Federal election 2019: Ex-Liberal leader John Hewson endorses SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young

A South Australian Greens Senator has found some unexpected support from the opposite side of politics.

A Greens Senator has found some unexpected support from the opposite side of politics.

Former Liberal leader John Hewson has endorsed South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young for the federal election, describing her as rare leader on climate change.

“Sarah Hanson-Young is one of the few in our parliament who has a genuine commitment to decisive and urgent climate action — a leader when so many lag,” Dr Hewson said.

Dr Hewson led the Liberal Party from 1990 to 1994.

Former federal Liberal leader John Hewson has endorsed SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

He has given Senator Hanson-Young his endorsement in a newspaper advertisement today. The pair have bonded over concerns Australia is not doing enough to deal with the impacts of climate change.

In 2011, Dr Hewson was among 140 Australian community leaders who pledged support for an emissions trading scheme, despite the fact the Coalition and its leader Tony Abbott opposed the so-called carbon tax.

Senator Hanson-Young said she was incredibly grateful for Dr Hewson’s support, describing him as a leader on climate action.

“We are fast running out of time to act on dangerous climate change,” she said.

Senator Hanson-Young, who is expected to battle it out for one of the final two spots up for grabs in SA with One Nation and Centre Alliance, said the election was the most important of her lifetime.

“We only have a decade to take drastic action to reduce pollution before it’s too late,” she said. “I want to leave a stable climate for my daughter and all our children.

“With so much at stake this election, people are thinking beyond their traditional political allegiances and voting for genuine climate action.”

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has declared climate change as one of the biggest concerns for voters during this election campaign.

Dr Hewson’s endorsement is pitched at traditional Liberal voters who feel the party has not done enough to address the issue of climate change.

In 2013, former prime minister, the late Malcolm Fraser, backed Senator Hanson-Young’s advocacy on refugees and human rights.

He said: “I’ve known Sarah Hanson-Young for a long while. She is a voice of sanity and decency and humanity in relation to asylum seekers.”

In 1993, Dr Hewson lost what many had described as “the unlosable election” for the Liberals, handing Paul Keating a record fifth consecutive Labor term at the 1993 election. Losing next week’s election would tar Mr Shorten with a similar brush.