In the 2007 election “Ruddslide” Australia’s first and only registered single issue climate party – the Climate Coalition – performed disastrously. Despite having some outstanding Senate candidates like Doctor Karl and Clover Moore in NSW they all ended up performing badly and losing their deposits. By the time I got around to trying to join this party the following year it had already imploded and disappeared.
So from my isolated outpost in the bush I attempted to form the Global Warming Action Party Australia. Close friends were rightly critical of the acronym GWAPA. “Sounds like a frog croaking” my daughter said. This attempt was even a greater disaster as after several years it had gained only a very small membership. Eventually it too folded.
Currently there are two parties vying for the position to be our next single-issue climate party. Neither the Renewable Energy Party nor Save the Planet Party (links on side bar) are yet registered with the Australian Electoral Commission. I have joined the latter though I would prefer a much simpler name like “Climate Action Party”. It remains to be seen whether we will have a Climate party before the next Federal Election in 2016