Crossbench MPs re-establish Friends of Climate Action

Posted September 23, 2019

Members of the Crossbench – Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie and Independent MPs Dr Helen Haines and Zali Steggall – have re-established the Parliamentary Friends of Climate Action in the 46th Parliament.

Photograph: Parliamentary Friends of Climate Action Co-Chairs Rebekha Sharkie, Member for Mayo, left, and Dr Helen Haines, Member for Indi, and Deputy Chair Zali Steggall, Member for Warringah, met last week with UNICEF Australia Young Ambassadors Lachlan Arthur and Steve Muan who presented the UNICEF Australia Young Ambassadors 2019 report ‘A Climate for Change’. Climate change and its flow-on effects to wellbeing and safety were key topics in the report.

The group is Co-Chaired by Rebekha and Helen with Zali as Deputy Chair with the aim of providing a non-partisan forum for Parliamentarians to hear from experts on climate change science and policy.

Rebekha set up the first Friends for Climate Action in the 45th Parliament with the former member for Wentworth MP Dr Kerryn Phelps and said it was important to take the partisan politics out of climate action.

“No other policy issue has been plagued by such partisan attacks and the end result is two decades without any meaningful public policy action and reticence by the private sector to invest in Australia’s climate transition,” Rebekha said

"Climate action should be an issue that crosses the political divide. Managing risk is actually quite a conservative approach to take.

“This is where a group such as the Parliamentary Friends of Climate Action, chaired by independents, can play a part in providing a forum to listen to the experts.

“I am really pleased that our membership is multi-partisan.”

The group plans to host a launch in October.

Health and climate will be the theme with Australian Medical Association President Tony Bartone invited to be a guest speaker.