Our common future
The newly formed “Alliance for Our Common Future” is inviting the community to join a forum of open dialogue and activism.
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On June 2, a rally was held in Littleton Gardens, Bega. The rally was called “Enough is Enough” and brought together representatives from the Djiringanj community, the union movement, National Parks, Rural Australians for Refugees, the Sapphire Social Justice Advocates, Clean Energy For Eternity, and Lock the Gate among others.
“The rally was well attended by local citizens concerned with the damage done both to our environment and our communities by the moribund philosophy of neo-liberalism,” organisers have said.
“At the completion of the rally many participants decided that, in order to make changes necessary for our future, an organisation that could maintain momentum and provide a forum for discussion and activism was needed. Alliance for Our Common Future was thus born.”
To mark the new alliance with an official launch, the movie “The Bentley Effect” will be screened at 7pm on Thursday, November 29, at the Funhouse, Bega.
The evening will also include an open space forum to share ideas on the basis that “community change starts with open dialogue”.
Entry is via donation and attendees are asked to bring a plate to share.
Support cut down
New industry funded research that shows native forest logging no longer has public support comes as no surprise.
The study was funded by Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) , an industry body financed by the federal government, member levies and research grants.
“Community perceptions of Australia’s forest, wood and paper industries: implications for social license to operate” surveyed over 12,000 people from throughout Australia and found 70 per cent of urban, and 65 per cent of rural Australians find logging of native forests unacceptable. This compares to just 10 per cent of urban, and 17 per cent of rural Australians finding it acceptable.
The study only examined the native forest logging industry in general and did not specifically examine attitudes to woodchipping. I have absolutely no doubt that an examination of attitudes to woodchipping would produce even more negative results.
The industry itself has virtually admitted this and understands that it has a problem. While we don’t have specific and detailed data for this region, there is no reason to believe attitudes to native forest logging would be any more positive here.
Indeed, our direct experience of decades of the most intensive logging in the state and and equal to the worst in Australia gives us every reason to expect that support would be lower.
The Eden chipmill was Australia’s first export woodchip mill and it’s time for it to transition to plantation wood or close. I appeal to candidates in the coming state and federal elections to take note of these results. It is not just a hard core of conservationists who’ve had enough of this industry.
Harriett Swift, Chipstop convener
Endless surprise
I attended the St Cecilia Scholarship concert last Sunday.
I have attended every year, only to be endlessly surprised and impressed by the level of skill and passion our youth convey in their music – both voice and instruments – some as young as nine.
As Bega MP Andrew Constance, a strong supporter of the arts in this area, mentioned in his speech, just imagine what the performers will be able to do, and the audience they will reach, in the Batemans Bay arts facility, once built.
Congratulations to all, for this year and the years to come, to Marianina de Rocco for the insight to start this scholarship and all those who have kept is so alive. Well done.