At our first meeting in November, we took a deepish dive into the latest HILDA report (Household, income and labour dynamics in Australia). This is a longitudinal survey of Australian households that has collected data annually since 2001. It looks at changes in household size and type, amount spent on childcare, changes in income (economic wellbeing), poverty, jobs and much more.

Leaving aside the COVID 'blip', most indicators are showing broad social and economic improvement, except for significant standout being housing stress, which has been gradually rising through the entire time-series but with a significant up-tick since COVID.

At our second and last session for 2025 we returned to discussing a range of issues from articles that were pre-circulated. Of interest was one where the author argued that the plastics industry has waged a successful campaign of transferring responsibility for plastic waste to consumers and taxpayers since the 1950s.

While some waste sectors are moving towards industry waste product 'stewardship' schemes, the vast bulk of plastic waste remains the responsibility of everyone else, except the industry.

We also looked briefly at a new interactive map of relative flammability across Australia. This type of tool is particularly important given our warming climate - in fact, another article explained that 2025 is set to be the second or third warmest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It reports the past 11 years have been the 11 warmest individual years in the 176-year observational record.

John Lane

Our last session for 2025 will be held this Friday (tomorrow) commencing at 10:00 am.

Please find following links to articles you may find of interest.

John Lane

Our next Stock and Land & Sustainability session will be held this Friday, 7 November commencing at 10:00am. Links to articles you may find of interest follow.

I look forward to catching up with you on Friday.
​
John Lane

The Stock and Land & Sustainability group had two indoor sessions in September. Due to computer problems at our first session we had to squeeze into the small room. Very cosy! Still we had a good session discussing a range of issues that had appeared in the media since we last met. Of particular interest was the issue of environmental changes in Antartica and the southern ocean (Link) We also discussed the recent international conference on dealing with plastics which failed to achieve any real agreement due to countries who are 'addicted' to petroleum not wanting to make any significant concessions (Link). On the up-side, some degree of domestic soft plastic recycling is about to resume in Australia with the three big supermarkets agreeing to contribute. 500 supermarkets will be part of the initial set-up.

At our second session we were back in the "big" room and had another session of discussions on current issues. The buzz at this session was the Federal Government's release of several reports looking at the likely impacts of climate change on economic, social and environmental sectors, together with the release of a CC impact mitigation strategy. Additionally, the Government released its greenhouse gas emissions reductions target out to 2035 of between 62% and 70% on 2005 levels. A big range but probably still ambitious. We also discussed a New type of ‘sieve’ that detects the smallest pieces of plastic in the environment more easily than ever before, including particles so small that they can cross the 'brain-blood' barrier (Link).

John Lane

​We meet again this Friday, 19 September at 10:00 am.

Please check out the following document containing links to articles of interest.  ​If any take your fancy, it would be great if you could lead discussion on the topic.

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday.


John Lane

We meet again this coming Friday, 5 September at 10:00 am. As usual, I've attached a document containing links to articles that may be of interest to you.

Can I please ask that you pick an article to look at in detail (or some other topic of interest to you) as I propose to call on group members to lead a discussion on the topic you've chosen. It need only be for a few minutes, or longer if you like.

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday. Remember, access is now only through the front door.

John Lane

For our first session we visited the delightful property of Christine and Peter Holmes in the Lima East Valley. The property is beautifully located towards the end of the valley up against the forests of the Strathbogie Ranges. Over the decades Christine and Peter have worked to create vegetation corridors and manage stock movement to protect sensitive areas. They are also committed to recycling and reuse, this point clearly demonstrated with materials used in their house.

ABC Rural Roundup 1 Aug 25   -  Link
 
ABC News 2 Aug 25 - Red tape cut for farmers looking to build small on-farm abattoirs in Victoria    Link
 
The Conversation 4 Aug 25 - Economists want a carbon price comeback – but does Australia have the political courage?      Link
 
ABC News 4 Aug 25 - EV batteries are fit to run a home or even power the grid – but some car brands say 'no'      Link
 
The Conversation 4 Aug 25 - Foot-and-mouth disease would devastate Australia’s graziers if it got in. Here’s how a new vaccine might help  Link
 
ABC News 5 Aug 25 - Solstice Energy to cut gas supply to 10 regional Victorian towns        Link
 
ABC News 5 Aug 25 - Waratah Super Battery connected to NSW power grid and switched on      Link
 
ABC News 6 Aug 25 - Cotality warns building industry can not keep pace with building approvals in race to fix housing crisis      Link
 
ABC Rural Roundup 8 Aug 25        Link
 
ABC News 9 Aug 25 - Australia's rooftop solar and batteries now the main game as large-scale transition flounders            Link
 
ABC News 10 Aug 25 - Wind turbine prototype helps power Main South Road construction site        Link
 
The Conversation 11 Aug 25 - Triple whammy: how 3 types of drought crippled southern Australia this year                         Link
 
ABC News 11 Aug 25 - NSW councils and farmers call for halt to renewable energy developments             Link
 
ABC News 13 Aug 25 - Why China is becoming the world’s first electrostate     Link


John Lane

​At our first session in July, we discussed the resignation of the management committee for Winton Wetlands, a place we visited during an earlier session. Concern was expressed for the loss of jobs, closing of research and restoration programs and closure of the Hub centre.

Discussion raised the question of how difficult it is to run conservation reserves based on a commercial business model. We also discussed an unexpected consequence of the closure of hardwood forestry on public land in that vital seed collection associated with the industry may not occur, particularly in ash forests.

At our second session, group member Les Maclean gave a very informative presentation about the forestry industry in the early 1900s in the Tatong - Tolmie district; the mill settlements, tramways, artifacts left behind and much more. He presented plenty of related photos and copies of old documents.

​We also viewed a video of Amsterdam's aim to have a 'circular' city by 2050, meaning that all materials used in the city are reused or recycled. It looked like a very ambitious plan.

John Lane

We meet again this coming Friday 18th July at 10:00. Winter will be officially past its half-life for 2025. So, enjoy it while it lasts!

Following are links to some articles you may find of interest. Les mentioned last time we met that he had some material about the Tatong forestry and its railway and he will be presenting this.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Friday.

John Lane

Article links 18 July 25.docx -  plus:
Aus Geo Jul-Aug 25 - Bringing in the sea.pdf
NS - 28 June 25 - World Faces Huge Crop Shortages.pdf
NS 14 June 25 - Europes Forests are in Crisis.pdf

We meet again this Friday, 4 July commencing at 10:00am. Please find attached a list of links to articles I've collected since last we met.

See you on Friday
​
John Lane

​At our first session in June we discussed the Federal Government's recently released Greenhouse Gas Inventory. This regular report tracks Australia's emissions from various sectors, such as electricity production, industry, agriculture, transport and land use. Apart from the Land Use sector (which is a negative emitter - meaning it is a carbon sink), our overall level of emissions have plateaued. However, emissions from the electricity sector continues to fall as a result of increasing development of renewable electricity projects. 

At our second session we discussed the Victorian Government's 'Plan for Victoria' which had been released earlier this year and sets the scene for the next 30 years. This plan is primarily a land use and housing policy that, amongst other things, sets targets for new dwellings in Melbourne and regional centres, aims to protect areas of agricultural and environmental significance from development and reduce local government 'red tape' in relation to achieving the plan's objectives and targets. It also includes policies to ensure traditional owners of Aboriginal land can use and develop their land without the burden of unnecessary local government restrictions.

John Lane

​We meet again this Friday, 20 June, at 10:00 am. Following are links to articles you may find of interest.

Looking forward to seeing you.
​
John

The Conversation 5 June 25 - Unprecedented heat in the North Atlantic Ocean kickstarted Europe’s hellish 2023 summer. Now we know what caused it.
 
ABC News 5 June 25m - Gippsland communities fear erosion protection not coping with rising tides 
 
ABC News 5 June 25 - Forestry companies shift focus to pine to meet demand for housing timber 
 
ABC News 6 June 25 - Landmark trial to enable energy trading between solar homes and those without 
 
ABC Rural Roundup – 6 Jun 25 
 
The Conversation 9 Jun 25 - How Trump’s trade war is supercharging the fast fashion industry  
 
ABC News 9 June 25 - Even Australia's EV owners believe misinformation about cars, study finds 
 
The Conversation 11 June 25 - Jacaranda, black locust and London plane: common street trees show surprising resilience to growing heat in Australia  
 
ABC News 12 June 25 - Solar waste problem looms following rooftop panel boom, with batteries to add to the pile 
 
ABC Rural Roundup 13 June 25 
 
ABC News 15 June 25  Australia is set to embrace energy from waste, but should it? 

The Conversation 16 June 25 - A solar panel recycling scheme would help reduce waste, but please repair and reuse first   
 
ABC News 16 June 25 - Plan to manufacture aviation fuel from Australian canola well underway 
 
The Conversation 18 June 25 - Australia could become the world’s first net-zero exporter of fossil fuels – here’s how  
 
 
Also, class members can check their email for John's reading recommendations from recent New Scientist Magazines..

We meet again this Friday at 10:00am in the U3A room. It seems a long time since we last met given our excursion in early May (report with photos in previous post) plus the extra Friday.

So I hope you can all come along and discuss topics of interest. As usual, attached is a document containing links to articles you might find interesting.

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday.

John

ABC News 16 May 25 - The truth behind the accuracy of weather forecasts -  Link 
 
ABC News 16 May 25 - Victorian government announces extra $15.9m in drought support for farmers -  Link 
 
ABC Rural Round up 16 May 25. Link 
 
ABC News 18 May 25 - Secret life of Australia's ants, the hardest workers in any backyard 
Link 
 
The Conversation 19 May 25 - Why is southern Australia in drought – and when will it end?  Link 
 
The Conversation 16 May 25 - Waste-to-energy in Australia: how it works, where new incinerators could go, and how they stack up  Link 
 
The Conversation 19 may 25 - Climate scientists are trusted globally, just not as much as other scientists – here’s why  -  Link 
 
The Conversation 22 May 25 - Drivers of SUVs and pick-ups should pay more to be on our roads. Here’s how to make the system fairer  -  Link 
 
ABC News 22 May 25 - Camels help eradicate invasive prickly acacia in outback Queensland trial   Link 
 
ABC Rural Round Up 23 May 25    Link 
 
ABC News 24 May 25 - lllawarra named as NSW's first urban renewable energy zone in push for local power solutions    Link 
 
ABC News 26 May 25 - How King Valley became Australia's home of Italian wine varieties 
Link 
 
ABC News 26 May 25 - Farmers set to plant a record crop equivalent to the entire UK 
Link 
 
The Conversation 27 May 25 - As Australia’s carbon offset industry grapples with integrity concerns, how can companies genuinely tackle climate change?  Link 
 
ABC News 27 May 25 - Small businesses are making building homes more expensive, CEDA report warns     Link 
 
ABC News 27 May 25 - Volunteer firefighters fear renewable energy projects will put bushfire-prone town at 'risk'        Link 
 
The Conversation 27 May 25 - Earth is heading for 2.7°C warming this century. We may avoid the worst climate scenarios – but the outlook is still dire      Link 
 
CSIRO Snap Shot May 25    Link 
 
The Conversation 28 May 25 Green light for gas: North West Shelf gas plant cleared to run until 2070    Link 
 
Energy Science and Engineering 3 Oct 24 - The greenhouse gas footprint of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported from the United States      Link 
 
The Conversation 30 May - NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability?      Link 
 
The Conversation 2 Jun 25 - Will surging sea levels kill the Great Barrier Reef? Ancient coral fossils may hold the answer        Link 
 
The Conversation 2 Jun 25 - Decades of searching and a chance discovery: why finding Leadbeater’s possum in NSW is such big news     Link 
 
The Conversation 2 Jun 25 - Australia’s latest emissions data reveal we still have a giant fossil fuel problem       Link ​

'At our first meeting in May we initially discussed some good news from a CSIRO study that found Australia's beaches had less plastic waste than studies from a previous time; in fact 39% less than 10 years ago. We also discussed a range of other news worthy topics such as; a blend of science with heritage grapevines to future proof Australian wines; a world-first sustainability certification for Australian southern bluefin tuna; the debate over a push to declare buffel grass, an exotic and invasive pasture grass of the rangelands, a weed of national significance, and; a new study that brings vehicle-to-grid technology a step closer in Australia.

We had an excursion to Yin Barun farm on the Broken River for our second meeting. Mark Foletta is known (and awarded) for his commitment to sustainability, diversification and innovation. He spoke about his farm and how diversification (wine grapes, cherries, pumpkins, mushrooms, sheep and cattle) and innovation (such specially blended bio- fertilisers and composts) bring positive results to his commodities and business.'

​John Lane
​May 2025

We have an excursion planned for this coming Friday to Yin Barun farm. We will be hosted by Mark Foletta. Mark is acclaimed for his sustainable practices and innovation.

I'll be meeting you there. Mark is expecting us at his place at 10:00 am. You will therefore need to gather at the carpark behind the Senior Citizens Building by 9:30; Tom has promised to get everyone organised.

Instructions to the property have been sent in email... 

Please wear clothing and footwear suitable for a farm visit.

In the meantime following are some links to articles I have collected over the last couple of weeks.

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday.

John Lane

16 May 25.docx
News Corp Ag Journal Apr 25 - EuroVision - Contest of ideas.pdf
NS 19 Apr 25 - Should we give up on recycling plastics.pdf

​Due to the Good Friday holiday, the Stock and Land & Sustainability group met only once in April. We discussed a wide range of issues based on articles circulated to group members prior, but our focus was on the recently published Australia's Environment Report 2024. This was published by the Australian National University (Fenner School) and the Australian and Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). The report can be found at this Link . The topics covered are shown in the following diagram

As this Friday 18 April is a public holiday, there is no session. The next  Sustainability/Stock and Land session will be on May 2.

Links to articles for Easter reading have been sent to class members in an email, including three excellent articles from the New Scientist in the email.  The fortnightly list of media links is included below.

U3A Benalla Stock & Land and Sustainability Group 
Media links for 18 April 25 session 

ABC Rural Newsletter 4 Apr 25 
Link 
 
SBS Dateline – modular housing 10 Apr (SBS on demand?) 
 
ABC News 7 Apr 25 - Expert says Labor must ensure battery subsides don’t entrench inequality 
Link 
 
The Conversation 8 Apr 25 - Reality check: coral restoration won’t save the world’s reefs  
Link 
 
The Conversation 8 Apr 25 - The latest update on NZ’s state of the environment is sobering – but there are glimmers of progress  
Link 
 
ABC News 8 Apr 25 - Why Australian governments no longer make drought declarations 
Link 
 
The Conversation 11 Apr 25 - Extinctions of Australian mammals have long been blamed on foxes and cats – but where’s the evidence?  
Link 
 
The Conversation 11 Apr 25 - As more communities have to consider relocation, we explore what happens to the land after people leave  
Link 
 
The Conversation 14 Apr 25 - Most bike lanes in inner Melbourne have less than 40% tree cover – that’ll get worse, new maps show 
Link 
 
ABC News 14 Apr 25 - Wind farms need to be set back further from homes, landholders say 
Link 
 
ABC News 15 Apr 25 - One brick higher (locations under insurance risk) 
Link 
 
The Conversation 16 Apr 25 - Allowing forests to regrow and regenerate is a great way to restore habitat  
Link 


John Lane

​Our next session will be on this Friday, 4 April, commencing at 10:00 am.

Recently, the Fenner School (part of the Australian National University) and the Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, published a report on the state of Australia's environment in 2024. There is some interesting information published in this report and I'd like to spend a little time going through it - it's not just 'doom and gloom'.

I've attached the usual document containing links to various articles that I found interesting over the last couple of weeks. Happy reading!

​Looking forward to seeing you all on Friday.

John Lane

The combined Stock & Land and Sustainability group had an excursion to Winton Wetlands for our first session in March. Ably led by group member Charlie, and supported by Andy from the Regent Honeyeater Group, we went behind the scenes to look at the extensive work being undertaken to deal with pest weeds and create new plantings with the aim of eventually bringing back this large area to something like its original state. This will clearly be a job that will take decades, but is was great to see the enormous amount of work done to date.

While the convenor had the second session off, Neville fielded a wide-ranging general discussion on sustainability at this session.  He suggested that a new collective belief, emanating from the USA, that it was costing too much to achieve the atmospheric CO2 objectives already agreed on and we therefore should not even try, is starting to filter to Australia. The question asked - is climate change policy costing too much? Have we determined not to spend money on attempting to prevent climate change detrimentally affecting this planet? The larger context is whether we have decided to say to our great grandchildren - whatever problem we leave for you it's going to be your problem - not ours.

​John Lane

Sustainability got off to a good start at our first session in February, with much sustainability related news to catch up on after the summer break.

Neville facilitated the second session in my absence, starting with a discussion of the Los Angeles fires and the claims that water was not diverted from Northern California when it should have been. Much discussion ensued. Moving on to Australian matters, a recent investigation showing that, contrary to expectation Dingoes are still more or less purebred, also led to much discussion. It was thought that Dingo genes had been diluted by wild dogs.  Apparently not. This leads to the question - should we be culling dingoes? A 4-Corners programme concerning Wind Turbines and the problems getting the wider population to accept them also featured.  Thanks, Neville, for reporting back on the session.

On Friday 7 March, Charlie is taking us on an excursion to Winton Wetlands to see the work going on towards rehabilitating the wetlands and consider how different environments are managed there.  We will drive around a circuit not normally open to the public, looking at the different kinds of environments, different soils, and more.  Anyone interested in farming should find it equally interesting.   Meet in the car park at 10 am for car-pooling.  Bring a water bottle and a hat. 

With our joint coverage of Stock and Land this year, (we are holding the fort until a new convenor is found for Stock and Land), sessions and excursions which link sustainability and agriculture will feature.  Looking forward –we have an excursion planned in May to the property 12 km south of Benalla managed by Mark Foletta. Mark received the 2023 Award for Excellence in Diversification and Sustainability.  Keep an eye on upcoming newsletter reports for further details. 
​
John Lane, Neville Gibb and Charlie Corser

It's not been a great end of the year for our areas of interest; we've had two failed international conferences (biodiversity and climate change), more indicators that social equality is going backwards, the proposed new national environmental laws have hit the buffers and more. But in this session we'll try to find some positive news to finish our year on.

Attached are some articles and a document with links to others that you might find of interest. We could talk about the recently released social wellbeing report from the NAB (of all institutions!). But have a look and see if any other items grab your fancy.

John​


ABC News 18 Nov 24 - A climate solution or distraction? The carbon capture facility at Chevron's Gorgon project tells a cautionary tale 
Link 
 
The Conversation 18 Nov 24 - Meltwater from Greenland and the Arctic is weakening ocean circulation, speeding up warming down south  
Link 
 
ABC News 19 Nov 24 - Boomers keep booming while young borrowers and renters pick up the tab 
Link 
 
Energy Matters Newsletter 12 Nov 24 - What to Expect in Solar Technology Over the Next Decade 
Link 
 
CSIRO newsletter 20 Nov 24 - New CSIRO facility takes printed flexible solar tech from lab to real world 
Link 
 
The Conversation 24 Nov 24 - From a US$300 billion climate finance deal to global carbon trading, here’s what was – and wasn’t – achieved at the COP29 climate talks  
Link 
 
The Conversation 25 Nov 24 - Australia in a baby bust? It’s not that simple – and a panic won’t help  
Link 
 
NAB Q3 2024 Wellbeing index 
Link 
 
The Conversation 25 Nov 24 - After nearly 10 years of debate, COP29’s carbon trading deal is seriously flawed  
Link 
 
The Conversation 27 Nov 24 - Record renewables go into the grid in 2024, generating 45% of electricity in 2025  
Link 
 
ABC News 29 Nov 24 - Australia falls dramatically short of emissions reduction goal, as NSW swelters through early heatwave 
Link 
 
The Conversation 2 Dec 24 - A $13 billion, 30-year flop: landmark study reveals stark failure to halt Murray-Darling River decline  
Link 
 
The Conversation 30 Nov 24 - Cool water from the deep could protect pockets of the Great Barrier Reef into the 2080s  
Link 
 
 
 
 
 ​

In our first session for November, the sustainability group focussed on the latest State of the Climate Report. This eighth biennial report draws on the latest national and international climate research, encompassing observations, analyses and future projections to describe year-to-year variability and longer-term changes in Australia’s climate.

Observations, reconstructions of past climate and climate modelling continue to provide a consistent picture of ongoing, long‑term climate change interacting with underlying natural variability. Associated changes in weather and climate extremes—such as extreme heat, heavy rainfall, coastal inundation, fire weather and drought—exacerbate existing pressures on the health and wellbeing of our communities and ecosystems.

These changes in the weather and climate are happening at an increasing pace; the past decade has seen record-breaking extremes contributing to natural disasters that are exacerbated by anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change, including ‘compound events’, where multiple hazards and/or drivers occur together or in a close sequence, which intensifies their impacts. 

In our second November session we had a free ranging discussion on a variety of topics sparked by articles published in the weeks before. These included the need for gas as part of our long-term transition to stopping use of fossil fuels for electricity production, the global biodiversity convention meeting of parties and the increasing movement of carbon tied in to the northern perma-frost.