We are the Action Network

The Action Network exists because Victoria faces challenges too large for any one organisation or community to tackle alone. Our ecosystems are under pressure, our climate is becoming more dangerous, and powerful corporations hold significant influence over political decisions. Meanwhile, many communities most affected by climate change have the least voice or resources to respond.

Major social and environmental progress has always come from everyday people organising together. The Action Network builds community leadership, local power and solutions grounded in real needs. In doing so, it also strengthens democracy — broadening who gets heard, increasing community participation in decision‑making, and holding those in power accountable.

In short, the Action Network turns concern into collective, democratic people power that expands what’s possible for Victoria’s future.

The Action Network is the community organising arm of Environment Victoria — the way we activate people power. Environment Victoria has been a leading independent environmental organisation for over 50 years, known for strategic, research‑driven campaigns that create long‑lasting environmental outcomes.

The Action Network gives everyday people a way to participate directly in this work. EV provides research, political strategy and advocacy, while the Action Network brings community voice, relationships and local leadership. Together they form an “inside + outside” model: EV works with decision‑makers, and the Action Network builds the community pressure they can’t ignore.

Though they operate as one organisation with shared goals, the Action Network is where volunteers build leadership and help shape Victoria’s environmental future.

To learn more about Environment Victoria’s proud legacy of people‑powered wins, you can watch our story here.

Your involvement matters because real change requires a powerful, organised movement — not just experts or a few passionate individuals. When communities act together, politicians listen, corporate influence weakens and bold solutions become possible.

Each volunteer plays a unique role: having conversations, running events, sharing stories, holding MPs accountable or welcoming new people into the movement. These local actions, multiplied across the state, create the collective pressure needed to win reforms on clean energy, river health and climate justice.

People like you give this movement its strength through your relationships, experience and care for your community. When thousands of Victorians step forward together, we not only win the changes we need today — we expand what’s possible for the future.

Ready to jump in? Sign up here, or check the box for a welcome call so we can explore together how your skills, interests and energy can make a difference.  

The Action Network is active across Victoria and growing quickly. Volunteers organise right across the state, and each region brings its own priorities and leadership, strengthening the movement overall.

We focus on key areas where decisions about energy, water, nature and political influence have the biggest impact. Gippsland volunteers are helping shape a fair transition beyond coal; Goulburn Valley volunteers are working to protect and return flows to the Murray‑Darling; and volunteers in East Melbourne are connecting with their communities and decision makers around energy justice in their homes.

Across the state, hundreds of volunteers are building skills, deepening relationships and contributing to a coordinated, statewide effort. Each year the network grows stronger, more diverse and more capable of winning big environmental changes.

Want to see what this looks like in real life? Read stories from organisers taking action in their own communities here.  

We create change by organising people — building the skills, confidence and leadership of everyday Victorians so they can influence decisions that shape our climate and environment. The Action Network supports individuals to become effective organisers and advocates.

Our strength comes from combining local knowledge with statewide strategy. Volunteers understand their communities deeply, while Environment Victoria provides research, planning and political insight to link local action with broader goals. Every effort becomes part of a coordinated push decision‑makers must respond to.

We grow power by demonstrating a diverse movement and amplifying voices from communities most impacted by climate harm. These stories, combined with organised people power, shift public narratives and open political space for bold solutions.

We are powerful because we’re connected, organised and united behind shared goals. Many hands pulling on one lever really can change the world — and together, we’ve already proven it!

Want to see what people power can achieve? Learn about Environment Victoria’s people‑powered wins here.