Vote climate camaigns page

Join our Vote Climate campaigns in 2024

2024 is turning out to be a big year, with Council candidates ramping up their campaigns for the October local government elections.

It will be an all hands on deck effort to letterbox Candidate climate policy scorecards in the second week of October to the whole of Boroondara, we’d love your help – volunteer in the form below.

What’s at stake?

Local government is where the rubber hits the road on climate policy, and residents deserve a say on how Boroondara’s budget – $285,000,000 of ratepayer funds – is spent.
Electing climate-friendly councillors will improve outcomes on solar support and going electric, protecting green spaces and active transport.

We would like to see significantly more funds allocated to climate action. At present Boroondara’s budget allocates only $1m to the Climate Action Plan, the same amount that is allocated for annual library book purchasing.  Existing Council staff can only do so much. Increased staffing would enable Council to improve its community engagement on energy efficiency and electrification. Increased budget would also enable Council to do more to assist low income households with solar, roll out more EV chargers and give targeted advice to businesses on reducing energy use. We can do better, especially with Councillors who would allow more public consultation.

Join our Vote Climate Campaign!

Our Vote Climate campaigns help voters make an informed choice, providing accurate information on where the candidates stand on climate.

There’s plenty to do – from street stalls and helping with events to letter dropping candidate scorecards – we would love you to get involved. We are seeking volunteers to help organise our online local government candidate forums – please check the events and publicity checkbox in the form below!

Vote Climate campaigning for our kids

Let’s Vote Climate for our kids

Protecting biodiversity, supporting solar, moving households away from unhealthy polluting gas to cheaper, safer electric appliances, and accelerating low carbon transport – all reasons why Victorians deserve to be represented by climate friendly Councillors.

The goal of our Vote Climate campaigns is to ensure voters can make an informed choice.

Campaign activities include

  • Letterboxing candidate scorecards
  • Handing out campaign flyers, scorecards and posters.
  • Running ward-based  candidate forums

 

Vote Climate campaigns place rigorously assessed information about the Candidates’ climate policies in the hands of voters.

Want to support the shift to electric households and transport?
Sign up on the form on this page.

Step up for our Vote Climate campaign by filling in this form here

You may need to refresh if the form doesn’t show up initially.

Forests and gas were vote determining issues in the 2022 Victorian elections.

Victoria has how banned logging in native forests and is taking significant steps towards moving households off gas.

See more about the huge effort that went into raising the profile of climate issues in our local area, particularly forests and gas, which was reflected in the overall Victorian results.

State Vote Climate campaigns 2022 details
More about local State Vote Climate campaigns

Scorecard information pages

Candidate Forum Videos

View the candidates presentations and answers to audience questions.

Forests Information Page link
More about Forests campaigning

Victorian voters voted against forest logging

Protecting our native forests is essential for a safe climate future

Updates on our forests info page.

Logging has pushed our Mountain Ash forests to the brink 

Protecting our native forests is a highly effective way to reduce emissions.

Logging has increased bushfire risk and damages our water catchments

Ending logging will protect taxpayer funds

  • Victorians have paid for forests to be logged – a 2020 PBO study found that we would save around $20m/pa if we transitioned to plantation timber

Native logging was ceased in 2024 due to community and legal pressure

Gas Information Page link
More about Gas campaigning

It’s time to accelerate the shift away from gas

Electrification will help protect our health and our climate

Updates on our Victorian gas info page.

Electric homes are cleaner, safer and save on energy bills

  • Electric heat pumps for hot water, and reverse cycle air conditioners (heat pumps) are very efficient, lowering emissions.
  • Gas cooking increases the incidence of childhood asthma by 12% – UQ.
  • An electric home saves over $1,000 per year, or double that with solar PV.

To meet Victoria’s climate targets we need to rapidly transition away from fossil gas

Moving to renewables increases Victoria’s energy independence

  • We don’t have a gas supply crisis, we have a market crisis – Victorian Government.
  • Supporting rapid electrification, and demand reduction through energy efficiency, will increase energy resilience.
  • Moving to electric appliances will reduce the impact of price shocks on households and businesses – Climate Council.
  • New drilling or risky, polluting gas import facilities are not the answer.

To meet Victoria’s climate targets we need to move past gas 

Climate changed the political landscape in 2022

We congratulated new MPs in Kooyong, Chisholm and Higgins.

Major parties attracted their lowest support to date, with voters moving to Greens and Teal independents, motivated by climate, integrity and treatment of women and minorities. “Concern about the climate crisis was the No 1 issue that prompted Australians to switch their vote to an independent candidate” according to in-depth research.

Vote Climate campaigns have proven their success.

Read more about the 2022 Federal Vote Climate campaigns strategy and events here.

Kooyong 2022

Dr Monique Ryan at the Kooyong Candidates Forum

In Kooyong, the Vote Climate campaign was framed around financial, economic and health benefits of the clean energy transition and climate action.

More about the Kooyong Vote Climate campaign

Congratulations to the Member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, elected on a 6.3% swing and primary vote of 41.5%.

According to Australia’s Biggest Climate Poll, three in four Kooyong voters believed that climate action would strengthen the economy, protect their health and is worth doing despite “any costs involved”. The Liberals continued to push public funds into fossil fuel expansion.

In Kooyong, the Vote Climate campaign was framed around financial, economic and health benefits, highlighting our abundant renewable resources, and the advantages of ramping up clean manufacturing. The campaign involved stalls, a campaign launch, events including a candidate forum (where the incumbent famously refused to attend) and the delivery of a candidate scorecards across the electorate, at pre poll and polling day.

 

Chisholm 2022

Carina Garland at the Chisholm School Strikers Climate Forum

In Chisholm, the Vote Climate campaign framed clean energy and climate action through job opportunities and lowered cost of living.

More about the Chisholm Vote Climate campaign

Congratulations to the Member for Chisholm, Carina Garland, elected with an increased primary vote of 4.6%. The LNP incumbent lost 7.8% in her primary vote and the Green vote increased 1.6% to 11.6%.

Lighter Footprints supported local climate groups ECAM and ACF Chisholm in running a Vote Climate campaign in Chisholm, centered around job opportunities and energy bill savings, with a weekly vigil, and climate and integrity Candidate Scorecard.  Lighter Footprints assisted FOE’s Act on Climate with local events on climate targets and electric vehicles, and supported the School Strikers’ Chisholm Candidate Forum.

 

Higgins 2022

Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah

ih Higgins, the Vote Climate campaign framed climate action around health benefits, intergenerational equity and sustainability.

More about the Higgins Vote Climate campaign

Congratulations to the Member for Higgins, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah elected with an increased primary vote of 2.8%. The LNP incumbent lost 5.8% in her primary vote.

Lighter Footprints supported local climate group HigginsCAN in running a Vote Climate campaign in Higgins, centered around health benefits, intergenerational equity and sustainability, with a weekly vigil, street conversations, and climate and integrity Candidate Scorecard via letter dropping, pre poll and polling day.

Higgins CAN ran a Candidate Forum where the incumbent after refusing to attend turned up at the last minute and left before any constituent questions. Dr Will Howard from Higgins CAN and Drs for the Environment was interviewed by Virginia Trioli at Malvern Central.

 

Acknowledgements

Vote Climate scorecards are developed by members of the Victorian Climate Action Network Scorecard Working Group in conjunction with KCCA, and other local climate groups. The scorecards are policy based and do not endorse particular candidates.

Victorian Climate Action Network (VCAN)

VCAN is a coordinating body for Victorian climate groups

Kooyong Climate Change Alliance (KCCA)

Along with partner local climate groups, Lighter Footprints is a member of KCCA.
Lighter Footprints is assisting KCCA in running the non-partisan Vote Climate campaign in Kew and Hawthorn.

Higgins Climate Action Network (HCAN)

Lighter Footprints is a member of HCAN, which is coordinating the non-partisan Malvern Vote Climate campaign.

Ashwood CAN

Lighter Footprints is a member Ashwood CAN which has been formed to coordinate the non-partisan Ashwood Vote Climate campaign.

 

This page is authorised by Lighter Footprints Inc, Register Number A0095302A, 12 Segtoune Street, Kew, Victoria

 

 

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Hawthorn candidate scorecard