Sometimes it's hard to take the time to see through the rhetoric and find out where our politcial parties really stand on the important issues - so here's an easy way to get you started. Click on the links below to see whether their policies work for you. To see how the parties stack up on climate action, check out: - Labor's blueprint for "Protecting Australia from the Threat of Climate Change" -The Greens' "Care for the Earth" policy -The Democrats' "Action Agenda" -The Liberal Party's...

David is still being held in solitary confinement and is not doing well. He spends 23 hours a day in a cement cell at Camp 5 in Guantanamo. Sometimes its 24 hours a day. Hes been in isolation since March this year. I try to keep David informed on what is going on in Australia. It gives him some comfort that not everyone in Australia has forgotten him. It is probably the only thing that is getting him through the days. The Military Commission Act (MCA) signed into law in mid-October thi...

We know we need to take real steps to make deep cuts in greenhouse emissions and tackle climate change, and we know we need to get started now, not in decades to come. So we'd like to get politicians from all parties thinking about - and committing to - achievements that can happen during the term of our next Parliament, from 2007 to 2010. In connection with our 'big picture' five-point Climate Action Plan, weve put together a list of key ideas for the next Parliamentary term - and wer...

On Saturday, the 4th of November, more than 100,000 people hit the streets in cities and towns nationwide in a Walk Against Warming. Mums and dads, teenagers and grandparents, celebrities and everyday folk united for climate action. Reports and pictures are coming in from the GetUp members who helped coordinate our participation - and you can email your pictures to photos@getup.org.au. We'll continue to publish your stories and photos as we receive them (Perth walkers - we'd love to hear fro...

Sometimes the issues can appear so overwhelming we don't know where to start. And with all the gas being emitted from our politicians, it's going to become harder to sort the real solutions from the spin. So GetUp has gone straight to the leading environmental policy experts in the country - from Greenpeace to the Climate Institute and the Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change - for their blueprint for tackling the climate crisis. Find out what the experts agree we need to do,...

Its simple. We need to eliminate millions of tonnes of heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the thin and vulnerable layer of our earths atmosphere. We have the technology today to do this. What we lack is the political will. The worlds scientists agree we need deep cuts in carbon emissions of at least 60 per cent by 2050 to avoid what our Prime Minister has dismissed as the gloomy predictions. For Australia, these include crippling drought, severe floods, more destructive bush fires, record...

Photo courtesy: Rooster, of the Pen GetUp hosted a large public forum in Sydney with Major Michael Mori, the US-appointed defense counsel for David Hicks on Friday August 25th. The event was the final presentation in a cross-country trip of meetings and speechs by Major Mori. By popular demand, we are pleased to be able to make available an audio recording of the evening. You can download it here. (13MB - mp3 format) Alternatively, subscribe to GetUp's podcast service - and automa...

Photos courtesy: Paula Alexander Last night more than 1200 of us gathered in Adelaide's Rundle Mall, lit our candles and stood in solidarity and hope for justice. It was the kind of night that stays with you and inspires you long after it's over. Together, we've helped create a turning point in this campaign for justice. Today the media are discussing Major Mori's remarks - why the Australian Government must act now, or resign David Hicks to at least another two years of ...

More than 350 GetUp members have participated in our blog discussion with Major Mori, and thanked him for his efforts to obtain a fair process for David Hicks. You've asked what more we can do to help, so this week we're organising two opportunities for GetUp members to meet Major Mori and take action on the ground. Here's how you can get involved: Participate in GetUp's Candlelight Vigil in Adelaide on Wednesday On Wednesday evening GetUp is hosting a candlelight vigil in Adelaid...

We are pleased to offer free tickets to GetUp members for the premier of the film Kanyini in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Kanyini is a mesmerising story told by Uncle Bob Randall from Mutitjulu, Uluru. Brisbane: Thursday 17th August, 2006 Time: 7pm Palace Centro Cinemas (60 tickets) Sydney: Monday 21st August 2006 Time: 6.30 for 7.00 pm Hayden Cremorne Orpheum (20 tickets) Melbourne: Wednesday 23rd August, 2006 Time: 8pm Cinema Nova (40 tickets) RSVP direct to...

It has taken months of coordinated consultation, the principled actions of brave MPs and even a message from the heavens -- but the PM has finally admitted he cannot force his wretched asylum Bill through the Senate. Skywriter Rob Vance, who also wrote SORRY above the Sydney Harbour Bridge six years ago, executed the message perfectly, calling todays conditions in Canberra absolutely beautiful. GetUps Executive Director Brett Solomon told the media: "For a Government that has cyn...

The major changes to the iconic Aboriginal (NT) Land Rights Act are being debated in the Senate as we blog. Here's a quick update on THE CAMPAIGN... More than 23,000 Australians have put their names to GetUp's petition since the weekend, calling on Senators to delay their vote to allow more time for proper consideration and consultation. This is one of fastest-growing campaigns yet. (Updated) Latest word we have is that Labor Senator TRISH CROSSIN , Green RACHEL SIEWART and Democrat AND...

With less than three hours of debate in the House and a measly one-day Senate Inquiry, the Federal Government is trying to take away land rights from generations of indigenous Australians. The public is completely in the dark and most traditional landowners have not even been told. You dont have to be an expert to say this is wrong. But you are urgently needed to speak up. Never before have GetUp members been asked to make a phone call to their Coalition senator. It may seem a little...

You can read their full reports HERE, but we've posted a few useful excerpts: The Opposition (Labor) "Every single non-Government submission argued this Bill should not proceed in its current form...It is noted that the Majority's Report indicated that the amount of time allowed for the inquiry was 'totally inadequate' given the scope and severity of the concerns. One hearing and less than a week to prepare the Report was a woefully inadequate amount of time to canvas opinion and consi...

The Government's position on the detention of David Hicks is full of holes. The availability of a trial for David Hicks under Australian law was put to Attorney-General Philip Ruddock at the meeting last week of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General. After that meeting the Attorney-General issued a media release stating that he was familiar with an advice provided to this effect by myself and Devika Hovell. He did not deny the correctness of that advice, nor has he done so on other o...