12 September 2015 So First State Super has joined the divestment party, albeit turning up with warm VB rather than the ice cold microbrew we were hoping for. On Wednesday evening, the fund advised its members that it would be divesting from fossil fuels in its...
Divestment
Stephen moves his home loan
5 August 2015 After living in Melbourne for many years, Stephen and his family decided to move to country Victoria in pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle. They bought an existing house that was relocated to their property and undertook a significant DIY...
Domenica moves her home loan
In March 2015 Domenica got in touch with Market Forces with the great news that she had finalised switching her $385,000 home loan from NAB to bankmecu. She had been a home loan customer of NAB for nearly 5 years when she found out the extent to which NAB has been...
Divestment Day live Oct 2014!
On the 17th and 18th of October, hundreds of Australians will be turning out to close their accounts in protest of the big banks' role in funding dirty coal and gas projects. We'll be tracking events around Australia right here on the live blog so stay tuned! Share on...
The incredible shrinking coal industry
Market Forces in the media Originally published in RenewEconomy, 13 October 2014 A lot has changed in the last few years. Just a few years ago, with prices of both thermal and coking coal through the roof, it was cigars and caviar time for an industry who were...
Funding Abbot Point coal port is a $236 billion divestment risk to banks
If Australia's big banks fund new coal projects in the Great Barrier Reef, it could cost them a big pile of cash. Almost a quarter of a trillion dollars, in fact. A new survey by The Australia Institute for Market Forces found that 11% of customers of the "big four"...
Taya’s divestment checklist
8 July 2014 Taya recently divested from ANZ and wrote out a check-list of step she took. As she notes the journey is not only morally rewarding but also enjoyable! Taya's divestment checklist Investigate my bank's involvement in supporting the fossil fuel industry...
Funding Great Barrier Reef coal a quarter-trillion dollar risk to Aussie banks
Melbourne, 9 July 2014 Australia's biggest banks risk losing customers worth over almost a quarter of a trillion dollars in savings alone if they fund new coal ports in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, a survey released today has found. The Australia...
The growth of divestment
29 June 2014 This week, the number of people who have put their bank "on notice" (warning that they'll switch banks unless loans to fossil fuel projects stop) grew to account for over $160 million in savings alone. As far as metrics go, it's a pretty good way of...
Making your finances fossil free
4 June 2014 Are your personal finances helping to damage the climate? Chances are they are, without you even knowing it. Do you have a bank deposit? Are you a member of a super fund? Do you own shares? If so, your money is probably being used to finance the companies...