ACTION ON CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
My Priorities
Phase out fossil fuel subsidies
Strengthened & fast-tracked environmental approvals
Ambitious emissions reduction target by 2035
Support for firmed renewable energy as the cheapest energy source
Getting Things Done
As your Curtin Independent MP, I’m proud to have helped deliver results for our community.
Made multiple improvements to climate and nature legislation which resulted in a better Climate Change Bill, Safeguard Mechanism, Vehicle Emissions Standards and Stage 2 Nature Positive Laws
Created the Curtin Pathway to Net Zero Report outlining what we need from Government and individuals to decarbonise our community
I believe we need urgent action to protect our planet from the worst effects of climate change.
In Australia we are seeing the catastrophic impact of climate change through droughts, rising sea levels, bushfires, floods and other extreme weather events.
For many years the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been warning the world of projected increases in temperature. The Climate Change Performance Index ranks Australia last out of 60 countries on policy to address climate change. We need to listen to the science and experts, and act now.
Climate change also has a significant impact on health, particularly for our most vulnerable. Significant climate events and extreme weather increase the likelihood of worsening air quality and the spread of infectious disease and have an immediate and long-term impact on the availability and distribution of food.
Making significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will not only help Australia to avoid the worst effects of climate change, but it will also safeguard our health, economic prosperity and national security for this and future generations.
Read my Safeguard mechanism submission.
Nature Positive Reforms
The Government has failed to deliver on its promise to introduce significant Nature Positive Reforms to protect the places we love and ensure more efficient approval processes.
We are in biodiversity debt in Australia. The summer heatwaves of 2023-2024 were a tipping point in Western Australia and we experienced a forest collapse that changed the structure of our local bushland and forests.
The mandatory review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) commenced by the previous Coalition Government, found the EPBC woefully incapable of protecting our environment and also failing industry.
Passionate and knowledgeable volunteer conservation groups across Australia, including 19 in my electorate, steward the protection of our wetlands, bush, and coastal parks. They observe first-hand the impact of climate change, our deteriorating environment, and the extinction crisis.
I have listened closely to the Curtin electorate for the past three years and I know this remains a priority issue for our community.
The new Labor government in 2022 told us it was listening and promised significant EPBC reform, to be delivered in three stages during this term.
Stage 1 is complete and covered the Nature Repair Market and the water trigger.
Stage 2 was to create vital new institutions, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Environment Information Australia and Stage 3 was to set robust national standards and the bulk of the nature positive reforms.
The Government failed to keep this promise and Stages 2 and 3 have been shelved.
I know it’s a massive challenge to get the reforms right. Business needs certainty and faster decision making. Our beautiful state needs those decisions to be the right ones.
I have continued to engage constructively with the Minister on critical issues such as the application of a mitigation hierarchy, a recalibration of the purpose of the offset regime and a consideration of cumulative regional impact.
Listen to my speeches on Nature Positive issues here.
It is particularly disappointing that, once again, politics has got in the way of the biodiversity and conservation reforms Australia needs.
There is a strong perception in Western Australia, that the State EPA has been hijacked by industry pressure on the government to fast-track project development approvals at the expense of nature. Approvals do need to be faster, but we need to make the right decisions for the future of the state. The Cook Government was concerned about political ramifications of greater environmental oversight in the face of the upcoming election.
Yet again, short term politics is overriding long term good policy.
I will continue to maintain significant pressure on this Government and successive governments to implement robust Nature Positive reforms that deliver better outcomes for the places we love and our vital resources sector. I know this will be a significant issue in the upcoming Federal election particularly for my community here in Curtin.
Energy Efficiency Submission
In January 2023 I conducted a survey on how to improve household energy efficiency in Curtin. The 347 responses received formed the basis of a Curtin Community Submission to the National Energy Performance Strategy consultation. Read the submission here.
