2023-10-13
By Adam Bandt
Australian Greens Parliamentary Leader and Member for Melbourne
We’ve just had one of the most successful years in the history of our party. We hold considerable power in the Parliament. We’ve dominated the public agenda on core issues like climate, housing, health and the cost of living.
We have a clear sense of who we represent. We know how to win. We know what we need to do to grow and reshape the future of the country to be safer, fairer and more sustainable.
But our mission is far from complete.
Heading into summer, we face another season of climate fuelled bushfires, driven by coal and gas. Our forests, the lungs of the earth, are still being torn down. The Great Barrier Reef, one of the most beautiful natural places on the planet, is fighting for its life.
The cost of living continues to climb. The Labor government has pursued a policy of making those who can least afford it pay the most, while the rich and powerful get tax cuts they don’t need. Our country is choosing to spend billions on submarines while millions live in poverty.
There is a generation of people who face a growing climate catastrophe, being forced to pay higher costs with lower income, privatised health, education and other essentials, all while unable to keep a secure roof over their head.
This is the status quo Labor is fighting for. They say no one left behind, but they are letting people down. They’ve abandoned their historical mission of helping working people and now they are a party of the centre right.
People want change, but Labor is trying to convince people that better things aren’t possible. Labor can’t tackle the cost of living crisis, they’re backing the big corporations. They can’t tackle the climate crisis, they’re backing more coal and gas.
The crises we face are linked, caused by greed. They didn’t happen naturally, they happened because successive governments have given big corporations too much power.
Now, big corporations are making record profits, and regular people are struggling to keep their head above water.
We are the party who will fight for the things people need. Secure housing. Universal healthcare. Secure well paid jobs. Mental and dental care as part of medicare. Genuinely free education from childcare to University.
Two of our most significant campaigns have made progress this year.
Safeguard
Our position in Parliament has allowed us to improve Labor’s weak and inadequate climate laws.
But we are negotiating with the political wing of the fossil fuel industry.
Before the negotiations, Labor’s plan was to reheat Tony Abbott’s “Safeguard Mechanism”.
Pollution from the entities covered by the safeguard scheme - mainly coal and gas - was set to rise.
There was no limit on the 116 new coal and gas projects in the pipeline opening, and coal and gas could increase their pollution as long as they bought enough dodgy offsets.
Despite the crisis we face, Labor wants to keep opening more coal and gas.
That’s what we are up against. One of the most powerful, profitable and reckless industries in the world, backed by the political class of this country.
But we used our numbers, we hung on and secured a huge hit to coal and gas.
These changes mean there is now going to be a hard cap on pollution.
We estimate we have stopped the equivalent of about half of the 116 new coal and gas projects in the pipeline.
If we can stop new projects here we’re delivering a huge benefit. Australia is the world's third largest exporter of fossil fuel pollution, but thanks to these amendments, we’ve started to rein that in.
We have also secured a pollution trigger, which for the first time will give the Minister the power to assess the impact new projects will have on pollution, and reject them if it is going to lift actual pollution.
However, even though we secured the power for the government to block new coal and gas projects because of their impact on climate pollution, Labor is still pushing ahead with new projects.
They’re also still handing public money to new gas projects, even while the world moves from heating to boiling.
Housing
We’ve also been fighting for renters. A third of this country now rents, and rents have been going through the roof. The fastest growing group of people facing homelessness is kids.
Labor’s plan would have made this problem worse. That’s why we have been fighting so hard.
We’ve blocked Labor’s housing plan, and demanded they consider a freeze and cap on rents. To gain our support, Labor found an extra $2billion for housing, but they’re still refusing to help the millions of people who rent.
Unlimited rent increases should be illegal.
We want to be the party for renters. We want to be the party for young people locked out of the housing market, and stuck in insecure housing.
We want to be the party who will protect renters, and build more public and affordable housing. We will keep fighting so everyone has a secure roof over their heads.
Thanks to our pressure, we forced a rent freeze and rent caps onto the national agenda in a way it’s never been before. We’ve forced Labor to take renters rights to the national cabinet and billions more secured for affordable housing.
What’s next
So while this year we have come together and fought, there’s a lot more we need to do.
Everyday people rely on the government to deliver the change we need.
At the last election, we achieved a record result. We kicked the Liberals out. Secured the balance of power in the Senate with the help of an independent or two.
It’s allowed us to improve Labor’s climate, environment and housing laws. It’s allowed us to fight back against stage three tax cuts and the billion dollar submarines.
This year we have reached more people than ever. This year we have proved that a vote for the Greens can deliver real change. This year we have shown how we will fight for those who need it.
Thank you for being a part of this movement this year. I look forward to campaigning together with you all next year
– Adam