Caleb Bond: The average Australian does not live on the green left … look at the last federal election to see that

The “Greta Thunbergs of SA” were never going to give David Speirs any credit anyway by virtue of the simple fact he’s a Liberal, writes Caleb Bond.

Good on Environment Minister David Speirs for calling out the “Greta Thunbergs of South Australia”.

How refreshing to see a South Australian Liberal tell it like it is rather than adhering to the moderate factional line.

And what a miscalculation from the opposition to pursue him on this when there are a hundred other legitimate blows they could land on the state government.

The “crazy leftie activists”, as Mr Speirs so accurately describes them, would be hounding him day in and day out. They all want a hearing about whatever whacko barrow they’re pushing.

But by virtue of the fact he’s a Liberal environment minister, he will never receive any credit for good work he does. And many of these activists – the Greta Thunbergs – are more interested in a fight than whether they are actually doing anything good for the environment.

You only have to look at the grey-haired types who keep gluing themselves to King William St.

I dare say they’re not giving up their BMWs and other accoutrements they enjoy in the eastern suburbs.

Environment Minister David Speirs with Freckles, Davenport MP Steve Murray and RSPCA president Rob Dimonte. Picture: Dean Martin

Mr Speirs said this: “Activists are unfortunately too busy gluing themselves to city streets and vandalising public and private buildings to recognise real, practical action when it is happening right in front of them.”

Hoo-bloody-ray. Finally someone with the guts to stand up to this mob.

His other sin was to say that “there’s a lot of noise and crap around climate change because all the ills of the world are put in the climate change basket by the left of politics”.

For all of this, the opposition tried to smear the comments as “incredibly embarrassing” and make him out to be some sort of climate denier.

But Mr Speirs has landed where most people think. They’re concerned about the environment but they’re not rabid.

They’re happy to support and look into sensible, measured and economically sound policies to slow global warming – but they’re not rushing out to buy expensive electric cars.

They look at Extinction Rebellion types and see them as nothing but an annoyance, interrupting them as they try to go about their lives and earn a living.

Sadly for the opposition, Mr Speirs doubled down and repeated his comments on radio.

Things often only become embarrassing once the supposedly embarrassed person admits they were a fool. It’s a classic political tactic – take something minor, make it big and try to extract an admission of guilt.

So when that did not work, they went after him for owning shares in coalmining company South32.

Again, they failed to land a blow. Almost all of us profit, in one way or another, from mining through our superannuation funds. The largest investment of the public service super fund, Super SA, is in mining giant BHP.

Extinction Rebellion protesters outside the office of Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Coal still provides a large proportion of this country’s energy and allows developing nations to provide the cheap and efficient power they need to lift themselves out of poverty.

The average Australian does not live on the green left and they are not interested in over-the-top do-gooders. You only have to look at the last federal election to see that.

Nor are they interested in deriding politicians for being honest. Even if their beliefs are far from our own, honest politicians are such rare beings that most sensible people respect them regardless of political differences.

Labor has a genuine chance of winning the next state election, but they will not do it if they pick these fights. They may play well to the Labor Left base, but those are not the votes you need to form government.

Marginal suburban seats such as King and Newland will not be stolen on the basis of environmental policy.

Less than half a year out from an election, the opposition needs to show more nous in its attacks.

And if Mr Speirs is not being considered for higher positions in the Liberal Party, then there can be no question that its faction troubles are out of control.