During May 2011, LIVE (Locals Into Victoria’s Environment) held a daily vigil on the steps of the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne, with guest speakers at 1pm each day, under the banner of ‘Deckchair Democracy’. (See, for example, a presentation by Ben Courtice on Friends of the Earth’s Wind Energy Campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jTK5yYalvA) The group also collected signatures on a petition “Our children and grandchildren deserve a safe climate” and presented the results to the Federal Member for Melbourne and Multi-Party Climate Change Committee (MPCCC) member, Adam Bandt MP, on the steps of Parliament House on Tuesday 12 July.
LIVE also issued a statement in response to the Clean Energy Future plan announced by the Prime Minister on Sunday 10 July, see below for full text.
The actual handover of the petition was appropriately enough done by a group of children:
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Some of the children had also prepared individual messages for the Prime Minister, including this one:
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Accepting the petition Adam Bandt congratulated the group for their work in countering misinformation, observing amongst other things that recognition of the need for action on climate change was practically taken for granted amongst younger people:it was their elders who needed the education campaign.
Statement issued by LIVE:
12 July 2011
Clean Energy Future Plan: the historic first of many steps towards a safe climate for our children and grandchildren
Port Phillip climate action group, Locals Into Victoria’s Environment (LIVE) welcomes the Clean Energy Future plan announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Sunday 10 July 2011. LIVE congratulates the members of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee for negotiating an agreement that takes a step in the right direction for Australians, particularly young Australians. LIVE acknowledges the enormous pressure that the MPCCC has been placed under by self-serving fossil fuel interests and thanks the members for their courage.
The Clean Energy Future plan is just a beginning but it is a plan that lays the foundations to enable Australians to play their role, alongside the citizens of other countries, in leading the way to tackling dangerous global warming. As the largest per capita emitters in the developed world, Australians must take responsibility for reducing our carbon footprint and this plan offers us the opportunity to get started.
Unlike the CPRS, which was riddled with loopholes for polluters, this new plan is more flexible and allows for quicker responses to new climate science information. It opens the door to innovation, voluntary pollution reduction actions and a nation building renewable energy industry with great opportunities for investment and jobs in local communities. We acknowledge the MPCCC for recognising the many opportunities that avoiding dangerous global warming presents.
This is only the first of many steps needed for a safe climate future for our children and grandchildren so LIVE will still be working hard, along with other climate action groups, to continue the push for the closure of Hazelwood and to stop HRL’s proposed new coal fired electricity generator, with a fair transition for coal industry workers. As we face the enormous challenges of climate change, we cannot afford to waste time, money and energy propping up dirty energy systems which would be at the expense of the real solutions: renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
LIVE will also work to highlight the real cost to ordinary Australian’s of the Coalition’s so-called ‘direct-action plan’, and the fact that not a single legitimate economist has come forward to support it.
LIVE thanks all those people who have supported our community actions including the more than 4000 people who formed the human sign on St Kilda Beach in 2009, and the month long Deckchair Democracy vigil in May 2011 on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament House. People power is an important and vibrant part of a healthy democracy and has contributed to the first positive news for some time. We will continue our role in working closely with other community groups and community members to tackle dangerous global warming for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
Deborah Hart LIVE Board member
On behalf of LIVE
