Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Griffith for staying in the chamber at least for her matter of private members' business, but I do take umbrage with some of the issues taken up in this particular report. Let's just go through a few of the issues in the National Climate Risk Assessment, particularly as, when asked in Senate estimates, officials from the department actually said that cold deaths were out of the scope of investigation for the assessment. Now, heat deaths were considered, but cold deaths—and there are far more cold deaths than there are heat deaths—were not considered as part of this report.

United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell, who is considered quite an authority on climate action, said that, without more ambitious climate action, Australia could face megadroughts. But, wait for this, he said that this would make fresh fruit and vegetables a once-in-a-year treat. That is catastrophising. This particular report also said that once-in-a-century events would become once-in-a-fortnight events. That is just catastrophising. If our children are being taught that once-in-a-century events are going to become once-in-a-fortnight events, that is just unnecessarily alarmist.

I hear the member for Richmond say they could become so. It would not be once-in-a-century events becoming once-in-a-fortnight events, Member for Richmond. That is just alarmist. It is placing unnecessary pressure indeed on schoolchildren who are being taught this stuff. It's got to be put into balance. When we talk about climate action, the balance is certainly not being met between Binalong and Bowning in my electorate, where they want to put up 90 wind towers that are 260 metres high. In neighbouring Upper Lachlan Shire, there is even a green energy project where they are taking the subsidies and want to take the subsidies, but it's not even going to be connected to the grid. It's no wonder that these farmers and these residents are pushing back. It's no wonder. When ENGIE pulled back a project—I'll give this French owned company its due. That fact they actually withdrew the project was absolutely met with approval. It was going to be a solar factory right next door to Yass which was—wait for it—going to be bigger than Yass itself! Country communities can't keep carrying the can. They cannot, and they are being asked to because of reports such as this, which are only sending the energy costs for ordinary, everyday Australians through the roof. Reports such as this are dividing communities, because we've got largely foreign owned superannuation companies coming into regional Australia. They're dividing families, dividing generational friendships and pitting farmers against their next-door neighbours. It is just a bridge too far.

We then have the battery energy storage systems. They are going to carpet-bomb our electorates as well. You've got volunteer firefighters, who, as they say, are not equipped to deal with the toxicity of the flames from these battery energy storage systems and who are absolutely worried that, if these battery energy storage systems catch fire, they are going to be asked to go and put them out. We know that these fires always seem to start on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve or whenever people should be rightly celebrating with family. These brave volunteers, many of whom are well beyond the age of 65, let me tell you—they're older, not younger—have given of their own and given selflessly for many, many years. They go out, attend crashes and the like and rescue people in country Australia. But why should they be expected to go out and put their own lives at risk when they are very worried—they are not trained or equipped to put out these flames from these fires, which could well have a large effect on their own wellbeing and their own health. This climate risk assessment might pay the energy minister's dues, where he is catastrophising and saying that country Australia can indeed have this reckless rollout of renewables. The fact is country people are pushing back, and rightly so. They've had enough of this nonsense, and it's going to cost this country trillions of dollars.

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