Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister for the environment. It's very early spring, but parts of Queensland are already facing a catastrophic fire warning. The climate crisis is getting worse, but since coming to government you've already made five coal project approvals. Minister, instead of bragging about stopping one or two projects while approving many more, when will you do what needs to be done to fight the climate crisis and stop expanding coal and gas?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question because it gives me an opportunity to say once again that this government is absolutely committed to action on the climate crisis. In fact, those opposite had 10 years to act. They had 22 separate climate and energy policies and didn't land a single one. What we've done, in contrast, in the 15 months or so since we were elected, is legislate a pathway to net zero, with an interim pollution reduction target of 43 per cent. We've set aside $20 billion for rewiring the nation, $2 billion for green hydrogen, $1.6 billion to electrify our homes and businesses, a national electric vehicle strategy—the list goes on and on.

What the Greens don't like to talk about is the number of renewable energy projects which we have approved. Of course, to get to 82 per cent renewable energy is an enormous task. This is probably the biggest industrial change this country will face in its history, to get to 82 per cent renewable energy. I have doubled the number of renewable energy projects approved, 11 renewable energy projects, with more than 100 renewable energy projects in the future already under assessment. What's interesting about those opposite is they're very keen to encourage me to approve renewable energy projects until there's a particular solar farm they don't like, a particular wind farm they don't like or a particular transmission line they don't like. This is an enormous change for our country.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, point of order: we're two minutes in, and the minister hasn't mentioned coal and gas, the causes of climate change, once. I ask that she be relevant to the question on the approval of new coal and gas projects.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is talking about energy projects. I'm listening to her carefully. It's not an excuse, that standing order, to rephrase the question or put your interpretation on it, but the minister is at this stage being relevant. If she strays too far, she'll be asked to return to the question. At the moment she's being relevant. I'm listening to her carefully, with one minute remaining.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think it just tells you everything you want to know. The transition is about getting more renewables into the grid. That's the change that we need to make as a nation. That's the change that we're committed to because of course it reduces pollution. But it also delivers cheaper energy into our homes and businesses, something we know Australian families back. They've decided for themselves by putting millions of solar panels on their roofs. They have worked it out. We know that this transition is a vital one for Australia. It's a vital one for the world, and I'm proud of the action we have taken in stark contrast to those opposite. And I do remind the Greens that they were the ones that teamed up with the Liberals to block action on climate change last time we were in government.