House debates

Thursday, 4 February 2021

Constituency Statements

Refugees, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy

10:49 am

Photo of Ged KearneyGed Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | | Hansard source

I rise today to send my best wishes to the refugees who were recently released from places of detention in Melbourne. After eight years of horrendous detention at the hands of this Liberal government, I was so thrilled that these people are experiencing the simple joys of seeing the night sky and getting a meal in a restaurant. I know their journey isn't over. They remain on bridging visas, creating ongoing stress and anxiety, and so many people are only just now getting the proper medical treatment that they have been waiting for.

To all of those who spent years demanding their release, who spent weeks and days out protesting their incarceration, well done. I know our community is already wrapping around this group, providing housing, friendship and support. Thank you.

Of course, the Minister for Home Affairs tried to spin the release of some refugees as merely a cost-saving measure. If that is the case, I call on the minister to release the beloved Biloela family who are currently detained on Christmas Island at a cost of $27 million. There are still so many refugees locked up, because this government prefers to punish people rather than find safe, permanent homes for them. Indefinite detention is a national shame and it must end.

I would like to congratulate the new shadow minister for climate change and energy, the member for McMahon. In his first week he has proposed a jobs and emissions compact to urgently tackle climate change and create thousands of decent jobs. Labor knows that the science is clear: our planet and its environment will not survive if the climate emergency continues its current trajectory. Recent reports have again made this very clear.

The member for McMahon has said that the world is changing, and this means that many communities, especially those that rely on carbon-intensive industries and exports, will come under pressure. There needs to be investment in these people, their regions and their communities, leaving no workers behind. It's a once-in-a-generation economy-wide reform and we, Labor, are the only party who is up to this enormous task, who is ready to take it on.

Climate change is the No. 1 issue for my constituents in Cooper. I know that, and they let me know that very, very clearly. I'm looking forward to welcoming the member for McMahon to Cooper so he can hear firsthand from my community, from our community, how we can work together on Labor's plan to tackle the climate emergency and make sure that all communities actually benefit from the changes to come.