AND THE WINNER IS …
Climate action Australians have, at last, voted in a government that prioritises climate action. And it is clear that Anthony Albanese and his Labor Party are determined to set the nation on a far more realistic path. Renewables will be facilitated, not hindered, as the nine-year toxicity around energy and emissions is replaced by balanced, well-informed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Smart Energy 2022 debate. The Coalition’s catastrophic loss was renewables’ gain, and the contrast was evident from get-go with newly minted Prime Minister Albanese taking the world stage at the Quad meeting in Tokyo. Speaking with the leaders of Japan, India and the US he honed in on concerted climate action and stated “We will act in recognition that climate change is the main economic and security challenge for the island countries of the Pacific.” With 77 seats in federal parliament the ALP has the numbers to effect change, and perhaps too the crossbench which has taken on new and significant meaning with the unprecedented success of seven staunchly pro-climate action Independents. They are joined in the House of Representatives by three Greens whose climate ambitions eclipse those of the ALP. Blessed relief. Australia now has at its helm an environmentally responsible and economically progressive government. And, in the stirring soundtrack of Nina Simone, there’s a New World Coming. See page 13 for more.
Climate action is the undisputed winner of the federal election. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as prime minister, but climate action is the true winner of this election. Millions of Australians have put climate first… the winds of change have blown right across this country. So says a much-relieved Tim Flannery of the Climate Council.
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4 WINTER 2022
It’s been a bumpy ride with the perfect landing for Climate 200 founder and Smart Energy Council Director SIMON HOLMES À COURT who
fended off smear campaigns and staked his belief in the community independents’ movement. The support and success that followed was the stuff of legends. Simon said “We’re a donor group, and not a party, we were unencumbered by factional loyalties and legacy thinking. For years Kooyong citizens gathered outside [then Treasurer and former emissions reductions minister] Josh Frydenberg’s office urging him to act on climate… he ignored them.” The community replaced its recalcitrant representative with Independent Monique Ryan who declared “We’ve changed Kooyong’s climate forever.” She is joined by six like-minded Independents who read the mood of the electorate and bring fresh vision and hope to Australia. Congratulations and welcome Zoe Daniel, Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, Sophie Scamps, David Pocock and of course Zali Steggall.
IMAGE: EVAN MACLEAN
IMAGE: EVAN MACLEAN
FEDERAL ELECTION 2022
Three of the successful Independent candidates – Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall and David Pocock – pictured with Saul Griffith and the Smart Energy Council’s John Grimes at the recent Smart Energy Show.
DR JOHN HEWSON (pictured) slammed the aggressive actions of media in the run up to the election by highlighting “the lack of professionalism and blatant bias that characterised the media’s role in this one”. The Smart Energy Council Patron and former Liberal leader also wrote “the claims by the likes of the Sky News monsters that constitutional recognition of First Australians and tackling climate change are left-wing themes completely ignores the election outcome. These are important Australian issues with great international significance.”
Likewise, PROFESSOR PETER DOHERTY posed “Have people really gone to ‘the left’? Action on climate change has nothing to do with L vs R, it’s basically responding to the evidence we can all see and understand. We are signed on to the IPCC process. Requiring integrity from our politicians is nothing to do with L vs R”.
In his 2022 post-election briefing 2022 BLUEPRINT CEO DAVID CROSS wrote: “The Liberal Party has abandoned voters in its heartland by tacking to the right and treating the great challenges of our time, such as climate change, with contempt. The strategy to offset vote losses in ‘teal’ seats with gains in outer-suburban seats has failed spectacularly. “[But] Key climate seats went to the Greens or independents, not Labor. This shows Labor has more to do on climate.” Energy think tank EMBER reminds us of the sorry state of Australia which has the highest coal power emissions per capita among the world’s major economies. In 2021 it was ranked the top polluter in both the G20 and OECD. Shameful.
