Organising & Campaigning
Forests
For too long the forests of lutruwita/Tasmania have been mismanaged by Sustainable Timber Tasmania. The clear felling of rainforests and ecologically significant trees not only contributes to the climate crisis and leads endangered species closer to extinction, the wood from these trees in many cases does not even go to hardwood supply to build houses; it gets turned into woodchips. There needs to be a serious shift in how forests on this island are managed which is why GRANT campaigns to change the way the state and the logging industry interacts with native forests.
Housing
As the housing crisis continues to affect more and more people, it is evident that housing has become a focus of profit rather than for the people. Investment properties, negative gearing, the proliferation of short-term stay accommodation, a lack of public housing and a lack of rights for renters are just a few of the issues that have culminated into a crisis that exacerbates homelessness and housing insecurity. GRANT campaigns for everyone to have a safe place to live and for government to change their policies to focus on this instead of letting those with investment properties reap the financial rewards whilst people sleep on the street, in their cars and can’t imagine living somewhere long-term.
No Gas Across the Bass
‘No Gas Across the Bass’ are a team dedicated to protecting Tasmania’s coastline from oil and gas exploration. At GRANT, we stand in solidarity with these fighters, joining the movement with snap-rallies and paddle-outs across the state. We aim to educate the public about seismic testing and the devastating effects it is having on the fishing industry (and the butterfly effect of a collapsing economy for North-West Tasmanians).
Ultimately, we are calling for NO new oil and gas exploration across Bass Strait and around Tasmania’s coasts.
For more information, make sure to check out No Gas Across the Bass.
End Temporary Visas
GRANT has advocated for years for the government to end the cruel and unnecessary policy of Temporary Protection Visa’s (TPV) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visa’s (SHEV). Although earlier in 2023 the Federal Government announced an end to both of these which meant that about 19,000 people were eligible to apply for a permanent resolution of status visa to give them the same rights as all other permanent residents – there are still around 12,000 refugees that are not included in this. All those fleeing seeking asylum deserve the safety and freedoms that those of us lucky enough to be born in Australia already have.
People not Pokies
The number of pokies that can be accessed in Australia is like nowhere else in the world. Because of this, gambling is far more accessible, but because of the the focus on profits and lobbying by the pokies industry, government interventions to make pokies safer have been few and far between. The Tasmanian government has the ability to make pokies safer without there being a negative impact on recreational use or jobs – they just need to focus on doing what is best for the people rather than letting the gambiling industry walk all over them.
End Fish Farms / Salmon Anger
On Saturday’s at the Salamanca market, GRANT would gather out the front of the Tassal Salmon Shop in Salamanca Square to educate the community on the many problems surrounding the farming of Tasmanian salmon.
There is a rapid development of salmon farms happening around Tasmania, with numerous unsustainable practises continuing throughout the industry.
What you can do:
Ask TasSal and Petuna on their social media accounts to halt any expansion of their fish farms and to stop polluting our pristine waterways and coastlines.
Read the book Toxic by Richard Flanagan, to get a more in-depth overview of the salmon industry and how it is causing irreversible harm to our marine environment.
Talk to your friends and family about this issue and ask them to stop supporting companies like Huon Aquaculture that are profiting while polluting the rivers and oceans.