As 2024 draws to a close we want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who is part of this incredible community and take a moment to reflect on all the inspiring things we’ve achieved together.
It’s your passion and dedication that is behind all of our biggest wins. Whether you’ve donated time or money, had powerful conversations out in your community, joined a rally, signed a petition or met with your local MP – it all had an incredible impact for our climate, rivers, and communities.
Here are some of the highlights from 2024 …
We stood up for First Nations justice
Credit Samantha James (Swan Hill Guardian)
More than 200 of you joined us online and in-person at the River Peoples’ Forum in Swan Hill. Together, we discussed how Traditional Owners are caring for river Country and how we can deliver long-awaited water justice for all Traditional Owners in the Murray-Darling. You can learn more in this great video >>
Excitingly, Treaty negotiations have officially kicked off in Victoria! This is a massive moment, many years in the making. We’re proud to support this journey to Treaty and there will be important moments for all of us to be active allies in the year ahead. Read more in our pledge here >>
We built unstoppable momentum for electrifying Victoria
Methane causes damaging climate pollution at every stage from when it is sucked out of the ground to when it is burnt in our homes. And this year we kept building the unstoppable momentum for Victoria to break free from gas.
In April we had a win with the Victorian government banning gas companies from providing financial incentives for gas appliances.
We also released a report showing how going electric can slash household heating and cooling bills which made a big splash in the media, including a double-page spread in The Age!
We capped the year with a ‘Week of Action’, featuring pro-electrification yard signs and meetings with MPs across the state, sending a clear message that Victorians want bold action to phase out old gas appliances and electrify for a cleaner future.
The Victorian government has just released their draft plan to replace old gas heaters and hot water systems as they break and install efficient electric upgrades. It’s a big step forward and we’ll be kicking off 2025 with a big push to back in these changes in the face of a well-funded gas industry scare campaign.
We fought back against gas industry greenwashing
When the gas industry tried to use Masterchef to serve up dodgy claims about “renewable gas”, thousands of you jumped on board to call it out and we took to the media to expose the gas industry and ruin their PR moment.
On the back of our petition and cheeky parody video (which was seen by more than 350,000 Victorians) Network 10 executives were hauled before the federal greenwashing inquiry.
We followed this up with our report, A Pipeline of Profits, which shows how this greenwashing campaign fits with the industry’s broader attempts to keep Victorians hooked on polluting gas.
We continued building a movement of many
This year, our Action Network grew stronger and more diverse than ever. 44 people came together for our Action Network Summit in May, and we held ‘table talks’ and outreach events with more than 200 people from multicultural communities, including Pasifika, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Italian, and more.
We’ve been learning about the diversity of people’s experiences of climate impacts and building shared solutions. You can read more here >>
We also captured the stories of 13 incredible Victorians in our report ‘A Movement of Many’ – a must-read for some extra hope and inspiration.
We stood strong with the Latrobe Valley community
This year also marked 10 years since the devastating Hazelwood mine fire. To honor the resilience of the Latrobe Valley community, we commissioned a powerful short film telling the stories of those who lived through the fire and their fight for accountability from the government and ENGIE. We held screenings in Melbourne, and in Morwell as part of a beautiful Community Day.
The Victorian government’s legislated target of 95% renewable energy by 2035 means the end of coal is in sight, but the community continues to stand strong against dangerous proposals that threaten their health and the local environment.
Hundreds of you have already made submissions and attended rallies in the Latrobe Valley and Melbourne to speak up against the Coalition’s nuclear fantasy. Watch this space!
Finally there is the proposal to make hydrogen out of brown coal. This year we’ve kept up the pressure against this project. Our community has sent thousands of emails to local MPs and we’ve made it clear that this polluting coal project does not have the support of the community.
With the project hitting major roadblocks this year, and an air of doubt hanging over whether it will proceed, we know our work is having an impact!
We strengthened the national alliance for healthy rivers
It’s been one year since the federal government passed legislation to finally return more water to the rivers of the Murray-Darling. And, as part of the Murray-Darling Conservation Alliance, we’ve been busy ensuring this water is delivered in the short term while building people power for the long term.
As part of this work, we’ve been traveling along northern Victoria, building new connections in river communities and meeting people like Uncle Allan and Phil, Don and Gillian >>
Thank you for being part of it, you helped make this year a success and none of this happens without your support. We hope you get the chance to rest and recharge over the holidays and spend some time in the beautiful places we’re all working to protect.