Greens leader tells the Lowy Institute Australia should develop an independent foreign policy that made poverty and climate change priorities

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, has accused the Turnbull government of failing to understand that global warming is a bigger threat to Australia’s national security than terrorism.



In an address due to be given at the Lowy Institute on Tuesday, he also criticises Australia’s bid to be on the UN human rights council, asking how the country can provide any leadership when “our own house is not in order”.

If Australia wanted to be a “confident and courageous country” it must start developing its own foreign policy, independent of the United States, his speech says.

And Australia’s foreign aid should be increased to a minimum of 0.7% of gross national income by 2025, because the “best investment” in national security was to alleviate poverty in the region.

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Di Natale’s speech – who has been Greens leader for just over a year – says Australia is in the middle of “an unprecedented retreat” under the Turnbull government. Commitments on human rights, asylum seekers, foreign aid, global warming and clean energy investment have all gone backwards in recent years, he says.

He says the Greens are the only party that understands the threat to national security from global warming, while also recognising that Australia can harness its vast reserves of renewable energy for great opportunity.

Last week senior Labor figures accused the Greens of making a preference deal with the Liberals after the Victorian Liberal president, Michael Kroger, indicated his willingness to preference the Greens over Labor.

Labor’s Anthony Albanese, who is being challenged in his Sydney seat of Grayndler by the Greens, accused them of agreeing to issue “open tickets” without any preference recommendations in numerous marginal seats, mostly in Victoria, in exchange for the Liberal party preferencing the Greens ahead of Labor in some inner-city seats in Melbourne and Sydney.

Di Natale ignores the row in his Lowy Institute speech, saying only that he would work with “whoever is in government” to reap the potential that Australia’s energy exports and technology transfer programs held for the new economy.

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“We need a government that understands our collective economic future is clean and green, or it is no future at all,” he says. “There are great opportunities for an Australia that capitalises on this vision – as one of the sunniest and windiest countries in the world, Australia can lead the transition to a clean energy powered future.

The Greens are calling for global diplomatic efforts towards an international agreement on how to respond to people displaced by global warming, he says.

He suggests Australia should start issuing a special form of humanitarian visa for such people.

“No matter what strategy is deployed, given the slow pace of global negotiations set against our rapidly changing weather systems, the Greens would like to see plans put in place for this process and planning to commence now – there is no time to waste,” he says.