Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, is it the case that, according to the government’s own figures, in 1996 Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions were 510 megatons, in 2005 Australia’s greenhouse emissions were 559 megatons and in 2020 Australia’s greenhouse emissions are projected to be 702 megatons—an increase of 27 per cent on 1990 levels? Why has the government not acted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the last 11 years?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will check the figures. There is no doubt that our greenhouse gas emissions have risen. It is wrong of the Leader of the Opposition to assert that we have not acted over the last 11 years. Let me take the House through what this government has done. Our programs and policies have directly supported or generated investments, for example, in renewables in excess of $3.5 billion. In 1999 the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program was established. A further $123 million was announced on 14 August last year, bringing total funding for the program to $328 million. In 1999 the government introduced the Photovoltaic Rebate Program. On 8 May 2007 a further $150 million was announced to extend the program as part of the recent budget, bringing the total funding to $202 million.

In the 2004 energy white paper, the government announced that $75 million had been provided for the Solar Cities trials. Adelaide was announced as the first solar city in August 2006; then Townsville, on 26 September 2006; Blacktown, on 13 November 2006; and Alice Springs, on 16 April 2007. On 25 October 2006, $75 million was allocated to a large-scale solar concentrator in north-west Victoria under the $500 million low emissions technology development initiative. On 1 November 2006, $14.5 million was allocated to solar energy projects under the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

The Australian government have provided industry grants of over $28 million for geothermal energy projects and recently announced the Geothermal Industry Development Framework. These grants include the following. In 2007 we gave $5 million to Petratherm Ltd to further develop its groundbreaking approach of using geothermal energy at its Paralana site in the Flinders Ranges. In 2006 the government awarded $1.2 million to Proactive Energy Developments Ltd for a project that aims to develop an innovative regenerator for the production of low-cost, zero-emission electricity from geothermal reserves. Also in 2006 we gave $2.4 million to Geothermal Resources Ltd for a project in South Australia to map granites to assess geothermal energy potential.

In 2005 the government gave $3.9 million to Scope Energy Ltd for a proof of concept project on the Limestone Coast which will lead to a 50 MW geothermal power plant. Again in 2005 the government awarded $5 million to Geodynamics Ltd. In 2002, $6.8 million was awarded to Geodynamics Ltd to develop a deep underground heat exchanger to harness hot dry rock geothermal energy. In 2000 the government granted $790,000 for the exploration of hot dry rock resources in the Hunter Valley. In 2007, $205,000 was awarded for the development of a COAG geothermal energy technology roadmap. These figures totally repudiate the oft-repeated claim of the opposition leader that this government has done nothing about these matters over the last 10 years.

There is one thing, let me say, that this government has not done over the last 10 years, is not now doing and will not do in the future, and that is what the shadow minister for the environment has done—commit himself and thereby his party to a 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020. On 8 March 2005 this is what the shadow minister had to say. He was urging the government to do certain things and he said it should implement a national target and plan to reduce greenhouse emissions by at least 60 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050, with a 20 per cent target by 2020 to show real progress. Does the member for Kingsford Smith—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was asked a question!

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business has a point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I draw your attention to standing order 65(b). The Prime Minister’s own backbench are not listening to him and they should.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is in order. I call the Prime Minister.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What the member for Kingsford Smith was doing in that interview was saying that it would be a good idea if we set ourselves a target of 20 per cent reduction by 2020. I wonder if the member for Kingsford Smith has any idea of what that would do to the Australian economy. I wonder if the member for Kingsford Smith has any idea of what that would mean. He cannot deny it. He tried to deny it on the Laurie Oakes program on 1 April this year and he dug himself in even deeper when, amongst other things, he said:

Now, what the figure is, you know, different reports say but it’s somewhere in the 20-25-30 percent figure.

For a reduction of that magnitude by 2020—that is, in 13 years time—he is arguing that it should be a 20 per cent reduction to show real progress. I do not think the member for Kingsford Smith has the faintest idea of the damage that would do to the Australian economy.