Images: Dr. Kerryn Phelps | Dave Sharma
Interim results of an exit poll indicate issues relating to climate change, coal and renewable energy played a significant role in the Liberal Party’s Wentworth downfall.
Wentworth, in the inner-metropolitan area of Sydney, is Australia’s second-smallest geographical electoral division at just 38km2 and has a population of just under 103,000. As far as seats go, they didn’t come much safer than Wentworth – the Liberals had held it for many years.
The ABC reports independent candidate Kerryn Phelps is still on track to win the Wentworth by-election from the Liberals – what remains to be seen is by how much.
An exit poll has so far revealed climate change and ditching coal in favour of renewable energy was the biggest single issue motivating Wentworth voters, with 78% stating it had some influence on their vote. Among voters for Dr. Phelps who had previously voted Liberal, 81% said climate change and abandoning coal had at least some influence on how they voted.
The exit poll was commissioned by The Australia Institute and undertaken by Lonergan Research.
“Prime Minister Scott Morrison once brought a lump of coal into Parliament, but his government’s climate-wrecking, anti-science stance has gone down like a lead balloon with the voters of Wentworth,” said Ebony Bennett, Deputy Director of The Australia Institute. “The Wentworth by-election was a referendum on climate change action and it’s clear now that voters are willing to punish the government at the ballot box for their love of coal.”
The Australia Institute also notes the ousting of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (who also previously held the seat) played an important role. TAI stresses its figures are indicative at this point and will be updated.
The Liberals appear to have taken ownership of the loss, but whether the Coalition will learn the lessons from it is another story.
Kerryn Phelps’ Stance On Coal And Renewables
On October 2, Dr. Phelps released details on what she will be pursuing relating to climate change, including:
- A transition to 100% renewable energy, with 50% reached by 2030.
- Restoring a credible scientific-based Climate Change Authority as the policy driver for decisions on climate change.
- No more new coal fired power stations.
- Ending government subsidies of new fossil fuel developments, which includes Adani’s Carmichael coal mine.
- Providing subsidies for investment in renewable energy sources from re-routed fossil fuel support.
- Ensuring Paris International Climate Agreement commitments are met or exceeded.
- Banning political donations by fossil fuel companies.
- The establishing of a register to compel all Senators and Members to disclose meetings with fossil fuel companies and their lobbyists.
“The Federal Government is dominated by climate sceptics and those who are not sceptics refuse to stand up for taking action on climate change for fear of retribution,” said Dr. Phelps. “That’s why we need a strong Independent voice who will stand up to Canberra.”
Further details of Professor Phelps’ Climate Plan can be viewed here (PDF).
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Dr Kerryn Phelps’ election win hopefully marks the beginning of a return to ‘common-sense instead of non-sense’ in Australian Federal Politics.
A Federal seat held by the Liberals for some 90 years or more, and considered one of their two safest in Australia has an incredible election swing of around 21% against it, which is maybe the biggest swing in any seat ever recorded in entire Federal election history in Australia,
What Doctor Phelps has achieved though is to highlight rather emphatically that unless the current Liberal Party politicians and their supporters get the message and get their act together esp in the area of climate change (but in a few other areas as well), the next full Federal Election could well wipe the Liberal-Coalition virtually out of political existence for a very long time.
So far, they don’t seem to have realised that. Their only public statements in response to the Wentworth result seem to be along the lines of (a) ”we need to have unity’ OR (b) its all Malcolm Turnbull’s fault because he didn’t campaign in Wentworth in support of his replacement, AND (c) Tanya Pilbersek, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party claimed that the only reason the Labour vote was ‘depressed’ (ie had declined as well) was because the people of Wentworth wanted to send a message to Scott Morrison.
Anyhow, the bright spot in all of this is that it’s a big plus for ‘renewables’.
It seems that Alaska is now accelerating its use of solar, as they estimate that it could generate up to 23% of that nations power requirements.
They won’t get the message because any talk of the “environment” in the Liberal Party is now viewed as treachery and indeed many fear retribution. Ignoring that the environment existed long before petty human constructs such as tribal or poltical identity (same thing, same warring behaviour).
Which is ironic because if any of these warring tribal “conservatives” actually bothered to read the Bible, they would notice a small passage in Revelations that quite clearly warns that God will destroy warring destructive empires, including those that destroy the Earth.
Yet they still insist on interpreting the Bible to suit their short term tribal interests not caring that generations will curse them for a million years. Long after their petty poltical wars are long forgotten, they will still be cursed by our descendents.
“We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty,
who are and who were,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
The nations raged,
but your wrath has come,
and the time for judging the dead,
for rewarding your servants, the prophets
and saints and all who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying those who destroy the earth”
You are right Ian. There are also one or two Old Testament examples of precisely that actually happening in history, with God saying very much the same thing beforehand.
Fascinating. When that eminent self-nominated and accomplished climate scientists in Parliament mention Genesis, they deliberately overlook that “Use as you see fit” is an interpretation, when the bit that our recent leadership-spill ring leaders who threw a big tantrum about the NEG etc all intentionally overlook – is pretty clearly stated here:
Genesis Chapter 2 v 15
“The Lord God took man and put him the Garden of Eden to work it and TAKE CARE OF IT”.
Why on Earth (sic) would God create something so magnificent to just hand it over to a bunch of warring tribes like our current “conservatives” to “Trash as they see fit”? – as the Young Liberal president recently argued on Big Ideas that any suggestion we should prioritise the environment is to fall victim to some irrational emotional “Environmental utopia” that would “ground planes and trucks and everything tomorrow”. Which is ironically the very emotional hysteria he accused others of.
It took 500 million years of (guided or not) evolution to get here, and it will take 30 million years to recover from these destructive warring tribes who currently inhabit our Parliament.
All, clearly on record, for all that time to be cursed, including by any Christian who actually takes time to read the Bible in depth.
All their names should be placed on a memorial for school children to clearly learn as examples of bad behaviour, when the Western Suburbs of Sydney become the new beachfront.
Jesus Christ Ian!
No Aaron, I am not the Messiah, I am just a very naughty boy.
Why what’s the problem.