House debates Questions without Notice

Climate Change

Tuesday, 23 July 2019 House of Representatives

Mark Butler

Mark Butler Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy

2:14 pm

My question again is to the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction. Did Australia's annual total carbon emissions rise in the year to December 2017?

Angus Taylor

Angus Taylor Hume, Liberal Party, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction

2:15 pm

I'm delighted to take these questions from the member, because during the election campaign they weren't able to answer a single question on the costs and impacts of their energy policy—not a single question. We have seen again, in the last year, a reduction in emissions per capita, in emissions intensity and in the electricity sector. It is true, at the absolute level, that there was a small increase in the past 12 months. That was driven entirely by a growth in LNG exports, and that growth in LNG exports is reducing global emissions.