Over 300,000 members and a million actions taken in over seventy campaigns and counting. Your political actions have been so significant in shaping the recent political climate, we wanted to take a moment to personally thank you and to update you on all your recent achievements - they are extraordinary.
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A Sustainable Future |
The Murray-Darling Basin accounts for over 40% of Australia's agricultural production and grows almost a third of all our food. It's Australia's food bowl but is at risk of turning into a dust bowl. Over 47,000 of you signed our petition calling on Penny Wong to intervene to save our crucial water resources. In November GetUp forged a cross-party alliance with Greg Hunt (Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water), Rachel Siewert (Greens) and Nick Xenophon (Independent), who together passed a raft of crucial changes to the Water Management Act and joined our call for the Government to exercise their powers to take over control of the Murray-Darling.
Campaign Ongoing! |
In 2008 we took the issue of climate change across the nation with GetUp's Climate Torch Relay. The torch was created by the designers of the Sydney Olympic Torch and represented our national determination to tackle climate change with strong action. In August the torch began its journey to 119 different locations from Tasmania to the Torres Straight culminating in its presentation to Parliament House in October. Check out www.climatetorch.com for more details.
Relay Completed! |
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Thanks to you we raised over $70,000 to air our FuelWatch advert during July and received great national media coverage including Channel 10, ABC and Channel 7 news. The FuelWatch scheme was voted down in the Senate in October, however the Government still isn't investing in long-term sustainable solutions.
Campaign Ongoing! |
Along with Avaaz.org, we created a half a million person petition and a spectacular global photo petition with a message that broke through the APEC barriers. The written and photo petitions were combined with spectacular events around the world at Bondi Beach, the North Pole, Kyoto, the Great Barrier Reef, Palau, and Melbourne's Federation Square.
Campaign Ongoing! |
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Our ongoing climate change campaign has produced a 120,000 strong petition, four national advertising campaigns and a host of media coverage. We also launched an exciting National Climate Torch Relay to take the issue of climate change across the nation, generating hundreds of radio, TV and press articles and calling for immediate Government action for a renewable future. Just this week our new climate change ad ‘Spot the Difference’ has raised over $180,000 - you can see it on TV during the Boxing Day Cricket Test this Sunday December 28 from 1pm-6pm across the country.
Campaign Ongoing! |
Following over 30,000 messages from GetUp members and 1,000 people visiting their branch, in May ANZ announced they would not be funding the Gunns Pulp Mill, marking a major success for all involved! Despite a successful international advertising campaign funded by GetUp members, Gunns are still seeking both national and international sources to finance the mill.
Campaign Ongoing! |
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Justice and Fairness |
Following 12,000 submissions, over 50 consultations across the country and hundreds of GetTogethers to discuss human rights in Australia the Government's National Human Rights Consultation Committee announced their recommendations for a Human Rights Act in Australia. This is a major victory for GetUp members who supported this campaign but now we must urge the Government to act on the recommendations.
Campaign Ongoing! |
On the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December, the Government announced a consultation into what human rights mean to Australians. This marks a once in a lifetime chance to call for a Human Rights Act to permanently protect human rights in Australia. Thousands of you have already made your submissions into the consultations using our handy talking points and expressed what you want a Human Rights Act to look like as we continue to campaign on the issue into 2009.
Campaign Ongoing! |
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Finally, the Government has announced a radical shift in detention policy marking a major step forward in Australia's policy. With the proposals set to be in the hands of the Senate over the coming months, we we will continue to work hard to enshrine this victory in law.
UPDATE: The bill to abolish detention debt was passed in the Senate in August, a major victory thanks to the support of GetUp members who help get a delegation of refugees to Canberra to meet with key Senators, making it impossible for them to vote against the bill.
Campaign Ongoing! |
As the Dr Mohamed Haneef debacle unfolded, 13,000 GetUp members sent our politicians a message - "We expect you to protect us from terrorism, but demand you do so in a way that maintains the integrity of our legal system, due process, and our valued rights and freedoms". The accompanying ad "Help protect Australia from Emotional Terrorism" spoofed similar Government anti-terror ads, and was viewed online over 12,000 times. We put together a petition asking for an independent review into our national security laws and asked for independent oversight with a 34,000 strong petition and wall to wall national media. We called for an end to sedition laws and have now heard that the Attorney General is supporting all of our requests in his response to the Clarke Inquiry
Campaign Won! |
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When the Government tried to introduce legislation that would put children in immigration detention, we set our biggest target ever of 100,000 signatures and launched a TV ad. On the day of the scheduled Senate vote we hit our target at 9.50 am. At 12 noon we skywrote the message to Senators clear as day in the skies above Parliament House - "GetUp! Vote No!" - and less than an hour later the PM admitted his Bill could not pass, and dropped it.
Campaign Won! |
The Australian media credited GetUp as playing a significant role in the turning of community attitudes against the Government's treatment of David Hicks, thanks largely to our varied and highly visible range of campaign actions. The multi-faceted campaign included a 50,000 strong petition; outdoor advertising; national poll; a candle-light vigil in Adelaide; full-page newspaper ads and a TV ad. On NSW Election day, an army of volunteers collected 10,000 postcards from Bennelong residents to the PM - or 1 in 8 of his constituents. Government position changed as community demands intensified. This year David Hicks spoke out for the first time to GetUp urging the Australian Federal Police not to renew control orders that have restricted Hicks’ life since his release from Yatala Prison in 2007. In November the AFP announced that an extension of these control orders would not be sought, the first step in ending the use of an unfair and unnecessary legal instrument.
Campaign Completed! |
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Democracy Building |
In November the Federal Government announced their controversial plans to force all Australian servers to filter internet traffic and block any material the Government deems ‘inappropriate’. Our petition calls for the Government to dump the plans for internet censorship and received over 92,000 signatures so far, and together we have raised over $52,000 raised for online adverts against internet censorship, which have reached over 4 million Australians online. The campaign will continue in 2009.
Campaign Ongoing! |
Thousands of GetUp members made the 2007 election about the people. We spoke face-to-face with voters about issues like climate change, education, and Iraq, as well as massive enrolling drives to make sure everyone had their say. We held candidates forums so that politicians heard directly from their constituents, and educated voters on the importance of a balanced and accountable Senate. We doorknocked, letterboxed, and leafletted thousands of voters in electorates across the country -- and we saw a real vote for change happen!
Campaign Completed! |
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Over 27,000 people have signed our petition calling for the repeal of undemocratic laws that close the electoral rolls the day the election is officially called, depriving tens of thousands (particularly young and Indigenous Australians) of a chance to vote.
To fill the breach, we held enrolment drives nationwide, and aired an ad on national TV appealing to first-time voters. The ALP has committed to repeal the laws "during the life of the current Parliament" and has consulted GetUp as part of an inquiry into the 2007 election. The legislation is yet to be repealed.
Campaign Ongoing! |
Thousands of GetUp members personally emailed Coalition MPs expressing their concerns over the Government's changes to media ownership laws. Even with a Senate majority they had to dramatically alter the legislation due to the weight of opposition to it.
Campaign Completed! |
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As the national broadcaster faced a critical turning point and chronic funding cuts, the stations owners - the Australian people - rallied to save it. 75,000 signed our petition, and the result was an extra $88m in funding. The ABC Chairman called it the best result for the ABC in over 20 years.
Campaign Won! |
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Indigenous Rights |
This year GetUp's campaign team travelled to central Australia with National Indigenous Television to hear how the Government's 'Emergency Intervention' was affecting Indigenous communities. The result is a series of 'Stories from the Heartland' videos. Thousands of you have written personal letters to Kevin Rudd and Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin with your views on the intervention.
Campaign Ongoing! |
'From Little Things, Big Things Grow' by The GetUp Mob shot to number 4 in the ARIA charts in April 2008 as the highest new entry that week and reached number 2 in the digital charts! With widespread media coverage around the globe, a great charting position and thousands of dollars raised for charity, the song commemorated the Apology in a memorable way and showed that from little things, big things can grow.
Buy the song now! |
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After years of campaigning around the country, the new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd announced that he would be making an official apology to the Stolen Generations the first act of the new Parliament in February, marking a historic day for Australia.
Around the country, GetUp members turned national symbolism into grassroots healing: around living rooms, public halls and campfires across Australia, thousands of you participated in more than 350 'Reconciliation GetTogethers' to hear eachothers stories. GetUp members also used community networks to spread facts about reconciliation in our innovative 'Mythbusters' campaign. GetUp's national polling framed the issue in the media, showing that over 67% of Australians supported the apology.
Campaign Won! |
As the Government tried to rush its controversial NT emergency legislation through Parliament, GetUp members reminded the Senate of its role as "House of Review". Over 13,000 messages were sent to the Senate, and were tabled there as an official document. We met with Indigenous leaders from Central Australia and wrote to each Senator individually, passing their messages and your concerns, and filled the Senate chamber with people during debate. Debate on the bills was subsequently extended from two days to an entire sitting week.
Campaign Ongoing! |
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We travelled to Canberra on the anniversary of the 1967 referendum to present the 40,000 signatures on our petition to both the major parties. The next day Kevin Rudd committed to closing the twenty-year life expectancy gap, and pledged $261m towards that aim. In November the Federal Government pledged an additional $15billion to states and territories at the COAG meeting to encourage health and housing initiatives committed to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Campaign Ongoing! |
After travelling to Western Australia with your 45,000 messages to let the WA Government and Woodside Petroleum know that Australians won't stand for the destruction of the oldest and largest collection of art in the world, we took your messages to the Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull. In July this year, the Minister granted the area National Heritage listing.
Campaign Won! |
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Equality and Diversity |
In 2007, a GetUp commissioned a poll that found over 70% of Australians supported giving same sex couples legal equality as de factos. The results continue to be widely reported in the media and prompted John Howard to declare his isn't a Government that supports discrimination. In 2007 our 26,000 strong petition was presented to the Prime Minister by Liberal MP Warren Entsch, but the Government didn't correct the changes before the Federal Election. In 2008 we grew our petition to over 50,000 signatures and presented it to a Senators from all parties. In November the Senate finally passed historic legislation removing outdated discrimination against same sex couples.
Campaign Won! |
20,000 people signed GetUp's petition to end deceptive advertising practices by "pregnancy counseling services" that don't disclose their anti-abortion views in their advertising, Thousands more subsequently phoned, faxed or emailed the key decision-makers inside the major parties with the power to see the cross-party Bill succeed - the Health Minister and Shadow Health Minister - and made a stand for truth in advertising.
Campaign Ongoing! |
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GetUp members successfully lobbied for Federal Parliament to remove the ministerial veto on RU486. Our petition was delivered to a cross-party alliance of Senators, and thousands of members emailed their MPs. The conscience vote successfully passed.
Campaign Won! |
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Our Own Place in the World |
In March we put Tibet squarely on the agenda in Australia. After intense public pressure and a 55,000 strong petition, the Prime Minister raised the issue of human rights abuses in Tibet during talks with the Chinese Premier in April. Channel 7 generated a media controversy by failing to air our followup 'Olympic Silence' advert during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, but we ensured your ad was shown on every other commercial station throughout the Olympics and generated national media attention. Kevin Rudd once again conveyed Australia's concerns about Tibet during his visit to the Olympics, but his international issue is ongoing.
Campaign Ongoing! |
40,000 people have now signed our petition calling for a new plan in Iraq including a clearly defined exit strategy. Former PM Malcolm Fraser joined the national debate by emailing GetUp members, urging them to take action. Our hugely successful ad "Please Mr Howard", made with London Bombings survivor Louise Barry, helped put Iraq back on the national agenda. GetUp members raised over $80,000 to air it, and it played on national TV as well as being viewed online over 20,000 times; the media described its effect as putting the PM in "damage control". GetUp's national polling through Newspoll made headlines in the lead up to the election, showing that only 6% of Australians believed our involvement in the Iraq war had made us safer.
Campaign Ongoing! |
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GetUp created a flash spoof of a Government ad to drive home the real meaning of the AWB scandal - it was downloaded more than 50,000 times.
Campaign Completed! |
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Economic Fairness |
As Federal Parliament debated the $42bn economic stimulus package, GetUp members emailed key politicians asking for a fair go for the jobless in the package. Together we achieved a vital win. The Government agreed to double the amount of savings a jobless person can hold on to before qualifying for Government assistance.
After emails from their constituents, The Greens, Nick Xenophon and Steve Fielding all entered fierce negotiations with the Government, demanding the stimulus package help the hundreds of thousands of Australians who will lose their jobs in the financial crisis.
Campaign Ongoing!
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After a long campaign involving GetUp and a host of other organisations, the Government has announced their commitment to paid parental leave. The period of paid leave is yet to be decided and without a strong statement of community support, the Government is likely to opt for a much shorter period than economics, health and development research suggests is optimal or our economy and for our children. Our campaign has received over 29,000 signatures and we will continue to campaign for paid parental leave in 2009.
Campaign Ongoing! |
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When the WorkChoices legislation was before Parliament, GetUp members sent emails to Senators Barnaby Joyce and Steven Fielding asking them to stay strong, independent, and oppose the legislation. Hundreds of GetUp members called both Senators to express their concerns. This year the new Government scrapped WorkChoices and overhauled Industrial Relations legislation.
Campaign Completed! |
