Residents from the City of Maroondah community will today gather outside the electorate office of Mike Symon MP to voice their concern about the Federal Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), and to call for greater action against climate change.
Environment Victoria, in partnership with Maroondah Climate Change Action (MaCCA) and other community groups, have organised the protest due to growing community concern that the government’s climate change policy will fail to adequately reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change.
Ringwood resident Georgia Blomberg said the community was today calling on their local Federal MP Mike Symon to oppose the CPRS in its current form.
“If we don’t do something to stop global warming now, our generation and our kids’ generation will not have a safe climate future. We need urgent government action to immediately reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and the CPRS doesn’t even come close,” she said.
“A five percent cut in emissions is not enough. We’re calling on Mike Symon to ensure the ALP improves the CPRS because our community wants a real solution to the problem, and a scheme that actually reduces emissions.
“Real action on climate change would reduce emissions and unlock billions of dollars of investment in new green industries and green jobs.”
The Draft Legislation for the CPRS was released on Tuesday 10 March and has been widely criticised for its five-15 per cent target for emission cuts. It has also been criticised for handing out billions of dollars worth of carbon credits to Australia’s big polluters.
Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, Environment Victoria’s safe climate campaigner, said the government’s emission reduction target of five-15 percent was a dismal effort.
“Environment Victoria believes the CPRS in its current form is so fundamentally flawed that it will fail: the targets are too low, compensation for industry is too high and voluntary action by the community to reduce emissions will be completely undermined,” she said.
“Deakin was one of two Victorian seats that the ALP won from the Liberals in 2007. Prior to the election, the ALP promised great things on climate change, which they have so far failed to deliver. The thousands of voters in Deakin who voted on climate change would be deeply disappointed by the ALP’s efforts so far.
“We have two urgent tasks before us: cut greenhouse pollution immediately and rapidly, and create a green transition across Australia’s economy and community that would deliver new investment and thousands of green collar jobs. We’re all here today to make sure the government improves its climate change policy.”
Interviews and pic opportunities: Victoria McKenzie McHarg on 0428 480 409 or Sacha Myers, media officer, on 0417 017 844.