Mobilising government action on climate change to protect Indigenous land and culture

Our Islands Our Home is a campaign led by Torres Strait Islanders to protect their island homes. As part of the campaign, eight claimants from Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait Islands) also known as the #TorresStrait8 have brought a human rights complaint against the Australian Federal Government to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations over the Government’s inaction on climate change.

Issue

Torres Strait Islanders are on the frontline of the climate crisis, and urgent action is needed to ensure they can remain on their Islands. Right now, king tides, erosion, inundation and coral bleaching are threatening the homes and cultures of Torres Strait Islander people, while the Australian Government refuses to address the climate crisis.

The Torres Strait 8 are calling for Australia to drastically reduce emissions and invest in protecting their islands against rising sea levels. At the current rate of rising sea levels, the Torres Strait Islands will be under water within about 10 years, forcing the relocation and loss of culture and way of life for some of Australia’s First Nations communities.

Response

350.org, the Gur A Baradharaw Kod (BDK) Torres Strait Land and Sea Council and ClientEarth are partnering on the Our Islands Our Home campaign to raise public awareness of the landmark legal case, seeking to shift the narrative on climate change and advocate for concrete change for Indigenous Australians on the frontline of the climate crisis.

Despite being amongst some of the most adversely impacted First Nations communities in the world, Torres Strait Islanders have not had their voices elevated in a campaign like this before. While not binding, this UN case could set a precedent and place global pressure on Australia to commit to climate action.

Impact Update

On September 23 2022 the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that the Australian Government is violating its human rights obligations to Torres Strait Islanders by failing to act on climate change.

In its decision, the Committee agreed with the complaint stating that:

• Climate change was indeed currently impacting the claimants’ daily lives;
• To the extent that their rights are being violated; and,
• That Australia was breaching its human rights obligations to the people of the Torres Strait by failing to cut its greenhouse gas emissions quickly enough.
• The committee majority found that Australia’s poor climate record is a violation of their right to family life and right to culture under the global human rights treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
• A minority also found that the Government had violated their right to life.

The campaign is now building on this win by calling on the Government to take urgent action to ensure the safe existence of the islands. A petition with more than 47,000 signatures will be presented by Torres Strait Eight members to the Australian Government at Parliament House in late 2022.

Read more: Torres Strait Islanders win historic human rights legal fight against Australia

Elevating the voices of communities facing socio-economic disadvantage 

The Economic Media Centre identifies and equips spokespeople on economic issues, and connects them with journalists to get their voices into mainstream media.

Issue

During the pandemic in 2020, community voices were missing from the media coverage of economic issues in Australia’s major daily newspapers. The prevailing narrative centred on key messages of austerity, funding cuts and the burden of government debt, reinforcing a narrative that looking after people is costly and unsustainable. While many civil society groups had policy solutions to address the challenges presented by Covid-19, they could not get traction in the media.

Response

The Impact Fund provided core funding for the launch of the EMC in 2020 to begin identifying and training spokespeople from different backgrounds and support them to engage with the media effectively. The EMC now helps place media stories that draw on a diverse range of people with economic expertise and knowledge, alongside people with lived experience, to speak to the critical economic issues facing Australia.

The Impact Fund community provided further funding in 2022 to support the Economic Media Centre to work more closely with ACOSS one of its founding partners. ACOSS has unrivalled access to key decision-makers in the Federal Government and exceptional media reach.

Progress update

UPDATED MARCH 2022

• Building media expertise in the civil society sector: EMC has so far delivered media training to 330 media spokespeople, which has directly resulted in securing nearly 6,000 media stories.
• Influencing public policy and debate: EMC played a key role in building public pressure that resulted in the Federal Government committing $3.4 billion for women’s health, safety and economic wellbeing in the May 2021 budget.

What the Impact Fund’s support means

“The Impact Fund connected us with funders who understood the crucial role that people with lived experience can play in shifting debate for a more inclusive economy.” – Kirsty Albion, Executive Director, Australian Progress

Read case study in Making Change Together: Five years of the Impact Fund

Grants

• 2020 ‘Reimagining Australia’ Large Grants round: $110,000 in core funding
• 2022 Collaborations Large Grants round: $106,500 in core funding

Reducing undue corporate influence and protecting the right of charities to speak up

The #OurDemocracy campaign is a nationwide movement of people and organisations who want a healthy Australian democracy which works for us, not just for the powerful few.

The Stronger Charities Alliance was formed in 2017 in response to a number of bills which would have silenced charities on issues of national importance. The vision of the alliance is of a thriving not-for-profit sector, where charities are empowered to advocate for lasting change in pursuit of their charitable purposes.

#OurDemocracy: Issue + Response

With our climate at crisis point and the global pandemic increasing the gap between rich and poor, we need a strong democracy more than ever. We need a democracy that can deliver the outcomes that will protect people, the planet and future generations.

Politicians have little incentive to strengthen weak lobbying and political donation rules and the lack of a federal anti-corruption watchdog means powerful industries wield disproportionate influence in our democracy – they are getting outcomes that put their profits ahead of the wellbeing of everyone else.

The #OurDemocracy campaign was developed by three organisations – the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) and the Australian Democracy Network (ADN), together with the input of over 30 more. These core organisations continue to develop the solutions and work on the campaign, but just as our democracy belongs to all Australians, the #OurDemocracy campaign is a movement of people and organisations passionate about making our democracy fairer for all. 

The Framework for a Fair Democracy has been endorsed by organisations that work right across the spectrum of important issues–from environmental organisations, human rights advocates, health groups to churches– with each taking action to see it become law.

Stronger Charities Alliance: Issue + Response

Charities and community groups make an enormous contribution to the public good whether through running a homeless shelter, tackling family violence, or protecting the environment. Yet in recent years we have seen powerful actors make repeated attacks on the charity sector’s ability to speak up on such issues. Through the Hands Off Our Charities Alliance, ADN and HRLC work with the charities sector to resist attacks on our ability to advocate and to promote positive reform.

The HRLC enhances the capacity of civil society to effectively and collectively respond to new threats with expert legal analysis and advice. For example, in 2021 in response to new regulations which could have seen charities deregistered for supporting protest actions, the HRLC obtained advice from senior counsel on the regulations as soon as they were made public, published an explainer and gave online briefings to help organisations understand how the new rules would impact their work, drafted the HOOC joint submission to government opposing the rules, and helped lead on overall strategy to make sure the regulations were ultimately scrapped.

Shining a light on dark money in politics

Big Deal is a wake-up call about the frightening extent to which money has infiltrated politics. Christiaan van Vuuren is an everyday Aussie – a comedian with provocative instincts, but also a father with a keen sense of fairness and justice. Big Deal begins with Christiaan mocking the fact that the US democracy has been taken over by big money, but he soon realises that the situation in his home country is not all that different. A wake-up call about the frightening extent to which money has infiltrated politics, Christiaan’s unlikely journey shows us why we should care, and how we might work together to ensure our democracy is safeguarded from being sold to the highest bidder.

Issue

Significant money is being provided to political parties in the form of donations that have the potential to bias political action. Together both major parties have taken over $100 million from corporate donors since 2012. Current laws limit what needs to be reported to the public. This makes it hard for Australians to get a clear line of sight to who is providing funding and what influence they might be having on political decisions.

Response

Supported in development by Shark Island Institute, the team at Jungle Entertainment began work on a documentary – what became Big Deal – to build public awareness of the scale and implications of unchecked political donations. ACF worked with the production team to link the documentary to civil society stakeholders, including members of the #OurDemocracy campaign – a campaign seeking to engage the broader public to push for reforms to make the Australian democratic system stronger, fairer and more representative.

Progress Update

UPDATED MARCH 2022

• The film has so far had an audience reach of over 5.3 million in theatres, online, on the ABC and in media coverage. 
• The promotion of the #OurDemocracy campaign via the Big Deal documentary has so far led to 12,000 active members.

What the Impact Fund’s support means

“Impact Funders came on really early and made all the difference to the quality of the story we could tell… they totally understood the power of this film.” – Leeanne Torpey, Big Deal Impact Producer

Read case study in Making Change Together: Five years of the Impact Fund

Grants

• 2019 Large Grants round: $172,000 for development of impact campaign

Protecting Australia’s gun safety laws

The Australian Gun Safety Alliance (AGSA) is a broad coalition of voices representing the interests of the community in ensuring that we maintain vigilance on issues of gun safety.

Issue

When the Impact Fund supported the establishment of AGSA in 2017, the gun lobby in Australia was gaining influence in the debate over gun safety legislation. Without a strong alternative voice to that lobby, there was a real risk that Australia’s gun safety protections would be watered down. 

Response

Founding members of AGSA recognised that a national response was required to counter this threat and sought to build a national coalition of broad-based community and professional organisations to advocate for the protection of Australia’s gun safety framework. Initial members articulated a clear vision and approach for organisations to work together on the issue, and engaged in a series of discussions with organisations with an aligned interest in gun safety, leading to the formation of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance.

Progress update

UPDATED MARCH 2022

• The establishment of a strong, broad-based Alliance to advocate for gun safety: AGSA is now made up of over 30 organisations across Australia and acts as a strong and recognised voice for gun safety. 
• Influencing policy dialogue and debate: AGSA is now a recognised gun safety voice at the policy table and is influencing policy decisions, including the implementation of a permanent National Firearm Amnesty in 2021.

What the Impact Fund’s support means

“We bring those voices to the table when it comes to firearm safety, and we will forever be thankful to the Impact Fund community, who saw an opportunity to take this need off the page and into action.” – Stephen Bendle, Convenor, AGSA

Read case study in Making Change Together: Five years of the Impact Fund

Grants

• 2017 Large Grants round: $70,000 for seed funding (over two years)
• 2020 ‘Supporting Our Partners’ Covid-19 Agile Grant: $20,000 in core funding

Raising the rate of income support to keep Australians out of poverty

The campaign to Raise the Rate for Good is key to reducing poverty and inequality in Australia. The goal of the Raise the Rate for Good campaign is to fix our social security safety net for good so that it keeps people out of poverty, with an income of at least $70 a day.

ISSUE

Australians relying on unemployment payments are at significant risk of living in poverty, living on a base rate of $40 per day before Covid-19. Prior to adjustments made in response to Covid-19, these payments had not increased in real terms in 25 years, making it difficult for people receiving them to afford the basics. The low rate of government allowances, even taking into account the recent Covid-19 adjustments, continues to contribute to inequality in Australia, causing people who rely on payments to fall further behind.

RESPONSE

The Raise the Rate for Good campaign seeks to change the prevailing public narrative about people who rely on income support. It works to do that by building a grassroots and online campaign and mobilising a diverse range of high-profile influencers to build parliamentary support for change. The campaign is informed by research generated through the ACOSS and UNSW Poverty and Inequality Partnership with UNSW (also supported by the Impact Fund).

PROGRESS UPDATE

UPDATED MARCH 2022

• Community voices amplified: Over 15,000 supporters have signed onto the campaign with an unprecedented number of people with lived experience engaging in the campaign.
• Permanent increase to income support achieved: In response to pressure built through the campaign, heightened by the impacts of Covid-19, the Federal Government announced a permanent $50 increase to fortnightly income support payments. While criticised as being insufficient and continuing to allow Australians to live below the poverty line, the increase is significant and represents an additional $3 billion a year in support for vulnerable Australians.

WHAT THE IMPACT FUND’S SUPPORT MEANS

“Thanks to the campaign and support from Impact Funders, we were able to convince the Federal Government to introduce the Coronavirus Supplement, and almost double JobSeeker during the pandemic.” – Dr Cassandra Goldie, CEO, ACOSS

Read case study in Making Change Together: Five years of the Impact Fund

GRANTS

• 2019 Large Grants round: $150,000 in campaign support
• 2020 ‘Supporting Our Partners’ Covid-19 Agile Grant: $55,000 in campaign support

Protecting people from gambling harm

The Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) is a national advocacy organisation which works to prevent and minimise the harm from gambling. AGR’s aim is to remove the shame that surrounds gambling addiction, have the problem treated as a public health issue, and achieve the legislative changes needed to protect communities.

Issue

The harm caused by gambling impacts people and communities in many different ways. There are around 500,000 people in Australia who are experiencing high or severe levels of harm from gambling. On average, these people lose $21,000 a year.

Poker machine gambling continues to be the largest contributor to gambling harm, resulting in losses of more than $12 billion every year.

Response

In late 2016, AGR secured a powerful win in their campaign to reduce harm from poker machine gambling. After sustained campaigning, Coles announced that they would implement a trial to limit the maximum bet to $1 on its poker machines in South Australia and Queensland. Shortly after, the Impact Fund came on as an early supporter to help AGR leverage the momentum that was building at the time.

Through the Pokies Play You campaign, AGR is reframing gambling as a public health issue and supporting brands and AFL clubs to divest from the poker machine industry.

Progress update

UPDATED MARCH 2022

• Coles and Woolworths supermarkets and nine AFL clubs have divested from the poker machine industry.

What the Impact Fund’s support means

“Impact Funders are willing to back risky ideas and uncertain paths to advance social change… the Impact Fund community understood our vision from the beginning.” – Tony Mohr, Executive Director (2016–20), AGR

Read case study in Making Change Together: Five years of the Impact Fund

Grants

• 2017 Large Grants round: $60,000 for Pokies Play You campaign
• 2020 ‘Supporting Our Partners’ Covid-19 Agile Grant: $25,000 in core funding

IMPACT AREA 

SAFEGUARDING OUR ENVIRONMENT 

YEAR FIRST SUPPORTED 2017 

Protecting Country and Culture through Indigenous land and sea management. 

Organisation – Country Needs People 

Country Needs People is a leading independent Indigenous-led, non-profit organisation solely dedicated to growing, securing and amplifying the work of Indigenous-led land and sea management in Australia. 

PROTECTING COUNTRY AND CULTURE THROUGH INDIGENOUS LAND AND SEA MANAGEMENT 

Alongside over 50 Indigenous partner groups and with a majority Indigenous board, Country Needs People’s work includes: 

• Assisting in growing the network of Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) around Australia, and providing practical and direct partner support to community-based Indigenous Ranger teams; 

• Consolidating our efforts in remote Australia, while extending our reach into new regions to provide support to burgeoning groups for their on-Country aspirations; 

• Helping to strengthen Indigenous Ranger programs to protect biodiversity, manage fire and invasive species, and build culturally informed management approaches – keeping people, nature and culture strong; and 

• Maintaining support across the political spectrum for Indigenous land and sea management by advocating to state and federal governments, and ensuring governments deliver their funding promises. 

ORGANISATION WEBSITE: WWW.COUNTRYNEEDSPEOPLE.org.au 

ISSUE 

The future health of large parts of Australia is now inseparable from the growth and security of Indigenous land and sea management. Traditional land management practices on Country reinforce communities’ connection to land and culture, contribute to individual and community wellbeing, provide self-determination, a source of employment, and promote landscape health and sustainability. There are now over 129 Indigenous Ranger groups across Australia managing over 25% of Australian land and sea Country, so it is more important than ever to ensure Indigenous land and sea management is well supported and secured into the future.  

RESPONSE 

Country Needs People is solely dedicated to Indigenous-led land and sea management in Australia. Alongside over 50 Indigenous partner groups, we have worked hard to build cross-partisan support to strengthen and increase funding for Indigenous land and sea management. We have mobilised Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to support the work of Indigenous Rangers, with over 120,000 people participating in our campaigns.   

Our advocacy has delivered government funding directly for Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas. Our unique model combines our advocacy with practical, direct support to Indigenous Ranger groups and Traditional Owners on Country and sea, to support them to grow and strengthen their work.  

PROGRESS UPDATE 

UPDATED NOVEMBER 2025 

Our advocacy achievements 

Our work, with our Indigenous partner organisations, is delivering major gains including: 

• Over $1.7 billion to extend current Indigenous Ranger contracts and double the number of federally funded Ranger positions by 2030 adding 1,000 new jobs 

• Doubling of Queensland Indigenous Ranger jobs 

• More opportunities for women rangers through a job equity target 

• More than 42 million additional hectares of Australia in Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) since 2016 

• IPAs now make up over 54% of Australia’s protected areas on land, and protection of Sea Country across Australia is also growing rapidly 

• Federal Government funding to grow the IPA network, allocating $245 million over 5 years 

• Model has been adapted internationally: The Land Needs Guardians movement in Canada is pursuing the same recognition of the benefits of traditional land management for both Country and people. 

WHAT THE IMPACT FUND’S SUPPORT MEANS 

“Country Needs People ensures Indigenous Rangers get the support they need to look after sea and land Country.” – Rarrtjiwuy Melanie Herdman, Yolngu Traditional Owner 

“Impact Funders have helped us grow from a campaign to an independent organisation, delivering significant dividends for our environment and Indigenous wellbeing.” – Patrick O’Leary, Executive Director, CNP 

Read Case Study in: Making Change Together: Five years of the Impact Fund 

Protecting the integrity of our accountability institutions

The Centre for Public Integrity is an independent think tank dedicated to preventing corruption, protecting the integrity of our accountability institutions, and eliminating undue influence of money in politics.

Issue

A perceived lack of integrity in Australia’s political and bureaucratic processes and the erosion of accountability institutions have led to public concern that politicians and public servants do not always act in the public interest. Reform is needed to strengthen confidence and trust in liberal democracy and the rule of law.

Response

The Centre for Public Integrity is designing a National Integrity Commission with a broad jurisdiction and strong investigative power, and working on reforms including caps on political donations and electoral expenditure.

Taking government to court for inaction on climate change

The Australian Climate Case is seeing two Traditional Owners from Gudamalulgal in the Torres Strait take the Australian Government to court for failing to prevent climate change. 

Issue

Australians are already suffering from the devastating effects of the climate emergency. The fate of First Nations communities, children, farming communities, small businesses and tourism operators, communities at risk of bushfires and more will catastrophically worsen if greenhouse emissions don’t decline to net zero within the next 29 years. Despite this, Australia’s emissions are currently estimated to decrease only 4 per cent by 2050. We are in grave danger if we don’t reach net zero in under 30 years.

Wadhuam Pabai and Wadhuam Paul are Traditional Owners whose ancestors have lived in the Torres Strait for more than 65,000 years. Now they are on the frontline of the climate crisis, and face losing their island homes under rising seas.

Response

Pabai and Paul have turned to the courts in the hope of protecting their communities from disaster. They are arguing that the Federal Government has a legal responsibility to ensure Torres Strait Islander Peoples are not harmed by climate change. In legal terms, this is called a ‘duty of care’.

Pabai and Paul will argue that by failing to prevent climate change the Australian Government has unlawfully breached this duty of care, because of the severe and lasting harm that climate change would cause to their communities. They are seeking an order from the court requiring the Government to prevent this harm to their communities by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. 

Torres Strait Islanders have a long history of fighting for their rights – and some of those battles have transformed the face of modern Australia. Torres Strait Islander man Eddie Mabo, took on the Government through the courts and established that terra nullius was a lie, paving the way for land rights for all First Nations Peoples in Australia.