LEAN Updates

November 22, 2021

At 5pm (AEST) Sunday November 21, the 2021 LEAN National AGM was held. It elected a new National Executive:  John Della Bosca and Felicity Wade are Co-convenors, Frances Perkins is Secretary and Louise Crawford and Sean Kellett are National Organisers. Read Felicity Wade's 2021...

August 19, 2021

On Thursday August 19, Labor's Shadow Minister for Climate Change addressed the Better Futures Forum and outlined the four key principles that underpin Labor's approach to climate change. The principles are ambitious and pragmatic, and deeply rooted in Labor's commitment to equity: 1. Net...

May 27, 2021

NSW Labor followed the Joel Fitzgibbon playbook in the Hunter and look what happened by Felicity Wade May 26, 2021 — 5.30am After months of calling for Labor to reject credible climate change policy, Labor head office handed Joel Fitzgibbon everything he wanted at...

May 07, 2021

Professor Ross Garnaut's comments on Gas 24/2/21 "The emphasis on gas is misplaced. We are not going to have globally competitive prices for gas. We could have had it with the export reservation, but the government doesn't seem to be enthusiastic about that."

March 31, 2021

LEAN endorsed Chapter 3, Climate Change, Energy and the Environement of the National Platform today at the Special Platform Conference. Read Co-convenor's Felicity Wade and David Tierney's speeches to the Conference.

March 31, 2021

Read LEAN's response to the Draft National Policy Platform, adopted on December 15 2020: This afternoon the National Policy Forum approved the next draft of the ALP's National Policy Platform.  With over 300 submissions on Chapter 3 (Environment and Climate Change) -  we once...

November 03, 2020

A new alliance of union and environment groups in the Hunter will officially form this week with the aim of ending the failed “jobs versus environment” dynamic that they say is holding the region back. The Alliance has been spearheaded by the NSW Branch of...

October 30, 2020

LEAN National Co-convener, Felicity Wade's full comments on gas, October 30, 2020. “LEAN has watched dismayed over recent months as debates that should be had inside the party have played out on the pages of the country’s newspapers. Most recently people have leaked shadow...

September 07, 2020

It has been a big few weeks in federal parliament on Federal environment laws. This is a compilation of all the interventions the parliamentary party made in defence of our natural environment and the Federal Government's responsibility to provide leadership in its protection. Anthony...

August 20, 2019

The ALP has set up a review led by Jay Weatherill and Craig Emerson to consider the 2019 Federal election loss. LEAN asked its members for their feedback. LEAN members were on the front line, talking to voters and hearing the word on the...

June 13, 2019

As part of the current democratic process for choice of the next leader of NSW Labor, the Labor Environment Action Network put a series of questions to the two candidates. We thank Chris Minns and Jodi McKay for their prompt and constructive engagement in...

May 15, 2019

At this Federal election, Labor has the strongest policy platform to address climate change and biodiversity collapse ever offered by a major party. Read the detail here: Read Labor's Climate Change Action Plan here  Read Labor's plan to rewrite the environment laws that are...

February 25, 2019

The 2018 National Labor Conference held in Adelaide in December 2018, delivered LEAN's campaign which was supported by 480 local Labor branches across the country. Bill Shorten announced that Labor would deliver new Federal environment laws and a National Environment Protection Authority within the...

November 24, 2018

LEAN is thrilled that on Thursday the Labor Party delivered on its promise of real action on climate change. Bill Shorten announced Labor's energy policy, reiterating Labor's commitment to 50% renewable energy and a country wide emissions reduction target of 45% by 2030.  Read...

September 18, 2018

OPINION: Australia must bring electricity prices under control and reduce carbon emissions. With the NEG in tatters, Labor needs to design a new pathway to deliver these aims. One thing that should overwhelmingly guide these deliberations is that the politics of market mechanisms to...

May 04, 2018

The ballot for the ALP National President opened on May 4 2018, and will remain open until June 15. All ALP members are eligible to vote and we encourage all to do so - the more members participate, the stronger our party will be!...

December 06, 2017

At time of writing Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Labor Party are set to form Government in Queensland. LEAN campaigned hard across the state for Labor candidates.  LEAN is thrilled that such a strong environment policy was on offer including an end to tree clearing, 50%...

October 23, 2017

Like most Australians LEAN can't believe that there is yet another proposal from Malcolm Turnbull to solve the energy policy impasse - the National Energy Guarantee (NEG).

June 13, 2017

On Friday June 9, Australia's Chief Scientist Alan Finkel delivered his report, Blueprint for the future: Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market. Both the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten and the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Mark...

February 24, 2017

On Thursday February 23 2017, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten gave a keynote speech at Bloomberg in Sydney on Labor's commitment to delivery of 50% renewable energy by 2030. After sustained attacks on climate action and Labor's climate commitments in Parliament over previous weeks, Bill...

October 24, 2016

In early September 2016 the Turnbull Government tried to destroy the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and with it a key engine in Australia's path to a low carbon future. LEAN swung into action and working with the Federal Labor Parliamentary Party ensured that...

October 23, 2015

We did it! In July 2015, the Federal Labor Party leadership listened to the concerns of Labor members across the country and endorsed LEAN's call to adopt a 50% renewable energy goal by 2030 and credible pollution reduction targets.

July 11, 2015

The Labor Party National Conference Fringe Program has four environment focused events - all of which will be corkers! Come and hear Tony Sheldon from the TWU discuss environment and labour relations with Tim Flannery of the Climate Council. Or hear energy ministers from...

July 08, 2015

The draft ALP National Platform, released ahead of the ALP National Conference on July 24-26, 2015 is strong on climate action and the environment. Both are addressed throughout the platform and across portfolios. LEAN however will still be agitating from the Conference floor for...

May 25, 2015

Louise Crawford is a LEAN volunteer in Victoria. She is part of the core organising group of LEAN in Melbourne and coordinates many of the branch visits that occur across the state to talk about the politics, economics and ecology of climate change. Louise...

May 25, 2015

LEAN asked the five candidates standing for ALP President two simple questions on their attitudes to member activism and the environment. We were happy to report that all candidates are committed to environment as a key plank of Labor's future policy offering and that...

May 22, 2015

The CFMEU has expressed its opposition to LEAN's call for 50% of our electricity to be sourced from renewable energy by 2030. Following is LEAN's response.

December 02, 2014

LEAN member and all round Labor hero, Bob Debus has written a fascinating account of the long standing bi-partisan consensus on nature conservation that lasted from the Government of Gough Whitlam through the Fraser, Hawke, Howard and Rudd/Gillard years. It is only now under...

November 02, 2014

LEAN was pleased to put a submission to the Federal Labor caucus inquiry into the Cost Of Living. Electricity costs have increased 61% per household in real terms over the last five years. Labor must carefully navigate climate action through the challenges of daily...

November 02, 2014

Overnight on October 20 2014 Australia farewelled a pioneer of environmental protection, as well as social justice and progressive reform.The Whitlam Government was the first to make protection of our natural world a key part of Labor’s values and mission.

August 31, 2014

Join Tim Flannery, LEAN and Open Labor this Thursday night in Melbourne to talk the future of the climate change campaign.  Thursday September 4, 7.30-9pm. City of Melbourne Bowls Club, Flagstaff Gardens, Dudley St.

August 04, 2014

On the weekend of August 2 & 3 2014 over 150 Labor women met in Canberra for the National Labor Women's Conference. It was a stimulating and feisty weekend. LEAN National Co-convenor Felicity Wade presented on Women, Labor and the climate crisis. The Conference unanimously...

July 28, 2014

Both the NSW and Tasmanian Labor state Conferences were held on July 26 and 27 2014. Both passed strong resolutions calling on the party not only to stand by effective climate action but also to raise Labor emission reduction target to 19%. Furthermore Bill...

July 18, 2014

LEAN congratulates Federal Labor Leader, Bill Shorten for making us proud at a time when the hope of climate action took such a grim turn in Federal Parliament. Bill's speech was strong and his commitment to reintroducing an emissions trading scheme an important marker...

July 17, 2014

With 46 meetings over three days, LEAN has had an excellent week advocating our cause in early July 2014 with the Federal Labor Caucus. The parliamentary party welcomed us and we look forward to a strong relationship toward winning both the politics and the...

June 15, 2014

LEAN North Coast NSW is campaigning with local MPs to defend the region from CSG development. LEAN stands with communities who are concerned that the risks associated with Coal Seam Gas extraction are too high and too little understood. 

March 20, 2014

Mick Power was LEAN's convenor in Victoria. He is currently studying climate change and social change at Harvard. Read his reflections on being involved with LEAN and his thoughts on the battle for climate action, from across the sea.

December 15, 2013

Dick Copeman is LEAN's longest standing state convenor. He heads up the Queensland chapter of the organisation and tirelessly campaigns for a low carbon future.

September 30, 2013

The Labor Environmental Action Network (LEAN) took the opportunity to put a series of questions to the two Federal Labor leadership candidates, Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten. As Labor people who have a passion for seeing the environment at the forefront of policymaking, we...

September 21, 2013

LEAN was thrilled that in the last week of the Federal election campaign Environment Minister, Mark Butler announced that Labor would investigate ways to ensure the national environment laws gave proper protection to our National Parks. These are the best of our natural places...

September 20, 2013

LEAN across Australia worked hard on the Federal campaign effort in the lead up to September 7. The stakes couldn't have been higher. We were trying hard to defend Labor's environmental legacy. Labor made significant moves to protect our environment by implementing a carbon...

September 14, 2013

LEAN National Co-convenor, Felicity Wade writes in the Sydney Morning Herald why Labor does not need anti-environment crusaders in the Parliamentary Party. 

July 15, 2013

Labor activists joined together on July 26 to celebrate one of the most important environmental decisions in Australia's history, the protection of the Franklin River in Tasmania's south-west. The High Court upheld the newly elected Hawke Government's right to halt construction of a dam...