Rapidly worsening climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels like coal and gas, and deforestation, is hurting our communities. It’s causing more intense and frequent bushfires, drought, floods, storms, and heatwaves, which are threatening people’s mental and physical health, homes, jobs, the general quality of life and, sadly, sometimes lives.
We know that people experiencing disadvantage are impacted first, worse, and longest by climate change. They are also worse off if the transition to zero-emissions energy and economy is slow, poorly managed, and inequitable. They have fewer resources to respond, recover, and build resilience to increasing and intensifying extreme weather events. And they always pay more of their incomes on essential services, like energy bills.
However, rapidly reducing emissions in a fair and inclusive way and building resilience to the climate change impacts already locked in, can improve lives. The right policies can create opportunities for more affordable and healthier energy, housing, and transport, and create jobs.
To achieve this, we call on all parties and candidates to put people and communities with the least at the front of climate change action, by committing to a fair and inclusive plan to rapidly cut emissions this decade and invest in improving their resilience, preparedness, response, and recovery to extreme weather events.
Our key asks
- Aim to cut emissions by 75% by 2030, at the very least match commitments from our key allies to halve our emissions by 2030, and reach net zero emissions by 2035.
- Invest up to $5,000 in energy efficiency improvements per dwelling for 1.8 million low-income homes to cut emissions and energy bills, and create thousands of local jobs.
- Establish a First Nations Communities Clean Energy Fund to invest in clean energy and energy efficiency for remote communities.
- Provide up to $1,000 per household as emergency energy debt relief to reduce energy payment difficulties made worse by COVID.
- Establish and adequately fund an Energy Transition Authority to provide a fair and inclusive transition for fossil fuel-dependent workers and communities.
- Create and fund local Community Resilience Hubs that are community-led, engage in building community resilience and assist the community in planning, response, and recovery.
- Provide affordable, accessible, and quality insurance.
- Strengthen the resilience of community sector organisations to better support community resilience, response, and recovery to increasing extreme weather events.
- End the billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies and redirect them to build climate resilience and fair and inclusive policies to rapidly reduce emissions.