“The peaceful rally and vigil will be held in Treasury Gardens Lawn 4, corner of Spring Street and Wellington Parade Melbourne on 24 November 2019 5pm to 8pm. Speakers, Evan Quartermain, John Marsh, Rohana Hayes, Musicians and Candle Art Installation
Since 2014, Victorian governments have been routinely dropping tonnes of cruel 1080 poison over vast areas of the Victorian natural environment from helicopters. Supposedly to protect farm stock from ‘wild dogs’, it is of virtually no benefit to farmers and nothing to do with ‘wild dogs’.
The ‘wild dogs’ being killed are really Dingoes, the native Australian apex predator, essential to the stability and health of Victorian ecosystems and listed as a threatened species under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (Vic).
On 31 December 2019, the Victorian government’s permission from the federal government to aerial bait with 1080 poison will expire.
The Andrews Labor government must not seek renewed federal permission to continue this cruel and unnecessary assault upon Dingoes and Victorian ecosystems. Plans are to renew for 5 more years and to increase baiting in fourfold areas. For too long, our native apex predator, the Dingo, has been persecuted because of a grubby association between extremist elements within the farming lobby, big business poison producers, and politicised government bureaucracies.
This persecution has involved the deliberate mis-characterisation of Dingoes as ‘wild dogs’, avoiding public scrutiny and potentially misleading government ministers. Even the Victorian environment bureaucracy appears to have submitted to and defended this institutionalised propaganda.
On 6 October 2019, 26 prominent scientists, including some of the most respected, senior environmental scientists in Australia wrote a joint open letter to the Victorian Minister for the Environment calling for the discontinuation of aerial baiting with 1080 poison.
It is time to ask, ‘who governs the Victorian natural environment?’ People like you, through elected, well informed governments, and adequately briefed ministers, or farming and poison industry lobbyists, who now exert a concerningly disproportionate degree of influence within government departments.
We invite young and old to join us at the Peaceful Rally on 24 November at 5pm in Treasury Gardens Lawn 4, to show opposition to the renewal of poison 1080 aerial baiting and to participate in this unique and moving peaceful event and experience the silent lighting to flute of Jorge Pujol’s 33 metre Dingo Art “Save the Dingo” at dusk.
Speakers include Evan Quartermain Humane Society International, John Marsh Potoroo Palace Native Wildlife Sanctuary and Rohana Hayes.
Art for Earth The rally will feature the work of internationally acclaimed installation candle artist Jorge Pujol’s “Save our Dingo” a 33 x 22 metre Dingo Candle Installation to be lit at Dusk in silent vigil to flute. Jorge created “Sorry is the first Step” on the Lawns of Parliament House Canberra in 2015.
Musicians The Wild Orchids Musicians Flute and Guitar, plus Michelle Griffiths and Indigenous Singers will lead community song with their anti 1080 song to “protect Dingoes” in country
More Photos available from ” Stop the Drop of Poison 1080 Aerial Baiting Victoria” facebook page.””
