In April news, Guildford Biyal Big Tree project work trip, Backcountry Film Festival, Snow Gum petitions and declaration, play the Adaptation Game, make polluters pay for climate damage, polluted Geelong water, call for peace, no nuclear weapons webinar and petition, better buses, plus more!
FoE calls for peace, find out about our Defence of Earth project work here.
Make polluters pay for climate damage
With the May budget being announced next month, ongoing bushfires and cyclones impacting many Australians, and mounting public pressure, now is the time for Labor to implement a levy on fossil fuel companies to fund disaster preparedness and recovery. Act on Climate, Energy Justice and Friends of the Earth Australia stand behind these campaigns, advocating for the Government to hold fossil fuel companies accountable. Read more & take action.
Report on who should pay for the damage of bushfire
Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts about this summer’s fires and who should pay for the damage. The interim report on the surveys is available here. We will keep the survey open until the end of May and would welcome additional responses. We would really appreciate getting your thoughts on who should pay for the rising costs of wild fire if you haven’t already. There is a short survey that you can fill out here.
FoE’s state election campaign briefing May 12
With Victorians going to the polls this November, there is a lot at stake. This is an important election for Victoria. With the energy transition now well underway, it is essential that we maintain momentum in the shift to renewable energy, storage and efficiency. Maintaining the transition will reduce our contribution to global heating and also deliver economic benefits to households and businesses.
After a shocking summer of bushfires we know that many impacts of global heating are already locked in. That's why we need to ensure that all parties and candidates are focused on the need to support climate resilience in communities across the state. As most people struggle with cost of living pressures, it is wise to remember that the energy transition is already delivering benefits. We cannot afford to waste 4 years on culture wars and climate change denial. We will be hosting an online briefing for our members and supporters at 6pm on May 12, full details in the next newsletter.
Play the Adaptation Game with Act on Climate 18 April
"The Adaptation Game (TAG) is an inclusive story-telling experience that scales climate change and disaster preparedness down from overwhelming global fears to local, human risks and realities." The Act on Climate Collective is excited to be facilitating this session of TAG. The experience complements AoC's other projects, such as Community Resilience Mapping, and the Frontline Climate Alliance Victoria (FCAV), April 18, 2026 at 2pm - 6pm, Collingwood Library Meeting Room. More info & RSVP.
Work trip to Wombat Forest Guildford Biyal Big Tree project 22 April
Each month, Friends of the Earth co-hosts a worktrip to the Wombat Forest in Central Victoria. These aim to assist DJAARA aspirations for how they manage their traditional Country. For the past year we have focused on removal of invasive species (primarily gorse and blackberries) in the test site that is managed by DJAARA, just near Leonards Hill. This month we are doing something different. As well as continuing our weed removal, we will be joining the Guildford Big Tree project community carving session for the morning. The Guildford Big Tree is a Biyal (Red gum) on Djandak (Dja Dja Wurrung Country) believed to be more than 530 years old. It is deeply significant for Dja Dja Wurrung, with its grafted branch signifying it as a marker tree. Read more & register.
Save Mt Macedon Snow Gums sign the petition
Photo credit: Tanya Loos
Snow Gum woodland is being cleared this week at Mt Macedon! Email Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny and Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos now to demand that the clearing stop immediately.
Right now, native forest is being cleared at the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross to restore ‘views’ for visitors. These works, led by Parks Victoria, began on April 13 2026 and include the removal of Snow Gums from a rare and sensitive ecosystem. Despite opposition from community members and Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny and Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos have overridden local decisions and given the green light to clear high-value biodiversity on public land. Read more & sign the petition.
Snow Gums nomination EPBC
Australia’s alpine landscape is a living archive of our continent’s cultural and environmental history. These stories can be found in First Nations Cultural Heritage, glacial landscape features, fossilised fish bones, and the fascinating physiology of our endemic alpine species. In recognition of its unique social, ecological and aesthetic values, the Alps are recognised as a National Heritage Place and largely protected in National Parks.
However, these measures have been insufficient to hold back the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, including rapid ecological decline in Snow Gum Woodlands. We are now seeing the beginning of ecosystem collapse – drought, dieback and successive fires have altered the structure, composition, and condition of snow gum woodlands dramatically. We must intervene and develop a robust recovery plan if these ecological communities are to remain viable into the future. Read more & sign the petition.
The Backcountry Film Festival 5 May 2026
The backcountry film festival is a pre winter institution in Melbourne. We have been screening the festival each year since 2011. The program is put together by Winter Wildlands Alliance, and celebrates the power and spirit of humans in winter. Now in it's 21st year, the festival will screen again in Naarm / Melbourne, Tuesday evening May 5 at RMIT in the city. The event will run from 6pm, with films starting at 6.30pm. We will have speakers from a range of backcountry groups, info and merchandise stalls, the Winter Wildlands program (2 hours of films). Co-hosted by RMIT Outdoors Club and Friends of the Earth. All funds after we cover the hosting costs will go to FoE’s campaign. Read more & get tix.
Fuel crisis exposes our broken bus network
Public Transport advocates from the Better Buses for the West campaign are joining the call from Victorian Farmers Federation and The Greens, urging the government to improve public transport ahead of the worsening fuel crisis. The Better Buses campaign supports the Victorian Farmers Federation for their recent call for Victorian commuters to switch to public transport, and for the state government to introduce free public transport amidst a worsening fuel crisis. Read more.
Advocates, greens and farmers call for better public transport
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently addressed the nation, interrupting television and radio broadcasts to announce measures to tackle the worsening fuel crisis as a result of the war in the Middle East. In his speech, he urged Australians to reduce fuel use, stating “if you can switch to catching the train or bus or tram to work, do so.”
While inner-city communities have access to frequent trains, trams and buses, in the outer suburbs – especially Melbourne’s west – it’s a completely different story. A lot of buses only run every 40 minutes, many routes stop early and some don’t even run on weekends. This simply doesn't work for nurses, people who can’t drive, school students or shift workers travelling outside peak hours. In its current form, the bus network is not a viable alternative to driving. Read more.
Did CFA Training College at Fiskville pollute Geelong's drinking water?
The notorious Country Fire Authority (CFA) Training College at Fiskville started operating in 1971. In 2011, media reports first alleged that the training college caused incidences of cancer in CFA members and their families dating back to the 1970s. 44 years later, the site was permanently closed in 2015 after widespread PFAS contamination at the site and health and safety concerns. Over one thousand trainees were exposed to toxic chemicals at the site with the State Government implementing a $57 million redress scheme in 2022 to support impacted trainees. Fiskville was one of the worst PFAS contamination areas in Australia.
Friends of the Earth has long held suspicions that Geelong's drinking water may have been impacted by the Fiskville disaster. It is quite possible that impacts on drinking water could have been going on for decades. PFAS Testing of drinking water was only initiated by Barwon Water 46 years after Fiskville was first used as a training college. What actually came down the catchment we will never know and why wasn't much closer scrutiny placed on establishing long term PFAS monitoring in downstream waterways, particularly after the Fiskville disaster first came to light in 2011. The only other downstream monitoring was conducted at a few sites by consultants Cardno in 2012, with the results published in 2014. Read more.
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