Our campaigns

Current Campaigns->

On this page you will find actions which are part of ongoing campaigns Climate Change Balmain Rozelle is supporting.

Climate Change Balmain Rozelle communicates and coordinates with other environmental campaigning organisations to get across the issues and stay up-to-date. We distill key information from the reams of detail and provide you with background Fact Sheets to help inform your views and keep across issues. We aim to provide information tools to make your contribution focussed, efficient and effective.

Federal Election 2022

CCBR is focusing on the Senate for this election. There are six places to be filled for NSW, and a multitude of parties, some familiar, some unknown or confusingly named. We've sorted through them, and picked out the ones with best climate policies. Our "Vote Climate in the Senate" flyer is ready for distribution. Read on for how YOU can help.

CCBR's Vote Climate in the Senate flyer

VOTE CLIMATE

At the upcoming Federal Election, it's vital and urgent that we get a new government that will act much more strongly on climate than the present one. Neither of the major parties (the ones likely to be able to form a government) have consistently strong enough policies on this. Many people believe that the cross-benches (both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate) may hold the key.

CCBR always backs policies rather than directing votes to specific candidates: but pinning down – and evaluating - exactly what policies various parties or groups would be offering has been a major task.

SENATE CHOICES

After much research, drafting and revising as candidates and parties have come and gone - and even changed names – we now have a "How to Vote Climate in the Senate" flyer to distribute. We've ranked the more substantial parties in three colour-coded groups: green for lots of strong climate policies: amber for some good climate policies: and red for the rest: the parties with little or nothing good on climate. And we've added some clues about the importance of preferences.

How voting In the senate works (click to read more).

Getting the flyer out

You can volunteer to hand out How To Vote Climate in the Senate flyers in April, in either Reid or Grayndler electorates. Choose a quick flyer handout, a market stall, or a combination event. Or all three!

1. Flyer handouts at commuter stops - you choose a busy bus, train or ferry stop in your area - CCBR has a list. CCBR supplies the flyers and some guidance, and you pick suitable weekday mornings or afternoons to cover commuter times (about 7.15am to 8.45am, or 4 to 6pm), preferably between 5 April and 21 April. You can invite a friend to help, or we may be able to pair you with someone else.

2. Market stalls or the Big Climate Picnic - time for a more leisurely conversation at the Big Climate Picnic (Sunday afternoon April 10) or at a stall in Rozelle Market (Saturday morning April 23). You will do a shift of about 2 hours, along with other volunteers, engaging in conversations about climate, handing out flyers, inviting people to display a Climate Action Now sign or sticker, and encouraging them to join the CCBR mailing list. A CCBR coordinator will be there.

3. Flyers and chat - a morning outside a farmers market at either Concord (Sunday morning April 3) or Orange Grove (Easter Saturday morning April 16), or a shopping centre in Reid, like Drummoyne or Wareemba. Some conversations, but many shoppers will only have time (and a spare hand) to take a flyer. Shifts of 1.5 or 2 hours. Multiple volunteers, and a CCBR coordinator will have an info table, sandwich board, etc.

How to volunteer

Check your diary now. When can you help?

  • Sun 3 Apr: Concord market

  • Sun 10 Apr: Big Climate Picnic (Burwood Park)

  • Tues 12 Apr: Climate in the Pub (The Merton Hotel)

  • Sat 16 Apr: (Easter Sat): Orange Grove Market

  • Sun 17 Apr: Brett Park (Drummoyne)

  • Sat 23 Apr: Rozelle Market

  • Sun 24 Apr: Wareemba shopping centre

  • Sun 1 May: Drummoyne shopping centre

  • Any weekdays: morning or evening commuter times

How to enlist:

  • Send an email to ccbalroz@gmail.com with your name, mobile number, suburb and date + time preferences, OR

  • Use the CCBR Election Volunteering Schedule for the Reid events to enter your name and email, OR

  • Call or SMS Angela on 0410 716 478 with your queries or offers of help.

We need your help to get as many flyers out before polling gets underway (remembering that pre-polling starts a couple of weeks before polling day itself). We will review possible polling day handouts closer to May.

Two awesome campaigns by others

Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle is pleased to draw attention to two new campaigns, aimed at different audiences, and with different goals.

The Together We Can movement is for everyone in Australia, and invites people to read and share stories about why they want more action on climate change. People like Queensland farmer Bruce, or marine scientist Steph from Manly, Zubaida, a teacher from Blacktown, or Nuria, an Indigenous leader in WA. These stories will be taken to Canberra, by the coalition of groups supporting Together We Can – groups and businesses including the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Parents for Climate Action and others.

If you sometimes feel you are alone in your concerns, add your voice and take inspiration from others at this site, find out how many in your electorate share your concern, and more.

____________________

Stop Adani Bravus Abbot Point NQXT

The #StopAdani campaign has been going on for over 10 years, with local victories like saving Australian taxpayers from lending $1 billion for a railway, forcing the mine to size down to a third of its original scope, and repeatedly delaying the export of any coal.


But its biggest impact has probably been on the the international coal industry and its financing. Stop the Money began as Australia's Big 4 Banks one by one were forced to announce policies to stop lending for new thermal coal mines. It then spread to groups like Lloyds of London who ruled out insuring coal (and in some cases oil and gas) projects worldwide. Well over 100 corporations have refused to back the Adani mine, forcing Gautam Adani to use personal funds to pay for this dirty mine, its railway, and its port.


Adani has also been engaging in greenwashing, called out for example by scientists refusing to have their work featured at the Science Museum in London because of its association with Adani Green Energy. The Adani Carmichael mine has had to change its name (to Bravus), and the Abbott Point Coal terminal has had to become NQXT, as it tries to refinance its heavy debt.

The wonderful team at Market Forces have created a site that explains all to potential investors in NXQT - and to assist them all you have to do is click on the link nqxt.org to help push it up in the Google search engine. Information is powerful - help make sure it gets into the right hands.

Climate Action Now: visibility!

Two thirds of Australians rate climate change as an important issue in their vote for the next federal election – including a majority in every seat in Australia. Many of them want a simple action to show their support for strong action on climate change.

Something like a simple physical sign.

Thousands of these are beginning to roll out across Australia, starting in Queensland where lockdowns have not inhibited contacts. Now it is the turn of NSW!

Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle is partnering with the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and other non-aligned action groups to get signs onto front fences, into windows, onto cars – anywhere where individuals and households can show they are more than ready to see real action.

By the federal election, we hope the country is plastered with the message, and that politicians have seen them many times over, including in unexpected places.

Why does this campaign matter?

People sometimes think they are on their own in their concern about our climate crisis. In a busy world with new issues coming up, and with a press sometimes influenced by fossil fuel interests, it’s also possible for climate action to be pushed aside by other issues. As we approach the next Federal election, this visibility campaign aims to keep the issue front of mind for both voters and political representatives, and to create a space where people can feel confident about raising their voices for action.

When is it happening?


Phase 1 is you, friends and family. From October, you pick up a corflute (plastic) sign from anyone of our 21 volunteer hubs in inner west Sydney from East Balmain to Ashfield, from Annandale to Drummoyne.

Phase 2 will be taking signs to market stalls or street events, in November and December. We will offer signs – for a small donation – to individuals, especially in our local electorates of Grayndler and Reid. We will also be approaching local retail and cafes to invite them to display a sign.

Update: Successful completion by December. Dont forget to give a thumbs up to anyone you see displaying the sign!

What you can do

  • Display a sign on your own property (October, November, December)

  • Invite friends, family and neighbours to join you – or become a distribution hub in the inner west

  • Volunteer to take the message to the public with a shift at a market stall or a visit to local shops (November and December)

  • Make a donation to ACF or CCBR to help pay for printing more!


Contact us if you would like one sign, a few, or like to become a distribution hub within the inner west – include your suburb and mobile number, so we can put you in touch with the nearest place to collect.

To join the crew for December, email us.

Australia's 2030 Climate Targets

As COP26 in Glasgow approaches, CCBR is joining a national Day of Action on Friday 1 October—one month before—to call on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to take a strong 2030 climate target to the summit.

And we will be keeping up the pressure throughout October!

Key message:
Match Boris and Biden’s climate targets.

The United States and United Kingdom have increased their 2030 emissions reductions targets:

  • UK by 68% (from 1990 levels) by 2030

  • USA 50-52% (on 2005 levels) by 2030

  • Australia is currently sitting on 26-28% (on 2005 levels) by 2030.

What's the point of the climate target campaign?

By putting out public calls for Morrison to match the targets set by Boris Johnson and Joe Biden we focus awareness on how inadequate our government has been so far, and how we need more than a net-zero-by-2050 commitment. This strategy will lead into a visibility campaign for Climate Action Now in the leadup to the Federal election.

Update: CCBR held a successful Day of Action event. See our Facebook group for a selection of signs made by our members.

You can send YOUR message to Scott Morrison here, thanks to our colleagues at Friends of The Earth Victoria.

What you can do

Help Day of Action organisers Friends of the Earth create a big buzz on social media.

  • Make your own sign with Australia's 2030 climate target as the theme, and include #MatchBorisAndBiden.

  • Take a selfie and share it on your own social media with a challenge to friends ( naming them is great!) to be even more creative than you ... use the #MatchBorisAndBidenOnClimate and #Auspol hashtags..

  • Even if you don't have a social media account, join us by Zoom at 6pm on Friday October 1. (Register before, here.) Bring a big piece of paper, a marker pen, and as much creativity as you can muster to make your own sign. We will be photographing each image to share on CCBR's Facebook page over the month of October. As we will send you your personalised picture.

  • Add your call for climate targets to your email signature during October. (Google How to add an image to your email signature if you are not sure how).

  • Share your pictures - or your ideas to spread the campaign - with CCBR on Facebook or Twitter.

To#StopAdani, Stop the Money

Adani doesn't want investors to know they are destroying our environment – and Wangan and Jagalingou land – to dig Australia's biggest coal mine. But environment-wrecking projects can be stopped even when they are under construction: the Jabiluka mine, James Price Point gas plant and the Franklin Dam were all victories for people power.

Why is the Adani campaign so important?

If we really want to slow Australia's contribution to climate change, reducing our coal exports is essential. We export fully 200% more greenhouse gas equivalent (to be burnt overseas) than we emit in Australia from every source, including manufacturing, agriculture, transport and electricity.

That's why we can't let a new coal basin in Queensland open up, especially with other billionaires like Gina Reinhart and Clive Palmer watching and waiting before they activate their coal leases in the Galilee Basin.

What's the focus on finance?

The #StopAdani movement has identified 5 investment banks that have fingers in Adani's complex financial web: Blackrock, State Bank of India, MUFG, HSBC and JP Morgan. And CCBR supporters are joining in asking that:


1. each company use its influence as one of the biggest investors across Adani-owned entities to demand that Adani stop all work on the Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Project


2. if Adani refuses to stop work, each company publicly commits to cease further investments and withdraw existing investments from Adani Ports, Adani Enterprises, Atulya Resources, the Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Project, and the North Queensland Export Terminal.

What you can do

Can we make a difference?

Yes, we can!

After the Adani campaign ensured that the company would NOT receive a billion dollar loan from the Federal government, the campaign focused on companies working, or potentially working, with Adani. Over 100 companies have now said No to Adani, after they were alerted to its poor record on environmental degradation, pollution and indigenous rights, as well as the damage to the climate of opening a new mega mine.

They include many insurers: Lloyd's of London, which handles 40% of the world's energy insurance, devised a policy that went well beyond Adani - it ruled out backing all thermal coal, oil sands and Arctic energy exploration.

How green is your money?
Make a fuss/make a switch

Retiree with superannuation? Young person with a bank account? Company shareholder? Your savings are invested in projects that can either increase global warming – or slow it down.

Do you know how your bank or super fund invests your money?

When governments fail to act with urgency, others need to step up. Forward-thinking companies recognise that for their survival, and ours, they need to divest from fossil fuels. Taking care of the climate is responsible economic management.

How is YOUR money being used? Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle, along with Market Forces and the Australian Conservation Foundation, can help you tell your financial institution that YOU recognise the risk of business-as-usual. Don’t just make a switch, make a fuss to effect change.

What you can do

What others are doing

Peter, Leichhardt:

I emailed & phoned my lifelong super company admonishing them on their funding of fossil fuels. Couldn’t get any joy so started looking for alternatives. Have just swapped my money ...


Marie, East Balmain:

My bank was one of the big four. I wrote to the CEO and received a polite form letter back telling me all the good things they had done and were planning to do in the future. But it was not enough ... Now I have made the change and wonder why I was so anxious about it.


Diana, Balmain:

My super is tied up in a pension fund with one of the biggest (Australian Super), but I wrote to say that my partner has a substantial balance there that he will switch if we’re not satisfied with its climate credentials. We’re not satisfied enough. It's time to switch, but I'll send another fuss-making email first.


And for more help ...

Market Forces provides an option to find out more about super funds. We also recommend an excellent webinar by Craig ReucasselI and the Responsible Investment Association Australasia, Saving Planet A with your Super.


The Australian Conservation Foundation has a Bank Rank for the Big 4.