Sainsbury said it all

May 12, 2025

Peter Sainsbury said it all. I share his scepticism that Labor will get the job done, not just on climate but on preservation of nature as well. The only hope are the 11 Greens’ senators who may be able to hold Labor to account and force stronger action on both climate and environment.

We should remember that Labor never was an environmental party. Yes, Bob Hawke saved the Franklin, but possibly only because he read the mood of the national electorate. Almost always, however, if there is conflict between saving jobs and saving environment, Labor will go with the former.

Having said all that, we should give Chris Bowen credit for a number of initiatives such as the reformed Safeguard Mechanism, vehicle efficiency standards and the Capacity Investment Scheme. These are welcome, but there is a lot of low-hanging fruit they could quickly pick on efficiency and electrification that would not just help the climate, but also people’s hip pocket.

Let’s hope Bowen is able to exert his influence over the likes of Madeline King and the resources sector. We need someone of his ilk taking over the Environment portfolio as well.