24th August 2020

Produced by Andy Britt and Vivien Langford

UNIONS,FIRST NATIONS AND STUDENTS."IN STRUGGLE LIES STRENGTH"

BUILD OUR FUTURE:CLIMATE JUSTICE AND JOBS

GUESTS:

Edie Shepherd - Original Power

Greg Mullins - Emergency leaders for Climate Action

Elizabeth Maddox - Author "Category 5"

Shoi Sengupta, Laura and Will from Students 4 Climate action

Dave Kerin - Co Founder of Earth Worker

Thanks also to Tim Davis Franks of TIPPING POINT and Annie Mc Laughlin and Michaela of 3CR for help

The next school strike for climate will prove that  Lockdown is a perfect time to turn the tide on climate catastrophe.

Keep the date Friday September 25th https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com/buildourfuture

Some students are preparing for final year exams, some unionists are out of work but the momentum to face the reality of the climate crisis is still building. September 25th is two weeks b efore our federal budget so this is a chance to push for COVID REcovery which turbo charges the jobs already being powered by clean energy,not new coal or gas.

GREG MULLINS speaking to an audience of unionists and students,tells us of the fire seasons ahead. A couple of extra fire fighting planes wont do it. He wants proper financing of Forestry managers skilled in cultural burning and paid year round to manage the forests. He says the fire risk of 850 gaswells in the Pilliga Forest at Narrabri is disgusting.

EDIE SHEPHERD talks about the National Covid Commission stacked with fossil fuel bosses and their gas agenda. The NT government wants a gas pipeline from the BEETALOO Basin to the coast despite consistent opposition from Indigenous people."We've been saying no to projects that hurt country"from the Gommeroi in NSW to the Boroloola mob in the Gulf of Carpentaria. She says "harm to our country is harm to us" and unions have a proud history of supporting indigenous struggles. For her the Right wing wont let a good crisis go to waste and  we have to meet the threat of a gas led recovery at scale.

SHOI SENGUPTA took time from her year 12 studies to tell us all about September 25th. Its a day of action in Victoria and Qld and a strike in other states.https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com/mp

ELIZABETH MADDOX  explains how she witnessed  the build up of momentum in the school where she  teaches. First a few brave students spoke out at assembly, then they invited speakers and held letter writing sessions, then some of them led the big school strikes and now climate action is  mainstream in that school community and growing. She reads also from her novel "Category 5" which is about a French class excursion to the Pacific islands just as a  terrible storm sweeps the Pacific.

DAVE KERIN is a builder of the future. It is not all about saying NO. He talks about Co Ops and the way collective ownership prevents the worst of capitalism.As the climate crisis  accelerates, He says of  unionist"We never leave our wounded behind" 
He is part of the  Powering Melbourne Cooperative Steering Committee - The current Covid-19 crisis provides the opportunity for the Committee to propose a  cooperatively owned utilities concept to the Victorian government. 

https://earthworkerenergy.coop/

As the students say 

"While our  Government and Members of Parliament rush to protect some of our communities from COVID 19, they continue to leave many people behind, and to protect mining companies and coal, oil and gas projects that threaten our collective future rather than building a better future for us all. "

Dave Kerin through his Earth worker heatpumps and solar hot water,made in MORWELL plus  REDGUM cleaning co -op and the co -op housing they are planning is showing the way forward.https://www.foe.org.au/earthworker_april_update

The next steps the students are recommending are:

1. PASS MOTION: Pass a motion at your workplace, or within the executive of your union, to endorse the Build Our Future: Climate, Justice, & Jobs day of action. Template motion can be found in the September 25th Union Outreach Guide.
2. LET US KNOW: Send through confirmation of your endorsement of the Build Our Future Day of Action to Tim Davis Frank -  '; // -->  
3. PUBLIC DECLARATION: Send an email to your members and share the action on social media - a public declaration of support from your union would be amazing! The September 25th Promotion Pack has template emails and social squares.
4. ORGANISE AN ACTION: Organise a Covidsafe action for September 25th inside or outside the workplace. Click here to register your action on the website.
5. FUTURE PLANNING: Where possible, set up a committee in your union and elect a climate action representative to coordinate with School Strike 4 Climate in the future and help us plan the next action to achieve a just transition for all workers!

The students are standing up again and taking action on September 25th, here in Australia and around the world. A reminder that their demands are are:

No public funds for gas and other damaging fossil fuel projects. Instead, recovery funds should be spent on:

1. Resourcing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions that guarantee land rights and care for country,
2. The creation of jobs that fast-track solutions to the climate crisis and help communities recover,
3. Projects that transition our economy and communities to 100% renewable energy by 2030, through expanded public ownership.

The students are inviting all unions to stand beside them once again!