Friends of the Earth are under attack. But this is just the beginning of an ideological war by the government against all environmental groups. On the ABC 730 show aired April 10, Liberal MPs Alex Hawke and Matt Canavan singled out Friends of the Earth as the first of 150 groups they would like to see lose its charitable status. This would mean donations would no longer be tax deductible and as FoE stalwart Cam Walker points out, "this would basically mean the political death of our organisation."
The response was nothing short of AMAZING! After the airing of the show, #FriendOfFoE starting trending on Twitter in major cities around the country. But this is just the start of the fight. Here are 5 simple steps you can take to be a #FriendOfFoE:
1. Watch the 730 report episode
The first part of any battle is to educate yourself. The government is trying to take away our DGR status and the first step is a House of Reps inquiry. You can also read more in this article from Friends of the Earth Australia - Another attack on Environment Groups.
2. Take a #FriendofFoE photo
Show your support and let the Abbott government know that we will not stand idly by as they try to dismantle the last line of defence that our planet and all the species on it have from corporate greed and destructive industries. Your voice is important needs to be heard.
Friends of the Earth's Facebook page is here and Twitter handle is @FoEAustralia - don't forget to use #FriendOfFoE
3. Become an Active #FriendOfFoE
This is just the beginning and we need to make sure we have the resources to continue this fight for the medium term. Donations are (for now) tax deductible, and FoE being a small and nimble organisation will put them to good use support campaigns you know and love like Quit Coal, Yes 2 Renewables, CounterAct, Market Forces and so many more. Sign up here!
4. Keep up to date on the campaign
Sign up to melbourne.foe.org.au/friendoffoe and we will let you know what is happening and how we can work together to ensure that these attacks come to nothing and the good work of environmental NGOs can continue to work with communities to see real benefits for the environment. Remember THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!
5. Share this with YOUR Friends
Perhaps your friends would like to be a #FriendOfFoE as well? Spread the word as our strength has always been our ability to band together in numbers and reflect the true values of humanity and its connection to the environment.