Welcome to the October edition of the DCAN Dispatch.

Northcote & Preston Candidate Forums on Climate and Nature

Many thanks to everyone who has already booked for the Candidate forums. We have had a great response.  If you haven't already booked please do so as soon as possible so that you don't miss out!

Volunteers still needed!

Please fill out this form to let us know how you can help. DCAN score cards will be available early November.

The seat of Northcote is on a knife edge and is the most marginal seat in Victoria. Preston is also on a very small margin – every single vote will count in determining which candidates are successful in getting elected. 

It’s time to step up for stronger climate and nature targets!

Fence Signs

Fence signs are a great way of alerting neighbours, passers-by and candidates that climate is an important election issue in the upcoming state election. If you would like to host a fence sign and/or take some to distribute in your neighbourhood please email Katherine.

Help stop ANZ funding the NEA pipeline

The Australian company APA Group is seeking funding to build a 1561 km North to East Australia Pipeline (NEAP), to enable Beetaloo frackers to build one of the world’s largest gas fields and export the fracked gas from the Queensland coast. ANZ is the only one of the “big four” Australian banks that has not ruled out funding it.

If none of Australia's big four banks invest in the pipeline, it is unlikely that international investors will do so too. It is particularly important that we put pressure on ANZ before their decision is made in early/mid November.

There are several ways we can help, from individual letters to rallies. Click here for details on how you can help.

Love Preston market? Write a quick submission to protect it

Save the Preston Market Action Group is calling on residents to make a submission on the draft redevelopment plans for the Preston Market. The deadline for submissions has been extended by two weeks to Wednesday October 28th.

There is serious concern that the draft plans will cause permanent damage to the fabric of the market. The draft plans involve the demolition of significant parts of the market, the addition of a large number of corporate retail outlets and the encasing of the market in high-rise apartments.

The market provides strong community connection in times of growing division and uncertainty. It's vital that whatever development takes place doesn't jeopardise the social, civic and cultural function that the market serves.

Preston is particularly deficient in green spaces and vegetation. The draft Market Plans as they currently stand is a missed opportunity to address this and other sustainability and climate issues such as urban heat effect.

Submissions can be made via Engage Victoria here. Save Preston Market Action Group has also produced a guide to making submissions which contains all the links required to make a submission. The submissions can be as long or as short as you like.

Community Group wins in High Court

Wendy Wales and Tony Lonergan live on Wonnarua Country in the Hunter Valley, on land Tony's family has farmed for generations, and their neighbour is the Mount Pleasant coal mine. When MACH Energy was approved to double its output and keep running until 2048, Wendy, Tony and their community group DAMSHEG challenged the decision in court.

In 2025, the NSW Court of Appeal set the approval aside on climate grounds, and MACH Energy appealed. On October 7 the High Court dismissed that appeal, in the first climate case it has heard.

The case is a major win for the climate. Planning authorities must now consider the local climate damage caused by coal projects, including the emissions from coal burned overseas, and more than 20 NSW proposals are affected.

Congratulations to DAMSHEG and their mighty legal team at Johnson Legal.

The Pacific Climate Fund that the Pacific wants

The Pacific Resilience Facility is a Pacific owned, led and managed solution. The PRF is the first Pacific community resilience financing facility, designed to provide non-debt grants directly to vulnerable frontline communities for climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and loss and damage.

The aim is to raise $500 million in the short term. By the end of the recent COP 26 meeting in Fiji, $200 million had been pledged.

• The PRF will help vulnerable Pacific people exposed to climate change and disaster risks, particularly women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities;
• It will build the resilience, preparedness and adaptive capacity of poor communities before disasters strike;
• It will allow the Pacific to invest in small grant based but high impact projects to make communities disaster ready;
• It is a self-sustaining financial model - it will not result in debt for participating countries;
• It will deliver grants quickly and efficiently, distributing money through national government systems;
• PRF financial management will be based on global best practice, including external audits and independent monitoring;
• It will provide predictable and ongoing support so the Pacific can prepare for disasters and long-term climate change risks, rather than waiting for the next catastrophe.

Support our work in 2026 and beyond

Please consider making a donation right now to help fund the printing and promotion of our candidate score cards for the upcoming State election. The score cards are an important guide in helping people vote for candidates with strong policies on climate and nature.

Help spread the work about climate action

Please join us on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky. Every like, comment, and share helps amplify our impact and spread the word about climate action in our community. Email us if you would like to join the DCAN social media team. We would love to have you onboard.

Want to know more about DCAN?

Why not come along to one of our monthly meetings? We usually meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7.00pm at the Bridge Preston. Please drop us an email at [email protected] to let us know that you are coming so we can welcome you and give you an agenda ahead of the meeting.

Our next meeting will be at 7:00 pm on November 12th, 2026 in the Waratah Room at the Bridge, 261 High, Preston.