Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm really excited to speak on today's MPI. What interesting rhetoric we've heard in this chamber today! If the opposition thinks that leading the global transition to clean energy means that the Minister for Climate Change and Energy is only working part-time in his role, it clearly has no concept of what preparing Australia for the future and securing lower energy prices for the long term actually entails. We know that the coalition is not interested in preparing Australia for the future. They made that abundantly clear when they dumped net zero, against every piece of expert advice and even against consistent findings that included the cost of transmission and storage renewables being the cheapest form of new energy generation. We knew it when they were responsible for a three per cent reduction in Australia's emissions over nine years of government. We knew it when they said they'd solved the clean energy transition and then proposed to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on bringing nuclear energy to Australia.

We know that they're not interested in doing what it takes to secure Australia's future. Otherwise, they wouldn't be objecting to Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy doing his job of not only representing Australia's interest in energy and climate at the highest level but grasping a rare opportunity to lead the discussion and help write the rules at COP31. This side of the House understands that reducing energy prices at home and tackling climate change is not something Australia can do on its own. In fact, the only people who think global energy decisions have nothing to do with Australian bills are those opposite. They don't realise that the energy situation we're in is a global issue. I applaud the Minister for Climate Change and Energy for going above and beyond in his advocacy for Australia's interests in energy and climate.

We on this side of the House have always supported advocacy for Australia's best interests on the world stage. When we were in opposition, our party didn't just sit there grandstanding. We actually celebrated when the government was able to achieve real outcomes for Australia, which it did in some aspects of trade and diplomacy. So I'm really disappointed that those opposite have reacted in this way and that they haven't been able to put political pointscoring aside to recognise this rare opportunity for Australia to write the rules of energy transition. They're so focused on trying to tear this country down instead of building it up.

The constituents of my electorate are profoundly hardworking. They often work long hours while juggling commitments to family and community. Every day, they go to work in hospitals, schools, factories, public transport networks and shops. For those opposite to speak with such contempt about this government's action on climate change is an affront to my community because my electorate knows that, if we don't act on climate change, we all suffer.

If those opposite truly think that climate change won't affect working people, they are delusional. It's already increasing the severity and regularity of extreme weather events, which makes work more dangerous and more difficult. It makes it more difficult for the person working in train-track maintenance, sweltering in a heatwave. It makes it more difficult for the nurse that's treating more and more respiratory conditions which are related to poor air quality. It makes it more difficult for the small-business owner seeing ingredient prices rise because crops have been decimated by flooding.

They claim to care about costs. During their decade in government, they had more than 20 different energy policies. At the last election, they proposed to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on a nuclear pipedream. The fact is that they have no idea what a long-term plan to reduce energy costs for Australians actually looks like. Sustainability doesn't mean just environmentally friendly; it also means economically viable. When we say we are building a sustainable energy system, we mean that we are building an energy system that is environmentally friendly and economically viable—two things the coalition's policy is not.

On this side of the House, we understand the bigger picture when it comes to net zero and the clean energy transition. We understand that reducing the cost of living and making the transition to clean energy are not two different propositions. We have taken and continue to take significant steps to reduce household costs. We're taking strong action to provide energy bill relief to Australian households and businesses.

As we head in the Christmas break, what have the coalition achieved? They've spent most of this year fighting amongst themselves and badmouthing each other. We've seen little tangible policy or meaningful scrutiny from them at all. Today they lost a member! If they want to know what it looks like to represent their constituents and Australia's interests part time, they only need to look at themselves. We on this side of the House, our government, will continue to work full time on building Australia's future. (Time expired)

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