Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This motion does state the obvious: energy bills are expensive. They place significant pressure on household budgets, and we all know this needs to change. The complexity is that this change must happen in parallel with one of the greatest industrial transformations in the last century, the shift away from dirty, unreliable and ageing coal to renewable energy. The change is happening, and we all accept it needs to be a just and fair transition, executed in a way that protects jobs, protects the environment and lays a sustainable foundation. This is a hugely complex undertaking.

Effort is required from all layers of government—federal, state and local. Effort is required from business and industry. And effort is required from individual Australians. In my state of South Australia and in my electorate of Sturt, this effort is bearing fruit. More than 1,600 households have taken advantage of the Albanese Labor government's cheaper home batteries scheme. We are second in the country. This program is helping these households reduce electricity bills by making the most of cheap and clean solar power, by storing it for when it is needed. But it doesn't just help 1,600 households; it lowers costs for everyone by reducing peak demand and creating a more stable electricity grid.

In South Australia though, we get frustrated because on a typical day 80 per cent of our energy is generated by renewables. As I prepared these remarks yesterday, the Australian Energy Market Operator fuel mix dashboard showed that 88 per cent of South Australia's energy was being generated by wind. The average spot price at that time was $42.62 per megawatt hour, lower than in all the other states for which data was available—Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. I'm not going to stand here today and say that the data means that energy bills in South Australia are cheap, because on average they are not and more work is required in that respect. But the data illustrated that the renewables-dominated fuel mix in my state resulted in a lower spot price per megawatt hour. These results that I've just relayed to this chamber are based on evidence based data produced by the Australian Energy Market Operator. They're based not on guesswork or speculation but on data, and data and science are what governments need to focus on.

That's what this government focuses on, and that is why we are pursuing the transition to renewable energy. It's not a strategy driven by ideology; it's driven by data. Imagine if data and science were accepted by all sides of politics. We could then embark on a bipartisan transition that is just and fair to workers, to the environment and to all Australians. Imagine what the results of that combined effort could be. Instead, climate science, also underpinned by data, is being ignored. When constituents in my electorate of Sturt talk to me about the climate, which they do very often because Sturt is an electorate that cares deeply about the just and fair transition, I find myself unable to explain why some voices in politics are still calling for a repeal of net zero, still denying the science of climate change and still refusing to accept that we can have a just and fair transition if we have bipartisanship.

The science tells us that the eventual extent of global warming is proportional to the total amount of carbon dioxide that human activities add to the atmosphere. So, in order to stabilise climate change, carbon dioxide emissions need to fall to zero. The longer it takes to do so, the more the climate will change. Carbon dioxide is just one of the greenhouse gases emitted when we burn fossil fuels. Emissions of other greenhouse gases, such as methane, which has a more intense warming effect in the atmosphere, also need to be constrained.

Everyone in politics wants the following things for Australians and for our country: cheaper energy bills; food security underpinned by quality healthy food; meaningful well-paid jobs; good and sustained levels of public, physical and mental health; healthier air; a functioning and effective hospital system; revitalised and sustainable biodiversity; and a beautiful, clean and supported Australian environment to enjoy forever. So, by all means, question the government and hold us to account, but stop denying the data and stop equivocating. Join us and have a say in the just and fair transition. A majority of Australian voters asked you to.

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