Three cities, eleven meetings with politicians, five impactful events, speeches at a national climate conference, and TV and radio national news interviews — all for a safe climate and equal future.
In September 2024, Oxfam Australia partnered with Seed Mob, Australia’s Indigenous Youth Climate Network, to bring youth community leaders together on a climate speakers tour across the country. These young advocates were Tanya Afu from the Solomon Islands, Grace Ann Enriquez from the Philippines, and Eduardo Maher and Peter Griffiths-Sebastian from the Kimberly. Here in Australia, they met with politicians and key decision-makers, Australian climate advocates, and members of the public across events in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.
All the speakers have all been personally impacted by the causes and impacts of climate change, from fracking on Country, to super typhoons, rising sea levels, floods, heatwaves and altered ecosystems. They are passionate about ensuring that climate-vulnerable countries and communities are not forgotten in climate action, and that First Nations and local communities play a leadership role in the solutions.
Over two weeks, these leaders spoke at five public events, met eleven MPs and Senators from across the political spectrum, spoke at the Better Futures Forum and were interviewed by several national news outlets, including Radio National Breakfast, ABC Pacific, NITV News and more.
Their message was clear – climate change impacts are being felt right now, through no fault of their own, and they’re only going to get more frequent and dangerous. Lives have already been lost and homes and livelihoods destroyed. The time for Australia to step up its action is long overdue. Australia must immediately end all new fossil fuel projects, and create a plan to rapidly phase out fossil fuel exports and to transition to renewable energy.
Big polluting corporations need to pay
Those who have benefited the most from the mining and burning of fossil fuels – big polluting corporations – need to pay for all the loss and damage they have caused communities.
In the lead up to the COP29 global climate talks in November this year, we are calling on the Australian government to advocate for a strong global climate finance goal to support low-income countries respond to climate change. Big polluters must pay to meet this goal through super profit and pollution taxes in wealthy countries, including Australia.
Please sign our petition to the Australian Climate Change Minister, calling on him to stop all new fossil fuel projects and make polluters pay for their damages to communities.
About the speakers
Our speakers came from across our region to share their stories and calls for greater action on climate change.
- Tanya Afu is a young climate advocate from Solomon Islands. She is a Project Coordinator for the Solomon Islands Climate Action Network, an activist with the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) and a member of the Global Youth Security Council.
- Grace Ann Enriquez is a climate advocate from the Philippines. She was displaced by Super Typhoon Rai in 2021, and works for her Local Council as a planner and manager of climate change impacts. She is also on the Board of Trustees for Reboot, an organisation advocating for a Just Energy Transition.
- Eduardo Maher, of Yawuru, Jabirr-Jabirr, Bardi-Jawi, and Nyul-Nyul heritage, is the 2-Way Science Coordinator for the Kimberley Land Council, a former Yawuru Ranger, and a multidisciplinary artist.
- Peter Griffiths-Sebastian, a proud Miriwoong and Yawuru man from Kununnara, Western Australia, is the founder of Pete’s Cultural Adventures. He advocates against fossil fuel projects in the Kimberley to protect his country.
A safe climate and more equal future is possible
One where we all have the resources to survive climate change and transition to renewable energy, but only if big polluting corporations pay their fair share.
Last year before COP28 we came together with climate-affected communities and successfully pushed world leaders to establish a loss and damage fund for low-income countries impacted by climate change disasters. We gathered over 500,000 signatures globally on our Make Polluters Pay petition. This year, join our global push to make big polluters pay, and to fill this and other funds for low-income countries to respond to climate change.