2015-08-16
Senator Richard Di Natale
I can understand why anyone who opened up a newspaper in the past few months and read about misuse of entitlements or the influence of special interests would feel let down by politicians and our political process. Headlines about MPs flying to fundraisers in helicopters tell the community that politicians are in it for themselves. And revelations about donations from pokies industry to the Liberal party while its pokies policy was being developed show that special interests are heard above the voice of the community. Public service should be about serving the public but there is an absence of integrity in our modern politics.
Abbott: self-serving
Last week we saw the Abbott Government announce its dangerously weak carbon reduction targets that despite all the spin would maintain Australia's position as the world's worst polluter, per capita. The target is not consistent with keeping global warming below two degrees Celsius, nor is it comparable with the ambition of other similar countries. The target was the minimum the government thought it could get away with, so long as it could confuse journalists with misleading numbers and graphs. It was a farce from a government with no vision for the future because it is tied to the special interests of the past.
The carbon reduction targets were buried in the media last week due to internal ructions inside the government on the issue of marriage equality. The tabling of a cross-party bill before in parliament presented an opportunity to finally end discrimination in marriage but rather than getting out of the way the Prime Minister managed to use dirty tactics to squash a free-vote for his ministry. It was a spectacular failure of leadership from a Prime Minister who once again finds himself on the wrong side of history.
This cynical and self-serving politics is robbing our country of its potential and denying our kids the future they deserve and the Oposition has not been strong enough to stand up. Even though Labor claims to support renewable energy it voted with the government to gut the renewable energy target. Then at it's national conference Labor adopted the policy of boat turn backs, continuing its pattern of following the Coalition in the race to the bottom.
Time for a change
I believe the community is crying out for leadership and the Greens stand ready to share our vision for Australia's future. A future that has clean, renewable energy powering industry, our transport and our homes. A future that ensures each and every person has access to high-quality, affordable health care. A future where the environment is protected and cared for. And a future where our work/life balance is exactly that.
In coming weeks I will be travelling across Australia to share this vision. I'm really looking forward to meeting people from all over the country and learning about their ideas for Australia's future. I will be visiting up to 20 cities over the next eight weeks so I hope there will be an event near you. I can't wait to thank Greens members and supporters for all the amazing work you do but please remember to bring along a friend or family member as well. Every event is open to the public and I really hope to see some new faces.
The tour begins this Saturday in the birthplace of the Greens — Tasmania. I can't wait.