Watch this video GET-UP

Dear NEVILLE,

“From leaders to laggards” is how Victoria was described in a report released yesterday by the Climate Council. Not surprising when you consider Victoria is now responsible for almost a quarter of Australia’s emissions, and sources more than 90% of its energy from coal-fired power.¹

But with a state election only days away, change is in the air in Victoria.

That’s because for the last ten weeks, Victorian GetUp members have organised together to pressure the major parties to step up. By this time next week GetUp members will have knocked on over 10,000 doors and received over 5,000 commitments from voters in marginal seats to put the environment first.

No matter which party these 5000 voters traditionally support, this election they’re united by a shared belief to protect our environment and invest in renewable energy. And this message is actually getting through! Candidates standing in Frankston – one of the most marginal seats in the state – confirmed today that the environment had been identified as a key issue for voters. ² Just a few months ago, the environment wasn’t even on the agenda.

Even though the act of door-knocking is free, there are still heaps of things GetUp volunteers like Russell, Ange and Mik need to make sure they can get the job done. That includes everything from GetUp t-shirts for volunteers to wear, to the petrol it takes to drive teams of volunteers to door-knock locations, to printing out thousands of the all important pledge cards. All donations, big and small go towards making this campaign a success.

Although you don’t live in Victoria, GetUp members all around Australia are being asked to watch the video and chip in to help Victorian GetUp volunteers carry out their first Vote Clean election yet!

This is the first time in GetUp’s nine-years of campaigning that members have taken to the streets to go door-to-door and speak to voters directly – and the reaction they’ve received has been pretty inspiring. Some voters needed a bit of convincing because they weren’t sure their vote could make a difference, but when a friendly, passionate GetUp member explained to them the power of one person’s vote in a marginal seat, it was a total game changer.

This campaign is changing the way our movement tackles climate change, and so we hope to make the last weekend before the election our biggest event yet. Watch this video to see how you can join Victorians in their fight for cleaner energy.

https://www.getup.org.au/chip-in-victoria

Thanks for everything you do,
Belinda, Jess, Sophie and the GetUp team

PS – If you want to show your support in person and are happy to travel, there’s still time! You can sign up here to join fellow GetUp volunteers in Victoria on the last weekend of election action: https://www.getup.org.au/volunteer

¹The Australian Renewable Energy Race: Which States are Winning or Losing?, Climate Council, 18 November
² Frankston candidates say drugs, environment key issues for voters, The Frankston Standard Leader, 18 November