In November news, FoE Melb AGM 12 Nov, Better Buses huge win, FoE & Environment Victoria’s State election action week 7-15 Nov, Disaster hypocrisy petition, koala corridor threatened, anti-AUKUS peace walk finale, Radioactive Waste public consultation have your say, plus more!
Members come along to our 2026 AGM at FoE Melb HQ Thursday 12 November from 6pm please RSVP here.
Update from Sustainable Cities
On Saturday 7th November, we received the most exciting announcement in the history of the Better Buses for the West campaign: Labor has committed $400 million to delivering an improved bus network across the West with:
- 10 minute frequency on key routes from 6am - 10pm, 7 days a week
- 20 minute frequency from 5am-6am, and 10pm-1am, 7 days a week
- Straightened routes in a simple grid, the first phase of the Better Buses grid network
Read Labor's media release here
Read Better Buses' media release here
This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of all those involved in the Better Buses campaign. To every person or organisation who has donated to us, we thank you. To each and every person who has joined our collective, come to meetings, contributed to our strategy, joined our actions and events, we thank you. To every person who has signed our petitions, sent our letters, liked our social media posts and so much more, we thank you. This was a huge collective effort and demonstrates that grassroots organising from the ground up is how we make change happen.
This is a huge win for the community, with Labor finally responding to the demands of the community. After years of asking, we may be on our way to winning the Better Buses for the West campaign once and for all. We have managed to get almost all other parties onboard, including Legalise Cannabis Victoria, The West Party, The Greens, Victorian Socialists, Animal Justice Party, and now Labor. However, Labor isn't the only party to have historically ignored the public transport pleas of the West. Sustainable Cities needs your support now more than ever to ensure the Liberals, as well as all other parties, match this announcement. What can you do?
Donate to our campaign. Send our pledge to your candidates in the west. Add your spot to our broken buses map. Follow our journey on social media. Come to a collective meeting
Vic election campaign action
We are just three weeks away from the November 28 state election. We all see the polls that show a shift to the Right, and the discontent about the major parties. There is a very real chance that conservative forces - who want to derail the energy transition, destroy the Treaty with First Nations people, and wind back environmental protections - will come to power on the 28th. But our feeling is that many people who want change are open to good ideas. And the incredible result in the Midterm elections in the USA, which saw a resounding victory for progressive values and a defeat for right wing populism, is a reminder of what is possible when people get organised.
Join us for a week of action for clean energy Nov 7-15
Friends of the Earth and Environment Victoria are joining forces for a week of action to reach as many people as possible before the pre-poll opens on November 18. Find out more and get involved here and you can find everything about our campaign work here.
Power to the people: Victorians demand state candidates sign Cheaper Power Pledge read more.
Disaster Hypocrisy: Read the latest blog and sign the petition
The Australian Government claims to be preparing communities for climate change and worsening disasters, yet continues to invest billions in companies directly causing the climate crisis and ecosystem collapse.
Australia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund – designed for our collective future – is heavily invested in fossil fuels, mining, military and weapons manufacturing. Dividends and the above-average return on investment of 15% in the last 12 months are therefore directly tied to these companies' profits. As the government’s supposedly most significant financial asset, it needs to be considered in the climate crisis conversation. Read more & sign the petition here.
Anti-AUKUS peace walk finale
After walking over 400km from Port Augusta, dozens of Peace Walkers arrived in Port Adelaide on September 20, joining nationally coordinated actions opposing AUKUS, the Force Posture Agreement and Australia’s increasing enmeshment with the US Department of War.
The Peace Walkers culminated our month-long walk at a community event organised by local group Port Adelaide Community Opposing AUKUS (PACOA) - one of dozens of actions happening across the continent in the lead up to International Day of Peace. Read more.
Another koala corridor threatened by road widening
Friends of the Earth is alarmed that a key koala corridor located between the northernmost part of Mullungdung State Forest and Holey Plains State Park is threatened by a proposed road widening of Stradbroke-Gormandale Road in Central Gippsland. SKAT was informed of the road widening by local residents at a recent forum in Yarram.
A section of this particular roadside is a vital bio-link between large patches of remnant vegetation on private property to the Stradbroke Flora and Fauna Reserve. One site is protected by a Trust for Nature Conservation Covenant, which has been a Birds Australia study site for the past 17 years. Read more.
Forest news Coalition fire policy
The Shadow Minister for Public Land Management, Melina Bath, has announced the Coalition’s fuel reduction policy ahead of the November Victorian election.
As expected, the Nationals have opted to pursue a percentage target, citing the Bushfires Royal Commission as saying that at least five per cent of public land should be treated annually.
“As fire seasons become longer and more intense under climate change, pushing land managers to meet hectare targets is a recipe for disaster” said Cam Walker, campaigns co-ordinator with Friends of the Earth. “Rhetoric from The Coalition about ‘reducing bureaucracy’ in fuel reduction work is dangerous. Under the current system, the final decision on whether to proceed with a burn is taken by the Planned Burn Operation Officer conducting the operation. To suggest otherwise is an incorrect representation of the current system.” Read more.
Welcome to the inaugural ePublication of Chain Reaction (#1 2026) accessible to FoE Aust staff, volunteers and subscribers. Click here to read. This new format is in response to increased printing costs and suggestions for an 'ePub trial' by subscribers of Chain Reaction. We welcome any feedback on this new version of Chain Reaction. Please email to: [email protected]
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