Let the Franklin Flow - Saving a Wild River
Tasmania is Australia's island state, a state which had been traditionally seen as a 'poor cousin' to its more affluent mainland counterparts, and dependent on resource extraction for its economic security.
Despite the exquisite natural beauty of Tasmania, a vision of Tasmania emerged in the 1920s, of 'hydro-industrialisation'. Political and industry leaders dreamed of Tasmania becoming the 'Ruhr valley of the south', with dams and power schemes providing cheap power that could attract heavy industry to the state.
This vision had led to the damming of dozens of Tasmania's wild rivers, and tragically, the flooding of the Lake Pedder national park in 1972.
A vibrant and inspiring campaign to restore Lake Pedder continues today: https://lakepedder.org/
Reeling from the loss of Lake Pedder, the conservation movement in Tasmania regrouped, forming a new group, The Wilderness Society, to spearhead a national campaign to save the Franklin river.
The campaign successfully inspired Australians, mobilising tens of thousands of people across the country to join the campaign, write to their politicians, donate, march and work for the river's protection.
The campaign culminated in a protest at the dam site in South-West Tasmania, where hundreds of protesters were arrested, in the biggest civil disobedience campaign in Australia's history.
Labor leader in Tasmania Doug Lowe and Parks Minister Andrew Lohrey put forward a nomination for Tasmania's South-West to be inscribed on the World Heritage list, which then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser endorsed. Labor leader Bob Hawke then went on to win the 1983 election on a promise of intervening to use Commonwealth powers to halt the dam and save the Franklin river.
In a landmark case, the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of the Commonwealth's power to halt the dam on the basis of their external affairs powers in relation to their being a signatory to the World Heritage convention.
Against staggering odds, the efforts of the Franklin campaigners have ensured that the Franklin flows free to this very day. The saving of the Franklin is something not just to be celebrated in its own right, but also as an inspiring story of how people can work successfully to save the places they love, for the benefit of all.
“The encouragement of people to think internationally, to regard the culture of their own country as part of world culture, to conceive a physical, spiritual and intellectual heritage, is important in the endeavour to avoid the destruction of humanity.” - Justice Lionel Murphy
Further details, articles and information about the campaign to save the Franklin River can be found here:
National Museum Australia - Franklin Dam article + Classroom resources
The Commons Social Change Library - Franklin River Campaign - links, articles, resources
Natural Law - Sydney Morning Herald article on history of the Franklin campaign
Phill Pullinger
Tasmania is Australia's island state, a state which had been traditionally seen as a 'poor cousin' to its more affluent mainland counterparts, and dependent on resource extraction for its economic security.
Despite the exquisite natural beauty of Tasmania, a vision of Tasmania emerged in the 1920s, of 'hydro-industrialisation'. Political and industry leaders dreamed of Tasmania becoming the 'Ruhr valley of the south', with dams and power schemes providing cheap power that could attract heavy industry to the state.
This vision had led to the damming of dozens of Tasmania's wild rivers, and tragically, the flooding of the Lake Pedder national park in 1972.
A vibrant and inspiring campaign to restore Lake Pedder continues today: https://lakepedder.org/
Reeling from the loss of Lake Pedder, the conservation movement in Tasmania regrouped, forming a new group, The Wilderness Society, to spearhead a national campaign to save the Franklin river.
The campaign successfully inspired Australians, mobilising tens of thousands of people across the country to join the campaign, write to their politicians, donate, march and work for the river's protection.
The campaign culminated in a protest at the dam site in South-West Tasmania, where hundreds of protesters were arrested, in the biggest civil disobedience campaign in Australia's history.
Labor leader in Tasmania Doug Lowe and Parks Minister Andrew Lohrey put forward a nomination for Tasmania's South-West to be inscribed on the World Heritage list, which then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser endorsed. Labor leader Bob Hawke then went on to win the 1983 election on a promise of intervening to use Commonwealth powers to halt the dam and save the Franklin river.
In a landmark case, the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of the Commonwealth's power to halt the dam on the basis of their external affairs powers in relation to their being a signatory to the World Heritage convention.
Against staggering odds, the efforts of the Franklin campaigners have ensured that the Franklin flows free to this very day. The saving of the Franklin is something not just to be celebrated in its own right, but also as an inspiring story of how people can work successfully to save the places they love, for the benefit of all.
“The encouragement of people to think internationally, to regard the culture of their own country as part of world culture, to conceive a physical, spiritual and intellectual heritage, is important in the endeavour to avoid the destruction of humanity.” - Justice Lionel Murphy
Further details, articles and information about the campaign to save the Franklin River can be found here:
National Museum Australia - Franklin Dam article + Classroom resources
The Commons Social Change Library - Franklin River Campaign - links, articles, resources
Natural Law - Sydney Morning Herald article on history of the Franklin campaign
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