Greens MP Adam Bandt has been pilloried for posting an image of smoke over Sydney on social media with the message “Why Tony Abbott’s plan means more bushfires for Australia & more pics like this of Sydney.”
Bandt’s critics ripped into him for taking advantage of bushfire victims for political gain, insisting this wasn’t the right time to discuss the cause of unseasonal fires.
So when is the right time?
A few years after the devastating Black Saturday fires, the federal government wants to scrap a price on carbon, with debate on saving $10 a week from power bills. Climate change and bushfires don’t even get a look in.
In 2007, the drought ensured widespread support for action on climate change. The dams have since filled so the issue is no longer in our apathetic faces. This is the time to discuss climate change.
