Community Action

BREAZE has utilised the questionnaire developed by the Kooyong Climate Alliance to provide electors in the Ballarat House of Representatives with a comparison on the commitment of each of the candidates to taking serious action on climate change. 

Questionnaires were distributed to each of the 7 candidates over a week ago and where responses have been received, the candidates have been ranked on responses in categories of action displayed. Responses have been received from 4 of the candidates, namely Bryn Hills (AJP), Karen McAloon (Greens), Nick Shady (Independent) and Catherine King (Labor).

BREAZE urges voters to make this the CLIMATE ELECTION meaning putting action on climate change as the highest priority issue for our elected Federal Parliament. 

How our Candidates ranked on action on climate change:

The questions posed are attached in the attached questionnaire. BREAZE Scorecard Candidates Questionnaire.pdf

No responses were received from, Peter Cozyn (UAP), Alex Graham (Independent) and Timothy Vo (Liberal).

THIS MARCH SENDS A MESSAGE - DO YOUR BEST TO BE THERE.

Friday 15th March, at 12 noon

Alfred Deakin Place, Ballarat Central ~ map ~

The kids have spoken, now join them as the entire community speaks...

Tens of thousands of students across Australia and around the world will join us. If you’re an adult, take the day off and join us in solidarity.

To everyone who cares about a safe climate future, this is your open invite to join our School Strike 4 Climate on March 15 - students standing up when our politicians won’t.  

see the Face Book Event

When: Sunday 14th April 2019 from 1pm till 3pm

Where: Ballarat's Lake Wendouree Foreshore Reserve (Wendouree Parade opposite Ballarat Botanical Gardens Floral Clock) 

BREAZE in Partnership with the Ballarat Climate Action Network invites the residents of the Ballarat Region to make a highly visible statement to our political leaders that the community demands action on preventing unnecessary climate change. 

Please gather at the MacDonald Bandstand to hear from community leaders, take a walk for an hour around Lake Wendouree's Moneghetti Track and assemble to listen to local musicians and community leaders with their messages of hope, action and opportunities to influence policy at all levels of government.

When 10:00am,  Saturday 16th March 2019

Where - Mechanics Institute, 127 Sturt Street, Ballarat

Michelle Fisher, the founder of the Melbourne Repair Cafe will be joining us to share her experiences.

Register https://ballaratrepaircafe.eventbrite.com.au by Thursday 14th March

The Ballarat Climate Action Network has created a petition for the Ballarat community to present to Catherine King (MHR for Ballarat) to put pressure on her to change her position on the Adani Carmichael Coal Mine and Export Terminal Project. We hope that many of you will follow the link below to make “an environment of permission for politicians to act” by adding your name to the on line petition.

Click here to Sign the Petition

We know everyone is asked frequently to sign petitions however this is different because it is targeted , local and will have a greater effect because Catherine King isn't often the subject of scrutiny.

Our new Board member Joe Natoli has prepared the following easy steps for members to follow when writing to local, state and federal politicians to take action on climate change by transitioning to renewable energy. Joe has provided some good web links for supporting information.

Writing a letter of influence.
How do you truly connect with your Parliamentary representative? Most of us feel that politicians are “out there”. That they are somehow removed from the (real) world and that our views don’t really matter when they are wrestling with big picture issues. Not true. The reality is that politicians want to be, need to be, very aware of how their constituents are thinking because, basically, they want to be re-elected. And if too many people disagree with the decisions their politicians are making – they can quickly lose their seat. The last Victorian election saw this reality sweep away many very disappointed MPs. It resulted in the Liberals losing Malcolm Turnbull’s blue ribbon seat in a by election because many voters just didn’t like what the Liberals were doing on key current issues.

Ballarat Screening of Guarding the Galilee - Stop Adani

A very successful gathering in the Lost Ones Bar (under gallery) on Wednesday, 31st May, with 50 people arriving to see the Ballarat premiere of a short (half-hour) film 'Guarding the Galilee' about Adani's proposed mega-coal mine on western Queensland's Galilee Basin coal seams.

We were joined by Deb Milera who gave the Acknowledgemnt to Country.

Dr Kristen Pearson  gave a short presentation about Doctors for the Environment Australia (details below)

Hosted and supported by BREAZE, Ballarat Climate Action Group and Ballarat Says No to Adani.

The film screening was supported nationally by 350.org, ACF and a coalition of groups called StopAdani.

For Posters, template of letters to send to your MP etc, please see - http://www.stopadani.com/community_resources

More on Doctors for the Environment:

Fact sheet: https://www.dea.org.au/adanis-carmichael-coal-mine-and-health/

Protests in the media

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4696466/ballarat-urged-to-stand-against-adani/

https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4696466/ballarat-urged-to-stand-against-adani/?cs=62

Next Steps

• StopAdani have been encouraging an action at Commbank,  because the bank is deciding whether or not to rule out funding Adani on the 13 of June.
• Come with us to protest on Friday June 9th at 3:30 at Commbank - 133 Sturt Street, Ballarat
• The Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/121412691770666/
• More information: http://www.stopadani.com/stop_the_money
• Future action -  The new Al Gore film to be shown in Ballarat - An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

Community Action is how people in the greater Ballarat region  engage in environmental activities.

Within BREAZE this is usually done within Action Groups.  

Our major Action Groups are:

• Advocacy - putting climate action on the public agenda
• Social Solar - fund-raising to put rooftop solar on the buildings of not-for-profits
• Sustainable Living - a public education program about what we can all do to help fight climate change
• Community Forum - talks and events enabling public discussion of old and new approaches to dealing with anthropogenic climate change.

Our Action Groups are formed by members of BREAZE partaking in community actions in an area they are particularly interested in.   These may be ongoing activities like Local Food or a one off activity like a film screening.

There are also affiliated groups.   These are groups run semi independently from BREAZE but under the auspice of BREAZE.  These groups gain the benefits of BREAZE incorporation including insurance, marketing and other BREAZE resources.  

For more information read our Q&A or contact regarding setting up an affiliated groups.

Current Affiliated Groups

• Buninyong Boomerang Bags
• Buninyong Community Collective
• Ballarat Repair Cafe
• Ballarat Tool Library

BREAZE also acknowledges the efforts of a number of independent environmental groups.   If you are involved in an environmental group not listed here then please contact .