Tamara Smith MP, Greens Member for Ballina, has today criticised the NSW government’s proposed Climate Change (Net Zero Future) Bill 2023, as residents of the Northern Rivers experience more frequent extreme weather events.
The bill matches the previous Liberal National government’s targets of 50 per cent by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, but does not include an interim target for 2035. The previous Liberal National target was 70 per cent emissions reduction by 2035.
The bill also makes no mention of coal and gas projects, despite calls from the International Energy Agency to place a moratorium on all new coal and gas projects in order to stay below 1.5 degrees of global heating, in line with the Paris Agreement.
‘There’s nothing more shocking than being briefed about fires ravaging your community, and then learning that the Labor government wants to scale back our climate targets in New South Wales,’ said Tamara Smith.
‘Labor’s new targets are worse than the Liberal Nationals before them, who at least had a target to reach 70 per cent emission reduction by 2035. It’s extremely disappointing that Labor, who were elected on the promise of climate action, have decided to take a step backwards on climate.’
Coal and gas ignored
‘Labor’s bill makes no mention of coal and gas,’ said Ballina MP Tamara Smith. ‘If you don’t have a plan to phase out coal and gas, you don’t have a plan to save our communities from the climate crisis.
‘The climate science is crystal clear – we need net zero by 2035, and we can’t open a single new coal mine or gas project,’ she said.
‘We cannot afford to ignore the science on climate. Our community’s health and wellbeing is at stake, as well as thousands of jobs in tourism and agriculture.
‘I know that old party politicians love to meet with fossil fuel lobbyists, but I encourage them to meet with everyday people in my electorate,’ said Ms Smith.
‘I encourage the government to talk to the residents of Wardell, who have seen their homes washed away in floods, or to the residents of Brunswick Heads, who have been breathing in heavy smoke over the past few weeks.
‘The Greens won’t stand by and let this happen. And I won’t support any legislation that will take us backwards on climate while my community battles fire and floods. I look forward to negotiating with the government and pressuring them to go further and faster for action to halt the worst scenarios of global warming.
‘Insecure housing and global warming are the most critical issues our community faces,’ she said.
The Greens are supporting calls from leading climate scientists, including the Climate Council, to reach net zero by 2035.
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