The Government is pursuing a climate change policy that will not result in swift and effective emissions reductions. We have held-hands around parliament, and now its time to take our protest directly to our elected representatives.
The Exposure Draft Legislation for the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme will be released in the coming weeks. Join communities around Australia sitting-in at their MP’s offices to demand better.
On this website, you can download a simple guide to help you plan your protest.
You can also visit Flickr and see how colourful, fun and family-friendly sit-ins can be.
If you’re on Facebook, find the March 27th events here.
There are other resources on this site to help you, and plans are already being made right around the country. Be part of history and take action to protect our children’s future.
In December, the Government released a White Paper about their Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme – the central plank in Australia’s emissions reduction strategy. It was widely criticised as too generous to polluting industries. At the same time, they announced that Australia would only aim to reduce carbon pollution by between 5 and 15% by the year 2020. This target would guarantee the loss of the Great Barrier Reef and the Kakadu wetlands. It would wipe out the homes of millions and would drive perhaps 39% of terrestrial species to extinction.
We must act together to show the Government that the community wants more ambitious, more just and more hopeful action. We have less than a year left to turn history around. You will be stepping it up by taking part in this project, but there is lots more planned in the coming months, and more opportunities to plan together, and make our advocacy more effective.
Join us in ’stepping in’ to our MP’s offices this March, and stepping up community action on climate change.
This kit Step-in to Step It Up on Climate Change contains information to help you take part in this exciting community project. Just ‘right-click and save’ to download the kit!
Dear NSW CAGs,
The Step In to Step It Up campaign to meet MPs on climate change is a great idea. It coincides neatly with a very exciting upcoming politiical event that you may want to tie in to your meeting with your local MP.
The peoples’ Climate Protection Bill
As many of you know (and many of your groups have endorsed), the peoples’ Climate Protection Bill is a comprehensive draft legislation on climate change that was written by community groups around Australia, drafted by professional lawyers, and peer-reviewed by climate change policy and technology experts. Many of your groups took the Bill to your local MPs and contesting candidates in the lead up to the Federal election, asking them to know about it and support it.
In short, the Climate Protection Bill (attached) has 19 recommendations to significantly reduce Australia’s spiralling greenhouse gas emissions, to build a clean energy future, and to assist those caught in the transition. Like the key ask of the Step In CAG campaign, it is seeking for emissions to peak in 2010, and fall thereafter.
The Bill’s going to be in Parliament!
As a result of community concern, a version of the people’s Climate Protection Bill has now been drafted into a Private Member’s Bill by Tony Windsor MP (Ind, New England). He is planning to introduce it to Parliament in the sitting beginning on November 10. We don’t know the extent of Windsor’s Bill, but it contains many of the concepts within the peoples’ Bill. It will be somewhat diluted version of our Bill, but we hope that a parliamentary committee and public submissions, if they occur, will significantly improve Windsor’s version. Windsor’s version will be a great start.
What we want
When Tony Windsor MP introduces his Private Member’s Bill on climate change into Parliament in the Nov 10 sitting, we want to ensure that this is the beginning for the Bill. We want as many MPs to support it as possible, and for it to go to a parliamentary committee or inquiry, thus allowing greater public influence through submission and media coverage.
We need your CAG group to…:
Meet with your MP BEFORE Nov 10 (it can be in conjunction with your Step In meeting);
Make your MP aware of the people’s Climate Protection Bill (attached) and of Tony Windsor’s Private Member’s Bill on climate change to be introduced in the Nov 10 Parliamentary sitting;
Ask your MP to vote for Tony Windsor’s Private Member’s Bill and request that a Parliamntary Committee investigates the Bill further.
Why we can win
In 2004, the UK Big Ask campaign for a UK Climate Change Bill began by community and environment groups. 130,000 people from around the UK contacted their MPs to request them to support the Bill when it was introduced to Parliament. As a result, 400 MPs voted for it. During the public submission and inquiry process, the Bill was revised to even better than the original draft. This month, the Queen is expected to give her royal assent to finalise this legislation, making the UK the first country to set strong emission reduction targets beyond their Kyoto Protocol commitments. If the UK did it, there’s nothing to stop us in Australia achieving the same!
Good luck, and please keep me posted on whether you’ve been able to secure and meet with your MP about the people’s Climate Protection Bill.
Thank you,
Nina Hall
Climate Action Coogee
ninalansbury@hotmail.com
0415 750 057