You stand up. You win. GET UP

Dear NEVILLE,

When Campbell Newman called the Queensland election with just three weeks notice it didn’t leave our movement with much time to react. But in true GetUp style, more than 600 people stepped up, and by the time polls opened in Queensland on Saturday we couldn’t have been more ready.

So much was at stake.

Campbell Newman’s neo-liberal agenda was stark: sell off public assets to fund infrastructure for Indian mining magnate Gautam Adani’s plans to build a mega coal mine; bulldoze next to a turtle breeding wetland; and start industrial dredging in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

By Friday we had 150,000 ‘How-to-Vote for the Reef’ cards based on each party’s commitments, ready to be handed out by a staggering 600 GetUp member volunteers.

Due to the strength of our numbers, Labor responded with solid Reef protection policies. And we’ll be holding them to those commitments.

The LNP responded with a dirty and desperate attempt to silence us and cling to power: a Supreme Court injunction against our ‘How-to-Vote’ cards. In record time GetUp members funded a crack team of lawyers to fight back, and the Judge effectively threw the LNP’s claims out of court, saying there was “no serious question to be tried”.

What we’ve shown each other is that when we believe in our ability to create real change, against the odds, we can win. And it doesn’t end in Queensland.

The election result means the Federal Government is left trying to fast-track a plan Queensland no longer wants. Today, they’ve put their approval of Abbot Point on hold, pending talks with Queensland.

But Adani have already claimed that their plans for Abbot Point will be going ahead, regardless of who’s in power.

Are you ready to take this on? Our movement achieves amazing things when we get prepared, work together, and engage expert support from lawyers, strategists and creatives.

Can you become a Core Member by making a small regular weekly donation, so we’re prepared for the next big fight?

In it’s first term, the QLD LNP passed new voter ID laws to make it harder for people to vote, crippled the anti-corruption watchdog and weakened donations laws to facilitate large anonymous political donations, including from mining companies. It was clear they were willing to do anything to retain their hold on power.

But GetUp is a grassroots movement, funded by people like you and over 32,000 people like you. That’s where our power comes from. Each other.

When we pull together by turning up on weekend to volunteer, share hard hitting messages with our friends and family online, or make small donations, we have massive impact.

What does that look like?

• People Power. 600 volunteers present at 74 polling booths in 9 marginal electorates on the day of the election. Thousands of members chipped in for a series of TV ads exposing the Newman Government’s terrible track record on Reef protection. These ads aired on prime-time in key marginal electorates in the run up to the election. They were so powerful The Australian ran a panicked attack-piece against us.

• Voting Rights. The Newman government passed ‘voter id’ laws despite there being no real evidence of voter fraud in Australia. The laws would likely prevent many Indigenous Australians, new immigrants, young and elderly people from voting. GetUp teamed up with a group of lawyers and set up a Voter ID Hotline for voters who were turned away at the ballot box for not having ID, or had any trouble voting to ensure every Australian has the right to cast their vote.

• Solar Power. Working with our friends at the Australian Solar Council and Solar Citizens we supported events and activity across seats in inner city Brisbane and regional Queensland. We also supported two ‘Save Solar’ forums with local and national MPs and candidates.

• Renewable Energy. Our Renewable Energy Target video screened at highlighting the economic opportunities from renewables and was strongly received by local families, solar workers and business owners hit by the Newman government’s attacks on solar and the Renewable Energy Target.

• Exposing Broken Promises. In collaboration with The Wilderness Society, other environment groups and unions we supported the TV ad campaign of Chris Davis, an ex-LNP member who quit parliament in protest at his government’s “betrayal” of Queenslanders last year.

• Exposing False Job Claims. Working with Environmental Justice Australia and The Australia Institute, we challenged Adani and Premier Newman’s oft repeated false jobs claims for the Carmichael mine and Abbot Point development, resulting in media stories in the Herald Sun, Courier Mail, Advertiser, Daily Telegraph and elsewhere.

If we can achieve this much at a state level with such short notice, imagine the amazing things we could achieve at a Federal level by 2016 and beyond.

We’ve got a plan to harness the power of GetUp’s 800,000 members, starting sooner and going bigger than either of the major parties. But to make it happen, we’ll need to double the number of Core Members who chip in a small amount each week to help GetUp build power for the long term.

Become a Core Member to help us achieve our shared vision of a more progressive Australia.

Once more, for being a part of this. Thank you. What we’ve achieved together is truly extraordinary.

To the future,
Darren and the whole GetUp team.