Australian federal and state governments have approved a wave of fossil fuel developments over the past six weeks, sparking accusations Anthony Albanese and other leaders are “gaslighting” the public – claiming they take the climate crisis seriously while pushing up emissions.

Peter Dunn, a former commissioner of emergency services for the Australian Capital Territory, says the Albanese government is “trashing its integrity” and has “lost their licence to lead, days after the election”.

Dunn, a member of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action who lived through the 2003 Canberra bushfires and the catastrophic 2019 fires at Lake Conjola on the New South Wales south coast, is furious about the government’s decision to greenlight Woodside’s extension of the North West Shelf gas processing plant.

“I’m bloody angry, bitterly disappointed, and I see a government that I was really hopeful for doing great things trashing its integrity,” he says.