Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Skills) Share this | Hansard source

I am proud to be standing here today speaking on this motion put by my colleague the member for Hindmarsh to declare a climate emergency. It is a mark of Labor's commitment to future generations. As he said, we owe it to our kids and our grandkids to stand up for their future and to fight for real action on climate change. As one of my staunch Cooper activists Jane Morton said, 'Declaring the emergency is not just a matter of token words; it is the start of a whole new frame of mind.' From young kids in Northcote to grandmas in Reservoir to doctors, nurses, tradies and scientists, our community knows our earth is experiencing a climate emergency, and they want something done about it now. Unfortunately, while the rest of the world has accepted that global warming is perfectly clear, it is not a priority for all of us in this place. Those who sit opposite are collectively burying their heads in the sand, with no desire or political courage to start to repair the damage that global warming is inflicting on our planet.

The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report calls for drastic action to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees of warming this century. The report starkly and graphically outlines the world we face, with the prospect of exceeding a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise by 2040—and that is not too far away. At 1.5 degrees, we lose between 70 and 90 per cent of the world's warm coral reefs on top of what we've lost to date. There will be more extreme hot weather, more extreme droughts. At 1.5 degrees, we will see the consequences of climate related risks to our health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, national security and economic growth. This change will disproportionately affect those living in developing countries and those in the Pacific, our neighbours.

The IPCC is not some radical body. Their most recent report was written by 91 climate experts and cites 6,000 peer-reviewed papers. They are often considered to be too conservative in their warnings. As the member for Hindmarsh said, none of us should fall for the idea that is often spouted by commentators and, unfortunately, some on the other side of the House that what Australia does doesn't matter in this debate. Yes, we are a small nation. We don't even rate in the top 50 of the world's nations in population, but we rate in the top 15 in the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted. We are a wealthy nation that has, along with other members of the OECD, grown wealthy on the back of long-term industrialisation. We are the highest per capita producer of greenhouse gases. If Australia won't act to take responsible, strong action on climate change, which nation on the face of the planet should be expected to act?

If this government had a plan, a real plan, Australia could be leading the way to mitigate this climate emergency. With certainty instead of chaos, we could be encouraging clean energy production, sustainable industries and investment in jobs and the growing renewable economy. This has been Labor's mantra for a long time. We are committed to tackling climate change and transitioning our economy, and to still support all communities by providing decent, secure work. I stand with the millions of Australians who are committed to the cause of hope which is made possible by climate action. Hope for a just world, a fair world, a sustainable planet and the reshaping of our economy to meet its challenges.

I want to finish by giving a big shout-out to the many activists in Cooper who have been pushing for a climate emergency declaration for so long: all the Cooper students and protesters who marched at the climate rallies; the kids who sign and send me petitions and beautiful pictures every day; DCAN, Darebin Climate Action Now, for asking the member for Hindmarsh the hard questions at the many climate forums we've had; and CAHA, Darebin City Council, Newlands Parents for Climate Action, the Darebin ACF, Cooper GetUp!, Newlands Friends of the Forest, Doctors for the Environment, beyond zero emissions; and so many hundreds of individuals who have written, called and stopped me in the street to talk about this important issue. We are standing here today because of your hard work. This is your achievement. My commitment to all of you is to keep up the fight for climate action. We stand here to deliver the strongest possible targets for a real response to tackling the climate emergency. These are not just words; these are not token words. It is about changing the trajectory of this planet and keeping it sustainable to have a sustainable future.

See this speech in context