Happy NAIDOC Week! We hope you can get along to an event near you (find Townsville events here) to help mark this important week in the spirit of this year's theme: "Get up! Stand up! Show up!"

The past few weeks have been choc-full of government policy and budget announcements with implications for our environment, so we will continue to do our best to keep you well-informed as things unfold.

We have also been keeping busy out and about, carrying out engagement, education and advocacy (locally and in the southeast) - and there's plenty more of that to come! 

We hope that you enjoy this edition of Paperbark as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you.

In this edition:

• Announcements
  • Funding for National Parks
  • Plastics Ban Progresses
  • Decarbonising Queensland?
• NQCC Updates:
  
  • What We're Working On
  • Eco Fiesta
  • Ministerial Roundtable
  • Member Event
• Coming up:
  • JCU Market Day
  • Green Drinks
• Calls to Action:
  • Become a Litter Hero
  • Waddananggu Celebration: Webinar
  • Tell Lockton to say no to Adani
  • Reef Restoration & Adaptation Advisory Group
  • Low Emissions Agriculture Road Map: Have your say
• Some Good News
  • New National Park for FNQ
  • Climate Election Report

The fabulous Mental Sistas with NQCC staff Tiff (left) and Crystal (right)

Townsville Eco Fiesta was a blast! This BEE themed, community event was run by Townsville City Council (TCC) and held on World Environment day Sunday 5th June at Anderson Gardens. It was fantastic to see so many eco conscious businesses, community groups and organisations coming together to celebrate and share what they do within the Townsville community.

What a rollercoaster of a month that was! We hope that you are getting some well earned rest and prioritising self-care after the ups and downs of the election, whether you were actively campaigning, supporting others who were, or watching on from a safe distance. 

We are optimistic about what the election result means for the future of democracy, diversity and climate action. At the same time, we recognise that the hardest work is ahead of us if we are to mitigate the climate and extinction crises before it is too late.

If you aren't already, please consider becoming an NQCC member or a monthly donor. We need your support now more than ever.

In this edition:

• National Reconciliation Week
  • NQCC update
  • JCU Mabo Lecture
  • Mabo Day Festival
  • GBRMPA's "Managing Sea Country" Webinar
  • Uluru Statement From the Heart
• NQCC Updates:
  
  • Election Activities
  • Townsville Climate Rally
  • Strand Night Market
  • Cotters Market
  • Pimlico Careers Expo 
• Coming up:
  • Eco Fiesta
  • June Green Drinks
• Recommended Resources: 
  
  • "What Regions Need on the Path to Net Zero"
  • Psychology for a Safe Climate
• Some Good News
  • Yellow Crazy Ants funding
  • Hells Gates Dam delayed

On Sunday 15 May, less than one week ahead of the 2022 Federal Election, NQCC hosted a Townsville Climate Rally to unite locals and advocacy groups who care about climate change, to demonstrate our numbers and share our stories - with each other, our community and federal candidates. 

With the political parties' election campaigning well underway, we hope you've been having some productive conversations with family and friends about the things that matter to you.

There are some opportunities coming up this week to come together with others to take meaningful action! On Thursday evening you can join AYCC for letter writing or attend an online screening of "Regenerating Australia", followed by small group actions, facilitated by Climate for Change. Then on Friday, you can volunteer with our stall at the Strand Night Market, where we can have climate conversations face-to-face. In another week's time, we can come together to recharge our batteries with some of that vibrant Green Drinks energy!

Some handy resources you might like to share with your friends and family in the lead up to the election:

• Vote Climate One's Traffic Light Election Guide
• ABC's Vote Compass
• Solar Citizens' Renewable Energy and Clean Transport Scorecard

We also recommend approaching the candidates of your electorate (at community events or online) to let them know that you want to see action on climate change, along with specific examples of why it matters to you and what you'd like to see happening in/for your electorate. If you'd like help with that, please get in touch with us!

In this edition:

• NQCC Updates:
  
  • Strand Night Market (helpers needed!)
  • Green Drinks
• Opportunities & Actions:
  • AYCC letter writing
  • "Regenerating Australia" online screening
  • Yellow crazy ants: take action
  • Be a Litter Hero
  • Add your climate story
  • Tour de Carmichael
  • Free community organising training

The letter below was published by the Townsville Bulletin on 5/5/22.

W Wenck’s text to the Editor (Townsville Bulletin, 28/4), suggesting that Australian coal “brings billions in revenue for hospitals, schools and other infrastructure for our survival” goes to show that many of us have been misled into believing that the fossil fuel industry contributes more to our country than it really does.

Pictured: the 2021 WELA Program cohort with WELA staff and guest speaker Dr Joan Staples at Commonground, Victoria.

Women's Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA)'s National Leadership Development Program is a nine-month program that is made available to 20 women across Australia each year. Thanks to the encouragement and support of Liz Murphy-Forrester (a WELA Alumni working for QCC), I applied to join the 2021 program, and was thrilled to be accepted. 

The program involves intensive leadership development with tailored mentoring, combining online sessions with in-person retreats, with the aim to "develop skills, knowledge and networks to address your real-life challenges and transform your leadership". 

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster following the environment news of late (a mass coral bleaching event during a La Niña year, a coal exploration licence rejected by the State Government, the release of an IPCC report on climate change mitigation) - and now the election has been called for 21 May!

We have a big six weeks ahead of us, endeavouring to make #ClimateActionNow an election priority for North Queenslanders. This work will be supported by our Cool it for Climate fundraiser, which has raised over $6,600 so far! If you haven't had the chance to chip in yet, why not head over to our fundraising page now?

Thank you for supporting our fundraising efforts and campaign work at this critical time - enjoy the read and keep an eye on your inbox in coming weeks for updates and calls to action!

In this edition:

• NQCC Updates:
  
  • Cool it for Climate Fundraiser - final days to donate!
  • Hells Gates Dam funding announcement and response
  • Member Group Update
  • Celebrate Earth Day at Green Drinks
• Opportunities & Actions:
  • #ClimateActionNow Digital Day of Action
  • Share the Results of ACF's Climate Poll 
  • Be a Litter Hero with Tangaroa Blue
  • Could Qld have an electric future?
  • Tour de Carmichael returns in 2022!
  • Foundations of Community Organising - Free Training!

This week's announcement by the Prime Minister of $5.4billion in funding for Hells Gates Dam has shaken up the political landscape in North Queensland, with supporters and opponents coming from all kinds of likely and unlikely places.

This is a proposal that NQCC has taken an interest in over several years (dating back to at least 2016), so we thought we'd share some of the main concerns we have with this project and the PM's promise to fund it.

NQCC's newly formed Climate Action Townsville (CAT) group is a fantastic opportunity for individuals and local organisations to come together and act on Climate Change.

This group is an opportunity for you to step up your role in the climate movement in Townsville and North Queensland!