MEDIA RELEASE: 27 September 2022

Friends of the Earth welcomes the Andrews government’s announcement to legislate a Victorian Energy Storage Target if returned to power at the November state election.

MEDIA RELEASE: 20 September 2022

Victoria positioned to scale up climate ambition for 2035 after delivering record emissions cuts

Victoria’s latest greenhouse gas performance data, released today, shows that the Andrews government has overachieved its Emissions Reduction Target of 20% by 2020 by 10 percent.

Victoria’s remaining ageing and polluting coal-fired power stations will shut down up to 15 years earlier than previously predicted, according to a new report from Energy and Resource Insights (ERI) commissioned by Queensland Conservation Council, Environment Victoria and Friends of the Earth.

The analysis from ERI’s principal analyst, Adam Walters, finds that under the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO’s) Integrated System Plan Step Change scenario coal retirement is expected to happen two to three times faster than currently scheduled. 

AGL’s Loy Yang A power station is forecast to shut down between 2028 and 2030, Alinta’s Loy Yang B to close by 2032, and EnergyAustralia’s Yallourn power station by 2025.

24 August 2022

International oilfield services company Schlumberger are teaming up with TGS, providers of energy data, to propose 3D seismic blasting over a 7.7 million hectare area in the Southern Ocean. If approved, this will be the largest seismic exploration project ever undertaken.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) welcome the Victorian Greens’ proposal to shut down Victoria’s remaining coal fired power stations by the end of the decade.

Localisation and community resilience in a time of transition.

The Andrews government has received support from the Liberal and National parties to enact  changes to the Sustainable Forests (Timber) Act 2004 which could see peaceful protesters fined up to $21,000, or face 12 months in jail. 

The Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill 2022 passed the Victorian Upper House yesterday.

From the Errinundra Plateau to the Otways and the Cobboboonee forest in western Victoria, peaceful protests have been used for decades to protect important areas of forest and biodiversity. After catastrophic bushfires and an escalating climate and biodiversity crisis, the right to protest has never been more important.

MEDIA RELEASE: The Southern Ocean Protection Embassy Collective and communities across the Great Ocean Road and South West Victoria are shocked and angered by today’s decision to grant a gas production license to Beach Energy.  

MEDIA RELEASE - 4 March 2022

Environment group Friends of the Earth welcomes the Victorian government’s announcement of a target to build 9 Gigawatts of offshore wind by 2040.

The announcement is a game changer for state-led efforts to create jobs while tackling climate change.

“The Andrews government’s announcement positions Victoria as a national leader in offshore wind – a critical sector for the state’s energy transition.” said Pat Simons, Friends of the Earth’s renewable energy spokesperson.

With a strong gold price, applications for mining exploration continue to spread across regional Victoria. In Central Victoria, the North East and Gippsland, a growing number of local groups are forming to oppose this new wave of exploration.

Common concerns include impacts on local agriculture, tourism and other economic activity, noise and industrialisation of landscapes, loss of amenity, forest and biodiversity, impacts on property values, and fears of water and air pollution. Groups are concerned about the impacts of mining on both public and private land.