Canberrans who care about climate change are right to feel let down by Labor, which has just approved three coal mine expansions, undermining the ACT’s net-zero future.
“In a climate emergency, you need climate leaders. Labor has proven this week they are anything but,” said ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury.
“I’ve heard fury from people in the community. I’ve heard disbelief. I’ve heard a huge amount of frustration that Labor is undermining local climate action with these huge new fossil fuel projects.
“Canberrans care about climate change. They know it’s time to band together with real vision, ambition and courage,” Mr Rattenbury said.
Isabel Mudford, Greens candidate for the federal seat of Canberra, said:
“Canberrans expected better from Labor, but it’s clear the old parties have sold out to vested interests profiting at the expense of the community and the environment.
“Local Labor members can’t go around pretending they care about the environment, biodiversity and threatened species while continuing to support their colleagues’ decisions to destroy the planet.
“It’s essential we make every election a climate election and use every vote we have to choose decisive climate action and leadership.
“The upcoming ACT and federal elections are a chance to tell the other parties loud and clear that we are done with cooking the planet. We want a cleaner economy and a more sustainable way of living,” Ms Mudford said.
Mr Rattenbury said the other parties lack genuine ambition on climate and the environment.
“A vote for the Greens is a vote for real climate leadership. We have already delivered 100% renewable electricity to the ACT, a record uptake of electric vehicles, and a nation-leading plan to shut off the fossil fuel gas network by 2045,” said Mr Rattenbury.
“Without the influence of the Greens in local politics, it’s obvious the other parties would not have taken this path.
“While federal Labor was working with the Abbott Government to cut the national renewable energy target, the Greens were in the ACT building toward 100% renewable electricity.
“While federal Labor has committed this term to a gas-fired future, the Greens have secured a gas-free future for the ACT.
“Last election ACT Labor said it was a ‘crazy’ Greens idea to stop connecting new homes and suburbs to the gas network, but now it’s a reality across Canberra.
“The ACT Greens will keep pushing further, faster, to make a fair transition to net-zero in our community, putting a stop to the federal excuses that it can’t be done,” Mr Rattenbury said.
Next term, a Greens-led ACT Government will:
- Bring forward the ACT’s net-zero target from 2045 to 2040
- Fully fund gas-to-electric upgrades for 5,000 of the lowest income households
- Upgrade all public homes to be efficient and all-electric, including with rooftop solar
- Introduce new minimum standards for rental properties to make sure everyone can live in a home that’s healthy and comfortable
- Take on the ACT’s biggest polluter – transport – with major improvements to public transport and further support for electric vehicles
- Install banks of EV fast chargers in every town centre and in the parliamentary triangle
- Deliver an extra 300MW of battery storage in the ACT
- Cool the suburbs by planting at least 20,000 shade trees each year
- Work with the community to trial and implement city cooling interventions, like misting systems and awnings, water features, street plantings, green roofs and facades.
Detailed information about the ACT Greens’ commitments to climate action is available at https://greens.org.au/act/policies/climate