Funding new community renewables: Bass Coast Adult Learning Centre, Wonthaggi
July 12, 2022
#CoPowerBudget Update for August 2022
August 31, 2022
We had 801 total household votes for the final round of this year’s democratic budget. This makes it by far the biggest vote we’ve ever run in the cooperative, and we’re happy to announce the results of how we’re spending $100,000.00 worth of income this year in order to do good.
Firstly, a big congratulations to all the people who participated in finding projects, putting in applications and voting. We wish were in a position to more fully support the applications we received.
Here’s a summary list of the successful projects customer members have voted up across three rounds of voting and open workshops with links to further information where available.
Melbourne Pollinator Corridor: $20,000.00
The creation of the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor, an 8km community-led and -maintained wildlife corridor designed with over 20 scientists and specialists for native bees and other pollinating insects. It will link the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne to Westgate Park.
Organisation: The Heart Gardening Project.
Website: https://www.theheartgardeningproject.org.au/melbourne-pollinator-corridor
Pay the Rent: $1,000.00
Money should be paid to paytherent.net.au to allocate to causes and First Nations groups as they see fit, based on the principle of self-determination.
Organisation: Pay the Rent.
Website: https://paytherent.net.au/
Aboriginal Women’s Yumba (Home Camp) Upgrade: $20,000
Nungeena is a small community organisation in the Glasshouse Mountains (Jinibara/Kabi Kabi Country) that provides all women the base for spiritual, emotional and physical healing. We have a small, five bedroom house situated on 16 acres of beautiful, sacred land which has been used as a refuge for women for healing, caretakers residence and office. This project helps us restore the house to an ecologically conscious live-in residence and healing centre.
Organisation: Nungeena Aboriginal Corporation for Women’s Business.
The Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Ltd: $250.00
A donation to assist in ALS’s legal work in criminal law, children’s care and protection law and family law.
Organisation: the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT.
Website: https://www.alsnswact.org.au/
Koori Mail: $1,000.00
Koori Mail is a 100% First Nations owned newspaper in Lismore that was hit by the devastating floods of 2022. Despite this fact, they sprung into action after each flood and provided community support helping people survive.
Organisation: Koori Mail
Website: https://koorimail.com/
Gas Free Victoria – Getting Victoria Off Gas: $10,000.00
A Network Organiser & Campaign Coordinator will mobilise, connect and empower communities across Victoria to combat the climate impacts of the gas industry at the points of production, destruction and consumption, and support member groups to advocate for a rapid transition away from fossil gas.
Organisation: No More Gas – Friends of the Earth Melbourne.
Website: https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/gas
Worker Strike Fund: $5,000.00
CoPower set aside $5,000 each year to assist workers who are taking strike action.
Organisation: CoPower.
Our Islands, Our Home: $6,800.00
Our Islands, Our Home is a climate justice campaign led by Torres Strait Islanders to protect their Island homes. This innovative advocacy, strategic litigation, and grassroots community organising campaign is the first of its kind.
Organisation: 350 Australia
Website: https://ourislandsourhome.com.au/
Community-owned Renewables Investment: $7,250.00
That funds be paid to a pre-existing community renewables revolving fund such as either CORENA (https://corenafund.org.au/) or Southern C.O.R.E.
Organisation: CoPower
Decolonise Sex Work AU: $1,000.00
Decolonise Sex Work AU is a Blak sex work collective that redistributes donated mutual aid funds, free supplies and more to Indigenous sex workers, who are some of the most marginalised people worldwide. They operate through their Instagram account.
Organisation: Decolonise Sex Work AU
Website: https://www.instagram.com/decolonisesexworkau/
Powering Education In Palestinian Communities: $3,500.00
Our project aims to help fund renewable energy to off-grid schools in Area C of the West Bank, Palestine, working together with our long-term partner organisation, Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN). “Area C” consists of more than 60% of the area of Israeli-occupied West Bank and is under full Israeli control.
Organisation: Palestine Fair Trade Inc and Friends of Hebron, Sydney.
Website: https://www.palestinefairtradeaustralia.org.au/ and https://friendsofhebronsydney.square.site/
Just transition Asia Pacific frontline workers: $4,900.00
This project is part of the Climate Justice and Just Transition Program of Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA, the global justice organisation of the Australian union movement.
Organisation: Union Aid Abroad APHEDA.
Co-operative Development Fund: $12,700.00
The Co-operative Development Fund will be the first dedicated Australian co-operative movement Fund for supporting new co-ops to grow. The Fund is informed in design and operation by co-operative principles and values.
Organisation: Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals.
Website: https://bccm.coop/
Climate Resistance & Mobilisations: $5,000.00
A CoPower fund to fund climate mobilisations and resistance such as protests like School Strike 4 Climate or similar as they arise during the year.
Organisation: CoPower.
Administration funding (for the Antipoverty Centre): $1,600.00
The funding would go towards helping us build on our pre-existing Abolish Work for the Dole campaign, and also develop our Peoples Commission into state violence through the welfare system.
Organisation: Antipoverty Centre.
Website: https://antipovertycentre.org/
