Former Liberal MP Julia Banks is joining Climate 200, stating that her collaboration in an advisory capacity was motivated by the need of significant action on climate change, integrity in politics and gender equality.
“By the time of the election, this government will have lost another three years to act on these three profoundly important fronts,” she told the Guardian.
“Some Coalition backbenchers say, for example, that they think the government should commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but when it comes to the crunch they vote exactly the same way as Barnaby Joyce and Craig Kelly.
“We are now approaching a lost decade on climate change and significant action by the major parties is being stymied by powerful minorities inside their ranks as well as powerful business interests.”
Ms Banks joined after being approached by activist Simon Holmes a Court of Climate 200.
She said that it was “especially timely” given the government’s response to the landmark Respect@Work report by Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins.
There has been disappointment in the Australian government’s failure to act as far as sexual harrassment in the workplace is concerned, with a key recommendation of the inquiry being a duty to be imposed on Australian employers to prevent harassment.
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Ms Banks commented on government’s failure to adopt the recommendations, and the insertion of the word “seriously” to segregate the types of harassment that would be outlawed, stating that it reminded her that Prime Minister Scott Morrison “no more understands the seriousness of sexual harassment than he really believes in the crisis of climate change”.
Ms Banks had not recontested her marginal seat of Chisholm in the elections of August 2018, blasting “cultural and gender bais, bullying and intimidation” of women in politics”
She said that voters were more prepared to back independents because of the frustration they felt with major political parties.