Climate-hit communities aghast as Labor’s Gas Strategy undermines urgent climate action
Climate Communities Alliance Media Release
People whose communities have been hit by floods, fires, heat, and sea level rise have spoken out at their dismay over the government’s Future Gas Strategy.
Australians and our Pacific Island neighbours are on the frontlines of climate change – we can’t afford to keep expanding the highly polluting industries that are making climate change worse. Across the country communities are reeling from repeated climate-fueled disasters. Torres Strait Island communities are facing the loss of their homelands.
The science is clear – we need to move away from fossil fuels like gas, not lock in further exploitation for decades to come.
This is a betrayal of the Australian people, but also of our Pacific Island neighbours, who are so very vulnerable to the climate impacts of rising seas.
Dr Aunty McRose Elu, senior Torres Strait Islander elder, community advocate, and former Queensland Senior Australian of the Year, said:
“Last week in court the government heard that we are highly likely to be forced from our islands in 26 years due to climate change. Today the government has approved more gas projects, beyond our pollution budget, which will directly worsen the climate crisis in the Torres Strait.
“I am in the Torres Strait right now witnessing torrential rains and rising sea levels. I would like the Government to come here and see for themselves the climate impacts on these low-lying islands.
“We know they can be doing so much more to keep us all safe from climate harm. Our only chance for survival is to act very quickly to put us on the right path and limit global heating to 1.5 degrees.”
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action President Jo Dodds said:
“Once again, the safety and security of Australian communities is forced to take a back seat to the voracious profit motives of the gas mining sector.
“The Australian Government knows exactly how dangerous the new Future Gas Strategy is because they have admitted in several recent court cases that they accept the climate science in the IPCC Reports. This research says that ongoing fossil fuel mining and use will cause even more dangerous and destructive bushfires, floods, storms, droughts and sea level rise.
“Survivors across this country are devastated that our lives, our families, our futures mean so very little in the face of company profit.”
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action CEO Serena Joyner said:
“This is a betrayal of our communities by the Albanese government, caving in to gas lobby pressure. They promised to act meaningfully on climate, but today’s announcement backs in decades more fossil fuel extraction, including support for new gas projects.
“Australians are already paying a heavy price for climate damage through losses, rebuilds, higher insurance and building in climate resilience, yet it seems the government is happy to keep pouring fuel on the fire. The clean energy solutions are available now and our communities are relying on urgent emissions reduction for a safer future.”
Chels Hood Withey of the Community Disaster Action Group in the Northern Rivers said:
“Labor’s plan for more gas until 2050 is unacceptable for flood-impacted communities. Investing in climate-destroying fossil fuels condemns us to worsening disasters. We demand an urgent and immediate transition to renewables to protect our communities. No new coal and gas.”
Miriam Torzillo representing Reclaim Our Recovery, Lismore said:
“The people of the Northern Rivers came together at the Bentley blockade to successfully keep their country gasfield free. Since then we have lived through two climate disasters; the fires of 2019 and the catastrophic floods of 2022. We know from experience how deeply climate disasters change communities. Therefore we join with all climate impacted communities and those fighting against extractivism to call out the lie of The ‘Future Gas Strategy’.”
Alliance organisations include Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, Currie Country Social Change, Grata Fund, Plan C, Lismore’s Reclaim Our Recovery, Northern Rivers Community Disaster Action Group.
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8 comments
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Baby Jewels
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Tones
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wam
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Roswell
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Clakka
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leefe
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wam
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wam
Return to home pageTreating us like idiots, destroying his last shred of credibility, losing more votes, and making the populace angrier and more worried. Who’s the idiot?
I don’t have a problem with using gas. The issue is the prolifigate manner in which energy is wasted in Aust.
From what I gather, the main problem for the govt is that it has signed off on international agreements that specify zero-carbon related outcomes as mandatory in the next x years. Signatory countries which break with the terms of the agreements will be penalized.
Gee, didn’t see that coming will be the chorus of those who are in power when the the bill is delivered to the table of the public. Aust has a newly minted Net Zero Economy Agency which is responsible for promoting an orderly and positive economic transformation as the world decarbonises – as if anyone in power is paying much attention. Why did Albo the Grate & his chosen team create the NZE Agency if they can’t be bothered going with its principles?
What sad loonie rubbish,
Labor is doing a fair job.
Think where we would be now without the loonie Brown’s 2009 decisions.
I’ve a serious question, wam, and I hope for a serious answer: What is this fair job that Labor is doing?
The very least Federal Labor could do IMMEDIATELY is provide verifiable details (incl. numbers) as to how, with this policy enacted, they are going to honor their commitments to 43% reduction by 2030, and Net-zero by 2050.
Enough of the obscurantism.
wam:
Refusal to back Rudd’s proposal meant that when Gillard was in The Lodge and had to negotiate with Greens, we got a far better – and actually effective – scheme. Every scientific analysis of Rudd’s proposal showed that it simply wouldn”t have done what was needed. But in the short time it was operating, the scheme Gillard etc introduced made a discernible difference.
And anything that was brought in to combat climate change would have been repealed by Abbott and his mob regardless. So, where would we be now? A step or two further back, that’s where. Take off the ALP glasses and look at the facts for a change.
A trite loonie rationalisation, Leefe,
If kevin o’lemon had had the backbone to pursue his ‘great moral challenge’ and go to a DD xmas 2009, the gutless tanner would have gained votes from the loonies and we wouldn’t have seen the bandit.
Then your ‘better scheme’ could have been reached and exceeded, without the loonie bandit blackmail that created ‘juliar’ which was the cruelest and most effective slogan ever and the architect of the rabbott, turnbull, morrison triliogy.
The last three PMs’ example, may begin to answer Roswell’s question?
Other ‘fair job’ examples, are harder to find with the autocue people on 2, 7 and 9 publicising the opposition views from, dutton, the loonies, rupert’s minions to counter their poorly displayed and supported snippets of: NACC, HAFF. rental assistance, restored medicare and bulk billing, stable government, good leadership, social security welfare improvements for the states(medical professional education for the NT is a nig WOW), deficit reduction, immigration improvement strategies, jobs and education improvements although currently private schools get too much cash esp catholic schools which got pig iron bob’s 1964 reward, for their DLP support, and who, with private schools, tertiarty institutes and universities, still rort the arse out of gov support them
‘fair job’, Roswell, not serious enough for you?
Perhaps you, like leefe’s loonies, argue that the longest journey doesn’t need a first step?
Ooops a bit trite eh???