Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make my contribution on the Climate Change Bill 2022. It is absolutely no secret that climate change is upon us. We see the impacts of this every day, in the most extreme bushfires and flooding and droughts that are becoming more frequent and more severe. But we're also seeing it in much more subtle ways. The delicate balance that our ecosystems have operated in for thousands of years is changing, and they cannot adjust with the speed that is needed. If we do not act on these impacts, they will only get worse and affect every single area of our lives, including for those opposite. This will also affect the future that we are building for our children and their children. It actually starts right here, with us in the nation's parliament. The science is absolutely clear: we need to reduce our emissions by 75 per cent, not 43 per cent, and reach net zero by 2030, not 2050. I'm proud to be part of the only party that respects this science and that I am the Greens spokesperson for the science and technology portfolio. We don't have time to play politics with this. We cannot let the government place our future at risk to appease their corporate donors. Let's be real: the only reason this target is so low is so that the Labor Party can keep raking in the money from their fossil fuel company mates. If they tell you any different, that's a lie. I saw that firsthand at the Minerals Council dinner last night.

The latest IPCC report paints a very dire picture of what we're in store for if we do not take radical action. If we had listened and taken action when the scientists first questioned this, then maybe our emissions might not have had some of the unintended consequences down the line, and we would be in a very different place right now. But, of course, we didn't. We ignored the scientists. We ignored them for so long that we are at the point now where we need radical action to avoid further disaster. It sounds terrifying, and that's because it absolutely is. It sounds serious because it is. Forty-three per cent is not enough, and I refuse to sugar-coat that.

Just as scientists saw the problem, they have also given us the answers. We need to transition away from fossil fuels as soon as possible, address overconsumption by humans, protect our natural environment and work to restore what we have destroyed. First Nations science plays a key role in this, because my ancestors have taken care of land and sea country for thousands of years, aiding the delicate balance of nature and taking only what they needed. We don't subscribe to the Western idea that nature is something that needs to be conquered. We are part of nature. We are not better than it. We are equal. We know the land and how it operates, what it needs to survive and to thrive. Governments, mining companies and private landholders need to welcome this knowledge and allow us, support us, to work to protect and heal this country. That would be to the betterment of all of us.

Australia is known for its amazing produce—wine, grain, cheese, beef. You name it, we make it, and we do a damned good job of it. As seasons shift and weather patterns become more unpredictable and unruly, the ability of our farmers to continue to produce these products is, and will continue to be, impacted. Regional and remote communities across Australia rely on primary production to survive. The yields will decrease, in both quality and quantity, making it harder for these communities to exist. We need to support our farmers in adopting more sustainable farming practices and to mitigate the impacts on their businesses to ensure our rural and regional communities are not left behind.

As well as our amazing produce, Australia is known for its amazing and diverse ecosystems, which people travel from all over the world to come and see—from our deserts to our rainforests, our native forests, our mountain ranges, our coastlines, our reefs, our arid lands and our river systems, all with unique plants and even more unique animals. We have a lot to offer. A lot of our tourism relies on these natural wonders. Again, many of these are in our rural and regional communities. The impacts of climate change will place these businesses at risk due to the destruction of these places. We've already seen that with the wonderful and amazing Great Barrier Reef. If we lose these precious places, we lose our history, our culture and what makes Australia unique.

Let's be frank. Fossil fuel companies are the reason we are in this mess and the reason action has not been taken sooner. Both the major parties are captured by these companies due to the millions of dollars that they have taken in donations from them. Due to this, the major parties are too scared to take any serious action to wind up fossil fuel production at the speed that we need it because they might lose some money in their political donations. There's clearly no concern about the primary producers or the small businesses who will lose their money as a direct result of climate change. These companies are getting a pretty good return on their investment, too, since none of them pay any corporate tax and they receive billions of dollars in our public money as subsidies.

Instead of holding up a dying industry or relying on carbon capture and storage—which, in fact, is unproven—to procrastinate in reducing emissions, the government should be focusing on investing in renewable energy projects. Let's use that money to build rail to transport green hydrogen, just like Germany has done recently. Use that money to rehabilitate the land. Use that money to invest in solar panels, hydro, wind—literally anything other than paving the way for these greedy companies to destroy our planet.

I want to be absolutely clear that the climate wars are not over. They have, in fact, reached a new frontier. The Greens are begrudgingly supporting this bill, but we know that 43 per cent is nowhere near enough. The fight continues for meaningful climate action, which also means preventing one more fossil-fuel project opening, expanding or continuing. My call to action for the folks out there watching is to join us—come forward and fight for our children's future and for our climate.