Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to present a petition from Micah Australia signed by 135 Novocastrians. It calls on us to act on the 'severe and urgent threat that climate change poses to health, wellbeing and security of all people around the world, particularly our poorest and most vulnerable neighbours'.

It is a travesty that the Abbott-Turnbull government's climate change policy has been led by right-wing fringe dwellers with an active hostility to science. This government has eliminated the Climate Commission. It has waged a vicious war on renewable energy and set up an inquiry to discredit wind farms. It has slashed the Renewable Energy Target. Its Direct Action policy paid polluters billions. It ignored recommendations for the new vehicle emissions standards. It rejected an emissions intensity scheme and squibbed the clean energy target recommended by its own chief scientist. And it still has no credible climate change policy.

This litany of climate crimes and inaction means that emissions are increasing and Australia will fail to meet its Paris Agreement targets. It is our moral and our global obligation to act on this crisis, and act we must. I thank the Micah Challenge and all of the concerned citizens in my electorate of Newcastle for organising this important petition.

The petition read as follows—

This petition of concerned people of the electorate of Newcastle, draws to the attention of the House the severe and urgent threat that climate change poses to the health, well-being and security of all people around the world, particularly our poorest and most vulnerable neighbours. We remind the House that Australia's greenhouse emissions are the highest per person among wealthy nations while our emissions reduction targets are among the weakest.

We therefore ask the House to do all in its power to protect communities in Australia and our region from the harmful impacts of climate change - such as more severe heat, extreme and unpredictable weather and rising seas - by: committing to deeper and more urgent reductions of our greenhouse emissions; developing a plan to ensure Australia achieves zero net greenhouse emissions well before 2050, and supporting families and communities affected by the transition towards renewable energy and more sustainable land use; providing additional assistance to help our poorest neighbours adapt to the harmful impacts of climate change.

from 136 petitioners (Petition No. PN0113)

Petition received.