Category: News
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Read our full submission to the government on Lake Eyre Basin protection
Submissions to the long-awaited public consultation closed on 24 August. More than 20,000 people sent submissions to the government calling for the strongest possible protections for the Channel Country’s precious rivers and floodplains. The Western Rivers Alliance made a detailed submission, presenting the evidence and values that show a clear mandate for the government to…
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Last chance to stand with the Channel Country – submissions close today!
My name is Riley Rocco, and for years I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with local community members in the fight to protect what we all love – the incredible Channel Country within the Lake Eyre Basin. One memory that never fails to inspire me is the breathtaking transformation that occurs in the Channel Country when…
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Pastoralists, conservationists, Traditional Owners, and over 22,000 Australians align to back no new oil and gas on the floodplains of the Lake Eyre Basin
Lake Eyre Basin-based beef company OBE Organic, the Lake Eyre Basin Traditional Owner Alliance, and key conservation groups have all supported an option proposed by the Queensland Government to ban future oil and gas developments on the rivers and floodplains of the Lake Eyre Basin. Over 22,000 submissions from the public in support of banning…
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A tale of two pelicans in the Lake Eyre Basin
Picture two pelicans, finding water across the vast desert landscapes of Australia, in the middle of a relentless drought. They zero in on the arid centre of the continent where there is a rich green floodplain hundreds of kilometres wide – an oasis that springs to life, feeding a complex web of life, from tiny…
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When the rains come, the sky fills with birds
Don Rowlands, a Wangkangurru Yarluyandi elder and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger, discusses what it’s like when the rains come to his traditional lands in the dynamic landscape of Channel Country. Words by Don Rowlands, interviewed by Dan Down. First published in The Wilderness Society Journal. I live up in Birdsville, Queensland, the capital…
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Channel Country to the City
Traditional Owners of the Lake Eyre Basin are working hard to protect Country and culture from the threats posed by inappropriate gas developments. Join us in Brisbane to celebrate the rich and living connections between First Nations cultural heritage and nature conservation – and why both are so important. Join us to on Monday August…
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Public consultation finally open for Channel Country protection
Pastoralists, Traditional Owners, scientists, and conservation groups align to support stronger Lake Eyre Basin River protection as Queensland Government releases long-awaited draft options for consultation OBE Organic, Mithaka Aboriginal Corporation, and the Western Rivers Alliance has welcomed the Palaszczuk Government’s release of a consultation paper which outlines options for meeting their election commitment to strengthen…
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New research shows existing oil and gas activity threatens globally significant Lake Eyre Basin river system
The Western Rivers Alliance is calling on the Palaszczuk government to ban all oil and gas mining in the region after publication of the landmark study in the international journal, Marine and Freshwater Research. KEY RESEARCH POINTS: Ken Griffiths from Hayfield Station near Jundah is a fifth-generation Channel Country grazier. “These rivers are our lifeblood,”…
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Future of Queensland Lake Eyre Basin discussions underway in Longreach
Today representatives of the Queensland Government’s Lake Eyre Basin Stakeholder Advisory Group will meet in Longreach to discuss the future of the Lake Eyre Basin rivers and Channel Country floodplains. Representatives from First Nations, conservation, agriculture, resources, local government, and scientific experts are in Longreach to discuss strengthening safeguards that protect pastoral, tourism, cultural and…
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Conservationists and Traditional Owners concerned as Palaszczuk Government approves production licences for shale oil fracking on Lake Eyre Basin floodplains
Members of the Western Rivers Alliance are today calling on the Palaszczuk Government to honour their repeated election commitment to protect the Lake Eyre Basin’s pristine rivers and wetlands from destructive activities such as oil and gas mining. This comes after news that the Palaszczuk Government has granted production approval to Origin Energy to frack…