Oliver Lees
The Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group is calling for federal reform on environmental policy making following the release of a landmark study that found a majority of voters in every electorate in the country believe more should be done to tackle climate change.
The data released by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) surveyed eligible voters in every one of the nation’s 151 federal electorates, gauging their opinion on climate change and how it will impact their choices at the ballot box.
The data indicated that 67 per cent of the nation’s voters marked climate policy as important, including 28 per cent who consider it the most important election issue.
In the seat of Bendigo, 74 per cent of surveyed voters believe that new coal or gas power stations should not be a priority for the federal government.
The results also demonstrated that more than two thirds (71 per cent) of respondents in the Bendigo electorate believe the federal government needs to do more to address climate change.
Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group president David Gormley-O’Brien said the data busts the myth that progressive climate change policy is driven by the interests of urban voters.
“We’re not just talking about the inner city, avocado eating hipsters here, it’s a very wide demographic of Australians who are not supportive of what the government is doing,” Mr Gormley-O’Brien said.
“Even in the coal-mining electorates such as the Hunter Valley, a significant majority of voters do not support the government’s intention to build new coal and gas fired power stations.
“I think that the federal government needs to take heed of what the Australian population is telling them. There is also another warning from this for the Labor to not simply mirror the policies of the current government.”
Mr Gormley-O’Brien said he would like to see the federal government commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, a target which 121 United Nations member states have already set.
Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters was contacted for comment.
