We’re already electing a “citizens’ assembly”, Julia – on August 21

The citizens’ assembly that Australians actually get to vote for.

So: the climate change issue is now resolved for the election.

If you want to gamble the planet, because it’s not like we’ve only got one and we’ll be stuffed if we wreck it, if you think climate change policy is best designed at the behest of the independent thinkers in the biggest polluting industries, vote Liberal.

If you think that the figures are concerning, and that we should make real efforts to move energy production over to new technologies to reduce our (otherwise growing) impact on the planet on which we depend for our continued existence and comfort, vote Green.

And if you’ve not only been unable to form any opinion as to which direction we should move on the subject but would like to leave whatever the decision is to other people whose names haven’t been announced but who will supposedly represent the “community” despite the fact that we’re not going to vote for them; if you’d like your representatives in parliament to be the sort of cowards who can’t make up their minds on what most of them concede is one of the most serious issues of our time – then by all means, vote ALP.

Fortunately it’s a secret ballot, so nobody will know you voted for them.

ELSEWHERE: Bernard Keane:

So blatant is Labor’s refusal to lead that it raises serious questions about its fitness for government. The only problem is that the alternative is an economically-illiterate party whose leader doesn’t believe in climate change at all, but who insists on wasting $3b on the most expensive possible means of addressing it.

What a choice, two major parties incapable of leadership and unfit to govern.

So tell people about their other choices, then. The only way to get rid of the woeful duopoly is for people to STOP VOTING FOR IT.