Between COVID, the situation in Afghanistan and the latest IPCC report on climate change, it's been particularly hard to find hope in August. But there are some bright spots amongst the shadows.
By Adam Bandt
The news has felt relentless in August, with escalating COVID cases haunting the eastern states, urgent evacuations from Afghanistan, and the dire environmental warning in the IPCC report on climate change.
For Australian Greens this is also a month that we farewell Rachel Siewert from the Senate and Greens Party Room after an incredible 16 years service. We're going to miss Rach so much.
But the future's looking bright, too. Yamatji Noongar woman Dorinda Cox enters the Senate race in WA bringing with her a wealth of experience campaigning against domestic violence. In inner Melbourne, Sonya Semmens will square off against sitting Liberal member Katie Allen in Higgins, a key seat that could go Green following an electoral redistribution. Allen is a doctor, whose advice on climate and health has been routinely ignored by her colleagues in cabinet.
The collapse of Kabul after decades of imperial military intervention
The scenes coming out of Afghanistan in the last fortnight have been nothing short of horrific.
More than 70,000 Afghan civilians have been killed in the last two decades of imperial military intervention in Afghanistan. But you wouldn't know that from the speeches made by Liberal and Labor MPs in parliament this week that have barely mentioned the suffering of the Afghan people, or the paltry 3,000 temporary protection visas the government offered to people fleeing for their lives.
Following the swift withdrawal of troops, it comes as no surprise that decades of unrest and discontent have fortified a serious and violent threat in the Taliban.
Greens offices around the country have been working around the clock assisting Afghan families to flee the country and reunite with loved ones in safety.
But it's not enough. The Greens are urgently calling on the government to offer permanent protection visas to all Afghan citizens at risk of persecution by the Taliban, on top of our humanitarian quota.
These places could save the lives of female leaders, human rights advocates, LGBTQI+ people, journalists, former Australian university students, religious and ethnic minorities persecuted by the Taliban, and of course the various translators, diplomats and other experts who worked alongside the Australian army in good faith, and will now suffer for that work.
The IPCC report: code red for humanity
At the beginning of the month, against the backdrop of floods in Europe and China and fires in Greece, came the report that almost every climate activist and expert was expecting.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report confirmed three main points: climate change is happening, human activity in burning fossil fuels is causing it, and we can stabilise the climate if we change our behaviour.
But what the report stresses is that there's literally no time left to waste. If we want to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, we have to cut emissions by 40-60% on 2005 levels by 2030, and net zero by 2050.
That's a lot more than the feeble 28% emissions cut that Scott Morrison's government has committed to.
And if we don't succeed? Exceeding 1.5 degrees will leave the Great Barrier Reef unrecognisable. Widespread and sustained drought, extreme weather events, and catastrophic bushfires will become the norm.
Every molecule of carbon that stays in the ground helps. It makes efforts like blocking the fracking in the Northern Territory Beetaloo basin even more urgent.
But the most important takeaway from the IPCC report is that all is not lost. Every tonne of CO2 we avoid emitting makes a vital difference, and this election will be key to guaranteeing Australia goes further and faster on climate.
Farewelling Senator Rachel Siewert; welcoming Dorinda Cox
This month we farewell the inimitable Rachel Siewert as she prepares to leave the Senate. Over the last 16 years, Rachel has been a fierce and fearless advocate in parliament for people doing it tough.
Rachel has been instrumental in fighting for a fairer income support system and led the campaign to increase Newstart and Jobseeker in parliament.
She fought punitive measures imposed by successive governments on vulnerable people in our community, including cuts to single parenting payments, the Northern Territory Intervention, the cashless debit card and work for the dole.
She chaired and referred the robodebt debacle to senate inquiry in 2017 and 2019, campaigned for a Royal Commission into the abuse and neglect of disabled people, and was a driving force behind the forced adoptions inquiry and was instrumental in securing a National Apology to mothers and their children.
Even in this small sample of her achievements, it's clear that Senator Siewert has been one of the most dedicated and hardworking members of parliament, and her passion will be sorely missed. You can watch her farewell speech here.
As one champion departs, another steps up to the plate.
Dorinda Cox is a proud Yamatji Noongar woman, a mum to two daughters, an anti-domestic violence campaigner and former police officer with over 20 years' experience working in government and non-government sectors at the local, state and national levels.
Dorinda has been preselected as the lead Senate Candidate for the Greens (WA), and I can't wait for her to join us in parliament.
Hero image: IMTFI/Flickr.
