Poverty, Trees, And Power: Why APN-SA Stood With ‘Stop The Chop’

When the Adelaide Park Lands Association asked Anti-Poverty Network SA to speak, I initially wasn’t sure whether it was our place.

We’re an anti-poverty organisation. We campaign on issues like social security, housing, homelessness, cost of living and economic justice. At first glance, a rally to protect trees might seem outside our lane.

But the more I thought about it, the more obvious the connection became.

As I said in the speech, people experiencing poverty are often the first and hardest hit by environmental destruction and climate change. Decisions about land use, public space and development are never just environmental issues – they’re also questions of power, justice and who gets to benefit from the way our communities are shaped.

What became clear to me is that many of the issues we campaign on share the same underlying causes. Whether we’re talking about poverty, housing, public services or the environment, we are often confronting the same idea: that the needs of communities can be sacrificed when powerful interests want something else.

The response to this speech surprised me. A respected climate activist told me it was one of the clearest explanations they had heard of the connection between poverty and environmentalism. Others told me people were describing it as one of the standout speeches of the day.

I don’t share that because I think the speech itself is particularly remarkable, though I do appreciate all the lovely comments. I share it because I think it speaks to something really important: our movements are stronger when we recognise that our struggles are connected.

#StopTheChop

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The speech is reproduced below:

I would also like to acknowledge that we are meeting today on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people and pay my respects to Elders past and present. I acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

I also want to recognise that the destruction of Country didn’t begin with this development proposal but back in 1836. Colonisation fundamentally changed the relationship between people and land in this place. Too often, decisions are still made based on what can be extracted, sold or developed, rather than what will sustain communities and Country for generations to come.

My name is Samantha and I’m the Campaigns Co-Coordinator for Anti-Poverty Network South Australia.

For those who don’t know us, APN-SA is a grassroots organisation led by people with lived and living experience of poverty, unemployment, housing insecurity and financial hardship. We campaign for a fairer South Australia where everyone has access to the things they need to live a decent life: a safe home, enough income to get by, and the opportunity to participate fully in their community.

So, some people might be wondering why an anti-poverty organisation is speaking at a rally about trees.

The answer is simple.

Because this is about priorities.

The people we work with are often the first and hardest hit when governments make decisions that put profit, prestige projects or powerful interests ahead of communities.

People experiencing poverty are more likely to live in hotter suburbs with less tree cover. They’re more likely to rely on public parks and public spaces. They’re less likely to have access to private gardens, holiday homes or expensive ways to escape the impacts of climate change.

Public green spaces belong to everyone. Trees belong to everyone.

For tens of thousands of years, First Nations peoples cared for Country sustainably. The idea that a stand of mature trees can simply be sacrificed whenever a powerful interest wants access to the land reflects a very different set of values.

A mature tree isn’t just a tree.

It’s shade for an older person waiting for a bus on a 40-degree day.

It’s somewhere for children to play.

It’s cleaner air.

It’s cooler streets.

It’s a place where people can gather, rest and connect with one another.

These are public assets that benefit entire communities.

Yet time and time again we see governments willing to remove thousands of trees for projects that are presented as progress, while dismissing community concerns and ignoring the long-term costs.

We are constantly told there isn’t enough money for the things people need. Not enough money to lift people out of poverty. Not enough money for housing. Not enough money for services.

But somehow there is always money available when powerful interests come knocking.

Whether we’re talking about poverty, housing, public services or protecting our environment, the underlying question is often the same:

Who is government for?

Whose voices matter?

And whose interests are being prioritised?

The people gathered here today are standing up for the idea that public land should serve the public good.

That communities should have a say in decisions that affect them.

And that once something precious is lost, whether it’s public housing, public services or mature trees, getting it back is often far harder than protecting it in the first place.

That’s why APN SA stands in solidarity with the Stop The Chop campaign.

Because protecting our tree canopy is not just an environmental issue.

It’s a public health issue.

It’s a community issue.

It’s a social justice issue.

And it’s about the kind of South Australia we want for future generations to inherit.

Thank you to everyone who has organised this. Thank you for inviting us to speak. Thank you to everyone for showing up. Let’s keep standing together.

And you know what, write to Peter Malinauskas. He just loves it when he gets a thousand emails in his inbox.

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And if you’d like to write to the Premier, about the destruction of our parklands, rebuilding public housing, the case for rent controls or empty homes in a housing crisis, subjects dear to our hearts also, please do so: premier@sa.gov.au