Sadly, the people here who have no idea about science (even though they trust it in all areas that don't undermine their preconceived conceptions, arbitrarily invented by conservatives to protect their mates with mining interests) are perfectly correct in regards to climate change as a political issue.
Which is one reason why democracy, despite being the worst political system except for all the others, may end up destroying modern civilisation.
Climate change is a real concern to many people (the main concern in an otherwise pretty comfortable modern existence for many of us). But it has not captured the imagination of swinging, or "soft" voters.
It is, as Abbott said, a moral issue in wealthier areas, but not an issue likely to concern "working suburbs" where fears for the basics of a sound economy reign.
Policy to limit the damage of climate change will obviously be opposed by the wilfully ignorant, but the job of progressives in Australia (not in many parts of the world, where conservatives are well on board as well, and the issue is whether direct intervention or market driven solutions are best) is to properly sell the urgent need for action on climate change.
In that regard, the scoffing here of the rusted on conservatives is perfectly valid. Shorten did a very poor job of selling the need for action on climate change, and Get Up also did a very poor job (except maybe helping unseat Abbot, who was out of step with his electorate anyway).
Shorten was also, I agree, a poor choice as leader. The character assassination from blatant abuse of the tools of the state from Abbott may have helped build upon a distrust of Shorten, but his own hand in killing two PMs already meant he was damaged goods. Though Dutton didn't seem to get the same sort of punishment as Abbott or Shorten in that regard.
When a man who is celebrated for his role in locking up children, who can parade coal through parliament like a toy to mock the most serious threat to our grandchildren imaginable, can win when our economy is stagnant and his party of old white men has spent years attacking itself, is the biggest indictment of the progressive parties imaginable.
Like with Trump, the progressives can't just wait for their opponent to trip over. They have to clearly articulate the threats of inaction on climate change, and the danger of a world driven by xenophobia. And then they have to offer a clear alternative and a vision for a better future than the war and terror we face at the moment.
