Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to convey the words of a young Australian from my electorate of Kooyong, Zac Chu, who, when he wrote into the Raise Our Voice campaign, asked me to convey this message to the Australian parliament:

Fellow Australians,

Today, I stand before you to urge our executive government to take a significant step towards securing a sustainable future for our children and youth by signing the Intergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth, and Climate Action.

Our nation's youth are at the forefront of the climate crisis, demanding urgent and decisive action. By endorsing this declaration, we commit to empowering our youth, ensuring their voices are heard, and providing them with the tools and opportunities to actively participate in climate action.

Climate change poses a grave threat to the well-being and future prospects of our children. It is our moral duty to prioritise their interests, safeguarding their right to a healthy environment and a sustainable planet. By engaging with international partners through this declaration, we enhance collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and the effectiveness of our collective efforts.

Let us stand united in recognising the critical role our youth play in addressing climate change. Let us pledge to nurture their passion, knowledge, and commitment to building a sustainable world. Together, we can create a legacy of environmental responsibility, and ensure a thriving future for the generations to come.

Thank you.

Zac Chu

The effects of climate change exacerbate existing geographic, socioeconomic and developmental inequities in society. One of our country's greatest challenges is intergenerational inequity. The young people of this generation will enter adulthood with a significant burden of debt associated with their tertiary studies. Many will struggle to rent or buy homes anywhere near where they want to work. As they enter the workforce, they will assume the burden of a narrowing tax base struggling to fund the increasing cost of disability and aged care. The biggest challenge though is climate change. The cost of our decisions not to act or to act too slowly on climate change will be borne by today's children and their children. We already know that that cost will be too high.

In 1992 all Australian governments agreed that intergenerational equity is a core principle of climate policy, but, despite this commitment, the health and future wellbeing of young Australians has not been at the heart of our economic decision-making or of our climate and environmental legislation. We have no 'youth trigger'—no legislative mechanism specifically requiring that the interests of young people are considered when we make laws that will affect them. This parliament must be prevented from making significant decisions involving the exploration or extraction of coal, oil or gas where the resulting greenhouse gas emissions are likely to pose a material risk of harm to the health and wellbeing of current and future Australian children.

As my young constituent Zac has requested, I also commit to the premises of the Intergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action. Federal politicians should be required to consider the impact of laws we make on the health and wellbeing of current and future Australian children. Whether or not the people in this place choose to accept it, I maintain that we owe the next generation a duty of care.

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