Vote Climate!: Who Has Environmental Policies?

There is a strong focus on the environment and climate change this Australian Federal Election - as there should be! So, who should you vote for if you care about the environment and climate change action?

There are a number of great resources you can use to find out which parties have environmental policies and which parties’ views align with your views when it comes to the environment and climate change.

We are not going to advocate one party in particular, but we do advocate doing your research and using your vote to vote for a party that will be taking action against climate change and investing in and improving the environment, rather than one that will continue to keep its head in the sand and only do the minimum when it comes to the environment.

Australian Conservation Foundation’s Scorecard

The Australian Conservation Foundation, which is Australia's national environment organisation, has scored the parties by analysing their policies “against 50 key tests covering renewable energy, phasing out coal, stopping Adani's coal mine and protecting nature”.

You can see how they score here. Or you can take a quiz to see how your views align with the parties’ views.

The Vote Compass

The Vote Compass is a tool that has been developed by political scientists that allows voters to explore how their views align with those of the candidates. You enter your postcode to get your electorate and then answer questions on how you feel about certain policies, how likely you are to support certain parties in general and how trustworthy you find certain politicians.

Once you have answered all the questions, your results are depicted in two graphs, one showing how you fit in the political landscape and the other showing how much you agree with the parties. You can also compare the parties on particular issues such as the environment.

Commitment to New Environmental Laws

According to Environmental Justice Australia, which is self-described as “the environment’s legal team”, although Bill Shorten said he supports stronger new environmental laws and a new EPA as the environmental watchdog in December 2018, the Australian Liberal Party has “not released a detailed election commitment”. In comparison, the Australian Greens have committed to new environmental laws, a national EPA, and an end to deforestation, while the Liberal Party has “remained silent on the matter”.

The Waste Election?

While the upcoming election is being hailed as the climate election, a lot of policies on waste are also being put forward, which we are obviously extremely happy about! Zero Waste Victoria has investigated the policies on waste for the upcoming federal election and you can read what the organisation found and check out its table detailing each party’s waste policies here.

Please be mindful of who you vote for this election. Do your research and make your vote count as a vote for the environment.