What Garrett is interested in is hope. And he’s really hoping the current government will reconsider its decision to approve energy giant Woodside\u2019s expansion of the North-West Shelf,<\/a> which he argues was a \u201creally poor decision\u201d. At a time when the world is facing a growing threat from climate change, this project will see methane gas extracted until 2070, making it one of the nation\u2019s biggest polluting projects.<\/p>\n When it comes to tackling the issue of global emissions, he believes Australia has the potential to be a world leader again, as it did by supporting the formation of the United Nations in 1945 after World War II, and ratifying the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to phase out harmful emissions that were creating a hole in the ozone layer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not a small nation \u2014 in economic strength, we\u2019re just short of Russia. Particularly in our region, we\u2019re a middle-sized to large power, and certainly we\u2019ve got the intellectual, financial, and political resources to be a force for good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Garrett thanks ‘genuine Aussie patriots’ for standing in front of bulldozers<\/p>\n Garrett was in Cairns this week to speak at the Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA)<\/a> conference in Cairns, which brought together more than 400 land managers and owners, government policymakers, researchers, business and industry experts, and Indigenous leaders to debate taking local action to find global solutions<\/a> to protecting and restoring nature. During his half-hour keynote speech, he reflected on the campaign to protect the Daintree Rainforest as a national park.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are grateful to these genuine Aussie patriots,\u201d he said of those who lay in front of the bulldozers, facing arrest to protect the wilderness from housing developers.<\/p>\n Today, a \u201ckey issue\u201d in tackling biodiversity loss<\/a> and climate change<\/a> is the declining level of public enthusiasm to better look after the environment. And while most Australians no longer live in the bush, and are only exposed to nature during holidays, barbecues, and visits to the beach, he said their support is crucial.<\/p>\n “All bets are off until the climate is stabilised and fossil fuels quit at speed. So we know we are in a bona fide climate emergency, and we also know it’s high time we acted accordingly,” he said.<\/p>\n His concerns about the need for the world to do more to tackle climate change are shared by scientists and conservationists, including Professor Tim Flannery<\/a>, Dr David Suzuki<\/a>, and the late Dr Jane Goodall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Peter Garrett addressed hundreds of conservationists at the ALCA conference in Cairns. Source: ALCA<\/p>\n Garrett’s secret to remaining hopeful<\/p>\n Sitting in a back room at the Cairns Convention Centre after his speech, 72-year-old Garrett admitted to not having the energy he once did. But he claims to have always had \u201cvery low threshold goals and aims\u201d, and he\u2019s never been someone to set a forward agenda.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of unhappiness in projection, psychologically, and there\u2019s a lot of unhappiness looking over your shoulder and saying what if, if only, or I could have. But they\u2019re not in my language,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Thinking about why he remains hopeful, he takes a moment to think back in time, something he doesn\u2019t often do unless he\u2019s sitting alone in the desert or the bush. What comes to mind is a song he collaborated on, Minutes to Midnight, which was released in 1987 when many feared nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate quoting myself, but \u2018Hope is what you say and do\u2019\u2026 I don\u2019t elevate hope as being something that you need to be able to exist or get by. Some people probably do need that, but maybe my genetic disposition is that it\u2019s just a part of how I think and feel about things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, there are times when you look out and think, it looks pretty ordinary, and there\u2019s some tough hills, but that\u2019s always been the case with humans.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: Jane Goodall labels destruction of Australia’s Lee Point as ‘disgusting’<\/a><\/p>\n Peter Garrett said Midnight Oil were never a \u201cpropagandist band\u201d they just performed rock songs about issues they were passionate about. Source: Getty<\/p>\n Midnight Oil fans change attitudes over the years<\/p>\n When it comes to advocating for the environment, Garrett does this by speaking to strangers in the same way he would if he were having a yarn with his mates.<\/p>\n Back when he\u2019d play to crowds of thousands as the lead singer of Midnight Oil, singing social justice classics like Beds are Burning or Blue Sky Mine, there was a misconception that the band was trying to change the hearts and minds of the audience. He’s adamant they were never a \u201cpropagandist band\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were there to say what we felt, and what our feelings were about something, and it was up to people to decide whether they wanted to keep coming back and listen to more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s fascinating is to see the evolution over time\u2026 where people, when they were younger, may have rejected half of what you were saying and singing about, and then at a later stage in their life when they\u2019d settled down a bit or had kids, they come back and say, actually I sorta get what that song\u2019s about.<\/p>\n As a musician, Garrett wasn\u2019t worried about whether people agreed or disagreed with his point of view. And when he was tapped on the shoulder to become environment minister in 2007, his focus was on making decisions without bias that were in line with the law. And despite facing relentless criticism from right-wing shock-jocks, he enjoyed his time in politics.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got double thick skin\u2026 I would have stayed longer if I could,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n Garrett’s hope for the Albanese Government<\/p>\n Garrett is hoping the Albanese Government will rethink its pathways to reaching its important emissions reduction targets for 2035 and 2050.<\/p>\n Because it has continued to approve new fossil fuel projects during its 3.5 years in office, he thinks it\u2019s \u201chighly unlikely\u201d it will reach them. He warns that technical financial gimmicks like offsets and improving productivity with the help of AI are not the answer.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only way we\u2019ll reach our targets is by getting out of fossil fuels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to transition out of them, of course. You\u2019ve got to take into account employment and the social impact. But the alarm bells are so clear, the warnings are as loud as they\u2019ve ever been from scientists, and they\u2019re getting louder.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should future generations of Australians suffer because the current generation of politicians aren\u2019t willing to make some strong decisions in favour of the environment?\u201d<\/p>\n Woodside\u2019s North-West Shelf was approved by the current environment minister Murray Watt. Source: Getty<\/p>\n Garrett’s favourite place on Earth<\/p>\n Garrett never even wanted to succeed in the music charts, and despite his philanthropy, he doesn’t want to see his name on a building. At a time when oligarchs and billionaires rise in power, and some dream of living forever, Garrett scoffs at the idea.<\/p>\n “I think that\u2019s Joker\u2019s card, that one. I don\u2019t get the idea of immortality, it\u2019s vanity, it\u2019s shallow, it\u2019s deep narcissism. You can call it what you wish,” he said.<\/p>\n “When it\u2019s your time, it\u2019s your time, you\u2019ve run your course. Whenever that happens, it happens.”<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing he now wants to personally “achieve”. Because he doesn’t see his life in terms of individual successes.<\/p>\n “Others make those judgements. I\u2019m not drinking my own Kool-Aid. I\u2019m tough on myself. Or I try to be,” he said.<\/p>\n Garrett has spent decades advocating for the protection of the environment. The hills that surround his home on the NSW South Coast are one of the most creatively inspiring places for him today. But when it comes to his absolute favourite place to spend time, the well-travelled musician\u2019s answer eludes to a concept that’s more about people and a feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s with family, with my bestie, wherever that may be,” he said.<\/p>\n “But outside. There\u2019s definitely a tree. Maybe a little bit of an aspect. And if it\u2019s winter, there might be a small fire around. There could be a billy boiling. I\u2019d be very happy.”<\/p>\n Future generations face more severe and frequent extreme weather. Source: Getty<\/p>\n Love Australia’s weird and wonderful environment? \ud83d\udc0a\ud83e\udd98\ud83d\ude33 Get our new newsletter<\/a> showcasing the week\u2019s best stories.<\/p>\n![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/79cff410-a5c4-11f0-b8cf-ec8f749c723d.jpeg\"\/)
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