I rise in support of the Carbon Credits and Other Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Transparency) Bill 2026. The Albanese Labor government is the only team with a plausible and practical plan to address climate change and ensure that Australia plays a role in the transition of the global energy system. Our plan supports industry, grows jobs and strengthens our economy. Achieving net zero is not a competition between reducing emissions and having a strong economy. Reducing emissions, embracing renewables and playing a serious leading role in the world's transition is in our best economic interest. Heavy industry, farmers and communities all know this. What they all need is certainty—a government with a clear direction and a clear plan to achieve net zero. Labor is the only party that provides this certainty, with a practical pathway backed by clear policies that support industry, support jobs and support all Australians.

I want to take a brief moment to thank the Minister for Climate Change and Energy for his commendable work developing and delivering this sensible and practical plan—and it's a plan that is working. Last year, Australia's emissions fell by 9.7 million tonnes. These reductions have been driven by record renewable energy generation, a direct result of our government's investment in and backing of more than 150 renewable energy projects. It's been driven by lower petrol consumption, a direct result of our government's policies encouraging electric vehicle take-up and new-vehicle efficiency standards, and it's been driven by a reduction in venting and an increase in carbon capture and storage in oil and gas projects.

That brings me to the legislation that is before us today. Australia's carbon market is one of the largest and most effective schemes of its kind in the world. The Australian Carbon Credit Units scheme is a proud legacy of the Gillard Labor government, another Labor government that introduced some of the most consequential climate policies in Australia's history. Since 2011, the scheme has delivered 190 million tonnes of abatement across more than 2,600 projects, with a market valued at more than $4 billion. The scheme is delivering a significant economic benefit to regional, rural and remote communities across Australia. It is helping farmers to diversify and deliver new agricultural and vegetation activities. The scheme supports projects that reduce emissions or store carbon through new technology, improved equipment and better land management, delivering economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits.

Importantly, the scheme is creating employment opportunities for First Nations communities, with ancient First Nations cultural fire practices included in two new savanna fire management projects in the Northern Territory. This combines traditional Indigenous knowledge with modern technology, in recognition of the emissions reduction of early dry-season burning.

There have been several reviews of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme, including the independent Chubb review in 2022, the Climate Change Authority's statutory reviews in 2023 and 2026, and the Australian National Audit Office performance audit in 2024. These reviews found the scheme to be well designed, highlighting its contribution to reducing Australia's emissions and identifying the need to strengthen its administration, transparency and integrity. Our government has been working to continuously improve and reform the scheme, and we've already delivered a number of reforms to address the recommendations of these reviews. This bill contributes to that work and follows wide engagement with stakeholders and experts to ensure that the scheme continues to make the greatest contribution to Australia's emissions reduction targets. These reforms will provide greater certainty for this significant carbon market, protect the jobs and economic benefits it creates and ensure that it can continue delivering good outcomes for our climate. Importantly, the changes are supported by a wide range of stakeholders including the National Farmers' Federation, the Carbon Market Institute and the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network, along with a range of others.

The bill also makes amendments to the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act and the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Act. In order to meet our ambitious emissions reduction targets, we need to have a robust framework for reporting and tracking emissions, and that's what the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme achieves—a single national framework for companies to report greenhouse gas emissions as well as energy production and consumption. This bill will improve the transparency of the information submitted under the scheme, improving access to the data submitted and ensuring that the scheme remains effective and efficient.

There is no denying that the new vehicle efficiency standard is working. Electric vehicle sales overtook petrol vehicles for the first time in Australia, doubling the number of EVs sold in a year. That's a direct result of the policies of this government—incentivising car manufacturers to bring more low-emissions cars to Australia and backing the Australians who know that owning an EV is a cheaper and cleaner choice. And if you combine an EV with solar and cheaper home batteries, like the more than 4,000 people in my electorate of Cunningham, charging your car at home can significantly reduce running costs. This bill fixes an unintended consequence of the standard, addressing a timing misalignment for vehicle supplier compliance with emissions targets, and ensures that the standard operates as intended.

We know that action on climate cannot wait. We are already seeing the impacts scientists have warned about for decades, from devastating floods in Nepal to record heat and bushfires across Europe. This year, Australia is also facing a super El Nino that is breaking records and putting us at risk of extreme heat, bushfires and floods. We know that it is all being driven by our changing climate. Just last week, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy were in Tuvalu hosting a delegation from around the world to see how climate change is impacting one of the most climate impacted countries in the world—because, for them, climate change isn't a tomorrow problem; it's happening right now.

Our government is the only party taking this problem seriously and the only one doing the hard work to make a difference, not just here in Australia but on the world stage too. The Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation aren't taking it seriously. They don't think we should be helping our Pacific neighbours to address this issue. They don't think we should be talking to those making decisions across the world about the need to take action fast. They don't want Australian businesses, Australian innovators and Australian workers seizing the huge economic opportunities of net zero and leading the world on advanced clean-tech manufacturing. The question shouldn't be, 'How much does net zero cost?' It should be, 'How much does doing nothing cost?'—not just for future generations but for Australians right now.

I truly believe it is a fallacy to say that industry does not want to transition to a cleaner economy, because the reality is that they're already doing it. As I said earlier, the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme is worth $4 billion. Electric vehicle sales are surging, while cheaper home batteries and renewables are cutting emissions, lowering power bills, creating jobs and driving billions of dollars of investment. We've now approved 150 renewable energy projects, enough to power every home in Australia and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by over 84 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. For the first time ever, on 20 September, 80 per cent of our national electricity came from renewables. Australia is leading the world in battery installation to make sure that the cheapest form of energy can also be accessed during the night. We've proven that with the right government settings we can incentivise big business to invest in a cleaner economy.

I am so proud that the Illawarra is leading the way when it comes to advanced manufacturing of clean tech. Our region has the unique advantage of a well-established industrial and commercial base, a highly skilled workforce and a world-class university. Our region is building the advanced manufacturing that Australia needs—technology developed locally, backed by local workers and expertise and capable of decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like steel and heavy transport. Recently, I announced $49 million in funding from ARENA for local company Hysata, which has developed a world-first hydrogen electrolyser that will redefine how renewable hydrogen can be produced. This investment comes on top of more than $35 million that our government had already invested and is helping Hysata to scale up production, create a sovereign supply chain and turn Australian research into Australian made technology. Hysata has also attracted more than $220 million in investment on its own, proving the international interest and confidence in this technology.

Batteries are also hugely important for our renewables future, and Sicona Battery Technologies in my electorate are pioneering the next generation of battery materials, cutting charging times by 40 per cent. Our government has invested $45 million to help Sicona expand production capacity by up to 300 times and take the technology from pilot scale towards commercial production. Green Gravity is another incredible local innovator working to repurpose disused mine shafts for long-duration energy storage. This world-first technology uses gravity to store and release renewable energy and is generating interest all over the world. Even major steelmaker BlueScope sees the opportunities of cleaner manufacturing, actively working on ways to reduce its emissions. Our government has provided $136.8 million towards the reline and upgrade of its No. 6 blast furnace, a $1 billion project. It includes more than $100 million in environmental improvement upgrades, and it supports more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. Steel has a major role to play as we transition our economy, and the reline will improve the efficiency and environmental performance of BlueScope steelmaking, securing local jobs and Australian steelmaking in the Illawarra.

The Australian government, led by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, is positioning Australia as a global climate leader. In September, the Prime Minister gave the keynote address at Climate Week at the United Nations in New York. Just last week, we hosted pre-COP in the Pacific and led a delegation of decision-makers. We are taking this issue seriously. We're not quibbling about whether climate change is real, like the Liberals and Nationals and One Nation are doing. We are working incredibly hard to bring the world's nations together to address this problem. Australia is the president of negotiations for COP31, a really significant role and a powerful recognition of our growing international standing and leadership on climate action.

At the same time, I'm doing what I can locally to help bring the Illawarra's clean tech manufacturing capabilities to the world's attention. Local companies are developing technologies that will shape the next generation of energy, transport and heavy industry, creating sovereign supply chains and revolutionising clean energy globally. Earlier this year, with the University of Wollongong, we held our second Made in the Illawarra: Innovation, Energy and Manufacturing Expo at Parliament House to bring innovative local companies, researchers and community leaders together to show the parliament and our world what this region can do. We had strong interest from some of the ambassadors, high commissioners and their staff who we invited along, who could see the incredible work that was happening across our region. That interest was so strong that I hosted a follow-up delegation of embassy representatives for a tour of our local industry, and the feedback was outstanding. The delegation visited the University of Wollongong, Sicona, Hysata, Green Gravity and Port Kembla Harbour as well as BlueScope. For the tour of Port Kembla they were hosted by the Port Authority of New South Wales.

So we're making the case on the global stage for action—not in five years, not tomorrow but right now. As the Prime Minister said in his keynote address to Climate Week, there's no avoiding the scale of our responsibility or the cost of inaction. We strongly believe that Australia has a critical role to play as we transition our global energy system. We believe in the benefits for all Australians, for jobs and for the economy. We know that the stakes are too high, and we're the only ones working every single day here to make real change. I'm proud to be doing what I can to support our region to transition and to seize the economic opportunities that our clear path to net zero provides. The choice is clear: retreat from action and surrender the industries and jobs of the future, or move forward with a practical plan that cuts emissions, strengthens our economy and backs Australian workers.