Northern Rivers Guardians

Dear Guardians

hope you can make it to what looks like a great night, and the beginning of an important campaign with the launch of Stop Adani Tweed – invite friends and print/pass on the poster if you can ?

Dear friends
Northern Rivers is front and centre in what is set to be Australia’s biggest people-powered campaign since stopping Tasmania’s Franklin Dam in 1983. The Stop Adani Tweed, Byron and Lismore groups have joined over 2 million people worldwide to oppose the biggest coal mine in Australia’s history, Adani’s Carmichael project in Central Queensland’s Galilee Basin.

Northern Rivers is the only region in Australia to achieve coal seam gas-free status. Stop Adani Australia has asked us to rise up again and establish a Northern Rivers Adani-free zone. They say if it can be done anywhere, it can be done here. This would send a resounding message for the rest of Australia to follow. It is only through people power that this mine will be stopped.
You are invited to the Stop Adani Tweed campaign launch and the screening of ‘Guarding the Galilee’, a documentary film that takes us inside the fight to stop Adani coal. Hosted by award-winning actor Michael Caton, the film features farmers, dive instructors and boat operators all concerned about the impacts that Adani’s Carmichael coal mine would have on water resources, climate and the reef.

Also participating in the programme are keynote speakers Mandy Nolan (local comedian, artist, journalist and conservationist) and Tony Barry (renowned TV and movie actor, environmental, indigenous rights and political ‘actorvist’). Local singer/songwriter Sophia Fletcher’s musical performance will include her original song ‘Mine Games, a Message to Adani’. The audience will be invited to join a Q&A session, with expert panelists including recently retired NSW Environmental Defenders Office CEO and environmental lawyer Sue Higginson.

WHERE: Regent Cinema, Brisbane Street, Murwillumbah
WHEN: Wednesday, 13 December [7-9pm with delicious food by Khanthaly and drinks for sale and live music between 6-7pm]
If you wish to book your ticket online, go to http://www.trybooking.com/337282 or RSVP to diceileen@gmail.com . For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/Stop-Adani-Tweed-1982858885325813/ . Attached is a flier with details of this event.

If this mine goes ahead it would open up a coal resource that, if burned, would double Australia’s carbon emissions. Each year 60 million tonnes of coal would be transported along a 388km rail line to a new coal export terminal at Abbot Point on the doorstep of the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef, with an estimated 500 extra coal ships travelling through this area. GetUp has reported that in 2011 a ship carrying Adani coal sank off the coast of Mumbai, devastating beaches, tourism and marine life and Adani did nothing to clean up the mess for five years.

The foreign-owned Adani mine is a local issue. It is our home, our farm, our family, our business, our kids, our grandkids and our Great Barrier Reef that will be affected by the climate change legacy this mine will bring. We can expect more extreme weather events such as the recent floods if we continue to unleash carbon pollution into our atmosphere.

In October thousands of people (including a large gathering at Cabarita Beach) partook in a national day of action to send a strong message to Indian billionaire Gautam Adani that they do not want this fossil fuel-intensive and destructive coal mine. As a result of local ‘Stop Adani’ activism, Tweed and Lismore Councils have resolved that civil construction tenders disclose any involvement they have with the Carmichael mine and that a policy position be considered on trading with entities that provide services to this mine. Byron Council has resolved not to award contracts to companies involved with the Adani mine, and not to contract or engage in services under any existing contract with Downer EDI Ltd or its subsidiaries until they publicly renounce any involvement with the mine.

Please come along to this event, bring your family, and invite your friends. Learn more about what’s at stake and what we still need to do to STOP ADANI.

Looking forward to seeing you for what promises to be a wonderful evening!

Kind regards
Lynette Dickinson
On behalf of Barry Firth
Spokesperson for Stop Adani Tweed
Phone: 02 6676 0615
Mobile: 0413 752 450
Email: diceileen@gmail.com

Hi everyone

You are invited to attend the Tweed Shire Council Community Access session at the Council Chambers, Murwillumbah Civic & Cultural Centre, Tumbulgum Road, Murwillumbah from 4.30pm until 5.15pm tomorrow, 26 October.

Singer/songwriter Sophia Fletcher will be giving a performance during this session to support an important motion (Agenda Item 10) being tabled by Mayor Katie Milne at the meeting which follows this session regarding Council’s stance on very significant matters relating to the Adani mine.

We encourage you to stay until her motion is presented and voted on.

PLEASE WEAR RED so Councillors know you support Katie’s motion.

WE NEED TO FILL THE GALLERY AND MORE !!!!! to show the conservative Councillors that they MUST support Katie.

This is short notice so please urgently spread this message wide to all friends, family and supporters in order that the event is a huge success.

Please see attached photo of recent National Day of Action at Cabarita.

The following is a brief version of Sophia’s CV. Attached is her photo:-

Sophia Fletcher is a passionate, soulful musician who takes the listener on a journey through the musical world of freedom and joy, balanced with sorrow and injustice. She is a heartfelt animal and environmental activist. She has sung and danced since a child, being greatly encouraged by her father. She is a singer/song writer, medical herbalist and naturopath. She has travelled and lived abroad for over a decade, as a professional dancer, teacher and choreographer, also singing in other languages; Greek and Spanish. Her love of music propelled her to pick up a guitar a couple of years ago, and she has never looked back. Her new album “Nature of Truth” is available through her website at www.sophiamusic.com.au.

Hope to see you there.

An opportunity to get inolved in discussion about public transport in our region, the need for rail services to accomodate a growing population of residents and tourists, and having great bike paths without destroying existing rail infrastructure.
Hear from speakers including Katie Milne, Tweed Shire Mayor,
Dr Mehreen Faruqi NSW MP, and Geoff Reid from the Northern Rivers Railway Action group. Plus a screening of our film – Bringing trains back to the Northern Rivers and a special guest.

URGENT

Ten days have passed since Tweed Mayor Katie Milne sent the urgent message from Tweed Council that logging on private land at Limpinwood was damaging the Environment Protection Zones there threatening species such as koalas, glossy black cockatoos , masked owl, and marbled frogmouths.

The location near Tyalgum is an important part of a wildlife corridor from the Border Ranges to Nightcap through the Mt Warning Reserve.

Thus it is part of our World Heritage area.

Council has investigated and called for a halt to unauthorised logging until a comprehensive risks assessment can be made.

Mayor Milne has yet to receive any sort of reply from the NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton.

Northern Rivers Guardians voted at the monthly meeting Saturday 16th to mount a protest outside local MP Geoff Provest’s Tweed South office on Thursday 21 st September at 2 pm, calling on him to pressure the Minister to respond.

We congratulate Tweed Council for prompt action and we will also call upon Federal MP Justine Elliot to do what she can through EPBC legislation to protect the biodiversity of this unique caldera .

When: Thursday 21 st September at 2 pm

Where : Minjungbal Drive (opposite Tweed City shopping centre) South Tweed

What : peaceful protest (make/bring signs) and deliver a letter

Who : NRG, Supporters of Koala preservation ( & other wildlife ) Team Koala, CEC

Why : NSW government has failed to respond

Hold Minister to account

Questions ?? northernriversguardians@gmail.com

NRG monthly meeting will be on the 2oth May at Mavis Kitchen from 1 to 3 PM, as usual. We will plan for the stall at World Environment Day  ( on Sunday 4th June) at Murwillumbah (weather permitting.)

Stop Adani film/discussion evening on Thursday 27th April .

5:30 PM start (bring a plate to share) and film starts about 6 PM. Birth and Beyond Room next door to Nimbin Environment Centre.

Westpac Bank recently announced a new policy to address climate change concerns.

This supports emissions controls and refuses lending to new coal mines in Galilee Basin. This decision by Westpac is being attacked by Federal politicians so we need to support Westpac : we will deliver a letter to Federal MP Justine Elliot saying we need her to defend our climate/our future in Parliament.

Demonstrate : gather outside Justine Elliot’s office opposite Tweed City shopping centre at South Tweed at 11 AM on Thursday 4th 
office : 107 Minjungbal Drive Tweed Heads South
If you can’t be there contact the (ALP) Member for Richmond. 
FaceBook: Justine ElliotMP. Phone : 075523 4371 
email: justine.elliot.mp@aph.gov.au

Stop Adani – Save The Reef – Save the world !
The Australian Government has begged the Indian capitalist Gautam Adani to take over central Queensland and said it would “take care of” opposition from local traditional owners and other landholders . They voted to allow Adani as much of our precious water as they want (to wash the coal.)
India and China are moving away from dirty coal – generated electricity in favour of renewable technologies because of air and water pollution. Why not Australia? Money from fossil fuel companies buys too many of our politicians. Resources Minister Senator Matt Canavan needs to be sacked , and the National Party needs to sack Barnaby Joyce for their lies and support for Adani . They want to “loan” nearly a Billion dollars of public money for Adani to build a railway from their mega-mine to Abbot Point . Adani has a terrible track record and will never pay back this “loan.” That doesn’t matter say these two charlatans as “other companies will exploit the Galilee Basin” once Adani gets started there.

The Great Barrier Reef will suffer more damage: it is in dire stress, maybe even terminal decline already! But that doesn’t matter : the thousands of jobs lost in our tourism industry will be replaced by coal mine jobs…until robotics and black lung kick in. Barnaby Joyce says the only way Australia can stay afloat is to be a quarry for other nations. Good luck with that strategy : the world is moving away from fossil fuels.
The Coal-ition Federal Government is supported by the ALP Queensland government, so all three major parties need a slap. The Federal Senate (Greens and minor parties) could stop this outrageous treason against our future. Tell them to do it!

I’d like to invite you to our film showing at 7pm on the 13th of March

FYI Poster / Invite attached as printable PDF, please forward this to anybody you think might be interested

We are promoting this around the region with the intention of gaining support for the reintroduction of the Rail service, in the form of a Commuter Train Service.

The Film is being shown at the Murwillumbah Services Club

We showed this to all the TSC Councillors in the Council Chambers two weeks ago.

This film was put together by The Northern Rivers Railway Action Group (NRRAG)

Hope to see you there.