I’ve been thinking a lot about Cathy Wilcox’s recent cartoon showing politicians stuck “down in the sensible centre” on climate policy, and the heated discussion it’s sparked online. The image perfectly captures something that’s been gnawing at me for months - this idea that somehow threading the needle between climate action and economic pragmatism is the mature, responsible position.

The thing is, I get it. I really do. Politics is messy, compromise is necessary, and bulldozing through unpopular policies is a great way to hand power back to people who’ll actively make things worse. But when I see Albanese approving new coal and gas projects while simultaneously talking about Australia’s renewable energy future, something doesn’t add up. It’s like watching someone put out a house fire with one hand while pouring petrol on it with the other.