The election outcome is undecided, but one thing is certain: beyond the politics and headlines of the campaign, we’ve seen something incredible. It’s the beginning of an unstoppable movement of young people who, no matter who is in power, are joining forces and throwing every ounce of energy into solving the climate crisis.
I want to pause for a moment to thank every single person who has been involved and celebrate what we have achieved in the last month.
Our Climate Elephant, and his uncanny ability to pop up everywhere on the campaign trail, became a national symbol for the failure of big party politics to act on climate change. He was kicked out of one of Tony Abbott’s press conferences wearing red budgie smugglers, scored a surprise interview on Sky News and joined forces with a 400kg fiberglass friend to drive the message home on election day. He was covered by every major media outlet and received no less than a pat, hug and standing invitation to Canberra from Prime Minister Julia Gillard!
Over three weekends, more than 600 young leaders from across the country attended Power Shift summits in Adelaide Canberra and Geelong, where they learned about cutting-edge science and solutions, connected with new friends and were inspired to take action in their communities.
Nearly 6000 people signed up to our cheeky Power Vote initiative and politicians offices around the country were inundated with our climate action robocalls, ruffling more than a few feathers.
We reached millions of people though media coverage on Channel 10, Sky News and major newspapers; sent groups of superheroes knocking on doors; staged flashdances; held beach parties; dropped huge banners and talked to our grandparents about their role in solving the climate crisis. We also reached out to thousands of our friends online at digital doorknocking parties, made hilarious movies and that was all before election day!
We used our amazing grassroots network and online community to get our smile-o-meter scorecard out to tens of thousands of young voters, making sure they walked up to the ballot box knowing exactly where each party stands on climate change.
Over four inspiring, fun, and unforgettable weeks, one thing was clear. Young people want a clear plan to reduce Australia’s pollution, they want it now, and they are prepared to try just about anything to get it.
So where to from here?
Record numbers of people have turned away from the major parties, particularly towards Independents and The Greens and we are undoubtedly entering a new era of politics. We’ve made contact with the key Independent members and The Greens and we will be seeking to form relationships with new MPs over the coming weeks before sending a youth lobby team to Canberra.
So no matter who ends up in the lodge in the coming weeks, we know that we have the momentum, energy and support to hold them to account and get real action on climate change.
Thank you for everything you do!
––Claire Snyder, AYCC Online Director
