There is no doubt about it, Australian politics are a bit of a mess at the moment. With so many changes, its hard to know even who the Prime Minister is! (Especially as it seems that every PM from the last 10 years has had some opinion on something or another). Climate change and environmental issues have been at the forefront of these changes and there is no denying that environmental conservation will be a massive point of discussion for all parties going forward.
So today, I want to get to the bottom of Australian politics and work out who stands where and what the next few months of parliament could look like.
So today, I want to get to the bottom of Australian politics and work out who stands where and what the next few months of parliament could look like.
What happened at wentworth?
Wenthworth, Malcom Turnbull's former seat, has always been considered a very safe seat in that the liberal party were unlikely to loose it to another party or independent. Yet that is exactly what happened. Kerryn Phelps snatched the Bondi seat from Dave Sharma (representing the liberal party) successfully shaming the liberal party for their inconsistent leadership.
Dr Phelps had a strong message to the people of Wentworth, she would represent THEM and THEIR values. For the most part, this came down to climate action and she was greatly helped by the lack of action on climate change coming from the liberal party who have recently...
- scrapped the National Energy Guarantee
- refused to develop a legitimate climate policy
- left Dave Sharma with little to say other than 'climate change is real'
With increased awareness being driven by campaigns such as 'Stop Adani' and organisations such as Get Up supporting Kerryn Phelps, the independent candidate was able to rally the people of Wentworth in a voting protest against climate change denial. She gave the community an avenue to express their disappointment at liberal's inability to uphold the conditions of the Paris Climate Agreement and, in doing so, has reminded the rest of Australia that climate change needs to be on the political agenda and, more importantly, that it can be if we vote in committed representatives.
Dr Phelps had a strong message to the people of Wentworth, she would represent THEM and THEIR values. For the most part, this came down to climate action and she was greatly helped by the lack of action on climate change coming from the liberal party who have recently...
- scrapped the National Energy Guarantee
- refused to develop a legitimate climate policy
- left Dave Sharma with little to say other than 'climate change is real'
With increased awareness being driven by campaigns such as 'Stop Adani' and organisations such as Get Up supporting Kerryn Phelps, the independent candidate was able to rally the people of Wentworth in a voting protest against climate change denial. She gave the community an avenue to express their disappointment at liberal's inability to uphold the conditions of the Paris Climate Agreement and, in doing so, has reminded the rest of Australia that climate change needs to be on the political agenda and, more importantly, that it can be if we vote in committed representatives.
So what is kerryn phelp's policy?
Kerryn Phelps was rated the second best option (behind the Greens Party) for members of the community wanting to put their vote behind climate action. Not only did she have a strong dedication to climate action but she was also the most likely candidate to defeat the liberal party who were, after all, the main obstacle standing between parliament and climate policy.
So what is her climate policy?
Kerryn Phelp's promised to revive the Climate Change Authority in an effort to re-start progressive climate action. This will help increase the scientific credibility of climate action and solidify climate research funding for a body which can then provide advice to government bodies.
So what is her climate policy?
Kerryn Phelp's promised to revive the Climate Change Authority in an effort to re-start progressive climate action. This will help increase the scientific credibility of climate action and solidify climate research funding for a body which can then provide advice to government bodies.
What about the greens?
The greens were quite openly supportive of Kerryn Phelps, for obvious reasons; she supports climate policy and humanitarian issues.
The Greens are undoubtedly pro-climate-action; their climate change and energy policy states that "Human-induced climate change poses the greatest threat to our world, civilisation and way of life." They stand by the Paris Climate Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and want Australia to become a net-zero-emissions country by 2040. This may seem ambitious but someone needs to be putting climate issues front and centre.
Additionally, the Greens would like to see a permanent settlement program for refugees seeking safety in Australia and were highly vocal in the recent debates about children in detention on Nauru. They have their own campaign, "Close the Camps", urging the government to get "KidsOffNauru and a petition raising community awareness and support about this issue.
The number of voters nominating the Greens was well down in the Wentworth election, most likely due to the alternative candidates presenting themselves and, as a consequence, the Greens biggest influence was their own nomination of preferences. Initially, they preferred the labour candidate however, at the last minute, they changed their preference to Kerryn Phelps. It would appear they were in favour of her policy and commitments which further validated her as a climate activist.
The Greens are undoubtedly pro-climate-action; their climate change and energy policy states that "Human-induced climate change poses the greatest threat to our world, civilisation and way of life." They stand by the Paris Climate Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and want Australia to become a net-zero-emissions country by 2040. This may seem ambitious but someone needs to be putting climate issues front and centre.
Additionally, the Greens would like to see a permanent settlement program for refugees seeking safety in Australia and were highly vocal in the recent debates about children in detention on Nauru. They have their own campaign, "Close the Camps", urging the government to get "KidsOffNauru and a petition raising community awareness and support about this issue.
The number of voters nominating the Greens was well down in the Wentworth election, most likely due to the alternative candidates presenting themselves and, as a consequence, the Greens biggest influence was their own nomination of preferences. Initially, they preferred the labour candidate however, at the last minute, they changed their preference to Kerryn Phelps. It would appear they were in favour of her policy and commitments which further validated her as a climate activist.
What does this mean for climate action?
"Phelps’ win also pushes the Liberals into minority government. With a crossbench of six members in the House of Representatives, and Labor holding 69 seats to the coalition’s 75 (one short of a majority) her victory means that the Liberals will now need the support of one of the six crossbenchers to pass its legislation."
There is much talk of an early election however the Liberal party is going to want to hold on to power for as long as possible. ScoMo now has a big job ahead of him, securing as many seats as possible and regaining control over the mess of a government which has presented itself over the last few months. He is definitely going to want to get a move on with policy and decision making however one key problem stands in his way, a hung parliament.
So nothing can be done without the support of a crossbencher, and quite frankly, they don't seem to impressed by the Liberal party's performance at the moment. It is likely that one of the only things that might win over a few crossbenchers is at least an attempt at a climate policy. The Greens and a number of the independents have specifically stated that they want more climate action and it may just be the only thing that will bring an agreement to the house of representatives.
There is much talk of an early election however the Liberal party is going to want to hold on to power for as long as possible. ScoMo now has a big job ahead of him, securing as many seats as possible and regaining control over the mess of a government which has presented itself over the last few months. He is definitely going to want to get a move on with policy and decision making however one key problem stands in his way, a hung parliament.
So nothing can be done without the support of a crossbencher, and quite frankly, they don't seem to impressed by the Liberal party's performance at the moment. It is likely that one of the only things that might win over a few crossbenchers is at least an attempt at a climate policy. The Greens and a number of the independents have specifically stated that they want more climate action and it may just be the only thing that will bring an agreement to the house of representatives.