Broadcast 5th May 2011
Hosted by James Hitchcock and Simon Unwin
Download show: Ep. 2011-15 - No Disrespect art exhibition; Our tribute to Pete Gray
Earlier this year we discussed the wider implications of the infamous 'Say No to Burqas' mural in Newtown. This week we looked at a community response to the hate speech of the mural - No Disrespect, an art exhibition providing a creative opposition and alternative to the mural. We speak to Oishee Alam from the Justice and Arts Network Sydney, one of the people involved in organising the exhibition.
We dedicate the second half of our show this week to Pete Gray, environmental activist from Newcastle who passed away last weekend at the age of 30 after several years suffering from bowel cancer. Pete was a guest on the Third Degree on numerous occasions; he spoke with the eloquence, conviction and the integrity of someone beyond his years. Pete fought to protect old-growth forests in eastern Australia and as a founding member of Newcastle group Rising Tide was passionate about stopping the profound impacts of the coal industry on the hunter region and the world.
In 2006 he took the NSW government department of planning to court over their approval of the Anvil Hill coal mine, now renamed Mangoola, in the Hunter Valley. The landmark decision found that the approval process must take into account not only the impact of extracting coal on site, but also the pollution from its end use in power stations.
Today we play two Third Degree segments that were recorded with Pete. The first was recorded in February 2010 regarding a case Peter was pursuing with the Hunter Community Environment Centre against the Department of Planning and Bayswater Coal-fired power station, which is planning to expand its electricity generation capacity. In the case, which is still proceeding in the courts, he argues that carbon dioxide should be included as a pollutant and its emission must be regulated by the NSW government.
No comments:
Post a Comment