The 2019 federal election was called an election on climate change due to the major parties' different policies to the issue.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As a result of the election's surprise outcome where the Liberal National Coalition took power, community members of the Bega Valley have already begun to mobilise and drawn greater attention to the science behind global warming.
On Monday night, May 20, over 100 people gathered at one of Bega's cafes after being called together at short notice to hold the first in a series of climate emergency mobilisation meetings where they discussed ways to address climate change, before separating into small groups to brainstorm steps to realising change.
"I was devastated by the Coalition win, based purely on their denial of the science behind climate change," one of the organisers of the meeting Mica Lynnah said.
"The science is in, the debate is over.
"Why then are our leaders leading us into an existential crisis?"
Ms Lynnah, who was not affiliated with any political party and had a degree in political science, said the ultimate goal of the meetings was to make the Australian government accept the science of climate change and act in the interest of the people.
"Climate change is a bipartisan issue, there is no opting out on ideological grounds," she said.
"Regardless of the political ideology that Australia chooses to follow, climate change needs to be treated as a threat to national security, because that's what it is.
"So we will aim to engage in peaceful activism that will communicate our fears to the government, as well as setting in place everything we can do as a community to make a difference locally."
The participants have begun to connect with other groups around Australia who have had a similar response to the election's result.
"We don't believe that anyone who had all the information on this would have voted for a climate policy with such a catastrophic trajectory, so we are also hoping to help spread awareness of the seriousness of this issue," Ms Lynnah said.
They will meet again on Monday night, May 27, to start delegating roles and getting things moving.
For more information, visit the group's Facebook page.