The climate crisis is reaching record levels of catastrophe

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion warning that accelerating global heating is driving record extreme weather and public health risks across Australia and NSW.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House acknowledges with alarm that the climate crisis has reached record levels of catastrophe, with communities across Australia experiencing the devastating effects of global heating in real time through intense heatwaves, bushfires, flash flooding and cyclones.

(2) That this House notes that:

according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service data released on 14 January 2026:
- the last eleven years were the hottest on record;
- for the first time ever in a three year period, average global temperatures exceeded the 1.5 degree threshold, the temperature threshold set by the Paris Agreement; and
- based on the current rate of global heating, the Paris Agreement’s limit of 1.5 degrees for long-term global warming could be reached by the end of this decade – over a decade earlier than predicted based on the rate of warming at the time the agreement was signed;
according to the World Weather Attribution, the heatwave that blanketed much of Australia in early January was five times more likely to occur now than before human-induced global heating changed the climate;
temperatures in some alpine areas across Australia have now exceeded 30 degrees for the first time;
residents of several cities and towns in NSW have endured several days of temperatures above 40 degrees, and parts of western NSW have been hit with near 50 degree temperatures;
in the last week, Wagga Wagga and Albury have had seven consecutive days at or above 40 degrees for the first time since 1939;
experts including the Climate Council and Doctors for the Environment Australia have warned that the extreme heat conditions devastating our communities is a public health emergency;
heatwaves cause more deaths in Australia than all other extreme weather events combined, and disproportionately impact older people, people with disability, children and First Nations communities;
Laurence Rouil, Director of Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, has publicly said that “human activity remains the dominant driver of the exceptional temperatures we are observing. Atmospheric greenhouse gases have steadily increased over the last 10 years. The atmosphere is sending us a message, and we must listen”; and
the Net Zero Commission has warned that NSW is not on track to meet its legislated emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2035, emphasising that continued extensions or expansions to coal mining in NSW are not consistent with emissions reduction targets.

(3) That this House calls on the NSW government to immediately step up and act to rapidly cut climate pollution, by making a commitment to cease approving new or expanded fossil fuel projects and accelerate clean energy, electrification and efficiency.

3 February 2026

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

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The climate crisis is reaching record levels of catastrophe

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

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