Lucy Turnbull, Grace Tame Sign Joint Letter for Climate ‘Duty of Care’

Wind turbines at sunset in Albany, Western Australia, on Nov. 4, 2024. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

Climate activists and prominent political figures are demanding a legal duty of care to protect future generations from climate change.

The call comes despite the Labor government pushing back against a climate duty of care bill in December, following a Senate report recommending it not pass parliament.

The new letter was signed by Australian climate student activist Anjali Sharma with the support of Lucy Turnbull, activist Grace Tame, Nobel laureate Peter Doherty, and independent Senators Lidia Thorpe and David Pocock.

The letter states young people deserve “nothing less” than a duty of care in the face of climate change and claims 2024 was the “hottest year on record.”

“We are waking up every day to news headlines of climate-related emergencies such as shattered temperature records, bushfires, floods, and heat waves impacting new corners of the Earth,” the letter states.

“Climate catastrophe is no longer an abstract concept or a far off possibility—we are watching it take hold of the world we love, the world we will soon be required to create our lives within, the world we must soon lead.”

The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen, said there were no laws in Australia mandating the “protection of the health” and wellbeing of young people.

“We call on you to acknowledge your duty of care to us. We call on you to ensure that the decisions you make today are made with our health and wellbeing at the forefront of your minds, and that this is guaranteed by law,” it says.

The climate letter was also supported by Parents for Climate, Save the Children, Unicef Australia, Australian Primary Nurses Association, Climate Action Nurses, the Human Rights Law Centre, and Doctors for the Environment Australia.

Student activist Sharma has previously sued the Australian government to prevent the expansion of a coal mine in Sharma v Minister for the Environment.

Lucy Turnbull is the wife of former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and a former Lord Mayor of Sydney.

Committee Says Climate Health Impacts Too Hard to Define

In June last year, the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee rejected the prospect of a climate change duty of care bill, while accepting the “detrimental” health effects of climate change.

“The committee recommends that the bill not be passed,” the report (pdf) stated, after Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2023 was referred to the Committee.

The Committee noted the extensive work done by Labor to deal with climate change, but also pointed to the difficulties with considering the “emotional, spiritual, and cultural health” impacts of climate change.

“The ability to measure and quantify these abstract elements in relation to approving a proposed project was highlighted as a shortcoming of the bill.

“The committee is concerned that the lack of detail and instruction in the bill’s provisions would make it difficult for decision makers to interpret and adhere to the proposed duty.”

The Bill, initially put forward by independent Senator David Pocock, amends the Climate Change Act 2022 to require decision makers to consider the health and wellbeing of children.

Government Says Bill Not ‘Fit For Purpose’

In December 2024, the Labor government made clear it supports the Senate Committee’s findings.

“The Government agrees with the committee’s conclusions in the majority report that the Bill is not ‘fit for purpose’ and that it would not effectively achieve its stated aim. Accordingly, the Government agrees with the Committee majority view that the Climate Change Act 2022 should not be amended as proposed by the Bill,” government said (pdf).

The government argued the bill shifted responsibility for emissions reductions to individual project approvals, rather than enabling the government to set emissions targets via legislation.

In a post to X on Dec. 22, independent Senator David Pocock claimed the major parties “don’t want” a duty of care because it would mean putting Australians ahead of the fossil fuel industry.

However, NSW Libertarian Senate candidate Craig Kelly responded saying Australia’s efforts will have little impact on global emissions.

“Australia’s mindless pursuit of net zero is futile, pointless and destructive. And net zero puts short term political interests ahead of Australians and our nation’s future,” Kelly added.

He said the only duty of care Australian authorities owed its people was to educate them on the real science of climate change.