The speech was due to be the leader's first major address to members since the May federal election,in which he would tell his party:"We need a Green New Deal."Due to mild complications with recent knee surgery,on Saturday,Greens co-deputy leader Adam Bandt will give the speech in Senator Di Natale's place.
The Green New Deal concept has already been approved by the federal Greens MPs,but Senator Di Natale wants to use the next 12 months to consult with Greens members,experts and the community to fill in the details. This is likely to be used as the party's policy platform ahead of the next federal election,expected in 2022.
The Green New Deal idea has existed in global political circles for more than a decade,but has recently beenbrought to new prominence by US Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. This week,the two announced a $US172 billion ($250 billion) plan to transform public housing in the US into energy efficient homes,creating about 240,000 jobs a year.
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Last month,Labor's Anthony Albanese used hisfirst major speech as leader to start talking about job opportunities on the"road to a low-carbon future"but also backed traditional jobs in coal mining.
"Our climate is heating dangerously,we have a decade to cut our emissions in half,"Senator Di Natale's speaking notes say,adding that inequality is also on the rise.
According to theCSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology,Australia's climate has warmed by just over 1 degree Celsius since 1910,leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events.