Community groups in Geelong concerned about climate are coming together at Geelong West Town Hall on 9 May 2024 to explore what they will have to say and do to get heard.
The organisers write:
Ocean, land and air temperatures are shattering all records as Earth parachutes into a new hostile climate of ever-increasing warming and ecological collapse. Australians are losing their homes and livelihoods to floods, bushfires and hurricanes. Recent research shows that one in four Australian children aged 10-14 years believe the world will end before they grow up.
Meanwhile, politicians and media seem to believe they can simply continue with business-as-usual in favour of opening up new fossil fuel projects and increasing Australia’s fossil fuel exports.
What do we do? How do we stop our leaders from playing with fire and jeopardising our future? What do we – the voters and residents of Colac and Corangamite electorates – have to say and do to get heard on this issue?
The purpose of this meeting is to learn what our current elected representatives and new political players in the field have to say on this topic, and to get together as a community around our demand for real climate action.
Speakers, among others:
Sue Barrett – strategist who successfully led Voices of Goldstein’s and Zoe Daniel’s remarkable 2022 election campaign
Dr Jeanne Nel – governance scholar and founding member of CoolGeelong
Jenna Wade – community activator and Norlane resident
Robert Patterson – co-founder of ADAC and Letition.org
The event will be streamed live on The Sustainable Hour’s Facebook page.
► Sign up on www.eventbrite.com
Thursday 9 May 2024 at 5:30pm to 7:00pm at the Geelong West Town Hall, 153 Pakington Street, Geelong West
► Live video streaming on Facebook will be posted here: www.fb.com/thesustainablehour
► Polls and Q&A will happen through Slido
Runsheet – Geelong West Town Hall climate meeting
Thursday 9th of May 2024 at 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Facilitators: Jenna Wade & Tony Gleeson
Tony Gleeson: Acknowledgement of Country
Mik Aidt: What’s the problem? Where are we at? Climate and politics – in brief.
www.climatesafety.info
Some key questions this community meeting seeks to explore:
• Do we need Council, State and Federal governments to begin prioritising a safe climate in all of their decision making?
• As a community, do we need to engage more with our local representatives on this issue?
• Should we consider the “Voices of..” model in Geelong?
What is everyone’s initial opinion on this? Open Slido and reply – so that we learn how this assembly thinks.
Speakers will now present us to possible answers and guidance to move the climate narrative forward:
Sue Barrett: The Goldstein model, could it be taken up in Geelong?
i.e.: www.voicesofcorangamite.org
Dr Jeanne Nel: Jeanne researches and teaches corporate law and governance. She is passionate about personal and corporate environmental stewardship. Jeanne is also a co-founder of CoolGeelong, a local community group that champions the preservation and growth of Greater Geelong’s Urban Forest.
www.facebook.com/groups/coolgeelongnews
Jenna Wade: Connection to nature, Friends of Cowies Creek – School engagement Pilot Program, importance of creating connection to nature/future and current sustainability for youth. Friends of Cuthbertsons Creek – collaboration with Viva, Council and community to increase biodiversity values.
www.facebook.com/Cowiescreek
Robert Patterson: How communities can come together to engage with their elected representatives: Letition.org. (Including David Pocock’s video message)
• Canberra has the power to change the narrative.
• Local groups, the grassroots, must approach Canberra to do much more on climate action.
• Letition.org: A way to connect with our Local Parliamentarians in Geelong and in the wider Australian community.
• Let’s generate a May ‘Climate and Mental Health’ Letition.
• And let’s support David Pocock’s Duty of Care Bill with another Letition. Start at www.letition.org
David Pocock, senator: Video message recorded for this meeting
Mik Aidt: What’s next? Upcoming Council and Federal elections.
Three things to come out of this meeting / have clarification on re: the Slido polling:
1. Send Letitions?
2. Explore Sue’s ideas with the “Voices of”?
3. Call another meeting on climate action?
Suggested: Meeting in Beav’s Bar on 23rd of May at 5:00pm to move forward?
Organising a meeting with local Federal Members of Parliament? – between Monday July 9th and Thursday August 8th
Jenna and Tony: Can we, as a community, do it and create the change? Rounding off.
Meeting ends at 7:00pm.
ARTICLE IN THE GEELONG INDEPENDENT ON 3 MAY 2024:
Be heard on climate change
Geelong community groups concerned about the increasing risk posed by climate change will come together at Geelong West as part of a public meeting to explore what people can do to make themselves heard.
The event, which will be held at 5.30pm May 9 at Geelong West Town Hall, is part of a growing alliance between organisations such as A Different Approach Community (ADAC), Letitia.org, Parents for Climate, Geelong Sustainability and Climate and Health Alliance.
Attendees at the meeting will hear from a range of speakers, including Sue Barrett (strategist for Zoe Daniel’s successful election campaign), La Trobe University’s Dr Jeanne Nel, community activator and Norlane resident Jenna Wade and ADAC and Letitia.org co-founder Robert Patterson.
Mr Patterson said time was running out for meaningful action on climate change.
“There’s a fair feeling out there that we’ve just got to do something politically that’s much stronger,” he said.
“We really need to do much more, because the CO2 levels are rising and temperatures are going through the roof and we can see the results. We’ve only got a short period of time to actually reverse it and turn it around so that we see CO2 levels start to drop.
“I think a lot of organisations are hesitant to go there because politically some of their members are of one persuasion or another, but we’re not aligned with anybody.
“I think that everybody that’s coming to this meeting would vote for the party, for the person or the independent that will stand up and take to Canberra what the Geelong people want taken.
“So we’re inviting councillors, state members, federal members… some will come, some won’t. Some understand the problem more than others, but as a community in Geelong, we want our politicians at whatever level to be doing much, much more in this climate space.”
Mr Patterson said anyone who wanted to have an impact immediately could go to Letition.org and print their own letter to send to a member of Parliament.
To find out more or register for the meeting go to eventbrite.com.au and search for ‘getting together on climate action’. The event will also be streamed live on The Sustainable Hour’s Facebook page.
Current warming trends already represent a major change to Earth systems that cannot be reversed on any human time scale. It’s time we take this seriously and listen to what the science says is needed to secure a safe future for all.