Code of conduct and volunteer commitment to GetUp Vision and Purpose

GetUp welcomes volunteers who share GetUp’s vision and values and want to join Action Groups to create a better society for Australia.  The purpose of this document is to clearly state the vision and values that underlie the way GetUp and its volunteers conduct GetUp’s campaigns and actions.

As Action Groups grow, commitment to GetUp’s vision, principles, values and ethical behaviours will be important in helping us forge respectful, productive and cohesive groups that are effective and rewarding for everyone.

GetUp’s Vision for our society is:

• A Fair Australia, where society is defined by social and economic equity and where everyone has the opportunity to succeed
• A Just Australia, where there is justice, equality and compassion for all, no matter where you come from, how you worship or who you love
• A Flourishing Australia, where a safe climate and a vibrant natural world is preserved for future generations
• A Thriving Democracy, where corporations and power-brokers don’t control our country and everyone’s voice is valued.

At GetUp, we commit ourselves to the following principles:

• Recognition that sovereignty was never ceded by the first peoples of Australia. We recognize first Australians, their culture, history and future as important in all the work that GetUp members do.
• Guidance by progressive values, not party politics. GetUp is independent of political parties, factions and party politics and it is important to maintain our reputation as an independent progressive movement.
• In action groups we are careful to ensure that our actions and statements reflect GetUp campaigns and would be supported by the wider GetUp community.

As a volunteer and member of an action group, I will:

• Treat everyone with respect and dignity – including my fellow group members, the communities that we work in and also those who disagree with us.
• Help create a welcoming, enjoyable and respectful space that affirms and empowers those around me.
• Encourage an environment that respectfully allows for a diversity of viewpoints and cultures.
• Approach the discussion of issues, ideas and direction with careful attention and openness, seeking to fully understand the views of others.
• Work to build the size and diversity of my action group knowing that power comes not only from our numbers but also from our diversity.
• Be accountable and responsible to carry out the actions I commit to.
• Ensure that my actions and comments align with GetUp’s vision and principles.

How we work together:

• Volunteers recognise that within the GetUp community, staff and their campaign teams take the major role in setting direction and deciding campaign priorities and strategies.
• The GetUp community of staff and volunteers is a collaborative one in which ideas from any quarter are considered as constructive contributions to campaigns and our ongoing development.
• GetUp maintains communication platforms to enable new ideas and learning from our actions and campaigns, to be shared across the organization.
• GetUp Action Groups work to organise at the local level and build the movement across the nation
• The Community Organising Team provides guidance and support, however members of Action Groups are primarily reliant on one another and volunteer-led State Support Teams
• Local groups can describe their place within the GetUp community as being part of a network of self-organising volunteer-run GetUp groups.

General GetUp code of conduct:

All volunteers and Organising staff are bound by the general code of conduct. Individual action groups are encouraged to expand and further develop additional codes of conduct for their groups, however these basic requirements will exist regardless.

GetUp does not tolerate:

• racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, ageist language or behaviour;
• harassment and bullying; and
• intentional breaches of the GetUp Privacy Policy

and that if I engage in any of these behaviours my involvement will be terminated and I will be banned from active participation within the GetUp Action Network and GetUp.

1. Personal information that is shared with me by GetUp is done so for the purposes of promoting and receiving feedback on GetUp’s campaigns and events, Action Group Network organising, or for GetUp-related administrative purposes (SupportCore only). Any use by me outside of the prescribed purposes is prohibited by GetUp;
2. The consumption of alcohol at GetUp or GetUp Action Group Network events including meetings must only be done responsibly and in moderation;
3. If I do not uphold this Code of Conduct, GetUp may, at its sole discretion, suspend or terminate my involvement and may prohibit me from actively participating in the GetUp movement including the GetUp Action Network.