2024-03-22

the NEXT FIGHT IN PROTECTING OUR CLIMATE FUTURE 

By Adam Bandt, Leader of the Australian Greens 

 

Across the country, there are millions of people who are doing their part to tackle the climate crisis. 

Some are installing renewables, others might be going to rallies or sending money to other groups who are trying to get us off coal and gas. 

But in one flick of the pen, Labor can undermine all that work by all those people, as it would do by approving the massive Barossa Gas Field. 

We have to stop them. 

We have made climate gains in recent years. We secured new laws which will make it harder for scores of coal and gas projects to start polluting our world and cooking our future. 

But sadly, it’s not enough. Our future is still under threat from the coal and gas which is being mined and burned. 

The Barossa Gas fields which Labor is currently considering approving will be one of the world’s most dangerous projects. 

Barossa is being pushed by the billion dollar gas corporations, Santos, a corporation which in many years has paid no tax despite making billions in profits.

Yet despite their refusal to pay their fair share, Labor is trying to bypass their own weak environmental laws to allow the project to go ahead.  

The Liberals and Santos simply demanded it, and now, Labor’s trying to break an election promise to help the gas giant get its way. Once again, it’s Labor putting the interests of big gas corporations first, and everyone else second. 

It’s the equivalent of ripping 4 million solar panels off people’s homes and throwing them in the trash. Santos’ project will release 380 million tonnes into the atmosphere.

 

Solar on 4 million rooftops would be wiped out by 1 gas mine santos' barossa gas field

 

It’s devastating. To make matters worse, Labor’s trampling over the concerns of First Nations communities to do it. In their first action after losing the Voice, they’re ignoring the concerns of people who have lived in that country for tens of thousands of years, to appease the interests of a multinational gas corporation. 

The Traditional Owners will fight with everything they’ve got, and we’ve got their back. We have a simple message for Labor, if you keep ignoring the community’s concerns and keep backing coal and gas corporations and their massive profits, we will fight you every step of the way. 

If you’re concerned about the climate crisis, we need your help in this next battle to protect the future. Tell Labor to stop siding with Dutton and Santos, and back the people you’re meant to be governing for.

Labor promised at the election to strengthen the environmental laws in this country. Now they’re backflipping.  

We’ve made gains on renewables, but now, we’re going backwards unless we can stop this massive new gas field. 

The gas industry is making massive profits, driving the cost of living and the climate crisis. 

Many in the gas industry currently pay no tax despite making billions in income. 

We need to make the gas industry pay their fair share of tax, not give them more special treatment to keep making massive profits and driving the cost of living and climate crisis. 

The coal and gas industry are making a massive mess, and we need to clean it up to protect our future.