I’m sorry to report that this week was a bad week for climate action.
Labor started the week by suggesting it was prepared to vote with the Liberals to rush through a weak fossil fuel tax endorsed by the gas industry. At the end of the week, they teamed up with the Liberals again to pass controversial sea dumping legislation that I spoke out about on the floor of the Parliament.
That’s not real climate action.
It’s just the same old politics and inaction.
We’ve just had the hottest July on record, and are amid a 1-in-7-million-year sea event. The government has approved three new coal mines in the last 12 months, continues to subsidise fossil fuel developments, and is now proposing exporting our carbon, using unproven technology which has never worked at scale, to bury that carbon dioxide under international seabeds.
Talking to you all out on the street, it’s clear you’re starting to get fed up. I’ll continue to hold the government to account for its inadequate response to climate change — watch this space.
Read on for some lighter news, including National Tree Day, a great week out and about in the community, and an update on our Voice doorknocking efforts.
Happy National Tree Day
It was a joy to plant trees last weekend with Australian Conservation Foundation volunteers who were helping to bolster the habitat of the threatened Greater Glider Possum and Leadbeater’s Possum.
Australia is the worst country in the world for mammalian extinctions, when we should be a world leader in conservation.
We must do everything we can to restore our environment for future generations, whether that’s planting trees or fighting to stop fossil fuel developments.
Out And About In Kooyong
It’s been such a pleasure to be out and about in Kooyong during the winter break from Parliament. In the last few weeks I’ve been able to visit several aged care centres, a kindergarten, several primary and secondary schools, a couple of footy clubs, a soccer club and two hockey clubs, as well as catching up with a small business group!
It was wonderful to address a whole college assembly at Koonung Secondary College last week.
I spoke to the students about the importance of young people standing up and getting involved in their communities. Too often we fail to give young people agency in the decisions we make for them. Thinking about what future we want for the next generation, and how we can best support and enable them, should be at the heart of everything we do.
If you’re a young person looking to get involved, click here to join our forthcoming Youth4Voice catch-up — there’re already more than 30 people under the age of 25 attending. We’re looking for more passionate young people for a way to help get ‘Yes’ over the line.
A Nation-Leading 6,000 Doors Knocked
It warms my heart to be able to write in every recent newsletter that Kooyong’s Voice campaign remains nation-leading.
More doors have been knocked on in Kooyong that anywhere else. It’s a credit to the compassion, inclusiveness and kindness of this community — your efforts are lifting up the ‘Yes’ vote right when it needs a boost.
We’re looking for an end to the politics of division, and want to improve outcomes for all Australians of this and the next generations.
As we start to ramp up our doorknocking — heading towards our aim of knocking on every door in the electorate — now is the time to sign up as a volunteer and get doorknocking.
Sign up to volunteer here and our wonderful team will be in touch to let you know how you can best help out.
What’s On With Mon
Our NDIS Forum with NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, which is coming up on 22 August, is now sold out — you can still tune in to the event’s livestream. Click here to find out more.
This afternoon! Join me for a panel discussion and viewing of Rachel’s Farm. Rachel’s Farm follows actor, director (and now farmer), Rachel Ward, as she transforms her cattle farm into a carbon-sequestering, biodiversity haven through regenerative farming practices.
For students and young people in Kooyong ready to campaign for the Voice to Parliament! Find out more about what our growing team is doing and hear how you can help out.
After our sold-out event last month, I've invited a senior ACCC representative to Kooyong again so that you can learn valuable information on how to both protect yourself from scams, and what to do if you’ve been a victim of a scam. This event will fill up quickly — book your (free) tickets now!
欢迎您参加Kooyong 选区独立联邦议员 Monique Ryan 医生和澳大利亚竞争与消费者委员会 (ACCC) 的高级反诈骗专家一起举办的座谈会，一同学习如何保护自己免受骗局的侵害，以及不幸陷入麻烦时的对策。
Stay warm through the cold weather, and as always, my team and I are always here to help where we can.
All the best,
