veac under threat

The Victorian Government has released plans to change conservation laws including abolishing the Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC). Without VEAC future habitat protection in Victoria is at risk.

In the past VEAC and its predecessors have been instrumental in the creation of Victoria's National Parks and Reserves. VEAC has provided an independant, scientific evaluation of ecological values across Victoria and provided advice to government on what to protect.

The last thing our environment needs is to lose VEAC.

VNPA are asking people to gather signatures for their petition to support VEAC or sign their online petition.

VEAC have been instrumental in seeing these great places in Victoria protected:
Croajingalong National Park
Grampians National Park
Alpine National Park
Yarra Ranges National Park
Marine parks and sanctuaries covering 5.3% of coastal waters
Big Desert Wilderness & Avon Wilderness parks
Box Ironbark and Goldfields Heritage parks
Great Otway National Park
and most recently the River Red Gum National Parks

food labelling – a consumer’s right to know

Today saw a public hearing in Melbourne for the National Food Labelling review. The review is being undertaken by The Food Labelling Law and Policy Review Committee following on from an agreement by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council to undertake a comprehensive review of food labelling law and policy.

At the public hearing today around 50 people voiced their concerns about the lack of labelling in relation to country of origin, trans fats, food intolerances and genetically modified foods and ingredients. Consumers have a right to know what they're eating and at the moment Australia has very weak food labelling laws.

Samantha Dunn, Greg Revell & Bob Phelps from GeneEthics and Jessica Harrison from Cropwatch with Eating in the Dark protesters. Consumers are eating in the dark, we all have a right to know exactly what is in our food.

I joined with Madge members and other concerned people outside the hearing at the Eating in the Dark Rally to raise awareness about the issue of food labelling to city passerby's.

For too long there have been exemptions to food labelling. No longer can we accept this proposition, all GM ingredients must be labelled on our foods. We have the right to know where processed food ingredients are made and what is in them, particularly new and untried processed foods.

The Committee has developed an issues paper from the first round of submissions which forms the basis of current public consultation. Some of the statements within the Issues Paper are concerning.

The issues paper which forms the basis of the public consultation falsely claims that GM foods are labelled, ignoring the current exemptions that allow most foods made with GM to be unlabelled such as GM vegetable oils, starches, sugars, processing aids & additives and also exempts meat, milk, honey and eggs from animals that are fed GM feed. There is also a 1% threshold for accidental GM contamination. All foods made using GM techniques must be labelled without exception. It is the consumers right to know and to select the food products they wish to consume using truthful, transparent and accurate food labelling information.

Other concerns with the issues paper includes the statement "caution needs to be exercised in order that the development and application of these and other innovative technologies (eg: GM, nanotechnology, irradiation) are not unduly inhibited". If foods contain GM ingredients, nanotechnology or are irradiated then consumers have a right to know and exercise their freedom of choice when purchasing these goods. These technologies should not be hidden in a shroud of secrecy, this is about consumer rights and choices.

Currently GM foods require Pre Market Clearance and must undergo health and safety assessments (not testing), however if they are not labelled they are not captured under this requirement.

GM patent owners still refuse to supply the seed and approvals for independent research and prevent negative evidence from being published. Until substantial and independent research is undertaken consumers cannot be assured of the safety of GM foods for the environment and public health. These are all reasons why our food labelling laws must be tightened up.

The Committee is calling for public submissions and this is your opportunity to voice your concerns about food labelling in this country. If you are concerned I encourage you to write an online submission, but make sure you're quick , they're due by 14^th May, 2010.

in the press - public transport

Council hopes Ringwood station cash in on track
Maroondah Leader
by Shaun Campbell
28 Apr 10

in the press - cockatoo feeding

Bird ban
Mail Newspaper
by Tania Martin
20th Apr 10

in the press - public transport

Route to bus boost
Mail Newspaper
By Tania Martin
13th Apr 10

movie fundraiser – 6 may in belgrave

Support the Greens Eastern Victoria State Election Campaign, the Australian film industry and local independent cinema by coming along to the opening night of I Love You Too at the Cameo Cinema in Belgrave.

Join Greens Upper House Candidate for Eastern Victoria Samantha Dunn to see I Love You Too. Bookings online.

I Love You Too is a romantic comedy about a commitment-phobic man-about-town and a gifted New Age dwarf who go on a quest to win the women they love. Written by comedian Peter Helliar, from the producers of Summer Heights High and filmed in Melbourne, 'I Love You Too' is a story about the meaning of relationships, the importance of male friendship and having the courage to pursue the one you love. I Love You Too stars Peter Helliar, Brendan Cowell, Megan Gale, Yvonne Strahovski and US actor Peter Dinklage.

I Love You Too is a great opportunity to support local filmmaking, the Greens election campaign and have a bit of a laugh too.

Bookings online

When: Thursday 6th May
What: nibbles and drinks at 8pm, movie at 8:30pm
Where: Cameo Cinema, 1628 Burwood Highway, Belgrave
Cost: $15 per person

Donations: gratefully accepted

Donations of up to $1500 per financial year to a political party are tax deductible

Or for more info email samantha.dunn@vic.greens.org.au

no flow for snowy

I recently toured East Gippsland and found myself in Marlo where the Snowy River meets the sea. A wonderful part of Victoria, the place bursting with recreational anglers, kayakers and bushwalkers, enjoying the great natural environment.

But underlying this beautiful slice of Victoria was the sad and sorry state of the Snowy River. It was alarming to see the state of the river, degraded, with obvious signs of strain and lack of water flow. The silting, apparent, above the water line, was a tragic sight of how this mighty river is suffering under years of lack of natural water flows.














It is a tragedy to see this iconic Australian river in such a degraded state. If there is any hope of saving the Snowy and restoring it to a much healthier state there must be environmental flows of 28%, to do anything less is failing our heritage and our future.

As far back as 1996 the Expert Panel Flow Assessment of the Snowy River Below Jindabyne recommended a 28% mean annual natural flow needed to maintain a healthy Snowy River.

The current Labor government under Steve Brack’s leadership promised they would restore 28% flow to the Snowy. That all changed when the Snowy Hydro was corporatised in 2002, however legislation committed to funding the restoration of 21% of annual natural flow to the Snowy below the Jindabyne Dam.

The legislated environmental flow targets for the Snowy River indicate by 2009 the return of 15% flows, by 2012 the return of 21% flows and after 2012 the return of 28% of environmental flows in line with the advice of the Expert Panel back in 1996.

The reality of the water flow in the Snowy is a stark difference to the legislated flows and paints a picture of a river under extreme duress. Actual Snowy River Environmental flows are shocking, in 2002/03 the environmental flows were 1.7%,
2003/04 3.3%, 2004/05 2.8%,
2005/06 4.3%, 2006/07 3.9%,
2007/08 3.5%, 2008/09 4.04%
and for this year (2009/10) planned releases of 4.01%.

A long way from the legislated 15% and nowhere near the 28% the Snowy needs to recover.

in the press - public transport

Still waiting for results of Yarra Ranges bus review
Free Press Leader
by Bryan Allchin
07 Apr 10

coal conference closes door on community

Earlier this week the Australian Journal of Mining hosted the Victorian Coal and Energy Conference in Traralgon. At a price tag of around $3,000 per delegate it was clear that this conference wasn’t open to community members.

Local community members weren’t invited, the union wasn’t invited and local environment groups weren’t invited either. And even if they were invited at that sort of cost, who could afford it?

We know that brown coal contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and is responsible for around half of Victoria’s total emissions. Was this conference about the expansion of brown coal exports? It doesn’t matter where brown coal is burnt for power generation, it pollutes the world’s atmosphere and is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions no matter where it is.

Government should be focussing on a sustainable transformation of the energy sector and revitalizing the valley for a brighter more sustainable future.

It is a slap in the face to the local families and workers who have a right to participate in determining their future in the valley.

in the press - coal conference

Local worry ignored
Latrobe Valley Express
by Stephanie Charalambous
1 Apr 10