CLIMATE change debate will be centre stage at Warrnambool’s Lake Pertobe on Sunday when a soapbox session gives people two minutes to have their say in public.
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The open microphone session will be part of an afternoon rally organised for south-west Victorians to coincide with a global day of “mobilisation” preceding the United Nations summit in New York, starting Tuesday.
“Often people feel the issue is so complex they are powerless to do anything,” said rally organiser Margaret Donoghue, of Mortlake.
“On Sunday if anyone wants to express their views they can grab a mic and have their say in two minutes.”
Ms Donoghue is convenor of the Wannon Climate Action Now group, formed after a Warrnambool street march last November.
“This issue is bigger than party politics,” she said.
“It’s an issue that is worrying people right across the spectrum — conservative and non-conservative.
“I’ve noticed in the Mortlake rural community that people who were once doubters are now experiencing the effects of climate change.
“My sense is that the government is not picking up on this.
“The rally will give people a chance to say they want government leaders to have effective policies to tackle global warming.
“We are keen to encourage the dialogue.”
The rally also coincides with the release this week of a Climate Council report which said 80 per cent of the Australian coastline was vulnerable to recession from rising sea level.
It said a 1.1-metre sea level rise was a plausible scenario for the year 2100.
Sunday’s event will be near the western barbecue area at Lake Pertobe from 2pm and will have entertainment by local musicians.
Participants are asked to bring a picnic meal.