The Albanese Government is facing considerable political pressure as it tries to pass its changes to an important climate policy known as the Safeguard Mechanism – but their plan is not strong enough to force Australia’s biggest polluters to slash their emissions, nor crack down on new coal and gas
Our voices now can urge our government to strengthen the policy so that it helps guide Australia to a safer climate future. Write and send your email to the offices of the Prime Minister and the Climate Change Minister.
What to write in your email
Ask the government to work with the rest of Parliament to make the Safeguard Mechanism stronger so that it:
- Stops polluting companies from buying unlimited offsets and improves offset quality.
- Forces big corporations to slash their carbon dioxide and methane emissions on-site at their polluting facilities.
- Cracks down on emissions from new coal and gas projects to get us closer to ending coal and gas.
And ask the government to get on with the job to end coal and gas for good!
If you'd like to add more detail, you can:
- Briefly explain why you're concerned about rising temperatures making climate disasters in Australia worse and how it'll affect what you care about most – your friends and family, community, Australia's ecosystems and wildlife.
- Express your concern that the Australian Government's current plans are not strong enough to ensure a safe climate future in this country.
About the issue
Right now the Albanese Government is trying to pass changes to an important climate policy called the Safeguard Mechanism, which puts a cap on and reduces how much big corporations like Woodside and Santos can pollute.
Currently, the policy is failing to lower emissions. For a safe climate and to slash emissions in Australia, the Safeguard Mechanism must be strengthened now.
The Albanese Government needs to pass its changes – and it needs to make its changes stronger.
The Safeguard Mechanism regulates 215 facilities that produce the equivalent of 100,000 tonnes or more of CO2 a year – that's a lot of climate pollution.
A much stronger Safeguard Mechanism now is the climate action we need in Australia. With your urging, the Prime Minister and Climate Change Minister can be pushed to make the Safeguard Mechanism stronger now.