How to lobby an MP

I’m an old hand at letter writing when it comes to the environment – although in the last few years I’ve switched over to email instead of trying to wrestle with my printer! Over the years I’ve contacted many politicians, companies, non-profit organisations and newspapers and magazines about the issues I think need attention.

Ages ago I shared my tips on how to write letters about eco-issues, because I’ve usually had a decent reply to my efforts. It’s always nice to see your ideas confirmed, though, so I’m really glad that Penny Sharp MLC has written a blog post about letter writing that mostly confirms my opinions.

Sharp’s post 5 tips on how to lobby an MP and not be ignored is really helpful if you want to target a politician. She’s speaking from her own experience as a Member of the NSW Legislative Council, and I think we’d be silly not to take her advice!

She says we should include an address or at least mention which political seat we live in, write things in our own words, ask for a specific action that the MP can actually achieve, and to do our research first. I know I don’t like it when my colleagues just tell me stuff is wrong without giving me the details so I can fix it – it stops being a legitimate request for help and starts looking like whinging.

Sharp also notes that form letters are easily ignorable. I still like to send them when one of my favourite non-profits has a campaign on, because politicians do notice the volume of support for or against an issue even if they’re not reading each letter or postcard in turn. But… I don’t bother with form-letter campaigns if:

a) they don’t let me target either the relevant Minister or my local MPs and Senators, or

b) they don’t ask for a specific action. A vague request for a random person to do something is pretty much spam in my opinion, and I believe in the Golden Rule!

So: no spamming and no whinging. A nice but assertive letter to let your politician know why they should care what you think, and what you want done about it is the way to go if you want some grease for your squeaky wheel

How to say yes to climate action

I do what I can to green my life – I don’t drive, I’m learning to eat less meat, I’m switching my house to energy- and water-efficient appliances one at a time. I try to avoid disposables, I grow some of my own vegies, and I have lots of friends who are doing similar things.

But it’s still not enough to make Australia truly sustainable. Some of my friends aren’t lucky enough to live in suburbs with good public transport, like I do. Others struggle to afford to pay their rising electricity bills, let alone buy more efficient appliances or pay extra for GreenPower.

A lot of the things that make good environmental sense are decided at a community level, or rely on businesses making changes so that we can benefit from them. People who want to do the right thing are held back by the low level of eco-friendliness of the country we live in.

It’s the main reason I support a carbon tax. It’s the first step on the road to a truly bright green future for Australia. By making corporate polluters pay a tax to cover the costs of the damage from their CO2, we then have money to reinvest in alternative energy research and production, in public transport and improved urban design. We make polluting industries more expensive, while cleaner ones get cheaper for everyone to afford.

Sadly, the debate about the Gillard government’s carbon tax has been dominated by businesses and people who want to put their short-term interests first. I reckon it’s time to hear from the rest of us – the people who want real, long-term sustainability in this country.

If you agree with me and want to see Australia take this first step on our sustainable journey, now is the time to speak up.

A group of nine community action groups have started a campaign called “Say Yes”. WWF-Australia, Greenpeace, The Climate Institute, the ACTU, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, GetUp, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Environment Victoria, and Climate Action Network Victoria are all working together to show that the majority of Aussies want to just get on with the carbon tax, already!

They’ll be hosting rallies and other events on the 5th June to show the strength of public support. This will only work if lots of people show up! So put the day aside in your calendar, and talk a couple of friends into coming with you. I’ve enjoyed all the rallies I’ve been on previously, and I can tell you it’s a great feeling to be surrounded by like-minded people who are committed to doing the right thing.

We can say yes to clean energy, to green jobs, to making polluters pay, and to a healthier future for us all. We just need to say it loudly enough for everyone to hear!

Check out the video, and either join the Facebook group or sign up at your favourite environmental group’s website.

Put solar on it, Ms Gillard!

Just last week I posted a link to an article about how President Obama had decided against putting solar panels on the White House. But now Obama has changed his mind: there will be solar panels on the White House soon.

President Nasheed of the Maldives has got solar panels now too:

And the President and Prime Minister of India have agreed to put solar panels on not just the official residence, but on their parliamentary building too.

So I think it’s time Prime Minister Gillard got in on the act. The Lodge needs solar panels. It’d save them money in the long run, and would show her willingness to explore alternatives in our journey to a bright green future for Australia.

If you agree, pop your name on the petition at Put Solar On It, letting them know that you’re from Australia so they can collect all our names and send them to Gillard.

Coal-fired Queensland

Photo credit: Sixdegrees.com.au

I’m very familiar with the battles against mining companies taking over tourism and farming land in WA, but they’re a problem over in Queensland too. I’ve been following @kuke and @sixde6rees on Twitter to find out more about what’s going on there.

Queensland is the powerhouse of coal production in Australia. They’ve got 54 coal mines, with 85% of the coal being exported overseas. The royalties from this make up nearly 9% of the Queensland government’s revenue.

However, this doesn’t seem to be enough for some people. The state government wants to double the mining activity by 2030, and in order to get that result, they’re willing to pay for all the train lines and ports that the fossil fuel companies want. I’m sure that hospitals and schools would love an extra $15.6 billion dollars, but apparently mining companies making record profits year after year can’t afford to buy their own stuff.

One problem with this is that the coal industry is Queensland’s biggest source of greenhouse gases. The emissions from their operations are more than twice that of all the other activities (agriculture, transport, etc) in the state. Given that we’re supposed to be reducing the amount of carbon dioxide we produce, increasing coal mining seems like the stupidest decision possible.

Another problem is that these mines are planned for farming areas, and once the miners have dug up everything they want, the land will be unusable for food production. Coal mines are notorious for polluting waterways too, which is a terrible thing to do to the locals and to everyone downstream from Queensland. This isn’t just a problem for local landowners – it’s a problem for all of Australia as our food and water security becomes an increasingly important issue.

But the farmers don’t get much say, and neither do their we. As usual, mining companies directly lobby government in order to get the rules and regulations written in their favour. There is little recourse for anyone directly affected by a mining company land grab.

Which is why we need to help out the little guys here – they need our vocal support if they’re going to be able to preserve land for all of us to benefit from. If you want to learn more or help out, looking at the Six Degrees website should be your first step. They’re a group bringing together all the smaller, local groups fighting against mining companies, so they can collectively get a louder voice in the decision making process.

Their website explains the situation, and links to the country communities involved. They’ve also got fantastic resources on what to do if you’re approached by a mining company wanting your land, or how to organise climate action groups. They’re very active and I’m sure that like every other environmental group, they’d love a helping hand from us. Please go and take a look, to see what’s going on in the sunshine state.

Stop compulsory acquisition in the Kimberley

Just a quick note further to yesterday’s post about Colin Barnett’s land grab in the Kimberley region…

GetUp are helping out Indigenous leaders with a petition to Premier Barnett, protesting his unconstitutional attempt to simply take privately owned land and give it to oil and gas companies. Please show your support for us here in the West by signing it and sending it on to people who you think would be interested.

They’ve put together a video which explains the issue:

The topic has also been featured on Lateline: Barnett overrides land negotiations.

If the owners of the land decide to sell it to the fossil fuel companies, that’s their business, even though I think it’d be a crying shame. But they shouldn’t be bullied into it, and they should be fairly compensated. In the past, Barnett has offered the ‘carrot’ of police and medical and school services – but these things are basic infrastructure that we should all be entitled to, not some special gift for people who do as they’re told.

Barnett has decided that since the negotiations aren’t going his way, he’ll just do what he wants anyway. Luckily, the process takes 18 months! So although the situation isn’t good, we’ve still got time to help out.