Polling commissioned by 350 Australia and Move Beyond Coal has found that Australians are on the side of common sense and science – they want our Environment Minister to stop approving coal and gas mines, and fix our climate laws with the urgency this crisis requires.
National polling shows that the overwhelming majority of Australian voters want climate change to be taken into account in Australia’s national environmental laws. The polling comes as the Federal Court is this week examining whether the Environment Minister should have to take into account the impacts of climate change when making decisions on new coal and gas projects.
- A majority (55%) of all voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines
- More than three quarters of Labor voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines
- Nearly a third (30%) of Liberal voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines
- A majority (51%) of undecided voters think that Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines
Australian voters want the Environment Minister to do her job and protect the environment. It’s a disgrace that our Environment Minister is denying climate science and arguing that it is not her job to protect Australia’s environment from the climate harm of new coal and gas projects. Australians overwhelmingly support changes to national environmental laws that ensure the climate impacts of projects seeking government approval are properly assessed.
- More than two thirds (70%) of voters agree that Australia’s national environmental law should take climate change impacts into account, with a majority of voters (51%) strongly agreeing. Only 1 in four voters (25%) disagreed.
- Support for national environmental laws to take climate change impacts into account was highest from Labor voters (91%), slightly higher than Greens voters (90%)
- A majority (51.7%) of Liberal voters support national environmental laws taking climate change impacts into account.
- Two thirds of undecided voters (65.8%) support national environmental laws taking climate change impacts into account.
- Only 5% of Labor voters disagreed with national environmental laws taking climate change impacts into account.
In Tanya Plibersek’s own electorate of Sydney, her constituents agree:
On national environmental laws taking climate change into account:
- More than eight out of ten voters (81%) agree that Australia’s environmental law should have to take climate change impacts into account.
- More than nine out of ten (95%) Labor voters agree that Australia’s environmental law should have to take climate change impacts into account.
- Nearly eight out of ten (77%) undecided voters agree that Australia’s environmental law should have to take climate change impacts into account.
On approval of new coal and gas projects:
- More than two thirds (68%) of voters think Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines
- Eight out of ten (80%) of Labor voters think Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines
- More than half of undecided voters (56%) think Australia should stop approving new coal and gas mines