By now, there is no reasonable doubt that our nation is suffering climate disasters. Likewise, there is no doubt that these will worsen in the coming decades, even with the most urgent and decisive action to abandon greenhouse emissions. Without these actions, the climate is liable to destabilise into a hothouse scenario, a process that will be unrecoverable at any price.
In this context, Fireproof Australia’s concern lies first and foremost with the victims of climate disaster. The failure to both prevent and prepare for a catastrophically degraded climate constitutes the most fundamental betrayal of the national interest we can recall or imagine. We must act, urgently, on three points: the protection of our citizens, the decarbonisation of our economy, and the pursuit of all possible diplomatic and economic means to drive the attainment of global net zero. The nation cannot do that from a position of hypocrisy. The obviousness of this points to a profound institutional failure.
In this knowledge, Fireproof Australia has three primary demands: firstly, that any Australian unhoused by a climate disaster is rehomed at the expense of the Federal government. Secondly, that the Federal government establish a sovereign aerial firefighting fleet as proposed by the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action. Thirdly, that the Federal government fund all schools, aged care and disability care facilities to be fitted with air purifiers sufficient to protect the occupants against bushfire smoke.
We recognise the many other diligent and responsible workers across the political spectrum striving for a safe climate. We acknowledge their criticism of our tactics. Our allegiance, however, remains with those affected. We urge Members to meet with us and to begin drafting legislation to the effect of our demands.
We sincerely await your correspondence. Together, we shall overcome.
Scott Morrison PM declared a ‘National Emergency’ last Wednesday in Lismore. ““We introduced the power to make a national emergency declaration after the Black Summer bushfires and it will ensure our Ministers and agencies don’t face any unnecessary bureaucracy as they roll out what communities need.”
This announcement comes as many Black Summer survivors remain homeless. There have been no guarantees of rehoming survivors of floods. Our government is Missing In Action.
Ms Dee Mould, Lismore resident says: “I’ve lost everything. Lismore looks like a war-zone. Over 1000 families are now climate refugees needing asylum. We need to be rehomed immediately. I feel betrayed that the government has failed us. We’re begging for your help.”
Fireproof Australia is a desperate response to the need of Aussies now made homeless, suffering from climate collapse (floods). We have three no-brainer demands for our government:
1. Immediately re-homing flood and bush fire survivors and ensuring that no one is left behind – more than two years in tents and caravans is too long 2. Securing an Aussie-owned aerial tanker fleet to fight fires 3. Installing effective air filters in schools, aged care and disability facilities
**The NSW and Federal Governments has not responded to these demands
In 2022 Australians need deeds not words.
Fireproof Australia strikes again, as Floodproof Australia, shutting down the Spit Bridge in peak hour this morning. Demanding Aussies homes rebuilt immediately, this is a response to the catastrophic flooding happening on the east cost.
We have a set of demands the government must meet. Until they do we are committed to non-violent disruption proportionate to the suffering we’re facing from these unnatural disasters.
Last Thursday we asked commuters travelling south on the Harbour Bridge to help us ensure everyone displaced by fire and flood are rehomed as two women blocked the western distributor. After more than 24 hours in custody one of the women plead guilty to all charges and received $800 in fines, the other plead not guilty and will appear in the Downing Centre court on March 25.
See Previous Spit Bridge Block. Two weeks earlier we asked the people of Northern Sydney to help us secure the Aussie owned firefighting fleet as we sat in the road blocking Spit Bridge.
Fireproof Australia is going to block Sydney’s major roads consistently and non-violently, week after week until the government meets our reasonable demands. We call upon fellow concerned Aussies to join us.
Coordinator-General of National Emergency and Resilience Agency. Phone: 0427182853 ||| Email: Media@recovery.gov.au
Why we need to Floodproof & Fireproof Australia:
We face “Cascading, compounding and aggregate impacts on cities, settlements, infrastructure, supply-chains and services due to wildfires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, storms and sea-level rise” IPCC sixth assessment report (February 2022)
“It’s like the bushfires have suddenly gone nuclear and we’ve only got conventional weapons.” Greg Mullins, Former Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner (AO, AFSM) (September 2021)
“80% of the population was affected by poor air quality during the 2019-2020 bushfires.” Bushfire Royal Commission (October 2020)
“If you’re under 30 years old and you’re exposed to this level of pollution, your cognitive function declines by the same amount as ageing by 15 years.” Dr La Nauze, University of Queensland (November 2021)
“What we do over the next three to four years, I believe, is going to determine the future of humanity.” Professor Sir David King, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government (February 2020)
Notes to Editors: [1] About Fireproof Australia. Fireproof Australia is a politically unaffiliated group of ordinary citizens calling on our federal government to respond urgently to the climate crisis by rehoming the survivors of floods and fires and securing an Australian-owned large aerial tanker fleet.
[2] Our demands:
Re-home the flood and bushfire survivors ||| #FloodProofAustralia The federal government must immediately re-home flood and bushfire survivors – no one left behind.
#Fireproof Australia The federal government must secure a self-sufficient, Australian-based and owned aerial firefighting fleet to defend us against longer fire seasons and the threat of mega fires.
Smoke-proof our schools, aged care and disability facilities ||| #SmokeproofAustralia The state and federal government acts on their duty of care to protect us from toxic bushfire smoke. Starting with the young and vulnerable by ensuring that all schools, aged care and disability facilities have effective air conditioning and air filtration.
Fireproof Australia ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been to move out of the way for ambulances and fire trucks with ‘blue lights’ on.
*What: People block the Western Distributor road near the Harbour Bridge, prepared to face the consequences. Location: Western Distributor – Harbour Bridge Time: Happening now – 7:30am – Peak Hour
Scott Morrison PM declared a ‘National Emergency’ yesterday in Lismore. ““We introduced the power to make a national emergency declaration after the Black Summer bushfires and it will ensure our Ministers and agencies don’t face any unnecessary bureaucracy as they roll out what communities need.” This announcement comes as many Black Summer survivors remain homeless. There have been no guarantees of rehoming survivors of floods.
Ms Dee Mould, Lismore resident says: “I’ve lost everything. Lismore looks like a war-zone. Over 1000 families are now climate refugees needing asylum. We need to be rehomed immediately. I feel betrayed that the government has failed us. We’re begging for your help.”
Fireproof Australia is a desperate response to the need of Aussies now made homeless, suffering from climate collapse. We have three no-brainer demands for our government:
1. Securing an Aussie-owned aerial tanker fleet to fight fires 2. Immediately re-homing flood and bush fire survivors and ensuring that no one is left behind – more than two years in tents and caravans is too long. 3. Installing effective air filters in schools, aged care and disability facilities
In 2022 Australians need deeds not words.
We have a set of demands the government must meet. Until they do we are committed to non-violent disruption proportionate to the suffering we’re facing from these unnatural disasters.
Two weeks ago we asked the people of Northern Sydney to help us secure the Aussie owned firefighting fleet as we sat in the road blocking Spit Bridge.
Fireproof Australia is going to block Sydney’s major roads consistently and non-violently, week after week until the government meets our reasonable demands. We call upon fellow concerned Aussies to join us.
I was watching video after video of my friends being rescued by boats from the roofs of their homes in Lismore. They’ve lost everything. It’s absolutely terrible. Where the bloody hell is our government? Where the bloody hell is our protection?
Since the bushfires in 2019, the government keep promising things and they never deliver. So it’s down to the people to sort things out.
We are carrying out this act of civil resistance in order to force the federal government to address our three no-brainer demands to protect their citizens and Floodproof and Fireproof Australia by:
Sarah Edwards, a nurse from Lismore
1. Securing a sovereign air tanker fleet to fight fires 2. Immediately re-homing flood and bush fire survivors and ensuring that no one is left behind – more than two years in tents and caravans is too long. 3. Installing effective air filters in schools, aged care and disability facilities
Why we need to Floodproof & Fireproof Australia:
We face “Cascading, compounding and aggregate impacts on cities, settlements, infrastructure, supply-chains and services due to wildfires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, storms and sea-level rise” IPCC sixth assessment report, February 2022
“It’s like the bushfires have suddenly gone nuclear and we’ve only got conventional weapons.” Greg Mullins, Former Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner (AO, AFSM), September 2021
“80% of the population was affected by poor air quality during the 2019-2020 bushfires.” Bushfire Royal Commission, October 2020
“If you’re under 30 years old and you’re exposed to this level of pollution, your cognitive function declines by the same amount as ageing by 15 years.” Dr La Nauze, University of Queensland, November 2021
“What we do over the next three to four years, I believe, is going to determine the future of humanity.” Professor Sir David King, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government, February 2020
Floodproof Australia is made up of ordinary people from diverse backgrounds, who are beyond appalled by the government’s lack of care for its citizens. Floodproof Australia members feel the government has betrayed all of us by allowing more than two years to pass without actively rehoming the survivors of Black Summer who still live in tents and caravans across the continent. Furthermore, the government has nothing in place to rehome the survivors of today’s and tomorrow’s climate disasters such as currently occurring in Lismore.
Handshakes, consoling words and photo ops are not acceptable – we need to ensure that everyone is immediately re-homed – no-one left behind!
Floodproof Australia is going to block Sydney’s major roads consistently and non-violently, week after week until the government meets our reasonable demands. We call upon fellow concerned Aussies to join us.
[1] About Floodproof Australia. Floodproof Australia is a politically unaffiliated group of ordinary citizens calling on our federal government to respond urgently to the climate crisis by rehoming the survivors of floods and fires and securing a sovereign air tanker fleet.
[2] Our demands:
Re-home the flood and bushfire survivors The federal government must immediately re-home flood and bushfire survivors – no one left behind.
Fireproof Australia The federal government must secure a self-sufficient, Australian-based and owned aerial firefighting fleet to defend us against longer fire seasons and the threat of mega fires.
Smoke-proof our schools, aged care and disability services The state and federal government acts on their duty of care to protect us from toxic bushfire smoke. Starting with the young and vulnerable by ensuring that all schools, aged care and disability facilities have effective air conditioning and air filtration.
Fireproof Australia ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been to move out of the way for ambulances and fire trucks with ‘blue lights’ on.
What: Protesters block peak hour traffic Where: Spit Bridge on Spit Road, The Spit When: Happening now – 8 am 22/02/2022
Click here to see a video statement filmed live at the roadblock.
Samantha Noonan, a legally blind grandparent currently sitting on the road says:
We have a duty to act because our leaders refuse to do the job of Fireproofing Australia. We are carrying out this act of civil resistance in order to force the federal government to address our three reasonable demands to protect their citizens and Fireproof Australia by:
Securing a sovereign air tanker fleet to fight fires
Installing effective air filters in schools, aged care and disability facilities
Rehoming bush fire survivors and ensuring that no one is left behind – more than two years in tents and caravans is too long.
Why we need to Fireproof Australia:
“It’s like the bushfires have suddenly gone nuclear and we’ve only got conventional weapons.”
Greg Mullins, Former Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner (AO, AFSM), September 2021
“80% of the population was affected by poor air quality during the 2019-2020 bushfires.”
Bushfire Royal Commission, October 2020
“If you’re under 30 years old and you’re exposed to this level of pollution, your cognitive function declines by the same amount as ageing by 15 years.”
Dr La Nauze, University of Queensland, November 2021
“What we do over the next three to four years, I believe, is going to determine the future of humanity.”
Professor Sir David King, former Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government, February 2020
Fireproof Australia is made up of ordinary people that have suffered from the fires, who are beyond appalled by the government’s lack of care for its citizens. Fireproof Australia members feel the government has betrayed all of us by not enacting the recommendations of the Bushfire Royal commission including securing an Aussie-owned and operated large aerial tanker fleet to fight fires. They’ve abandoned the bushfire survivors, hard-working volunteer fireys across the country and everyone who choked on smoke during Black Summer.
Fireproof Australia is going to block Sydney’s major roads consistently and non-violently, week after week until the government meets our reasonable demands. We call upon fellow concerned Aussies to join us.
ENDS
__________________________
Press contact: 0435750814 Email: fireproofaustraliamedia@gmail.com Interviews and TV appearances are available.
[1] About Fireproof Australia. Fireproof Australia is a politically unaffiliated group of ordinary citizens calling on our federal government to respond urgently to the climate crisis by securing a sovereign air tanker fleet.
[2] Our Demands:
1. Build a Large Air Tanker fleet The Federal Government must secure a self-sufficient, Australian-based and owned aerial firefighting fleet to defend us against longer fire seasons and the threat of mega fires.
2. Smoke-proof our schools, aged care and disability services The State and Federal Government acts on their duty of care to protect us from toxic bushfire smoke. Starting with the young and vulnerable by ensuring that all schools, aged care and disability facilities have effective air conditioning and air filtration.
3. Rehome the bushfire survivors The Federal Government must immediately rehouse those who, after 12 months, remain homeless or in temporary accommodation due to extreme weather events – and must do so within 18 months of the original weather event.
Fireproof Australia ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been to move out of the way for ambulances and fire trucks with ‘blue lights’ on.