2019-07-03
By Hon. Diane Evers, MLC, Member for South West
I’m so pleased to be writing this after the good news was finally confirmed during the past fortnight — the campaign to ‘Keep Jordon Rolling’ in the Senate is officially a success, as Jordon Steele-John has been re-elected for a further six years!
While many would be disappointed at the re-election of the Morrison Government, it was encouraging to know The Australian Greens increased their primary vote and retained all its seats.
Here's to all the wonderful staff and volunteers who worked towards maintaining all Greens seats in federal parliament — as well as our South West candidates Jodie Moffat, Nelson Gilmour and Nerilee Boshammer. This federal election only reinforced the role we have to play in building a better future for all of us.
Lewin Forest Blockade: The Power of Protest…
I spent two days in early June with forest protesters at Lewin block, near Manjimup, broadening my understanding of protest and seeking to protect the Karri forest from being clear-felled for woodchips by the Forest Products Commission.
There was good news later in the month when the Minister for Forestry confirmed Lewin block would not be cut during the winter months, up to August 31. Credit and acknowledgment must be given to the hard work put into getting this reassurance by the WA Forest Alliance (WAFA).
Thank you to WAFA and the dedicated protesters who brought awareness to the magnificent old trees at risk of being lost. I was proud to join you for a small period of the blockade.
…But The Job Is Not Finished Yet.
Despite many wins in the past two months, the period started with some bad news as native forests, critically endangered species and climate change mitigation were all put at risk due to the McGowan Government’s renewal of the state’s Regional Forest Agreement (RFA).
Eleven forest vertebrate species have been raised to ‘endangered’ or ‘critically endangered’ categories in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Australia after signing the original RFAs in 1999. This brings the total number of endangered and critically endangered species to 24, with none lowered in categorisation during this time. With this in mind, I supported The Wilderness Society’s campaign to allow WA’s RFA to expire due to these negative environmental outcomes during the RFA’s 20-year term,
Unfortunately, I was appalled at Premier Mark McGowan’s decision, in alliance with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, to renew the RFA.
When it comes to protecting our environment, only The Greens will defend native forests from logging, protect endangered species from extinction and take real action to address climate change.
(No More) Shark Fin Soup Bill
June saw me table my first Bill in State Parliament, aimed at stopping the sale of shark fin products in Western Australia. The Shark Fin Prohibition Bill, tabled on June 6, proposed banning the sale of food containing shark fins, with possible fines rising to $250,000.
Shark finning is an offence for federal and WA fisheries and involves removing fins from a live shark and returning it to the ocean to drown. It is reported, however, that thousands of kilograms of shark fins are imported into Australia each year through loopholes in existing regulations.
While it is unlikely that the McGowan Government will pick up and pass this Bill, it is my intention for these efforts to increase awareness in this cruel practice and add to existing efforts to protect shark populations, both in local waters and beyond.
A Win for Rural Regeneration: Jerramungup Community Swimming Pool
The Department of Education has agreed to match, dollar-for-dollar, the Shire of Jerramungup's fund to replace the Community Swimming Pool — resulting in a much-needed $2-million-dollar upgrade to the facility.
In April I wrote to the Minister for Education to let her know I had been contacted by constituents from Jerramungup who expressed their concerns over the future of the Community Pool, located on the Jerramungup District High School reserve.
The Jerramungup pool is a vital community asset that services many schools in the region, as well as the wider community and visiting tourists, with the next closest public pool over 170 km away.
Rural Regeneration – attracting people to and keeping people in the regions – is such an important issue to me. As such, I applaud the Shire on taking the initiative to seek alternative solutions and also the State Government for recognising this need to support our regional and rural communities.
A Scheme of Inequity and Unfairness in the Southern Forests
Throughout the last few months, I have been consulting with concerned members of the community about the Southern Forests Irrigation Scheme (SFIS), culminating in a petition to Parliament on behalf of 862 signatories calling for the scheme to be stopped — with over 2,000 people doing the same in the form of an online petition.
A drive to Yanmah in June led to a chat with members of the Don’t Dam the Donnelly community group. These farmers are not happy about the scheme’s impact on the river and the planned dam at Record Brook and discussed with me the need to reassess how water rights are determined.
Of 452 agricultural businesses in the Southern Forests Region, only 68 have chosen to join the SFIS, with farm-owners’ pledges of $10 million to be eclipsed by $59 million of taxpayer funding.
At its core, this is a scheme of inequity and unfairness. The message is clear and I'm proud to amplify it: Don't Dam the Donnelly.
Crunching the Numbers: 2019/20 State Budget
The McGowan Government handed down its third Budget in May and while I welcomed a return to surplus it became clear that overall strategies to combat the climate emergency must improve.
A water deficiency in the Shire of Ravensthorpe was announced during the very same week, with climate change clearly acknowledged as contributing to low rainfall in the region. Despite this, there was no allocation for climate change strategies in the 2019-20 budget papers.
Greens Joy at Greens Pool
I have been liaising with the Great Southern community regarding Greens Pool, a natural tourist destination and asset to the south coast, as far back as December of last year. Prior to a spearfishing ban announced by the Minister for Fisheries in early 2019, almost 1000 people had signed a petition to protect the popular sanctuary and family-friendly swimming spot.
A disallowance motion in Parliament was subsequently defeated in May and I was pleased to support the ban by voting to uphold the McGowan Government’s original decision.
Sometimes common sense wins out and in this case, I’m delighted this is the outcome.
Charity Starts In Homes
Great news from the team at Just Home Margaret River, a housing justice organisation working with community members to facilitate appropriate, accessible, low cost, secure and sustainable housing options for all.
The Department of Lands has spoken to the organisation and it looks as though it will be allocated a block of land from Water Corporation, along with the offer from an organisation that works to provide suitable living options to assist with the design of future dwellings on the land.
This is a wonderful outcome for a hard-working group of people seeking to help those in the Augusta-Margaret River community in need of housing and shelter.
Summit for Climate Action
Climate change mitigation was on the agenda when I attended a summit held by Climate Action Augusta Margaret River, welcoming guest speakers Tim Flannery (via video link) and Ben Elton to talk about the challenges posed to society by carbon emissions and human impact on the planet.
I enjoyed workshopping the importance of a holistic and integrated approach to the climate emergency, with a focus on collaborative strategies that can incorporate agriculture, transport, youth and housing issues – amongst others – within the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.
As an additional treat, I also met 11-time surfing world legend and environmental advocate Kelly Slater, along with young Californian Conner Coffin, in town for the Margaret River Pro!
Fridays for Future
Finally, I have been so encouraged by the committed students who are maintaining the Greta Thunberg-inspired School Strike 4 Climate movement by rallying outside Parliament House every Friday until they see significant action on climate by the McGowan Government.
This type of peaceful, but meaningful protest, shows the willingness among the youth of Western Australia to protect the planet for their futures. We need them.
Header photo: Diane with members of the ‘Don’t Dam the Donnelly’ Community Action Group, opposed to the Southern Forests Irrigation Scheme.
Text photos:
1. Diane standing in front of one of the large Karri trees being protected.
2. The effects of preparatory clearing in the Lewin Forest. In May the McGowan Government agreed to renew the 20-year Regional Forests Agreement.
3. Diane meets in Yanmah with a number of farmers opposed to the Southern Forests Irrigation Scheme.
4. Diane and Staff scrutinise the 2019/20 State Budget.
5. Diane with Kelly Slater, Conner Coffin (both center) and fellow attendees of the Augusta Margaret River Climate Action Summit.
6. Students continuing the School Strike 4 Climate movement as part of the weekly ‘Fridays for Future’ action at Parliament House.
7. Diane speaks with the students of the Fridays for Future protest.
All photos by Diane Evers or Jack Hicken