But I think COVID makes it a little bit different. He also believes the opportunity for the independents to control the balance of power is within reach. He began an arts/law degree at the University of Western Australia, where he was involved in student politics, but withdrew after a few years. He was a swinging voter. It was the cross-bench that gave Gillard the backbone to take action on climate change. The VTO Facebook page Kelly started attracted a couple of thousand people. He loved working, and he worked seven days a week. Simon Holmes Court's personal battle with Josh Frydenberg That was very significant for me. We are a cooperative of 2,007 members, says Lane. He is famous for these calls. The Liberal Party has a minority in government, and they need the Nationals to form government. In the lead up to 2022 election, Holmes Court began to get more press coverage, which helped to raise the profile of Climate 200. They are the latest manifestation of a longer-term trend that has the potential to redraw the political landscape: the rising minority vote. Doug's latest chat with Simon Parkes, 7.8.2021 - Doug Billings His father, Robert Holmes Court, who died at 53 in 1990 from a heart attack, became Australias first billionaire as a corporate raider across mining, media, real estate, and famously tried to buy BHP. Water is huge, but it felt niche compared to the problem Im working on now. He is an energy . Climate 200. Your question to Simon on the AZ election results and Simon's response provided some in-depth knowledge on AZ and GA results. Its what the third of four children to Australias first billionaire, Robert Holmes Court, and his former science teacher wife, Janet, had always done. However much they end up mattering at the next election or not they are the latest manifestation of a longer-term trend that may redraw the political landscape: the rising minority vote. The best of Good Weekend delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. That is the real punchline of the proliferating activist independent groups. ABC TV - 7.30 Report by Cheryl Hall. Voices Of, Voices For and non-aligned groups. Holmes Court is outlining the steps that have led him to where he now sits, in a polo shirt (Liberal-blue) and baseball cap, in a makeshift study in the off-the-grid farm where he and his wife of 24 years, Katrina, and their four children, aged 15 to 21, have spent much of Melbournes world-beating lockdown. A digital marketer with his own company, hed done pro bono work for the Australian Conservation Foundation and others, but never been particularly political. simon holmes a court daylesford These days, CIP holds the sort of regular online forums that have proliferated across the groups and candidates, on which Kelly, Phelps, Steggall, Haines and McGowan regularly appear. We are eating at a little Japanese restaurant, Izakaya Jiro, on busy Glenferrie Road, not far from Holmes Courts house. "[citation needed], He was accused by various members of the Liberal party of comparing John Howard to Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, although the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said that they accepted that there were many uses for the term and were satisfied that Holmes Court was not referencing the Nazis.[9]. Lane says the Danish founder of Hepburn Wind, Per Bernard, attended the meeting with a few people from Daylesford, and they saw the community express a lot of opposition to one of those projects. Simon Holmes Court (born 30 May 1972) is an Australian businessman and political activist. He is the son of Australia's first billionaire Robert Holmes Court, and convenor of Climate 200.He is also a senior advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University, as director of the Smart Energy Council and the Australian Environmental Grant-makers Network. VAO is really critical for taking the wind out of peoples sails and stopping them marking him as a second, third or fourth preference. As for why someone running their own business, with a wife and 10-month-old twins, bothered in the first place: You see an article about the Great Barrier Reef being on its way to 95 per cent death and you look at your kids and you think, What explanation can I give them when Im 80 years old and theyre living in a radically different world? Im at the age now where you think, People are actually listening to me now. Twitters been huge for me, he says. Kelly says he hand-delivered the first 1600 T-shirts. His AIESEC experience led to networking the Asian offices of the then family-owned company John Holland, before completing an artificial intelligence and cognitive science degree at Americas Ivy League Dartmouth College. He hated bullshit and had no respect for mediocre men in politics. craig apple sheriff married 0 Vous etes ici: . Rather than deal with requests piecemeal, McGowan ran a two-day Zoom conference, How to Get Elected, in February. Again, that disaffection didnt quite carry him to the other side. Theres a global ranking of influencers on climate energy and Ive been at the top spot globally for half of the last two years. But unlike the Greens or One Nation, which have traditionally achieved Senate seats, the independents have a shot at winning lower-house seats because of preferences, which is how McGowan got Indi and Sharkie got Mayo.. We dont start campaigns, we dont choose candidates, campaigns come to us and if the campaign matches our mandate, the seat is winnable and the fundamentals check out we will donate to them., If anything we are like a political venture capitalist, your readers would understand, he says. [19] They have four children together.[20]. Disgruntled small-l liberals. Holmes Court says despite the perception to the contrary, he doesnt feel he has landed too far from the tree. I got involved accidently with the Kids off Nauru movement. Theyve contributed just under $10m.. Holmes Court argues that rather than targeting small l Liberal seats in inner-city suburbs, that is where the community has risen up because of the shifting of the Liberal base. Please provide further information to join the APP Society: This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Once again, the rallying cry is that the voting records on climate of moderate Liberals is no different from those of conservative Queenslander George Christensen or National Party leader Barnaby Joyce. Its his advancement to the top job. His mother remembers him enthusing about a fantastic electrical socket that caught his three-year-old eye as they walked through Myer six months later. As with most investors in community-owned renewable energy, his motivations were a mix of hard-nosed financial ones, and the desire to do a bit of good. Hes ambitious. I think Indi kicked off their first campaign at about 800. [2], Holmes Court was a driving force behind Australia's first community-owned wind farm, Hepburn Wind, near Daylesford in Central Victoria. And with Hepburn shire adding its name to a growing list of councils shooting to reduce their emissions to zero, every bit counts. Holmes Court addressing the National Press Club earlier this year. He then began working for the family-owned Heytesbury Pty. Hepburn Wind, near Daylesford in Central Victoria. [3] Holmes Court stated "I got involved in Australia's first community-owned, wind farm in Hepburn. Holmes a Court describes Observant as his ''day job'', although getting the wind farm up and running has consumed much of his energy in the past couple of years. He is an energy analyst, clean technology investor, climate philanthropist, director of the Smart Energy Council and . At the last election, the House of Representatives vote for minor parties and independents hit a new record of almost 25 per cent, or one in four voters. On one side of that equation has been the international pressure the government faced to announce a 2050 net zero goal as the price of entry to the Glasgow climate summit that starts this weekend, mirrored locally by everyone from the Business Council of Australia to mining billionaire Andrew Forrest. What is the first thing he thinks about in the morning and the last thing at night? Paul Howden is one of them. That ended after Holmes Court wrote a column for The Guardian in early 2018, which included a line criticising Frydenberg for trying to keep NSWs Liddell power station open. Simon Holmes Court - National Press Club of Australia He seems to relish in the political barbs too, calling Jane Hume out for bitchiness and Sarah Henderson a #crumbmaiden, perhaps explaining why some rivals call him a piece of work. Which is why Im happy to do it., Even hes been surprised by the response since late August. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Even a previous Liberal leader [John Hewson].". Purpose acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the unceded land on which we live and work. Simon is the founder of Climate 200, a group of more than 7,300 Australians working to help community-backed independent candidates contest the recent federal election. In Denmark theres over 2,100 versions of this, says Taryn Lane, the community manager for Hepburn Wind, the cooperative that owns and operates the windfarm. I was 35 and had never done any advocacy before.. He is an energy analyst, clean technology investor, climate philanthropist, director of the Smart Energy Council and the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, senior advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University, and writes regularly about the transformation of Australias energy sector. Simon Holmes Court is founder of Climate 200, a group of more than 7,300 Australians working to help community-backed independent candidates contest Australian elections. The hostess said, You have to leave now. I said, Can I finish my drink? She said, No, the Treasurer says you have to leave now.[4], Frydenberg criticised Holmes Court for spending much of the COVID-19 Melbourne lockdowns at his farm in Daylesford with his family. He is an energy analyst, clean tech investor, climate philanthropist, director of the Smart Energy Council and the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, senior advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne . Why arent you running for politics? I ask. Every week I speak to someone who has made a major career change or left their career and are focusing on nothing but this climate problem., Its people literally sending a message: If youre not prepared to endorse candidates with our values, or who can deliver on those values, well pick ones that are. , He initially tried the party route, approaching his local member in Kooyong, Frydenberg, even joining the Treasurers Kooyong 200 Club fundraising group in early 2017. I dont even understand his angle, Holmes Court says indignantly. Simon Holmes Court: 'If it works, the payoff will be enormous' He is also a senior advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University, as director of the Smart Energy Council and the Australian Environmental Grant-makers Network.[1]. Particularly given the roiling uncertainty of the last three years. . "[citation needed], Holmes Court was a financial supporter and member of federal Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg's Kooyong200 fundraising arm. We used to have our own generator in the main street of Daylesford [and] we used to have our own hydro station down at the lake, he says. But he says it was a community wind farm in Hepburn, near his farm in Daylesford, 15 years ago, that proved very significant for me. hunt saboteur killed; wbca carnival 2022 schedule Louis Trerise, He also says the movement would not have existed without the pandemic, lockdowns, and Zoom. Simon began his career as a software engineer in Silicon Valley during the first dotcom wave, then spent more than a decade in precision farm water management. Hes smart and knows better. . It will be the greatest piece of philanthropy we could do.Credit:Kristoffer Paulsen. He also insists that there is no connection between us or Labor and the Greens or GetUp. Back then, C200 raised $500,000 to put towards 12 independents campaigns that featured climate action policies, including Helen Haines, who succeeded Cathy McGowan in the north-eastern Victorian seat of Indi; Kerryn Phelps, who narrowly lost Sydneys blue-chip Wentworth to Liberal Dave Sharma; former Clean Energy Finance Corporation CEO Oliver Yates, who ran in Melbournes equally upmarket Kooyong against now-Treasurer Josh Frydenberg; and Rebekha Sharkie, who took the South Australian seat of Mayo as an independent. The mayor of Hepburn Shire, Sebastian Klein agrees. Simon was a driving force behind the country's first community-owned wind farm, Hepburn Wind, near Daylesford in Central Victoria. The incumbents, Zali [Steggall], Helen [Haines], Rebekha [Sharkie] and Andrew Wilkie, are all doing a great job and I hope they remain. Instead, theyre giving up jobs, taking career breaks to get involved in politics, often for the first time, bypassing parties and party machines with which theyve lost faith. And thereby hangs the tale. The AFRs Aaron Patrick thinks Turnbull is pulling my strings. Partly, obviously because its a renewable energy project, he says, explaining his investment. Someone from the movement called me up and said, This is a moment., He started a fundraiser on Chuffed and it raised $117,000 in 48 hours. It will be the greatest piece of philanthropy we could do.. Turnbull, who himself backed an independent in Mays NSW state Upper Hunter byelection. It kept the lake area electrified, says Lane. . Profile: Simon Holmes a Court - The Sydney Morning Herald He took me aside at the end and said, Country folk dont like you city people coming in and talking down their leaders and I should show more respect.. However, the recently launched site zalihasfailed.com, targeting Zali Steggall in Warringah its homepage blaring Did you know, Steggall voted with Labor 64 per cent of the time below a drop-down menu inviting readers to Discover Zalis failures probably indicates the level of actual government concern. But two seats flipped in northern Tasmania from Labor to Liberal. Simon Holmes Court addresses the National Press Club of Australia on "Independents and Climate - the hope to end the lost decade". Im not actually concerned. Accelerating transformation - 100 Climate Conversations Simon Holmes Court on his 40-hecatre farm in Daylesford, Victoria, 2021 Hepburn Wind began construction in 2010 and started selling power in 2011. As interesting as the electoral prospects of the various groups is the movement itself: organic and unruly by definition, but increasingly networked and turbocharged by the likes of McGowans Community Independents Project (CIP), which aids nascent groups, and Holmes Courts C200. simon holmes a court daylesford. Weve been gas-lit by the government. Mall of Georgia's retail roster includes shops such as Apple, Altar'd State, Coach, H&M, Michael Kors, Pandora, Pottery Barn . I told her that I wouldnt tell anyone its a dead certainty well pull this off. More recently, his work with one of NSWs biggest solar installers brought Angus Taylor to his attention in the sprawling neighbouring electorate of Hume. I was swamped by people ringing me and saying, I liked your book, but how do we do it? she says. While Voices of Hume was good for getting to know a diffuse and disparate electorate, it was also enormously time- and resource-heavy, he says. Freshly engaged, looking to make a difference, they tend to have reached a point in their lives and careers where they have options. Listen/Buy: https://SimonAndKatie.lnk.to/AerialOb. When [independent] Oliver Yates ran against him [in 2019] Frydenberg called his [former] bosses at Macquarie. Twitter played an important role in Holmes Courts political awakening too. The turbines, cheesily called Gusto and Gale, constitute the very first community-owned windfarm in Australia. Theyd never been engaged, never joined or donated to a political movement. Ltd. attempting to improve the efficiency of their eight cattle stations in the Northern Territory. Its my responsibility to do something., Simon Holmes Court; But if it does work, the payoff for Australia will be enormous. Simon Holmes a Court | Waubra Foundation Im hyperaware of the privilege Ive been given, he says. Holmes Court grew up in Perth but he and his siblings were sent to Victoria to board at Geelong Grammar School, where he met his wife Katrina. Meanwhile, in September, North Sydneys Tink was announced as the first of the upcoming elections independent candidates, followed by reports that Communications Minister Paul Fletcher, a Liberal, will likely face a well-funded independent in the neighbouring blue-ribbon seat of Bradfield. This has included a failed attempt to woo moderate former NSW premier Mike Baird, followed by overtures to his successor Gladys Berejiklian, to run against Steggall. Simon is a senior advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University. It galvanised a town around climate action, he says. To drink, he asks for green tea and I join him. In the lead up to the 2019 Australian Federal Election, Climate200 raised nearly half a million dollars for the campaign. Senior Advisor to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University and director . . It was a f---ing awful experience. I joined the Liberal Party because I was interested in reform. So basically, without spending a dollar, we were able to rely on peer-to-peer communication; people talking to their friends.. Also pictured, clockwise from centre: Rebekha Sharkie, Helen Haines and Greens leader Adam Bandt.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen. One of those was how much time the son of Australias first billionaire, Robert Holmes Court, spent on his off-grid, 36-hectare farm at Daylesford, during the two years of Melbournes extended lockdowns. Simon Holmes Court - Wikipedia Introducing Simon Holmes a Court. Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Theres a few people it really helps to have the narrative that We love coal. Tags: Adverse Health Effects, Angja Mitric-Andjic, Brendan Gullifer, Daylesford, Fatigue, Hepburn, Simon Holmes a Court, Sleep Deprivation, The Courier. And after spending years developing a model that worked, and navigating the various logistical potholes in getting it up and running, he set up Embark, a non-profit company dedicated to helping other community energy projects adopt the Hepburn model. Im not just a follower any more. It was a simple reform, it didnt come from Labor, it came from the cross-bench, and it was put to me that the cross-bench is often the conscience of parliament and too often the backbone. Simon Holmes Court (born 30 May 1972) is an Australian entrepreneur, cleantech investor, climate philanthropist and convenor of Climate 200. . By now our bento boxes have arrived: deluxe for me and seafood for Holmes Court. He is the son of Australia's first billionaire Robert Holmes Court, and convenor of Climate 200. If youre a socially progressive, fiscally conservative voter in Kooyong where do you park your vote? The majority of the investors are from the local region, something the cooperative has written into its rules. simon holmes a court daylesford. Credlin thinks Im a stooge for GetUp. No one knows who their tribe is any more., Grassroots campaigner, Vote Tony Outs campaigner Mark Kelly. Josh. It was at the intersection of technology, climate action, community, and politics. [4], Later in 2019 Holmes Court was kicked out of the Auburn Hotel in Hawthorn East at a "meet the candidate" event with Frydenberg before the 2019 election. You could hold your nose and vote Labor or hold your nose and vote Liberal and for a lot of people it is difficult to hold their nose and vote Green., A politician is a very particular skill set and it is not mine and the last thing the parliament needs is another white, middle-aged male, says Holmes Court. Connecting, networking, making things happen. If anything were like a political venture capitalist, your readers would understand that, he says. For those who do, it will be a seat-by-seat fight, determined by the microclimate of each electorate, the calibre of the candidate and the stature and performance of the incumbent (the polarising Abbott, and Sophie Mirabella in Indi, were seen as pivotal to previous success by independents in those seats). Steggall bought VTO T-shirts for her husband and parents two days before Christmas 2018. Give me two months to see the campaigns, because if you dont have the candidates and the campaigns, Simons funding is going to make no difference at all.. I think there are probably 80 electorates [with groups] that are interested, and I would say there are about 10 to 15 active groups that seriously want to run a candidate, but theres still only one candidate [announced], she said in September. It helped support the campaigns of Zali Steggall, Helen Haines and Rebekha Sharkie. Barriers to entry fell, the old gatekeepers lost their power. Deves' bodyguard + the Jane Hume vid", "Simon Holmes Court and Senator Jane Hume clash live on TV", "10 Aug 2003 - Simon & Katrina Holmes a Court ~ 19 June 1997 - Archived Website", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simon_Holmes__Court&oldid=1123053515, People educated at Geelong Grammar School, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2022, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Entrepreneur, convenor of Climate 200, director of the Smart Energy Council, Katrina Holmes Court (nee von Mller-Harteneck), This page was last edited on 21 November 2022, at 14:28. Just two or three more seats to deliver power to the crossbench on crucial legislation. In the world of a decade ago, they might have been the next generation of Liberal, Labor or Greens candidates. It underlines just how organic these groups are. Simon was a driving force behind the country's first community-owned wind farm, Hepburn Wind, near Daylesford in Central Victoria. Holmes Court approached Hume at a pre-poll booth asking her if she was willing to withdraw her accusations. As a kid, it really had a big impact on me, he says. Simon Holmes Court Convenor at Climate 200. From here Ill be working the Rolodex again to try to convince philanthropists that this is a really effective form of philanthropy. Of course, how many of these burgeoning groups end up mounting compelling campaigns and finding the kind of authentically local, centrist candidates that all agree will be the key to success remains to be seen. It is a very, very important pivot pointhaving seen us go through the cultural energy wars, and seen three prime ministers change because of that pressureits a pretty significant step., First-term Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, whos been the governments point man on the Voices Of, Voices For and non-aligned groups, including asking the Australian Electoral Commission to ensure they comply with funding-disclosure requirements reinforces this point. We pay our deepest respects to elders past, present, and emerging. Kooyong 200 and feud with Josh Frydenberg, "Economic, Education, Jobs and Skills Committee: Inquiry into community energy projects", "Simon Holmes Court's personal battle with Josh Frydenberg", "Simon Holmes Court: 'If it works, the payoff will be enormous', "Clean, green and rich: Wealthy donors bankrolling politicians who support climate action", "Media Watch Dog: Simon Holmes Court's Q+A takeover", "Holmes a Court sues media outlets, mulls defamation suit against Sharma over Nazi reference", "Meaning of 'crumb maiden' smear used against Liberal Senator explored", "Climate 200 founder is 'Palmer of left': Mundine", "Climate 200 founder could benefit from investments if independents are elected", "Holmes Court attempting 'takeover': Falinski", "Election 2022: Simon Holmes a Court 'bullied me online', says UK activist", "Birmingham calls on Holmes a Court to apologise for confrontation", "Democracy? I want it to be six to 10 times bigger and more effective, he says of C200s campaign for the next federal election, due by the end of May. Working through the parties was never going to work for someone like me, McGowan says. When he was two-and-a-half, Simon Holmes Court tried to unlock a power point with a car key. It seems almost as personal for Holmes Court when it comes to Taylor, with whom he had a disagreement at a Politics at the Pub event in Taylors home town of Goulburn, NSW. Ive been obsessed with energy for a very long time, he says, almost wearily. Simon has been a pioneering force in the Australian community power movement as the founding chair of Hepburn . bud factor x vs; I know Mike a bit, yeah, he says. Its not tax-deductible, its uncomfortable for a lot of people to have their name out there. Its like weve all been thinking, Theyll work it out. In many ways its the other way round, Harris says. And then Ive watched our government stall for three years and not get anything really truly significant for future generations done. Which is what she sees as energising the network of independents, of which she is now the exemplar. For a number of years, people havent had to rely on each other, because the system was basically working. Who is Simon Holmes Court? Spoilt rich rid or climate saint | The It borrows the idea from a long tradition of community-owned power that was forgotten in Australia, but lives on strongly in Denmark. I much prefer incremental change than blowing everything up, but my impatience is that I believe we have a hung parliament right now. 2019 was basically me hitting the phones 10 weeks before the election saying, Heres my strategy. Thats what gets me out of bed in the morning., Izakaya Jiro, 830 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn Vic. This time around, the gatekeeper is the party machine. He was very impressed with the Hawke-Keating era and Australia becoming brave on the world stage., Ive always rallied against injustice. Holmes Court, 49, also says he was thrown out of a meet the candidate event at the Geebung Polo Club with Frydenberg before the 2019 election. - FXB1285484 Simon Holmes Court photographed for Good Weekend around his his 40-hectare farm in Daylesford, Victoria, October 2021. Simon Holmes Courts parents, Robert and Janet. Hes talented. Its a big call for someone who culturally identifies as Liberal to cross, Lock says. Thats where we cant let the pressure off., Im at the age now where you think, People are actually listening to me now.