2015-12-09
Senator Richard Di Natale
It's such a privilege to be representing the Australian Greens here at COP21, where so many leaders — heads of state, youth leaders, environmentalists, economists, community leaders and more — are coming together to take action on global warming.
Action will be agreed to, I'm certain. It's the quality of the action that's in doubt, as some countries, including Australia, are trying to stand in the way of crucial policy levers like carbon pricing, finance for developing countries, an end to fossil fuel subsidies and more big coal mines.
This conference is such a valuable experience for me and Larissa, and for our entire party, because it equips us with the authority to tell the Liberals, throughout the coming election year and beyond: we've seen what you plan to do about global warming, it's not enough, and Australians deserve better.
The inspiring thing about this conference is to see how passionately so many people around the world want to make change for the better. It can be lonely for Greens in Australia, pushing back against individuals who fundamentally don't believe global warming is a problem, and others who believe it, but haven't got the guts to act.
For the Turnbull Government to have taken Tony Abbott's pathetic climate targets to Paris has been a huge disappointment for all of us, including our Pacific island neighbours, who hoped for better after the Liberals' regime change. There's a mood for patience — to give the new Prime Minister more time to deal with the dinosaurs in his party — but truthfully, the world hasn't got time.
More than ever I feel that we Greens play a critical role in Australia's political landscape and, alongside our Global Greens counterparts, in the international sphere as well. Without the Greens, there would be no party speaking out against the massive new coal mines set to scar the Liverpool Plains and the Galilee Basin. Without the Greens, there would be no legislative resistance to the bipartisan slashing of the Renewable Energy Target, or the how-low-can-you-go ambition of the bipartisan 5 per cent emissions reduction target by 2020. Without the Greens, there would be no Clean Energy Finance Corporation or Australian Renewable Energy Agency, investing in clean tech innovation and turning a profit for the taxpayer as it goes.
We have so much to be proud of and so much still to do. Australia is a laggard but I hope, with more Greens in Parliament, we can turn this ship of state, ditch the barnacles and be the confident, prosperous, caring nation we know we have the capacity to be.
It's been an absolutely huge year so I hope you have a restful summer, enjoying all the things we all work so hard to protect. On behalf of the federal party room I want to thank you for all you do – we are achieving great things together!
Richard