Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] Hearing the latest climate report and then listening to the debate that followed in this chamber today—the avalanche of nonsense; the insulting, degrading bilge that has been spewed into this place for the last day—leaves me frustrated and leaves me furious, quite frankly. This report is crystal clear. It may be inconvenient to the major parties in this place, who are funded by the perpetrators of the climate crisis. It may be inconvenient to face the reality that the people who fund your campaign are destroying our planet. It may be inconvenient that the question before the Labor and Liberal parties is whether they value the donations which drive their campaigns more than they value the lives and futures of the young people of this nation. Nevertheless, that is the truth laid bare by this report.

This report is a signpost at a crossroads, presenting us with a clear choice. It shows us very clearly that the climate crisis which we are now enduring is a creation of politics—a political creation with a political solution. The choice is to invest in renewable energy, keep coal in the ground, keep gas in the ground, create jobs in the transition to renewables or to continue doing what you have doing now: selling out our future in favour of donations from the gas giants—from the Woodsides, the Gina Rineharts and the Twiggy Forrests. Put them first, value their profits and you will continue to sell young people down the river, destroying our future and condemning us to battle a climate apocalypse. It is our future as a generation that is on the line, and only the Greens are willing to advocate the reduction in emissions necessary to keep our planet safe and to guarantee a safe future for our generation, as young people.

To have such a vital report as this greeted by such hollow nonsense is a disgrace and a shame on this parliament, which should be taking swift and urgent action to address the climate crisis that is now our lived reality. The inability to do that is why so many young people are so deeply frustrated with Australian politics. It is why so many of us are absolutely disgusted with and turned off the major parties. It is why so many of us are looking for alternatives. It is why, I'm proud to say, so many of us are supporting the Greens and why so many of us will be working together in the lead-up to the next election to ensure that the Greens are returned to this place with more members among us to deliver for the community the climate action which is so urgently demanded and needed.