Queensland is both a major contributor to the climate crisis and on the frontlines of some of its worst impacts. People in our community who lived through the 2022 floods (or the 2011 floods) know that only too well. We also know that fossil fuels are on the way out globally, and denying this is economic vandalism. 

After the Greens’ gains in the 2022 Federal Election, the Labor State Government finally agreed to increase its targets for renewable energy uptake and greenhouse gas emission reductions for the state. 

These are big steps forward after years of pressure from the Greens, unions, environmental organisations, business groups, economists and scientists… but there are a few big problems:

• They’re still approving new coal and gas, and have no plan to phase it out. 
• Their plan doesn’t include resources workers or emissions from fossil fuel exports. 
• Their targets aren't aligned with the science or the Paris Agreement. 

We have a responsibility to follow the science. And the science is clear: we can’t afford new coal and gas. To meet our Paris Agreement obligations and secure a clear future for Queensland, we need:

• 100% publicly owned renewables by 2030 and zero emissions by 2035
• No new coal, oil or gas, to phase out all fossil fuels, including exports, by 2030

We also need workforce planning to give fossil fuel workers and communities certainty and a fair deal, including localised retraining, redeployment and income guarantee plans for displaced workers. 

We need urgent action in Queensland to keep warming below catastrophic levels and give workers a fair, planned transition to a clean economy. 

Climate Bills I've introduced

During my first term as your MP I introduced a Bill that would have stopped the Adani coal mine and all other coal mines in the Galilee Basin. The Mineral Resources (Galilee Basin) Amendment Bill 2018 would support Australia’s commitments to help keep global warming below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels by 2100 by banning coal mining in the Galilee Basin. You can watch my speech introducing the Bill to Parliament here and read the explanatory notes to the Bill here.

In 2023, I introduced the Queensland Climate Transition Bill, which would have banned new coal, oil and gas projects, legislated stronger emissions reduction targets that are consistent with current science and the Paris Agreement, and created a new Queensland Climate Transition Authority, to consult and work with affected workers and communities on a fair transition plan as we phase out fossil fuel exports by 2030. 

You can find my speech introducing the Bill to Parliament here, read the explanatory notes here, and read the transcript of the final debate where the major parties opposed the Bill from page 97 here.