LEAN National Platform Amendments 2022-23
LEAN has three key areas in which the Labor Party's National Policy Platform needs to improve.
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2022 Election Environment & Climate commitments
The Albanese Labor team made many policy and funding commitments over the election period.
We thought it would be handy to put them all in one place so we can ensure that they are delivered.
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Labor's 2022 Election Climate Change Policy Announcement
Read the documents associated with the launch of Labor's Climate Change policy.
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LEAN AGM and Convenor's Report
At 5pm (AEST) Sunday November 21, the 2021 LEAN National AGM was held. It elected a new National Executive: John Della Bosca and Felicity Wade are Co-convenors, Frances Perkins is Secretary and Louise Crawford and Sean Kellett are National Organisers. Read Felicity Wade's 2021 AGM Convenor's Report...
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Chris Bowen outlines principles that under-pin Labor's approach to climate
On Thursday August 19, Labor's Shadow Minister for Climate Change addressed the Better Futures Forum and outlined the four key principles that underpin Labor's approach to climate change. The principles are ambitious and pragmatic, and deeply rooted in Labor's commitment to equity:
1. Net zero emissions by 2050 is necessary – but not sufficient. A strong roadmap there is important too.2. Ambition must be backed by policy.3. Good climate policy is good jobs policy.4. the regions must be at the centre of our climate and energy policies.
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Felicity Wade SMH opinion piece
NSW Labor followed the Joel Fitzgibbon playbook in the Hunter and look what happened
by Felicity Wade
May 26, 2021 — 5.30am
After months of calling for Labor to reject credible climate change policy, Labor head office handed Joel Fitzgibbon everything he wanted at last Saturday’s Upper Hunter byelection. There was a former miner candidate, an embrace of all things coal, a patchy honesty about the economic changes coming the Hunter’s way and some old-fashioned dog whistling about climate change-obsessed inner-city elites.
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Garnaut on Gas
Professor Ross Garnaut's comments on Gas 24/2/21
"The emphasis on gas is misplaced. We are not going to have globally competitive prices for gas. We could have had it with the export reservation, but the government doesn't seem to be enthusiastic about that."
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LEAN at National Conference 2021
LEAN endorsed Chapter 3, Climate Change, Energy and the Environement of the National Platform today at the Special Platform Conference. Read Co-convenor's Felicity Wade and David Tierney's speeches to the Conference.
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Draft National Platform, December 2020
Read LEAN's response to the Draft National Policy Platform, adopted on December 15 2020:
This afternoon the National Policy Forum approved the next draft of the ALP's National Policy Platform.
With over 300 submissions on Chapter 3 (Environment and Climate Change) - we once again smashed the records, with more submissions than any other chapter! Once again you delivered solid evidence of the depth of Labor member concern for our environment and climate.
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Hunter Jobs Alliance Launch
A new alliance of union and environment groups in the Hunter will officially form this week with the aim of ending the failed “jobs versus environment” dynamic that they say is holding the region back. The Alliance has been spearheaded by the NSW Branch of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, working in partnership with Labor Environment Action Network and state and regional environmental groups.
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LEAN on gas - National Co-conveners full comments
LEAN National Co-convener, Felicity Wade's full comments on gas, October 30, 2020.
“LEAN has watched dismayed over recent months as debates that should be had inside the party have played out on the pages of the country’s newspapers. Most recently people have leaked shadow cabinet approved talking points to stir up the culture war on gas. This is a bridge too far," said LEAN National Co-convener Felicity Wade. "We are in the midst of a process to finalise the Labor Party's National Policy Platform. LEAN is consulting broadly and members across the country are speaking loud and clear about their concerns about new gas developments. People are scared by the experience of last summer's fires and confused by a debate that hides the complexity in posturing."
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Environment laws parliamentary update
It has been a big few weeks in federal parliament on Federal environment laws. This is a compilation of all the interventions the parliamentary party made in defence of our natural environment and the Federal Government's responsibility to provide leadership in its protection. Anthony Albanese led the charge in Parliament...
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LEAN's submission to the ALP 2019 Federal Election Review
The ALP has set up a review led by Jay Weatherill and Craig Emerson to consider the 2019 Federal election loss. LEAN asked its members for their feedback. LEAN members were on the front line, talking to voters and hearing the word on the street. Their insights are interesting and illuminating. We were very gratified how many took the time to give us their thoughts, LEAN summarised these in a LEAN Membership Submission. Furthermore, the LEAN National Executive also wrote a submission covering the policy issues and party organisational issues we saw as important stemming from the election. Click through to read them both.
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NSW Labor leadership candidates answer climate and environment questions from LEAN
As part of the current democratic process for choice of the next leader of NSW Labor, the Labor Environment Action Network put a series of questions to the two candidates. We thank Chris Minns and Jodi McKay for their prompt and constructive engagement in the interests of informing LEAN members and Labor members more broadly on their perspectives on climate and environment issues.
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Labor has strongest environment and climate change policies yet
At this Federal election, Labor has the strongest policy platform to address climate change and biodiversity collapse ever offered by a major party. Read the detail here:
Read Labor's Climate Change Action Plan here
Read Labor's plan to rewrite the environment laws that are failing to stop the environmental crisis in Australia and create an Environmental Protection Authority to give them teeth here.
Read Labor's $1 billion plan to back up the law reforms with action on the ground here.
Read Labor's commitment to commission independent oil spill modelling to inform decisions on oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight here.
LEAN love, delegates describe LEAN's work
The 2018 National Labor Conference held in Adelaide in December 2018, delivered LEAN's campaign which was supported by 480 local Labor branches across the country. Bill Shorten announced that Labor would deliver new Federal environment laws and a National Environment Protection Authority within the first term of a Labor Government. See some highlights from the debate on the floor of Conference...
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Bill Shorten delivers great energy policy
LEAN is thrilled that on Thursday the Labor Party delivered on its promise of real action on climate change.
Bill Shorten announced Labor's energy policy, reiterating Labor's commitment to 50% renewable energy and a country wide emissions reduction target of 45% by 2030. Read a message we sent to our supporters.
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The politics of market mechanisms suck
OPINION: Australia must bring electricity prices under control and reduce carbon emissions. With the NEG in tatters, Labor needs to design a new pathway to deliver these aims. One thing that should overwhelmingly guide these deliberations is that the politics of market mechanisms to reduce emissions in the electricity sector suck. And not just a bit, lots.
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How green is your President 2018?
The ballot for the ALP National President opened on May 4 2018, and will remain open until June 15. All ALP members are eligible to vote and we encourage all to do so - the more members participate, the stronger our party will be!
LEAN asked the four candidates their views on the role of the Party membership and organisations like LEAN within the ALP as well as the role of the environment in the historic mission of the Labor Party. We thank all for their responses and are happy to say all believe environment and climate action are key tasks for a reformist Labor Party. We look forward to working with whoever wins the ballot on continuing to build Labor's unique offering as the party of both people and the environment. Answers are provided in alphabetical order.
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Queensland Labor Delivering for the Environment
At time of writing Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Labor Party are set to form Government in Queensland. LEAN campaigned hard across the state for Labor candidates. LEAN is thrilled that such a strong environment policy was on offer including an end to tree clearing, 50% renewable energy by 2030 and blocking of public funds to the Adani mine. LEAN is particularly proud of its role in delivering the commitment to 1 GW of publicly owned renewable energy.
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Not another energy policy! LEAN and the NEG
Like most Australians LEAN can't believe that there is yet another proposal from Malcolm Turnbull to solve the energy policy impasse - the National Energy Guarantee (NEG).
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LEAN's response to the Finkel Review and Labor's attempts to deliver a bi-partisan solution
On Friday June 9, Australia's Chief Scientist Alan Finkel delivered his report, Blueprint for the future: Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market. Both the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten and the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Mark Butler have said Labor is ready to negotiate with the Government to end the so called "climate wars". This is a genuine attempt to constructively address the security issues, spiralling prices and unchecked emissions currently plaguing the Australian electricity sector. Below is LEAN's response to the report but more importantly to Labor's attempts to deliver a bi-partisan solution.
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Bill Shorten reconfirms Labor's commitment to 50% renewable energy
On Thursday February 23 2017, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten gave a keynote speech at Bloomberg in Sydney on Labor's commitment to delivery of 50% renewable energy by 2030. After sustained attacks on climate action and Labor's climate commitments in Parliament over previous weeks, Bill Shorten's speech outlined how Labor would approach shifting Australia's energy to a clean footing. Here is the full transcript.
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LEAN's campaign to save the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
In early September 2016 the Turnbull Government tried to destroy the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and with it a key engine in Australia's path to a low carbon future. LEAN swung into action and working with the Federal Labor Parliamentary Party ensured that $800 million of funding was protected from Turnbull's razor gang.
ARENA is a fabulous institution established by the Gillard Government to drive innovation in the renewable energy sector and help drive down costs. It has been wonderfully successful.
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Victory at National Conference
We did it! In July 2015, the Federal Labor Party leadership listened to the concerns of Labor members across the country and endorsed LEAN's call to adopt a 50% renewable energy goal by 2030 and credible pollution reduction targets.
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Join LEAN at the National Conference Fringe
The Labor Party National Conference Fringe Program has four environment focused events - all of which will be corkers! Come and hear Tony Sheldon from the TWU discuss environment and labour relations with Tim Flannery of the Climate Council. Or hear energy ministers from around the Labor states discuss renewables with the Solar Council. Hear Pacific leaders talk about the impacts of climate change and discuss how our environmental laws need to be updated to adequately protect Australia through this century...
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National Platform - strong on climate change and environment protection
The draft ALP National Platform, released ahead of the ALP National Conference on July 24-26, 2015 is strong on climate action and the environment. Both are addressed throughout the platform and across portfolios. LEAN however will still be agitating from the Conference floor for the inclusion of strong, credible targets for renewable energy and carbon pollution reduction.
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Meet the LEANers (and lifters) - Louise Crawford
Louise Crawford is a LEAN volunteer in Victoria. She is part of the core organising group of LEAN in Melbourne and coordinates many of the branch visits that occur across the state to talk about the politics, economics and ecology of climate change. Louise brings a passion for the environment to her Labor party activism....
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ALP Presidential Candidate's views on LEAN's concerns
LEAN asked the five candidates standing for ALP President two simple questions on their attitudes to member activism and the environment. We were happy to report that all candidates are committed to environment as a key plank of Labor's future policy offering and that all believe groups like LEAN are essential to the ongoing life of the party.
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LEAN response to CFMEU on renewable energy targets
The CFMEU has expressed its opposition to LEAN's call for 50% of our electricity to be sourced from renewable energy by 2030. Following is LEAN's response.
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Bob Debus on the lost environmental consensus
LEAN member and all round Labor hero, Bob Debus has written a fascinating account of the long standing bi-partisan consensus on nature conservation that lasted from the Government of Gough Whitlam through the Fraser, Hawke, Howard and Rudd/Gillard years. It is only now under Tony Abbott that the "architecture" of environmental protections is under assault as funding and commitment to key programs is stripped away.
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LEAN on Cost of Living
LEAN was pleased to put a submission to the Federal Labor caucus inquiry into the Cost Of Living. Electricity costs have increased 61% per household in real terms over the last five years. Labor must carefully navigate climate action through the challenges of daily costs and pressures on Australians.
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LEAN honours Gough Whitlam: Environmental Pioneer
Overnight on October 20 2014 Australia farewelled a pioneer of environmental protection, as well as social justice and progressive reform.The Whitlam Government was the first to make protection of our natural world a key part of Labor’s values and mission.
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Tim Flannery joins LEAN and Open Labor this Thursday
Join Tim Flannery, LEAN and Open Labor this Thursday night in Melbourne to talk the future of the climate change campaign.
Thursday September 4, 7.30-9pm. City of Melbourne Bowls Club, Flagstaff Gardens, Dudley St.
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National Labor Women's Conference endorses climate action and LEAN
On the weekend of August 2 & 3 2014 over 150 Labor women met in Canberra for the National Labor Women's Conference. It was a stimulating and feisty weekend. LEAN National Co-convenor Felicity Wade presented on Women, Labor and the climate crisis. The Conference unanimously endorsed a series of resolutions relating to climate change, women's role in responding to the crisis and the role of LEAN within the party.
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NSW and Tasmanian Conference endorse higher emission reduction target
Both the NSW and Tasmanian Labor state Conferences were held on July 26 and 27 2014. Both passed strong resolutions calling on the party not only to stand by effective climate action but also to raise Labor emission reduction target to 19%. Furthermore Bill Shorten made further strong statements about Labor's commitment to deliver climate action.
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Bill Shorten makes Labor proud
LEAN congratulates Federal Labor Leader, Bill Shorten for making us proud at a time when the hope of climate action took such a grim turn in Federal Parliament. Bill's speech was strong and his commitment to reintroducing an emissions trading scheme an important marker in Labor leading the country on a just and fair transition to a safe future. His speech is well worth the read.
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LEAN does Canberra
With 46 meetings over three days, LEAN has had an excellent week advocating our cause in early July 2014 with the Federal Labor Caucus. The parliamentary party welcomed us and we look forward to a strong relationship toward winning both the politics and the policy underpinning strong climate action. Drinks, hosted by Shadow Environment Minister Mark Butler was a treat.
Campaign against CSG in northern NSW
LEAN North Coast NSW is campaigning with local MPs to defend the region from CSG development. LEAN stands with communities who are concerned that the risks associated with Coal Seam Gas extraction are too high and too little understood.
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Interview with Mick Power, former LEAN Vic convenor
Mick Power was LEAN's convenor in Victoria. He is currently studying climate change and social change at Harvard. Read his reflections on being involved with LEAN and his thoughts on the battle for climate action, from across the sea.
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Q and A with Dick Copeman, LEAN Qld
Dick Copeman is LEAN's longest standing state convenor. He heads up the Queensland chapter of the organisation and tirelessly campaigns for a low carbon future.
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Labor Leadership Vote: Where do Albo and Bill stand on the environment?
The Labor Environmental Action Network (LEAN) took the opportunity to put a series of questions to the two Federal Labor leadership candidates, Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten. As Labor people who have a passion for seeing the environment at the forefront of policymaking, we were very keen to hear the views of both contenders on the key environmental issues in Australia and we were delighted that both Anthony and Bill replied very promptly with considered and thoughtful responses.
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Federal Labor adopts LEAN's call for National Park protection
LEAN was thrilled that in the last week of the Federal election campaign Environment Minister, Mark Butler announced that Labor would investigate ways to ensure the national environment laws gave proper protection to our National Parks. These are the best of our natural places and deserve protection.
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LEAN Campaigns for Federal Election 2013
LEAN across Australia worked hard on the Federal campaign effort in the lead up to September 7.
The stakes couldn't have been higher. We were trying hard to defend Labor's environmental legacy. Labor made significant moves to protect our environment by implementing a carbon price, investing over $10 billion in renewable energy and creating the world's largest marine park. We've got a lot to be proud of.
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Why Howes is not the man for Labor
LEAN National Co-convenor, Felicity Wade writes in the Sydney Morning Herald why Labor does not need anti-environment crusaders in the Parliamentary Party.
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LEAN celebrates 30 years since Franklin River was saved
Labor activists joined together on July 26 to celebrate one of the most important environmental decisions in Australia's history, the protection of the Franklin River in Tasmania's south-west. The High Court upheld the newly elected Hawke Government's right to halt construction of a dam on the beautiful and World Heritage listed river on July 1 1983.
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