Senator Fatima Payman to push back on Labor's support for gas expansion
The newly independent senator says the energy transition needs to happen faster than outlined in her former party's Future Gas Strategy.
Newly independent Senator for Western Australia Fatima Payman has said she felt discomfort with Labor's gas strategy during her time in the party.
Payman told The Last Place on Earth that while she "couldn't be crossing the floor on everything," there were multiple issues she had felt disconnected from Labor on.
"One of the things that I've got issues with as a young person is the Future Gas Strategy," the 29-year-old Senator said.
"That transition that we want to see towards net zero by 2050, you can't be doing that with the current strategy.
"What I understand from when I was a Labor Senator is there's room and scope for that strategy to change, and so I'll be using my power to continue to change that, because I understand we can't switch off and turn on renewables tomorrow, but what we can do is make sure that transition happens faster, and it's more sustainable, and those people losing jobs in one sector are able to gain jobs and establish a livelihood in a different sector."
Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King announced the Future Gas Strategy in May. It said Australia will continue to be a "reliable trading partner" for gas and "new sources of gas are needed".
"The strategy makes it clear that gas will remain an important source of energy through to 2050 and beyond," King said at the time.
The International Energy Agency has previously said there can be no new oil and gas infrastructure if the world is to meet the 1.5-degree warming target established in the Paris Agreement.
Several Labor backbenchers, including Member for Fremantle Josh Wilson, spoke out against the strategy when it was announced.
"Let me be crystal clear in saying that climate change action requires fossil fuels to depart the scene in the course of a sensible and vitally important global energy transition," Wilson told the ABC.
Payman resigned from Labor in July after being suspended from caucus for voting for a Greens motion for recognition of Palestinian statehood.
She said those who criticised the gas strategy were allowed to speak out in a way she wasn't on Palestine.
"There were many members who were in marginal seats that actually spoke out ... and obviously, that's when the minister reassured that there's scope for changes and it's constantly being reviewed," she said.
"I feel like there was that room for them to criticise the government, and I just feel like yes, [while] it wasn't a piece of legislation [like] when I was advocating for the Palestinian recognition, it just would have been good to sort of receive that same treatment.
"It felt like they were getting special treatment because they were marginal seats, but as a backbench senator, my job was apparently just to be invisible and do as I was told."
Payman is currently travelling throughout regional Western Australia on a 'listening tour' to meet with local communities.
UPDATE 03/08: On the new episode of The Last Place on Earth podcast, hear our full interview with Senator Fatima Payman, where she speaks about the Future Gas Strategy, how pressure from pro-Palestine student protesters led her to quit her party, and her time in Labor.
Gerard Mazza
Related coverage:
Gerard Mazza
