Dig

ABC listen
Dig

Revisit the biggest environmental movement Australia has ever seen: the 1982 Franklin River Blockade. This story is nuts. Missing people, death threats, savage political moves, young people flooding into Tasmania to put their bodies in front of bulldozers. Host Jo Lauder investigates how this movement beat the odds and came to inspire a new generation of environmental activists that have shaped Australian politics through to today.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    01 | A mystery in paradise, before the Franklin River fight

    The fight to save the Franklin River started in a totally different part of Tasmania's wilderness: with a proposal to dam the paradise inland beach of Lake Pedder. In this episode of Saving the Franklin, a mystery disappearance and a devastating loss signal to campaigners just how far they'll have to go in the next battle.

    34 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    02 | The battle lines: 'Greenies' vs workers

    The Franklin Dam proposal symbolised a lifeline to struggling communities on Tasmania's West Coast, recovering from the end of a mining era. Yet for environmentalists, it symbolised destruction and greed. In this episode of Saving the Franklin, the battle lines are drawn between pro-dammers and environmentalists and the State Government is caught in the middle, until it's forced to act.

    39 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    03 | Secret cave: a game-changing rediscovery no one expected

    The campaigners had painted the Franklin River as an untouched natural wonder, a place free from human interference: a wilderness. But the rediscovery of a cave along the Franklin throws everything into question. The finding is so significant it reshapes modern understanding of human history – and it paves the way for a new strategy to save the River.

    36 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    04 | 'All we had was our bodies': The blockade begins

    In this episode of Saving the Franklin, thousands of protesters fly into the sleepy town of Strahan to prepare for the biggest moment in the campaign: the blockade. An army of national media descend, and the first bulldozer is taken upriver, for a shocking confrontation on the water.

    34 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    05 | Threats, accusations and a Federal election

    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.

    32 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    06 | West Coast shockwaves; a new era for politics and protest

    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.

    35 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    BONUS 1 | ‘Just keep going’: The persistent protestor, Christine Milne

    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".

    29 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    BONUS 2 | The Palawa perspective: Michael Mansell

    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.

  9. SEASON 3 TRAILER

    INTRODUCING — Saving The Franklin

    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?

    3 min
See All Season 3 (9)

Trailers

Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
192 Ratings

About

Revisit the biggest environmental movement Australia has ever seen: the 1982 Franklin River Blockade. This story is nuts. Missing people, death threats, savage political moves, young people flooding into Tasmania to put their bodies in front of bulldozers. Host Jo Lauder investigates how this movement beat the odds and came to inspire a new generation of environmental activists that have shaped Australian politics through to today.

Information

  • Creator
    ABC listen
  • Episodes
    28
  • Seasons
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    Dig

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