New South Wales

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/607954

• The NSW Rural Fire Service is concerned about the increased risk of bushfires in New South Wales (NSW) following years of heavy rain.
• Areas affected by previous bushfires remain at risk despite efforts to mitigate the danger.
• Climate change has contributed to the increase in bushfire risk in NSW, despite heavy rain.
• Certain areas in the west of NSW are at a higher risk of fire due to climate change.
• The Rural Fire Service is facing challenges in conducting controlled burns due to frequent rain and wind.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/639127

More than 300 Labor branches have backed a push by the party's environmental arm for the Albanese government to fund an expanded, publicly owned plantation industry to ensure the country gets the timber it needs and end native forest logging.

Felicity Wade, Lean's co-convener, said the evidence suggested expanding plantations could create 1,800 regional jobs, compared with 1,100 employed in the native forest industry nationally.

A draft national platform seen by Guardian Australia made no mention of reducing native forest logging and land-clearing - a long-time Lean goal.

The Western Australian and Victorian governments have promised to end native forest logging at the end of this year, and the federal ALP MP Josh Burns has urged action "to save our precious natural environment and native wildlife".

The new New South Wales Labor government supports ongoing native forest logging while also promising to create a great koala national park, and the Tasmanian Labor opposition has accused the pro-forestry Liberal state government of not doing enough to support the industry.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/451662

Civil liberties advocates have lashed the New South Wales Labor government’s attempts to stop climate activists from livestreaming protests on Facebook.

Members of Blockade Australia staged and streamed protests across the country this week, including along a train line that services the Newcastle coal port.

The premier, Chris Minns, announced via the Daily Telegraph on Thursday that he would request a meeting with the social media giant, alongside police, to see what they can do to “stop the broadcast of illegal acts”.

“Their business model relies on social media to broadcast their protest,” he said of the Blockade Australia protesters.

“These thrill demonstrators are putting lives at risk – both their own and those of emergency service and police.

“I don’t want to see a situation where there’s a death broadcast on social media.”

The opposition supported the idea, with leader and former attorney general, Mark Speakman, saying it would help deprive the protesters of attention.

“We all have a right to protest, but other people have rights as well … all those rights have to be balanced,” he said.

But independent crossbench MP Alex Greenwich said it was a “deeply concerning” development, noting the importance of protest in democracies.

“I strongly oppose those protest laws that were rushed through the parliament last year. Freedom to protest is such a fundamental right that we really need to be protecting,” he said.

The chair of Digital Rights Watch, Lizzie O’Shea, said the comments were something that she would “expect to hear from the People’s Republic of China, not from a Labor NSW premier.

“People use live streaming for very important accountability scenarios or for accountability measures, including, for example, filming violence by police all around the world. And the idea that live streaming should be prohibited when it comes to protest is profoundly anti-democratic,” she said.

O’Shea said it wasn’t clear how it could be implemented technically, or how Meta would be able to distinguish between what protests are allowed to be streamed and what would not be allowed.

Guardian Australia understands the premier has yet to formally approach Meta to discuss the idea, and had not communicated directly with the tech giant about the plan since the announcement.

The president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Josh Pallas, accused the premier of attempting to shut down freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

“Trying to shut down protesters’ use of Facebook is yet another example of the way that freedom of public assembly in NSW is being attacked by successive governments,” he said.

He said interference from governments in the way protesters used Facebook would set a “precedent where private enterprises are called on to acquiesce to the will of the government of the day in stifling speech”.

The previous government introduced new laws to deal with protesters that could see them slapped with $22,000 fines or put behind bars for two years for types of protest that included disrupting or obstructing traffic on a major bridge, tunnel or road.

Minns supported the laws when in opposition.

Human Rights Watch researcher Sophie McNeill said peaceful protest was an important human right.

“You don’t respond to the climate emergency by trying to censor people protesting about it!” she said on social media.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/350172

Chemical analysis has identified the Cadia Hill goldmine as a potential source of some of the lead found in samples collected from nearby residential rainwater tanks in central west New South Wales, the mine's management has said.

Under the new licence conditions, Cadia Valley Operations was required to engage a qualified independent consultant to provide an interpretation report of the lead isotope sampling results from a community water tank testing project that the mine had conducted in March and April.

Cadia Valley Operations general manager, Mick Dewar, told Guardian Australia that preliminary test results showed a "Slight overlap" with the characterisation of the mine's lead isotope and the lead found in samples collected from local residents' rainwater tanks.

Dewar said the overlapping lead isotopes were found in the samples with "The lowest lead concentrations" of all those where lead was present.

"The highest concentrations in the tanks actually set far off the Cadia characterisation," he said, suggesting the lead in those tanks came from another source.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/237710

• The regent honeyeater is a critically endangered bird species found along the New South Wales east coast.
• The current population estimate is 250 to 300 birds in the wild, with no successful breeding observed last year.
• Sightings of the regent honeyeater have been reported near Coffs Harbour and Lake Macquarie.
• Birdlife Australia is encouraging the public to report sightings to assist in conservation efforts.
• Nest predation by various bird species and mammals poses a threat to the species.

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/[email protected]/t/111675

The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption hands down its findings into former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and former Liberal MP, Daryl Maguire. Catch up with all the key moments.

I've walked along a beach after a whale was buried, and it STANK!