Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management (Senator Watt) to questions without notice I asked today relating to racism.

The government's response to my questions on racism and racial justice was woeful. We are not a post-racist utopia. The climate crisis is a racial justice issue. Those who contribute least to the crisis, black and brown people in the global south, are experiencing and will experience the worst of it, from the floods in Pakistan to the drought in the Horn of Africa and the water lapping at the door of our neighbours in the Pacific islands. They are living through untold suffering.

Australia's insatiable appetite to dig up, burn and ship out fossil fuels is turbocharging climate change for the most vulnerable communities across the globe. The relentless pursuit of profit and power by wealthy colonial countries and multinational corporations has put the world on track for a global climate catastrophe. Yet, this injustice is completely neglected and denied in the climate change discourse in this country. Rather than stand up to coal and gas lobbies, Labor capitulates and will allow them to buy their way out of their climate obligations with unfettered, cheap and dodgy offsets.

Today, the world's climate scientists gave us a terrifying final warning. The message from the IPCC, from the UN, from scientists and from other experts globally is clear: stop opening up new coal and gas. This is the only way to stop dangerous climate change. The IPCC report makes clear that a liveable future means no new fossil fuels. If we don't, we risk a global catastrophe that we cannot undo. The UN Secretary-General is telling us that our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere all at once.

Yesterday, over 50 Australian environmental and climate organisations called on the federal government to listen to evidence from the world's scientists and end new coal and gas developments in Australia. It follows a similar open letter signed by over 100 Australian scientists and experts just a few weeks ago. New research by the Australia Institute tells us that pollution from the 116 new fossil fuel projects in the federal government's major projects list would add 4.8 billion tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere by 2030.

Despite all this, Labor's plan for climate action—their safeguard mechanism—safeguards coal and gas profits, not the climate, not the people and not the planet. This is not climate action. This is mere greenwashing. Without ending new coal and gas, this is just smoke and mirrors. The public gave us a clear mandate at last year's election. They want us to take serious, effective action on climate change. In this progressive parliament, with the Greens, Labor has the numbers for a strong climate policy that delivers deep and rapid cuts to greenhouse emissions. We can change course right now. Scientists and future generations are begging us to do this. This is what climate justice, social justice and racial justice demands. Prime Minister Albanese must listen to the science and reject the fossil fuel industry's desperate attempts to keep its business model alive at the expense of people and the planet. Prime Minister Albanese: show some gumption, take some responsibility and end new coal and gas.

Question agreed to.