ACT Independent Senator David Pocock is calling on the Albanese Government to abandon legislation enabling the sequestration of carbon dioxide in the seabed that has been universally condemned by scientific experts and environmental advocates.
The Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Amendment (Using New Technologies to Fight Climate Change) Bill 2023 is currently scheduled to come before the Senate on Monday.
Senator Pocock said he was concerned the government would seek to push the bill through the upper house with the support of the Coalition.
“Australians sent a strong message at the last election that they want to see the Australian Government do a lot better when it comes to climate action and protecting Nature,” Senator Pocock said.
“Sadly it seems that message wasn’t heard and the Albanese Government is continuing some of the approaches that failed us so badly over the past decade.
“It is an absolute indictment on Labor if - faced with a Senate crossbench that is urging them to do better on climate and environment - they choose instead to rely on the Coalition to get their environmental legislation through.
“It also raises serious concerns about how they plan to pursue critical reforms of our national environmental laws.
“The upper and lower house crossbenchers and the Australian Greens have all put their concerns on the record.
“This bill is nothing more than greenwashing for gas companies with potentially catastrophic impacts on our marine environment, sealife and climate.
“It will enable the expansion of oil and gas projects that the IPCC and every credible expert says we can’t afford.
“I urge Labor to have the courage to do the right thing by current and future generations and not put through legislation that will hurt our collective future.”