Exclusive: independent MP plans a ‘people-powered’ public campaign
for a conscience vote similar to the one for same-sex marriage
The independent MP Zali Steggall
is calling on self-styled “modern Liberals” to support legislation to
establish a new climate change framework, warning them to ignore the
views of their constituents “at their peril”.
Steggall, who toppled Tony Abbott in the Sydney seat of Warringah at the May 2019 election, largely on a platform of climate change action, is finalising draft legislation for a “national climate change framework” that sets out a roadmap for Australia to transition to a decarbonised economy.
The legislation is modelled on the UK’s Climate Change Act, passed in 2008, and mirrors framework laws in place in New Zealand and Ireland. Germany and Fiji are considering similar draft legislation.
Steggall aims to begin consultation on the draft bill later this
month, and wants to introduce legislation in March, backed by a public
campaign calling for a conscience vote in parliament.Steggall, who toppled Tony Abbott in the Sydney seat of Warringah at the May 2019 election, largely on a platform of climate change action, is finalising draft legislation for a “national climate change framework” that sets out a roadmap for Australia to transition to a decarbonised economy.
The legislation is modelled on the UK’s Climate Change Act, passed in 2008, and mirrors framework laws in place in New Zealand and Ireland. Germany and Fiji are considering similar draft legislation.
Steggall would not reveal full details of the planned public campaign, but said she hoped it would be a similar “people-powered” movement to the same-sex marriage campaign that successfully galvanised support for a yes vote.
Steggall successfully secured more than $1m in donations for her campaign to oust Abbott, and has connections to wealthy progressive benefactors.
She said so-called modern Liberals, such as Dave Sharma in Wentworth, Tim Wilson in Goldstein and Jason Falinski in Mackellar, should ensure they put the interests of their electorate first and consider crossing the floor if the government opposed the bill as expected.
“I think they have to be mindful of their electorates feeling disenfranchised if they aren’t voting in accordance with their majority wishes,” Steggall said.
“The Liberal party is the party of the free vote – I am not asking them to do something they have never done before, and I think crossing the floor to vote for a climate act is something they need to do to represent their constituents.
“If you choose to ignore the amount of people in your electorate [who want stronger climate action] … you do so at your peril.”
Under Steggall’s bill, a statutory long-term target of net zero emissions by 2050 would be set, requiring five-yearly economy-wide carbon budgets to meet the goal.
A climate change risk assessment would be undertaken for all sectors, followed by a national adaptation program setting out how each sector needed to adapt to the effects of climate change that are already occurring. This includes higher temperatures, extended and hotter bushfire seasons, extended drought and floods.
Steggall is also proposing an independent expert body to replace the “powerless” Climate Change Authority, similar to the UK’s committee on climate change, which would advise on climate policy and report annually to parliament.
She said the framework legislation was not “prescriptive” and would allow flexibility for whichever party was in government to determine the best way to reduce emissions.
But she said it would demonstrate that Australia had a plan to decarbonise.
“There is nothing here that is outrageous, it is just setting that long-term goal of where we are heading and setting a framework of how we achieve it,” she said.
She said the bushfire crisis had forced Scott Morrison to acknowledge the role being played by climate change and there was a “strong public view that more needs to be done”.
Steggall has already begun talking to other independents about the legislation.
The Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie said she would support the bill, and called on moderate Liberals to do the same.
“Words are one thing but many members on the government side campaigned at the last election that they were supportive of more action on climate,” Sharkie said.
“They called themselves modern Liberals, it’s now time to put those words into action.
“This is going to need a whole-of-parliament approach in order to change what has been a 10-year policy vacuum in this place. I am right behind Zali on this.”
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