Going electric – join our State Vote Climate campaign!

Support for solar, efficient electric appliances and clean energy –

all up for grabs this November.

This is election is make or break for issues as diverse as electrification funding, off-shore wind and Victoria’s ground breaking Treaty legislation.

• 

  Volunteer here for the State Vote Climate campaign in Hawthorn and Kew

  Join us for Vote Climate 26! Step up on our Volunteer page for letterdropping, events, conversations, Pre-poll and Polling Day

• RSVP now to the Kew and Hawthorn candidate forums!
• Huge thanks to our Policy Working Group for the Victorian Climate Policy Summary document here, policy recommendations here – more detail on our Climate Policy page
• Nexa report for Environment Victoria on the costs of delaying clean energy transition
• Check out the Launch slideset here and our Facebook album with quotes and useful links

Jenny Smithers and Leigh Naunton introduced the campaign and context – electrification and treaty are at risk in November

The election context

Despite rightward trends climate damage is accelerating and we must act to ensure that voters understand the benefits of climate action

The mood

Climate has slipped down the agenda in favour of cost of living, corruption and crime. This is where our efforts to raise the profile of climate are critically important, as well as linking climate to lower energy bills via household electrification, energy generation and storage.

What’s at risk

There is a great deal at stake in this Victorian election. The Victorian government, while not perfect, has made significant gains in the climate space under the leadership of Lily D’Ambrosio (who is not recontesting her seat) including setting and meeting ambitious emission reduction targets.  

The Liberals have indicated they will roll back aspects of the Gas Substitution Roadmap and “throw open the door” to new conventional gas exploration. They have proposed changes that will effectively shut down the build of onshore wind and stymie the buildout of transmission.

Leigh Naunton from Boroondara Reconciliation Australia and Kooyong Climate Change Alliance headed up the donation drive – not just printing costs but also publicity to make sure voters in Kew and Hawthorn understand candidate positions on treaty, electrification and climate action.

The Liberal party has also committed to introduce legislation to repeal Treaty within their first 100 days, undoing many years of hard work and progress on reconciliation. The Vote Climate scorecard will be letter dropped along with a separately funded reconciliation scorecard.

What should an incoming government do?

Congratulations to David Strang and the climate policy working group for preparing materials that outline our climate action priorities

Delaying the clean energy transition with lead to higher prices for households

Nexa Advisory’s Report for Environment Victoria clearly conclude that slowing the clean energy transition would lead to households paying much higher prices for electricity

Yallourn is rapidly getting to the end of any useful life, and we need to build out its replacement rather than relying on expensive gas which is likely to increase wholesale electricity prices by 37 per cent

 

 

 

Christina Ding – why climate action is of critical importance

“From the Keeling Curve, trophic mismatch and positive feedback loops in biology, to melting glaciers and shifting species ranges in environmental studies, it is overwhelmingly clear how significantly humans have impacted our planet.

 

 

And when I turn on the news, I see the same crisis unfolding in the real world. Intensifying bushfires, heatwaves in Europe and the recent floods in Nepal demonstrate the devastating consequences climate change can have for human lives.”

Christina Ding, MLC Year 11 student

Year 11 student Christina Ding spoke eloquently about the urgency for younger people for rapid and effective climate action

“The beginning of every significant movement starts with this: people caring deeply about an issue and working together to do something about it.

 

 

We have seen before that our actions can make a difference. I remember the success of our campaigning in last year’s federal election in Kooyong. It was made possible by the enthusiasm and dedication of people who spent their time having street conversations, letterboxing and handing out climate scorecards. And the impact of that work extends far beyond a single election.”

Christina Ding, MLC Year 11 student

“So I hope you know that the conversations and gestures that may seem small to you can actually be incredibly significant.

 

Whether it is street conversations, letterboxing, organising events or handing out scorecards at polling booths, these actions can drive meaningful change. They can influence voters. They can keep climate change on the political agenda. And they can inspire more people to care about and protect the environment.”

Christina Ding, MLC Year 11 student

We’d love you to join us for the State election Vote Climate campaign!

• Overall Vote Climate page with links to previous campaigns including campaign issues, framing and campaign action as well as scorecard information pages.
• Information page on the Vote Climate 2025 campaign where nuclear was soundly rejected in favour of renewables
• The Vote Climate 2024 campaign helped return a very progressive set of Boroondara Councillors and got gas out of the Kew Rec Centre

Street conversations help raise awareness of climate action as a community benefit and helps bring people to the candidate forums

The high profile events are key accountability mechanisms in our communities, and take many hands to organise. Sign up on our Volunteer page to help with publicity and logistics!

Candidate forums are a powerful way to keep politicians accountable to voters – with 60,000 flyers hand delivered to households in Kew and Hawthorn

Fence signs

Showing your support for climate action is key, and Environment Victoria’s signs help link the top of mind issue, cost of living, with going electric!

Environment Victoria’s fence signs proved to be very popular – a great way to link climate action to lower energy bills

Scorecards

Alex Currell has presided over eight Vote Climate scorecard campaigns – a mammoth effort in giving voters access to quality information

As Alex Currell, Chair of the Score Committee, reminded us this is the eighth campaign using our powerful, very local scorecards.

Donate here to KCCA’s Chuffed fundraiser to print and advertise the Candidate Scorecards

Candidates are transparently scored on their written policies, or on the written party policies and action plans. They are printed in two rounds and distributed to every household in Hawthorn and Kew, as at Pre-poll and Polling Day along, then with upper house information and scoring.

Leigh Naunton and Jenny Henty talked about mapping, bundling and scorecard distribution and Nicholas Beiber talked about rostering at the election booths. We would love your help – head over to our Volunteer page and sign up!

Afternoon tea and sign ups!

Do you want to protect support for going electric? Join our Vote Climate campaign!