At the height of Australia’s first wave of Covid-19, the National Covid-19 Coordination Commission was established, including a Manufacturing Taskforce to le...
At the height of Australia’s first wave of Covid-19, the National Covid-19 Coordination Commission was established, including a Manufacturing Taskforce to lead a ‘gas-fired recovery’ out of the current crisis. The Taskforce’s proposed recovery ignores the multitude of research from both climate NGOs and the trade union movement that demonstrates investing in high-quality jobs in renewable energy and sustainable manufacturing is the best path out of this crisis. If the proposed push for public subsidies for gas is successful, it will be a disaster for the climate, for Traditional Owners fighting to protect their land, for workers who deserve high-quality employment.
350.org Australia has been working with trade unions and the climate movement to develop a collaborative campaign – Jobs, Climate Justice – which will shift the politics of the economic recovery away from fossil fuel subsidies and towards quality jobs in renewable energy and sustainable manufacturing. This work fits within broader efforts by the trade union movement and climate NGOs to influence economic recovery spending, but adds a necessary intervention: finding common cause across the demands of organised labour and the demands of the climate movement, with justice at the centre.
Join us in supporting the Jobs, Climate, Justice campaign through the Impact Fund’s Reimagining Australia program. If you have a fund or foundation with us, please contact us to make a grant request. Alternatively, anyone can make a direct donation.
The campaign has so far been divided into three periods of activity:
Coalition building (2020): 350.org Australia will develop collaboration principles and goals, joint demands, and campaign messaging with key climate groups and trade unions.
Change the narrative (early 2021): To engage and mobilise key audiences and elevate the voices of workers, 350.org will develop infographics, videos and webinars to be shared by campaign partners. Polling will be conducted to demonstrate public understanding of the issue and support for solutions, and assist the campaign’s engagement with journalists to tell the story of a people’s recovery over one led by fossil fuels.
Shift the politics (late 2021): 350.org Australia will facilitate local grassroots campaigning and target key MPs to elevate support for a climate-led recovery within Parliament.
Investing in an economic recovery that priorities people and our planet will ensure high-quality jobs and real action on climate change – a path forward that puts justice before profit for a renewable future.
The decisions regarding economic recovery spending are being made within government right now, and this will be the key issue for Parliament for at least the next 18 months. The choices made during this period will determine whether Australia addresses the economic and climate crises together, or takes further backwards steps by locking in taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuel corporations, fuelling climate change.
With an overall goal to block government attempts to introduce new fossil fuel subsidies, and build support for a climate-led recovery with quality jobs, the campaign seeks three key outcomes against its primary areas of activity:
Coalition building: Campaign plan and joint demands collaboratively developed by the end of 2020.
Changing the narrative: The dominant media framing of the ‘gas-fired recovery’ reflects widespread opposition to the plan by mid-2021 and highlights support for a climate-led recovery.
Shifting the politics: New fossil fuel subsidies blocked in Parliament by the end of 2021, with MPs instead demanding economic recovery spending that creates quality jobs in renewable energy and sustainable manufacturing.
Jobs, Climate, Justice is a new campaign from 350.org Australia in collaboration with trade unions and the climate movement, seeking to shift the politics of the economic recovery towards quality jobs and a renewable future. 350.org Australia is a grassroots movement of 60,000 individuals and local groups across the country. Their vision is for a future that is just and equitable, with our communities and ecosystems thriving and protected from the impacts of climate change.
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Funding requested through Impact Fund | $150,000 |
| Pay the Rent | $50,000 |
| Additional philanthropy/crowdfunding | $530,000 |
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salaries/consultancy, on-costs, admin, overheads | $120,000 |
| Financial support for families | $200,000 |
| Facilitation of peer / campaigning support for families | $200,000 |
| Communications and design | $10,000 |
| Foundation-led activism, campaigning and advocacy | $15,000 |
| Travel expenses | $15,000 |
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