On a beautiful, brisk and sunny Canberra morning on 21 June 2021, we gathered on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country, at the lawns of Parliament House to bring the gracious and powerful message of the need for urgent climate action to the heart of our nation’s capital through our Knit for Climate Action.
Alongside our knitters, an art installation of the world’s longest knitting needles and students from Radford College powerfully displaying a banner of the climate stripes, we heard the urgent message for climate action from Professor Will Steffen, Independent MP Zali Steggall, Labor MP Alicia Payne, Greens Leader Adam Bandt and Common Grace CEO Brooke Prentis. At this event we were also joined by Trent Zimmerman MP, Tanya Plibersek MP, Libby Coker MP, Rebekha Sharkie MP, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator Janet Rice and Senator Jordon Steele-John.
If you missed our Facebook Live of this event on Parliament House Lawns you can still view here: https://fb.watch/6ldDzYnuun/
We were blown away by the positive support we received and engagement we had with Members of Parliament and Senators on #ShowYourStripes Day, 21 June 2021.
We also had the opportunity to meet with MPs and Senators in Parliament House throughout the day to gift scarves and discuss the need for Australia to develop a bolder, more ambitious and more targeted action plan on climate change. We were able to gift scarves to 21 MPs and Senators with 6 wearing scarves in Question Time in the House of Representatives and the Senate Chamber on 21 June. Zali Steggall MP also gave a powerful speech in Parliament about Common Grace's Knit for Climate Action scarf, specifically thanking Common Grace “for their passion in seeking change and for taking such a creative and unique approach to raising awareness of the need for climate action.” You can view Zali Steggall's full speech here.
Other highlights and media coverage from our #ShowYourStripes event in Canberra:
- Artist Keith Chidzey, along with Kiki Tse and Stuart Matheson, created the world’s longest knitting needles to be installed on the lawns of Parliament House to help show the scale of the problem we face and the urgent action needed on climate change. Read more here.
- Canberra Baptist Church sewed together 100m worth of second-hand bed sheets to create a giant scarf to wrap around their church building to draw attention to the giant issue of climate change. Read about their efforts in Mirage News
- One of our knitters, Vikki McDonough, had an Opinion Piece 'Why I'm Knitting for Climate Action' published in 19 local publications, including the Canberra Times.
- Knitters Sue, Greg and Loraine, along with Brooke Prentis, spoke with Erica Vowles on ABC Radio National Life Matters about Common Grace’s Knit for Climate Action campaign. You can listen to this podcast here (15min).
- Dr Mick Pope has recorded a reflection of the Common Grace Knit for Climate Action gathering in Canberra on his podcast, The Natural Philosopher, available to listen to here.
- Newtown Mission talked with Brooke Prentis, Rosie Clare Shorter and artists Keith Chidzey, Kiki Tse and Stuart Matherson about Common Grace's Canberra Delegation gathering on 20 June, the giant knitting needles art installation and the event at Parliament House on 21 June. Watch this conversation and hear their reflections and highlights here.
- Read our Knit for Climate Action blog series here.
What’s Next?
We look forward to continuing to meet with MPs and Senators throughout the rest of July - mid October, including on zoom, to gift our scarves and engage in conversations around the urgent need for ambitious climate action.
It is our vision that we will join our voices together again in the lead up to 21 October.This will be our next key moment to call on our Federal Parliamentarians to #WearTheScarf and take bold, ambitious and urgent action on climate change. Read more here.
Photo Credits L - R: Photo 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9 Dan Gwynn, Photo 3 and 11 Steff Fenton, Photo 5, 22 Eric McCoy, Photo 8, 17 Rosie Clare Shorter, Photo 10 and 18 Loraine Holley, Photo 12 and 20 Gershon Nimbalker, Photo 15 Steph Razey, Photo 14, 16 and 19 Jo Knight, 13 and 21 Monique Hughes, 23 @ZaliSteggall, 24 Jane Kelly.