Conservation Council WA Monthly Bulletin
  Hi We’ve got plenty of ways for you to get involved with conservation and climate work this month! Tickets are now on sale for our 2023 Annual Conference in September. The theme for this year’s conference is UPLIFT: Supporting the work of youth and Aboriginal people in the conservation sector, and is designed to promote initiating, supporting, and sustaining proactive partnerships with young people and Traditional Owners in our sector. You can also join our upcoming MP Workshops with our Fossil Fuels team to learn how you can meet with your local MP and share your climate concerns. Did you spot our mobile video billboard in city last month? We were featured on 7 News, ABC TV and many other outlets after we sent the billboard on a loop around Perth to highlight Woodside’s pollution and profit on the day of their AGM! We continue to work with our Indigenous colleagues to establish CCWA’s inaugural Indigenous Advisory Board. CCWA is building its capacity to provide practical support and to participate in two-way learning with Aboriginal communities in the conservation, culture and climate space. We have also been developing new nature projects, including research and concept development around the emerging Federal Nature Repair Market model and recruiting bat specialist Kelly Sheldrick to lead our Citizen Science program. Welcome aboard Kelly! You can find out more about this work and RSVP to our upcoming events below ⬇️ That’s all for this month! The team at CCWA What’s new at CCWA  Woodside AGM CCWA made waves campaigning against Woodside at their AGM last month. A mobile video billboard showing Woodside’s pollution and profit stats from 2022 targeted several high-profile locations in Perth, including Woodside’s head office, WA Parliament and St Georges Terrace. The billboard showcased Woodside’s own 2022 emissions data and profit. Outside the AGM, we had a great turnout of West Aussies who showed Woodside what kind of state they want WA to be. Inside the meeting, 30 proxies went in and posed nine climate-related questions to Woodside Chair and CEO Richard Goyder and Meg O’Neil – applying pressure throughout the day. In all respects, the campaign was an enormous success and secured significant media coverage for the climate on the day of the Woodside AGM. In total, 86 pieces of coverage broadcast CCWA’s Woodside AGM campaign – including high profile spots on 7 News, ABC Radio Perth and WA, ABC News online, ABC News television, The West Australian, Perth Now, The Guardian and Yahoo! News Australia. Thanks to everyone who participated in this campaign – we coudn’t have done it without you! Clearing permit denied for 5,000 m2 Banksia Woodlands  CCWA sees many sand and limestone mining proposals come before the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER). These proposals pose a threat to the environment in several ways – they clear native vegetation that is habitat to endangered species, fragment the landscape, change hydrological flows to wetlands and other surface waters, affect the quality of groundwater, result in the mobilisation of contamination, and produce long-lasting and cumulative environmental impacts from the loss of native species across WA. Last week (15 May 2023), one such sand mining proposal was refused by DWER. This resulted in the additional protection of over 5,000 m2 of significant habitat, comprising Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain Threatened Ecological Community (TEC), which provides important black cockatoo breeding and forage habitat. This decision to refuse a clearing permit was achieved only with the concerted efforts and submissions of many environmental groups, including CCWA member groups and volunteers. CCWA particularly acknowledges the exceptional work of the Peel Harvey Catchment Council, BirdLife WA, CCWA volunteer Carolyn Bloye, and so many others leading to this outstanding outcome. Programs Updates  Fossil Fuels Aside from the exciting work at the Woodside AGM action, we also co-hosted a Paddle Out to ‘Turn the Tide on Woodside’ on 30th April with Greenpeace, School Strike 4 Climate WA and Surfers for Climate Action. This one saw over a hundred community members supporting those who braved the cold water to paddle out for climate action! CCWA also attended the state budget industry lock-in for the Premiers budget address. The Fossil Fuel team welcomed state spending on renewable energy infrastructure and construction of “big batteries” for Collie and Kwinana. Last but not least, the team has been running strategy sessions and working on starting up three semi-autonomous local groups to have broader MP reach across the state and ultimately influence the Premier. They’ve been researching and strategising the most effective methods to influence change. The Fossil Fuels program welcomes volunteers and anyone looking to get involved in campaigning for a safer climate. You can register your interest here. FIND OUT MORE  Nuclear-Free WA Our Nuclear Free Campaigner Mia Pepper presented at the Senate Inquiry into a proposal from Liberal/National senators to lift the ban on nuclear power in Australia. The inquiry heard about why nuclear power is too slow and too costly to address the urgent climate crisis, along with the unacceptable impacts of uranium mining and nuclear waste. You can watch the public hearing here to find out more. Do you have a copy of our book on Yeelirrie’s fight to remain nuclear-free? Yeelirrie: 50 Years of Resistance is up for sale on our website. Hit the link below to grab your copy today! FIND OUT MORE  Citizen Science We’re thrilled to announce we’ve hired a new Citizen Science Program Manager – welcome aboard Kelly Sheldrick! Kelly is a conservationist who has specialised in the management and care of bats. She joins CCWA, building on a diverse career in climate change management and wildlife monitoring projects. She has recently returned to Australia following three years’ work at ecological consultancies in England, where she managed a wide range of projects across several different species. Kelly will be shaping the future of the Citizen Science program here at CCWA with a focus on improving accessibility and participation for younger people. FIND OUT MORE Upcoming Events  2023 CCWA Conference – tickets on sale! Tickets are on sale for CCWA’s 2023 Annual Conference! Join us at:UPLIFT: Supporting the work of youth & Aboriginal people in the conservation sector. At this year’s conference, we will… LISTEN On the road to 2030, it’s critical for WA’s conservation sector to carefully listen. Aboriginal communities have cared for Country for generations – and young people across WA are the new generation of climate and conservation leaders. At UPLIFT we will listen to how our sector can support and uplift the work of young conservationists and Traditional Owners. LEARN We learn from our success stories and our setbacks. At UPLIFT we will hear about projects across WA that have achieved meaningful conservation outcomes – and we will also learn from those that did not. We will also learn about some of the key issues facing WA at this time – and how our sector is best-placed to manage them. GROW At UPLIFT we will be inspired and transformed by stories of advocacy and action. We will take this opportunity to connect and expand on conservation partnerships. We will spend time resolving how we can incorporate our listening and learning into the future of our work. Tickets will be on sale soon – so register your interest at the link below! GET TICKETS NOW  An Evening with the Minister The Conservation Council of WA invites you to the inaugural online Australia-wide Zoom meeting with the National Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Monday 26 June. This is an opportunity for you to be part of a collective voice advocating for change in environmental conservation and climate action. By attending this event you’ll be helping to show the widespread national support for our environment and – in particular – the importance of Western Australia in the conversation around conservation and climate. Join us to make a difference in our planet’s future! RSVP NOW News & Media  Woodside’s pollution and profit in the spotlight in Perth, on day of AGMA mobile video billboard showing Woodside’s pollution and profit stats from 2022 targeted several high-profile locations through Perth, including the company’s Perth head office; the WA Parliament; the venue for the AGM at Perth Convention Centre and St Georges Terrace – home of many of Australia’s biggest oil and gas companies.  WA State Budget: CCWA welcomes support for renewable energy, native forestsWA Premier Mark McGowan announced a $2.8 billion package to support new renewable energy projects, with $2.3 billion of that amount allocated to the construction of a new 500MW ‘big battery’ at Collie and the expansion of the 200MW battery at Kwinana.  CCWA welcomes new national park in remote GoldfieldsMatuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park and Lake Carnegie Nature Reserve cover 578,000 hectares of land and will be jointly managed by the Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation and WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). We respectfully acknowledge the Whadjuk People of Noongar Boodjar, along with the Traditional Owners of all Countries where CCWA operates. We seek to always walk alongside our Aboriginal partners, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. Conservation Council of Western Australia · 1186 Hay Street , West Perth, WA 6005, Australia |