Download Hi-Res / Screening Version (93.7 MB)

WebM High Res | WebM Low Res | Mp4 High Res | Mp4 Low Res

On June 13, 2009 thousands of people around Australia rallied for action on Climate Change. On a cold and bleak Melbourne winter day about 4,000 people gathered at the State Library where they heard from Greens Senator Bob Brown and 'Climate Code Red' author and climate activist David Spratt, and other speakers. The crowd then marched down to the Melbourne Town Hall where a sitdown protest was held outside the State Conference of the Australian Labor Party.

The thousands of people attending sat down in protest, reminiscent of the sitdown protests of the Vietnam anti-war movement in the 1970s, at the lack of effective action from both State and Federal Politicians from the Liberal and Labor parties.

The Rally demands included:

    * 100% renewable energy by 2020. Australia must make the shift from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy from wind, solar and other available technologies.
    * Green collar jobs not job cuts. We can renew our economy by creating hundreds of thousands of 'green jobs' and supporting workers to make a fair and just transition to sustainable industries.
    * Don't pass the Carbon Pollution law. We need climate policies that make the big polluters pay and not allow big companies to go on polluting. The CPRS won't reduce Australia's greenhouse pollution.
    * Logging and clearing vegetation are major contributors to climate change as forests and woodlands are important carbon stores.

The protest outside the Melbourne Town Hall heard from Emeretta Cross from Tuvalu and Damien Lawson, Friends of the Earth National Climate Justice co-ordinator (see seperate video of Damien Lawson).

The march then continued to Treasury Gardens where the crowd listened to Teagan Edwards from Yarra Climate Action Now espouse the need for joining or starting local climate action groups to take action on climate change. Jessica from the campaign against the Desalination Plant at Wonthaggi spoke briefly about the reacton from ALP State conference officials when she entered the foyer of the Town Hall to protest the building of the Desalination Plant and the impact it will have on climate change and the coastal environment.

This is an edited compilation video from speeches at the Melbourne Town Hall, brief clip from the March, and the final speeches at Treasury Gardens

See my Still Photos on Flickr:

• Climate Emergency Rally June 2009

Takver - www.takver.com