2019-08-29
Greens climate change spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, has responded to Western Australia Labor’s decision to back Tony Abbott’s weak carbon emissions targets and Wayne Swan’s call to avoid ‘climate catastrophe’, saying that Labor leader Anthony Albanese needs to condemn WA Labor’s weak climate targets and join the Greens in fighting the Liberals’ climate inaction. After fierce lobbying from the oil and gas industry, the Western Australian Labor government has adopted the Commonwealth’s weak targets, first announced by Tony Abbott, in an attempt to prevent the WA Environment Protection Agency from requiring climate action by large fossil fuel projects.
“Anthony Albanese needs to stomp on WA Labor and join the Greens in fighting the Liberals. We are in a climate emergency, yet WA Labor has capitulated to the fossil fuel giants and adopted the weak climate targets of the coal-loving Liberals,” said Mr Bandt.
“You don’t fight Tories by agreeing with them. Anthony Albanese must join the Greens in taking on the climate change-denying Liberals and demand that his Western Australian Labor colleagues reverse their position.
“Anthony Albanese should listen to Labor President Wayne Swan, who just this morning was warning of the threat of the climate catastrophe and the need for strong emissions targets.
“WA contributed 16.6% of Australia’s emissions in 2017. Every other state but Western Australia is reducing their emissions, and under Labor’s Tony Abbott style targets WA’s pollution will continue to skyrocket.
“WA Labor have their ear tuned to the fossil-fuel lobby, not the thousands of Australians who are demanding that Australia’s parliament declare a climate emergency and phase out coal and gas.
“Labor and Liberal are already on a unity ticket on coal. If Anthony Albanese isn’t going to take the fight up to this government of climate criminals, Labor should get out of the way and let the Greens be the real opposition.”