Sydney Knitting Nannas Listening Tour

Sydney Knitting Nannas and Friends are leaving the “cafes, dinner parties and wine bars of our inner cities” to find out what people living in north-western NSW want the state and federal governments to spend our money on instead of expanding the gas industry.

The Sydney Knitting Nannas’ #fundourfuturenotgas listening tour will start in Warren where Nannas will hear from the people of the Macquarie Marshes. Nannas then plan to drive to “Burrima”, a private property between Warren and Carinda, to walk along the 2km boardwalk across the marshes.

We will stopover at Coonamble to find out more about how to protect other precious water resources, particularly the Great Artesian Basin. We’ll visit a farm and the Pilliga bore on the way to Narrabri.

Here we will learn about the culture and heritage of the Gomeroi people, the custodians of the land, and visit some of the Pilliga forest’s cultural sites.

Nannas will listen to successful business owners whose enterprises are threatened by the gas industry. We will check out some of the local tourist attractions as well as gas spill sites in the region.

What will Nanna’s hear?

Follow the Listening Tour go to our website, Facebook, Twitter

Santos Festival of Rugby in Narrabri

Despite many letters from Rugby fans not wanting their sport to be sponsored by a fossil fuel company, the NSW Waratahs have signed Santos Ltd, as a platinum partner for the next three seasons.

The news comes following the announcement of Santos’ support of the upcoming Santos Festival of Rugby in Narrabri from Wednesday 3 February to Saturday 6 February. The NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds will face off as part of Super Rugby AU pre-season match at 8pm local-time on Friday 5 February.

Also a three-day selection and preparation tournament has been organised by Australian Men’s Sevens Head Coach, Tim Walsh, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Australian squad players will line-up against squads from Queensland and New South Wales as well as representatives from an ‘Australia Pacific’ sevens team.

During the Festival, junior coaching clinics, supported by the Classic Wallabies, will ensure all the Rugby community are engaged across the festival.

In addition, Wallabies and Queensland legend and Santos Ambassador, Tim Horan, will host a Rugby-themed Long Lunch in Narrabri, and there will be live entertainment across the weekend.

Santos has long been a supporter of grassroots rugby teams and competitions in regions such as Maranoa, Gladstone and Narrabri where communities are divided about the benefits of coal seam gas extraction and processing.

Santos is the third top fossil fuel political donor in Australia and yet according to independent journalist Michael West, the annual Transparency Report, released in December 2020, revealed Santos’ disclosed income was $4.3 billion and the company paid zero tax.

The Great Inland Glossy Cockatoo Count

Male and female glossy black cockatoos in the trees, Pilliga National Park, 2019. Photo: Tammy Kuijpers © DPIE

Inland glossy black-cockatoos are found in declining numbers in NSW. You can help the National Parks and Wildlife Service conserve this listed vulnerable species by taking part in a glossy count across three national parks in February.

The glossy black-cockatoo is around 46-50cm long and is the smallest of the black-cockatoos. It is a brownish black colour and has a small crest. The male has a browner colour on the head and underparts and bright red panels in the black tail. The female may have yellow markings around the head and has a wider tail which is red to reddish-yellow, barred with black. The glossy black-cockatoo feeds mostly on casuarinas and nests in suitable hollows in both living and dead eucalyptus trees.

Volunteer for this coordinated count of the inland glossy. Book online by the Wednesday prior to the counts at:

Pilliga Forest, Pilliga National Park: Saturday 13 February 2021
Goonoo National Park: Saturday 20 February 2021
Goobang National Park: Saturday 27 February 2021

You can choose to volunteer at one or multiple sites. Bring a pair of binoculars and a notepad. You’ll be trained on the day on how to use your binoculars, and about bird ID and methods.

Northwest Renewable Energy Precinct Underway

The creation of a community backed Northwest Renewable Energy Precinct is underway in NSW. In December 2020 arrays of solar panels with battery storage were installed on five homes.

When connected up to Geni Energy’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP), these homes will provide power to others when and where it is needed most.

Geni Energy is working towards having 100 local homeowners connected to their VPP. Most of these families already have rooftop solar, however, a lot of their usage is at night when they buy electricity from the grid – that costs them three times the price they receive from putting their excess solar power into the grid during the day. Once batteries are installed, their excess solar power will go into the battery so they can access free electricity at night. This will allow most of these homes to pay off their battery within 3 to 7 years.

Then, these homes and other renewable generators will be connected to Geni Energy’s VPP. Technology will allow their excess power to be sold through the VPP platform to the community.

The latest five new installations was a big step in the journey toward switching on the Geni Energy Virtual Power Plant.

Call into the Geni Energy office at 129 Maitland Street, Narrabri and talk to the friendly staff about this renewable energy project in the heart of a gasfield.

Appeal Launched Against Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project

A community group, the Mullaley Gas and Pipeline Accord (MGPA), has launched an appeal against the NSW Independent Planning Commission’s (IPC’s) approval of the controversial Narrabri Gas Project.

The 25-year Project would contribute greenhouse gas emissions in the order of 127 million tonnes (CO2 equivalent), at a time when the science says there is an urgent need for rapid emissions reductions.

Class 4 Judicial Review proceedings have now been lodged in the NSW Land and Environment Court by the MGPA, represented by Environmental Defenders Office (EDO). Continue reading →