I am emailing to let you know that I want your party to prioritise climate solutions that will improve people's lives, both in the election campaign and if elected to the Victorian Parliament at the election this November.

Transformative climate action is popular and will improve lives. The public needs better bus services, clean and affordable energy, and for our energy system to work in the public’s interest.

Too many people have been battered by fires and floods that are intensifying due to climate change. Too many people are trapped in leaky homes which are harming their health and costing a fortune in energy bills. Too many are forced to rely on driving vehicles because public transport is not viable for them.

The transition away from fossil fuels is a chance to put power back in people’s hands by creating an energy system which has good, unionised, renewables manufacturing jobs and where wealth is returned to communities in Victoria.

I am asking your party to support the following policies in your public statements about the election:

Back Treaty

This is a historic moment for our state, with the Treaty with First Peoples having been adopted by parliament in 2025. After nearly a decade walking the path to Treaty, and generations of resistance and activism from First Peoples, Australia’s first Treaty is here. This is a chance for all Victorians to acknowledge our past, heal and move forward together.

We urge all parties and candidates to accept the opportunities in this historic moment and commit their support to the full enacting of the Treaty.

Maintain the energy transition

We can maintain Victoria’s position as the national leader in renewable energy by upholding Victoria’s legislated clean energy targets. Any attempt to undermine them will send our state backward and increase costs for energy consumers. 

We need a rapid and equitable plan for getting people off gas. A jobs rich approach means supporting local job procurement and retraining of tradies. It means putting in roadblocks to new oil and gas extraction.

We should ensure that no one is left behind in the energy transition and that everyone can afford to access clean renewable energy.

New power. The best electricity is renewable. And the best form of renewables is community or public ownership: that’s why I support the continued investment of the State Electricity Commission (SEC) in new renewable energy and storage.

Support community resilience to the impacts of climate change

Local communities know what they need to do to adapt to the impacts of climate change where they live. Governments should support their aspirations with long-term funding for proactive climate adaptation. Parties should commit to supporting the Victorian Community Climate Adaptation Fund (VCCAF) to allow communities to enact local climate adaptation solutions that also support healthy and thriving local economies. This should be matched with a program co-designed with First Peoples to Protect Country.

Scale Up Energy Resilience: Expand Victoria's successful energy resilience program by doubling the number of community hubs with backup energy systems to help regional communities become more resilient to disasters.

Build better, fairer cities

As our cities grow, more and more people are being forced to rely on expensive private vehicles for work, study and family life. While electric vehicles offer opportunities for many, we must ensure that accessible and frequent public transport is available for everyone.

All parties should commit to a transformational network reform of buses in Melbourne’s Western suburbs to enable a shift away from cars and onto public transport. This needs to be coupled with investments in walking and cycling infrastructure across Melbourne to enable maximum mode shift out of cars and into public active transport. This is a key measure towards reducing Victoria's transport emissions which are the second largest and fastest growing source of emissions in the state.

Protect land and water

The end of native forest logging was a momentous win for Victoria’s unique wildlife, ecosystems, and carbon storage capacity. The subsequent forestry transition received a record amount of government investment into regional Victoria. All parties must ensure that legislative loopholes are closed, so that logging of native forests cannot return under future governments and regional communities can continue to move forward toward sustainable livelihoods. Legislative loopholes that currently leave Victoria’s native forests exposed to new forms of logging must be immediately addressed and accountability measures to ensure biodiversity values are identified and protected during all state land management activity implemented. 

All parties must commit to funding Traditional Owner groups to ensure First Peoples are fully resourced as decision makers and managers of Country. Governments should also rebuild biodiversity jobs and skills within state land management agencies (including in regional Victoria), re-establish Sustainability Victoria, and sufficiently invest in land restoration and management. 

Governments should maintain and expand funding for FFMV firefighters for the rapid detection and suppression of bushfires and support CFA volunteers. Parties must support plans to protect biodiversity values and vulnerable ecosystems from climate disasters and impacts. 

I look forward to a speedy response that sets out your party’s position on these key issues.