\nWorkers’ Rights<\/a>
\nWomen’s Rights<\/a>
\n‘We’re here. We’re Queer. Get used to it!<\/a>
\nProtest for Peace<\/a>
\n-Environmental Activism<\/strong>
\nThe Right to Protest in a Democracy<\/a>\n\t
Seeds of the environment movement<\/h2>\n
Today’s concern for the natural environment has its roots in the nature conservation societies of the nineteenth century. From the very beginning, these groups attracted both scientists and interested citizens. One important group was the Field Naturalists’ Club of Victoria.\u00a0 Formed in 1880, it was the first such club in the world. Membership included many early biologists, committed to documenting native vegetation and wildlife. They organised regular expeditions, like that to King Island in 1887 shown below. Naturalists argued for the preservation of scenic places, native vegetation and wildlife, for the benefit of an increasingly urbanised society and for future generations. The first park areas were reserved in the 1890s (Tower Hill and Wilson’s Promontory), with many more to follow in the twentieth century.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Field Naturalists’ Club of Victoria, expedition to King Island, 1887.<\/strong><\/p>\n Reproduced courtesy Museum Victoria<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\t The expansion of the railway network in Victoria, coupled with population growth in Melbourne, helped to promote the growth of a new industry – nature tourism. The growing network of national parks were great magnets to city-weary Melburnians, seeking a regional escape. From the 1880s the Victorian Railways ran what was in effect a tourist bureau from their ‘Inquiry Office’ at Spencer Street Station. Posters advertised the many regional delights on offer, including Victoria’s expanding number of national parks. Nature tourism helped to introduce Victorians to regional landscapes and to the concept of preserving the natural environment.<\/p>\n\t Tourist poster for Mt Buffalo National Park<\/strong><\/p>\n Reproduced courtesy Public Record Office Victoria<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Tourist poster for Mt Buffalo <\/strong><\/p>\n Reproduced courtesy Public Record Office Victoria<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Tourist poster for Mt Buffalo National Park<\/strong><\/p>\n Reproduced courtesy Public Record Office Victoria<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Tourist poster for the Chalet Mt. Buffalo<\/strong><\/p>\n Reproduced courtesy Public Record Office Victoria<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\t The creation of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in 1965 saw the beginning of an organized attempt to raise public awareness of environmental issues and to lobby governments on specific concerns. Early national programs campaigned to protect the Great Barrier Reef and to end commercial whaling. The ACF spearheaded a new form of environmental activism, clearly focussed on harnessing people power to influence the political process.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In Victoria the same approach was adopted in the late 1960s in response to government plans to subdivide a large area of marginal Mallee country, known as the Little Desert. Although relatively poor agricultural land, it was an important habitat for native species. A new group, the Save our Bushland Action Committee was formed, and ran a successful public campaign to save the Little Desert.\u00a0 For the first time, preservation of the natural environment became an important political issue in Victorian politics.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n During the 1970s and eighties prominent environmental issues included the (unsuccessful) attempt to stop the construction of new dams in Tasmania flooding Lake Peddar, and the (ultimately successful) campaign to prevent the damming of the Franklin River. In Western Australia opposition to the mining of uranium gained a popular following, while in New South Wales radical union support saw successful ‘green bans’ imposed on city building sites to preserve both the built and natural environment. These campaigns inspired the creation of political parties in several states, with the express aim of working for change from within the political system. Environment parties were also attracting popular support in Europe. In 1992, after several attempts by prominent environmentalist Bob Brown, the Australian Greens political party was formed at a national level, as a confederation of various state and local environment parties. Brown became the first Green representative to be elected to the federal parliament in 1996, after resigning his seat in the Tasmanian parliament. Support levels have fluctuated since, but the Greens have held inner-city federal seats in Melbourne consistently since 2010. There have been Green representatives in the Victorian Parliament since 2006 (Legislative Council) and 2014 (Legislative Assembly).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today’s environmental concerns centre on both local and global issues. Without doubt the overriding public issue is the global climate crisis. In frustration at the perceived failure of their governments to act decisively, Victoria’s young people have taken to the streets once more. Rallies in 2018 and 2019 attracted large crowds, including many school children, whose ‘Schools Strike 4 Climate’ campaign won wide community support. Once again the generations united to call for action. These young people may not have the vote yet, but they fully intend to have their voices heard.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Schools Strike 4 Climate protesters on the forecourt of the Old Treasury Building, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Photograph: Katie Dunning. <\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"Posed](\"https:\/\/www.oldtreasurybuilding.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/field-naturalists.jpg\" "\\"field")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tNature tourism<\/h2>\n
Next: The Right to Protest in a Democracy<\/a><\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/www.oldtreasurybuilding.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/PTC-slide-box48-012.jpg\" "\\"PTC-slide-box48-012\\"")
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\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/www.oldtreasurybuilding.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/PTC-slide-box48-011.jpg\" "\\"PTC-slide-box48-011\\"")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/www.oldtreasurybuilding.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/PTC-slide-box48-005.jpg\" "\\"PTC-slide-box48-005\\"")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tPoliticising environmental concerns<\/h2>\n
Saving the Little Desert – ‘development’ vs ‘conservation’<\/h2>\n
The Australian Greens<\/h2>\n
Climate change – the issue of our times<\/h2>\n
![\"Children](\"https:\/\/www.oldtreasurybuilding.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OTB-students.jpg\" "\\"OTB")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t![\"Photograph](\"https:\/\/www.oldtreasurybuilding.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/protest-banners.jpg\" "\\"protest")
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