Vaile campaign a ‘symptom of climate wars’: Labor

Chris Bowen says the activist campaign that forced Mark Vaile out was ‘symptom of climate wars which Joyce and the Nationals want to keep going’.

Mark Vaile AO would have been the eighth Chancellor of the University of Newcastle. Picture: Supplied.

Opposition energy spokesman Chris Bowen says the activist campaign that forced Mark Vaile to quit as University of Newcastle chancellor was a “symptom of the climate wars, which Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals want to keep going”.

Mr Bowen said while he was not aware of the exact details of Mr Vaile stepping aside at the university, the campaign from green groups against his appointment highlighted the division created from a lack of government policy.

“This sort of action is a continuation of the climate wars, which should stop. We should have good climate policy,” Mr Bowen said. “This is a symptom of the climate wars, which Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals want to keep going.

“I don’t want to see the climate wars keep going.

“I want to see a good climate policy and I want all of corporate Australia to be involved in that good corporate policy.”

Mr Vaile — who served as John Howard’s deputy prime minister from 2005 to 2007 — bowed to growing pressure on Monday and will no longer become the university’s chancellor, with academics, climate activists and philanthropists attacking him over his role at Whitehaven Coal. Education Minister Alan Tudge said on Tuesday it was “very concerning that he has been forced to turn down this role because of ideological pressure”.

“At a time when we are trying to promote and enforce free speech and academic freedom on campus, we should not have a very competent person forced out of an important job because of this ­cancel culture,” Mr Tudge said.

Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said the issue was a matter for Mr Vaile and the University of Newcastle.

“The university and Mark Vaile have made a decision. I don’t have a further comment on it,” Ms Plibersek told The Australian.

Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon said there was a “new McCarthyism” in demonising people who work for fossil fuel companies.

“By demonising him because of his association with the coalmining industry, they are demonising every person … the tens of thousands of people who work in the coalmining industry and in relating sectors,” Mr Fitzgibbon told Sydney radio 2GB.

“Today it’s the coalmining industry. But tomorrow, it will be the oil, gas and refining sectors, and then maybe they’ll move on to meat processing and wool because, you know, the animal rights activists don’t like those either. So this is a bit of a slippery slope.”

In an op-ed in the Newcastle Herald last week, the former Nationals leader noted that he was also chairman of Pacific Palisade Partners – “an organisation that has $1bn of assets under management in wind and solar energy technologies”.