We’re calling on all Australian Parliamentarians to enshrine their duty of care to protect young and future generations in law.

Building on our 2022 campaign, urging the current and former environment ministers to uphold their duty of care, we are expanding our appeal to all members and senators. And this is a critical moment!

Independent Senator David Pocock is introducing a private member’s bill to call for changes to the Climate Change Act to force government to consider the health and well being of young and future generations when making decisions about projects that impact the climate. As parents concerned about their children’s climate, we strongly support this bill.

Our love for our children is above politics. Add your support. And let’s ensure our kids are safe from climate harm caused by decisions today.

Dear Federal Parliamentarians,

 

We ask that you support the Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Equity) Bill 2023, and to enshrine a duty of care to protect the health and wellbeing of young and future Australians in government decision making on projects that could significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions.

 

With our sincere support, encouragement and hope for the future our kids will inherit. Our kids and their families are counting on you.

 

Australian parents, grandparents, carers and family members.

 

We care about our kids and the kind of future that they will inherit.

We know that fossil fuels are incompatible with a safe future, just like nuclear weapons are incompatible with a safe future.

That's why 101 Nobel laureates and over 3,000 scientists are calling for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. Six countries and 84 subnational governments have already endorsed it. It's time Australia got on board, too.

We need a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty now.

Dear World Leaders and Australian governments, 

As parents, grandparents and carers, we are calling on the world leaders and Australian governments to join governments across the world to negotiate, adopt and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty - our kids are counting on us.

Coal, oil and gas are the source of 86% of CO2 emissions that cause climate change. Our addiction to these fossil fuels means children in every country around the world are breathing polluted air, while storms, floods, heat waves and bushfires hit with increasing severity and frequency.

As parents, grandparents and carers, we cannot stand by and let the fossil fuel industry and world leaders rob our children of a safe future.

So we are speaking up, emboldened by the love we have for our children, to demand an end to the fossil fuel era and a just transition to a clean energy future.

We are seeking a binding global plan to:

1. End expansion of any new coal, oil or gas production in line with the best available science as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme;

2. Phase-out existing production of fossil fuels in a manner that is fair and equitable, taking into account the respective dependency of countries on fossil fuels and their capacity to transition;

3. Ensure a just transition to 100% access to renewable energy globally, support dependent economies to diversify away from fossil fuels, and enable all people and communities, not least the Global South, to flourish.

As parents, grandparents and carers, we stand united for a clear, global plan to phase out fossil fuels. Governments must make it happen now, our kids are counting on us.

Yours sincerely,
Australian parents, grandparents, carers and family members.

Russell Tytler, Deakin University and Peter Freebody, University of Wollongong

The case for action on climate change no longer needs to be laid out.

We see, almost daily, disturbing images of bushfires, floods or a mass extinction crisis. But however widespread that sense of urgency may be, we are struggling as a nation to respond in a substantive, coordinated way.

One thing is clear: these responses will need to be sustained and developed by future generations. Education is crucial for the workforce needed now and for young people who will be increasingly faced with the accelerating realities of climate change.

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia has done a review of research on climate change education in schools around the world.

Andrew Blakers, Australian National University

Last year, the world built more new solar capacity than every other power source combined.

Solar is now growing much faster than any other energy technology in history. How fast? Fast enough to completely displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050.

The rise and rise of cheap solar is our best hope for rapidly mitigating climate change.

Reacting to the federal budget, Australian Parents for Climate Action (AP4CA) welcomes new investment in smart, long-term cost relief for Australian households and social housing.

Nic Seton, CEO for Australian Parents for Climate Action said: “We welcome the increased attention on long-term energy cost solutions for Australian families who are battling rising bills. Clean and efficient energy solutions are the surest path to reducing energy costs. But these announcements only go part way towards upgrading Australian homes, and more is needed to ensure all homes provide affordable comfort through equitable access to cheap clean energy solutions.”

Craig Stanbury, Monash University

What makes a good parent? Most would say a good parent loves and nurtures their child with the ultimate aim of helping them flourish – now and into the future. A good parent will feed their child, give them space to play and time to use their imagination, make sure they get an education and medical care, listen to their troubles, and teach them to one day be autonomous adults.

However, does being a good parent involve anything more than this?

Where do the parties actually stand on critical climate policy topics?

Click on the coloured tabs below

This guide is an objective, non-partisan comparison of the stated climate policies of all parties with seats in the NSW Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council (downloaded 10 March 2023) in terms of emissions reduction targets and approach to fossil fuel mining, as well as a selection of independents with strong climate policies.

We encourage you to review the parties' / candidates' policies by clicking through the links. Some have considerably more detail about how their emissions reduction targets will be met.

Australian Parents for Climate Action advocates for an emissions reduction target (ERT) of 75% by 2030 (from 2005 levels) and net zero by 2035 (based on recommendations of the Climate Targets Panel and the Paris Agreement's equity principles, which require wealthy, high-emitting nations to make cuts above the global average). We support IPCC and IEA recommendations that no new fossil fuel extraction or infrastructure projects are compatible with keeping global heating to 1.5 degrees C.

Australian Parents for Climate Action welcomes today’s announcement that the NSW Government will fund another 18 schools to install solar and battery systems as part of its Smart Energy Schools Pilot project.

A playgroup in Sydney is turning despair about the planet’s future into hope by taking action and connecting with people who share their concerns and motivations.

How excited would your child be if they saw themselves up on a huge screen at the global climate talks #COP27, telling world leaders they need to do better?  Well one of our families from Sydney experienced just that this week, with Scarlet, aged 9, featuring in this short film #KidsFirst

Australian Parents for Climate Action welcomes the announcement from the NSW Government that will see all 2,200 NSW state schools open to installers of solar and battery systems.

No matter where you live, you can have a say on the NSW Climate Change Policy and Action plan.

This guide will show you how.

📣 1 minute to find out how to change climate law 😎 No matter where you live, you can have a say on the NSW Climate Change Policy and Action plan. This... | By Australian Parents for Climate Action | Facebook

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In August 2021, in a landmark legal case brought against the EPA by our friends at Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, supported by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), the Court found that the NSW EPA had not fulfilled its duty to protect the state’s environment from climate change. This was the first time a court has found an Australian government agency is failing in its duty to address climate change and that they must act to address emissions. As a result, the NSW EPA has developed their ‘Draft Climate Change Policy and Action Plan’, which is currently open for consultation.

Australian families will be grateful for the federal government’s investments in renewable energy sources announced in yesterday’s federal budget.