The Albanese Government is abrogating any responsibility to the health and wellbeing of future generations and condemning them to an existence beset by worsened impacts from climate change by approving what will be the biggest fossil fuel project in Australia’s history.
ACT Independent Senator David Pocock said greenlighting an expansion of global gas giant Woodside’s North West Shelf project was a betrayal of the majority of Australians who want stronger action on climate and better environmental protection, hurting communities now and in decades to come.
“It is devastating that the first act of a re-elected Albanese Labor Government is to approve the biggest fossil fuel project in our history,” Senator Pocock said.
“This decision cements a legacy of climate harm for generations to come due to the major parties' lack of moral courage on climate. Announcing the approval of a fossil fuel project of this scale while people on the mid North coast are recovering from a once in 500 year flood, and South Australia is in drought, is hard to understand.
“The North West Shelf Expansion will pump out 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon emissions over the life of the project, equivalent to ten times Australia’s total current domestic emissions.
“It’s time to stop pretending gas is the future. It’s cooking our present and we’re running out of time to prevent even more catastrophic impacts from climate change than we’re already witnessing.
“Australian Governments should also stop treating people like mugs with their great gas con, saying we have a domestic shortage or that more gas is needed for the energy security of our trade partners who are in fact on-selling Australian gas for a profit. Japanese companies made over $1 billion on-selling more than our entire east coast annual gas consumption last year.
“We know 88% of WA’s gas already goes overseas and Australians are yet to receive a single cent in Petroleum Resource Rent Tax from offshore LNG exports. I have argued we need to cap uncontracted gas exports and put Australian households and business first - not be opening new projects.
“Earlier this week households were told to brace for power bill hikes of up to 10% - the cost of gas, coupled with ageing coal major factors as to why.
“Labor was elected in 2022 on a promise of stronger climate action and reforming our broken environmental laws, and re-elected while committing to finally deliver this change. Approving this project before meeting that commitment is a betrayal of their promise to the Australian people.
“The landmark lawsuit, Sharma and others v. Minister for the Environment, brought in 2020 by eight Australian school children, established that it was for the Executive and Parliament to set a duty of care to children and future generations.
“Last term I introduced a bill that would do this, which has support from more than 25,000 Australians, politicians right across the parliament from all major parties and the crossbench, as well as and 402 of the 403 submissions from a senate inquiry.
“Despite this support, the major parties wouldn’t pass the bill because they know it would stop a project like this one - as it should.”