Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to make a brief comment on what a clown show the coalition is today—what a rabble of climate-denying, attention-seeking knuckle draggers some of these blokes are over on that side of the chamber. Not only are they denying the science of climate change; not only are they denying the security advice to Australians about the impact that the climate crisis will have if we don't act, and not only are they denying the very help and support needed by our regional communities, who are already feeling the brunt of the climate crisis. Whether you live in the bush, in the regions, along our coastline, in our suburbs or in our cities, Australians have already felt the brunt of what happens as our climate changes—the extreme weather events, the floods, the fires, the droughts, the cyclones.

In my home state of South Australia, we see our entire coastline devastated because of the marine heatwave that's caused the toxic algal bloom. South Australians want climate action. We can't even swim safely at the beach today, let alone over summer. Rather than take the action we need to drive down the pollution that's driving this crisis, the coalition want to give taxpayer money to the coal industry. The coalition want to dump the commitment to Paris. The coalition want a handbrake on climate action. Well, what is Sussan Ley, the Leader of the Opposition, going to do about it? Is she going to stare down the knuckle draggers, or are they going to get their way?