HON ALISON XAMON (North Metropolitan) [6.19 pm]: I rise to acknowledge that WA has done one of the best jobs in the world of dealing with the public health impacts of COVID-19. We have seen people’s trust and approval in government at both federal and state levels rise dramatically as a result. I have to say that was partially because it has been, I think, very clear that governments have been acting in the best interests of people and not corporations. Unfortunately, we have also seen and continue to see the enormous financial and emotional impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on many members of our community. We have also seen the fallout of the virus and public health interventions and the way they have disproportionately affected vulnerable people. We have seen services reduced for people such as homeless people, who most need government and community services and, unfortunately, that has put them more at risk of catching the virus. I think we have also shown that if we want to, the political will is there to respond quickly and according to the best science presented at any given point. We have also shown that we can cooperate across many of the lines that we have ordinarily drawn between us when there is a very clear and very present need.
This is not the only crisis that exists within our lives at the moment. We remain in the middle of the climate crisis, and at the beginning of the very last opportunity to reduce that change to something that we can potentially live with. We know that we need to reduce our emissions around eight per cent year on year from now until 2030 and to make our way rapidly to net zero by 2050. We are hearing from our business community, scientists and economists that now is the time to take urgent action to deal with climate change. We know the economy will need a massive kickstart from government to enable us to do that. We know that the community wants the government to set the policy that brings us out of this economic downturn; the cries for which are becoming louder and louder every single day. The appointment of the State Recovery Controller, Sharyn O’Neill, the Public Sector Commissioner, and commitment to a government-led response coordinating with a wide range of community sectors clearly acknowledges this.
However, I want to urge the need to keep the long-term implications in mind while we take these urgent steps towards economic recovery. I am concerned that the temptation to throw in with large corporations that are offering us business-as-usual solutions will be high. Although it might be quicker and cheaper to follow the lead of the large corporates, especially the large fossil fuel companies, I will be very clear that letting them buy their way back into grace with short-term jobs will pose significant other risks. No-one wants the Chevrons of the world to be setting post-COVID policy. We have already seen that Chevron could not be trusted to look after even its own staff. I remind members that earlier this month, Chevron flagged that it will let go 600 staff here in Western Australia, despite profits of over $US3.4 billion worldwide.
I do not think we should be looking to those corporations to look out for our most vulnerable people. Even though that temptation exists and we have relaxed many rules to make it easier than ever to let these big donors get what they want, we know we cannot return to business as usual. We will have to make sure that we address the case of climate change the way we have addressed the issue of COVID-19. We need to make sure we do so with an understanding of the science, the promise of building a better future than the one we have been making and, most of all, with a focus on the people of Western Australia. I believe this is an opportunity for us to make a very important turning point, and I will certainly be looking keenly to see which direction governments of both persuasions, federal and state, choose to take.