Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Environment policy

Mr HAYES (Southern Metropolitan) (12:49): I do not know, President, if you have seen the movie Don’t Look Up, a satire that is supposedly a comedy yet is surprisingly telling. A review says it ‘nails the frustration of being a scientist’, and it relates to this government because despite public outcry about inadequate environmental policy, the government continues to do little too slowly. Will it need mass species extinction and more environmental catastrophes like more bushfires and floods for the government to accept that its overall environmental direction is wrong? ‘To delay means death’ is the message from a recent UN-backed report—more floods, more fires, more intense heatwaves and more frequent extreme weather events. Last year our species extinction inquiry reported collapsing ecosystems, habitat destruction, decreasing biodiversity, declining tree canopy, the urban heat island effect and signs pointing to mass species extinction, yet the Victorian government ploughs on with its relentless removal of trees and reduction of open space, pouring more and more concrete, expanding housing and industries out into farmland and bushland, clearing native vegetation and allowing forests to be destroyed. This is just not good enough. We need aggressive, innovative and responsible policy. We are on a catastrophic course. The government is not doing enough. We need new, clean, innovative industries. The environment needs urgent attention and must be prioritised in all decision-making. We cannot just keep putting it last.