In November news Rare Earths Deal petition, call for stronger environment laws, pathways for native forests, Buffalo plateau wander, Snow gum summit 2026, Climate Adaptation Map submissions, Fundraiser night for Act on Climate, Adaptation funding budget submission, FoE AGM, rapid response network, and more!
Australia needs strong environment laws
Our federal environment laws (called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, or EPBC) were created in the 1990s when John Howard was prime minister.
Federal Labor went to the last election with a promise to fix our broken nature laws. Now they need to deliver. After years of delays, the federal ALP has now introduced new nature laws to Parliament. But they’re not good enough and will fail to protect nature.
It is essential that these weak laws not be passed in their current form. The federal government needs to work with The Greens to deliver strong laws.
They must be strengthened so they do protect the ecosystems that we love and rely on. To have the legislation adopted by parliament the government needs support from either The Greens or the Coalition. Fresh after their announcement that they will walk away from net zero commitments, it is very difficult to believe that any legislation signed by the Liberals and Nationals will be good for protecting nature.
FoE Melbourne invites members to our in person AGM 2025 from 6pm - 7.45pm on Thursday 13 November at Friends of the Earth Melbourne Food Co-op and Cafe, 312 Smith St, Collingwood. Please join us as we look back over the last year of grassroots organising at Friends of the Earth Melbourne. Special guest speakers to be confirmed. Details & RSVP here.
FoE Melb rapid response network is up and running, join in the action here.
If FoE Members are interested in having stalls or info sessions, we are happy to bring these to any event in future! Please contact [email protected]
Trump/Albo Rare Earth Deal petition
In late October Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese signed the US-AU Critical Minerals Framework: a deal where mining companies can apply for billions of US dollars to finance projects to produce minerals used to make weapons, electronics and renewable energy.
The deal has seen huge jumps in the share prices of companies hoping to expand rare earth mining in Victoria and raised serious community concerns about unwanted projects being forced on communities. Read more & sign petition.
Pathways for Victorian native forests beyond logging
Illustration by Sofia Sabbagh.
The Victorian Labor announced today that it will act on advice from two key consultation processes that were launched to determine the future of Victoria’s native forests on public land, after the cessation of the native forest logging industry in 2024. The Great Outdoors Taskforce (GOT) and the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement (EPCE) have produced long-awaited reports detailing their recommendations.
Friends of the Earth celebrates multiple positive initiatives detailed within this announcement. However, we eagerly await more detail about Labor's promised new Public Land Act and expect further legislative amendments to ensure the government will permanently prevent logging and commercial extraction in Victoria’s native forests. Read more.
Buffalo plateau wander
The Buffalo plateau in north eastern Victoria is an 'island in the sky'. It is geographically separated from the high mountains along the Great Dividing Range, and is a refuge for mountain species, with Alpine Ash forests, snow gum woodlands and open frost hollow plains.
As part of the Friends of the Earth forests campaigns we host guided walks in the Victorian high country. This trip to the Buffalo plateau will be the first one for summer 2025/26.
Join us for a one day wander on the plateau to explore some of the remnant Ash and snow gum forests that survived the intense fires of the 2000s. Read more & RSVP.
Snow Gum summit 2026
Friends of the Earth Melbourne is excited to share that we are organising a second Snow Gum Summit, which will take place in March 2026 on Ngarigo Country in Jindabyne. The Summit will bring people together from across the Australian Alps bioregion spanning Victoria, NSW and the ACT, to address the threats facing these iconic landscapes we all know and love. It will happen over the weekend of March 14 and 15. Read more.
Mixed Performances Fundraiser Night 5 December for Act on Climate
Check out our Climate Adaptation Map and send submissions for projects here that aren't yet tagged.
2026/27 Budget Submission - Adaptation Funding Vital
A leading voice on climate adaptation in the environment movement, AoC has been facilitating discussion around climate risks and local preparedness needs, as well as practical community-led solutions, over the past three years. Through talking to communities members on the frontline of climate impacts, and through its deep engagement in the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Climate Resilience, the catastrophic climate risks facing Victoria and immediate need for investing in community-led climate adaptation has only become clearer. Both the Climate Resilience Inquiry Parliamentary Report and the National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA), which were recently released, offer clear findings that show this. Read more.
Keep Victoria safe by funding Climate Adaptation email your MP
More being invested in climate adaptation by the Victorian Government was the number one thing called for in the submissions to its Inquiry into Climate Resilience. This was strongly appealed for in submissions by councils, organisations, and community members alike, with 83.75% of submissions saying more funding is essential. This and other data from Resilience Inquiry submissions - the most mentioned climate impacts of concern and the most popular climate adaptation solutions put forward - has been published in AoC’s latest report: VIC Climate Resilience Inquiry Analysed: The leading concerns & adaptation solutions. It shares how Victorian communities can and want to adapt, as well as inspiring examples of what community-led climate adaptation looks like.
Send an email here sharing our Resilience Inquiry report & the strong appeal for adequate funding of climate adaptation!
Become a volunteer and join the Food Co-op & Cafe. Listen back to 3CR Dirt Radio past episodes here.