Issue #21: Oi Oi Oi
On the Australian election and the power of voting
Kia ora, and happy World Turtle Day for yesterday!
In good news, our friendly Australian neighbours are one step closer to a climate-friendly parliament 🌎 Their general election over the weekend saw urgent climate action becoming a key factor in how Aussies voted. Our politicians will be keeping a close eye on this message from the public, as our local elections come up in October. What a great win for the climate!
Another smaller win from the current budget was more funding for trains. Progress is being made, slowly but surely!
The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the regenerative farming petition.
What can you do today?
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Invoke a vote
MP Golriz Gahraman’s bill for lowering the voting age is up for consideration in Parliament. This bill allows us to extend the vote to 16 year olds and above, many of whom pay taxes and will be most affected by the policies brought in today. However, there is a long road ahead for this bill, with many MPs hesitant.
Action: Join the movement to make voting more accessible for rangatahiMillions of Americans don't realise that they need to be voting in 3-4 elections every year in order to push politicians into climate action. Help get more people engaged in voting for climate in the US.
Action: Share this website with 1 friend who can vote in the StatesThe energy around Australia’s election makes this a great time to push for Australia’s biggest climate polluter, AGL, to close their coal burning plants by 2030 (or ideally much sooner!)
Action: Call on AGL to stop their dodgy deals
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Enlarge the charge!
Tesla is proposing to invest in Puke Ariki Car Park with five electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and New Plymouth District Council would like to hear your feedback on this. While we don’t favour any particular EV company, more charging stations will be essential to support our targets for electrification of our national fleet.
Action: Email the council saying you support more EV charging in New Plymouth by Monday 30 May
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Plant for papatūānuku
Matariki (1 month from now on 24 June) is a time of renewal and new life – and also the best tree planting season. Community tree-planting days will be held across Tāmaki-Makaurau this winter.
Action: Join a tree planting session or tell a friend in Auckland about themFollowing the return of the Northern Explorer (the recently successful #SaveOurTrains campaign), there’s no better time than now to take the train and show that there is demand for public transport!
Action: Consider booking a regional train trip to encourage our rail network to grow
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this Juice Media video channel on (Australian) climate policy, if you haven’t already discovered them.
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club
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