Pages tagged "Federal politics"
Archibald Prize winner Blak Douglas unveils new mural confronting coal damage in Redfern
Dhungatti artist and 2022 Archibald Prize winner Blak Douglas has launched his new mural Coalface in Redfern, conveying the damaging impacts the coal industry has on climate, Country and the environment.
Blak Douglas drew inspiration for the artwork from Gomeroi Country in north-west NSW, where coal and gas projects by companies like Whitehaven Coal and Santos are damaging Country.
The mural was unveiled in the heart of Redfern – a place of staunch First Nations history and creativity – and in the electorate of Federal Minister for Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, who has approved five new coal projects since becoming Minister.
Blak Douglas won the Archibald Prize in 2022 for his portrait of Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens, titled Moby Dickens. Douglas depicted his good friend, Dickens, in the unprecedented 2022 floods in her hometown of Lismore in northern New South Wales, which devastated her community. Blak Douglas also won the Kilgour Prize in 2019, the STILL Award 2020, and was an Archibald Prize finalist five times before winning the esteemed award.
You can read Blak Douglas' full artist statement below, and visit the mural at 87 Pitt Street, Redfern, NSW 2016.
COALFACE
By Blak Douglas
It was indeed an honour to be commissioned to create this artwork in aim of speaking out
against the extractive fossil fuel industries whom ignore the destructive impact they have on ecosystems,the environment and climate.
My intent with this mural was to depict the fragility of fauna against the wrath of coal mining. I chose to feature the Koala in this instance because what we are consistently finding is that this incredibly cute marsupial remains at the fore of the fight for preservation in NSW, not only in itself but its natural habitat.
There is a key element that exists here on this continent that remains spiritually evasive to many, particularly those who observe life through economic eyes. There is a reason for why rare species of flora & fauna exist upon a landscape that contains desirable minerals.
These species are TOTEMS and caretakers of dreamings that date back what seems a millennia compared to when a “Federation” declared that... a visiting creed would hold rank in a self anointed Government and declare such a treasured ecosystem ‘up for grabs’ to the highest bidder. We must stand up to this injustice for the sake of our threatened species, our climate and also for our children - so that they may enjoy the treasured exuberance of being at one within such a landscape & with such a totem.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reassures mining and energy bosses while Labor does climate deal in Senate
David Crowe and Mike Foley, SMH, September 5, 2022
Albanese told industry chiefs and the Minerals Council of Australia over dinner in Parliament House he wanted to increase public investment in mining to “unlock more value from our minerals” by creating products as well as exporting ore.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has assured mining company executives that he backs the continued export of energy and minerals as well as a shift to renewable power, as he clinches a deal in the Senate to cut carbon emissions by 43 per cent.
The Minerals Council fiercely opposed the mining tax Labor implemented in 2010 and the Coalition repealed in 2014, but Albanese last week ruled out a restoration of the tax after Melbourne University professor Ross Garnaut called for a new resources tax at the jobs summit.
“I want to emphasise that our government will continue to work with your businesses to reduce emissions in a predictable and orderly way, underpinning the transition with certainty,” Albanese said on Monday night.
Coalmine expansions for Hunter region would cause almost 1bn tonnes of emissions
The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission has approved a coalmine expansion in the state’s Upper Hunter region that would cause almost 1bn tonnes of carbon emissions.
The decision will allow MACH Energy to double the output of its Mount Pleasant mine in Muswellbrook to 21m tonnes a year and extend its life to 2048.
The Lock the Gate Alliance has slammed the decision as “reckless and irresponsible” and called for a national approach to major projects that factored the climate crisis into assessments.
The project would be responsible for 876 megatonnes of emissions over its life, 860 megatonnes of which would be the result of emissions produced after the coal is sold and used, mostly overseas.
“It is madness that as humanity teeters on the brink of climate catastrophe, an assessment authority such as the IPC can wave through a coalmine that will be solely responsible for 876m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Lock the Gate’s NSW coordinator Nic Clyde.
“This project is the largest coalmine expansion approved in the state since the Paris agreement called on nations of the world to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees yet is totally inconsistent with that pledge.”
The federal environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, must still make a decision on whether the project should proceed and the alliance called on the minister to reject it.
Lisa Cox, The Guardian, 2022
Labor faces decisions on approval of up to 27 coal projects
Adam Morton, SMH, Mon 11 Jul 2022
The Albanese government could face decisions on whether to approve up to 27 coal mining developments, based on applications lodged under national environment laws.
An analysis by the Sunrise Project, a climate activist group, found 13 greenfield coalmines and 14 extensions of existing mines had been referred to the federal government for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Not all proposals are likely to come across the desk of the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek – some are paused, others still require approval from state authorities – but the analysis of fossil fuel proposals suggests it could be a significant issue in this term of parliament.
The Greens have called for a moratorium on new coal and gas mines, reflecting assessments by climate scientists and statements by the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, and the International Energy Agency that they are inconsistent with the goals of the Paris climate agreement. Several independent MPs have adopted a similar position.
Former Pacific leaders last week called on Anthony Albanese to block new coal or gas projects as part of an amplified climate commitment at this week’s Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji.