Vote Planet is suddenly in a position where it must find about 900 more members in the next three months. Yes, that’s right, about 10 members a day.
ALP is supporting an LNP bill that requires all registered microparties to present to the AEC by late November with at least 1,500 members, up from the 500 members originally required to become registered. Read more here. This is undemocratic to say the least, and a huge blow to any registered party without representation in federal parliament. We will spend the coming months raising membership rather than campaigning for the election. But there are also opportunities that fall out of this; Vote Planet may end up in a better position than it started.
Please help keep climate emergency on the ballot this election:
You could also ask a climate or enviro group to join One Planet and Save the Planet as an alliance member.
0 Comments
Last Thursday, the LNP put four Bill’s before Parliament packaged under ‘Electoral Legislation Amendments’. One of the Bills, The ironically named Party Registration Integrity Bill 2021, trebles the required number of party members for parties not represented in parliament, increasing the number from 500 to 1500 members. This could seem reasonable if the requirement was grandfathered in so that registered parties would only need to meet the requirement when they re-register with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) every two years. However, the Bill will require parties to re-register with triple the members within three months of the Bill’s passing and in the lead up to a Federal Election. This Bill is designed to ensure that the majority of microparties are struck from the ballot this election. All the money, resourcing and sheer effort Vote Planet and other parties put in to ensure we were registered, plus the campaigning we have done since on the basis we can run in the election, can be erased by parliament. Incidentally, one in six Australians put a microparty #1 on their ballot. How will the ALP vote on this Bill? The majority of microparties are considerably more progressive than the LNP and so the ALP is more likely to get microparty preferences. Will the ALP conclude that wiping out all these microparties is likely to ultimately disadvantage them? So far, there hasn’t been any objections to the Bill or amendments put forward. There are other elements that relate to the naming of parties (Liberal and Labor don’t want others using their names). This would rule out The New Liberals, who have already fought to have their name, and The Liberal Democrats and Democratic Labour Party. It's likely that The New Liberals are the main target of this bill as they could really shake things up for The Liberal Party. If you are a registered Australian voter, please join Vote Planet and help us stay registered. Contact your MPs and object to this flagrant attack on grassroots democracy. Demand that the changes are grandfathered in. Vote Planet is working with an alliance of microparties to overturn fight this attack on democracy. Vote Planet's AGM has been announced for Monday 6 September 2021 at 7:30pm. Members should email [email protected] if they would like to attend. Further details are available in the July 2021 Newsletter sent to Vote Planet members titled Vote Planet Newsletter.
Australia’s first registered climate emergency party
Climate Emergency Action Alliance-Vote Planet is a new federally registered political party that seeks to fill the void left by other parties, which propose some incremental action to slow warming but no vision for restoring a safe climate. It’s up to us Vote Planet (Climate Emergency Action Alliance) calls on all Australians to drop identity politics and vote for ‘whatever it takes’ to restore a safe climate. “We have left it too long for half measures or tweaked business-as-usual; winning slowly means losing. Setting weak climate targets only further delays and intensifies necessary action,” said party executive, Tiffany Harrison. Who is the Climate Emergency Action Alliance? The party was formed as an alliance between Save the Planet and One Planet, who share common views on climate action and are currently fielding climate emergency candidates for the next federal election. Save the Planet founded in 2012 on a climate emergency platform that included zero emissions in under 10 years and massive drawdown of carbon dioxide to restore safe greenhouse gas concentrations. Co-founded by Adrian Whitehead (former convenor of the Victorian Greens, co-founder of Beyond Zero Emissions) and Philip Sutton (co-author of Climate Code Red, and a key architect of the global Climate Emergency Declaration). “Since 2012, Save the Planet has run over 25 candidates,” said Adrian. One Planet began in Victoria in 2018 with a regional focus, recruiting rural members from South-eastern Australia and across the nation. One Planet was founded by Kammy Cordner Hunt (former Greens candidate) and Edwin Adamson (co-founder of the Australian Democrats). “Many rural voters attended the launch meeting in Mansfield (Vic), highlighting regional Victorians’ concerns for food security, water and the future of farming” said Kammy. “Vote Planet focuses on the science of what is needed for action, not the politics”. Putting Climate Emergency Action Alliance #1 will make a difference - Vote Planet! Until there is a political vision for how we restore a safe climate, a safe future will not happen, such is the scope of work required. No other federally registered Australian political party is prioritising climate emergency action. “Passing a ‘Climate Emergency Mobilisation Act’ would create the government structures to act, and thus fill the leadership vacuum, creating the potential for global change” said party secretary, Timo Juntunen. “We engage other candidates to leverage climate action, not preference deals. For example, in Darebin Vic, preference discussions led to the world’s first acknowledgement of the climate emergency by a sitting government” said Tiffany. “We have the solutions; the biggest risk is lack of ambition”. Just one country needs to do what’s necessary before others follow suit. Australia should fill this leadership vacuum”. Contact for this media release: Adrian Whitehead, [email protected], 0403 735 118 |