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Byron Shire
May 5, 2024

Climate-related disasters influenced the election, Climate Council says

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There was a clear connection between climate change-related disasters and voting in the Federal Election, according to the Climate Council.

The Council’s claims are based on its analysis of key seats that were affected by natural disasters during the last term of government, which it released yesterday.

Mandy Nolan. Photo Tree Faerie.

‘There have been swings away from the Coalition towards candidates with stronger climate platforms across the majority of seats in the Northern Rivers and Southeastern Queensland affected by the 2022 flooding disaster,’ Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie says.

‘It’s a similar story in those seats where communities suffered during Black Summer.

‘We’re seeing a very compelling story around how worsening climate disasters and climate risk has influenced big swings to the pro-climate independents, Greens and other candidates strong on climate policy.

‘Millions of Australians have profoundly felt the impacts of climate change over this last term of government. This, combined with some brilliant local campaigning for stronger climate action and many voters having the choice to vote for strong climate champions, has had a remarkable influence on voting behaviour this election.’

The Council further says that:

  • Climate change was a leading issue in the city and the bush this election, with candidates championing strong climate action proving popular with voters across the country
  • Voters in electorates hit by climate-fuelled disasters, like the Black Summer bushfires and the 2022 floods, swung away from the Coalition and towards those championing stronger climate action
  • The Senate is likely to have a climate action-friendly majority with candidates who ran on strong climate platforms performing strongly
  • The new Australian Parliament has a strong mandate for game-changing climate action


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18 COMMENTS

  1. So all the greens need to get anywhere is a giant volcanic eruption and a heavy solar flare season. Never let a good crisis go to waste.

    • Page needs a newspaper to push climate hysteria, there is nothing like fear to suspend rational thought and get converts for the climate cult.

      • Anton old son, nice try with the Denier spiel.

        Where have you been these last years?
        Missed the Bushfire Apocalypse and record Devastating Flood did you?
        Just cases of newspaper hysteria, yeah.

    • We can’t
      The National Party are the reason Australia hasn’t acted on climate change
      They basically caused the floods
      Yet Page re-elects them
      Not called Lismorons for nothing

      • So your logic is… Nats like Cows, Cows fart, farts make rain, therefore Nats make rain.
        Your proving Anton’s point.

    • How did Kevin get back in? He started by acknowledging human-induced climate change and the carbon burning causes 18 months ago, and distancing himself from Scummo AND Barnaby.

  2. I would have thought that the likelihood of such disasters would reduce the more Greens there are in parliament.
    Never mind – eventually, when the planet has gone totally green, dinosaurs may be elected again

  3. In the seat of Page, the Nationals were returned with a slightly increased majority, despite a good attempt by the teals. What is of interest, though, is the massive numbers of people who didn’t vote, in excess of 20% of the electorate. I don’t know if this is a record, but several climate related factors probably played into it. The most obvious would be the large number of voters dispossessed by the major flooding events of late February and continuing through to now. even on polling day, there were people unable to access a polling booth due to flooding. I refer specifically to Lawrence here, but there are others. The other climate factor that possibly played into the low voter turnout was the extreme rain of election day and the few days leading up to it – not conducive to leaving the house to travel on dirt roads with the the possibility of getting bogged. Other people have indicated an aversion to polling station due to the poor Covid hygiene in places at polling booths, and didn’t want to be part of an election super spreader event,
    I’m sure that, as the incumbent in Page was returned, there will be no investigation of these matters. But in an electorate that has seen the first mass of climate refugees in Australia within its boundaries, it would be good if there was an investigation into why voter turnout was so low in Page.

    • Or they just don’t buy into the fake left/right paradigm any more and couldn’t be bothered. If it wasn’t compulsory, most wouldn’t bother anymore.

    • Counting of postal votes and some pre-poll votes is still being done. The count in Page currently shows ‘Votes counted: 108,122 out of 122,915 enrolled (88.0%)’ with some more to come so the number who didn’t vote isn’t in excess of 20%.

  4. How did that theory go in Lismore
    One of the fire devastated areas on the South Coast has probably swung back to the Liberals
    The biggest single issue in the election was the ugly soul destroying political nature of Scott Morrison and his sidekick Barnyard
    No seats held by climate changing deniers in the National Party lost their seats
    To do anything about climate the ALP needs 2 terms of govt
    Fortunately the federal ICAC will be on the front pages in 2 years time to help achieve that
    In the meantime the Greens will continue to try and undermine the Labor Party in pursuit of the fantasy that they are somehow in govt with 4 seats in the House Of Reps
    Very funny

    • It’s never too late to act.
      The recent manifestations of our rapidly changing climate are catastrophic, and yes, this will continue for decades even if we were to change everything today because the trajectory is set, but it will continue to get far worse – and ultimately unsurvivable for many species, ecosystems, food production systems and cities if we don’t change, because every ton of carbon counts.

  5. So why have all the incumbent Members of Parliament been returned ?

    Just another silly climate release that is automatically printed by The Echo .

    • Jimi, what rock have you been living under?
      Your Libs / LNP lost 18 maybe 19 seats – 9 maybe 10 to Greens & progressive independents whose central campaigns were principally about climate change. Even the ALP campaigned on stronger climate action, targets & policies. OMG How blinkered & recalcitrant must you be? Not only denying climate science, but that it was the basis for the change in government, as demonstrated in polling, exit-polling & the election result.

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