This week, Prime Minister Rudd announced a shift in climate change policy: moving from the carbon tax to an emissions trading scheme a year early.

We wanted to let you know, in short, what that means – and show you the amazing work that GetUp members and young Australians have been doing recently to keep up the pressure for climate action.

Check out the video:

www.getup.org.au/latest-on-climate

Over the past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to attend events around the country with so many members of the GetUp climate movement. Their dedication and enthusiasm make it easy to imagine a clean energy future for Australia. Together, we’ve sat down with world-renowned climate activist Bill McKibben to talk climate strategy; made calls and written emails to our Labor MPs; organised a full page ad in The Australian, and rallied for renewables on the streets in Canberra and Melbourne.

Finally, I can say with certainty that if leadership on climate depends on any of the 1,800 amazing young Australians who attended the climate youth summit, Power Shift 2013, we’re in good hands.

Get your weekend off to an inspiring start, check out GetUp members in action in this short video:

www.getup.org.au/latest-on-climate

Like the move to an early ETS or not, the alternative is downright scary. Should Tony Abbott become the next Prime Minister of Australia, he’s already promised to scrap our Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Independent Climate Change Authority. He’s even dropped his support for an emissions trading scheme, calling it “a so-called market in the non-delivery of an invisible substance to no one”.^[1]

People need to know exactly what’s at stake for climate and renewable energy when they go to the polls this election. The best way to do this is by spreading information, far and wide. We’ve put together a basic summary of how the parties stack up and what the move to an early ETS looks like. Take a look and share it with your friends: www.getup.org.au/latest-on-climate

Thank you for all that you do,
Erin, for the GetUp team

BREAKING NEWS PS: If you haven’t already heard, Prime Minister Rudd just announced a new asylum seeker policy for Australia. He calls it “hard-line.” We call it shameful. The new Regional Settlement Agreement will see PNG host an indefinite number of asylum seekers at its grossly inadequate Manus Island detention centre in exchange for Australia giving undisclosed funding to PNG. All asylum seekers who arrive by boat will be processed and resettled in PNG, regardless of whether they’re found to be a genuine refugee. This is so much worse than the policies we saw during the Howard-era.

We’re sorry to have to deliver deeply disappointing news on a Friday afternoon, and we’ll be in touch again soon on this, but if you’d like to take a few minutes to let your local MP or Senator know how you feel about this new policy, click here to email them a message: http://www.getup.org.au/the-day-australia-closed-the-door

GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund GetUp’s work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.