Tech giant Atlassian will encourage its 3500 employees to take part in this month's global strike for climate action in a move it hopes will reverberate through corporate Australia.
The firm's billionaire co-founder, Mike Cannon-Brookes, said companies had to take their share of responsibility for the "climate crisis" and warned Australians in particular could not rely on governments "at all" to address the problem.
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| Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes says Australians can't rely on government "at all" on climate change. Credit: Steven Siewert |
Millions are expected to walk out of work or school on September 20 as part of "Strike 4 Climate Action" – inspired by 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl and activist Greta Thunberg – to demand global action on climate change ahead of a major United Nations summit in New York the following week.
A dozen other firms will support staff who wish to take part in the strike, including fossil-free superannuation fund Future Super, which will shut its doors on the day, and reusable coffee cup company KeepCup. Atlassian employees can use part of the week's leave they receive each year to do charity work.
Mr Cannon-Brookes said Australia had "no credible climate policy whatsoever", noting carbon emissions continued to rise despite the Morrison government's insistence it will meet its 2030 targets under the global Paris Agreement.
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"Politicians can try to put whatever spin on it they want," he said, referring to Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor's recent explanation that emissions increases were due to growth in liquefied natural gas exports. Mr Taylor in June said the figures did not acknowledge Australia's contribution to lowering emissions in other countries through exports of LNG, which creates fewer emissions than coal.
"I was very amused by the spin that absent that - the increase in LNG exports - [emissions] would have gone down," Mr Cannon-Brookes said.
Coalition ministers have previously criticised student climate strikes and corporate activism. Resources Minister Matt Canavan warned striking students would only learn "how to join the dole queue", while Mr Dutton said it was "unacceptable that people would use companies and the money of publicly listed companies to throw their weight around".
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| School strike 4 climate Church backs climate strike for its 10,000 students
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"Corporations have to deal with it; they have to deal with their own impact and their own footprint as companies," he said.
"It's a crisis that demands leadership and action. But we can't rely on governments alone - sadly, in Australia, we can't rely on them at all."
Mr Dutton has previously suggested chief executives wishing to debate "moral issues" such as same-sex marriage should "become a politician, resign your job at $5 million a year, come on to $250,000, if they can tolerate that".
But Mr Cannon-Brookes rejected the idea of entering politics. "I'm a little too honest for that. I'd be a rubbish politician," he said.
In addition to supporting the strike, Atlassian will screen Damon Gameau's climate change documentary 2040 at its offices in Sydney, San Francisco and Austin.
Links
- Church backs climate strike for its 10,000 students
- 'No other way': Student climate activist Greta Thunberg's strike call
- Global Climate Strike Sep. 20–27
- School Strike 4 Climate Australia
- FridaysForFuture
- Climate change protest will lead to dole queue, minister tells students
- Australia's greenhouse emissions set new seven-year highs on gas boom
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