PAWA TO THE BALLOT
Join the Pacific Climate Warriors as we take Pacific voices to the Australian Federal Election.
WHAT IS PAWA TO THE BALLOT?
Pawa to the Ballot is a campaign to take Pacific priorities to the polls at this year’s Australian Federal Election. These priorities include a safe and livable climate, renewable energy access, job security and a genuine Pacific partnership.
Many Pacific Islanders now live in Australia and have a right to determine what their future, and the future of their homelands looks like. This year, we’re making our votes count and telling Australia to end their addictions to fossil fuels and step into the renewable energy revolution.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN?
- Sign and share the Our Pawa petition that outlines Pacific climate priorities to the Australian government.
- If you are eligible to vote in Australia, make sure you’re enrolled to vote in these elections.
- If you’re not Australian but have friends or family that will be voting in the Australian election, text them to be sure they’ve enrolled and all their details are correct.
- Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky, so that once election dates are called, you’re kept up to date on developments and making the most informed vote possible.
HOW TO ENROL TO VOTE
Step 1: Check that you are eligible to vote in Australia
Step 2: Ensure you have one of the following forms of identification:
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- Australian driver license number
- Australian passport number
- Medicare card details
- Australian citizenship number
- Someone who is currently enrolled confirm your identity.
18+ or Proof of Age cards are not accepted.
Step 3: Head to the Australian Electoral Commission website and begin the enrollment process.
UPDATES AND ACTIVITIES
Enrolments are closed, and pre-polling has begun—time to get out there!
Here are 3 things to do now that voting’s open.
- Try out the VoteCompass—it’ll show how your values align with each party’s policies. Some electoral boundaries have also changed, so you can find out who’s running in your electorate and your current MP is.
- Check the Where Can I Vote page and find a polling place near you. Plan ahead so you know exactly where you’re going and how to get there.
- Sign Our Pawa Petition
Sign the petition
Tell Australia that Pacific Islanders want renewables now!
Join Pacific Islanders in Australia and across the region, in taking back Our Pawa. Tell the Australian government to choose safe, clean and fair renewable energy, and make sure that none of our communities are left behind.
To be a true Pacific neighbour, Australia’s just transition must:
- Power up safe and equitable renewable energy
- Ensure job security for workers
- Establish fair training and migration pathways for Pacific Islanders
- Finance a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific
- Raise climate goals in 2025
Join Pacific Islanders in Australia and across the region, in taking back Our Pawa.
Our Pawa is our fight for our islands and our vision for the future of our communities. It is our need to see this nation move beyond fossil fuels and our hope to see our communities supported through a just, fair and equitable transition that meets the pace and scale needed to combat the climate crisis and ensure we can thrive wherever our communities reside.
In presenting these demands we recognise the Pacific’s strong identity, cultural heritage, and Indigenous commitment to environmental and social sustainability, and base our transition on these traditional values. What we present are demands that we know impact the livelihoods of our communities both in Australia and in the Pacific, of which Australia is a part of.
- Power up safe and equitable renewable energy for communities: We demand a sustainable and ethical approach to managing the Just Transition. One where communities are engaged at all levels of decision making and vulnerable peoples are afforded access. We need a rapid but safe transition to renewable energy, where its costs and benefits are equitably distributed to communities.
- Ensure job security for workers: The government must invest in a new employment ecosystem and provide training through capacity building and greater cross-regional collaboration.
- Establish fair training and migration pathways for Pacific Islanders: To ensure Pacific migration pathways are reformed to include training opportunities in renewable energy technologies that can support a rapid transition in Australia and the Pacific region.
- Finance for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific: We demand a commitment from the government to end subsidies and financing of fossil fuels and other carbon-emitting extractive industries, and to increase funding towards the renewable energy transition for the Australia and Pacific region.
- Raise climate goals in 2025: Commit to the 2015 Paris Agreement and raise ambition on Australia’s climate goals at COP30. Despite what Government comes into power in the 2025 Federal Election, the commitment to those climate goals should be non-negotiable.