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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Switch off the CPRS, Switch on 100% Renewables!

This Friday, 27 March will see around 30 actions all over Australia at MP offices. They will be happening to protest the Rudd Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).

Come along to one (or two!) of them, if we don’t fight for a safe climate future, we won’t get one! Details of actions at the bottom of this post.

Yarra Climate Action Now will be attending the action at Member for Melbourne Lindsay Tanner's office, Friday 27 March, 12pm, 280 King St, Melbourne.

The Rudd Government's CPRS is a sick joke, written at the behest of the fossil fuel and dirty industry lobbies at the Australian people's expense.

It will:
- lock in inadequate and unscientific emissions reduction targets of 5-15% by 2020 on 2000 levels
- undermine international negotiations on an emissions agreement by showing Australia is not willing to pull its weight
- give pollution property rights to polluters, opening the Australian taxpayer up to potential compensation claims in the future when we have a government that will actually take climate change seriously
- result in a massive transfer of wealth from all of us to already rich, polluting companies, through free permits and other "compensation" giveaways
- disenfranchise voluntary action to reduce emissions by households and communities.

According to Guy Pearse in the latest Quarterly Essay, the giveaways to big business in the CPRS add up to a:

  • $455 one-off payment per Australian household to prop up the value of coal fired power stations for their mostly government and foreign owners.
  • $93 one-off payment per Australian household to the coal-mining industry
  • $500 per year per Australian household between now and 2020 (and beyond) to buy free permits for Australia's worst polluting industries.

The scheme is designed to maintain business as usual and transfer wealth, while giving the appearance of action. It will not stop fossil fuels from being dug up and burnt, despite the urgent need to keep the coal, gas and oil in the ground. We need to urgently transition to a zero emissions economy, and the CPRS does nothing to begin that transition, in fact it probably sabotages this. We have to take a stand against a policy that puts the interests of big polluters above those of all Australian's and future generations.


Confirmed actions on 27 March include:

VICTORIA
* Office of Lindsay Tanner, Member for Melbourne, 280 King St, Melbourme at 12pm.

* Office of Kelvin Thompson, Member for Wills, 3 Munro Street, Coburg at 10am. Info Ellen on ellenmroberts at yahoo.com.au

* Office of Martin Ferguson, Member for Batman at 8am, 159 High Street, Preston. Info: Carol on caride at bigpond.com.au

* Office of Jenny Macklin, Member for Jaga Jaga at 10am, 149 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg. Info: Bridgit on bbattova3 at bigpond.com.au

* Office of Peter Costello, Member for Higgins at 10am, 1343 Malvern Road Malvern, contact Sue on 0411885126

* Office of Nicola Roxon, Member for Gellibrand at 10am, 1 Thomas Holmes Street Maribyrnong. Info: Shaun westsax at westnet.com.au

* Office of Steve Gibbons, Member for Bendigo at 10.30am, Cnr Williamson and Myers St, Bendigo. Info Dean dc at masg.org.au

* Office of Senator Jacinta Collins, 1013 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill, 10.30am, info Carol, ci at the.inter.net.au

* Office of Sophie Mirabella, Member for Indi, 117 Murphy St, Wangaratta, 9am

* Office of Richard Marles, Member for Corio, 12 noon, 17A Yarra St, Geelong. Contact: Mitch 0448 997 415 bukitmouth at hotmail.com

* Office of Michael Danby, Member for Melbourne Ports, 12pm, 117 Fitzroy St, St.Kilda West, info David, david.robinson at y7mail.com

* Office of Simon Crean, Member for Hotham, 10am, 401 Clayton Road, Clayton. Info Imogen imogen.jackson at gmail.com


SOUTH AUSTRALIA
*4pm-5.30pm Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices, 100 King William St, Adelaide, info Gemma gemma.weedall at student.adelaide.edu.au


AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
*8am Federal Department of Climate Change, 2 Constitution Ave, Canberra, info Leigh, 0421 282 825


NEW SOUTH WALES
* Office of Anthony Albanese, Member for Grayndler at 9am, 334a Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. Info Climate Action Newtown

* Office of Tanya Plibersek, Member for Sydney – 12.09pm [As the international meeting in Copenhagen will be in December 2009], 422 Crown St, Surry Hills. Contact Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle, ccbrmail at aapt.net.au

* Office of Maxine McKew, Member for Bennelong, 10am, 230 Victoria Rd, Gladesville, info Jo info at climatechangerg.org.

* Office of Peter Garrett, Member for Kingsford Smith, 11am, Level 6, 806-812 Anzac Pde, Maroubra, info Scarlet scarlet.wilcock at gmail.com

* Office of Julie Owen, Member for Parramatta, 11am, Suite 8, The Octagon, 110 George St, Parramatta, info 0425 265 169.

*Office of Bob Debus, Member for Macquarie, 10am, 98 Bathurst St, Katoomba, info 0400 302 279
AND his other electorate office:
10.30am, 3/217 Howick St, Bathurst, info Judy, judygreg.walker at gmail.com

* Office of Sharon Bird, Member for Cunningham, Shop 501, Globe Lane, Wollongong - more details to come.

* Office of Senator Michael Forshaw, 4pm, Suite 2, Level 1, 33-35 Belmont St, Sutherland, info Jon, jon at doig.net

* Labor Party Headquarters – 3pm, 377 Sussex St Sydney NSW 2000. Contact Friends of the Earth Sydney - 0402 564 862

* Office of Greg Combet, Member for Charlton and Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change, 8:30am, 324 Main Road, Cardiff, following a footpath march down from Cardiff Station from about 8.15 am (Newcastle train arrives 8.12am). Organised by Climate Action Newcastle (CAN), Lake Macquarie Climate Action (LMCA) and Rising Tide. Info Zoe 0425316496 or zoetiarerogers at gmail.com

* Office of Sharon Grierson, Member for Newcastle, 10am, 427 Hunter St, Newcastle. Organised by members of the Newcastle University Student Association. Info simon.cunich - at - gmail.com


QUEENSLAND
* Office of Kevin Rudd, Member for Griffith, 1pm, 630 Wynnum Road Morningside. Info: Dominic, dominicale at optusnet.com.au or 0436 638 772.


WESTERN AUSTRALIA
* Office of Stephen Smith, 8.30am, 953a Beaufort St, Ingelwood info, www.safeclimate.org.au
Ph 0417 319 662.


NORTHERN TERRITORY
* Office of Damian Hale, Member for Solomon, 30 The Smith Street Mall, Darwin. Info Justin Justin at nonuk.es - more details to come.

* Office of Warren Snowdon, Member for Lingiari, 1pm, Unit 3, 12 Gregory Tce, Alice Springs. Info Ruth ruthapelt@yahoo.com. 2:30pm meeting with Warren Snowdon, info Mandy iainandmandy at octa4.net.au


For updates, how-to guides and further information go to http://stepitupaustralia.wordpress.com/

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