Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

LLER-FROST () (): I am delighted to rise today to speak about what the Albanese Labor government is doing in this latest budget with regard to the environment, water and tackling climate change. As I said last night in speaking in support of the government's nature repair market bill, my electorate of Boothby is one of the most environmentally diverse in the state. It spans the southern suburbs of Adelaide, and, while it is in an urban environment, it includes everything from coastal and marine ecosystems through to urban wetlands and rivers right through to the Adelaide Hills with the beautiful Belair National Park. One thing I heard loud and clear when running for the seat last year was that the previous government had failed to properly value and protect our environment, and that is why I am so pleased that the Albanese Labor government is bringing to life its ambitious Nature Positive Plan.

This budget builds on the government's first budget, which funded our election commitments, and, crucially when it comes to the environment, we are investing in improving our environment across Boothby. I pay tribute to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, for her dedication to making this happen and, of course, to Minister Bowen, who is here in the chamber today. We are investing over $700,000 in our Sturt River project through the government's Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, and through the Warriapependi biodiversity project, the Riverside Drive Creek stabilisation and improvement project and the restoring the Oxbow project we are bringing new life to the Sturt River, which runs through much of Boothby. We are delivering $5 million as part of the Brown Hill Keswick Creek Stormwater Project. This project is aimed at mitigating significant flood risk. It's the sixth most likely flood risk in the country, and it is supported by more than $6 million in funding from the government's Disaster Ready Fund to help protect Adelaide from potentially disastrous flooding.

This 2023-24 budget will help us protect more of what is precious, repair more of what is damaged and manage nature better in the future. The Albanese Labor government is rewriting Australia's old, broken environment laws to better protect our environment and make clearer, faster decisions. At the heart of this plan is $121 million to establish Environment Protection Australia, to restore trust in the system that badly needs it. As someone in this place representing an electorate in South Australia, I know just how important a healthy Murray-Darling Basin is to our way of life, and I am thrilled that we are investing in water infrastructure, fixing the broken water market and protecting the health of the Murray-Darling Basin. We're doing this by investing $103.7 million to deliver on our commitment to undertake the first review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan; investing $197.1 million in projects that provide safe, reliable and secure water for regional and remote communities; helping First Nations people participate in water planning and decision-making by investing $3.5 million in a First Nations environment and water partnerships program; and investing $32.7 million to deliver on our election commitment to restore transparency, integrity and confidence in water markets, including a new water market hub, a digital platform for national water data management, a new water market website allowing farmers to access live water market updates for the first time, and a new water market data standard guaranteeing transparency and enforceability on the data being provided to the Bureau of Meteorology.

When it comes to addressing climate change, this government is committed to lowering our emissions and to doing so in a way that empowers Australian households and businesses. The Albanese government is taking action to drive down household energy costs and ensure Australia's position to take advantage of jobs of the future. The 2023-24 budget funds critical investments to save Australians money on their energy bills and invest in nation-building new industries. For too long, Australians were left behind as the rest of the world moved to take advantage of the economic opportunities that come with action on cleaner, cheaper energy. This was a frustration that was palpable across Boothby and was a key reason I was motivated to represent our community here in the first place. The government's energy-saving plan will make homes, businesses and social housing more energy efficient and drive down energy costs. It includes $1.3 billion to establish the Household Energy Upgrades Fund. This includes turbocharging finance options for household energy upgrades for more than 110,000 households, via $1 billion to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, as well as $300 million to partner with states and territories to support energy upgrades for around 60,000 social housing properties.

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