We have a new Council!

Congratulations to the newly elected and re-elected Councillors for Darebin City Council. We can report that in response to DCAN's candidate questionnaire, all of the elected councillors recognised the importance of addressing the climate emergency, and many made commitments to strong action on climate and democratic processes. We are looking forward to working with the new Council on implementing Darebin's Climate Emergency Plan and exploring ways to involve residents better in deliberating on difficult-to-resolve issues. Thank you to all our supporters who participated in election activities. See here for the full voting results. Successful candidates:

Kristine Olaris OAM, ALP, Central Ward
Vasilios Tsalkos, ALP, North Central Ward
Matt Arturi, ALP, North East Ward
Gaetano Greco, Independent, North West Ward (re-elected)
Ruth Jelley, Greens, South Central Ward
Emily Dimitriadis, ALP, South East Ward (re-elected)
Julie O'Brien, Greens, South Ward
Alexandra Sangster, Greens, South West Ward
Connie Boglis OAM, ALP, West Ward

Voices from the frontline of the climate crisis
23rd November Coburg Town Hall 2.30pm

Tiwi woman, Mililma May, and other First Nations leaders are travelling all the way from the Northern Territory to Melbourne to ask us to stand with them in their struggle to stop fracking. Country, precious water supplies and climate are under threat from gas expansion like never before. With the recent announcement of delays in the Middle Arm project, we have a unique opportunity to show the Government that we stand in solidarity with Mililma and Territorians to stop the expansion of the destructive and polluting gas industry. Please come along to this important event. RSVP here. Please also take a minute to sign the online petition against fracking the NT here.

Would you like a sign for your fence or window?

In the lead up to the next federal election, we need to show politicians and leaders in our community how much we want strong action on climate by installing a sea of 'No More Coal and Gas' signs on our fences, in our gardens, street-facing windows and shop fronts. By acting together in the months ahead, we can make sure climate action is firmly on the agenda. Would you like a sign? DCAN is taking part in a National Climate Sign Blitz on the 7th December and we are offering you free signs - complete with delivery to your door! Please contact Katherine to order your sign.

DCAN AGM Guest speaker explains how to use our money as a force for good

Special guest, Kyle Robertson from Market Forces, was a highlight at this year's Annual General Meeting. Market Forces is a dynamic, not-for-profit organisation that has been working with the community for over a decade to shine a spotlight on the financial sector and its investments in fossil fuels.

Kyle outlined three key areas that Market Forces is working on: shareholder action to push for positive changes in company policies, targeting financial institutions to encourage them to divest from fossil fuel companies, and putting pressure on the Japanese Government and Japanese companies to stop their involvement in fossil fuel projects in Australia. Japan imports much more gas than it needs, then exports this to other Asian countries, locking poorer nations such as Bangladesh into expensive long-term contracts. Kyle talked about two recent big wins - the CommBank announcement in August that they will no longer finance coal, oil and gas projects of companies whose policies are not aligned with the Paris emissions targets; and when 60% of shareholders at Woodside's AGM voted against the company's climate plan because it was considered inadequate. If you would like to find out how to be a part of this exciting work sign up here.

DCAN Annual Report 2024

It was another big year for DCAN - ranging from running a home electrification masterclass early in the year with Freedom Energy Homes to holding a candidates' forum and producing score cards for all nine wards in the recent Council elections. We continued to raise issues of concern in our meetings with our local Federal and State MPs, and Ministers Chris Bowen and Tania Plibersek, particularly around the need for a strong Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, including a climate trigger. We held rapid response rallies outside the office of our Federal MP Ged Kearney against new coal and gas announcements and were also involved in national campaigns against fracking in the Northern Territory and Government investment in Middle Arm - a huge proposed project near Darwin which would support the NT gas industry. In addition to providing detailed feedback on Darebin Council's new Climate Emergency Plan, we also wrote several submissions and co-hosted a Climate Resilience Inquiry submission writing party with the Darebin Neighbourhood House Network. We also celebrated a five year milestone for our weekly Chalking and Talking Outreach team's work along the St. Georges Road bike path. Please see here for the full report.

Music for a Warming World Concert

You are invited by NCAT (Nillumbik Climate Action Team) to come and enjoy a wonderful Music for a Warming World concert, multi-media visual experience and journey into the reality and prospects of our warming world. Led by academic/musician Simon Kerr, and featuring professional musicians Mal Webb and Kylie Morrigan, Music for a Warming World brings science, joy, grief, and positivity to life.

Stay after the show for a delicious supper, festive season refreshments and social gathering.

Free to attend, but please book here to help with catering. A gold coin donation would be welcome on the night to help with costs, if possible.

Saturday 30 November, 7:30 - 11:30pm
Hurstbridge Community Hub
50 Graysharps Rd, Hurstbridge VIC

Click here for more information.

Climate Choir Melbourne comes to Darebin

"While politicians sit and talk
In far-away Baku
The CO2 goes up and up,
We'll cop this COP-OUT too."
(Tune: While Shepherds watched)

Climate Choir Melbourne have been invited by the Fairfield Traders Association to sing in Station Street on 7 December at 11 am. Come and listen (or even better, join in) as they sing climate-related parodies of your favourite Christmas carols and other traditional Christmas music. Looking forward to seeing (and hearing you) outside Baker’s Delight, 88 Station Street, Fairfield.

No Northern Incinerator Campaign

There is a proposal for Cleanaway to build and operate a giant incinerator - just 15 km to our north to burn 10 million tonnes of rubbish. Obviously this is a horrendous idea that needs to be stopped.
Please sign and share this important new Parliamentary Petition, sponsored by Thomastown MP Bronwyn Halfpenny, which strongly objects to this proposal.

See which Councillors have signed the Stop Burning Waste Pledge and why it's so important (Thanks to Zero Waste Australia).

Check out the Facebook page for the campaign here.

Suggested Reading: "Let's Tax Carbon: And Other Ideas for a Better Australia"

In his new book Ross Garnaut, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne and ANU, argues that Australia could become a full employment, renewable energy super power if it started taxing carbon. A levy on big polluters would help Australia become a carbon-free energy giant, lower the cost of living and assist the world to cut emissions.

He focuses on the underpinnings of successful social democracy and traces when economic policy has worked for Australia and when it hasn't.

He also explores the extraordinary low-carbon opportunity that Australia has before it. Getting this right, Garnaut argues, would secure the economic base of Australia's social democracy.

Read an extract here.

Wake-up call: lessons learned from nature’s sculpture landscapes

Solo exhibition of paintings by Megan-Jane Johnstone AO

5 - 16 February 2025

Cato Gallery, Victorian Artists' Society, 430 Albert Street, East Melbourne

Heatwave 1

In the days between 16-24 June 2024, 60 per cent of the world’s population faced extreme heat. The month of June 2024 has since been described as the earth’s hottest on record, with people across Asia, Europe and the Americas facing extremely high temperatures - in some cases exceeding 50C. Scientists warn that new records will be broken as the climate continues to warm. Moreover, the health of people  will increasingly be at risk due to the adverse effects of heating on the brain and nervous system. This work is part of a new series the artist is working on titled ‘Wake-up call’, motivated by her conviction that artists have an important role to play in promoting environmental ethics, noting that art is much more than just presentation. As Australian Professor of Environmental Law, Benjamin Richardson, has correctly contended, art also ‘fuels human imagination, to re-imagine relationships with the natural world, to bring new meanings and creatively forge new solutions’. We need to urgently find creative solutions to protect the earth (and all that depends on it) from the increasingly devastating effects of a warming climate.