Moderate Liberals Urged to Break Ranks and Vote for Climate Emergency Motion
Adam Bandt says every MP ‘capable of supporting this motion’ since it does not condemn the government
The Greens have intensified efforts ahead of the return of Australia’s federal parliament this week to lobby moderate Liberals to break ranks and vote for a motion declaring a climate emergency.
With parliament set to resume on Monday, the lower house Greens MP Adam Bandt has written to all parliamentarians in the House urging them to support the climate emergency motion, which would be seconded by independent Zali Steggall, and has the support of most of the crossbench.
“Every member of parliament is capable of supporting this motion,” Bandt says in the letter. “It does not condemn the government … nor does it express support for any particular policy position.
“It simply acknowledges the science and calls on the government to take urgent action. This motion is a statement that individual members of parliament recognise the seriousness of the challenge we face.
“Once the declaration has been made, having recognised across the political spectrum that this is a challenge we all face together, the debate can begin in earnest about the best way to deal with the emergency. “Given that members of the Coalition have a free vote, I expect that government MPs will feel free to vote for the motion. On this issue, every individual parliamentarian has a duty to act.” Labor has discussed the proposal with the Greens but is yet to decide whether or not to back the motion, and the opposition has been publicly at odds over