Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, one of the highest governance training organisations in this country, I learnt a lot about accountability and transparency. Coming out of that training and coming into this place, I see a very real lack of accountability and transparency, which is the very essence of how you govern an organisation, a corporation and—I thought—a country. Obviously that isn't the case, and maybe they should include in that training that, when you get to the place of governing the country, accountability and transparency just does not apply, particularly to this government.

To hear the government's contribution and excuses as to why they can't be accountable and transparent to the people of this country is an absolute joke. To hear the government talk about science and sustainable practices while there are black senators in this place who come from over 65,000 years of sustainable practices in this country is also an absolute insult. You want to think about whether or not to stand for the acknowledgement of country the next time we sit because, if you can't acknowledge the over 65,000 years of sustainable practices and our survival as First Peoples in this country, then you should sit down for the acknowledgement. An acknowledgement of country is about obeying the law of this land. The law of this land is about not harming the land, not harming the water, and not harming the animals and everything that belongs to these lands. So sit down to the acknowledgement to country. And, of course, take down your dot paintings, because I'm sure you've got some animals and totems in your dot paintings that are in danger of becoming extinct right now. So, while you have your hand on your heart and you're standing up to acknowledge us, you're actually stabbing us in the back and murdering our totems and our land and our water in the same breath.

You talk about 'commodity' and the land and water being 'your commodity'—stolen land, stolen water and stolen wealth from our commodity. We don't see it in the same way. The land is our mother. The way we look at our land and our water is the same way we look at our mother. If you can sell your mother as a commodity, then you're gross. It's disgusting that you could sell off your own mother and treat your own mother the way you treat our mother in this country—raping and pillaging our mother. I ask you: would you do that to your own mother? Look at it through the eyes of the First Peoples of this country and understand the hurt and pain you're causing our water, our land, our air and our people.

Those reports that you refuse to acknowledge or answer to are part of the solution to healing these lands and these waters. I know you're not interested in that. I know Labor aren't really interested either—only when it suits them. But we know your position on protecting country, and you treat us like a bunch of greenie activists when the greenie activists, or the Greens Party, are in step and absolutely respect the first people of this country. So, if anyone is guiding the Greens Party on how to care for this country, it's the first people of these lands. So don't refer to us as some breakout party that causes you grief because you're doing the wrong thing with your mates over here: Labor. Look at us in a way that you can stand for the acknowledgement of country, because you need to have a bit more respect and you need to account for the destruction and desecration that you are causing and creating for our future generations. You've been doing it since you arrived on your boats. Since you arrived on your boats illegally to this country, the colonisers, who only see our land and water as a commodity to destroy and make money from so that you're comfortable in your privilege, and your mates, who are giving you the money who run all of these outfits to destroy and destruct, all sit back with your privilege. You know what? Your children and your grandchildren are going to look at you in 10 or 20 years time and they're going to say: 'What did you do? What did you do for us?' What are you going to say to them? I want to know what you're going to say to your grandchildren when they don't have clean water to drink, when they have to stay inside because the heat is so unbearable that people are dropping like flies. What are you going to say to your children and grandchildren? What are you going to say to the young people of this country who are out there fighting for their lives, trying to tell Labor and you, the Libs and Nats, that you need to do more to sustain our future?

We want clean air. We want clean water. We don't need fossil fuels. We don't need the destruction and desecration of country and water. There are other ways to do this. Do you think all those young people marching for climate change and climate action are going to take up one of your jobs in your departments to destroy and destruct? No. No. They're going to be looking after your children and your grandchildren. They're the ones putting their arms around your grandchildren and saying: 'Come with us. We just have to try and survive for another couple of years before the wave comes or the heatwave comes or the dirty water comes'—which we know is already happening. We know communities don't have clean water because of the decisions that are made in this place. We know that you're stealing land off traditional owners to destroy and destruct. What does that say for our future?

What do you want left? What? Really? Because you've had free run to destroy and destruct, and you've made a lot of money out of it. What are you going to leave us? What are you going to leave the First Peoples of these lands? What are you going to leave the children and young people of this country? You're going to leave them in an absolute mess, an absolute dire mess where they'll be gasping for their air, where they'll be desperate for clean water. Wake up! Why can't you see this? It's happening now, and you can't even provide any feedback about the importance of protecting country. Why can't you protect country with us? Why can't we protect country together for all Australians? Why is it such a big ask?

Why do these fossil fuel companies and companies that are set up to destruct and destroy have precedence, because money won't matter when we are fighting for our life? Your status won't matter when we're fighting for our life. COVID shows that. Rich, poor—it affects everybody. You will be affected. What are you doing for your children, I ask. We are fighting every last breath to maintain the survival of our young people in this country and our old people, because our old people drop from the heat. What are you going to say to that? (Time expired)