Spring is in the air in Melbourne! And FoE is blossoming as you can tell by this action packed newsletter!! We have been up to so much this month - AND EVEN MORE IS COMING!

From the TPP to public transport, renewable energy and a nuclear free future - FoE Melbourne never rests! We always are welcoming new volunteers, and if you would like to get involved, try coming along to our next volunteer information session on October 22 at 6:30pm - upstairs at our Smith St headquarters. Check out this link for more information.

Don't forget that you can sign up to become an Active Friend and support all this amazing work and more!

Also, make sure you mark December 5 in your diary as the Perry St festival will be back - and we can't wait to see you there!!

Keep reading to see all the amazing work that we have been doing!

As Trade Ministers meet in Hawaii to continue the secret negotiations of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Friends of the Earth Melbourne’s Economic Justice Collective have released a paper titled ‘Fracking the Planet: How the Trans Pacific Partnership will expand fracking in Australia and around the globe’. This paper explains the implications of the Investment State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Chapter of the TPP, and explores the ways in which foreign corporations could use this clause to override the Australian law and environmental regulations to continue fracking the planet.

MEDIA RELEASE: 7 July, 2015

National environment group Friends of the Earth say news the owner of Hazelwood is refusing to pay the $18 million cost of fighting last year's fire that occurred in their brown coal mine reinforces the need to regulate the sector.

"GDF Suez's refusal to pay an $18 million fire-fighting bill strengthens the case for regulating the coal sector to protect the public purse, community health, and our climate," said Cam Walker, Friends of the Earth campaigns coordinator.

Friends of the Earth was proud to help organise yesterday's Unions and Communities TPP Roundtable, hosted by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) at the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) National Congress 2015.

The Roundtable included doctors, nurses, farmers, unionists, academics, lawyers, environmental groups, community groups and faith groups who have been campaigning around the TPP since 2010.

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are lands owned by Indigenous people and voluntarily managed for conservation. There are currently 60 declared IPAs, covering land three times the size of Victoria! IPAs are recognised as providing real social, cultural and environmental benefits through providing employment, protection of country and cultural connection to land. But IPA's are under threat.

Friends of the Earth are under attack. But this is just the beginning of an ideological war by the government against all environmental groups. On the ABC 730 show aired April 10, Liberal MPs Alex Hawke and Matt Canavan singled out Friends of the Earth as the first of 150 groups they would like to see lose its charitable status. This would mean donations would no longer be tax deductible and as FoE stalwart Cam Walker points out, "this would basically mean the political death of our organisation."

The response was nothing short of AMAZING! After the airing of the show, #FriendOfFoE starting trending on Twitter in major cities around the country. But this is just the start of the fight. Here are 5 simple steps you can take to be a #FriendOfFoE:

Friends of the Earth media release. February 25, 2015.

The Victorian National Party has announced that it supports farmers having the right to veto gas drilling operations on their land.

“We are heartened to see the Nationals strengthen their position on the issue of unconventional gas” said Friends of the Earth campaigns co-ordinator Cam Walker. “However, because of the invasive nature of gas drilling and fracking, and the potential for contamination of ground water supplies, drilling is not just an issue for individual farmers. A drill on a property can have serious impacts on neighbours.”

MEDIA RELEASE: 1 Dec 2014

Friends of the Earth welcome the election of the pro-renewable energy Daniel Andrews Labor government in Victoria.

"The sun was setting on Victoria's renewable energy sector under the Coalition," said Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth's renewable energy spokesperson.

"With the election of the Daniel Andrews Labor government, and Ellen Sandell of the Greens in Melbourne, Victoria can enter a new era for renewable energy."

Coalition still missing in action

Friends of the Earth has welcomed the release of the Victorian ALP’s environment policy today.

Unlike the Coalition, the ALP has put forward an environment policy prior to the election. Concern for the environment runs deep in the community, regardless of people’s voting intentions. In the 21^st century it is incredible that any Party thinks it can go to the polls without policies on environment and climate change.

The Victorian election will be held on November 29, 2014.

While the main Parties look set to run a ‘bread and butter’ election – focusing on issues like education, health, infrastructure and the economy, there is also a pressing need to make environmental concerns an issue at this election.

FoE is not aligned with any political party. Its mission is to gain protection for the natural environment, and elections present a great opportunity to promote a policy agenda which will help gain these protections.