Kelvin Thomson describes himself as a keen environmentalist and naturalist; and as an MP he has been strongly anti-nuclear, pro sustainable population, and pro-action on climate change. In 2011 and 2012 he was prominent in leading opposition inside the Australian Federal Parliament to the export of live cattle and sheep for meat. In October 2012 Thomson's call for a ban on political donations by developers received backing from the Melbourne "Age". In 2012 he voted against the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill. In 2017 he was awarded the