Climate Action a Top Priority for Next Parliament
To the Next Parliament of Australia --
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are rising, moving the country further away from its Paris Agreement obligations.
Whichever party wins government on Saturday, urgent action on climate change must be a top priority for the 46th Parliament of Australia.
The consequences of climate change are already upon us; including harsher and more frequent extreme weather, destruction of natural ecosystems, severe property damage and a worldwide threat to human health.
Australia Institute research shows current emission reduction targets are incompatible with the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement that aims to hold the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C and no more than 2.0°C above pre-industrial levels.
The solutions are all available to address climate change, all that is missing is the political will.
Sign hereGet gun lobby money out of politics
Australia’s gun control laws are one of our most important reforms to public policy – and public health. They must not be weakened.
We, the undersigned, urge all Australian political parties and candidates to refuse donations from the gun lobby.
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Close tax loopholes
We, the undersigned--
Call upon the Australian Parliament to guarantee that the tax system treats all Australians fairly and raises the revenue our community needs to fund vital services. Low income workers should not pay more tax than millionaires.
We call upon the Australian Parliament to abolish the practice of providing cash refunds for unused franking credits to people who pay zero tax, introduced by the Howard Government in 2000.
The policy mainly benefits the most wealthy of Australians and no other country does this. Currently, the Federal Government spends more on refunding franking credits than it does on funding public schools.
It's time to end this tax bonus for those who pay no tax.
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Sign hereWe can’t just save the ABC, we need to fix it
Add your name: We need to fix the ABC.
Dear Prime Minister and Opposition Leader –
The ABC is one of Australia’s most trusted news sources. We need you to fix it.
We urge you to make a public guarantee safeguarding the independence of the ABC and keeping our public broadcaster, its Board and management free of political interference. We also urge you to commit to funding the ABC adequately so it can fulfil its role as our public broadcaster.
Sign hereRoyal Commission into the management of the MDB
To our Political Leaders
The systemic mismanagement and maladministration of the Murray Darling Basin Plan needs to stop. Australia’s water resources need to be managed in the public interest, not for the benefit of corporations and lobbyists.
We need a Royal Commission into the management of our greatest rivers.
Sign hereEstablish a Federal Anti-Corruption Watchdog Now
To the Prime Minister
We urge you to help restore integrity, accountability and trust in the Federal Parliament and Australian Public Service.
We need a Federal Anti-Corruption Watchdog with teeth.
Protect Our Laws
To the NSW Parliament --
Weakening the laws that require the full climate change impacts to be considered in the assessment of new coal mines is a dangerous backward step and flies in the face of combating dangerous global warming.
If NSW is genuine about its own goal of net zero emissions by 2050, this legislation should be abandoned.
Buckling to the coal lobby on this matter sets a terrible precedent for Australia's democracy.
We urge you to stand up to the coal lobby and protect the laws that protect us.
Sign hereNational climate disaster levy
To the Parliament of Australia --
Climate change is making natural disasters like fires, floods, heatwaves and drought more frequent and more extreme.
These disasters are already costing ordinary Australians billions of dollars every year.
Every tonne of coal and gas mined in Australia ends up as more greenhouse gas being pumped into the atmosphere, fuelling climate change and making these disasters worse.
These costs will keep increasing as climate change gets worse.
We urge you to establish a National Climate Disaster Fund, funded by a levy on each tonne of all coal, gas and oil produced in Australia.
Sign hereKyoto loophole
To the Prime Minister of Australia --
We urge you to scrap Australia's plan to use a dodgy accounting trick, the so-called 'carryover' Kyoto credits, to meet Australia's Paris Target.
Research shows there is no scientific, moral or legal foundation for the Australian Government’s determination to gain credit for its historic recalcitrance.
It is antithetical to the goals and principles of the Paris Agreement and would only undermine global action to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees.
Sign hereBlock the income tax cuts for high income earners
We the undersigned urge you to oppose stage 3(a) of the proposed income tax cuts, announced in the 2019 Budget.
Sign on to the petition here --
Sign hereProtect The Bight
We, the undersigned--
Call upon the Australian Parliament to protect the Great Australian Bight from exploitative oil drilling that will put at risk thousands of jobs, as well as huge swathes of the Australian coastal and marine environment.
We call upon the Australian Parliament to legislate to protect the Great Australian Bight from oil drilling and to officially begin the process of declaring the area a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Great Australian Bight is an environmental treasure of national and international significance. Allowing companies to drill for oil in the Bight would accelerate global warming by further increasing Australia’s carbon emissions, put tourism, aquaculture and fisheries jobs at risk and endanger an essential marine ecosystem that acts as one of the most important whale sanctuaries in the world.
It is time to protect the Bight and the regional economies that rely on a healthy ocean to survive.
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Sign hereNo New Coal Mines for Tasmania
To the Premier & Opposition Leader of Tasmania --
We must listen to the scientists on climate change and:
1 // Stop expanding Tasmania's coal industry. We need a moratorium on new coal mines.
2 // Prioritise our productive landscapes over new coal mines. Tasmania is blessed with rich arable land that has fed people here for over 40,000 years. We cannot threaten this by building new coal mines that will compete for water
3 // Cease taxpayer-funded subsidies for fossil fuel projects. Every dollar of taxpayers' money spent subsidising new coal mines is a dollar that can't be spent on hospitals, schools and other services Tasmanians rely on.
Sign hereStrong Revenue Base
Australia needs a stronger revenue base.
In order to fund the services and infrastructure that Australia needs, we need more tax — not less.
Australia Institute research shows that Australia is a low taxing country. In fact, we are one of the lowest taxing nations in the OECD.
Ultimately, business will best flourish if a decent, cohesive society is maintained.
In the lead up to the 2018 federal budget and the next federal election:
We call upon all political leaders to reject a tax cuts race to the bottom, and instead focus on tackling tax avoidance, closing tax loopholes, and unfair tax concessions in order to build a stronger revenue base for the nation.
Sign hereA fair go for the Murray Darling Basin
Add your name calling for a fair go for the Murray Darling >
Dear Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources --
A precedent has been set for proper consultation and compensation for all stakeholders in the Lower Darling: the Barkandji native title holders, graziers, businesses and property owners, and small irrigators.
We need a fair go for everyone who relies on the Murray Darling Basin.
Sign hereFederal Anti-Corruption Commission
To our federal political leaders
A strong and independent federal anti-corruption commission is urgently needed to investigate and expose corruption and misconduct in the federal government and public service.
But a poorly designed ICAC would be worse than none at all.
The Australia Institute’s National Integrity Committee has prepared a benchmark blueprint and design principles for an effective ICAC. 41 corruption fighters and eminent lawyers have signed an open letter backing it and I’m backing it too.
To be effective, we need the anti-corruption body to have:
- a broad jurisdiction to investigate any conduct that adversely affects the proper exercise of public administration
- strong investigative powers including the ability to hold public hearings
- secured independence including long term appointments for the Commissioner and a stable budget
It’s time to set up a proper federal corruption watchdog with teeth.
Sign hereBack QLD not coal
Add your name!
"Queensland has been amongst the lowest in state spending on social services in Australia. But when it comes to spending money on handouts to the mining and fossil fuel industry - no other State can beat Queensland.
"Every dollar the Queensland government spends on handouts to coal companies is a dollar that can't be spent on schools, teachers, hospitals or nurses.
"Premier Palaszczuk, let's back Queenslanders not coal companies. End subsidies to the coal industry."
Sign hereOpera House advertising may break National Heritage Law
Australia Institute research shows repeatedly using the Sydney Opera House for advertising may break national heritage laws
Dear Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Environment Minister Melissa Price --
The Opera House is not a billboard, it is a national and international heritage-listed icon.
Using the Opera House for advertising may break national heritage laws.
You must ensure future visual promotions displayed on the Opera House sails meet ALL legal requirements under Commonwealth environmental law.
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