Are you aware that a solar farm with 200,000 panels and the potential to power 48,000 homes is being planned just 42km north of Albury? In late June 2025, five members of WATCH met three representative from Elgin, the Morven solar farm developer, and two from Urbis, the contracted social engagement company. WATCH emphasised the…
WATCH members have repeatedly expressed concerns about the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC), particularly the large proportion of NCCC members who are affiliated with the fossil fuel industry and the Commission’s intent to focus on a gas-driven economic recovery. Well done to Jill Coghlan for her submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the NCCC and…
On 29 January 2020, WATCH produced the following media release: 2019 was Australia’s hottest and driest year on record, heralding Australia’s longest bushfire season. Locally records were also broken, with Border Mail letters to the editor on climate change hitting an all-time high and signalling strong community support for climate action. Wodonga Albury Toward Climate…
The Abbott government has recently started a review into the Renewable Energy Target with a view to lowering it or even abolishing it altogether – we can assume this both from its general direction on Energy policy, and from the three people it has chosen to conduct this review. Given the great opportunities for the…
The government called for submissions on its ‘Energy White Paper’, which looks at Australia’s prospects and plans for Energy resources and use for ‘the future’ – the next 20 – 30 years. As might be expected, the general direction of this government is towards increasing use of fossil fuel resources, and expanded economic growth, with…
The season of burning is upon us! As we collect firewood for the cold days ahead, we are facing not one but two challenges. While the State government allows us to go into forests and collect dead dry timber, their ritual burning program threatens to beat us to it. The object of this induced bushfire…
Some comments on the Mining Tax from David Macilwain… In a collision of parallel universes – that of the ordinary taxpayer and that of the extraordinary non-taxpayer – the revelation of the new Mining Tax’s pitiful returns coincided with the concealment of Rio Tinto’s extraordinary tax-free profit. The returns to the people’s fund from rattling…
THE CRITICAL DECADE: New South Wales Climate Impacts and Opportunities Report by the Australian Climate Commission Download full report here. WATCH response to above report, compiled by Lizette Salmon. – – – The impacts of climate change described in the Climate Commission report did not come as a surprise to WATCH spokesperson, Lizette Salmon. “This…
The morning of Friday 2 March saw a small but hardy bunch of renewables enthusiasts congregate on the outskirts of Wodonga to launch the ‘Let’s Build Big Solar’ campaign. Plans had included sunscreen as well as gumboots. Luckily the weather was kind and it was at least dry if a bit windy. The launch location…
WATCH offers it’s qualified to support to the government’s Clean Energy Future proposal, on the basis that it provides the foundation for increasingly strong emissions reduction measures to the level mandated by the scientific evidence.
Wodonga & Albury Toward Climate Health (WATCH) 