Climate 200

Climate 200 is an Australian fund that aims to donate money to election candidates who want to advance climate policy, to more effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the country and limit climate change in Australia.[1]

Climate 200
Climate 200 Logo
Formation2019 (2019)
FounderSimon Holmes à Court
TypeFundraising group
PurposePolitical Funding
HeadquartersAustralia
Location
Region served
Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory
Convenor
Simon Holmes à Court
Main organ
Advisors
Websitewww.climate200.com.au

Background

The convenor of Climate 200 is Simon Holmes à Court, who was a part of Josh Frydenberg's fundraising group, the Kooyong 200.[2]

With a background in renewable energy and climate policy, Holmes à Court wrote an article in 2018 that was critical of the Coalition's efforts to keep coal fired power stations open.[3] Holmes à Court was thrown out of the group within 24 hours after the article was released, but this gave him an insight into major fundraising for campaigns.[2]

The name of his fund is a tongue in cheek reference to the Kooyong 200.[3]

The goals of the fund is to support community independents and to fight back against the major parties who are said to have written the election rules to their own advantage, and to have failed to put forward a credible climate policy.[4]

Election campaigns

2019 federal election

In the lead-up to the 2019 federal election the group raised over $500,000 and donated the money mostly to independent candidates, but also donated to the campaign of Adam Bandt of the Greens.[3]

2022 election campaign

For the 2022 federal election, the group providing funding for a number of candidates who are either independent or running for minor parties. Some of these candidates are connected to the grassroots Voices groups.[5] The group announced a number of high-profile former MPs to join their advisory panel from across the political spectrum.[6]

The focus of the group is to get more people on the crossbench who aim to strengthen climate policy and the functioning of parliament.[5][7]

In October 2021 the group announced that they had raised $2 million in 6 weeks.[8] By December 2021 that had grown to $6.5 million from 6750 donors.[4] The group has also conducted polling in some of the seats that they planned to support.[9]

Public perception

Unlike a political party, Climate 200 neither chooses candidates, nor directs policy. It is a fund that distributes resources; however, there are many who claim that it is a political party.[10][11]

There is a view that Climate 200 is a vehicle for people opposed to the Liberal Party to defeat it in seats that are unwinnable by the Australian Labor Party. This is a view that was expressed in the Australian Financial Review, which described Climate 200 as "an anti-Liberal Party fundraising vehicle controlled by renewable-energy advocate Simon Holmes à Court [which is running] Independents funded by Mr Holmes à Court ... in about 20 Liberal-held seats...".[12] This view is supported by Antony Green, ABC chief elections analyst, who stated that these independents are running in "winnable seats ... but these are seats that Labor would never win, the Greens wouldn't win — these are safe Liberal seats."[13]

Holmes à Court rejected this notion in his National Press Club address. The money that the campaigns receive have no strings attached and Climate 200 has no control over the groups that they give money to. The groups that receive money are set up and built from local communities before they are eligible for Climate 200 assistance.[14]

People involved

Advisors

Donors

References
  1. "Climate 200: Fighting for science-based climate policy". www.climate200.com.au. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  2. Turner, Brook (29 October 2021). "Simon Holmes à Court: 'If it works, the payoff will be enormous'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. "Why Liddell is likely to close in 2022, and why you shouldn't care | Simon Holmes à Court". the Guardian. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  4. "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  5. O'Malley, Nick (3 September 2021). "Political forces back independent candidates in climate change power bid". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  6. "Former Liberal MP Julia Banks will join Climate 200 group to support independents". the Guardian. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  7. "Inside the fight to control the climate agenda in the next parliament". Crikey. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  8. "Climate 200 raises $2m in six weeks to help independents but expects Liberal party 'interference'". the Guardian. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  9. "Voters in Sydney's Liberal 'heartland' more worried about climate than Covid, polling suggests". the Guardian. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  10. "High-profile seats 'under attack' from Climate 200 'so-called independents'".
  11. "Climate 200 raises $2m in six weeks to help independents but expects Liberal party 'interference'". the Guardian. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  12. Independent amasses $684,000 for tilt at Zimmerman's Liberal seat; afr.com; Feb 20, 2022
  13. Hawley, Sam; Smiley, Stephen (20 April 2022). "Who are the 'teal independents'? Your questions answered about the candidates fighting for some of Australia's wealthiest electorates". ABC. ABC. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  14. "$7 million war chest to challenge sitting Liberals on climate comes with 'no strings attached', says financier". ABC News. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  15. "'Keep the bastards honest': former Australian Democrats leader joins high-profile group backing independents". the Guardian. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  16. "Windsor and Oakeshott ride again in push to bring climate to forefront". Crikey. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  17. Hutchinson, Stephen Brook, Samantha (5 December 2021). "Milgrom family take a stand to save the planet". The Age. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
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