13th May 2021, 12:30 PM – Senate Motions - Climate Change - Stop funding fossil fuels

The majority voted against a motion introduced by WA Senator Jordon Steele-John (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) we are in a climate emergency and need to rapidly reduce emissions to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels,

(ii) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that 'We can no longer afford big fossil fuel infrastructure anywhere',

(iii) International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol has said that 'We have no room to build anything that emits CO2 emissions', and

(iv) the Budget contains $1.18 billion in public subsidies for new coal and gas including:

(A) $263.7 million for carbon capture, use and storage,

(B) $173.6 million to help build roads for the gas industry in the Northern Territory,

(C) $30.0 million for Australian Industrial Power to build a 635MW gas fired power station in Port Kembla, and

(D) $15.7 million for gas industry field appraisal trials in the North Bowen and Galilee basins; and

(b) calls on the Australian Government to phase out fossil fuel subsidies and end public funding for new fossil fuel infrastructure.