In the last few months, the campaign to prevent a price on pollution has been hard to miss. But all over Australia, there are young people who are connecting with their communities to communicate a different message – one that’s full of optimism for the future. Young people like Murray, an AYCC volunteer in Queensland.
My name is Murray and I’m studying to be a climate scientist at the University of Queensland. Every day, whether it was going to university, or commuting to work, I had to endure passing a No Carbon Tax billboard plastered in my electorate of Griffith, which is Kevin Rudd’s seat.
I was worried that this new, shiny billboard was distracting people from the real issue: We need to act on climate change before it’s too late, and the starting point is a carbon price. So I decided to display my own banner.
The reaction from the public was fantastic. Cars slowed to read the message, drivers honked their horns in support, and people stopped in the streets. Meanwhile, the ‘No Carbon Tax’ sign, drenched in lights, was receiving no support and no attention.
Then I came across similar advertisements against pricing pollution in Lilley, Wayne Swan’s seat. So I constructed a new banner: ‘Lilley Let’s Put a Price on Pollution’. And this time I brought along some tunes to liven things up a little.
This action was about using our enthusiasm to highlight that the Australian community has so much to gain by pricing pollution: green Jobs, a sustainable lifestyle, a respect for our world, and most importantly, respect for each other.
I hope young people reading this will be inspired to take to their streets, and show their community that young people do support a price on pollution. If there is one thing I’ve realised in the past few weeks, it’s that this is a fight worth dancing for.
The AYCC is currently running Meet Your Member, a campaign to ensure we get a strong price on pollution that will kick-start renewable energy. To join the campaign, click here.
