Launch of bill

Last year, when overturning their prior decision that governments owed young people and future generations a Duty of Care to protect them from the impacts of climate change, the Federal Court gave the following reason for doing so:

“A duty that calls up such questions should not be imposed [by the judiciary]: It is one of core, indeed high, policy-making for the Executive and Parliament involving questions of policy.”

In essence, the court found that it wasn’t their job to impose a Duty of Care, but that this responsibility lies with the Parliament, if they wish to do so. Today, alongside David Pocock, I launched a Bill to put this into action.

This bill is a momentous piece of legislation, which would impose a duty on law-makers to hold the health and wellbeing of young people and future generations as a paramount consideration when making decisions that could affect the climate. It is a testament to the work of young people around the country, who have campaigned tirelessly for climate decisions to reflect their reality, and the reality projected for their future. 

The government of today rode into power on promises of caring for our climate, of promising a safe and livable future for my generation. Legislating a Duty of Care can be a major part of achieving this, if they embrace it.

We call on all parliamentarians to throw their support behind the bill for a Duty of Care.