The simple list of democratic budget projects

This is a simplified list of democratic budget projects listed via our randomly generated ballot order.

A few notes to bear in mind about voting this year on the final budget projects:

• You don’t have to rank every project in priority order. If you’ve got 1 project you really want to support that’s fine, if you’ve got a handful you think would be great that’s also ok. Participation can be as simple as you’d like to make it.
• If you want further information about a project you can click here for more details about every project.
• We’ve got a full rundown of the rules of the vote and how we’re calculating the winners here. In sum, you don’t have to worry about the various budget priorities when you vote. We’ll add that overlay on the initial voting results.
• We also have this simple table that shows you which projects respond to which funding priorities (you don’t need to know this to cast your vote but you might find it helpful).
• This vote is entirely volunteer run and it’s the first time we’ve run a vote this complex determining how we spend $100K so please be kind. I’m sure we’ll learn how to do this better in future.
• The max funding requests are just that, maximum requests. Many of the projects can work with lesser funding, so please don’t let the amounts impact your results either way.

Anyway, here’s the project list in randomly generated ballot order:

1. Decolonise Sex Work AU: 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. Max funding request: $1,000.
2. Support for Wangan and Jagalingou homelands: Celebrating one year of continuous occupation of Wangan and Jagalingou homelands and make a powerful statement about colonisation, sovereignty and the protection of Wangan and Jagalingou Country. Organisation: Tipping Point. Max funding request: $20,000.
3. Stop Viva Energy’s toxic floating gas hub: Polling to demonstrate that Geelong residents want renewables, not a gas import terminal as part of an ongoing campaign to stop Viva Energy’s proposed fossil fuel project ( a floating gas hub in Corio Bay Geelong). Organisation: ACF Community Geelong. Max funding request: $8,008.
4. The Community Organising Fellowship (COF): COF is an annual training program for community organisers, campaigners, and change agents. Organisation: The Nature Conservation Council of NSW Inc. (NCC). Max funding request: $15,000.
5. Just transition Asia Pacific frontline workers: 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. Max funding request: $11,400.
6. AU indie game industry climate reporting tools: the project aims to provide a minimum viable method for Australian indie game makers to measure and report their carbon emissions from game development. Organisation: Paper House. Max funding request: $2.000.
7. Melbourne Pollinator Corridor: 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. Max funding request: $20,000.
8. Our Islands, Our Home: 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. Max funding request: $25,000.
9. Pay the Rent: 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. Max funding request: $1,000.
10. Gippsland Renewable Energy Jobs Expo: We propose to organise a large, well attended Renewable Energy Jobs Expo over two days in the Latrobe Valley, Gippsland in early 2023. Organisation: Yes 2 Renewables – Friends of the Earth Melbourne. Max funding request: $12,000.
11. Climate Resistance & Mobilisations: 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. Max funding request: $5,000.
12. Community-owned Renewables Investment: That $10,000 to a pre-existing community renewables revolving fund such as either CORENA (https://corenafund.org.au/) or Southern C.O.R.E. Organisation: CoPower. Max funding request: $10,000.
13. Moreland public EV charger: Install a 10kw/h EV wall charger at a public building (near an existing electricity meter) to provide 100% REC electricity (most likely provided by Energy Locals) for electric vehicles. Organisation: Individual customer member. Max funding request: $5,000.
14. The Gift Highway: The Gift Highway project will demonstrate the benefits of these grassroots sharing networks. With 37 Good Karma Networks (GKNs) across Melbourne, we aim to provide much-needed evidence of ways that bottom-up and locally-focused platforms are driving cooperative living, transforming lives and providing a commoning of care (van Woerden, Winne. 2021). Organisation: Good Karma Effect. Max funding request: $8,000.
15. The Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Ltd: 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. Max funding request: $1,000.
16. La Trobe Valley Futures: Latrobe Valley Futures is a community event organised by local residents to celebrate the potential of a future beyond coal and show the extent of community buy-in for the energy transition. Organisation: Environment Victoria. Max funding request: $9,100.
17. Blockade Australia: Blockade Australia are a direct-action group in Australia who blockade rail and roads in ports to ‘force the urgent broad-scale change necessary for survival’. They describe themselves as “committed to taking the action necessary to disrupt economic bottlenecks of Australia and stop the exploitative colonial project”. Organisation: Blockade Australia. Max funding request: $1,000.
18. COP27 Faiths 4 Climate Justice Aust Action: ARRCC is a Founding Partner of GreenFaith International which is planning a global multi-faith Week of Action from 2 to 9 October, before COP27. This builds on momentum from two Days of Action before COP26 in which communities from over 40 countries got involved. Organisation: Australian Religious Response to Climate Change. Max funding request: $15,000.
19. Training and Empowerment Program: From August-October Seed will be hosting 3-day Regional Training Camps all across the country. We will bring together 15-20 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in 5 different regions (75-100 people in total) to create plans for organising people in their communities and staging climate actions. Organisation: Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network. Max funding request: $20,000.
20. Administration funding (for the Antipoverty Centre): 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. Max funding request: $2,500.
21. Taking Back the Commons in Covid Normal World: Managed by a volunteer Cooperative Board, the online bHive Villages Platform can connect people in local communities with neighbours, friends and the community sector. Members can post publicly, message privately, organise and share access to local goods and services, and organise events with their community. Organisation: bHive Bendigo Co-operative Ltd. Max funding request: $10,000.
22. Alternatives to ‘Green’ Extractivism: In this new green industrial revolution mining corporations are collaborating with institutions and governments to aggressively market destructive, socially unjust activities as solutions to the climate crisis under such terms as climate mining and green extractivism. Organisation: Aid Watch. Max funding request: $15,000.
23. Worker Strike Fund: CoPower set aside $5,000 each year to assist workers who are taking strike action. Organisation: CoPower. Max funding request: $5,000.
24. ORICoop Producer Regeneration Project: ORICoop works at the coalface of connecting consumers with regenerative & organic producers. We are building a fairer ecosystem that connects eaters, with processors, back to producers – that are rewarded fairly for their product that improves the environment while enabling us to enjoy healthy organic food. Organisation: Organic & Regenerative Investment Cooperative. Max funding request: $20,000.
25. Powering Education In Palestinian Communities: 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. Max funding request: $3,500.
26. Aboriginal Women’s Yumba (Home Camp) Upgrade: 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. Max funding request: $20,000.
27. Gas Free Victoria – Getting Victoria Off Gas: 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. Max funding request: $10,000.
28. Climate Change Impacts on the Job: Comics journalist Sam Wallman and UTS academic Liz Humphrys will use the latter’s scholarly research on the OHS of climate change to develop a booklet and online graphic story. It will be based on the experiences of workers already confronting the impacts of climate change on the job. Organisation: Individual proposal. Max funding request: $6,025.
29. Extinction rebellion improving our organising: In this project we’ll be developing the skills of Victorian XR and other environmental groups across Victoria in becoming more effective in communicating the message about the climate emergency in this current environment. Organisation: Extinction rebellion [Climate Emergency Action Victoria]. Max funding request: $5,900.
30. Solidarity with Refugees in Indonesia: Refugees in Indonesia have reached out to RACVic via social media and attendance at weekly online collective meetings. RACVic wishes to strengthen our alliance and solidarity with these stranded refugees and to raise awareness in Australia of their plight through public campaigning, activism, and pressuring government to fulfil our moral and legal human rights obligations to them. Organisation: Refugee Action Collective Victoria. Max funding request: $6,500.
31. Economic Change Priorities Project – Maitland: Building on the Hunter Jobs Alliance’ success over the past 18 months with a research-community support-public advocacy model, we are seeking to undertake an ‘Economic Change Priorities Project’. This will gauge and mobilise community sentiment in Maitland in support of specific policy to prepare and support communities through change. Max funding request: $10,000.
32. Climate Jobs Guarantee: Tomorrow Movement is organising young people to campaign for a Climate Jobs Guarantee (CJG). The CJG is a transformational plan to solve the climate crisis by creating thousands of good jobs doing the work needed to decarbonise our economy and care for our communities. Organisation: Tomorrow Movement (YOUNG CAMPAIGNS LTD). Max funding request: $10,000.
33. Koori Mail: 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. Max funding request: $1,000.
34. Ballarat Social Housing Solar: The Ballarat Social Housing Solar project will provide 6kW rooftop PV systems to two special accommodation facilities – each for 6 intellectually disabled residents – owned and operated by MacCallum Disability Services in Ballarat. The social housing provides the best affordable accommodation for special-needs residents through: automated control systems for lighting, cooling, heating, blinds and the support of live-in supervisory care providers. Organisation: Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions Inc. Max funding request: $10,000.
35. Leaky Dam Edward Hunter Heritage Bush Reserve: Construction of leaky dams at stormwater entry points around the perimeter of the Reserve is a simple low cost solution to protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of the Reserve. There are up to 15 stormwater entry points into the Reserve requiring corrective action. Organisation: Edward Hunter Heritage Bush Reserve Moe Vic. Max funding request: $9,120.
36. Conversations4Change: Conversations4Change proposes to provide free workshop/s to unions and cooperatives outside of the energy sector, such as (but not limited to) social services and housing, in order to increase member literacy and confidence in talking about energy transitions. Organisation: Energetic Communities. Max funding request: $14,000.
37. Co-operative Development Fund: 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. It will launch in June 2022. Organisation: Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals. Max funding request: $13,000.