Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Let's be clear: climate change is real. We must do what we reasonably can to cut emissions while taking advantage of the economic opportunities that exist for our country. As pointed out in my address-in-reply speech last week, caring for our environment is intrinsic to Liberal Party values. In our own statement of beliefs, we say:

We believe … in preserving Australia's natural beauty and the environment for future generations.

This is simply what I seek to do, and I'm joined by Liberal state governments in pursuing more ambitious emissions reduction targets. I'm proud to live in a state that's a leader in renewable energy. The government announced in 2021 that it would legislate a more ambitious emissions reduction target with net zero emissions by 2030, a feat already achieved in the last six of the past seven years. They're joined by our counterparts in Victoria and New South Wales, with targets of 50 per cent reduction by 2030. I'm not working against where we are heading in my home state of Tasmania or where we need to head as a country. It's just common sense, and like it or not it's what our nation voted for in the recent election. I understand that I come to this from the advantageous position of living in a state that has long had one of the greenest energy supplies in Australia. In fact, the city of Launceston in my northern Tasmanian electorate of Bass was the first in the country to be lit by hydropower, when the Duck Reach Power Station opened in 1985. In November 2020, 125 years later, Tasmania became the first Australian state, and one of just a handful of jurisdictions worldwide, to be wholly powered by renewable electricity. Nor do I suggest that policy and legislation as critical as this should not be scrutinised to the nth degree. That's the very reason why we're here. Yet the so-called climate wars and ideology around climate change persist, and I share the frustrations of so many in our community who just want to see the debate and fight end and get on with it.

I know many of my colleagues are representing the views of their communities, which have generational employment in the coal industry. As a Tasmanian, I saw firsthand the devastating impact in our state when the forestry industry was ripped to pieces. It devastated individuals, families, the economy and the community for a long time. It's only in recent years that we've begun to rebuild. However, I do believe that there is an inevitability to where we are heading as a country, but there is time for a just transition if we accept the reality. If not now, when?

In my own backyard of George Town is the Bell Bay Industrial Precinct, which produces 59 per cent of Tasmania's manufacturing exports. The local aluminium smelter has long been the backbone of this precinct. The smelter first opened in 1955, and the town has grown on the back of it, with generations of families employed at the smelter. As the former mayor of the town, and now its federal representative, I certainly have a strong understanding of what it would mean if the smelter were to suddenly close shop, as it provides hundreds of direct jobs and more than a thousand indirectly.

The long-term future of the smelter was secured earlier this year after Rio Tinto signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tasmanian government, which includes Rio Tinto agreeing to prepare a business case for the production of hydrogen onsite, with the aim of replacing existing supplies of fossil gas. It is this forward thinking that is creating a brighter, cleaner and more economically secure future for Bell Bay and the greater northern Tasmanian community.

Accepting what the future may hold and doing all you can to prepare for it ensures that when the time inevitably comes the sky does not fall in. It's this recognition that saw the establishment of the Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone, an industry based economic development group borne out of a desire by businesses in the region to better collaborate and to grow the region's capabilities by supporting existing businesses, encouraging investment and promoting the benefits of the region as a place to live and work.

Recognising the threats and opportunities that lie ahead has seen the area and local industries embrace the development of a green hydrogen industry. After many years of consultation with local industry, key stakeholders and local, state and federal governments, I announced $70 million for a green hydrogen hub in Bell Bay in late April, a commitment matched by Labor. The traditional skills of workers at the smelter are also being utilised by emerging industries that are setting up in Tasmania, attracted to our renewable power grid. These include companies like Firmus, which has built an ultra-low-emissions and high-performance cloud and is hiring highly skilled workers across several fields, including power systems.

Though, of course, there will never be a whole consensus on the matter in our northern Tasmanian community, I have met with and heard from countless organisations and individuals who are truly passionate about seeing the government of the day take more action on climate change and have specifically asked me to do what I can, in the role that I have, to bring about this much-needed change. The people of Bass put their trust in me to represent their views.

The Launceston Chamber of Commerce is over 170 years old and has consistently adapted and advanced causes in the best interests of the local business community. In 2020, the chamber adopted a climate change policy favouring initiatives that support a reduction in carbon emissions and benefit Tasmanian businesses and the broader community. These include the creation of new enterprises and initiatives that contribute to carbon emissions reduction. Chamber President Andrew Pitt recently expressed to me that the last thing business needs is ongoing uncertainty around legislated carbon future. While the chamber would like to see a more ambitious target than 43 per cent, Andrew went on to say that this is a starting point that should help Australian industries confidently transition to a low-carbon future and will provide our region of Tasmania with a competitive advantage.

Local Beaconsfield farmer Ben Hooper is concerned that parts of the country will become unproductive and unliveable if further action isn't taken to address climate change, but he's also pragmatic when considering the financial impact it may have on Australians. He said:

We really have to decarbonise, but it is going to cost us lifestyle and money. What are we willing to pay for it?

Northern Tasmanian winemaker Stewart Byrne has witnessed the effect a warmer climate is having on many of the established Australian viticultural regions in warmer climates. Mr Byrne said:

They are becoming marginal. The increased growing season temperatures have resulted in lower fruit quality, compressed harvest periods, and a subsequent greater pressure on winery infrastructure.

Here in Tasmania, where the prediction models have us being the least affected of the viticultural regions from a climate change perspective, we are still experiencing challenges.

Fire and the subsequent effect of smoke damage on fruit, has resulted in significant losses in 3 of our past 10 years and dry lightning strikes are a relatively new phenomenon in Tasmania.

Tasmania also has limited resources. The eastern side of Tasmania, where the majority of vineyards are planted, is dry. As the climate continues to change, and as more vineyards and farming operations move to Tasmania, it will put further strain on our resources. We will then need to have discussions on whether vineyards are the best use for this increasingly valuable land. So, the threat of climate change on the wine industry is multi-faceted, both in the short and long term.

For a state with a world-class and established wine industry, this should be startling.

I've witnessed parts of the debate around the issue of climate change be patronised by some as being a young, leftie, elite issue. I absolutely dispute this characterisation. This issue transcends age, gender, political affiliation, religious belief and socioeconomic circumstance. In the northern Tasmanian community I've met with and received emails and letters from local school and uni students, Baptist ministers, doctors, retired teachers, business leaders, grandparents and pensioners from both the Left and the Right. All of them believe that this is not an issue of Left or Right but where the future of our country needs to be—solely at the centre.

Just last week I received an email from a 70-year-old lifelong Liberal supporter who wants to see our party and our country move ahead with greater action on climate change, and he's not alone. To this gentleman and to the thousands of other northern Tasmanians who've reached out to me via email or through my community survey and identified climate change as one of their most significant concerns: I have heard you.

After reviewing Labor's legislation I've spent a lot of time deciding how to proceed. I believe there are issues with the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022. I will not be supporting this bill, due to my concerns over the impact it may have on important infrastructure projects, for example. However, I will be supporting Labor's Climate Change Bill 2022. At the end of the day, it's important to me that when I'm back in my own community I'm able to sincerely say that I used the opportunity afforded to me with the power of my vote to stand up for what they want and need and to move on from this debate.

I've had incredibly constructive discussions with the Leader of the Opposition about my views and those of the party on this issue. While there is much that we do agree on, I believe he understands why I've made this decision. I have respect for him, and he has my support as our party formulates our own plan to combat climate change while supporting the Australian economy. However, while that happens, it is important that we do move forward, that we act now and that we do not delay until the eve of the next election.

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