Rallying to demand Malcolm Turnbull take climate change action

Thousands of residents of the Wentworth federal electorate will rally in Sydney’s Double Bay on June 26 to demand Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull take greater action on climate change.

The rally, which will face across the bay towards Mr Turnbull’s private residence, is organised by a coalition of environmental and political groups, including Greenpeace, GetUp!, and the Nature Conservation Council, whose members are outraged about the recent coral bleaching event at the Great Barrier Reef and a sense Mr Turnbull has failed to live up to expectations on climate change.

“Abbott-Turnbull government has killed climate science.”

“Malcolm Turnbull must act on climate change to prove he’s no climate fizza,” said Wilderness Society national director Lyndon Schneiders. “The Great Barrier Reef is dying on Mr Turnbull’s watch and yet his government sticks to its inadequate direct action climate policy.

“The Abbott-Turnbull government has killed climate science, getting rid of the Climate Council and sacking CSIRO climate scientists.”

Members of the Labor Environment Action Network and Wentworth Labor community will be at the rally, supporting local Labor candidate Evan Hughes.

Speakers will include Great Barrier Reef dive operator Tony Fonts, CSIRO scientist Michael Vorgas and Dr Kate Charlesworth.

Mr Turnbull is already facing a battle in his seat, with support dropping 10 per cent, from a first-preference vote of 63 per cent to 53 per cent, according to ReachTel poll at the start of June.

Wentworth is a hotspot for public debate around climate change, and despite being held by the Coalition, has one of the highest penetrations of environmental groups and GetUp! membership in the country.

GetUp! environmental justice campaigns director Sam Regester said: “Since coming to power, Malcolm Turnbull has disappointed en masse.

“He can’t protect his own electorate from global warming.”

“People thought he would take global warming seriously, but he’s basically been Tony Abbott with a way better suit.

“Mr Turnbull’s beach- and harbour-side electorate is vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surges.

“If he can’t protect his own electorate from global warming, something he proclaimed to be a champion on, how can any of us have any confidence he’ll protect the Reef, our farmlands, stand up to the coal industry or any of the other things he has glibly proclaimed?”

The Liberal-National government was elected promising to dismantle the carbon emission trading scheme and implemented the direct action climate policy, which has been widely criticised as being unable to reach Australia’s carbon emission reduction targets as agreed to at last year’s COP21.

Labor leader Bill Shorten has promised to implement a carbon emissions trading scheme, reduce carbon emissions by 45% on 2005 level by 2030, employ 50% renewable energy by 2030 and target net-zero emissions by 2050.

Labor Environment Action Network is coordinating rally participants.

This article originally appeared in the Labor Herald.