Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I remark on some of the ridiculous things that have been mentioned by those opposite, I do want to take a moment to just stop and appreciate that, for the first time in a decade, this place, the people's House of Representatives in Australia, is taking an almighty step forward when it comes to tackling climate change. That is a moment that we are all extremely proud of. I am certainly proud to be a part of a Labor government delivering climate action, as we said we would. What we are seeing is government and Australia exactly as the Australian people asked for—to be collaborative, to work across political divides and to try and get outcomes to benefit the Australian people.

What is going to happen is that we're going to see a number of people, not just in the government but in the crossbench and in the minor parties, support this piece of legislation in this place and in the upper house. This will become an act of law, and I couldn't be prouder of the fact that it took a Labor government to help bring forward significant climate action in this country. I thank each and every member for the way in which they have constructively engaged in the debate on the climate change legislation. The Minister for Climate Change and Energy has done an outstanding job of bringing forward this bill and bringing forward Australia's credible position as a global player to tackle climate change.

While all of that is going on, and while this country takes an almighty leap forward in tackling climate change, in legislating the targets we took to the election and in legislating the policies of transitioning towards renewable energy—and while this parliament takes a proud and direct step forward as part of the international community, together with the Pacific nations, our friends and family and all the communities who have been affected by climate change—there are some in this place who are parking themselves out of the debate, who are dealing themselves out of climate action and who are deciding that they don't want to be a part of the solutions. They are becoming increasingly isolated on that side of the House. They're not going to listen to my political advice, but, as an observer, it is absolutely insane that these people have just watched their friends and colleagues, some of whom are people I admired very much, who were members in the previous parliament—people of integrity and of capability—being completely eliminated from this place, and they have ignored every single lesson that the Australian people have sent them. And I don't say this out of any great sense of winning or anything like that. It doesn't bring me any joy that this is still some sort of ridiculous partisan divide and that the economics and the politics of this are not settled. Those opposite are still dealing themselves out of progress. Australia does not get served by the attitude of dealing yourselves out of climate change. The Australian people get served by this place working collaboratively between government and non-government members to try and get outcomes, and that is what this bill does.

The climate change bill makes some significant legislative changes. The first one is to legislate our emissions reduction targets as part of our nationally determined commitments. We are giving certainty to the private sector, which is saying, 'We want the investment of trillions of dollars into renewable energy and into cheap, clean energy with dispatchable power.' We are saying clearly that we want that in Australia and that there is certainty in the market, and that is what the legislation provides.

This bill also makes a number of amendments to existing funds, like the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, which focus government spending on the transition towards a low-emissions future. It is now a part of government focus and government agency that we are moving towards a low-emissions future. That is what this bill enshrines in law. That is what those opposite are voting against. They're voting against the resources and utilities of government that can help to invest and to transition our economy into a cleaner future. And why is this not surprising? It's because the last time they were in government they came into this place and tried to dismantle all of those instruments—

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