Anyone who understood the dangers ahead from Climate Change would despair that any of our political leaders can prepare the nation for the shocks we can expect. And what are they?
Recently Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty singled out climate change as the top security issue of the century. "We could see a catastrophic decline in the availability of fresh water. Crops could fail, disease could be rampant, and flooding might be so frequent that people en masse would be on the move. Even if only some and not all of this occurs, climate change is going to be the security issue of the 21st century. It's not difficult to see the policing implications that might arise in the not-too-distant future."
How does a nation of 18million withstand invasion by millions of people trying to survive? Climate Change is about National Security. We must prepare for it as we would prepare for war.
My urgent priorities as Member For Parkes would be:
1. Audit all services for disaster response capability in unprecedented extreme weather events. How do we respond to a disaster like the Newcastle floods if it was multiplied across the state or accompanied by several other disasters in other locations? Do we have the emergency services infrastructure we will need in the new era of Climate Change?
2. Prepare local communities for weather events that cause loss of access to essential services. Will people who think food comes out of a supermarket be able to provide for themselves if we have a breakdown of transportation and distribution systems after a natural disaster like Cyclone Katrina?
3. Encourage local production and distribution of energy and food products. Aim for self sufficiency in essential services.
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