Welcome Back (NSW) Pollies

ARRCC supporters are encouraged to support the Knitting Nanas in this small action.

Sydney Knitting Nannas invite you to join us for a rally to mark the beginning of the new parliamentary year. Speakers to be announced. If you're on Facebook, here's the Nanas' page for the event.

Nannas wish MPs in the NSW parliament a successful year working towards a clean and safe future. Our biggest issues are:

CLIMATE

Nannas acknowledge the passage of the NSW parliament's climate change legislation with a target of 50% emissions reductions by 2030, and 70% by 2035. We also welcome the scheme to help make cheap solar energy accessible to low-income earners.

However, climate scientists have found that record-breaking extremes are occurring much sooner than expected. 2023 was the first year to be 1.5 degrees warmer than baseline temperatures, with record losses of sea ice and increases in sea-surface temperatures which were way beyond the ranges projected in climate modelling.

So expanding fossil fuels extraction and native forest logging in NSW is not on.

NO NEW COAL

The Labor government broke an election promise when on 22 January the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure approved the Boggabri Mod. 8 coal mine extension.

Labor promised us that new coal proposals would be independently assessed, but this one was ticked off in the Department because it was tagged a “modification”. That’s 28 million tonnes of coal and 156 million tonnes of emissions. We can only hope that the mine is rejected by the federal government.

The other 13 coal mines and extensions in the NSW planning system, if approved, would have total lifecycle emissions of around 2 gigatonnes, or the equivalent of 15 years of NSW annual emissions. Some of the mines are called Modifications and if approved will continue until 2050.

These expansions need to be ruled out now. Any pretense that expanding coal exports is OK for the planet has to stop. Investment is needed in renewable energy projects and support for communities that currently rely on coal.

GAS
In early December 2023 a catastrophic bushfire tore through parts of the Pilliga forest and the gas infrastructure owned by Santos. Nannas are calling for an independent inspection of the damage to the gas infrastructure and whether its presence contributed to the fire.

Some councils have ruled out new domestic gas connections. The NSW government should do this.

NATIVE FOREST LOGGING AND PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPECIES

Labor promised to deliver the Great Koala National Park in this term of government. So far all we have seen is logging continuing within the boundaries of the proposed park. The outcomes so far are loss of old-growth native trees which provide climate protection and critical habitat for koalas and greater gliders.

At the same time the thriving colony of koalas in South West Sydney faces threats of extinction from new housing developments and infrastructure in their habitat. Leadership from government and nature protection organisations will be required to protect this precious and growing koala colony in 2024.

We hope you can join us to tell our MPs our best hopes for the year ahead.