First Nations leaders from the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area are calling on the Federal Government to expand their climate adaptation to more than sandbags and sea walls, in the wake of last week's Federal Court ruling.
Justice Michael Wigney ruled that the Commonwealth does not have a duty of care to protect Australians from climate change, bringing an end to the landmark class action brought by Torres Strait Islander Elders Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai.
The Mayors of Torres Shire Council, Torres Strait Island Regional Council, and Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council, released a joint statement saying the decision was deeply disappointing for the region.
"It is not just a legal outcome, it is a moral failure to acknowledge the lived realities of communities on the frontlines of climate change," the joint statement said.
The mayors said they support the landmark advocacy launched by Pabai Pabai and Paul Kabai in the Australian Climate Change Case and the grassroots leadership that placed their communities at the heart of a global conversation about climate justice.
Torres Strait Island Regional Council Mayor Phillemon Mosby, Torres Shire Council Mayor Elsie Seriat and Northern Peninsula Area Mayor Robert Poi Poi.
"We need climate legislation that recognises our custom, our culture, and our tradition, now and into the future.
"Our people are not expendable.”
Mayor of Torres Strait Island Regional Council Phillemon Mosby said it was time for legislation to support communities who are at the front line of climate change.
“Our ancestors are buried in these islands," he said.
"Our culture is lived on these shores.
"Rising seas are not just eroding coastlines, they are eroding our history, our identity and our ability to pass knowledge to the next generation.”
The mayors are urging the Commonwealth to expand its approach to climate adaptation, saying it must go beyond sea walls and sandbags.
They are calling for investment in preservation of sacred and cultural sites; protection and transmission of cultural knowledge and customs; and support for the continuation of traditional practices.
"The Torres Strait and Northern Cape is not just a remote region – it is a front line, and what happens here matters for all of Australia," their statement said.
NPA Regional Council Mayor Robert Poipoi said their region stands with their Torres Strait brothers and sisters.
"Climate change doesn’t recognise boundaries and neither should our response," he said.
"The North is unified in this fight.”
An Albanese Government spokesperson said they were focused on "continuing to turn around a decade of denial and delay on climate, embedding serious climate targets in law in the interests of all Australians."
"We’re on track to achieve our ambitious but achievable targets of 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030," the spokesperson said.
"But we know there is always more to do.
"We are finalising Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan to build a more resilient country for all Australians."
