A message from the Kimberley team this election

Have you been following the Federal election?

PM Julia Gillard is going to need to do more than just paint her hand green to deliver for the environment this election

Having trouble keeping up with all the promises and what they really mean? We'd like to help break it down and provide you with the latest information about what political parties have promised for the Kimberley, and how you can help make them deliver more!

In short, the two major parties have given very few commitments on the environment, and most of those have been half-hearted at best. The only highlights from Labor have been promises to ban the import of illegally logged timber and incorporate the Koongara uranium deposit back into Kakadu National Park (instead of allowing it to be mined).

The Coalition has been dismal, with Mr Abbott promising to wind-back environmental protection on Cape York and in our marine environment. So far, only the Greens have delivered for our environment!

Neither major party has given any specific commitments on protecting our amazing Kimberley, so for now its ‘business as usual’ with the polluting gas hub and a range of other possible destructive developments.

3 simple actions to take this week:

*Call Julia Gillard on 02 6277 7700 or Tony Abbott on 03 8616 5100 and ask them to commit to: Moving the proposed polluting industrial site moved off the Kimberley coast; finalising National Heritage listing of the Kimberley; increasing funding to Indigenous conservation and land management programs; and a network of large marine sanctuaries for our Kimberley.

Especially in the last week, such calls are not wasted! Tell us how you went on our facebook page!

* Contact Channel Seven’s Sunrise team, and suggest the Kimberley as a story – if enough viewers contact them we’re sure Kochie would love to chat about it…

* Live in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth? We’d love to have your help for a few hours letterboxing in the final week of the election – please contact renae.williams@wilderness.org.au

So what's been promised for the Kimberley?

Sadly, so far in this election neither of the two political parties is taking action on the environment, and they’ve failed to adequately answer the question - 'Who’s going to protect our Kimberley?’ – instead the national political debate has been reduced to a carefully scripted and unimaginative stage show.

Here's a breakdown of what each party has committed to regarding the Kimberley:

In this election we want commitments to move the proposed polluting industrial site off the Kimberley coast; to finalise National Heritage listing of the Kimberley; a financial commitment to improved Indigenous conservation and land management programs, and; a network of large marine sanctuaries for our north-west marine environment. You can read the full Federal Environment Priorities 2010 here.

We can shift the politics of protecting nature in Australia, with your help. In the final moments of an election anything is possible - but Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard need to hear from you about just how incredible the Kimberley's vast wilderness is, and how significant the threats posed by the rampant industrialisation agenda are. Together we can take action to get the Kimberley the attention it deserves.

If you live in Perth and would like to help on the ground in important electorates, please click here and we'll be in contact very soon about how you can get involved.

Thank you for supporting our Kimberley,

Renae Williams
on behalf of the TWSWA Kimberley team

PS – The recent Kimberley music gig in Fremantle was a raging success, with over 350 people enjoying a great night and pledging to help support the campaign. You can view pictures here.