The Beginnings of Environmentalism and Political Influence

Overview

The modern Australian environment movement emerged from specific conservation battles that mobilised public opinion, created new activist organisations, and — critically — forced changes to government policy and the creation of new political forces. The three campaigns specified by VCAA — Lake Pedder, Franklin River, and Little Desert — are foundational case studies in how environmental advocacy translates into political change.

The Little Desert Campaign (Victoria, 1969)

Background

The Little Desert in Victoria’s Wimmera region is a mosaic of mallee, heath, and sandy scrubland — high in biodiversity, including the malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), a nationally threatened ground-nesting bird.

In 1969, the Victorian government (under Premier Henry Bolte) proposed to subdivide and open 130,000 hectares of the Little Desert for agricultural settlement — a classic post-war ‘closer settlement’ scheme.

The Campaign

• Dr Joan Kirner (later Victorian Premier) and Arthur Rylah were among key voices opposing the proposal.
• The Victorian Conservation Trust and the Mallee Research Station scientists argued the land was too infertile for agriculture and of high conservation value.
• Jill Rodan and other local activists mobilised community opposition, generating significant media coverage.
• The campaign was among the first in Australia to successfully use media and community mobilisation to defeat a development proposal.

Political Outcome

• The Bolte government abandoned the settlement scheme under public pressure.
• The campaign led directly to the establishment of the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria in 1970 and the Environment Protection Act 1970 — the first dedicated state environmental legislation in Australia.
• It also contributed to creation of the Land Conservation Council (LCC) (1970), which conducted systematic land-use reviews across Victoria.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Little Desert (1969) was the first major Australian environmental campaign to defeat a government development proposal and directly generate new environmental legislation. It established the template: community mobilisation + scientific expertise + media → policy change.

Lake Pedder Campaign (Tasmania, 1967–1974)

Background

Lake Pedder was a remarkable glacial lake in south-west Tasmania, unique for its vast pink quartzite beach and extraordinary biodiversity. The Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) of Tasmania proposed flooding the lake as part of the Gordon–Pedder hydroelectric scheme.

The Campaign

• The Lake Pedder Action Committee was formed, attracting national attention.
• Environmentalists including Dr David Bellamy (international botanist) visited and publicised the lake’s value.
• Photographs of the pink beach and unique biota generated widespread public sympathy.
• Despite a national ‘Save Lake Pedder’ campaign with significant public support, the Whitlam federal government declined to intervene in what was deemed a state matter.

The Flooding (1972–74)

Lake Pedder was flooded in 1972–74, becoming the centrepiece of a much enlarged artificial lake system. It remains one of Australia’s most significant environmental losses — a symbol of what the movement would later fight to prevent.

Political Outcome

• The failure to save Lake Pedder radicalised the conservation movement and demonstrated the limits of public campaigns without political power.
• Out of this defeat grew the United Tasmania Group (UTG) — formed in 1972, widely considered the world’s first Green political party.
• The UTG evolved into the Tasmania Greens and contributed to the formation of the Australian Greens (federal party established 1992).
• The Lake Pedder defeat made clear that conservation movements needed political representation, not just community advocacy.

EXAM TIP: Lake Pedder is significant not because the campaign succeeded (it didn’t) but because its failure created the world’s first Green party. Examiners frequently ask about the political legacy of failed campaigns.

The Franklin River Campaign (Tasmania, 1976–1983)

Background

The Franklin River in south-west Tasmania flows through one of the world’s last large temperate wilderness areas — the South-West Wilderness, which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982. The HEC proposed damming the Franklin as part of the Gordon-below-Franklin hydroelectric scheme.

The Campaign

This was the campaign that truly transformed Australian environmental politics:

Key moments and tactics:
- The Wilderness Society (founded 1976, partly from Lake Pedder activists) led the campaign.
- Dr Bob Brown (later Greens Senator) was arrested while blockading the Franklin River in 1983 alongside thousands of protesters.
- David Bellamy was again arrested — dramatic international publicity.
- The slogan ‘No Dams’ and the iconic green triangle symbol became nationally recognised.
- A 1983 telegram from Sir Edmund Hillary and other international figures urged protection.
- Greenpeace involvement brought global media attention.
- The ‘No Dams’ campaign ran extensive advertising nationally, including in swinging seats of the 1983 federal election.

The political breakthrough:
- The 1983 federal election was closely contested. Both the ALP (under Bob Hawke) and the Democrats committed to stopping the dam; the Liberal–National Coalition (Fraser government) supported it.
- Hawke’s ALP won the election, with the ‘No Dams’ vote credited as a significant factor in marginal seats.
- The Hawke government used federal constitutional powers (the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983) to stop the dam — overriding the Tasmanian state government.

Political Outcomes

VCAA FOCUS: The Franklin River campaign is the most commonly examined of the three. You must be able to: (1) describe the campaign’s methods (blockades, media, electoral advertising), (2) explain how it influenced ALP policy, and (3) describe the federal constitutional mechanism used to stop the dam. The link between the campaign and the formation of the Australian Greens is also examinable.

Comparative Summary

STUDY HINT: Learn one campaign in depth (Franklin is safest for exam breadth) but know the key point of each: Little Desert = first win, Lake Pedder = first Green party, Franklin = first federal environmental intervention using World Heritage powers.