By Erin Stewart
Two local mums of the West have launched a grassroots fundraising effort to support community-backed independents at the upcoming federal election to force urgent action on climate change.
The Australian Electoral Commission has revealed that the fossil fuel industry donated at least $965k to Labor and poured $2.09m into Liberal and National coffers. Hidden donors handed more than $90m in untraceable “dark money” to the political parties in the financial year of the last federal election.
200Mums 4 Climate200 is aiming to mobilise 200 donors (mums, parents, carers and friends) to raise funds to support independent campaigns in marginal seats at the upcoming federal election. A similar effort in Canberra raised over $126,000 for independents in December last year.
At the 2022 election, community-backed campaigns saw 11 new ‘teal’ independents elected to government. Independent grassroots fundraising groups are fast becoming some of the biggest political donors in the country as everyday Australians step up to fight back against the influence of the fossil fuel lobby on Parliament.
Jess Marsh is a mum of three from Yarraville and one of the organisers of the local fundraising campaign. “We think Australians deserve better than politicians beholden to the fossil fuel lobby,” she says. “The two party system in Australia has failed to address the most urgent challenge of our time. We have a duty to ensure our children enjoy the same beautiful planet that we inherited. A strong cross bench is the only way to force meaningful action on climate change.”
Co-organiser Mia Cusack from Flemington, also a mum of three says, “It is heartbreaking to see the impacts of climate change already taking hold across the globe. We are the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change and the last generation who can actually do something to avert the worst of it.”
Climate 200 is a not-for-profit initiative supporting grassroots community campaigns and independent political candidates committed to integrity in politics, gender equality and climate action. CEO Byron Fay explains, “The community independents movement is a new way of doing politics, and it’s built on a new way to fundraise. Now communities can go toe to toe with big money raised by major parties. This is what politics should look like – ordinary people digging deep so they can support candidates who will represent their community, not a party or a faction.”
Local mums Mia and Jess are running just one grassroots effort, among dozens that have kicked off for the independents movement around the country this month. Climate 200 is supporting 35 Independent campaigns this election, representing a fast-growing movement, and a significant challenge to ‘politics as usual.’
Find more information about the fundraising effort here: https://200mums-4-c200.raiselysite.com
For more on the movement, check out the recently released documentary ‘No Safe Seats’: https://www.climate200.com.au/no-safe-seat
Instagram: @climate200
