The Wills Climate and Environment Advisory Group (WCEAG) set up by Peter Khalil in June 2023 today resigned en mass due to the Federal Government continual approval of coal and gas projects. The approval of three thermal coal mines in NSW was the final trigger.

All of these people spent many hours earnestly endeavouring to highlight the complexities in the climate crisis and priorities for what needed doing to provide the best advice to Peter Khalil to use with Labor Government Ministers and in the Labor Caucus.

On 25 September over 50 constituents gathered outside Peter Khalil’s electoral office on a cold and wet day to voice outrage at the thermal coal approval to Peter Khalil, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and the Albanese Government.

This is the resignation letter signed by 18 members of the advisory group:

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Joint resignation of members of the Wills Climate and Environment Advisory Group

Dear Peter Khalil MP

We, the undersigned members of the Wills Climate and Environment Advisory Group (WCEAG) are writing to inform you that we are resigning from WCEAG, effective immediately. 

When the Albanese Labor government came to power in 2022 it had a strong mandate to act for the climate and the environment. Its stated commitment, as set out in the Climate Change Act 2022, was to be guided by the best scientific evidence and pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5C. We joined the advisory group, which you convened, because we expected that it would lead to a meaningful dialogue with you, regarding the decisive and urgent actions needed to avert the worst of the damaging impacts of climate change. 

It is our view that Labor’s current policy settings are inadequate (current emissions target), misguided (overly reliant on offsets and carbon capture and storage) and in need of review or insufficiently utilised (the EPBC Act & the Climate Change Act). Of particular concern is the contradiction between your government’s stated emission reduction targets and the fact that it continues to subsidise and facilitate new (and expansion) fossil fuel projects. 

Initially we thought that working with you could bring a better outcome. We engaged in the process of priority setting (as requested by you) with a high level of commitment. At the meetings that followed we provided official reports, media statements and arguments supporting the group’s priorities. We had hoped that by arming you with this information you would be able to add value to the government’s policy setting process and say your piece in caucus to get some sense. 

Instead over the past year, again and again, we have been dismayed and disappointed when:

• Labor’s Sea Dumping legislation, which relies on unproven carbon and capture   storage, passed (November 2023)
• New coal and gas projects approved on the eve of Christmas 2023  
• The Australia Institute exposed Australia’s dubious carbon credits system (23 January 2024)
• Amendments proposed to the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 aiming to exempt offshore gas projects from scrutiny under Australia’s national nature protection laws (22 February 2024)
• Santos Barossa pipeline and sea dumping approved (15 March 2024)
• Urgently needed reforms to the EPBC Act delayed (16 April 2024) and no Climate Trigger (first proposed by Anthony Albanese in 2005) in the draft legislation 
• Labor’s Future Gas Strategy announced (9 May 2024)
• Senex Energy’s Atlas Stage 3 coal seam gas project approved (26 June 2024)
• Exploration licences for gas off the coast of Victoria and Western Australia and 10 Carbon Capture and Storage permits released (24 July 2024)
• Three thermal coal mine extensions approved – Narrabri Underground, Mount Pleasant and Ashton-Ravensworth (24 September 2024)

So unfortunately while you might have been active, your achievements are not obvious to us. 

As far as we can see there is no evidence you have taken our concerns and information and used them to further effective climate action in parliament for the citizens of Wills. Consequently there is nothing to show for our efforts. The current climate crisis demands that we turn our energies to actions that give us greater hope.

Sincerely, 

(18 signatures)

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Climate Action Merribek Convenor personal resignation letter

The advisory group was established by Peter Khalil at a ‘networking’ event held at the Post Office Hotel on 23 June 2023, more than a year after the May 2022 Labor election win, and after pressure by residents to set up this advisory group. The Advisory body worked diligently for 15 months endeavouring to set priorities on issues and pass advice to him and his colleagues.

Below find the personal resignation letter by Climate Action Merribek Convenor, John Englart.

Resignation from Wills Climate and Environment Advisory Group

Dear Peter, 

I don’t like closing off avenues of communication but I am tending my personal resignation from the Wills Climate and Environment Group (WCEAG).

As Convenor of Climate Action Merribek I still expect the opportunity to meet with you as our Member of Parliament to make representations on behalf of the members of Climate Action Merribek.

As Convenor of Climate Action Merri-bek I advocated strongly for you to establish the Wills Climate and Advisory Group, but it took many months after your election before your office set in motion to establish this group. 

The advisory group set about diligently discussing the complex issues and priorities to put to you as our local Labor MP, in government and in caucus, and to engage positively with Labor Ministers. 

Other than the first ‘networking’ meeting at the Post Office Hotel, the meetings with you never seemed to be allocated sufficient time or of the frequency needed. Thus they were always rushed and sometimes failed to discuss less priority information or deeper complexities due to this. 

Members of the Advisory group were all concerned citizens, some of us with in-depth expertise, or bringing experience in niche areas. I brought my experience in attending 4  UN Climate Change Conferences and the international negotiations. Failure to engage with us in depth meant you never truly drew upon our wealth of knowledge and experience.

We wanted you to strongly represent the citizens of Wills with regard to ambitious climate action, like your predecessor, Kelvin Thompson, who worked with us and was an advocate and a champion on climate in Canberra. 

I was deeply concerned that you were never proactive on climate, and the statements you made always seemed begrudgingly reactive. 

I cite the statement you made on Adani which you gave to our group but never publicised on your own website or social media.(1) I also cite your recent Facebook post on limiting gas in the energy transition to the bare minimum after your Government put in place the Future Gas Strategy predicated on expanding gas extraction, especially for the export market.(2)

Wills citizens  were concerned at the election in 2019 about your support for gas infrastructure.(3) It appears little has changed with your advocacy or the position of the Labor Government.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s approval of three thermal coal mines is literally the last straw. Thermal coal needs to exit fast, and the science is clear, no new thermal coal mines should be approved. No matter that it may be for the export market. We all feel the consequences when this coal is burnt.

John Englart
Convenor
Climate Action Merribek

Notes

1. Climate Action Merribek, 16 May 2017, Wills MP Peter Khalil states that Adani mine should not go ahead https://climateactionmerribek.org/2017/05/16/wills-mp-peter-khalil-states-that-adani-mine-should-not-go-ahead/

2. Climate Action Merribek, 14 May 2024, Peter Khalil says role of gas should be limited, in response to citizen pressure https://climateactionmerribek.org/2024/05/14/peter-khalil-says-role-of-gas-should-be-limited-in-response-to-citizen-pressure/

3. Climate Action Merribek, 1 May 2019, Peter Khalil MP supports gas, backtracks on climate emergency message https://climateactionmerribek.org/2019/05/01/peter-khalil-mp-supports-gas-backtracks-on-climate-emergency-message/