Be part of an important discussion on why Australia needs to lead in efforts to dramatically limit global warming while the eyes of the nation are on the Wentworth by-election.

On October 10 we will host a 1.5ºC forum at Bondi Pavillion. A line up of expert speakers will be talking about why it’s so important we limit global warming – and how our federal government can do it.

Why now? Our former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was toppled from the top job by his coal-loving colleagues. Now, we have a by-election locked in for Malcolm Turnbull’s old seat in Wentworth.

Every political party will be focussed on what the outcome of Wentworth means for the next federal election. We need to ensure climate change is the number 1 issue at the next federal election. The big picture is this: we need to limit global warming to 1.5ºC.

A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the need to limit warming to 1.5 degrees is being released next week. We know the most dire consequences of climate change can still be avoided if warming is limited to 1.5℃, and will argue it’s time for national governments to take climate action now.

This is an opportunity to make the 1.5ºC report a national issue, and to seize our chance to put climate change on top of the agenda for the next federal election.

Politicians and ordinary people alike will be avidly watching how the Wentworth by-election unfolds. Let’s make sure our message is clear: climate change is the deciding issue of this by-election, and it will be the deciding issue of every federal election going forward.

Speakers

Professor Terry Hughes

Professor Terry Hughes is Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, which is headquartered at James Cook University, Australia. His research focuses on the linkages between the ecology of reefs and their importance for societies and economies. He has worked extensively in Australia, the Coral Triangle Region, and in the Caribbean. An important aspect of his research is understanding the dynamics and resilience of coral reefs, and translating this knowledge into innovative and practical solutions for improved reef management.

Geoff Cousins

Businessman and author Geoff Cousins, former Howard government adviser and prominent ad man, is one of Australia’s best known business and community leaders. Geoff was one of the most successful advertising men of the 1980s, and was chairman of the George Patterson advertising agency. His corporate life includes a stint as CEO of Optus, in addition to positions on ten public company boards ranging from PBL to Telstra. As well as a hugely successful business career, Geoff is a community leader and art-lover. He is well-known for his swift and public opposition to the anti-immigration statements of Pauline Hanson in 1997.

John Hewson AM

John Robert Hewson AM is a former Australian politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1990 to 1994. Hewson was born in Sydney. He has a doctorate in economics from Johns Hopkins University, and also has degrees from the University of Sydney and the University of Regina. Before entering politics, Hewson worked for periods as an economist for the Reserve Bank of Australia, as an economic advisor to the Fraser Government, as a business journalist, and as a director of the Macquarie Bank.

Authorised by Glen Klatovsky, 350.org Australia, 50 Reservoir St, Surry Hills, Sydney NSW, 2010.