Friends of the Earth (FoE) Melbourne  is a non-for profit organisation working for a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable future. The international Friends of the Earth network is  active in 77 countries with over 2 million members. Read more.

In November 2018, Victorians will head to the polls. With community concern about climate change on the rise, it's an issue that all political parties must address in detail.

Our state is undergoing profound change as the population grows, entire industries go to the wall, and climate change starts to really impact on our landscapes, economy and lifestyles. Yet Melbourne continues to sprawl, as low density development covers valuable farmland and remnant vegetation, supported by transport infrastructure that will perpetuate our current reliance on cars.

An election provides all parties with the opportunity to demonstrate leadership on the interconnected issues of climate, energy, social justice, and the economy.

IMAGE: Mt Torbreck - part of the proposed Great Forest National Park. Photo: Justin Cally

Melbourne will soon pass Sydney as Australia’s most populous city. The urban sprawl that is happening to accommodate this growth is putting pressure on transport, services, and other infrastructure, and making congestion worse. A big part of ensuring our city continues to be livable into coming decades will be the need to build a world class public transport system that is adequate to the needs of a city larger than 5 million people (check our Get on Board transport plan here). We will also need to ensure there is increased population density around transport corridors, but in a way that meets community needs and expectations, not just the profit imperative of developers.

This sprawl also poses a major threat to remaining open space around the fringes of Melbourne. We are running out of time to protect these landscapes.

In an election year, we need political parties to commit to a world class park system that will protect our city against future sprawl and provide breathing space for the community and protection for key habitats.  

Last year we exposed the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) dodgy ‘Green star’ ratings. The GBCA award green star ratings for buildings made with timber sourced from unsustainable logging operations in Victoria’s native forests.

Wood certified under the so called 'Responsible Wood' certification scheme (formally Australian Forestry Standard) is being used in so called ‘Green’ buildings that that council has awarded their green tick to. This includes wood from old growth forests, endangered species habitat and critically endangered Mountain Ash forests within the propose Great Forest National Park

Old growth forest logged in East Gippsland, 2015

Our transport system is a mess.

Roads don’t relieve congestion, they create it.  But state government after state government keep building roads. They keep putting the road lobby and private interests before smart transport solutions.

This is why we need to build enough momentum to stop ANY mega toll road project that they put on the table.

And that’s where our #GetOnBoard plan comes in.

As conservationists from the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) entered their tenth consecutive day of successfully preventing logging of old growth forest at Granite Mountain in remote East Gippsland, twenty government officials have today arrived on site to break the blockade.

Around fifteen people are at the blockade, established on Monday 22 January. One person is suspended from a tripod structure blocking the logging road.

But Carbon Capture and Storage off Ninety Mile Beach is no laughing matter

Golden Beach is an idyllic section of Ninety Mile Beach. It boasts a pristine coastline, plentiful fish, multitudes of birds and the skeletal remains of an 1897 shipwreck. But there is a cloud hanging over this lovely place.

A publicly-funded State Government project, called CarbonNet, has earmarked the area for Carbon Storage. This February, seismic testing for a suitable carbon storage site will be undertaken in the waters off Golden Beach.

Friends of the Earth were pleased to attend the official opening of the Kiata wind farm today, and say the project is renewable energy success story that highlights the need for the Turnbull government to hit the reset button on energy policy.

Climate change is affecting people in Melbourne by putting pressure on public health, the local environment, infrastructure, and the economy. Yarra Community Solar and the Epworth Hospital have initiated sustainable projects in the inner north to create change in their communities.