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Name: GetUp! Action for Australia
Nominated Category: Organization
URL: http://www.getup.org
Area: Action, Advocacy, Civic Participation
About:
GetUp.org calls itself a movement to build a progressive Australia. Built on a platform that’s part social network, part advocacy organization, the non-profit GetUp encourages Australian citizens to engage in the political progress and get involved with social issues.
Description:
Founded in 2005, GetUp is independent and does not receive any funding from political parties; it runs primarily on donations from members. These members currently a 300,000-strong community receive email updates or check the web site for information on new campaigns and different ways to create change. This includes emailing a member of parliament, engaging with the media, attending events, and signing petitions.
Current campaigns include calling on the government to invest in a clean-energy economy and asking the government to drop plans for internet censorship. Causes are suggested by GetUP members you can suggest an idea for a campaign to campaigns@getup.org.au. According to the GetUp website, community members have taken a million actions in more than 70 campaigns as of the end of last year.
This fall, GetUp’s Censordyne campaign against the government’s internet filtering program ran full-age ads in newspaper The Australia declaring the thousands of people that had signed its petition, and broadcast on TV and online a series of parody videos. And the attention the campaign has drawn may be influencing the right people–earlier last week, it was announced that there would be a public consultation on the issue before the government proceeds, and the prime minister will be addressing it in a web chat.
Through the GetUp web site/online community, members can also find offline GetTogethers in their area (such as events for 350.org’s International Day of Climate Action, Oct. 24). Besides email updates, GetUp also posts news about ongoing campaigns on their blogs, and links to media mentions of GetUp efforts on their media page.
The Basics:
WHO: GetUp! Action for Australia
WHAT: An independent, non-profit action network for Australians.
WHERE: Based in Australia, for Australians
HOW to get involved: Sign up for updates and check the site for ways to take action. Through forms on the site it’s also possible to directly donate to the GetUp and spread word to friends.
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Posted in: Non-profit, Organization, awards | Tagged: Action, advocacy, Australia, progressive
