This email isn't about an urgent action to take. But we have some important decisions to make, and we need to make them together - so this is an invitation to vote and have your say.
Conservative Senator Eric Abetz has launched a media attack on our community, saying that GetUp has no real members - and trying to brand us hypocrites for advocating new laws to regulate political donations. Because his accusations are getting some play in the media, we thought it appropriate to respond, and get your thoughts.
GetUp has a pretty unique way of campaigning; we don't collect money for a good cause, and then find something worthwhile to do with it. We find super-effective ways to make a difference, and then pool resources to get it done. So far, over 50,000 Australians, enough to fill a football stadium, have chipped in - and every single donation has helped powerful campaigns on issues ranging from asylum seekers to David Hicks, climate change and mental health funding.
It's something to be very proud of. That's why we launched a new page on the GetUp website showing a live summary of GetUp's donations, the names of major donors, and the amounts they gave. We're not aware of any political party or any other organisation that disclose their donations like this.
The average donation is just $45, but a few are much larger, including a recent contribution of $1.12m worth of additional TV spots for an ad GetUp members put on air. You might remember the ad: it featured GetUp members speaking quotes from Tony Abbott about his views on women's role in society. It was suggested by GetUp members, starred GetUp members, and a record 8,574 GetUp members donated to put it on air.
After seeing it on TV, the CFMEU, a union representing 120,000 workers, offered to donate $1.12m worth of airtime to keep the ad on air. We said yes - and disclosed the amount publicly to the media.
Now, Senator Abetz is using this to attack GetUp. He has accused us of hypocrisy, because GetUp members have argued for a new set of electoral laws in Australia, including transparency and limits for political donations - laws that would have to include groups like GetUp if they were implemented effectively. Senator Abetz is against such reform, and as a Howard Government Minister, introduced electoral laws that made political donations more secret. They are the very same laws that excluded voters from the rolls until GetUp's High Court challenge ruled it unconstitutional to do so.
Some people think that we should flat-out refuse all larger donations now. Others argue that we should play by the same rules as everyone else - and shouldn't hobble our campaigns on climate change and social justice by turning away donations for campaigns we're already running. Not while politicians, banks, uranium, tobacco, and gambling interests are allowed to continue spending huge money unchallenged.
Our policy was to accept support from the CFMEU for the ad campaign GetUp members put on air. But ultimately, that policy should be set by our whole membership.
So, what do you think? Should we accept large donations to existing campaigns? It's an important decision with major implications the future of our movement - so whichever way you lean, please let us know in this quick survey:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/your_say
Please make sure your thoughts count in the survey - but if you'd like to add a longer note, you can also email discuss@getup.org.au. Our new webpage with donations information can be seen here: www.getup.org.au/about/disclosure
Just last month the GetUp movement reached 400,000 members. What makes us unique is not just our size, but the fact that our power is drawn from your action - and your decisions. That's why your opinion is so important.
Looking forward to your thoughts,
The GetUp team
No comments:
Post a Comment