Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. Did Australia's annual total carbon emissions rise in the year to December 2018?

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. As I said, we are in our 28th year of economic growth and the emissions per capita are at the lowest level in 29 years. From year to year, emissions bump around. We inherited from you opposite a 700 million tonne deficit. But there is no doubt that there was upward pressure in recent years on emissions driven by growth in LNG, and that growth in LNG—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just have to ask the minister to pause for a second. Obviously, as I've said, when a question is very tight without a preamble, that makes the subject area much narrower. For the guidance of members, I'm just going to say that ministers answering need to be directly relevant to the question asked. When it has a number of components, the answer can be very broad. Where it's a very tight question, things are much narrower. Ministers need to be on the policy topic. Equally, questions can't demand yes/no answers and ministers can't stray beyond the question. So it is up to the minister to bring himself to the substance of the question or wind up the answer.

Honourable members interjecting—

No, I don't need any interjections.

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. As I said, we're at the lowest levels of emissions per person in 29 years. They have been falling year on year. It is true that from year to year they bump up and down. There is no doubt that in the last year LNG exports have had an impact on our emissions. There is no doubt about that. But let's talk about that. In the last year, our LNG exports reduced global emissions by up to 26 per cent of our total emissions. When you sell LNG up into China, Korea—Asia—even though we wear the increased emissions from the extraction of that LNG, we see a reduction in global emissions.

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat. Has the Minister concluded his answer?

Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has concluded his answer. The member for Herbert.