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

After the most progressive election result of our time, with more Greens in the Senate and in the House of Representatives than ever before, we are determined to demand that the climate crisis is something that is addressed, on behalf of our communities. Every single one of us in this parliament is here with one question over our heads, and that is: will we act in this critical moment?

Now, there's a good saying that many in our community hold to, and that is that actions speak louder than words. In relation to the climate crisis, no act can be more impactful than the decision to keep fossil fuels in the ground. One particular project which seeks to do the very opposite of this, which is of incredible concern to so many community members in Western Australia, is Woodside's Scarborough gas development. This disastrous plan is shaping up to become part of Australia's most dangerous fossil fuel project. If it goes ahead, this mega gas plant off the north-west coast of WA will single-handedly increase national emissions by over 10 per cent.

I need you all here to understand how significant that is. This project will release as much pollution as around 20,000 aeroplane flights around the circumference of the earth every single day for the next 25 years. This project irreversibly threatens First Nations cultural heritage, including the 45,000-year-old World Heritage Murujuga rock art. It puts marine life at risk. It puts life itself at risk. At a time when the rest of the world is scrambling to reduce emissions to tackle climate change, every year the Albanese opposition and now government has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from Woodside and other mega fossil fuel corporations looking to have their death plants approved.

The science here is irrefutable. The mining and burning of coal, oil and gas is fuelling the climate crisis. Yet, despite being on the literally sweltering frontline of the climate crisis, Western Australia continues to enjoy the dubious honour of being the worst performing state on climate action in the country. Just last month, the WA environmental protection agency recommended ministerial approval for the 30-year extension of another cataclysmic Woodside project, the North West Shelf Project. That alone will lock in an additional 43 billion tonnes of carbon pollution and single-handedly blow Australia's carbon emissions budget. I have little doubt that the McGowan government will roll out the red carpet for this project. In fact, last year McGowan indicated he would intervene to keep the project going, even if a push by conservation groups to block Scarborough gas in the WA Supreme Court was successful.

Sadly, when I spoke about this six months ago, we were in the same position. Our community is fighting tirelessly against these projects every single day. Just last week, they flooded the EPA with a record-breaking number of appeals against the North West Gas Shelf expansion. Unlike the government, they know we must stop every new gas and coal project so that reaching net zero is absolutely achievable in this country. The earlier we begin this inevitable transition, the smoother it will be. We can harness our abundant renewable resources to generate cheap and reliable energy while creating literally hundreds of thousands of jobs. We can take care of fossil-fuel workers in this transition. This is the work that the community sent the Greens to this parliament to do. This the work which we shall now get under way. (Time expired)