Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

The problem is that you have not increased the target. You have talked about it. The problem is that two years ago the other side talked about a 20 per cent target and we are now 18 months in, at death’s door. They did not introduce the legislation a year ago; they did not introduce the legislation six months ago; they did not introduce the legislation during the Budget sitting; they did not introduce the legislation three weeks ago—last Wednesday it came in. We were willing to debate, to work, to push, to find a way through. We committed to passing this legislation if there was real discussion, but what do we see – it is not listed until the final day of sitting in the financial year and that is a year late and even then it comes on at 2 am in the middle of the night. We do want a 20 per cent target; we do want to work with you on that; we do want to see the legislation passed. Unfortunately it is very hard to pass legislation which is not actually debated in the Parliament of Australia. So those are the impediments to a clean energy future.

Finally—and this brings me to the fourth element—this bill, this day, this moment is a positive thing and I congratulate the government. It builds upon that which we have done in terms of creating an enabling environment for carbon capture and storage. It is a significant step forward, and when people from either side of this chamber take that significant step we should all have the good grace to acknowledge it.

I think it is a good bill. I do not walk away from that. It builds on work which had previously been done, but it falls within the broader great global challenge—and I return to my beginning of 40 billion tonnes of CO2 and half of that coming from fossil fuel sources—the creation of stationary energy. As we bring the developing world out of poverty there is a grand, historic objective with a terrible paradox. My response is that we will work towards a global clean energy compact. This bill is an important part of Australia’s contribution.

There are impediments—seemingly little things—but with real human consequences and poor environmental outcomes such as the abolition of the solar rebate program and the solar remote program and the delays to the renewable energy legislation. But we will solve all of those, and we will work towards a clean energy future. That is why I am delighted to support the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Legislation Amendment Bill 2009 and the cognate bill.

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