Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency) Share this | Hansard source

I rise, of course, to also offer an address-in-reply to the speech delivered by the Governor-General during the official opening of the 43rd Parliament. As noted by Her Excellency, the configuration of this parliament poses challenges not experienced in our Commonwealth for seven decades. It has facilitated a need for renewal and change that we are witnessing and has prompted the formation of the Gillard government through an agreement with the Greens and two Independents.

The Gillard Labor government are determined that, through strong leadership, consultation and a common-sense approach to public policy, we will deliver more for the people of Australia. At the forefront of the government’s priorities is the need to ensure that the economy remains flexible and strong. We are committed to sensible fiscal measures that will see the budget return to surplus by 2012-13. Our economic reform agenda includes changes to the nation’s taxation system together with amendments to business regulation and superannuation. Proceeds of the proposed mineral resource rent tax will fund cuts to business tax, enable a rise in the superannuation guarantee levy from nine to 12 per cent and allow for ongoing investments in infrastructure to help drive national productivity and growth. All of this will broaden our economy so that more people can benefit from the country’s prosperity regardless of where they live.

The ongoing rollout of the National Broadband Network is also very important. It will help expand economic opportunities in regional areas and improve service delivery in important service areas such as education, health care and small business. Making high-speed broadband available across this country will markedly lift productivity.

The Gillard government has also committed to addressing cost-of-living pressures faced by many families. The new Paid Parental Leave scheme comes into effect from 1 January next year. Under that program eligible working parents of newborns and adopted babies will receive 18 weeks parental leave pay at the federal minimum wage. That is a historic achievement by this government, and it is something that in my former work as a trade union leader I worked very hard to achieve. We have increased the childcare rebate as well to 50 per cent. The education tax refund will extend to cover the cost of school uniforms, and family support payments are set to increase by up to $4,000 a year for teenagers enrolled in school or vocational training.

As the coalition becomes clearer in its yearning for a return to Work Choices, the government will stand by its values and a fair and balanced workplace relations policy. The dignity afforded to working people is extremely important—that they are treated with decency and respect in their workplace. The Gillard Labor government will continue to improve access to services as well as to the financial viability of our health system through the National Health and Hospitals Network. GP superclinics will expand into more regional and suburban communities while support will be offered to families late at night or on weekends through a national GP after-hours hotline. The government also plans to invest more into integrated aged-care services and places. All of these initiatives are extremely important for Australian people.

Tackling climate change is also a defining issue for this government. Of course I am very committed to meeting this challenge and, with my department, I will work for our country in my role as the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Climate scientists from around the world are telling us that the levels of carbon pollution being emitted into the atmosphere are contributing to climate change. The government accept and respect the climate science and we are committed to building consensus on our policy response. This is clearly in our long-term national interests. Our economy and our environment are extremely sensitive to the challenges of climate change, and the fact is that the longer we delay taking action to reduce the emissions intensity in our own economy the greater the harm and the more it will cost to reduce carbon pollution in the future.

So we must make a start now, and that is why the government is providing strong support for investment in renewable energy. We have legislated a renewable energy target ensuring that at least 20 per cent of our electricity supply will come from renewable energy sources by the year 2020. In fact, modelling suggests that the scheme that will come into effect from 1 January 2011 is likely to deliver slightly better than that, in the order of 22 per cent of renewable energy by 2020. Nineteen billion dollars worth of investment in renewable energy generation is anticipated.

The government is also keen to promote greater energy efficiency in industry and homes as part of our climate change strategy. Recently the government released a Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency report which reinforced the government’s approach and the need for a price on carbon as well. And on that specific issue, it is widely recognised that, to drive down emissions in our economy—that is, to cut carbon pollution—in the most cost-effective way, we need to implement a carbon price. A carbon price in effect will put a price tag on each tonne of pollution going into the atmosphere. It is a major economic reform that will create an incentive to reduce pollution, unlock investment in clean energy and create jobs, and drive investment into low-emissions technology. Many in the business community—including BHP Billiton CEO, Marius Kloppers, AGL Energy CEO, Michael Fraser, the President of the Business Council of Australia and many other business leaders, along with many who are in leadership roles in the non-government organisations and environment groups around the country—strongly support putting a price on carbon because they know it will provide investment certainty and allow business to start moving towards a low carbon pollution future.

To achieve consensus on the best approach to introducing a carbon price the government has formed the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee, comprising the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and me, Senator Brown and Senator Milne and Independent MPs the member for Lyne and the member for New England. That committee is now well and truly into its work program. Also, as part of our approach of building consensus, two roundtables have been established. One will engage the business community and the other will engage a range of non-government organisations, including environment groups, unions and representatives of the social services sector. Discussions at the roundtables will focus on the introduction of a carbon price and offer advice to the government on other issues surrounding climate change.

The Prime Minster has also announced plans to establish a climate change commission. This commission will engage with the community to promote a better understanding of climate change science and how a carbon price would operate. The government is finalising plans for the commission at the moment and will announce the commission’s make-up and work plan in the near future. We are getting on with the job of tackling climate change because the longer investment uncertainty clouds our economy the greater the impact on prices and jobs, ultimately. To this end the government is also investing record amounts directly to support research and new technologies in renewable energy—solar, wind power and other areas of energy efficiency.

The government’s program that I have pointed to has particular relevance to my own region in the Hunter in New South Wales and in my electorate of Charlton. Recently I had the privilege of joining the Prime Minister to sign contracts for the Smart Grid, Smart City project, which will be implemented predominantly across the Hunter region, including in my electorate. Over the next three years, this $500 million initiative, of which $100 million was allocated by the government, will demonstrate how an electricity network of the future can use information and communications to improve the efficiency of power generation and power distribution and its use at the domestic and business levels. Under a consortium led by Energy Australia, 50,000 households in Newcastle, the Upper Hunter and parts of Sydney will have the opportunity to participate in the trial and learn much more about how to reduce their energy usage and, therefore, their electricity bills.

The Hunter region is also at the forefront of several other research projects and innovative trials. Important research into renewable energy and solar technologies is being carried out by the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, while the government has committed $30 million towards establishing the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources. This institute will be developed at the University of Newcastle, through the sustainability round of the Education Investment Fund. It will bring together up to 400 researchers in the Hunter to advance research in clean energy production, energy efficiency and the minimisation of carbon emissions. I was there only a couple of weeks ago and was shown the potentiality for support for a program that may, for example, be able to improve the efficiency of coal fired electricity generation by a margin of 20 per cent in a number of power generation stations in New South Wales. That project alone, if it were ultimately successful and commercially applied, could therefore make a significant contribution to emissions reductions.

Not too far away, though, and now also within the boundaries of my own electorate, another 400 researchers will soon be devoting their time to a range of medical research projects, after the government delivered a total of $48.5 million towards the construction of a world-class research hub for the Hunter Medical Research Institute. Once complete, the new facility will not only align services with existing health infrastructure at the John Hunter Hospital campus but also encourage collaborations and the development of new approaches to tackling major health issues. It will deliver improved health care to the wider community as a result of research outcomes and reduced health costs and by enhancing opportunities for commercialisation. I am very proud that we have that project at the Hunter Medical Research Institute in the region and of the contribution that it makes at a national level.

Each of the projects I have just described will play a vital role in delivering for a modern Australia, with the additional benefit of creating many more job opportunities for Australians. I am also pleased to report to the House that construction of the much anticipated GP superclinic in my electorate, based on the south-western side of Lake Macquarie, is now nearing completion. The federally funded initiative will reduce the patient to doctor ratio in Morisset and its surrounding areas as well as boost the delivery of other important allied primary health services to the local community, and these are desperately needed.

The Gillard Labor government is delivering on its commitment here to prioritise national health. In Charlton, almost $250,000 has been allocated, for example, to the Glendale Medical Centre under the Innovative Clinical Teaching and Training Grants program. This will allow for the construction of purpose-built teaching and training facilities, benefiting students from the nearby University of Newcastle and, of course, benefiting the citizens in the Glendale area, where there is a high demand for, and insufficient supply of, these important primary healthcare services.

The government has provided the biggest boost to the pension in our nation’s history, and this is particularly important in my electorate. More than 26,000 pensioners across Charlton, which is a relatively high proportion in electorates across the country, benefited from the latest increase on 20 September, when the maximum fortnightly rate increased to $716.10 for singles and to $1,079.60 for couples. The government also plans to introduce a more generous work bonus for age pensioners who choose to engage in part-time work, meaning they can earn up to $6,500 without affecting their pension. This is a very positive step for pensioners.

The people of Charlton also stand to benefit from signature infrastructure projects that are being carried out by the government. Work is underway on the multibillion dollar Hunter Expressway, for example. It will help to address traffic congestion at the end of the F3 Freeway north of Sydney and on other local arterial roads. This is a civil engineering project in excess of $1.5 billion. Public transport will also be in the spotlight as part of a $20 million feasibility study into a major high-speed rail project connecting Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne via Newcastle. More libraries, more multipurpose halls, classrooms and administration facilities are being officially opened throughout my electorate thanks, of course, to the government’s economic stimulus package. This initiative was absolutely vital in providing employment opportunities in my region for local tradespeople. It has been welcomed by local schools. I have not had one complaint about the BER, only extremely positive feedback. There are schools that have not seen significant capital investment in their infrastructure since the 1950s and 1960s, and they are now enjoying new classrooms, new libraries and new facilities that are much better for teachers, students and the community. All of these things have been strongly welcomed, and I am very pleased that school students are benefiting in this way.

Sports participation in Charlton will receive a welcome boost through new community infrastructure proposed for Wallsend, at the northern end of my electorate. The government has allocated $140,000 to the Northern New South Wales Football Association, to conduct a feasibility study into building elite training and futsal facilities. I was pleased to make that commitment during the election campaign. Meanwhile, upgrades to amenities at Evans Park in Cardiff are also nearing completion, which is another result of the economic stimulus funding. Young people on the south-western side of Lake Macquarie will also have access to a variety of community activities from next month. The PCYC in Morisset is about to be reborn, which is welcome news, following a major overhaul of a dilapidated building. The government has worked in partnership with the Lake Macquarie City Council and local partners to bring that about with a funding grant of approximately $120,000. It has been strongly supported by the council and the local community.

So there are many very positive initiatives of the government at a national level and a local level, as I am sure any fair-minded member of parliament would observe, that have made a tremendous difference to people’s lives over the previous term of government and will continue to do so during this term. I am very pleased to say that the outlook for my electorate is extremely positive. While there are a number of infrastructure investments that remain outstanding and that I intend to work very hard to support and while there are a number of other projects that I am going to continue to work through with the local community, I am very proud of what has been achieved over the last three years. The Gillard government is obviously committed to addressing the cost-of-living pressures faced by many families and I will continue to work very hard to represent the interests of people in my electorate in this respect.

Finally, I take this brief opportunity to thank those who supported me during the recent election campaign in my electorate. I thank all of those in my electorate office and particularly all of the members of the Labor Party branches, who came out as usual to support the Labor candidate, and all of the volunteers. Most of all, I recognise and respect the support that I was able to achieve from the voters within the electorate of Charlton. I am tremendously privileged to represent them.

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