The Federal Election will be called any day now, and local community forums are popping up across Victoria. Lucky for you, we've got you covered for how to best engage your local candidates and ask them questions about climate action.
Community forums are a great opportunity not only to get your issues raised in front of candidates, but also other community members. The more people hear about climate change at these events, the more likely it will be a top agenda item and get the attention it deserves. With any luck, we might even get some last minute commitments from the candidates and inspire some policy announcements.
The most important thing to do is attend—better yet—bring along your friends and family to the event!
Types of questions to ask (this may depend on the electorate you are in and which candidates are attending):
- The Glasgow Climate Pact requires countries such as Australia to increase their 2030 emission reduction target by COP27 in Egypt later this year. Do you personally support a science-based 2030 Emission Reduction Target for Australia? What do you think that target should be?
- Given the health and climate concerns with residential and industrial use of polluting gas, what policies will you support to get polluting gas out of Victorian homes and industry?
- We are already seeing climate impacts in terms of intensifying heatwaves, bushfires, and floods. How should the federal government be supporting frontline communities affected by change impacts?
- The uptake of Electric Vehicles in Australia is slow, despite booming interest int he technology. How can the federal government best support a transition to EVs?
- Active and public transport are key ways that individuals can get around in a sustainable way. How would you best support increased active and public transport in our suburb/region and around the country?
- We've just seen major announcements about offshore wind in Victoria and Gippsland's first wind farm, how could the federal government further encourage more jobs in renewable energy?
What to do when attending a forum:
- Submit your question through the appropriate channel, many have digital platforms and require them to be submitted in advance.
- Be respectful of all candidates.
- Note the responses as accurately as possible. If it helps, you might want to do a voice recording and then transcribe it afterwards.
- Send us the responses so we can share it round.
Know of an upcoming community forum? Email Jarred at [email protected] with the details so we can add it to the list!
| Electorate | Date | Time | Location |
| Kooyong | 27th April | 7pm |
Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122 |
| Chisholm | 30th April | 1pm |
Box Hill Town Hall, Matsudo Room, 1022 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill VIC 3128 |
| Goldstein | 28th April | 7:30pm |
Brighton Town Hall, Wilson Street, Brighton, VIC 3186 |
| Mallee | 4th April | 6pm |
Nhill Memorial Community Centre, 77-79 Nelson Street, Nhill 3418 |
| Higgins | 5th May | 7pm |
Malvern Town Hall, 1251 High St, Malvern VIC 3144 |
| Dunkley | 4th May | 7pm |
TBC |
| N/A: Youth on the Mic - Federal Youth Ministers Forum | 13th April | 6:30pm |
Online |
| Easter Rally for Climate | 16th April | 10:45am |
Inverloch Community Hub |
| Cooper | 27th April | 7pm |
Span Community House, 64 Clyde St, Thornbury, VIC 3071 |
| Macnamara | 26th April | 7pm |
St Kilda Town Hall, 99A Carlisle St, St Kilda VIC 3182, Australia |
| Wills | 26th April | 6:30pm |
Uniting Church in Australia Coburg, 19 Victoria St, Coburg VIC 3058, Australia |
| Boothby | 1st May | 2:30pm |
Blackwood Uniting Church, 266 Main Rd, Blackwood SA 5051 |
| Nicholls | 28th April | 6:30pm |
La Trobe University Shepparton Campus, 210 Fryers Street, Shepparton, VIC 3630
|
| Indi | 27th April | 6pm |
Euroa Golf Club, Golf Course Road, Euroa, VIC 3666 |
| Indi (Benalla) | 26th April | 7pm |
Benalla Lakeside Community Centre, Benalla Showgrounds, Benalla, VIC 3672 |
| Monash | 3rd May | 7:30pm |
Online |