Greens vow to use balance of power to push Labor to be ‘better’

Sarah Hanson-Young has left the door open to the Greens using its numbers in the Senate to block Labor’s agenda to push for stronger action, declaring voters handed the minor party the sole balance of power to act as a ‘backstop’.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Picture: Martin Ollman

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Sarah Hanson-Young has left the door open to the Greens using its numbers in the Senate to block Labor’s agenda to push for stronger action, declaring voters handed the minor party the sole balance of power to act as a “backstop”.

With the Greens holding an effective veto over Anthony Albanese’s legislative ambitions, Senator Hanson-Young vowed to use the power to push Labor to “be better” and hold the government to account ahead of the return of parliament on Monday.

The Greens’ manager of business in the Senate and environment spokeswoman signalled she was open to using the party’s numbers in the upper house to push Labor to introduce stronger protections and a climate trigger as part of environment law reforms.

The Greens have 10 senators, meaning the Prime Minister would be able to pass legislation using Labor’s 29 seats with only the minor party’s support.

Asked if the Greens were prepared to block Labor’s agenda to push the government to take bolder action on key issues as it did in the previous term with housing reforms, Senator Hanson-Young did not rule it out.

“We’ve always taken the approach that we look at what the government is putting forward, and we have a responsibility to see how that can be improved, and hold the government to account,” she said.

“That’s what people put us in the Senate for. They know that we will stand up for the things that really matter, whether that’s the environment and climate or the welfare of everyday people.

“This government does not have a majority in the Senate for a reason. It’s because the Australian people didn’t want to give it to them. They’ve given the government a majority in the house and they’ve put us there as a backstop, as insurance, and we take that seriously.”

Senator Hanson-Young wants environmental protections boosted.

Senator Hanson-Young said she would push Environment Minister Murray Watt to bolster environmental protections and implement a climate trigger as part of a revamped Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

“It’s quite clear that by 2025 the existing laws are not working, they’re massively out of date and they’re not fit for purpose,” she said.

“They’re effectively approval laws, not protection laws, and the whole environment act needs a rewrite to put environmental protection front and centre, and it must include the protection of critical habitat and a climate trigger, or climate considerations.”

Senator Hanson-Young said a climate trigger could take a range of forms and she would be open to discussing options with Senator Watt, pointing to former Treasury secretary Ken Henry’s calls for global warming to be considered as part of project approval.

“The old saying is: ‘It’s the economy, stupid.’ Well, I say: ‘It’s the environment, stupid.’ It’s front and centre,” she said.

She pointed to the toxic algal bloom causing mass marine life death in South Australia as proof of the environmental catastrophe the nation faced, calling for an urgent federal response to the crisis.

Senator Hanson-Young urged Labor to work with her party on environmental reforms rather than the Coalition, vowing to adopt a “constructive approach”.

“We will take each piece of legislation, we’ll review it, we’ll consider it, we’ll scrutinise it, we’ll ask all the important questions and we’ll see how we can improve it,” she said.

“I take a constructive approach, but I take a very firm approach, and there’ll be no rubberstamping for an arrogant government.

“But there will be the opportunity to get good outcomes and better outcomes if the government is willing to negotiate.”

Senator Hanson-Young rejected commentary that the party had been punished at the May 3 election for straying from its core mission of environmental protection and climate action by focusing on the Middle East conflict.

Ahead of planned rolling pro-Palestine protests at Parliament House during the first sitting week, Senator Hanson-Young dismissed criticism of the Greens’ approach during the previous term.

“I don’t put much weight in that type of commentary, that’s a narrative created by our opponents,” she said. “The key rule in politics is don’t take your opponent’s advice, and I won’t be.”