The Morrison Government has paid the ultimate price for their inaction and failure on the issues faced by communities on the frontlines of growing inequality and climate disasters.
From the top of Cape York all the way to the streets of Tasmania, thousands of GetUp volunteers campaigned alongside everyday people from flood and fire hit regions in NSW and Victoria to First Nations communities in the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland.
GetUp members made 66,000+ phone calls and posted 260,000+ campaign letters to voters, handed out half a million how-to-vote cards, and held dozens of candidate forums and community events across the country. GetUp’s digital election content was seen 25 million times with 600,000 likes or shares, and we reached 750,000 voters with SMS and digital town hall meetings.
GetUp will build on its election campaign strategy working alongside people in frontline communities to push for action on climate justice, economic inequality and First Nations justice in the new Parliament.
GetUp’s First Nations Justice Campaign Director Amy Gordon said:
“The Morrison Government has been held accountable by First Nations voters across the country for their total inaction and failure on the issues impacting our communities.
“This election we’ve seen First Nations electoral power grow stronger, catapulting issues like housing, health, heritage and climate onto the national agenda.
“From Traditional Owners defending Country from fracking in the Northern Territory, to communities standing up for better remote housing in Far North Queensland - First Nations communities across the country have made their voices heard, now the new government has a responsibility to listen.
“It is time for federally legislated cultural heritage protection, liveable and dignified housing in remote communities, properly resourced community run health services, and to stop bankrolling fracking in the Northern Territory for good.”
GetUp National Director Paul Oosting said:
"Mark it down: 2022 was the climate election. This is a watershed moment for climate justice in Australia.
“Over the last three years, we've seen fires, floods, heatwaves and coral bleaching on an unprecedented scale. Climate change isn't an abstract political issue anymore – it's affecting peoples' lives and homes in very real ways.
"We've spent a lot of time in disaster-hit communities like Bega, the Hawkesbury and Brisbane, listening to peoples' stories and what they wanted out of this election. We heard overwhelmingly that people felt betrayed and left behind by the Morrison Government.
“Fire-hit community members refusing to shake Scott Morrison’s hand became symbolic of his negligence on climate disaster recovery, and of his whole term.”
“It wasn’t just Morrison's inadequate response to disasters, but his government's refusal to acknowledge the reality of the climate crisis and move Australia quickly and safely towards clean energy.
"The new Albanese Government has a responsibility to disaster-hit communities – and to people everywhere – to act on this public momentum and make strong climate action a cornerstone of the next three years."
“Together we’ve put people back into politics and we're ready to continue the fight for climate justice, economic fairness and First Nations justice under a Labor Government,” said Paul Oosting.