Climate policy takes back seat as parties focus on other election issues

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Climate change was seen as a decisive factor in helping to elect a climate 200-backed independent in Western Australia’s most affluent electorate. But this time the topic’s have been largely absent from the campaign of either Kate Chaney or her Curtin Liberal challenger, as other more pressing issues dominate discussions.

Transcript

00:00OK, let's go. What a beautiful morning.

00:05In the most marginal teal seat in the nation, campaigning gets underway early.

00:10Thank you so much. Thank you Matthew, give us a high five.

00:15This electorate was Blue Ribbon Heartland Liberal for almost all of its existence,

00:21but it turned teal last election with Kate Cheney's campaign focused heavily on climate change.

00:27At this election, vote like our future depends on it.

00:32A lot of people popping by, giving us the special nod, saying that climate is a big motivator for them.

00:39During that campaign, about 60% of her ads on Facebook and Instagram mentioned the issue.

00:45This time it's around 6%, a shift reflected among voters, including via ABC Vote Compass data.

00:52Everything has just got more expensive, harder to live.

00:55We don't do enough in this country, I don't think, in sustainable energy.

00:58For me it would be education.

01:00Probably the cost of living, if anything, just obviously everything going up.

01:05That's become a very immediate focus for people.

01:08But I don't think it changes the underlying need for good long-term thinking

01:13that will affect things like inflation, but also climate change.

01:17Morning Paul. Good morning Tom. How are you mate?

01:20Her challenger, former Uber executive Tom White, has also noticed climate becoming less of an issue.

01:26As you'd expect, more fundamental hip pocket issues are confronting people.

01:31It is a public policy problem, but we have many public policy problems.

01:35And we can't be overly distracted by one thing at the expense of others.

01:39Traditionally a Labor voter, Kelvin Fewings, has felt his own priorities shifting.

01:43It's still a pressing issue in my mind, but it's not as pressing because it's not right in your face.

01:48It's hard to worry about next week when you don't know about the next day as a metaphor, you know.

01:52Millions of dollars is being spent trying to win this seat.

01:55A lot of it landing in the letterboxes of voters out there.

01:59Kate Cheney's material has really been focused on what she thinks she can add to the political debate.

02:04While the Liberals have had a little bit of that, they've also been trying to highlight what they see as the risk of electing an Independent.

02:11It hasn't really surprised me that the Liberal Party has chosen to have a campaign that's really about billboards and personal attack ads.

02:18And I think that's exactly the sort of politics that people are sick of.

02:21I understand that people are tired of the negativity in politics.

02:25It's almost a cliché to say that, I totally get it.

02:28But also part of the political process is to scrutinise the choice that people face.

02:35As the end of the race nears, both are also pitching their focus on the big issue.

02:40We've got these national challenges that we need to deal with, like housing and productivity, tax reform, climate.

02:50These are the things that Federal Government should be focused on.

02:53We don't have good answers to where the next tranche of economic growth is coming from in Australia.

02:57My prescription would be address that underlying challenge, attract investment to the country organically.

03:04An electorate accustomed to influence, hoping to hold some whichever way the election falls.

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