tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19591774987609141542012-02-01T22:37:52.893+11:00Northcote IndependentClimate, environment, clean energy, politics and civil society.<br>Progressive issues, views and public interest campaigns.Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.comBlogger288125northcote-independenthttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-50349751739142915882012-02-01T21:58:00.000+11:002012-02-01T22:37:53.029+11:002012-02-01T22:37:53.029+11:00We're gonna stop HRL, fellas, so pull the $100m nowA great line-up of speakers and more than 400 people turned up at Victorian Parliament at lunchtime today to call for an end to the HRL brown coal power station in the Latrobe Valley. (Why?)
Protesters obviously found it not only acceptable, but highly worthwhile to highlight that the project does not stack up economically and would be a disastrous misstep for action towards a safer climate.
Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-48668812737764322292012-01-31T12:41:00.002+11:002012-02-01T08:48:16.437+11:002012-02-01T08:48:16.437+11:00Making coal protest "acceptable"
Tomorrow (Wed. 1 Feb) an important coal protest will take place at 12.30pm on the steps of the Victorian Parliament to call for the end of a brown-coal gasification power station proposed by HRL in the Latrobe Valley.
Such protest should be a commonplace - as acceptable as protest about job
security and conditions, the availability of affordable child care, or
safer level crossings - but Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-49828757056215355092012-01-14T12:29:00.000+11:002012-01-14T19:23:00.349+11:002012-01-14T19:23:00.349+11:00Open-sourcing Martin Ferguson
I say it's time to turn the tables in the open-source stakes against Martin Ferguson. As many will know by now - including many in the energy and resources minister's own Batman electorate - Ferguson has been pushing a spy-on-the-protesters campaign to undermine public interest protest and to defend - with the help of ASIO, the AFP and others - the private interests of carbon-intensive Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-77297423383614602002012-01-12T23:49:00.001+11:002012-01-13T00:07:52.039+11:002012-01-13T00:07:52.039+11:00That's a pretty clear "No" to Ferguson's NOSIC
Lots more photos and video will be available shortly, but Say No to NOSIC, today's Occupy Melbourne event at Martin Ferguson's electoral office, was a very positive coming together of disparate groups - all there to defend public interest protest against private interest spying.
I travelled by 86 tram with a group from the City Square, and it seemed an appropriate beginning that Melbourne CityDarren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-81183034350755433032012-01-11T22:16:00.000+11:002012-01-13T18:50:54.396+11:002012-01-13T18:50:54.396+11:00Ferguson spy skit has point of serious protestIf you haven't seen Quit Coal's very amusing short video about Tuesday's action against Martin Ferguson's spy-on-the protesters campaign, it's a must-see, with a very funny punchline about a certain fictional cat.
Unfortunately, the video is also a perfect illustration of the misuse of public resources not to fend off a threat, but to defend and perpetuate one - the Member for Batman himself, Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-42552015072536297902012-01-10T08:25:00.002+11:002012-01-10T18:58:24.220+11:002012-01-10T18:58:24.220+11:00More bad news for spymaster FergusonUpdated 6.54pm.
The continuing public backlash over resources and energy minister Martin Ferguson's spy-on-the protesters campaign spells more bad news for the Batman MP turned private interest campaigner and spymaster.
The wave of letters in yesterday's editions of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald continues in today's Melbourne broadsheet. Quit Coal and Friends of the Earth campaigner Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-49478586175294963862012-01-08T12:09:00.000+11:002012-01-08T12:25:46.069+11:002012-01-08T12:25:46.069+11:00Strange freedoms of informationWith all the controversy and plans for action in response to Martin Ferguson's spy-on-the-protesters campaign, I was slightly surprised to see my letter ("Keep us informed") in today's edition of The Sunday Age responding to Farrah Tomazin's excellent report last week, Baillieu's FOI watchdog more like a toothless tiger.
Purely coincidentally, of course, the two issues are strangely linked.
Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-20221003138843835592012-01-07T23:19:00.002+11:002012-01-07T23:21:32.397+11:002012-01-07T23:21:32.397+11:00Occupy to send a strong message to Martin FergusonI had the pleasure of attending my first General Assembly at Occupy Melbourne today, and did so to urge action over revelations that Martin Ferguson has actively promoted spying on lawful green protest groups pursuing the public interest, and is urging harsher penalties for some protest activities.
The General Assembly resolved that a protest with environment groups will be held at 4.30pm next Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-53299651810160604802012-01-07T08:55:00.000+11:002012-01-08T12:19:43.095+11:002012-01-08T12:19:43.095+11:00Protest magnet Ferguson calls on the spies
Important update: Come to next Thursday's protest (12/1) at Martin Ferguson's Preston electorate office.
--
Media revelations that resources and energy minister Martin Ferguson has called on the spies to monitor environmental campaigners and urged stiffer penalties for protests should come as no surprise to anyone who has worked on those campaigns and protests in the hope of a safer climate.Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-67452491289719340712012-01-06T10:39:00.000+11:002012-01-06T10:41:00.878+11:002012-01-06T10:41:00.878+11:00Teachers among many voices stifled by job insecurityRecent coverage in The Age (No job security for new teachers; School success depends on a secure workforce) has highlighted the impact of job insecurity in Victoria's public education system, and its implications for the State's young people.
Letters yesterday and today have offered further perspectives. Mine focused on the stifling effect of job insecurity on workers in teaching and other vitalDarren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-79346940038996605922012-01-01T18:06:00.000+11:002012-01-01T18:10:28.347+11:002012-01-01T18:10:28.347+11:00Time to "rub out" dumb fare evasion campaignsWhen contemplating the ugly side of our public transport system, it’s not vandals, loutish behaviour, or the seething “crush loads” soon to return to our overcrowded trains that come to mind.
On the day The Age ran its December editorial asking whether public transport users were being taken for a ride, the announcement of fare hikes amid the continued poor performance of the system seemed to Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-22198249991897644212011-11-12T11:25:00.001+11:002011-11-12T12:31:31.404+11:002011-11-12T12:31:31.404+11:00Faine presses Doyle to support Occupy inquiry
Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle was repeatedly pressed to support an independent inquiry regarding police actions at the first Occupy Melbourne protest when he appeared yesterday on 774 ABC Melbourne's Mornings program with Jon Faine.
In what became a combative interview, Doyle resisted independent scrutiny of the actions of authorities, including himself, in forcibly evicting protesters fromDarren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-91754285869895290962011-10-26T08:01:00.000+11:002011-10-26T08:01:19.591+11:002011-10-26T08:01:19.591+11:00Could London's death by police happen at Melbourne's protests?The Occupy movement is a global phenomenon, and we should avoid parochialism as we consider responses to the disproportionate use of force by Victoria Police against peaceful protesters last Friday in the City Square.
In the UK a police officer now faces trial for manslaughter over the death of Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper vendor innocently caught up in the 2009 London G20 protests as he walked Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-36694915313205704292011-09-19T08:34:00.006+10:002011-09-19T08:40:05.803+10:002011-09-19T08:40:05.803+10:00"Carbon Party" undermines Gillard on carbon priceJohn Brumby made a good case for carbon pricing and low-emissions economic opportunities in his Saturday opinion piece in The Age. In it he makes an admission that State and Federal Labor need to act on, not just acknowledge. Standing in the way is the "Carbon Party". Here's my letter, published today (scroll to "Green initiatives are totally cancelled out").
It's good to hear former Victorian Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-81244160493907484332011-08-07T22:14:00.002+10:002011-08-07T22:30:22.984+10:002011-08-07T22:30:22.984+10:00OurSay on climate must be more than popularity pollToday the Sunday Age launched its OurSay initiative on climate change, entitled "You Decide: The Climate Agenda". A Sunday Age team will investigate the ten most popular questions submitted to the OurSay website by 2 September. Here's my first question, which you can comment or vote on at the site (you'll need to scroll down to "The Question").
How will the Sunday Age ensure that questions of Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-9565297117369926032011-06-08T21:21:00.001+10:002011-06-08T21:22:40.186+10:002011-06-08T21:22:40.186+10:00Climate sensitivity over jobs shows double-standardTwo letter-writers in yesterday's edition of The Age wrote about the "invisibility" of workers affected by a carbon price, despite many projections - including by the ACTU - of projected gains in green jobs in the shift to a low-emissions economy.
Today's edition carries my letter in reply, which questions why those opposing a carbon price are so concerned about selective estimates of job lossesDarren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-13980277460921594232011-06-05T16:38:00.000+10:002011-06-05T16:38:17.671+10:002011-06-05T16:38:17.671+10:00Say Yes Australia draws big Melbourne crowd
Today more than 10,000 people gathered in Melbourne - and more than 45,000 nationally - to support a strong price on carbon to help tackle climate change at the Say Yes Australia National Day of Climate Action.
Here Don Henry, CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, makes the case for saying yes to a strong price on carbon.
A great campaign, and a great turn-out, but more needs to be Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-77105563538950515922011-04-12T16:15:00.001+10:002011-04-12T16:16:17.122+10:002011-04-12T16:16:17.122+10:00Labor survival runs second to sustaining the planetToday's edition of The Age carries my letter, "Bigger issues than an ailing ALP", responding to Michael Pearce's excellent opinion piece on the future of Australian Labor ("Should the ALP labour on, or is the party over?"), which questions the ultimate survival of the party.
There follows my edit of the longer version I submitted, which makes my point more clearly - that sustainability is a Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-88673486619333688542011-04-03T14:28:00.000+10:002011-04-03T14:28:28.209+10:002011-04-03T14:28:28.209+10:00IPA "remedy" for climate suits big pollutersLast week's edition of The Sunday Age carried another missive from the Institute of Public Affairs on how the world can be saved from the impacts of climate change by making countries rich enough to adapt.
Unfortunately, Chris Berg's free-market prescription amounts to little more than a get-rich-quick scheme for poor countries based on the same high-emissions growth that has led to our Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-47397696545889661072011-03-25T19:15:00.002+11:002011-03-25T20:19:31.136+11:002011-03-25T20:19:31.136+11:00Gillard's sleight-of-hand on extremismFriday's edition of The Age carried my letter responding to Julia Gillard's opinion piece the day before calling for the rejection of "extremists" following Wednesday's rally in Canberra against the proposed carbon tax.
The rally, attended by federal Coalition leader, Tony Abbott, featured offensive placards attacking the prime minister. Abbott has drawn much deserved criticism for his Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-89516036325108537612010-12-08T08:30:00.001+11:002010-12-08T08:30:58.346+11:002010-12-08T08:30:58.346+11:00Combet must unite the science and economics of warmingToday's edition of The Age carries my letter ("Unity on warming") responding to an opinion piece by Barry Jones in yesterday's edition of the paper.
Jones made an important point about the need to link the separate economic and scientific approaches to climate change - something that, despite its progress on the climate issue, the federal government is still failing to do, including in a recent Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-37850003794404350592010-11-28T09:44:00.001+11:002010-11-28T21:02:39.667+11:002010-11-28T21:02:39.667+11:00Northcote won, but Labor set to lose GovernmentWith yesterday's Victorian State election raising the prospect of a hung Parliament or, more likely, a Baillieu Coalition Government, counting is basically complete in Northcote. Fiona Richardson is set to retain the Labor stronghold - it would appear just needing those Liberal preferences that would have made things very close if they'd gone instead to the Greens.
My own result has been prettyDarren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-27601509931866417022010-11-26T11:51:00.002+11:002011-01-09T19:22:18.089+11:002011-01-09T19:22:18.089+11:00Vote 1 for an independent voice for NorthcoteSo tomorrow is election day, and it's time for everyone to consider very carefully how they are going to vote. For me the campaign has been about climate change, about traffic, about big developments looming over us without a say for residents, about stopping the damage from poker machines, and about many other local issues on which I have clear policies.
I've worked hard to reach as many votersDarren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-4902580914652992642010-11-24T14:55:00.001+11:002011-01-09T19:21:28.939+11:002011-01-09T19:21:28.939+11:00Northcote planning needs an independent voiceI've written a lot about climate change on this blog, but voters should know that I started campaigning back in 2003 with Save Westgarth Village to fight planning changes that were being forced through with too little community say.
Fast-forward to 2010, and the electorate of Northcote is under the same threat from big developers, and a Victorian Labor Government that has received large Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959177498760914154.post-75309351640383266582010-11-24T14:53:00.000+11:002010-11-24T14:53:58.799+11:002010-11-24T14:53:58.799+11:00Here's how to move to renewablesThe Victorian Government likes to downplay the practicality of a rapid transition away from coal to renewable power generation, but has never responded in detail to the innovative Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan produced by Beyond Zero Emissions.
In short, the plan calls for a ten-year transition to 100% renewables using 60% concentrated solar thermal (CST), which can produce Darren Lewin-Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15817515820171237980noreply@blogger.com0