, along with a detailed government response.
Did the environment see any wins from the Henry Review?
In short, the Henry Review produced some useful
recommendations for the environment, pleasingly in support of
many areas for which ACF has long been campaigning. However,
the government missed an opportunity to improve both the
environment and economy by largely failing to act on these
recommendations.
The Henry Review strongly recommended that polluters pay
for their pollution and that we unwind some of the largest tax
breaks for big polluters.
This includes strong support for a price on carbon as well as
restructuring the Fringe Benefi ts Tax concessions for company cars
that encourage excessive driving. The FBT recommendation in
particular was strongly welcomed by ACF, which has long worked
to reform this subsidy that costs Australian tax payers nearly
$2 billion annually.
Other positive recommendations include congestion charging
(based on the full cost of using our roads) and ensuring our forests
and natural resources refl ect full environmental values in their
pricing.
The major response by the government has been the Resources
Super Profi ts Tax (RSPT). Because mining involves the depletion
of non-renewable public resources, it is only fair that the
public shares fully in the profi ts generated by the miners. It is
critical, however, that the additional revenue generated is used
to strengthen the development of sustainable industries and
investment in sustainable infrastructure, and clearly demonstrates
a net environmental benefi t.
The current proposal, however, has the potential to have poor
outcomes for the environment, with major concerns surrounding
marginal mining projects, which are likely to become more
profi table, and that revenue from the tax is going to support more
mining exploration.
With billions of dollars in subsidies that continue to encourage
the use of fossil fuels, we still have a long way to go before the tax
system is truly working to support a healthy environment.
ACF continues to call for reforms to support sustainability
consistent with a range of Henry Tax Review recommendations.
Taxing the environment or tax for the environment?At the conclusion of an extensive review of the Australian tax system, Australians have been presented with limited progress towards a tax system that can begin to support a healthy environment.
Simon O’Connor
Additional informationRead ACF’s work on the tax review at
http://www.acfonline.org.au/henryreview
For more details on ACF’s position on the RSPT, see
http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=2896
Ask theeconomistSimon O’Connor
Got a question for the Economist? Simply email hime at [email protected]
Despite all our intelligence, it seems we still can’t recognise any true value in the environment that keeps us all alive and, as a result, we are losing all of the most truly valuable things we have: forests, rivers, animals and birds. How do we ever turn this around?
G. Ariel, South Yarra VIC
There is no doubt that economics focuses on the price of
everything and the value of nothing, resulting in the destruction
of our environment for short-term economic gain.
A fundamental problem with mainstream economics is poor
valuation. Finding the market price of selling the timber from our
forests is easy but respecting the worth of a healthy forest is the
challenge: the habitat and clean water it provides, the carbon it
sequesters, the protection of genetic resources, and the beauty and
awe that an old forest provides for all to enjoy.
Increasingly, some economists are trying to put these integral
values back ’on the balance sheet’ so that decisions take into
account the environment and all its values.
For example, a recent ACF report looked at the true value of
a healthy wetland in the Murray Darling Basin, taking as a case
study the Hattah Lakes in Victoria.
Not only does a healthy wetland provide the basis of a local
tourism industry, including jobs for rangers and local hotels, it
also provides critical environmental services for free: storing
water in times of fl ood, it reduces the need for dams; fi ltering
water, it reduces the need for costly water treatment plants;
and providing habitat for birds, bats and animals, it helps
neighbouring farmers with pollination and insect eating.
All up, the Hattah Lakes alone provide $14.5 million in
valuable services each year!
But to really change this poor use of economics, we need the
inclusion of these environmental values as mandatory for all
decision-making processes. And then we need our policy makers
to realise that beyond dollars and cents, there are values that
should always be respected above short-term economic benefi t.
Simon O’Connor is ACF’s Economic Advisor
23Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Economic securityACF is calling for:
• Government to promote a clean,
renewable energy future.
www.acfonline.org.au/nationalagenda
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Investing in a betterworld
To many, it just makes common sense:
any transition to a greener economy
will require a rapid deployment of all
the available skills and workers across
Australia.
Yet, frustratingly, the public discussion
about improving our environment
too frequently focuses on an either/
or proposition: which do we save, the
economy or the environment?
ACF recently released a report with the
Australian Council of Trade Unions that
fi nally should put this debate to bed.
The report, Creating Jobs – Cutting
Pollution: the roadmap for a cleaner,
stronger economy, demonstrates that
Australia has an opportunity to create 3.7
million new jobs by 2030 by taking strong
action to reduce our greenhouse pollution.
The report investigates at a regional
level the impact on jobs, from reducing
Australia’s emissions through to a price on
carbon, plus measures including energy
effi ciency, renewable energy investment
and cleaner transport. And the results
are conclusive: compared to taking weak
action, job growth is strong in all regions of
Australia, with a total of 770,000 additional
new jobs.
Not only can jobs grow in all regions,
but the jobs are not just ‘green collar’ jobs:
new jobs also are needed in traditional
industries such as agriculture, mining,
manufacturing and the services sector.
It makes sense, really. In the construction
of wind farms, for example, the skills we
need are not purely ‘green’, but rather
there is a signifi cant requirement for steel
workers, concreters, crane operators and
electrical contractors. These are skills we
have in abundance in Australia, and that
we need to start directing rapidly towards
cutting our greenhouse pollution.
This report, based on extensive
economic modelling, challenges Australia’s
leaders to show us that they have a serious
plan to shift us to a cleaner economy with
new industries and better jobs.
The public discussion about improving our environment often lapses into rhetoric about saving jobs or saving the environment – but a new report should fi nally end this debate.
Simon O’Connor
How many jobs are in your area?
Find out at www.acfonline.org.au/uploads/res/index.html
Read the report at www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=2855
24 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
It was an early – yet pleasurable
– start to the day, with a breakfast at
chef Stefano’s café in Mildura. Stefano
Di Pieri, a passionate advocate for the
Murray River and a supporter of the Just
Add Water campaign, played generous
host to ACF’s Just Add Water team,
supporters and project partners including
mecu, Observant, Parks Victoria, Mallee
Catchment Management Authority,
Department of Sustainability, and
Environment Victoria. After fi lling our
stomachs, it was time to visit the Hattah
Lakes and witness for ourselves the water
fl owing into the wetlands.
In the month-and-a-half lead-up to this day,
the Just Add Water team had witnessed
the most extraordinary outpouring of
support from ACF supporters. People
from all over Australia, and even overseas,
had contributed to the campaign. Within
a month, the Just Add Water website had
collected three times the expected amount
of donations, and the campaign had been
able to purchase 400 million litres of water
for Hattah Lakes – twice the initial estimate
of 200 million litres.
And it didn’t stop there. A fl ood of
encouraging emails, thousands of petitions
addressed to Minister Penny Wong asking
for strong action for the Murray-Darling,
and sweeping press, radio and television
coverage had proven beyond any doubt
how much the Murray-Darling mattered
A ground-breaking campaign. The coming together of Australians across the country. A national media blitz. It all culminated in a convoy of supporters, campaigners and journalists making their way to the Hattah Kulkyne National Park in Victoria on the morning of May 4 to watch the fi rst of 400 million litres of water pumped back into the wetlands. Ruchira Talukdar was there.
Ruchira Talukdar
to all Australians.
At the park, watching the water fl ow
down the creek towards the Hattah Lakes
was an incredible experience. It will take
a total of three months for all the water to
be delivered to the Hattah Lakes (‘til the
end of July). You can actually watch the
water fl ooding Hattah Lakes at www.justaddwater.org.au.
It was a victory for people power
– together we have done our bit for
endangered wetlands in the Murray-
Darling. But it is now time for our
governments to act in the interest of all
Australians and permanently restore
the river system to health by setting
the balance right between the needs of
irrigation and the environment.
For that, we need to ensure that the
new Murray-Darling Basin plan (a draft of
which is due out in mid-2010) addresses
the over-extraction of water for irrigation
and returns wetlands to health by
providing them with enough water. To fi nd
out more and to see how you can become
involved, visit www.acfonline.org.au/water.
1
25Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
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Murray-Darling Basin ACF is calling for:
• A scientifi cally robust Murray-
Darling Basin Plan by 2011 that
addresses the over-extraction of
water from the river-system and
protects and restores wetlands
to health
• Complementary actions to protect
and restore the Murray-Darling
and its wetlands, including a
network of fresh-water protected
areas.
For more information: www.acfonline.org.au/nationalagenda
1. Hattah Lakes dying for a drink.
2. Restored to life! ACF Supporters deliver much-needed water to the region.
3. Dr Paul Sinclair, the ACF campaigner behind Just Add Water.
ALL PHOTOS: Elke Kerr
2
3
26 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
GREEN CHOICE: A HABITAT &
Washing machines
CHOICE washing machine tests show
that front loading washing machines
almost invariably use less water and
less detergent than top loaders. And
if you wash in cold water, they’ll save
on energy too. In this issue of Habitat,
CHOICE tests the environmental
credentials of washing machines.
All washing machines are required to
carry labels that show their energy and
water rating. The energy use is given as a
series of stars plus a number that tells you
the overall kilowatt hours (kWh/per year) it
uses to wash seven full loads per week. The
water label shows the litres of water used
per wash and an equivalent star rating for
water use.
The stars are a quick-take on energy and
water: the more stars, the more energy- and
water-effi cient the machine. However, you
can only compare star ratings between
machines of the same capacity. A bigger
machine may well have more stars than a
smaller one (because there are energy and
water savings inherent in a larger load), but
it’ll probably use more power and water
overall in a year. So decide on the size you
need for your household, then compare star
ratings among machines of that size.
But be aware that a fi ve-star energy
rating isn’t a guarantee of fi ve-star
performance in other areas – check CHOICE
performance test results for that.
Why CHOICE doesn’t have an energy effi ciency scoreAccording to 2005 data from the Australian
Bureau of Statistics, 70 per cent of
Australians use cold water in their washing
machines, and CHOICE’s own 2008
survey similarly found that 55 per cent of
subscribers use a cold-wash program in
their homes. A major effect of washing in
cold water is that the machine uses a lot less
energy — it doesn’t have to heat the water
(or your hot water system doesn’t have to
do it for them). So CHOICE tests using cold
wash programs, and energy effi ciency is no
longer scored.
Energy and water saving tips• Wash in cold water. CHOICE tests found
little difference in wash performance
between washing in warm or cold,
especially if you’re washing non-whites.
But if you wash in cold water, you’ll
regularly need to do a hot wash every
so often to clean your machine. If you
do use a hot or warm wash, choose a
cold rinse.
• Try to always wash a full load – it takes
as much energy and water to wash a
full load as half unless the machine
has special sensors or half-load setting
options.
• Presoak heavily soiled items so you don’t
have to wash them twice.
• Unplug your machine when it’s not
being used – some machines have a
‘standby’ mode which means they’re still
using energy even when not in use.
• If your machine has energy- and water-
saving features, use them. These might
include a ‘fast-wash’ program for lightly
soiled clothes or water-saving programs
that also save energy.
• Front loaders generally use less water
than top loaders.
• If you recycle your water through a grey-
water system and use it on your garden,
make sure you use a garden safe laundry
detergent. Check the CHOICE website
for the best options.
Connecting to solar hot waterWith the recent increase in the use of solar
hot water, more consumers want to use this
cheaper hot water for washing. However,
fi nding front loaders with a dual hot and
cold water connection can be diffi cult.
According to manufacturers, there are
several reasons why dual connections in
front loaders are limited:
• The majority of the population prefers to
wash in cold water. Washing machines
only heat up a small amount of water
to the set temperature as needed, so it’s
more energy-effi cient than drawing hot
water from an electric hot water heater.
Solar and heat pump hot water heaters
are exceptions, and drawing from a gas
hot water heater is about the same as the
machine heating the water itself.
• Most front loaders use small volumes of
hot water for the main wash (generally
about 15L-20L in total); for a dual
connection, only 7L-10L of hot water
(60°C) may be used to get a warm 40°C
wash. So depending on how long the
pipes are from the hot water source, you
may end up with cold water in your
machine anyway. You can check this
by running the hot water tap in your
laundry and measure how much cold
water fl ows before you get hot water.
• Many stains are set by hot water, so a
cold fi ll and slow heat-up to optimum
wash temperatures helps the stain
removal process. But if a dual connection
washer is designed well, it should fi ll
with cold fi rst then add the hot water.
• Hot water entering the machine must
be no hotter than 60°C, so a tempering
valve may be needed for solar hot water
heaters if there isn’t a temperature
controller already fi tted.
• Using hot water for rinsing can cause
more creasing, so it’s not generally
recommended.
• Washing in cold water is an energy
effi cient way of washing, but using
solar hot water in your washing
machine for warm to hot washes can
save a signifi cant amount of electricity
and carbon emissions, as well as time
savings due to shorter wash times. So
hopefully we’ll soon be seeing more
dual-connection front loaders that can
effectively use solar hot water.
What to look forWhen buying a machine you’ll come across
plenty of whiz-bang features and electronics
to dazzle you, but what’ll matter most when
you get the machine home are a few basics:
Capacity: With capacity claims varying
from 5–10+ kg loads, any size of household
should be able to fi nd a machine that
suits them.
Time savers: Generally, top loaders have
shorter wash cycles than front loaders. If
you prefer a front loader, look for one with
a ‘fast-wash’ cycle – but even so there’s
considerable variation. It’s worth also
factoring in drying times: because front
loaders tend to have higher spin speeds and
thus extract more water, drying times can
be shorter. This is money-saving as well as
convenient if you use a clothes dryer.
Noise: Manufacturers like to tell you their
washing machines purr like a pussy cat.
Don’t be fooled: some machines are loud.
If your laundry’s close to your living areas
27Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
CHOICE COLLABORATION
Brand / model(in rank order within groups)
Type Rinse performance score (%)
Water effi ciency score (%)
Spin effi ciency score (%)
Water used (L, normal cycle)
Noise (dB)
Auto-sensing water level
Extra rinse
Tap connection(H= Hot, C=Cold)
Capacity (kg)
Running cost ($/10 years)
Up to 5.5KG
Fisher & Paykel
MW512
Top/
agitator
90 52 69 132 69 – – H & C, C 5.5 582
Simpson Ezi Sensor
SWF8556 (A)
Front 74 81 60 51 63 NS – C only 5.5 365
6KG to 7KG
Miele Honeycomb Care
W3725
Front 65 85 79 50 64 Yes Yes C only 6.5 369
Asko Quattro W6342 Front 57 83 74 53 69 Yes Yes C only 6 291
Fisher & Paykel
Aquasmart WL70T60C
Top/
impeller
58 81 67 66 57 Yes – H & C 7 364
Bosch Maxx 1100rpm
WAE22460AU
Front 68 82 72 64 66 Yes Yes C only 7 342
7.5KG or larger
Electrolux Time
Manager EWF1083
Front 71 83 71 68 62 NS Yes C only 8 427
LG WD12020D
Direct Drive
Front 49 87 81 50 67 Yes Yes H & C 7.5 307
Whirlpool WFS1285AW Front 55 83 75 73 65 Yes Yes H & C, C 8.5 452
Ariston Aqualtis
AQXXD 149H
Front 46 86 78 58 65 Yes Yes H & C 8.5 370
Samsung WF8802RPF Front 55 83 71 67 64 NS Yes C only 8.0 386
Indesit SIXL106 Front 56 85 67 56 68 NS – H & C 7.5 958
Haier HWM1480KFL Front 39 87 72 53 67 NS Yes C only 8.0 319
Summary table of washing machine effi ciency
this can be a big deal, so check the table
for comparative noise ratings. As a general
guide, front loaders have on average a
louder spin cycle than top loaders, owing
to their faster spin speed. That’s only part
of the story though; they also tend to have a
higher pitch. So, while front loaders tend to
be gentler on your clothes, they might not
be so gentle on your household if their noise
bothers you.
Selectable spin speed: You can change
the spin speed on some programs. A higher
spin speed will result in dryer clothes
others use the traditional mesh trap in
the wash drum that you have to clean
manually. It’s mostly top loaders that have
lint fi lters – front loaders tend not to need
them because they’re gentler on clothes.
Information in this article has been
provided by CHOICE. It focuses on the
environmental performance of a number of
current washing machine models, and does
not cover the full test results, performance
testing, specifi cations, features and prices.
(particularly great if you use a dryer), or you
might want a lower speed for delicates or
easily creased fabrics.
Auto-sensing water level: This can
help you save water, energy and time by
automatically adjusting the water level
according to the load and or fabric type.
Some machines also adjust the washing
action.
Extra rinse: Useful if you’re sensitive
to detergents.
Lint fi lter: Many machines now have
self-cleaning lint fi lter systems, while
CHOICE is the number one advocate of consumer rights in Australia. As the public face of the Australian Consumers’ Association (ACA), CHOICE is a completely self funded body that is committed to providing consumers with advocacy and advice. Members receive independent and expert advice on the products and services they encounter every day, while the community at large benefi ts from vocal and active campaigns that champion consumer rights.
For membership enquiries, please call CHOICE on 1800 069 552 or visit www.choice.com.au.
Table Notes: (A) Discontinued but may still be in some stores. NS = Not Stated.Noise: A diffdrence of 3dB is noticeable to the human ear.Running costs: An estimate of cost over 10 years for water & electricity if you wash a full load 5 times per week using a normal cold water program, based on 17 cents per kWh for electricity and $1 per 1000L water.
28 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Just off the Gibb River Road in Western
Australia’s Kimberley, Cockburn Range
rises dramatically above the plain,
bounded by the King and Pentecost Rivers.
Our starting point for a week of walking
was Emma Gorge, where we were met
by a helicopter. But there was no time for
heli-fi shing or other temptations. Our R44
helicopter was ready to ferry us to the
drop-off point about 15 kilometres north.
Our mission, and there was no way not
to accept it after a breathtaking fl ight over
the rugged escarpment with its 600-metre-
high cliffs, was to walk back to Emma
Gorge while exploring the gorges and
creeks along the way.
A major attraction, we soon realised,
was the Aboriginal rock art. And while
many fi ne examples of rock art are
increasingly being closed to the public,
often for fear of damage, the inaccessibility
of the art in the Cockburn Range makes
intervention less likely –at least for now.
On our second day we climbed from the
boab-lined creek bed for about three hours
to fi nd some great examples just below
the overhang of the escarpment. Protected
from wind and rain, they could have been
there for hundreds or even thousands of
years, and we marvelled at the hands,
Cockburn Range: Australia all overMany people have never heard of Cockburn Range, but mention the dramatic vista on posters for the fi lm Australia and they begin to understand that this magnifi cent Australian destination is a secret that’s hard to keep.
Georgina Wilson
fi gures, feet and water monitor in red,
white and yellow ochre.
On most days energetic members of
the group who were prepared to climb the
steep scree slopes and hop across boulders
found rock art if they explored far enough.
Others chose to relax after reaching camp,
enjoying a swim in the creek or pool. Even
if we only covered a few kilometres a day,
it was usually slow going, crossing and
re-crossing the creek to fi nd a way forward,
wading or swimming some gorges, rock-
hopping, and steep climbs to and from the
spinifex-covered plateau above.
We camped beside creeks or pools. At
sunset, bats often fl ew overhead; one day
we checked out a bat cave, fi rst wading
and then swimming to reach it.
But overall, visible wildlife was limited.
Rock wallabies appeared plentiful, going
by the number of droppings, but we saw
very few. Distant dingoes disturbed sleep
on one night, and meeting a few cattle
should have come as no surprise.
Birds were plentiful, and in the evenings
we would watch them come to drink and
cool off at our campsite at the top of a
waterfall.
Green ants were less endearing, and
I itched for several days after brushing
through a wattle loaded with them.
Ticks were another hazard, and
leeches – ribbon-like beasties about two
centimetres long that inhabited some pools.
They seemed to take a great liking to some
members of our party but almost ignored
others. Not the tick’s fi rst choice of blood
bank? I’m happy with that!
Frogs were many, and ranged from the
size of a thumbnail upwards. But as they
jumped onto my sleeping bag at nights, I
wished I’d brought a tent rather than sleep
in the open. But the frogs did no harm, so
why worry?
Over six days we had no human
connections except a single red helicopter
overhead – perhaps the same one that had
dropped us off at the creek. And each day
brought more amazing scenery.
The fi nal campsite at the top of Emma
Gorge was particularly breathtaking –sheer
red cliffs rising above a creek that linked
enticing rock pools caressed by ferns,
sundews and fl owering wattles above a
waterfall plunging hundreds of metres to
the plain below.
Cockburn Range is not for the faint-
hearted, but for those on a mission to see
the Australia even Hollywood could not
have invented, it’s a must-see.
Breathtaking scenery and prehistoric rock art characterise Cockburn Range. PHOTOS: Courtesy Willis’s Walkabouts.
29Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Georgina Wilson visited
Cockburn Range as part of
Kimberley Highlights No. 1,
run by Willis’s Walkabouts.
More details about this
and other tours on www.bushwalkingholidays.com
Habitat_half_p_GreatWalks_10.indd 1 6/3/10 9:01:10 AM
30 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
Ecotrust Australia, launched on 1 July, is modelled on the highly successful Ecotrust in Portland, Oregon and Ecotrust Canada, in Vancouver. Both these organisations have built reputations for innovation in fi nance and banking, community development and information and data services.
Long-time President of Ecotrust Canada, Ian Gill, is moving to Sydney to become Ecotrust Australia’s founding CEO. Gill is a former newspaper and television journalist who reported on the battle between loggers and conservationists in British Columbia in the early1990s, an experience that convinced him to leave journalism and start up Ecotrust Canada more than 15 years ago.
“The opportunity to give life to the Ecotrust approach in Australia is too good to pass up,” explains Gill. “I have long been aware that the issues in Canada, especially as they relate to Indigenous communities, conservation and resource development, have striking parallels in Australia, particularly up north. If we can help bring new perspectives, and new tools, to add value to what people are already working on here, well, that will be a plus.”
These similarities became especially clear to Gill in 2005, when he was a special guest at the landmark Kimberley Appropriate Economies Roundtable meeting in Fitzroy Crossing.
Hosted by ACF, the Kimberley Land Council and Environs Kimberley, the meeting left Gill sensing strong similarities between coastal British Columbia and northern Australia.
“They are very different ecosystems, obviously,” says Gill. “But [share] a very similar imbalance between the demands of extractive industries and the needs of local people.
“We found in BC that the solutions to these issues arise from a combination of local knowledge and releasing the innovations of local people. Global and national institutions are failing to meet the needs of local people. Also, we identifi ed a need for a model of development at
Ecotrust arrives in AustraliaConservation and development tend to be viewed as being at opposite ends of the spectrum – the perception being that one could only be achieved at the expense or detriment of the other. Now a new and innovative not-for-profi t organisation is challenging that view.
Justin McCaul
bioregionscale. We plan to do that here at Ecotrust Australia, too.”
“I am particularly pleased that ACF has played a central role in nurturing this new entity into life,” says ACF Executive Director Don Henry, who is a member of Ecotrust Australia’s inaugural Board. “We have long admired the work of Ecotrust in North America, and the chance to bring a new approach to development issues in Australia’s north is an important step for ACF and our partners.”
Underlining Ecotrust Australia’s intentions to work collaboratively with Indigenous people, the inaugural Chairperson will be Pat Dodson, a man widely respected as a leader and champion for Indigenous peoples’ rights and culture.
The initial geographic focus of Ecotrust Australia will be Northern Australia, although they hope to develop working relationships with other peak organisations working across the north.
The fi rst major undertaking of Ecotrust Australia will be to develop a cultural landscape atlas for Northern Australia that will assist Indigenous people in articulating a culture-based development vision for the North. This bioregional atlas builds directly out of Ecotrust’s experience helping Indigenous North Americans map their country to achieve better social, conservation and economic outcomes.
A new measure of successA big challenge for Ecotrust Australia will be to change the perception that economic development underpinned by conservation and Indigenous cultural values is too diffi cult.
“Worldwide, there is an emerging trend to tackle poverty and deliver environmental protection through the application of ‘social fi nance’. This has the potential to deliver greater impact than traditional sources of capital for Indigenous people, such as philanthropy, which is often too small to leverage additional capital, and government funds,which are often infl exible and short-term,” Ian Gill says.
“Ecotrust Australia will research existing social fi nance approaches in
Australia and, along with Indigenous partners and experienced investors, we are hopeful of creating new pathways for successful investment in the cultural and conservation economy,” he concludes.
Knowledge underpins sustainabilityA key lesson learned from Ecotrust
in North America is that knowledge
underpins the culture and conservation
economy.
And so the initial focus of Ecotrust
Australia will be to undertake a cultural
and landscape atlas of Northern Australia,
and to work with individual communities
to map their assets and their use and
occupancy of country.
It is hoped that the atlas will provide a
guide to future efforts to develop a pan-
northern, bioregional economy that focuses
fi rst on the needs of local people, and that
helps break the cycle of royalty-based
dependency that has brought few benefi ts
to northern Indigenous communities.
Link: http://www.ecotrust.ca
Justin McCaul is ACF’s Northern Australia
Communications and Liaison Coordinator
Northern AustraliaACF is calling for:
• Government to build a sustainable
future for Northern Australia.
• The implementations of the
recommendations of the
Northern Australia Land and
Water Taskforce, including the
establishment of a Council of
Northern Australia that helps
develop an integrated vision for
the sustainable development of
northern Australia.
• The doubling in investment in
land management and ecosystem
protection to increase culturally
sustainable job opportunities
for Indigenous and remote
communities.
Working with Indigenous partners.
PHOTO: Justin McCaul
31Australian Conservation Foundation HABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
What appealed to you about working
for ACF?
I had previously worked for international
organisations, both in environment and
animal welfare, so I was attracted by the
opportunity to work with a nationally-
focused group. ACF has a solid reputation
for really being at the forefront of
innovative environmental policy solutions
in an Australian context. I also wanted to
work with Don Henry, and I saw it as an
opportunity to learn from him and from
ACF’s proud 40 year history.
How did you become an
environmental activist?
I don’t think you wake up one morning and
decide to become an environmental activist
– I think it is something that emerges as you
become aware of your world.
I had environmental concerns as
a teenager, mainly around nuclear
disarmament issues. However, I put these
concerns aside and concentrated on my
university studies, which were in anatomy
and biological sciences. When I was
travelling after I had fi nished my degree,
I had a very good friend whose partner
was working on a boat for a conservation
group. That was my introduction to a
whole new way of looking at conservation –
looking through the prism of direct action.
I had always had a strong connection to
the marine environment and so I decided
to return home to the UK and do a post-
graduate course in Marine Environmental
Protection. When I came back to Australia
I did fundraising and voluntary campaign
work for Greenpeace, and that led to me
becoming a marine campaigner.
On one memorable occasion we were
in the Southern Ocean just off Kerguelen
Island when we found an illegal long-
line fi shing boat, which was deliberately
hiding its identity. We notifi ed the French
and Australian authorities and we
ended up chasing the boat thousands of
kilometres through some nasty weather to
Mauritius. By the time we got there it was
an international story and the Mauritian
government had no choice but to not allow
the boat to unload its catch. This shone a
ACF Campaigns Director, Denise Boyd, shares with us her journey to environmental activism, what a typical day is like for her, and her surprising talents unleashed in a choir.
spotlight on illegal fi shing in the Southern
Ocean and drove regulatory changes in
international fi sheries management.
Describe a typical day for you.
I usually have a round of meetings in the
morning and keep the afternoons clear
for other work activities. But you can only
plan to a certain extent – I’m constantly
reprioritising.
I spend most of my time in dialogue
– so it’s just as well I like talking! I meet
with people both inside and outside the
organisation and try to infl uence decision-
makers to do the right thing for our
environment.
What do you like doing outside work?
I’m a rookie gardener! I am trying to
overcome the curse of my father’s “black
fi ngers”, and I’m having really good
fun with it! I particularly love growing
my own fruit and vegetables. I also sing
in a community choir that performs
regularly in Melbourne. We’ve sung at the
Spiegeltent and we do competitions –
I love it.
What do you consider to be the
most important environmental issues
right now?
The dominant issue of the day, which we
desperately, desperately need to address,
is climate change. The challenge that we
have at ACF is to be able to translate to
the wider community what we know
about what we will effectively be giving
up if we don’t act on climate change now,
and what it is that we will be leaving to
the future generations. By not acting,
we are consciously making a decision to
change the environment, without fully
appreciating what that means.
I have a deep respect for the trust
members and supporters put in ACF
as an organisation. I really believe that it
is a privilege to have a job that is aligned
with your values, and that delivers benefi ts
to the broader community. Not many
people have that opportunity and I am
truly grateful.
Denise with former Prime Minister Bob Hawke this year on the anniversary of the decision to withdraw support for mining in Antarctica. PHOTO: ACF
32 Australian Conservation FoundationHABITAT AUSTRALIA JULY 2010
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Plassey Rd, Macquarie Park 2113 Telephone: 1300 729 133 or 02 9888 9133
Email: [email protected]
Lane Cove River Tourist ParkSydney’s eco-friendly tourist park.