Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the fact that now more than 70 countries have committed to net zero emissions by 2050, including Japan, Korea, France, Germany, Canada, the UK and New Zealand. And now the United States, under President-Elect Joe Biden, will support net zero by 2050, or perhaps even better. Why is the Prime Minister leaving Australia behind by refusing to support net zero by 2050?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. I welcome the fact that the United States will be rejoining the Paris accord. Australia never left—and not only did we not leave; we continued to meet and beat the commitments that we have had in this area: meeting and beating Kyoto 1 and meeting and beating Kyoto 2, and we will meet and beat 2030 as well. When we said that about Kyoto 1 and Kyoto 2, those opposite mocked us. They said that the plan wouldn't work and that we wouldn't be able to achieve it, but they were proved wrong. They were proved wrong on two counts. We are committed to reducing emissions, consistent with our agreements, and to meeting those commitments. So when I say to the Australian people what our government will do and how we will do it, Australians have confidence in that because they understand our track record of performance and delivery when it comes to meeting these challenges.

When it comes to the matter of net zero by 2050, Australia would like to meet that as quickly as possible and as quickly as is able, and that is why the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction has set out the technology road map, which is the way that that can be achieved. But, until such time as we can be very clear with the Australian people about what the cost of that is and how that plan can deliver on that commitment, it would be very deceptive to the Australian people and not honest with them to make such commitments without being able to spell that out to Australians. I'll give another guarantee: Australia's policies will be set in Australia and nowhere else, for Australia's purposes, and consistent with our national interest. You can always guarantee that, when it comes to a coalition government, we will always act in Australia's interests.

We have our 2030 target, that we have signed up to under the Paris accords, but I note the Labor Party has not. The Labor Party would rather talk about something 30 years from now than something 10 years from now. And there may be a reason. The Labor Party has signed up to net zero by 2050 without qualification. Unlike in New Zealand, where they have omitted methane, which means agriculture and forestry sectors are not included in their net 2050 commitment, the Labor Party hasn't done that. Some simple linear analysis will tell you that, for a net zero 2050 based on what the Labor Party is saying, that would require a 43 per cent emissions reduction target in 2030. So why won't the Labor Party tell the Australian people what their 2030 target is? (Time expired)