Thank you @RosariaRebel. This is a great initiative. Yes we should definitely coordinate and target our painting of the streets with broader campaign(s) and briefing packs like this will be invaluable. Sadly it looks like other types of actions may be challenging for a while but there’s lots of scope for effective action within Paint the Streets.
Some thoughts on which topics to focus on - and hopefully develop packs for …
XR UK is doing local actions from August 28 building to a four degrees blockade at parliament on 1 September. Maybe we could start with gas etc messaging soon and have another wave around four degrees and societal collapse etc in September?
It’s also worth keeping in mind that there are state/territory elections in NT, ACT and Queensland in October. And council elections in Vic in October too with quite a few climate emergency/citizens assemblies candidates standing.
Just a couple of suggestions for the immediate future:
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#dirtygas is an old favourite from years ago. It’s amazing how many still gas is a relatively clean ‘transition fuel’
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#gasstinks is a great new one!
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how about #nogas as well as #nonewgas? There are parts of the broader climate movement that are working on getting homes off gas (and avoiding connecting new housing developments to gas) so as to reduce demand for gas and cut into the ‘eastern states gas shortfall’ story. (Mark Butler, who is one of the better politicians on the climate emergency, is being heavily lobbied by Vic businesses who fear gas shortages.) And we need to close down existing gas infrastructure as well as stopping new gas. (The ‘gas shortfall’ story also links to that vile proposal for a west-east gas pipeline.)
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two or three hashtags is plenty. #nogas #nonewgas and #dirtygas would be my top three - especially as they are already in use by the wider movement - plus maybe #gasstinks !
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it would be good to develop a pack to give some Paint the Streets support to our intrepid forests campaigners in Vic too. They are doing great work but not getting much traction in the media. It would be better to have just one major focus but the logging of our few remaining unburnt forests is such an an urgent issue from so many angles so maybe two foci would be okay?
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It has been hard to identify a local target linked to the ‘gas-fired recovery’ in Victoria. However AGL have offered themselves for our consideration by pushing ahead with a proposal for a gas terminal and pipeline in Westernport Bay against strong community opposition. And they have an office in Docklands Melbourne which is convenient.
(My understanding is that the Vic government was blackmailed into lifting the ban on conventional gas by Morrison in order to get renewable energy money and that the gas projects in the Otways and Seaspray etc aren’t financially viable and are no immediate threat. If there are any rumblings those two communities have already been mobilised to drive off the threat of gas once and no doubt would mobilise again. So AGL is a more immediate target.)
Not sure about other states but the Narrabri gas in NSW is a possibility.