Heaps of volunteers and groups have been getting active the past few weeks in some of our target electorates; Richmond and Northcote! We've already leafletted thousands of houses, distributed house signs, run some local events, attended market stalls to chat with hundreds of people about protecting forests, plus projections, plastering posters, and so much more!!

There are HEAPS of ways to get involved and plenty of upcoming events. Here is what's on the schedule for the next few weeks:

October 4: Leafletting @ Richmond train station from 8am

October 7: Flyering, postering & dinner on Gertrude Street Richmond from 4pm

October 8: VFA stall at the Fitzroy Rose Street market, 9am-2pm

October 11: Flyering @ Northcote train station from 7am

October 11: State election action meeting @ Black Spark in Northcote from 6.30pm

October 13: Leafletting @ Prahran train station from 7am

October 14: Postering, leafletting & dinner in Albert Park

October 15: Flyering, postering & dinner in Prahan from 4pm

On September 7 National Threatened Species Day, over 30 community groups rallied in Naarm/Melbourne to call for urgent and stronger protections for Australia’s environment, as the continued destruction of Country is escalating the climate crisis and pushing already rare wildlife closer to extinction. A recent United Nations report estimated that as many as a million species risk extinction in the coming decades due to human-related activities.

“Every day, up to 150 species are lost. That could be as much as 10 percent a decade and Australia has the highest extinction rate in the world,” said VFA President Nic Fox.

“And here, every day the Victorian government sanctions the logging of 4 MCG sized areas of forest. Critically important habitat is lost due to the clearing of land for mining, agriculture and native forest logging. Even the state faunal emblem, the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum is at risk of becoming extinct, along with the Powerful Owl and our largest gliding marsupial, the Greater Glider,” said Nic.

Since 2016, the Greater Glider has gone from threatened to endangered. We need urgent recovery plans that are well-funded, based on peer reviewed conservation science, and not influenced by the interest of the native forest logging industry.

“When we protect the habitat of one rare species, it provides multiple benefits for others living within that ecosystem,” said Alana Mountain from Wildlife of the Central Highlands.

"Areas scheduled for logging are rarely properly surveyed for threatened wildlife. Citizen scientists and dedicated volunteers often pick up the slack where our governments are failing. Sadly there are few laws which properly protect wildlife, fuelling declines of our most precious and vulnerable plant and animal species” said Alana Mountain.

It’s now 2022, and the majority of Australians want to see government look after our wildlife and restore our natural areas. The increasingly chaotic climate is closely linked to forest destruction and fossil fuel extraction. The VFA calls on our leaders to listen and take urgent action to turn the state of the environment around.

Thank you so much to everyone who made it out to our official campaign launch on Sunday at the fabulous House of Plants. Was lovely to see friendly familiar faces, and plenty of new people keen to get involved in the campaign to immediately protect native forests from logging in the lead up to the state election. We were privileged to first be welcomed onto Country by Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Colin Hunter Junior. He shared stories of being on Country, and his totem animal the Wollert (possum).

We then heard from VFA President Nic Fox, and VFA Campaign Coordinator Chris Schuringa to kick start the campaign and share what we're getting up to and how everyone can get involved. We had letter-boxing packs ready to go with flyers designed by local artist Sofia Sabbagh, house signs, plenty of post cards and more. We had Black Cat Bone play some great tunes while community members and campaigners from groups across Victoria chatted and shared plans for the upcoming election.

Thanks so much to all those who came along to get involved. If you missed the launch and are keen to join our grass-roots election campaign, come along to our fortnightly action meetings in Northcote.

We pay our deepest respects to the Wurundjeri First Nations peoples of the Kulin Nation who's unceded Country this event was held on. We acknowledge thousands of years of custodianship and care of Country and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Hundreds of community members and climate, forest and environment groups marched from the State Library to Parliament steps on Saturday to demand strong action on climate through real ZERO emissions by 2030, 100% publicly-owned renewable energy, taxing the billionaires to fund a just transition for affected workers, land rights for First Nations Peoples; not mining rights, and protection of ecosystems and an end to logging of native forests.

Was fantastic to see so many forest groups there and inspiring brilliant speakers which included school strikers, DjabWurrunga Gunnai Gunditjmara woman Senator Lidia Thorpe, and more.

We are sending a clear message to decision makers in the lead up to the November state election; people care deeply about forests and climate and will vote for their protection.

Get involved in our grass-roots campaign to protect forests for climate by signing up to volunteer before the election!

On Tuesday June 28 more than a hundred people gathered on the steps of Parliament to oppose draconian new protest laws which have now passed the lower house of Parliament. The laws are set to find community members up to $21,000 for disrupting logging, or face 12 months imprisonment. VFA President Nic Fox read from a joint statement from environment, climate, legal and human rights groups calling the laws unnecessary and undemocratic, and for the bill to be withdrawn.

You can take action by emailing your local member and asking for the Sustainable Forests Bill (2022) to be withdrawn - and for forests to be protected from logging.

Nearly 40 community members came together in Healesville last Sunday to celebrate World Environment Day 2022, highlighting this year's theme which is "living sustainably and in harmony with nature", drawing focus to the proposed logging at Tanglefoot Walking Track in Toolangi. It was wonderful to gather with our local community.