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Thirty Years of Creative Resistance - Friends of the Earth Australia

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FoEA is a federation ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />

than an organisation. Some<br />

groups have always co-operated<br />

with each o<strong>the</strong>r, while some<br />

have tended to work in isolation<br />

from <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> network.<br />

Over <strong>the</strong> years, national<br />

meetings have agreed on shared<br />

national activities, but it was<br />

only in 1995 that FoE formalised<br />

<strong>the</strong> concept and structure <strong>of</strong> its<br />

national campaign activity.<br />

These are defined as campaign areas<br />

where two or more local groups agree<br />

to work toge<strong>the</strong>r on specified areas <strong>of</strong><br />

campaign activity, policy is developed,<br />

and <strong>the</strong> campaign proposal is approved<br />

at a national meeting. The first ‘formal’<br />

campaigns were anti-nuclear, wetlands,<br />

arid lands and transport.<br />

FoE has always placed great emphasis<br />

on its decentralised structure and <strong>the</strong>re<br />

has been an inherent bias away from<br />

any developments that could lead to<br />

a centralisation <strong>of</strong> power. Given this,<br />

<strong>the</strong>re have always been shared national<br />

activities and delegated areas <strong>of</strong><br />

responsibility within <strong>the</strong> Federation.<br />

National positions include <strong>the</strong> National<br />

Liaison (NLO) and International Liaison<br />

(ILO) <strong>of</strong>ficers (individuals nominated<br />

from within local groups who carry out<br />

specific administrative, communication,<br />

representation and campaigning work),<br />

national spokespeople and <strong>the</strong> national<br />

magazine Chain Reaction, which is an<br />

...................................................................................................................................................................................................<br />

independent service group. FoEA also<br />

runs both projects and campaigns at <strong>the</strong><br />

national level. National spokespeople have<br />

been appointed since at least 1988. The<br />

NLOs are people who are put forward by<br />

local groups. At different times, a national<br />

liaison <strong>of</strong>fice has been hosted by a local<br />

group and <strong>of</strong>fered certain support and coordination<br />

functions for <strong>the</strong> network.<br />

People filling this role have included Nick<br />

Thieberger, Lorraine Grayson, Cathy<br />

Bro<strong>the</strong>rton and Peter Bro<strong>the</strong>rton. In <strong>the</strong><br />

early 1980s, <strong>the</strong> NLO position was based<br />

in Perth but since about 1990, it has been<br />

based in Melbourne. In 1995 FoE created<br />

<strong>the</strong> regional contact position where<br />

individuals in regional centres and rural<br />

areas are able to operate under <strong>the</strong> FoE<br />

‘banner’ without <strong>the</strong> need to develop a<br />

local FoE group. This allows <strong>the</strong> network to<br />

be active in remote and rural areas where<br />

<strong>the</strong>re is a limited opportunity to establish a<br />

FoE group.<br />

The first national FoE meeting was held<br />

on French Island in Victoria’s Westernport<br />

Bay in 1974. At this time, <strong>the</strong> island was a<br />

possible site for a planned nuclear reactor.<br />

Since <strong>the</strong>n FoEA has met on an annual<br />

basis in mid January with a different local<br />

group hosting each meeting. Meetings<br />

have evolved over <strong>the</strong> years. According<br />

to Joe Wacher, a FoE staff member in<br />

<strong>the</strong> mid ‘80s, early meetings were very<br />

informal: ‘no specific policy is decided. The<br />

national meeting is mainly for an exchange<br />

<strong>of</strong> information’. Policy development and<br />

attention to national co-ordination became<br />

increasing priorities from <strong>the</strong> early 1990s.<br />

In 1995, with increased national activity<br />

and co-operation between <strong>the</strong> groups,<br />

FoE 30 <strong>Years</strong> 128

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