Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt has described the climate crisis as a “war” and slammed both the Coalition and Labor for “aiding the enemy” by backing new fossil fuel projects.
Launching the Greens’ election platform at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Bandt said that the party would use any balance of power position it found itself in after the federal election to push to end the expansion of Australia’s fossil fuel industries.
“When we’re in the balance of power after the election in the Senate, and the House, and have kicked the Liberals out, this will be our key demand – in this time of climate and environmental emergency – stop opening coal and gas mines,” Bandt told the National Press Club.
The Greens are aiming to boost their presence in the Senate to as many as twelve senators, as well as increase the number of seats it holds in the House of Representatives to ensure it is in a balance of power position and able to negotiate for its policies following the election.
In a fiery speech that took aim at the climate and energy policies of the major parties, Bandt described the worsening climate crisis as an ‘enemy’, and said the Greens pledged to end the development of new fossil fuel projects.
Bandt said that both the Morrison government and the Labor opposition had been “aiding the enemy” by committing to fund new coal and gas projects.
“Our enemy is the climate crisis. The enemy is fuelled by coal and gas. Mining and burning coal and gas is killing people. And Liberal and Labor want more,” Bandt told the National Press Club.
“The war is bleaching our reef, burning our forest to the dropping rain bombs on our cities and towns, damaging our communities and our economy.”
“Liberal and Labor haven’t just given up; they are aiding the enemy by backing more coal and gas.”
“Liberal and Labor are backing 114 new coal and gas projects around the country. And today, the Labor leader confirmed that Labor won’t stop new coal mines.”
Bandt did not hold back in his descriptions of the climate crisis and the role of the major parties, comparing the impacts of recent extreme climate change fuelled weather events to those of war zones.
“Last month, I was in the flood-hit areas of Brisbane and Lismore. It was like a war zone. Floods had ripped through the towns, uprooting people from their homes, and this war isn’t happening in 2030 or 2050, it is happening now,” Bandt said.
“I don’t know how Liberal and Labor can look at towns like Cobargo, Mallacoota or Lismore and say that opening a new coal and gas mine is a good idea.”
“They have blood on their hands. They have the blood of the people who were trapped in their flooded homes or burnt to death trying to run away from a raging bushfire,” Bandt added.
During his address, Bandt said that he welcomed the contributions that workers in Australia’s fossil fuel industries had made to the economy, and the Greens would provide support directly to workers to transition into new industries.
“My message to coal and gas workers is simple – thank you. You have helped build this country. You have done dangerous jobs and fought hard for secure work with good wages, and we respect the incredible contribution that you’ve made to this country,” Bandt said.
“The Greens’ $19 billion job-for-job guarantee preserves coal worker wages at current rates for ten years as we phase out the industry and grow new businesses to take coal’s place.”
In February, the Greens unveiled its proposal for a ‘jobs guarantee’ for workers in Australia’s fossil fuel industries, including directly subsidising wages for as long as a decade to help workers transition into new jobs in green industries.
“In many places, the best job for a coal worker is another mining job,” Bandt said.
“The Greens back the growing green mineral sector in Australia, where we mine and process here, the metals and minerals that we need to make batteries, electric cars, wind turbines and other products to sell to a zero pollution world.”
“People aren’t stupid. We can all see the writing on the wall. We want a future for our kids. The Greens will tell working people the truth and we will not abandon them,” Bandt added.
