2025-08-27
Greens drive inquiry into Labor’s secret climate risk report
By Steph Hodgins-May, Senator for Victoria
With the government preparing to announce Australia’s 2035 climate targets, the Greens have forced a Senate inquiry into Labor’s decision to keep a crucial report secret.
The National Climate Risk Assessment is expected to spell out in detail how climate change threatens Australia, from rising seas and deadly heat to impacts on food production, industry, and communities.
Labor has kept it buried for more than nine months, with insiders describing it as “dire,” “diabolical,” and “extremely confronting.”
It is understood to contain maps showing suburbs up to five kilometres from the coast under water, as well as confronting findings about the impacts of climate breakdown on key industries, communities, and livelihoods.
The Greens secured a Senate order requiring the government to release the report by 25 August. That deadline has now passed without the report being published. In response, the Greens have established an inquiry to investigate its contents and ensure Australians are told the truth before climate targets are set.
Labor has had this report since last year. Instead of releasing it, they pressed ahead with coal and gas approvals – including Woodside’s North West Shelf gas extension – just weeks after the federal election.
The truth is, they know what is in the report, and they know that it will fuel public demand for stronger action to phase out coal and gas as part of a clear plan to reach net zero.
That is why the Greens acted. By establishing this inquiry, we have made sure Australians will have the chance to hear what is in the report.
Why it matters now
Within weeks, the government will announce Australia’s 2035 climate targets. Those targets will mean nothing unless they are guided by science and grounded in the reality of the climate crisis.
A target that fails to phase out coal and gas or end native forest logging is not a plan for safety. It is a plan for ongoing climate damage.
The science is clear: to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees, Australia must commit to net zero by 2035. Anything less will lock in higher costs of living, higher insurance premiums, and worsening fires, floods, and droughts.
We cannot put out the fire while pouring more fuel on it.
The balance of power for action
This parliament has a choice.
With the Greens in the balance of power, there is a pathway to science-based targets and real action to protect people and nature. But it will take courage from the government: courage to stand up to the coal and gas lobby – and put communities first.
The inquiry into Labor’s secret climate report is proof of what we can achieve together. By holding the government to account and forcing transparency, we are giving Australians the information they deserve and building the pressure for meaningful action.
When the truth is revealed, the demand for climate action cannot be ignored.
The Greens are using every tool in parliament to hold Labor to account and push for science-based climate targets. This work is only possible because of people like you. Chip in today to power the fight for real climate action.