In May news, support EOFY fundraiser, artist call out anti-nuke art auction, anti-AUKUS webinar, peace & climate justice petition, Victoria election events invite, resistance to new offshore gas, gas import terminal petition, why money for war, better buses, Snow Gum summit recap plus more!
Our EOFY fundraiser is kicking off and we need your help. Please donate here before 30 June to lock in the clean energy future communities fought to win! (Donations over $2 to Friends of The Earth Melbourne Inc are tax deductible.)
This end of financial year, protect the community-led clean energy transition Victorian communities have fought hard to achieve. For over a decade, Friends of the Earth has worked with grassroots communities to phase out coal, stop gas expansion, and help households switch to affordable renewable energy. But with a state election approaching, this progress is under threat. Your donation will help counter misinformation, drive electrification, and mobilise communities to defend strong climate policies. The transition is already lowering bills and cutting emissions, we can’t afford to go backwards. Help us raise $100,000 by June 30 to protect hard-won gains and secure a cleaner, more just future this election year. Donate here thank you!
Artist callout: help us resist nuclear expansion
The Nuclear Free Collective is hosting an art auction on Thursday 25 June 2026, and we would love your creative contributions! Our (almost) annual art auction remains an important fundraising event to sustain the work of the collective, and is a wonderful occasion to bring our community together to support more creativity and less radioactivity. Submissions of art works are open until Friday 5 June, please register here. Your generous donation to the 85 Seconds to Midnight Art Auction is greatly appreciated. The venue is Studio Arthouse Gallery Australia (SAGA) at 29 Tinning Street, Brunswick. Not an artist? There are plenty of other ways to help out with this event! Please email [email protected] if you would like to volunteer.
Join a webinar presented by the Australian Anti-AUKUS coalition 20 May rego here.
We are calling for peace, public transport, a tax on polluters and funds to electrify everything. Sign FoE’s petition for peace & climate justice here.
This November Victorians will go to the polls
This is a critical election for Victoria if we are to secure the clean energy future our communities have fought hard for. With the energy transition now well underway and an ongoing fuel crisis, 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, build our energy security, and also deliver economic benefits to households and businesses. As we prepare for the state election we would like to invite you to two events:
Victorian climate convergence May 23
Our movement has big plans to ensure the next government commits to bold climate action. And we can’t do it without you! We warmly invite you to the Victorian Election Climate Convergence happening on May 23rd.
WHAT: A shared one-day summit for people and groups to get ready to push for climate action together at the 2026 Victorian election.
WHEN: Saturday 23rd May, 10am - 5:15pm (optional dinner + dance after).
WHERE: Phoenix Park Community Centre, 22 Rob Roy Rd, Malvern East.
TICKETS: This is a free event but you need to register here as numbers will be limited because of the size of the venue.
FoE state election campaign launch
This online event will be a chance to learn about what issues FoE will be campaigning on in the lead-up to the November election, share your thoughts on issues you think we should be focusing on, and find out how to get involved in our campaign.
WHEN: Thursday June 4. 6.30pm – 8pm.
WHERE: online via zoom. Please register here.
Resistance to new offshore gas for Otway Basin
Friends of the Earth condemns the Victorian government’s decision today to approve Amplitude Energy’s Annie-2 Gas Field project in the Otway Basin, saying the announcement will flare up long-held community resistance to gas drilling.
‘In the 2010s, we saw an enormous community campaign in southwest Victoria that fought for a ban on fracking and new gas drilling. Is the government prepared to overrule the overwhelming local community sentiment against gas drilling?’ said Friends of the Earth Offshore Gas campaigner Stan Woodhouse.
The project is scheduled to start supplying gas from 2028 and will drill 9km off the coast from Peterborough and Port Campbell. Friends of the Earth says the new gas project would jeopardise Victoria’s ambitious Emissions Reduction Targets and fly in the face of the scientific consensus against new fossil fuel projects. Read more.
Demand a review of the Viva gas import terminal approval
On 16 April 2026, an uncontrolled fire erupted at Viva Energy's Corio Bay oil refinery. This comes just two weeks after federal Environment Minister Murray Watt approved Viva's plans for an LNG import terminal in Corio Bay, despite strong community opposition. The cause of the fire was confirmed to be a leak or valve malfunction, likely due to poor maintenance and is the latest in a string of failures at the facility. Read more & sign the petition.
Act on Climate asks why there is always enough money for war?
The government budget is not a neutral document. We argue that if the government is able to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on defence, it should also be able to spend on climate disaster prevention and adaptation. By Act on Climate Collective Members Kelly Bebendorf and August Wylynko.
The predictability of disasters
Disasters are not a possibility; they are inevitable. In “Australia”, nearly 70% of us have been affected by a disaster. Over the next ten years, the World Economic Forum predicts that extreme weather events, followed by biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are going to be the greatest threat to the global economy.
And yet, at the policy level, disasters are still treated as surprises, with a high price tag. Between 2005 and 2022, 98% of the $24.5 billion in federal funding for disasters was spent on recovery (with 2% on preparedness). This imbalance is not unique to disasters. Across sectors including healthcare, welfare, and disability support, funding is structurally skewed and frequently reduced, focused on crisis management rather than early prevention. Governments spend disproportionately on reactive measures, spending over $1.1 billion each year on youth detention, averaging around $1 million per child. Meanwhile, less than 2% of health spending is on protection, prevention and health promotion, and less than 10% of the government’s ‘drug budget’ is on harm reduction measures. Reactive spending is more expensive, less effective and often too late. So why does this happen time and time again? Read more.
Playing the climate adaptation game reflections
We facilitated 'The Adaptation Game' in the City of Yarra, here are our reflections.
Can playing a board game work to exercise our climate problem-solving abilities? By Collective Member Lachlan Campbell.
This was the question that the members of Act on Climate sought to answer at the Collingwood library on Saturday the 18th of April. Our collective was joined by enthusiastic community members to play The Adaptation Game (TAG): A game that leads its players through a potential future for the City of Yarra, encouraging communal approaches in navigating destructive climate shocks. Read more.
Better buses lagging for Melton
The commitment from the Allan Labor government (https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/works-powering-ahead-melton-line-upgrade) for the long-anticipated Melton electrification is welcome, however buses must be in the planning process.
Too often buses are left unreformed for years after major infrastructure changes, if at all. A current example is the proposed rerouting of buses 496 and 498 to be more direct to Laverton station (https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/bus-bonanza) via the "new" Maher Road bridge over the railway line. This bridge was built in 2019, meaning it took up to 8 years for the bus network to reflect reality on the ground.
This is of course not the first time that the bus network has lagged behind infrastructure. Read more.
Snow Gum summit 2026 recap
Words by FoE Forests Collective volunteer, Alyssa Sullivan & Forests Collective coordinators
Photos by Matt Tomkins & Mike Edmondson
Convened by Friends of The Earth’s Forest Collective on March 14-16, 2026's Snow Gum Summit was our ‘Next Ascent’ – the second event hosted to examine current threats and emerging solutions for Snow Gums and Alpine ecosystems.
Following our impactful Snow Gum Summit 2025, the second Summit was set in the foothills of Kosciusko National Park and built on last year's conversations about the Victorian Alps to connect scientists, First Peoples, land managers and communities across the the Alpine bioregion. The event created the opportunity for those who know Snow Gums well (such as experts in the field) and those who would like to know these magnificent mallees better to embark together on a weekend of knowledge sharing, bushwalks and deep reflection on what makes Snow Gums so important to the High Country.
Ngarigo man, Jason Fieldhouse, Director of the Ngarigo Indigenous Corporation and Ambassador for the Worldwide Treaty Council, warmly welcomed participants to Country, grounding the Summit in deep Cultural knowledge and connection. Read more.
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