Parliament Calls on Government to Take Climate Change Seriously
MEDIA RELEASE 16/04/26
Independent Member for Clark, Helen Burnet MP, has successfully moved a motion in Parliament calling on the Government to demonstrate renewed leadership on climate change by appointing a dedicated Minister for Climate Change.
The motion, Ms Burnet’s first as an Independent, was passed with the support of Labor, the Greens and all Independent Members other than Mr Di Falco.
Ms Burnet said the abolition of the Minister for Climate Change portfolio in 2024 sent the wrong message at a time when the risks and costs of climate change are escalating.
“The Minister for Climate Change portfolio was originally created when Premier Gutwein appointed himself to the role, recognising that climate change requires whole-of-government leadership,” Ms Burnet said.
“Scrapping this role and burying responsibility within another portfolio undermines the seriousness of the challenge and weakens accountability.”
The motion also called attention to the findings and recommendations of the most recent Independent Review into the Climate Change Act, a statutory review that occurs every four years to assess whether the Government is meeting the Act’s objectives of reducing emissions and supporting adaptation to a changing climate.
While the Government moved swiftly to act on the recommendations of the 2021 review—resulting in amendments to the Act in 2022—Ms Burnet noted that the Government has failed to respond to the most recent review, which was delivered to it in December.
“More than four months on from receiving the report, the Government has done nothing—no response, no action and no indication of its intentions,” she said.
The motion called on the Government to table a formal response to the Review by 13 August 2026, clearly outlining how it will implement, or respond to, the recommendations.
The Independent Review raised serious concerns about the State’s emissions trajectory, warning that Tasmania’s net zero status could be placed at risk due to rising emissions in sectors such as agriculture and persistently high emissions from transport. It also highlighted a lack of coordinated, statewide climate adaptation planning, with much of the burden falling on local governments without sufficient support, resources or recognition from the State Government.
“The report makes it clear that adaptation planning is fragmented and inadequate,” Ms Burnet said. “Local councils are being left to manage increasingly severe climate impacts without the backing of a coherent state framework.”
The Review’s primary recommendation is the establishment of an independent Climate Change Authority to oversee implementation of the Act. The proposed authority would provide independent advice, lead sector-based emissions reduction planning, oversee adaptation efforts, monitor progress, and report transparently to Parliament and the public.
“This kind of independent body would bring rigour, accountability and evidence-based decision-making—exactly what is missing from the Government’s current approach,” Ms Burnet said.
Ms Burnet stressed that climate change is no longer just an environmental issue.
“It is increasingly an economic issue—and rapidly becoming a cost-of-living issue,” she said.
“We are seeing the impacts through higher fuel and electricity prices, rising grocery costs and increasing insurance premiums all directly attributable to climate change. And it’s the most vulnerable that will suffer the most”.
“Climate change cuts across every area of government and must be central to decision-making, not treated as an afterthought.”
Ms Burnet also expressed concern about the decision to move climate change to the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment – a department which this Government starves of funding.
“Parliament has spoken clearly,” Ms Burnet said. “The Government must now step up, take climate change seriously, and provide leadership worthy of the challenges we face.”
Media contact: Niall Harden
0478 029895