Pokies campaign on Today Tonight

Just a quick update on the ongoing poker machine reform campaign; the past week has been a busy one and I thought you'd want to know about it.

Last week began with GetUp member, renowned computer engineer, and the first woman and first living person inducted into the Australian ICT hall of fame, Ann Moffatt, speaking out on a Today Tonight segment. Ann revealed for the first time the unbelievable fact that a major poker machine manufacturer, still in business today, employed a team of 10 psychologists to develop pokier machine logic that would be passed on to Ann and her team of programmers to implement. When Ann found out, she terminated her company's relationship with the poker machine client.

If you missed the segment and you want to learn more about one of the reasons we have so many Australians addicted to poker machine gambling, you can watch it here:



Ann's story on Today Tonight reached more than 1.1 million Australian viewers and once again stressed just how dangerous high loss poker machines currently are for our communities. That's why hundreds of GetUp members successfully called for an Extraordinary General Meeting of Woolworths Ltd; at the EGM GetUp members and shareholders will be asking the largest owner and operator of poker machines in Australia to commit to making its machines safer for all Australians.

On a less public-facing side of the campaign, I've just returned from the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) conference in Melbourne, where GetUp had an informational stall to brief investors - the people who will either be voting or who represent people who will be voting - on poker machine reform at November's EGM. Our campaign materials and conversations informed key industry players about the important social justice implications and risks that are associated with continued investment in high loss poker machines and let them know about the upcoming opportunity to vote for safer machines at November's EGM.




The majority of investors and advisors I spoke with were very impressed with the campaign to date and that's because of you. Without your support we could not have run ads in cinemas across the country, delivered petitions, sent letters to the CEOs of Woolworths and Wesfarmers, successfully called an EGM or funded the legal fight that ensued. The efforts of our movement have been successful in getting investors to think more about the risk - both to the brand and also to the public - of Woolworths' continued investment in such demonstrably harmful products. Many let me know they will be watching closely as the campaign unfolds.

For that reason, we'll be back in touch soon with some powerful and important ways in which you can use your power as a member of a superfund in order to help bring about poker machine reform.

Thanks for all that you do,
Erin, for the GetUp team.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

In the SMH today

It's a landscape stretching from wind swept dunes and a rugged coastline which was once frequented by the Tarkininer people and other Aboriginal groups, through to the mountain ranges shrouded in rainforest, cut through by wild rivers. It's home to the last healthy Tasmanian devils and other endangered species like the giant freshwater lobsters. The Tarkine evokes an atavistic sense of Australia, how it has evolved over more the 40 millions years. But the area is under imminent threat, miners have plans for huge short-term open cut mines in the heart of the area.

You've been among tens of thousands of GetUp members campaigning to prevent huge new strip and open-cut mines in the Tarkine - thank you. Unfortunately, Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has refused to stand up for the Tarkine wilderness of Tasmania. He refused the area Emergency Heritage listing, and has now granted a weak assessment process for the three strip and open-cut mines by Venture Minerals. It's clear these mines won't be properly scrutinised, even though the fate of the Tasmanian Devil hangs on the details.

But this is not the end, it's just the beginning. As the assessment process starts, we have the chance to come together as a movement and build public support for saving the Tarkine.

Thanks to the 2,020 GetUp members who chipped in the below ad is running in today's Sydney Morning Herald so we can ensure Tony Burke is held to account - giving the Tasmanian devil a voice at a time when only the mining industry are being heard.

Click here to see the full-size ad.



The Tarkine is now under threat from three huge strip and open cut mines. It's part of a plan by Venture Minerals to turn the rainforest into a "province of tin."¹

Let Tony Burke know that you're disappointed he isn't giving proper scrutinty to the three massive open cut and strip mines, and that you don't support mining the Tarkine:

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/save-our-forests/tarkine-devils/dont-mine-the-tarkine-tony

Thanks for all you do,

Paul Oosting and the GetUp team.

[1] Andrew Radonjic, Managing Director Venture Minerals. Tasmanian Minerals Council Conference, 2011.

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GetUp Action for Australia is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp Action for Australia's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp Action for Australia, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean on behalf of GetUp Action for Australia, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

Your privacy at risk

--The Government is trying to push through sweeping changes to Australia's surveillance and intelligence laws which put our privacy at risk. Watch the video to find out more and sign the petition: http://www.getup.org.au/protect-us-but-respect-us--




Would you copy ASIO in on every personal email you send, include them in every conversation you have with a friend online, send them your personal photos and videos? Soon, you may not have a choice.

Right now the Government is considering the most sweeping and radical changes to Australia's surveillance and intelligence laws since the establishment of the original laws in 1979.

The changes would give Australia's spy agency, ASIO, broad powers to gather unprecedented levels of data on Australian citizens, including monitoring your emails and posts on Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts. Internet providers and websites would be forced to keep detailed records of everything you do online for at least 2 years, and be forced to turn this over to the government if requested - and all of this could potentially be done without a warrant.

We've put together an informative video to explain the changes. Watch the video to find out more about how your privacy could be invaded, and add your name to the petition asking the Government to protect us, but respect us:

http://www.getup.org.au/protect-us-but-respect-us

These changes are so controversial that Attorney-General Nicola Roxon is trying to rush them through the committee¹ - hoping they'll get through before we catch on to what's going on, without proper scrutiny.

Intelligence agencies play a vital role in protecting our national security, but that can't come at the expense of privacy and proper safeguards. These changes would treat everyone like criminals, seek to reduce the checks and balances governing the use of and access to intercepted communications, skirt the power of the courts, and give significant powers to the intelligence services and the Attorney-General.

GetUp members have successfully stood up for our privacy online in the past. When the Rudd Government tried to introduce a mandatory internet filter, GetUp members mobilised to ensure our internet is free from unsolicited government interference. Now we must again come together to protect our civil liberties.

These next few weeks are crucial as the Government's discussion paper is debated in committee and reported on to Parliament. With such a short time allowed for consultation, the Attorney-General and the Government are trying to rush this through Parliament and avoid public scrutiny. Add your name to the petition and tell the Government to protect our civil liberties:

http://www.getup.org.au/protect-us-but-respect-us

Thanks for standing up,
The GetUp team

^[1] Paper reveals govt’s national security crackdown, Bernard Keane. Crikey. 9 July, 2012

PS - Want to know more about these controversial proposals? We've put together an informative video to explain the changes. Watch it here: http://www.getup.org.au/protect-us-but-respect-us

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GetUp Action for Australia is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp Action for Australia's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp Action for Australia, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh on behalf of GetUp Action for Australia, Level 2, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010.

Just a reminder re: Youh Thoughts for 2012

There's just 24 hours to go in our 2012 member survey. Can you take 3 minutes to shape what campaigns we work on this year?  

With the Government relying on negotiation and consensus building to get their reforms through, there has never been a more important time for a people powered movement to influence our nation's future and hold our politicians to account.

Can you take a few minutes to help set GetUp’s priorities for the year ahead? Take our short survey here:

http://surveys.getup.org.au/s3/2012-Vision-Survey

In 2011 GetUp members took people power to a whole new level in our fight for a fairer, more just and sustainable Australia. Over 500,000 Australians took actions as diverse as holding mental health vigils to donating to innovative TV ads that shook the political establishment. But 2012 can be even bigger.

Take a moment to share your ideas - it'll take just 3 minutes! The deadline for voting is fast approaching and every response will shape GetUp's priorities for the year ahead.

http://surveys.getup.org.au/s3/2012-Vision-Survey

Here's to making 2012 our best year yet.

The GetUp Team

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Just Announced: Stop the Loss.

Update: Minutes ago an unprecedented community coalition launched a campaign to push for poker machine reform.
The Stop the Loss Coalition, of which GetUp is a founding member, is a community campaign bringing together religious, civil society and consumer groups to counter Clubs Australia's aggressively misleading $40 million anti-reform campaign.

Politicians are deciding their next steps right now. That's why we need to come together and raise an additional $50,000 so we'll be able to start the distribution of one million letters direct to voters this weekend. This is our chance to turn the same tactic that Clubs Australia has been using on its head. Can you donate $15, $25 or $50 right now to take on the pokie profiteers and fight for real reform?


This may be our last chance to achieve reform that will save lives, and stop tragedies like the one GetUp member Clelia Koch’s family experienced. Clelia's original email from Monday is below.


Thanks for fighting back.


Erin for the GetUp team

--- Original Email ---

The Prime Minister and the Federal Cabinet are considering whether to scrap problem gambling reform, instead turning to a model of 'voluntary' pre-commitment that independent trials (and common sense) have shown to be completely ineffective. If the Prime Minister chooses to break her promise and trash reform, either by scrapping it all together or delaying it beyond the next election, thousands more lives could be destroyed just for political expediency. Can you chip in to our rapid response advertising campaign so that we stop this backdown before the Government makes their final decision? --

Please note: An email from GetUp member Clelia Koch is below. We are passing this email on to you and your details have not been shared.

Dear friends,

It’s a tough time of year for my family. My beloved son-in-law, who was addicted to pokies, hung himself on Australia Day in 2008, leaving behind twins aged four years, as well as a six-year old daughter. His addiction to poker machines had taken most of his wages for years and he had borrowed heavily from loan sharks to cover up his heavy losses. We had no idea. When I speak to people about my family tragedy, most try to comfort me by saying they also know of marriage breakdowns and the loss of homes as a result of mortgage payments being secretly diverted into pokies. But this doesn’t comfort me. It breaks my heart.

After thinking the government was finally going to do something real to help problem gamblers, today I'm hearing some very distressing news. The Prime Minister is considering caving in to the powerful hotels lobby, by trying to get away with ‘voluntary pre-commitment’ instead. That would mean gamblers choosing whether to set a limit on how much they’ll spend in one go. Speaking from experience I can tell you that there's nothing voluntary about addiction, and while this policy may be more politically convenient, it won’t do anybody any good.

Can you join me and click here to donate to GetUp's campaign in defence of real reform? There’s a newspaper ad blitz ready to go tomorrow if we all chip in today.

They say pokie machines are the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling because they're designed to be so addictive. For someone like my son-in-law, their effect can be devastating. These machines can swallow more than $1000 hour, and Australia has more of them than any other country on earth. No wonder gamblers in Australia lose $12 billion this way every year.

Meanwhile, experts will tell you that voluntary pre-commitment, the cop-out the Government are considering right now, has been studied for years. Studies by three state governments and the Productivity Commission all found the same thing: it will absolutely fail because it won't help the people who need it most, which is exactly why the clubs are willing to allow it. As someone who has seen problem gambling and its devastating effects up close, I agree with the experts that the best real-world solution is to limit gamblers’ ability to lose so much in one sitting. The vast majority of recreational gamblers won’t be affected at all – but for those who do need help, limiting bets to $1 or capping total losses at $120 an hour per machine (instead of $1000!) will save jobs, homes, families and even lives.

Can you join me in putting a message in the papers tomorrow: we won't buy this phoney reform. Problem gamblers and the families who love them need real help now.

https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/voluntary-pre-commitment/stop-the-loss

Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. It is my most sincere hope that together, we will prevent other families from experiencing the pain that my family must endure every day.

Clelia Koch
GetUp member

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Breaking news: ripping up the agreement

-- Breaking News: The Prime Minister and the Federal Cabinet are considering whether to scrap problem gambling reform, instead turning to a model of 'voluntary' pre-commitment that independent trials (and common sense) have shown to be completely ineffective. If the Prime Minister chooses to break her promise and trash reform, either by scrapping it all together or delaying it beyond the next election, thousands more lives could be destroyed just for political expediency. Can you chip in to our rapid response advertising campaign so that we stop this backdown before the Government makes their final decision? --

Please note: An email from GetUp member Clelia Koch is below. We are passing this email on to you and your details have not been shared.
 
Dear Sarah,
 
It’s a tough time of year for my family. My beloved son-in-law, who was addicted to pokies, hung himself on Australia Day in 2008, leaving behind twins aged four years, as well as a six-year old daughter. His addiction to poker machines had taken most of his wages for years and he had borrowed heavily from loan sharks to cover up his heavy losses. We had no idea. When I speak to people about my family tragedy, most try to comfort me by saying they also know of marriage breakdowns and the loss of homes as a result of mortgage payments being secretly diverted into pokies. But this doesn’t comfort me. It breaks my heart.
 
After thinking the government was finally going to do something real to help problem gamblers, today I'm hearing some very distressing news. The Prime Minister is considering caving in to the powerful hotels lobby, by trying to get away with ‘voluntary pre-commitment’ instead. That would mean gamblers choosing whether to set a limit on how much they’ll spend in one go. Speaking from experience I can tell you that there's nothing voluntary about addiction, and while this policy may be more politically convenient, it won’t do anybody any good.
 
Can you join me and click here to donate to GetUp's campaign in defence of real reform? There’s a newspaper ad blitz ready to go tomorrow if we all chip in today.
 
They say pokie machines are the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling because they're designed to be so addictive. For someone like my son-in-law, their effect can be devastating. These machines can swallow more than $1000 hour, and Australia has more of them than any other country on earth. No wonder gamblers in Australia lose $12 billion this way every year.

Meanwhile, experts will tell you that voluntary pre-commitment, the cop-out the Government are considering right now, has been studied for years. Studies by three state governments and the Productivity Commission all found the same thing: it will absolutely fail because it won't help the people who need it most, which is exactly why the clubs are willing to allow it. As someone who has seen problem gambling and its devastating effects up close, I agree with the experts that the best real-world solution is to limit gamblers’ ability to lose so much in one sitting. The vast majority of recreational gamblers won’t be affected at all – but for those who do need help, limiting bets to $1 or capping total losses at $120 an hour per machine (instead of $1000!) will save jobs, homes, families and even lives.

Can you join me in putting a message in the papers tomorrow: we won't buy this phoney reform. Problem gamblers and the families who love them need real help now.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/voluntary-pre-commitment/get-this-ad-in-the-paper
 
Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you. It is my most sincere hope that together, we will prevent other families from experiencing the pain that my family must endure every day.

Clelia Koch
GetUp member

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Is it a Bird? Is it a plane?

It's a win, win, win for everyone - and it has you in a red spandex suit! What is it? It's our new recycling campaign, launching today with this action-packed video starring none other than you:


www.getup.org.au/coke-not-in-my-name

Imagine if when you bought a drink, you got 10 cents back when you returned the empty can or bottle when you're done. Sound simple? Well it is. It's done all over the world and delivers massive environmental and social benefits.

But Coke is running a well-funded misinformation campaign against it, and has been harassing anyone trying to push for a refund recycling scheme that would reduce millions of tonnes of CO2 pollution and billions of litres of water. Not to mention removing lots of litter.

We need a new superhero to stand up to Coke: you. Consider this email your bat signal, and star in your own superhero video:

www.getup.org.au/coke-not-in-my-name

A successful deposit and refund scheme on cans and bottles has been operating for 30 years in South Australia, and many other parts of the world. But when the Northern Territory parliament tried to introduce it for 2012, Coke and its allies were there harassing them with false claims about its impact.

That means it's time for you to get out the red spandex and tell Coke they're full of rubbish!

Thanks for being a hero,
The GetUp team

PS - NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson, on the receiving end of Coke's well funded campaign, has sent a letter to GetUp members calling for your help. Hear his call and become a superhero for recycling today, with this video starring none other than you.

PPS - Apologies you may not be able to view this video on your mobile phone and those viewing the video with a slower internet may have to wait up to 20 seconds before the video plays. Be patient, it's worth it!

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Sam Mclean, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Free forest getaway

--Thanks to the generous GetUp members at Tarkine Trails - an ecotourism and conservation operation - 12 GetUp members who chip in to our new Tarkine campaign will be invited to visit the ancient forest on a deluxe 3-day tour in the ancient Tarkine rainforest in Tasmania.--

 The second-largest temperate rainforest in the world is right here in Australia. It's a safe haven for one of the last wild populations of Tasmanian Devils free of the tumor disease that is threatening the species with extinction.

But that could all change if Venture Minerals get their way. They see the Tarkine as 'one of the world's largest undeveloped tin resources'¹ and have proposed a series of enormous open-cut mines that would decimate the rainforest and likely fast track the spread of the devil tumor disease.

To understand the significance of the Tarkine is to enter the forest. To walk among its mighty trunks: centuries old, unmoving. To hear the growl of a Tassie Devil. To breathe in and be filled with the wonder of being in ancient Australia.

With mining applications on his desk, Environment Minister Tony Burke has the Tarkine's future in his hands, but he hasn't yet seen it with his own eyes. We can change that.

Let's put our new ad on cinema screens across Australia to make sure Mr. Burke can't get away with signing away the Tarkine's future before he experiences it himself. A passionate GetUp member in the industry has offered us discounted cinema ads that mean your $50 donation will allow us to book a week of cinema ads. And thanks to GetUp locals in the Tarkine, you could be invited to experience a deluxe tour of the forest yourself:



If you've been to the cinema recently you've likely seen Tourism Tasmania's new advertising campaign, with its images of towering trees and untouched forest. Our new video is a Tassie tourism ad with a twist. These big trees deserve to be seen on the big screen - but as well as the beauty of the Tarkine, movie-goers will see what will happen to the area if Minister Burke decides to allow the area to be open-cut mined.

The Tarkine is a national treasure, but many Australians don't know that it's under imminent threat.

We can change that - with the Christmas and New Year blockbuster season upon us, our cinema ad can ensure hundreds of thousands of Australians are watching as Mr. Burke makes his decision.

Local GetUp members who run an eco-tourism business, Tarkine Trails, have donated a guided trip including luxurious lodge accomodation and a 3-day tour of the beautiful Tarkine forest. Chip in to the campaign today and tell us why you want to experience the Tarkine, and you could be among 12 GetUp members from across the country invited on the tour.

www.getup.org.au/campaigns/save-our-forests/save-tarkine-ads/save-the-tarkine

There is something intangible yet deeply significant in the fabric of an ancient landscape like the Tarkine. You can experience it, but it is hard to describe. That's why we need to make sure Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke visits the area before he considers these applications for devastating open-cut mines. Together, we can make sure he knows Australians across the country expect no less.

Thanks,
The GetUp team.

¹ 'Call for heritage listing of the Tarkine to head off tin mine', The Age. November 19, 2011. http://www.smh.com.au/national/call-for-heritage-listing-of-the-tarkine-to-head-off-tin-mine-20111118-1nndq.html

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Coal seam Gas - Update

Dear friends,

The coal seam gas movement is growing across the country. Like never before people are mobilising, standing up to protect their communities. Every day brings many more news reports and with so much going on, we'd like to take a few minutes to touch base on the campaign.

Today, the right of landowners to prevent mining companies accessing their land is being tested in the town of Dalby, in Queensland's coal seam gas rich Darling Downs area. As we write, Drew Hutton, president of the Lock the Gate alliance of landowners against coal seam gas, is facing court for working with a landowner to obstruct a coal seam gas company coming on to their land.

On Monday, residents of Gloucester in Northern NSW, began a blockade to prevent drilling in the area, and last month farmers ended an almost month-long blockade to protect the fertile soils and precious groundwater resources of the Liverpool Plains.

But it's not just our land and water that are threatened by the coal seam gas industry. The dredging of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area to make way for massive coal seam gas export hubs serves as yet another example of the destructive expansion of the coal seam gas industry. That's why we launched an emergency petition focussing on the huge impact the dredging project has had on the already fragile marine ecosystem. Thanks to your rapid action, it grew quickly to over 72,000 signatures.

Next week, Lincoln, a GetUp member all the way over in Paris, will deliver the petition to UNESCO Marine Program Coordinator Dr Fanny Douvere at the UNESCO headquarters. We're asking UNESCO to call on the Australian government to halt development on the massive gas export hub projects until proper assessments are completed.

Together our movement has made a great start in the campaign to halt coal seam gas mining. Here's just some of what GetUp members have been doing:

• We began with a petition calling for a halt to coal seam gas mining until the impacts on water, health, farmland and the environment are known - this has grown to over 60,000 signatures.
  
• 5,008 of you have donated to our ad showing the real stories behind coal seam gas mining, raising an incredible $236,000. You made it possible for a 'Don't Risk CSG' ad blitz across networks around the country. In urban areas, the ad was shown where politicians are most likely to see it, and in primetime during a special coal seam gas episode of SBS' Insight where it has reached huge audiences. In regional NSW and QLD the ad aired on every single channel in the space of an hour, where it saturated local areas in a primetime Sunday evening timeslot.
  
• Thanks to the connections of a local GetUp member, over the upcoming holiday season, that ad will be showing in movie theatres in key QLD areas, just in time for the Christmas movie rush.
  
• Local communities have been mobilising - gathering for town hall meetings, information sessions and marches (Got one near you coming up? Let us know!). Weeks of events all over regional and metropolitan NSW, QLD, Victoria and SA reached saturation when, in October, over 20,000 of us nation-wide turned out to over 30 events for the national day of action on coal seam gas. The day of action, organised by the Lock the Gate Alliance and the hard-working community action groups across the country, was an incredible show of our movement's strength - thank you for going along to your local action. (Check out the highlights of the day by watching this video)
  
• Our petition with the Hunter Valley Protection Alliance reached the 10,000 signatures required to force NSW Parliament to debate the issue, and was delivered to local MP George Souris by winegrower Bruce Tyrell. Another petition by Stop CSG Illawarra reached over 15,000 signatures - leaving a lot for the NSW government to answer to.

Congratulations on all that we've done together. Let's continue to build this incredible movement and act on coal seam gas mining.

Next year will be crucial. It's the year we, as a community movement, determine the future of coal seam gas mining in Australia. Key parliamentary battles will be fought: Independent MP Tony Windsor and the Greens will both be introducing bills into parliament to better regulate the industry and empower landowners. This issue will play a big part in the Queensland state election. Proposed CSG export facilities in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area will be decided on. All while the industry makes a major push to secure its future.

We're excited for the fight ahead and our movement is ready. Protecting our water, farmland, environment and the health of our communities is too important to ignore.

With hope and thanks,
Paul O and Justine for the GetUp team.

PS - More reasons to keep fighting the expansion of coal seam gas mining? Turns out the purported 'cleaner energy' benefits may not be true - reports indicate serious questions about whether coal seam gas is cleaner than coal (articles here and here). Not only that, but even former employees of the industry are criticising its expansion and dodgy operators.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Ignoring basic science

This week, the Government’s Murray Darling Basin Authority released a draft report with recommendations that ignore the basic science of what the river system needs to survive. Sign the petition to Environment Minister Tony Burke asking him to put science before politics: www.getup.org.au/murray-darling

This week, the Federal Government’s Murray Darling Basin Authority released a draft report that recommends only an extra 2750 billion litres of water be returned to the river, not even meeting the 3000-4000 billion litres the Government's own process said was required to ensure the river survives only a year ago - and far less than leading scientists have recommended.

But here's the thing: we now have a powerful ally in the action our movement takes to protect the Murray Darling. Few political leaders understand what's happening in the Murray Darling Basin better than Jay Weatherill. He's the Premier of South Australia, where our most important river system ends. He's written a message to GetUp members explaining the situation and what you can do to help. Read his letter and sign the petition to Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke here

The Premier's message to GetUp members summarises the despair that scientists, environmentalists and sustainable farmers are feeling right now. The results of the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) process are being slammed by experts including the CSIRO¹.

But it's far from a done deal, because as Water Minister Tony Burke can fix it. With the Federal Government focused on assessing community reaction before delivering the final report, this is the moment to make our voices heard. Tell Minister Burke to ensure the next version of the plan will deliver what it takes to save the River.

www.getup.org.au/murray-darling

As the Premier says in his letter, "it’s not a choice between producing food and having a healthy river. We need a healthy river and sustainable food production."

We need decision-makers to get an urgent reality check: failure of this river system is simply not an option. Read the message from the SA Premier and sign the petition now - because we can’t allow our nation’s food bowl to be turned into a dust bowl.

Thanks for all that you do,
the GetUp team.

¹ Young et al. (Nov. 2011) CSIRO. Science Review of the Estimation of the Sustainable Level of Take from the Murray-Darling Basin.

http://download.mdba.gov.au/proposed/CSIRO_ESLT_Science_Review.pdf

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Australia's Amazon

It’s little known outside of Tasmania. A place of sweeping beaches, temperate rainforest, sand dunes and pristine river systems; along with more than 60 species of threatened, rare or endangered animals – including a certain famous devil, the world’s largest freshwater crustacean and Australia’s largest eagle. It’s the Tarkine Rainforest: a living, breathing relic of Earth’s original super continent, Gondwanaland, and the second largest intact stretch of rainforest in the world. But if we’re not vocal, it will soon be home to some of Tasmania’s newest open cut mines.

So remarkable is this place, that you would think it out of the question that we could willingly destroy or damage it in any way. Yet, Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has not even visited the area. Meanwhile, the mining companies want in and the Tassie State government is turning the pressure up on Minister Burke to look the other way. Tell Tony Burke not to buckle, and ask him to visit the Tarkine before it’s too late. We’ve made a video to help pique Tony's interest and spread the word.



For the last several years, politicians have been granting the Tarkine emergency heritage status in order to keep the mining and logging companies at bay while they consider whether to permanently protect this valuable region. Earlier this year the Australia Heritage Council made a clear recommendation: protect the Tarkine. But Tony Burke has let its emergency heritage status expire, and has yet to decide what he’ll do next.

Tony Burke has a reputation for being a hands-on politician who likes to visit places and get information on the ground before making decisions. That’s why we have a chopper and a team experts standing by, ready to take him straight into the heart of the rainforest for an insider’s tour he’ll never forget. But we need public pressure to make it happen. Invite Tony to visit the Tarkine now, and show community support for protecting this priceless yet little-known expanse of pristine nature from destruction.

www.getup.org.au/visit-the-tarkine

The mines propsed in the Tarkine rainforest are enormous –one of the three mines planned for development in the next 18 months would be the equivalent of 420 Melbourne Cricket Grounds’ wide and twice as deep as the tallest point on Sydney Harbour Bridge.

It’s simply unacceptable. Watch the video, and invite the Environment Minister to see for himself why we must protect this place before it's too late. When we hand-deliver your invitation signed by thousands of Australians, we'll also present him with a giant airplane ticket and 'National Park Pass' -- www.getup.org.au/visit-the-tarkine.

Thanks,

Paul Oosting - for the GetUp team

PS - Do you live near the Tarkine? Would you like to personally volunteer to give the Minister a tour of the area? Let us know by replying to this email.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Woolworths campaign update!

Campaign update!

It's been a busy 24 hours. Woolworths’ Facebook and Twitter pages have been inundated with people asking why the Fresh Food People are the largest owner of high loss pokie machine venues in Australia -- and why they are funding a campaign that actively opposes pokie machine reform.

Meanwhile, our petition has grown overnight by 30,000 to more than 60,000 signatures in total.

We’ve set a target of 70,000 people by tomorrow morning, when we'll present our petition at Woolworths' AGM in Sydney, and ask senior executives directly to support pokie machine reform. It's not too late to add your name now and spread the word:

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/woolworths-agm-petition/pokies-petition

Plenty of Woolworths customers – and shareholders – are not happy that the ‘Fresh Food People’ are heavily profiting from an industry that’s taking the food off so many family tables. The company is set to own more pokie machines than the top five Las Vegas Casinos combined. [1] But most people still don't know that the Fresh Food People are in fact profiting from problem gambling, so today we are also publishing a full-page ad, ‘The Pokies People’ in The Australian.

Importantly, tomorrow's meeting is a unique opportunity to communicate directly to the company's top brass how many shareholders, employees and customers of Woolworths want them to better serve their customers by coming out in support of pokie reform. We won't reveal your name to Woolworths but the total number will be powerful. Can you sign the petition and let us know if you are a Wooloworths customer, employee or shareholder?

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/woolworths-agm-petition/pokies-petition

Thanks for all that you do,
Erin for the GetUp Team

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[1]"Woolworths hits the jackpot with pokies after signing deal with Laundy hotel group", Daily Telegraph. November 11, 2

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Woolies: Fresh food, lies and problem gambling?

Grocery giant Woolworths is the surprise owner of the largest number of dangerous high-loss gambling machine venues in Australia – enabling a social ill that ruins families and destroys lives. Sign our petition to Woolworths now, and we'll deliver it directly to the company chairman at their AGM this Thursday.

Australia is home to the largest number of dangerous high-loss pokie machines in the world – and grocery giant Woolies is the king of the hill: the largest pokie machine venue owner in the country, with more pokie machines than the top five Las Vegas casinos combined!^[1]

Why? Pure dollars: owning hotels with pokie machines is reportedly three times more profitable than selling groceries. No one would know this better than Australia's trusted household brand, which now has more than 12,000 computerised gambling machines in around 300 hotels across the country.^[2]

These machines have been called the "crack cocaine" of gambling. Players are estimated to lose hundreds of millions of dollars on these machines annually.^[3] They’re designed to be highly addictive, especially to those already prone to problem gambling, making them uniquely profitable to big corporations and destructive to the lives of thousands of Australian families. Plenty of Woolworths customers – and shareholders – are not happy that the ‘Fresh Food People’ are heavily profiting from an industry that’s taking the food off so many family tables. Together, we’re taking our voices to the top by presenting your petition directly to senior executives at this Thursday's Woolworths AGM.

Imagine the look on the faces of these back room executives when we tell them directly how many shareholders, employees and customers of Woolworths want them to better serve their customers by coming out in support of pokie reform. We won't reveal your name to Woolworths but the total number will be powerful. Can you sign the petition and let us know if you are a Wooloworths customer, employee or shareholder?

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/woolworths-agm-petition/pokies-petition

It’s alarming enough that a trusted family brand has out-invested the top five Las Vegas casinos in pokie machines – but they’ve also made it clear that they don't think that their many customers who have been devastated by the impacts of problem gambling are their problem. Earlier this year the head of Woolworths' gambling subsidiary spoke in front of a parliamentary inquiry and shamelessly compared gambling addiction to hamburgers by saying: ''I think the product is safe. Some people have addictions, be it to fast food or drugs…are we asking, is a hamburger safe?" ^[4] Woolworths representatives sit on the executive board of the Australian Hotels Association, who are jointly responsible with Clubs Australia for the so called '$20 million' mass advertising campaign against pokies reform.^[5]

Woolworths may have the dollars, but with more than 585,000 of us across the country – many of whom are Woolies' shareholders, employees and customers – we can change the direction of the company. Some concerned individuals have already volunteered to allow GetUp to send “proxies” on their behalf to the AGM – spokespeople who will represent them, and speak directly about their own personal experience of the devastating effects of problem pokie gambling (and present your petition). It's a rare opportunity to take our message directly to the top and have it delivered not by an outside group of activists, but through the company's own concerned shareholders. Sign the petition now, and let us know if you’re a Woolworths shareholder, employee or customer.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/woolworths-agm-petition/pokies-petition

An Annual General Meeting is the one chance we get each year to bypass the usual spin doctors and media gate holders and speak directly to the company Chair and senior executives, publicly, and on the record.

The truth is, Woolworths can more than afford to curb problem gambling and still profit handsomely from recreational pokie players, alongside all their other business. We frankly expect better of a trusted Australian family brand than to fund a massive and misleading ad campaign against pokie reform. Our petition is already nearly 50,000 strong. Now we want to make it even bigger, and tell Woolworths just how many of their customers, shareholders and employees have signed it. We'll be presenting all this on Thursday: thank you for adding your voice now and spreading the word.

Thank you for all that you do,
Erin, for the GetUp team

^[1]"Woolworths hits the jackpot with pokies after signing deal with Laundy hotel group", Daily Telegraph. November 11, 2011
^[2] "Woolworths in pokie grip talks", Sydney Morning Herald. April 18, 2011
^[3]"Woolies is poker machine king", Daily Telegraph. November 12, 2011
^[4]"Playing pokies just like eating a burger, says Woolies subsidiary", Sydney Morning Herald. February 15, 2011
^[5] "Woolworths revealed to own more pokies than the Adelaide Casino", News.com.au. April 16, 2011

Prime Minister's marriage announcement.

Yesterday the PM moved to support a conscience vote on marriage equality at the upcoming ALP National Conference. But if this becomes the position of the ALP National Conference, a bill to bring about marriage equality is likely to fail - as the Coalition will likely vote on block against it. We’ve created a new newspaper ad to highlight why marriage equality matters. Check out the ad and click here to chip in!

The Labor party’s National Conference, their highest decision-making forum, begins in just two weeks. Right now, senior party leaders are grappling with what to do on the question of marriage equality – whether to push for it to become formal party policy, binding all Labor MPs to vote for changes to the Marriage Act, or whether to allow individual Labor MPs to vote how they choose.

Normally we think conscience votes are a good thing. Problem is, the other side aren’t playing by the same rules. They’ve instructed all coalition MPs to vote in a block against any amendments to the Marriage Act, meaning a conscience vote isn’t really a conscience vote and is likely to fail.

It's easy for some to shrug their shoulders and say the pursuit of equality isn't worth the trouble. The truth is, this reform isn't about simply about symbolism - it's about abolishing an injustice that has concrete impacts on thousands of people's lives.

Right now, votes are starting to firm up in favor of a binding vote in support of marriage equality. If the ALP National Conference decides to commit the Government to change, we could see laws pass our Parliament within months.

That's why we’ve created a new ad: an open letter to Labor Party delegates, from a psychologist with more than 25 experience in the field. It’s time our politicians faced up to the reality of institutionalised discrimination and think about abolishing that injustice.

View the ad now and donate to put it in tomorrow’s newspaper: www.getup.org.au/conscience

Senior psychologist Paul Martin knows from experience (and from research) that same-sex attracted Australians are twice as likely to experience a high or very high level of psychological distress and are four times more likely to have attempted suicide.¹ He tells the heart-wrenching story of a young man who was able to change his father's mind about "bloody poofters", but feels like giving up because he can't change the law that treats him like a second-class citizen.

When our politicians send a message to our young people that they aren’t equal – that they aren’t good enough to participate fully in our society’s sacred contracts and rites of passage, simply because of who they choose to love – they do a great disservice to us all.

Chip in to fund our new ad, appearing in papers nationally tomorrow.

Research confirms that the majority of Australians are now in favour of marriage equality,² and that number is higher among Labor voters. It’s time for our politicians to step into alignment with the views of their own voters, as well as that which is fair and just.

Thanks for all that you do,


The GetUp team.

P.S. This week a Nielsen Poll revealed that 62% of Australians and 71% of Labor voters are in favour of marriage equality. Momentum is on our side - but now we need our politicians to match our support with their voes. Check out our latest ad designed to do just that: http://www.getup.org.au/conscience.

¹ Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007) “National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing”, http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4326.0
² Sydney Morning Herald (November, 2011) "PM grants conscience vote, dooming gay marriage", http://www.smh.com.au/national/pm-grants-conscience-vote-dooming-gay-marriage-20111114-1nfm9.html

At our dinner with the PM

If you believe in equal rights for same-sex couples, now is the time to say "I do" and sign this urgent petition!
It's crunch time in the campaign for marriage equality. This weekend, a group of conservative pastors will ask congregations across Australia to sign a petition against equality.

They already claim some 34,000 signatures, and they're planning to deliver the petition at the ALP National Conference in a few weeks, when the party's policy on marriage equality will be decided.

The good news is that GetUp members may be able to deliver our campaign to the Prime Minister in person any day now. GetUp members earlier this year chipped in donations and won a charity auction to have dinner with Julia Gillard. Three inspirational same-sex couples are lined up to dine with Julia Gillard, and we’re expecting the big day to be in the next few weeks.

Can you help Sandy and Louise, Steve and John and Sarah and Emma ensure that they have a HUGE national petition to deliver to the PM over dinner?

Sign the petition today: www.getup.org.au/marriagematters

So long as we have inequality enshrined in law, the hatred and bigotry of homophobia will continue.

Equality can’t be a half measure, it's something you have, or something you don’t. That’s why the Marriage Act must be changed to ensure all adult couples – irrespective of gender – are recognised as equal.

It's not beyond us. Advocates within the Labor Party have recently ramped up their calls for change and we need to help them. Minister Mark Butler said it well in an op-ed this week: "Australia should recognise that marriage is now predominantly a civil institution and apply standard principles of equal treatment at least to civil ceremonies."¹

It is important for our allies on this issue, like Minister Butler, that we give them strong evidence of the public support for the ALP having binding position on this.

When delegates take to the conference floor, we need to equip them with the support they need to say Australians demand equality. Add your name today and encourage friends to do the same!

We’ve been pointing to the Labor Party’s National Conference – just three weeks away now – as a watershed moment in the fight for marriage equality. We know that the momentum we've built may bring a positive change to the Labor Party's stance on same-sex marriage, and Australia one step closer to full equality under the law.

For all your effort thus far, thank you. Together we've done much and it feels we’re closer than ever to finding the equality Australia deserves.

Paul,
for the GetUp team.

PS. Poke around on www.ido.org.au, it's our new hub for all things marriage equality. You can check out the great video we put together with Australian Marriage Equality and share it with your friends!

¹http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/conscience-vote-on-gay-marriage-not-enough-20111108-1n5b0.html

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

re: Great Barrier Reef under threat

Just 3 days ago we sent out an emergency call to action. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area ecosystem is in crisis: millions of cubic metres of sea floor is being dredged up to make way for the expansion of coal seam gas export facilities.

GetUp members have responded to the call in force - so far 41,870 people have added their name to the petition calling for an immediate halt to all dredging in the Gladstone Harbour and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area¹.

We're aiming to reach 75,000 signatures before we take this campaign global and have the petition delivered to UNESCO* in Paris!

Can you join the petition now, and let your friends and family know about this campaign by forwarding the message below?

Thanks for being part of this,
The GetUp team.

* The United Nations' Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which is responsible for protecting world heritage listed sites like the Great Barrier Reef.

PS - In breaking news, late yesterday the NSW Labor Opposition reversed their stance on coal seam gas and joined calls for a ban on all new coal seam gas operations - but we urgently need their federal counterparts to follow suit. Click here to add your name to this urgent petition before it's delivered to UNESCO.

--- email to share ----



Dear friends,

Millions of cubic metres of sea floor are being dredged up from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area¹ to make way for massive new coal seam gas export facilities. No, we're not kidding.

It's the largest dredging project ever undertaken in Australia, and one that has the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) so alarmed they're warning the Reef could lose its iconic world heritage status. We've created an emergency petition to stop this. Sign here, tune in and spread the word now.

www.getup.org.au/dredging-the-reef

As The Age recently put it- what's of primary concern is the "vast dredging program" associated with the construction of three coal seam gas plants located inside the reef's World Heritage area. "The Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) has approvals to dredge 46 million cubic metres from within the harbour boundaries, inside the World Heritage area, over the next 20 years...a volume equivalent to 27 Melbourne Cricket Grounds." ²

Environment Minister Tony Burke has so far refused to stand up for the Reef, a priceless and fragile site of significance not just to Australia, but to the world. Imagine if the Pyramids were being bulldozed or the Grand Canyon mined -- the global community would be furious. Well UNESCO is furious. They're sending a special delegation in March to investigate what is happening - but that's too late to stop the damage happening now.

Meanwhile, UNESCO are being lobbied hard by the insatiable coal seam gas industry. And although they failed to even tell UNESCO about the project, the state and federal governments would have us simply trust them to monitor and regulate this crazy project -- claiming it's possible to dredge up 46 million cubic metres of reef inside a world heritage site provided there's sufficient environmental oversight. If the Australian Government won't stand up for the Great Barrier Reef as it's ripped up for corporate profit, we will.

That's why we've created an urgent petition, as we prepare to launch this campaign on the global stage.

www.getup.org.au/dredging-the-reef

The fragile and unique ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is already under intense pressure due to earlier floods and a changing climate. We've witnessed a steep increase in the rates of death of endangered marine wildlife this year -- including dolphins, dugongs and turtles. The massive development for the coal seam gas industry may well prove too much for it to handle.

Coal seam gas mining is now affecting our communities and environment, from the family farm to the deep blue sea, and once these areas are destroyed, no amount of money will ever bring them back. Sign the petition now, and if you're on Twitter and Facebook, be sure to share this emergency call to action with your friends.

Thank you for using your voice now,
The GetUp team

¹In our previous email we referred to dredgeing the 'reef' however what's being dredged is the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area which the reef is within.
²New battlefront opens up in gas debate, Tracey Ferrier, The Age, October 31 2011.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

A Message from Al Gore

Yesterday as the Australian Senate voted 'Yes' for a price on pollution, many thousands of messages were placed into a time capsule, including one from our newest GetUp member - baby Neive.



See her amazing story as well as a special message from Al Gore here: http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/climate-action-now/congratulations/congratulations

Today we woke up knowing that the global conversation on climate change has changed.

Yesterday’s passage of the Clean Energy Act into law means we’ve finally taken action to secure our clean energy future.

To mark the occasion, Al Gore passed on these kind words: ¹

"This is a historic moment. Australia's Parliament has put the nation's first carbon price into law. With this vote, the world has turned a pivotal corner in the collective effort to solve the climate crisis. This success is the result of the tireless work of an unprecedented coalition that came together to support the legislation, the leadership of Prime Minister Gillard, and the courage of legislators to take a vote that helps to safeguard the future of all Australians.

I have spent enough time in Australia to know that their spirit of independence as a people cannot be underestimated. As the world’s leading coal exporter, there’s no doubt that opposition to this legislation was fierce. But through determination and commitment, the voice of the people of Australia has rung out loud and clear.

Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we do everything we can to ensure that this legislation is successful."

- Al Gore, November 2011

Click here to watch a video that tells the story of how we arrived at this day:

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/climate-action-now/congratulations/congratulations

Yesterday's success is yet more evidence of the fact that coordinated community action has the power to lead our Parliamentarians toward just, environmentally sustainable outcomes. But a wider community movement will be needed to protect these laws and grow further investments in clean energy.

Tony Abbott has made a ‘blood oath’ to repeal our hard won laws, so it's up to us to make every effort to protect and continue our campaign for a clean energy future.

Yesterday was able to happen because of people like those featured in our latest video, who didn’t sit back just because the challenge seemed too large - people like you.

Thank you for being a part of the journey and we look forward to all that is to come,

The GetUp team

PS - A big thanks should also go out to environmental and civil society organisations around the country, including those that were part of the Say Yes Coalition, who've campaigned in support of climate action for decades. Check out the story (beginning back in the 70s) of how grassroots activists made this movement possible.

Source: ¹http://blog.algore.com/

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

On your TV tonight

Breaking: tune in to ABC's Four Corners at 8:30pm tonight - and sign the emergency petition to stop the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef now

 you tune in to Four Corner's tonight you'll see a truly shocking story about the destruction of huge swathes of our Great Barrier Reef. Not to spoil the plot, but... Millions of cubic metres of sea floor are being drudged up from the Great Barrier Reef to make way for massive new coal seem gas export facilities. No, we're not kidding.

It's the largest dredging project ever undertaken in Australia, and one that has the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) so alarmed they're warning the Reef could lose its iconic world heritage status. We've created an emergency petition to stop this. Sign here, tune in and spread the word now.

www.getup.org.au/dredging-the-reef

As The Age recently put it- what's of primary concern is the "vast dredging program" associated with the construction of three coal seam gas plants located inside the reef's World Heritage area. "The Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) has approvals to dredge 46 million cubic metres from within the harbour boundaries, inside the World Heritage area, over the next 20 years...a volume equivalent to 27 Melbourne Cricket Grounds." ¹

Environment Minister Tony Burke has so far refused to stand up for the Reef, a priceless and fragile site of significance not just to Australia, but to the world. Imagine if the Pyramids were being bulldozed or the Grand Canyon mined -- the global community would be furious. Well UNESCO is furious. They're sending a special delegation in March to inspect the mining sites at the Reef, but that's too late to stop the damage happening now.

Meanwhile, UNESCO are being lobbied hard by the insatiable coal seam gas industry. And although they failed to even tell UNESCO about the project, the state and federal governments would have us simply trust them to monitor and regulate this crazy project -- claiming it's possible to dredge up 46 million cubic metres of reef inside a world heritage site provided there's sufficient environmental oversight. If the Australian Government won't stand up for the Great Barrier Reef as it's ripped up for corporate profit, we will.

That's why we've created an urgent petition, as we prepare to launch this campaign on the global stage.

www.getup.org.au/dredging-the-reef

The fragile and unique ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef is already under intense pressure due to earlier floods and a changing climate. We've witnessed a steep increase in the rates of death of endangered marine wildlife this year -- including dolphins, dugongs and turtles. The massive development for the coal seam gas industry may well prove too much for it to handle.

Coal seam gas mining is now affecting our communities and environment, from the family farm to the deep blue sea, and once these areas are destroyed, no amount of money will ever bring them back. Sign the petition now, and if you're on Twitter and Facebook, be sure to alert others to this campaign as you watch the Four Corners program tonight at 8.30pm.

Thank you for using your voice now,
The GetUp team

¹New battlefront opens up in gas debate, Tracey Ferrier, The Age, October 31 2011.

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

What he said about you

I wish I didn't have to write you this email, but you should know you've been grossly insulted by Senator Ian MacDonald.

Twice, in our Parliament, he called you and other GetUp members “the Hitler Youth wing of the Greens' political movement.”

GetUp member Andrew's response says it all:

Dear Senator, I am a 47 year old Australian citizen, retired Police Officer and a member of GetUp. I am not, nor have I ever been either a member of the Greens or the Hitler Youth. Your comments in Parliament were not only offensive to me personally but offend the office of Senator. Organisations like Getup exist only because political parties do not adequately represent our interests. We are many and we will be heard.
- Proud GetUp Member, Andrew

Let's clarify something for Senator MacDonald: being part of movements like GetUp is how ordinary people respond when politicians like him are out of touch.

And then this, from Senator MacDonald's colleague Bronwyn Bishop scorning GetUp donors in a committee hearing. When told the average donation to GetUp is just $27, she scoffed: “$27 doesn’t add up to much.”

But we know what it adds up to: a movement of over half a million Australians trying to make our nation a better place. Of 69,087 people so far this year who have donated to make it all possible. Of progress on the issues we care about and bind us together.

Well Senator MacDonald, I'm proud to be a part of that. Those small donations, each week, create the change politicians like this never will.

If you're proud to be a GetUp member, let's show them what a real people's movement can add up to by chipping in a small regular donation:

www.getup.org.au/ProudToAddUpToGetUp

I joined GetUp because alone, my voice could never be heard. Alone, my spare change could never match the wealth of those Ms Bishop prefers to have influence. But together, we have something extraordinary.

Senator MacDonald can feel free to attack me personally if he disagrees with me, but it is of no place for any elected official to attack everyday Australians who take part in GetUp for daring to play a part in our democracy. Whatever he calls our movement, I'm so proud to be a part of it.

Click here to show him everyday people have the power to build something extraordinary when we all chip in together: www.getup.org.au/ProudToAddUpToGetUp

Thanks Andrew, for saying it better than I could, and thanks Senator MacDonald for reminding us why this movement exists in the first place.

Simon Sheikh,
National Director,
GetUp!

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GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you'd like to contribute to help fund GetUp's work, please donate now! If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au. To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here. Authorised by Simon Sheikh, Level 5, 116 Kippax St, Surry Hills NSW 2010