Show Notes
Australia's biggest-ever environmental battle was over a wild river in a remote part of Tasmania: the Franklin. Protesters flooded in from all over Australia to stop the Franklin River from being dammed for hydropower. They stood in front of bulldozers and were jailed for it. But for lots of locals, the dam represented a job opportunity at a time of economic crisis. This fight tore apart communities and captured the attention of the nation. Today, more people are concerned about the planet than ever before…so in a fight for the environment, this season of Dig investigates: What does it take to win?
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Australia is a wild continent with some of the most intense weather on the planet. From massive bushfires to severe cyclones and devastating flooding; extreme weather is becoming part of our everyday lives. How do we take what we’ve learned from our past to better prepare and adapt for our future?
The Franklin campaign isn't just an environmental conservation story, it's also a story about Aboriginal heritage. Tasmanian Palawa man, activist and lawyer Michael Mansell talks to Piia Wirsu about this chapter in history, his experience growing up in a white Tasmanian society, and why he saw many of the Franklin activists as racist.
Christine Milne is a name synonymous with the Greens in Australia, and for her, like so many others, her environmental career began after she was arrested at the Franklin blockade. In this extended interview, Christine takes us through the highs and lows of her career, and why she believes environmental activists should "just keep going".
The Franklin river's fate all comes down to a legal challenge between state and federal powers. In the final episode of Saving the Franklin: the moment this so-called wilderness war all came to an end.
In this episode of Saving the Franklin, scenes on the West Coast get uglier and uglier, and the campaigners turn to the mainland for support as a Federal election looms.