Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Scientists have been sounding the alarm about the climate crisis for decades. Despite the evidence and the real-world experience of climate disaster after climate disaster, making the reality of a hothouse climate starkly real, government after government has ignored the warnings. The coal and gas industries keep pulling the strings here in Canberra and we, the petro state, the second largest exporter of coal and gas in the world, continue to kick the scientists in the guts. Australia could be making a huge difference to fossil fuel use if we listened to the scientists and seriously acted on the climate crisis. If we were listening to the scientists, we would commit to phasing out coal and gas. We would be saying no to new coal and gas. But no, instead we are powering ahead with carbon bombs like Beetaloo and Scarborough with more than just the blessings of our government—with the active support, changing laws to facilitate them, showering them with largess in exchange for the donations that companies like Woodside and Santos give to both Labor and the Liberal Party. 'It's the economy,' we are told. They tell us that we Greens just don't understand it. Except that it is not just the economy.

Last week the UN's top climate official, Simon Stiell, gave our prime minister a very clear message: get on board decarbonising or suffer the consequences economically. As reported in theAge and the Sydney Morning Herald today, Stiell said that Australia has more to gain and more to lose than most nations, and has a responsibility to help lead a global effort to decarbonise economies and unlock trillions of dollars needed to prepare for climate impacts. He said that, if the climate crisis continues as it is currently on track to, it will be Australia which will be front and centre in resettling entire national populations, as entire island nations that neighbour Australia will be wiped out, and our major food bowl, the Murray-Darling Basin, will be decimated. As I have said many times in this place, you cannot grow wheat in our major agricultural areas when they have the climate of the Central Desert.

There's only one thing that 'lead a global effort to decarbonise our economies' means: Australia needs to get out of coal and gas—no new coal and gas. Stop subsidising coal and gas and the transnational fossil fuel companies. The UN's call to Australia was emphasised by industrialist Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, one of Australia's richest men, who put it bluntly at the Press Club today. He said:

… my call is to help us get the fossil fuel boot off Australia's next so we can just get on with it.

…   …   …

We get the next few years wrong, and Australia's economy—and the rest of us—cook.

We get it right and Australia enjoyed decades of economic growth, full employment and the reinvigoration of its natural environment.

Come on, Labor. You didn't listen to the scientists; will you listen to the economists and the business leaders? Or, if you won't listen to the scientists and the economists, how about listening to the young people, who are the ones who will be living most of their lives on this hothouse Earth? Young people like those joined the delegation from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition earlier this month—people like Owen, aged 18, from Sydney, who told us:

Young people are fed up with the continued approval and funding of new gas projects by the government. These gas projects are fuelling climate disasters on a scale that we have never seen before, devastating vulnerable rural and regional First Nations communities.

Jazmin, who is 15 from Mount Gambier, said:

As a proud Gomeroi woman, country is culture, and when country is sick, mob is sick. I come from quite a small regional area of South Australia. Just from my community alone we are starting to see the effects of climate change and what it is doing to our community, from rising sea levels, blocked rivers and dead fish.

Rhea, 18, from Toowoomba, said:

Now more than ever we need immediate climate action. I have watched climate change devastate my community in India, witnessing a once in a century flood wipe through an entire town. The time to safeguard our future is now. We're calling on politicians to stand up for what's right and listen to young voices.

There is no time left. Listen up, Labor! Listen to the scientists. Listen to the economists. Listen to the young people. Act on climate. No new coal and gas. Listen up, Labor, or suffer the consequences.