Post of the Day
Troy McDonald and Erin O’Donnell
For the first time in Victoria’s history, the state government has handed back water to traditional owners, giving them rights to a river system they have managed sustainably for thousands of years.
On This Day
Birth of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib Ji – Sikhism
Climate Change
Weaponising trade for the environment will backfire [$]
Ken Heydon
The EU and US President-elect Joe Biden support for levies on countries without carbon pricing mechanisms. But such measures are a brake on the economic development needed to fund the transition to cleaner energy.
National
Emissions fall as COVID-19 pandemic grounds flights, halts transport
A sharp slowdown in the use of transport during the pandemic has helped cut the nation’s carbon emissions to their lowest levels in three decades.
Top business exec Broomhead warns virus recovery may slow green shift
One of Australia’s most senior business figures, Malcolm Broomhead, says pressure for companies and governments to commit to stronger climate action is likely to accelerate in the post-pandemic world, but economic factors and behavioural changes may delay the pace of change.
Business climate action support ‘undimmed’
The stark economic impact of COVID-19 hasn’t reduced the appetite of business leaders for federal government action on climate action, including a 2050 net-zero emissions target, a survey shows.
National Climate Disaster Fund proposal a sound suggestion
Rosemary Lyster
On November 18, the Australia Institute (AI) proposed to establish a National Climate Disaster Fund to reduce the financial impacts of climate-induced disasters on taxpayers, businesses and households.
Why carbon farmers are Australia’s climate rockstars
Louisa Kiely
When it comes to slowing down climate change, I say farmers are Australia’s VIPs because they’re vital in taking carbon out of the atmosphere at the scale we need to meet our Paris Agreement targets.
Aussie jobs that could become too dangerous to perform in future
Benedict Brook
Forget robots; there’s another reason scores of jobs, from tradies to trolley collectors, may become almost impossible to perform – and the reason is all around us.
Victoria
Critically endangered Baw Baw frogs fitted with radio transmitters to track their movement
There are fewer than 1,000 Baw Baw frogs living in the wild, but scientists hope this experimental approach will save them from extinction.
Victoria’s $100 million call-out to clean energy companies with ‘great ideas’
The state government will spend $108 million to fast-track renewable energy projects.
Geelong to Melbourne in 50 minutes — is it worth $4 billion?
Billy Deikos used to find himself sitting underneath a luggage rack on the often crowded train journey from Geelong to Melbourne. But with billions of dollars in Government funding announced to improve the state’s busiest regional rail line, he hopes future commuters may not suffer the same challenges.
Electric vehicle tax a ‘dangerous’ step towards more privatisation
Sam Hibbins
The Victorian government’s decision to introduce a user charge for electric vehicles signals a dangerous step towards a privatised road user charge scheme.
Victoria just gave 2 billion litres of water back to Indigenous people. Here’s what that means for the rest of Australia
Troy McDonald and Erin O’Donnell
For the first time in Victoria’s history, the state government has handed back water to traditional owners, giving them rights to a river system they have managed sustainably for thousands of years.
New South Wales
Dozens of fires burning across NSW as cool change hits Sydney after sweltering day
Dozens of grass and bushfires are burning across NSW as a cool change spreads across the state after a day of scorching temperatures. A house was badly damaged by a fire in Sydney’s west before the blaze was finally contained.
NSW’s clean energy plan means the federal government is even more isolated on fossil fuels
Angus Taylor’s dire warnings about abandoning coal are going unheeded as the states forge their own path towards renewables
Labor pushes for more jobs in the bush to revive economy, environment [$]
NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay says a significant number of regional jobs could be created quickly through increased bushfire hazard reduction and eradicating feral pests and weeds.
Kean’s fossil fuel swipe as coal saves NSW from heatwave [$]
NSW Energy Minister launches renewables-inspired tirade at ‘coal barons’ as the sector supplied more than 80 per cent of the sweltering state’s power needs during weekend’s record-breaking extreme heat.
‘Scar through Sydney’s heart’: Light rail on wish-list for reviving Parramatta Road
Planning Minister Rob Stokes says the NSW government and councils need to act quickly to revitalise Parramatta Road over the next few years as completion of the WestConnex motorway opens a rare opportunity for change with traffic congestion to ease along the maligned strip.
As summer arrives, Sydney’s flying foxes are waiting for their sprinklers
There are fears that Parramatta Park’s 15,000 flying foxes may die from heatstroke this summer because a plan to install sprinklers in the area has stalled due to heritage concerns.
ACT
Long-awaited single-use plastic bill to be introduced to ACT Parliament [$]
Some single-use plastics would be outlawed in Canberra under proposed laws to be introduced to the ACT Parliament this week.
Queensland
Fraser Island bushfire continues to burn as weather conditions worsen
Crews continue to battle a “significant fire” burning on Fraser Island off South-East Queensland for more than six weeks, while more than 350 campers are told to limit their movements as weather conditions worsen.
Fast trains on the wish list ahead of Queensland’s delayed budget
Treasurer Cameron Dick will hand down his first full budget on Tuesday.
Public transport could get more expensive, as app set to track capacity
Public transport fares could rise in the new year, with patronage across the state’s south-east still down by a third.
Ipswich council mine site probed over alleged illegal dumping
Queensland’s environment department and Ipswich City Council are investigating allegations of illegal dumping at a council-owned former mine site west of Brisbane that has been the focus of corruption charges involving senior council staff.
South Australia
Wilderness trail rises from Kangaroo Island ashes [$]
The iconic Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail will reopen this week – but camping on the track is not permitted and hikers must book through tour operators.
Koala rescuers get last-minute reprieve [$]
Adelaide Koala Rescue sought an urgent intervention to keep their animals as the end of their lease loomed, and now their new home has been approved.
Tasmania
Burial site road plan ‘outrage’ [$]
A prominent historian warns of “international outrage” if a Tasmanian road project damages what she believes is likely a nationally significant Aboriginal massacre burial site.
Northern Territory
Gamba poisoning program making inroads on hazardous weed
The Territory government has launched its 2020-21 Gamba Action Program, providing access to free herbicide for property owners battling the highly invasive weed.
Western Australia
My Bushfire Plan: new app and website launched to help West Aussies prepare for bushfire season
With bushfire season officially starting this week, a new app and website have been launched to help West Australians better prepare for the coming summer.
$520m parallel runway plan approved for Perth Airport [$]
WA’s economic future is assured after the Federal Government approved plans for a parallel runway at Perth Airport to support the resource industry and its $129 billion development pipeline.
Sustainability
Offsetting pivots from carbon to plastic
Like carbon offsetting, plastic offsetting programmes seek to cancel out damage from waste. Fashion is an anticipated adopter.
Green front gardens reduce physiological and psychological stress
Lauriane Suyin Chalmin-Pui
There is growing evidence that being in natural spaces – whether while gardening or listening to bird song – has a positive effect on mental health. Being in nature is also linked to improved cognitive function, greater relaxation, coping with trauma, and alleviating certain attention deficit disorder symptoms in children.
Two things to be thankful for…
Peter Dykstra
2020 is almost gone. And we are lucky to have prescient environmental reporters.
Pollinator-friendly solar could be a win-win for climate and landowners, but greenwashing is a worry
Solar developers are planting native flowers and grasses near—or even in between—solar panels, addressing the twin problems of pollinator decline and climate change.
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