2020-05-04
The immediate need is protecting the economically vulnerable, but not forgetting the need for ongoing climate action, and bringing it all together in a Green New Deal
By Hon. Tim Clifford, MLC for East Metropolitan
Things have changed drastically since the last Green Issue. Like you, I know many people negatively impacted by COVID-19. Some of these impacts are new – like losing a secure job – and some of these impacts have been exacerbated by the crisis – like poor social safety nets. Therefore it is vital that we all continue to fight for a fairer society and ensure that no one is left behind when we get to the other side of this pandemic.
Protect Homes
Since the pandemic hit Australia, I have been working on protecting homes. With far too many people without incomes, having a safe home has become tenuous – especially for renters. Though it took far too long for the State Government to bring on the emergency COVID-19 legislation needed to protect homes, we finally have some protections for renters. There is now a six month moratorium on evictions for tenants experiencing COVID-19; a ban on rent increases during the emergency period; fixed term tenancy agreements due to expire during the emergency period must be rolled over to periodic agreements; and enabling a tenant to end a fixed term tenancy prior to its end date without incurring break lease fees. Though this was a great first step, this legislation still may leave tenants with unaffordable debts at the end of the emergency period. So, we launched a rent assistance campaign, and the State Government has now announced a $30 million rental relief package. This package, again, is a good step but there are still significant concerns about ensuring everyone who needs this support will get it. In this time of crisis, it is vital that everyone has access to a safe home. So, I will continue this fight to make sure no one is left behind.
EPA Guidelines
Amid the creation of emergency legislation, the Environmental Protection Authority released its final greenhouse gas guidelines. The guidelines still leave much to be desired but there is at least some accountability for major projects and polluters. The new guidelines now require major projects to provide credible estimates of the full lifecycle emissions of a project – including direct and indirect emissions (scope 1, 2 and 3). Projects will also be required to create a greenhouse gas management plan and publicly report on this plan. There has also been a strengthening of objectives: proponents must reduce net emissions rather than just mitigate them, and there is a requirement for evidence rather than just assurances.
There are still some concerns and we won’t know how effective these guidelines will be until we see them in practice. But what I do know is that without the overwhelming support (98%) for stronger guidelines via the almost 7000 submissions to the EPA, the fossil fuel industry would have total influence over this process and would have been able to continue business as usual.
However, as the guidelines are not binding on the Environment Minister, to ensure that we reduce emissions and mitigate the climate crisis, we need systemic change at a government level. Which is why, in March, I introduced a Climate Change Act.
WA Climate Change Act
Right before the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 19, I introduced WA’s first Climate Change Act. The Climate Change Act will legislate emissions reduction and renewable energy targets. It will require the Minister to create a climate change strategy and to periodically report on the targets to the public. It will also create an independent Climate Change Council to advise the Minister, and it will ensure that climate change is at the centre of all government decisions.
Before the pandemic, my team and I had planned to run a series of actions and call for legislated emissions reduction targets at the top of our lungs. But as the day-to-day business of the world has changed, so has our campaign. The parliamentary debate on the bill was set for November 9, and hopefully that will still happen. Which means we still have four months to make legislated targets and real climate action a key election issue. And I think we can. My team and I are currently devising socially distanced ways to engage the community and ensure that climate action is still a priority. So keep your eyes on my Facebook page or sign up to our call to action on my website, and I'll update you soon.
GND Workshops
I have received a lot of questions recently about how we are looking at tackling the climate crisis as we adapt to and deal with the current COVID-19 pandemic. They are tough questions because for many in our community, it is difficult to think about the issue of climate change when you are facing the prospect of losing your job or struggling to keep food on the table. However, even though it is difficult to call out political leaders and industries who are complicit in fuelling the climate crisis, we still need to do it in way that simultaneously calls for climate action and deals with the economic impact of the pandemic, and this is why the Green New Deal (GND) is so important. The pandemic exposed so many fault lines that already existed in our society and that is why it's important we work to develop and eventually campaign on the initiatives that will be eventually outlined within the GND.
Whether people in the broader community know it or not the work we are doing now on the GND will create new narratives and outline new possibilities in a post-pandemic world.
I have participated in the GND workshops that have been run by the party and it has been amazing to work with so many great people. If you get the opportunity, please attend one of the workshops or contact the party to see how you can get involved. We will continue the fight for climate and social justice.
Header photo: At an EPA greenhouse gas guideline submission workshop held last year