Rising Tide Australia

Thanks to everyone who participated in the parade, it was great!
Photos here, with more to come.
Media release follows.

150 people marched through the streets of Newcastle today calling for the Labor Party to take action to curb rapidly expanding coal exports.

Rally organisers say they are very pleased with the numbers, and that the highly colourful rally demonstrated that Australia's political leaders could no longer ignore the community's call for action to reduce coal dependence in the face of accelerating climate change.

The protest rally and parade in Newcastle today called on the Labor Party to face up to the role that coal exports are playing in accelerating climate change, and to do something about it. It featured giant puppets of Federal Labor politicians and a blow-up coal ship, and delivered open letters to the Federal and State members for Newcastle calling on the Labor Party to get serious about reducing coal exports.

“Coal exports are Australia's biggest contribution to climate change, surpassing all other greenhouse pollution combined”, explained Vanessa Bowden from parade organisers Rising Tide Newcastle. “It is simply impossible to take serious action against climate change while supporting a massive expansion of the coal industry.”

“If coal-dominated regions in Australia are to have a sustainable future, and the world a livable climate, we need to plan the phase out of coal exports and provide regions like the Hunter with alternative industries that don’t warm the planet.”

The Iemma Labor Government recently gave approval for the doubling of the world's biggest coal port at Newcastle and the Federal Labor Party has pledged to prolong our economic dependence on export coal.

Rally organisers have slammed the Labor Party for pretending that “clean coal” technology will one day save both the climate and the coal industry. “Clean coal is a fairytale,” said Ms. Bowden, “the Labor Party is doing this region no favours by denying us the opportunity to change.”

“Newcastle rallied today to call on the Labor Party to give the community a real alternative to coal dependence, and find the guts to take a stand against Australia's principal contribution to climate change.”