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

The government's approval of Melbourne Airport's third runway is another example of Labor prioritising corporate profits over community interests. For years, Melbourne's west has borne the brunt of the city's industry. They've had to deal with severe pollution and toxic soil from the West Gate Tunnel Project. Now they're having to carry the burden of the state's air travel. Noise from the airport is already having a debilitating impact on residents' sleep and wellbeing. Minister King ignored calls from the community, local councils and the Greens to commission an independent health assessment of the third runway, and approved it without assessing the full scope of the risks to the community. At a time when we should be dramatically reducing climate pollution, the Labor government is waving through projects that will increase high-emission air travel. Enough is enough. Melbourne can see you, Labor, and Melburnians' votes are powerful.

Emissions are higher under Prime Minister Albanese than they were under Scott Morrison. Labor are climate frauds. Twenty-three coal and gas projects, green-lighted by Minister Plibersek, will run as late as 2080—all under the false claim that we need more gas, when we all know that Australia exports 80 per cent of our gas for embarrassingly small returns. Despite Australians in the last election voting in a wave of new Greens MPs and climate-conscious Independents, the Prime Minister is inviting Mr Dutton over to his house to pour water on the latest environment bill. Without a climate trigger, Labor's environment bill might as well be scrunched up and thrown on the house fire that they continue to pour petrol on, while taking millions in dodgy donations from their mates in the fossil fuel industry.

Well, there's an election coming up, and, just like Australia voted for climate action last time, after another term of Labor betrayal, I can't wait to see the Greens win more seats, including in my home state of Victoria: Sonya Semmens in Macnamara, Samantha Ratnam in Wills, Tara Burnett in Cooper and Huong in Fraser. Bring on the next election!