Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I note, as a parent of two school-age kids and as a former teacher, that tomorrow hundreds of Australian schoolchildren will grab the reins in the climate change policy debate. These kids are showing more policy leadership on climate change than the coalition government have managed over their six years in office. The big school walkout for climate change was pilloried by the Prime Minister in question time this week. Our national naysayer said, 'Kids should go to school.' This argument might have force if the coalition government had ever saddled up to govern for the future.

The Morrison government is comprised predominantly of middle-aged males, who bolted out of the school barriers many decades ago. Mr Morrison claims they will meet emissions targets at a canter, but maybe it's time they all went to reschool about the seriousness of climate change and climate deterioration. This is not the time for governments to horse around. The thing is that children can't afford to bet on doing nothing, and doing nothing goes against every lesson they learn at school about the urgent need for action on climate change right now. Unfortunately, this coalition government has made doing nothing on climate change an art form. Let's take it straight from the horse's mouth. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull—the most recent former leader of the coalition—this month said:

The truth is … the Liberal Party and the Coalition is not capable of dealing with climate change.

When you're middle-aged, looking ahead to 2030 is merely preparing for the next paddock. However, a 10-year-old will barely be voting by 2030. For schoolchildren, climate change is existential. Their future extends many furlongs beyond 2030.

The CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology are here to give us the good oil. Their website provides predictors for what the climate, in each city in Australia, will be like at various time points in the future, with specific emissions scenarios. In Brisbane, for example, it predicts that, with little curbing of emissions and with a CO2 concentration continuing to rapidly rise, by 2030 it will be one degree hotter and there will be four per cent less rainfall. But the prediction for Brisbane in 2090, with the same emissions scenario, is radically more serious. It predicts that, in 2090, it will be 4.2 degrees hotter and there'll be 23 per cent less rainfall. Just imagine what it would be like in Queensland with only three-quarters of our current rainfall. This is a catastrophic scenario. It's the difference between having a turf racetrack and a dirt racetrack, with no grass on it.

For Australian schoolchildren, the government's lack of action on climate change is putting their future at risk. As a teacher, I know that it's a big step for children to walk out of school in protest, but the children aren't the only ones who think the government's lack of emissions reduction is appalling. This week, the United Nations Emissions gap report 2018 was released, and their assessment of Australia's lack of action is a stunning rebuke to the Morrison government. Their assessment says:

There has been no improvement in Australia's climate policy since 2017 and emission levels for 2030 are projected to be well above the NDC—

nationally determined contributions—

target.

It's not a canter at all. For children, it's as simple as 1, 2, 3: there's a problem; we need to fix it, so find a solution.

A Shorten Labor government understands this. We'll take action on climate change. We'll reduce carbon pollution in line with our 45 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Labor will invest in a renewable energy future which will lower power prices and also bring down pollution and secure the clean jobs of the future. We can't wait for this Morrison government to catch up with the science; we must act now. Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted is not an option. Inaction would lead to irreparable devastation as our climate deteriorates.

Australian children know that action can be taken now, and they know that it should be taken now. The practical lessons they are learning from their educators are reinforcing the fact that we can do things now to alleviate climate change, as the scientists are telling them. In my electorate, Corinda State High School, a large high school, has just been accredited as the first ever carbon-neutral education institution in Australia. That's a fantastic achievement, and I congratulate the staff and students. They are a fantastic example and, under the guidance of Principal Helen Jamieson, the school community is setting a wonderful example for the rest of us.

So what will children think when their teachers are taking action but the government is not? The people who have the power to make real change are actually doing nothing. No wonder they are putting down their books and acting. I know it's a big challenge for parents, but I understand why they are going for it with their hands and heels flying. If Mr Morrison listens only to his backbench naysayers, he deserves to be turfed out at the next election.

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