Monday 13 January: A host of well-known Australians have signed an open letter written by four young people including Anjali Sharma, urging the Federal Government to legislate a Duty of Care to young people and future generations.
In the letter (attached) sent to Prime Minister Albanese, and Ministers Anne Aly, Chris Bowen and Tanya Plibersek, more than 50 individuals and organisations call urgently on the Federal Government to acknowledge the disproportionate impact that climate pollution will have on future generations, and to reflect this in legislation. These individuals include Lucy Turnbull AO, businesswoman and wife of former MP Malcolm Turnbull, John Hewson, Craig Foster, Peter Doherty, Emma McKeon and Grace Tame.
It comes after Copernicus confirmed that 2024 is the first year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. These prominent Australians join the group of young people who have been calling for this Duty of Care, resulting in a private Senator’s bill being tabled to this effect by Senator David Pocock in 2023. A government-chaired Senate Committee recommended this bill not pass.
The letter, written by Anjali Sharma, Jess Travers-Wolf, Hannah Vardy and Daisy Jeffrey, emphasises that there is no domestic legislation mandating the protection of the health and wellbeing of current and future generations in the face of climate change. This is despite the knowledge that climate pollution is already harming Australians, and will cause further harm with the escalating frequency and severity of climate disasters.
Anjali Sharma, an author of the letter, said
“The lack of legislation acknowledging the disproportionate impact of climate change on future generations, despite widespread knowledge of this fact, is a betrayal of the young people of today and tomorrow. We must legislate against a short-term view and legislate for a world where the health and wellbeing of young people is a paramount consideration in the face of climate change.”
Jess Travers-Wolf, an author of the letter, said
"Climate change is the defining challenge of my generation and those to come. It is deeply intertwined with the issues young people face today - from cost-of-living pressures to the housing crisis. At its core, the climate crisis is driving and amplifying these challenges. If political leaders are serious about addressing the everyday struggles of young people, they must act decisively by implementing legislation that safeguards our generation and those that follow from the growing impacts of climate change."
Hannah Vardy, an author of the letter, said
“Australia has a responsibility to its children and future generations to protect them from the impacts of climate change. Young people and those yet unborn will face the brunt of a climate more unstable and more ferocious then ever before, alongside a multitude of other intergenerational crises. If the government is serious about leaving behind an Australia we can all be proud of, they should recognise this Duty of Care through legislation.
Daisy Jeffrey, an author of the letter, said
“The life of a child born today will undoubtedly be defined by climate change. To legislate the proposed Duty of Care would mark the first step towards safeguarding that child’s future. This Bill presents an opportunity for the political parties to do that all-too-rare thing: look to the long term — and decide what kind of future they want to leave to their kids.”
The Pacific Elders Voice, a signatory to the letter, said
"The significant effects of climate change on vulnerable populations, especially children, have been extensively reported by organizations such as the IPCC, WHO, and UNICEF, among others. This issue is particularly pronounced in impoverished communities, including indigenous populations, small island nations, and developing countries. It is the responsibility of national leaders to enact appropriate legislation that safeguards the interests of future generations. Failing to take action at this critical moment threatens the fundamental principle of intergenerational equity, unfairly imposing the consequences of environmental crises on children who bear no responsibility for their origins."
The Australian Primary Nurses Association, a signatory to the letter, said
“The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) recognizes the intrinsic connection between a changing climate and the health of our patients. As the peak organisation representing all nurses across Australia who care for people in the community, keeping them well, at work and living a quality life, APNA wholeheartedly supports climate change legislation to safeguard the health and wellbeing of current and future generations.”
Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO, a signatory to the letter, said
“If we need legislation, (as the High Court indicated in its judgement), to make it clear governments owe a duty of care to our children and future generations when making decisions about the world and climate they will live in then we must do it. We are custodians of their future. We have to think of their wellbeing and their future.”
John Hewson, a signatory to the letter, said
“It is a very sad commentary on the poor state of governance and politics in our country that there should be any doubt about a government’s responsibility to recognise a duty of care to safeguard the health and well-being of future generations of Australians, especially in relation to climate change. This should surely be a “no brainer”? Even more embarrassing has been the willingness of Sussan Ley as Minister for the Environment in a previous LNP government being prepared to contest this responsibility in the courts, and that as a consequence it is now necessary to seek to have parliament legislate this responsibility.
In this regard, with a federal election imminent, all candidates should be challenged to express their position on the issue and whether they would support the introduction of enabling legislation as a priority in the next parliament.”
Greg McConville, National Secretary of the United Firefighters Union of Australia, a signatory to the letter, said
“Our advancement as a society, as a country, and globally is dependent on the wellbeing of future generations. Legislating a duty of care is an investment in that future. We owe it to the youth of today and the generations of tomorrow to make that investment in their development as tomorrow’s leaders.”
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Contact details:
Anjali Sharma - 0447 161572
Jemimah Taylor - 0478 924 425