In the lead-up to the federal election, we want to empower you to sit down with your Federal Member of Parliament and ask them to commit to more climate action, including funding Solar Our Schools.

Let’s make climate action a priority election issue!

Watch the webinar:

Here are all the tools and more, from our "Meet your MP Training Workshop" (held Monday 6th December 8.00 - 9.30 pm AEDT)

Read Sue Dwyer's presentation:

In the last 12 months, Australian Parents for Climate Action have empowered dozens of parents to meet with their federal and state MP’s.

Read AP4CA's presentation:

Xmas E-card for your Member of Parliament:

Right-click to save a copy to send to your MP

Click here to discover more tools to empower you to be a parent spokesperson

In the lead-up to the next federal election, we know parents’ voices are powerful to help create the political will to act on climate.

Would you like to be empowered to be a parent climate action spokesperson?

We now have a comprehensive online training portal which takes you on a step by step journey to grant you the skills to have great climate conversations, create a great local pitch for climate action, be a media spokesperson, and meet with you Member of Parliament with concise non-partisan asks that will help enable more political action on climate.

The online course is designed for busy parents in mind, to be done in manageable bite-sized chunks.

Start the course now! Click here

Australian Parents for Climate Action has empowered scores of parents to become national climate spokespersons, through getting opinion and profile pieces published, journalistic interviews, local news features, and even a regular monthly newspaper column. 

Testimonials:

"Support from Australian Parents for Climate Action has been amazing to give me the confidence to speak about protecting my children's future" - Deanna Hayes, Sydney

"Whilst I've felt a bit apprehensive to speak up I have been willing to because I know it's for my kids. I've had a lot of encouragement from Heidi and Nic (AP4CA staff) and never felt pressured to do more than I was capable of. It's felt energising to speak up" - Louise Sheperd, Sydney

"Having a family-friendly and apolitical brand like Ap4CA to represent in the media has given me something I can be confident and proud to speak for, even in a regional community" - Yolanda Dasgupta, Sunshine Coast

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is understanding why we need to change the story we tell about climate action.

Stories are how we learn and evolve as a society. Healing the problems of society begins with the words we use to shape the past, present, and future. Myth and legends heal because they remind us of right and wrong, and how to each balance again. 

This presentation asks: how can we change the story we tell to heal the rifts in our society around climate action and to specifically get bipartisan support for climate action?

Bringing together research from the Climate Compass, story medicine principles, and audience provocations, this presentation sets up the agreed framework for our AP4CA parent and grandparent spokespeople.

The next step to becoming a spokesperson for Australian Parents for Climate Action is to watch our Media Spokesperson Training workshop, which features expert advice from Emma Hannigan from the Climate Media Centre, and a quick introduction to the Change The Story presentation.

We must demand urgent action to secure a safe and liveable future for our children.

A small group of politicians are stalling climate action to protect coal and gas profits. We need local representatives that speak for us.

More than 67% of voters believe the federal government needs to be doing more to address climate change. It’s time our the Members of Parliament that represent us turn words into action.

We need to send a strong signal: we care about making the climate safe for our kids.

A federal election could be called at any moment. Right now, MPs and local candidates are listening to what voters care about - that means us.

Add your voice now and empower parents in your electorate to take your support directly to your election candidates.

It's up to us to create the change. Our kids are depending on us. We can’t sit this one out.

How do you overcome the awkward, have great climate conversations and transform your community to take more action on climate?

Welcome to our recording of this free online training, to help empower yourself.

You’ll learn 5 top tips for effective climate conversations – to build your confidence and knowledge in having conversations from Climate for Change’s Ajaya Haikerwal.  And have an exclusive opportunity to hear about upcoming key political opportunities to make the next year a huge one for climate action.

FIND OUT MORE:

Poll after poll shows the vast majority of the Australian community want climate action urgently.

But many people who are concerned about climate change – people we all know, like friends, family and colleagues – do not act on climate change, they may even find it hard to engage in conversations about it. Why is that? Find out and empower yourself to have effective conversations that will help shift the inactive into action. Only then will we gain the momentum needed to shift the dial on this issue. 

DURING THE WEBINAR WE EXPLORE:

• 5 top tips for effective climate conversations – build your confidence and knowledge in having conversations through these handy frameworks with Climate for Change’s Partnership Manager Ajaya Haikerwal. 
• Plus have time to connect with amazing community members from across the movement – and work together to identify which people in your life you will have conversations with this year
• The why and who of climate action – hear the inside scoop from ACF’s Climate Change Program Manager Gavan McFadzean on:
  • The key political opportunities we have to make 2021/22 a huge year for climate action
  • Why people who are concerned about climate are so politically relevant, and important for us to motivate them to act.

• Federal election plans – movement partners Australian Parents 4 Climate Action, CANA Network Support Team, Climate for Change, Doctors for the Environment Australia and Australian Conservation Foundation will all share their plans for the federal election with you.

We can’t wait to work together on using our voices to motivate others to act. 

This webinar was co-hosted by a team of Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) partners: Australian Parents 4 Climate Action, CANA Network Support Team, Climate for Change, Doctors for the Environment Australia, Australian Conservation Foundation

Your voice is powerful. Will you commit to using your power? Make the Parent's Pledge, and find out how you can influence your community to use our vote for strong action on climate.

Signing the Parent's Pledge will enable you to be part of our election campaign. We will update you about critical news and actions you can take to shift the politics towards climate action.

Australia can be a renewable energy superpower - through manufacturing solar and batteries, energy harvesting, mining for materials for renewables, export of goods and the export of clean energy itself. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has signaled that the global community must rapidly phase out fossil fuels. We need our federal government to embrace the opportunities of a carbon-neutral economy, to implement a just transition and provide for the economic welfare of Australian families and our future generations.

THE RISKS FOR OUR CHILDREN:

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report revealed Australia has already warmed 1.4C, which is much higher than the global average of 1.1C.  Not every country or region is warming at the same rate. 

Australian children are at great risk of inheriting a dangerous climate, which will see more fires, floods, droughts and extreme temperatures. And yet, our government is described as a “laggard” on climate. It fails to act, placing our children at risk. This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue. We call on all political candidates to recognise their global obligations as well as their moral obligations to act on climate.

THIS IS HOW WE CREATE A SAFE FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN:

• Embracing the opportunities of a carbon-neutral economy, ensuring equity and fairness in the transition
• Agreeing to an Australian net-zero emissions goal by 2035
• Creating a roadmap to 75% reduction in emissions by 2030
• No new fossil fuel investment or development from 2021

Parents Pledge for Climate Action:

I pledge to use my voice and my power, between now and the federal election, to influence my community to use our vote for strong action on climate. 

As a parent, I need the Australian Federal Government to embrace a just transition to a climate-safe future, in line with the science, to protect my child's wellbeing and chances for prosperity.

The Australian curriculum must be protected from fossil fuel lobby groups seeking to rewrite facts in our children’s education, says Australian Parents for Climate Action (AP4CA).

A review of the national curriculum is currently open for  public consultation  and has received a submission from Australia’s chief fossil fuels lobby group, the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA).

AP4CA, which represents over 14,000 parents and carers, welcomes revisions proposed by The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to the National School Curriculum’s existing sustainability cross-curriculum priority, which highlight the impact of human behavior on climate change and the potential for human innovation to ensure a safe climate for future generations. 

Australian kids just made history:

The Federal Court of Australia has enshrined more climate protection for our children into law.

On July 8, Judge Bromberg confirmed that the Federal Environment Minister has a duty of care to avoid causing personal injury and death to Australian children from carbon emissions when approving a coal extension project (Sharma v Minister for the Environment). 

But that protection for our children is now under threat.

The Federal Government has signaled its intention to appeal the declaration and to avoid its duty of care to protect Aussie kids from injury or death from climate change. 

Eight kids won this declaration for all Australian children alive today. Now they need our support.

We must defend the rights of children not to suffer injury or death from climate change as a result of any government intent on approving new fossil fuel projects. If Australian families show their support, we can demonstrate the public mandate is for the government to support this declaration and not to waste public funds in fighting it.

Demand the Federal Environment Minister support the rights of children to be protected from climate harm and to wholeheartedly apply this lawful duty of care in all decisions made by the Environment Minister.