~~ Changes to our MPEGs program ~~ Update on recent MP lobbying blitz ~~ Keep in touch with the MPEG community ~~

Dear MPEG leaders and supporters,

I hope you are all well and keeping warm as the days grow shorter. By now you have most likely heard about the changes happening at C4C, as we transition to a community-led organisation with no permanent paid staff.

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I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work as a community organiser and coordinator of the MPEG program, to help local groups get started and see them flourish, and to work with so many fantastic and devoted volunteers. To everyone I’ve met and worked with on MPEG climate action — thank you for being so amazing!

And so our wonderful MPEG community will continue on in many ways, going back to our roots as a volunteer-led community. I will step back into a volunteer role and continue to work with our founding core volunteer Sue Dwyer and mentors Chris & Peter Cook who have stepped up to keep MPEGs running smoothly over the last year.

We all want to keep supporting the wonderful work with your local MPEGs and keep adding to the extensive resources on our website that help you engage with your MPs on climate.

Things that will change from now:

• No more monthly Zoom MPEG email-writing sessions (for the time being — and unless there is a strong desire from the community)
  • Instead, you’ll be able to join a quarterly online meetup for new and existing local groups — RSVP here

Things that will remain the same (with slightly less capacity, shared between the MPEG volunteer team)

• Support to start a new local MPEG: 
  • email [email protected] or fill out the form on our website
• Mentorship for your current MPEG: 
  • email [email protected] or check in with me (Carly), Peter, Chris or Sue
• This MPEG news update (monthly or bi-monthly)
• MPEG resources will stay on our website
• Issue briefings — new and existing

Recent MP meetings with our local groups

The controversial Safeguard Mechanism legislation policy, “Australia’s most significant climate law in a decade", has passed through the Senate and will come into effect on July 1 this year.

The final legislation is MUCH stronger than Labor’s initial proposal, and this shift was largely driven by the work of community members like you all who engaged with your Federal MPs via emails, calls and meetings — letting them know that the proposed policy wasn’t good enough. Check out the photos below from the 9 MP and Senator meetings with our groups!

The Greens managed to negotiate a hard cap on emissions, meaning real pollution must actually come down and the coal and gas corporations can't buy their way out of the cap with offsets. Dodgy offset projects will be eliminated, and a pollution trigger added to assess and stop new projects — the Greens say the equivalent of about half of the 116 new coal and gas projects stopped ✊

So, while acknowledging that we still have a long way to go to stop pollution in Australia, we should celebrate this moment! Well done to the MPEG leaders who stepped up to meet with their MP and call for stronger action from them and the Labor party

There are many more issues like this that you could meet your MP to talk about — check out our tips online for Visiting your MP and get in touch with our volunteer MPEG team for help every step of the way!

Current actions to take with your groups – National

	Urge government to release the report into national security risks posed by climate change: The findings of the Office of National Intelligence (ONI) climate risk assessment were received by government in Nov 2022 but there has been no official comment or release of a redacted report. Use our new issue briefing to ask your Federal MP and relevant ministers to release the ONI report and take immediate action to minimise and counteract risks.
	Tighten land clearing legislation across Australia: Dr Kate Dooley and colleagues recently released the globally reviewed Land Gap Report, which challenges the concept that we can continue to burn fossil fuels while absorbing CO2 in land and forests. There is simply not enough land. Watch her full presentation here and use our new issue briefing to write to your Federal MP and relevant ministers.
	Ask for a moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects until the new EPBC Act is legislated: The Albanese Government needs to fulfil their campaign promises and fast track reform of the EPBC Act. Our issue briefing is a bit out of date, but you can add to our template with a request to pause any new fossil fuel projects until the EPBC Act is properly assessed and strengthened.
	It’s crucial that we pressure the Federal Gov to stop the “emissions bombshell” that will result if fracking in the Beetaloo Basin project proceeds.  Look out for a new issue briefing on our briefings page next week.

Don’t forget our Quick Actions table

We keep this up to date with petitions and campaigns from other groups and organisations, like this one: Stop Oil and Gas Exploration in Tas/Vic/SA - Save Our Southern Sea Country.

Use this table to get your next MPEG group meeting rolling with some quick actions!

MPEG community quarterly meetups

Keep in touch with the MPEG community through our quarterly webinars, where local groups and anyone interested in MPEGs can come to hear the latest news, important issues to focus on, and tips & tricks for running your local group. 

Our last session in March allowed groups around Australia to share their knowledge, and it was very inspiring to hear what they’ve been up to!

< RSVP for June 13 MPEG Community session here >

All of our issue briefings, templates and tips can be found on our website: Writing to MPs. Check it out!

• Click on the button above every time you or your group write a letter, make a call or visit your MP. This will help us track the impact we have as a collective, and inspire more people to step up to action!
  • Add this link to your browser bookmarks for future use 
    
    
• Following up on your MP: Don't forget to follow up if your MP doesn't reply – and to keep the conversation going when they do! Tips for this are in the speech bubbles at the bottom of our briefings page. 

Reminders

• YOU CAN STILL JOIN OUR MPEG VOLUNTEER TEAM – we need you now more than ever! There are roles assisting with writing issue briefings, monitoring public policy, calling and emailing interested folks, general admin or posting on social media. Please email us if you are keen 😎 
  
  
• RSVP to our next MPEG Community meetup on June 13, 7.30pm AEST

Ok, that’s it for me for now. Thank you again for being part of this amazing team of changemakers, and let’s keep showing them how it’s done.

With warmth, solidarity and gratitude,

Carly, on behalf of the MPEGs team