Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The past 24 hours have confirmed what we already knew. Gina Rinehart and the fossil fuel lobby wield more power than the environment minister in this country. Australia is the world's third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, and the WA Labor government is about to approve Woodside's North West Shelf extension to burn toxic gas until 2070.

When both major parties accept donations from the fossil fuel industry, when they accept cushy jobs within the industry after their political careers and when they continue to support new coal and gas projects, signing off on approvals to burn our children's future—all the way out to 2070, in this case—people are rightly angry.

Over the weekend, around 5,000 people, including many Greens members, took part in Rising Tide's blockade of the world's largest coal port, and I joined many of these legends out on the front lawns of parliament today. To the blockade attendees, organisers, volunteers and 180 arrestees I want to say thank you. And to the 14 people under 18 years of age who were arrested standing up for their generation and their future: thank you. Thank you and I'm sorry that the cowards in this parliament would rather see the demise of your future than transition our economy to renewable energy. Shame!

Every new fossil fuel project is costing lives. Every point of a degree of warming will be measured in human suffering. That is the legacy that major political parties will leave this place with. Will our so-called environment minister salvage some power to block Woodside? Probably not. But the Greens will continue fighting alongside you, in this place and on the streets, to protect our planet and our future. With a federal election just months away, it pays to remember that you can't keep voting for the same two parties and expect a different result. If you want change, you have to vote for it.