There is growing public momentum for our governments to act on climate and now is the time to build on that. The more of us who demand action, the more our politicians will listen.
Many in North Sydney have already written or spoken to MP Trent Zimmerman, demanding that he take a stronger position on emissions reduction targets, and support the Climate Bill.
And it’s working! The statements and opinions coming from Zimmerman recently show that there's merit in our strategy of applying pressure on him, as we can see in this recent SMH article: Fossil fuels’ free ride: Liberal MPs escalate calls for net zero target
In the next week Parliament’s Environment and Energy Committee is expected to release a report with recommendations to the House on whether all, some or none of the Climate Bill should be adopted. If the government does not agree that the Bill should be tabled for debate, a majority of MPs in the House of Representatives must support a “suspension of standing orders” to pause planned business and debate the Bill. For this to happen, at least two government MPs will need to cross the floor and vote in favour of a debate. That’s why it is now more important than ever to contact our local MP and ask that the Bill is debated in Parliament.
While we're in lockdown, we can still put pressure on our MPs. Join us online — it’s amazing how much better it makes you feel, working together and encouraging each other to get some action in parliament!
The climate crisis hasn't gone away and we need to keep our politicians on their toes. It matters to MPs what the mood in their electorate is and what constituents want. But they can’t know that unless we tell them!
If you have never written to a politician or called one before, come along and we can help you get started. You'll need your laptop or tablet, and we'll have templates, materials, and ideas to make it easy to make a difference.
If you have already contacted your MP and have received a lacklustre reply, we can workshop a follow-up plan together, and make sure we’re still keeping the pressure on at this crucial time.
RSVP required.