Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the member for Pasin—sorry, Barker.

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Perhaps one day it might be named after me, but I doubt it, Madam Deputy Speaker Scrymgour! I rise to speak in support of the bill that was recently introduced to the House by the member for New England, a bill to end Australia's reckless commitment to net zero by 2050. Net zero in the most basic terms is the idea that a nation balances the amount of greenhouse gas it emits with the amount it removes from the atmosphere so that the net effect on the climate is zero. It sounds neat, even noble, but in practice net zero is a costly illusion—a political slogan masquerading as science, imposed without honesty and absent realism.

Since its adoption, Australia's commitment to net zero has delivered nothing but pain to the Australian people. It has driven up the cost of power, destroyed manufacturing and gutted regional communities, while doing absolutely nothing to change the globe's climate. Australia contributes just over one per cent of global emissions—one per cent—yet this government behave as though Canberra holds the planet's thermostat. Meanwhile, China, India and Indonesia are building hundreds of new coal-fired power stations. Together they account for almost half of global emissions. They are not stopping. They're not slowing down. Yet Labor persists with this ideological crusade, punishing Australians for the sins of other nations.

Net zero has become a moral vanity project for those who can afford it and an economic catastrophe for those who cannot. It's easy to preach climate virtue from an inner-city office. It's much harder to pay the power bill on a farm or keep the lights on in a small workshop in regional Australia. Everywhere I go across my electorate people are telling me the same thing: their power bills are crippling them; businesses are closing; and farms are furious at the destruction of their country for wind and solar projects that tear up paddocks, divide neighbours and desecrate landscapes that our families have cared for, for generations. These so-called renewables aren't clean, and they're not green. They're future landfill—industrial junk that will one day be left rusting in our fields because this government has made no provision for their decommissioning or rehabilitation. Farmers will be left with the cost and the contamination, and those opposite in this place are doing nothing but looking the other way.

Labor's net zero policies are built on deceit. They tell Australians that power prices will fall, yet every bill tells a different story. They claim jobs will grow, yet we're watching our heavy industries collapse. They promise energy security, yet they are shutting down the very power stations that keep the lights on. Through the safeguard mechanism, the Capacity Investment Scheme and a web of green subsidies and taxes, the government is transferring billions of dollars from hardworking Australians to foreign-backed renewable companies. That is not environmental policy. It is economic sabotage.

All this significantly weakens Australia at a time when the world grows more dangerous by the day. When our nation's security depends on self-reliance and strong industry, we're dismantling our competitive advantage in affordable, reliable energy. The government speaks of transitioning—but transitioning to what? A grid that is 82 per cent intermittent and dependent on the weather? Vast solar and wind farms built with Chinese steel, Chinese labour and Chinese financing? This is not sovereignty; it's surrender.

The greatest hypocrisy of all is that the same voices who lecture Australians on climate virtue continue to rely on fossil fuels for their own comfort and convenience. They fly across the world to climate conferences, stay in five-star hotels and demand ordinary Australians tighten their belts in the name of saving the planet. The United Nations climate bureaucracy led by unelected officials now dictates to sovereign nations like ours what we can mine, what we can manufacture and how we can live. I will not stand by while unelected foreigners backed by global billionaires tell the Australian people to accept higher costs, fewer jobs and a weaker nation. At the same time, we're witnessing the slow death of manufacturing in this country. Food plants, glassworks and aluminium smelters—industries that once made Australia strong—are being forced offshore not because they're inefficient but because they can no longer afford the price of power in Labor's Australia.

This legislation is not about denying climate change; it's about defending Australian people from a policy that is impoverishing them. It's about sovereignty, affordability and fairness. It's about putting Australians first. Our duty in this place is to put the people of Australia, not the global climate lobby, first. Our responsibility is to ensure affordable power, secure jobs and a strong nation. Net zero has failed economically, strategically and morally. The House must have the courage to end it.

Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025. The member for New England has described this government's goal to reach net zero by 2050 as a lunatic crusade and treacherous. I think he needs to take a good look in the mirror, because that's where he will see someone that is, quite frankly, completely out of touch with regional Australia. This government's ambitious plan to tackle climate change will help all Australians, no matter where they live. The member for New England says that regional people are furious, but I say that he needs to open his eyes and look at the impact that climate change is having with fires, floods and drought. Yes, people are hurting. Yes, farmers are hurting. Yes, small businesses are hurting. That's why we need to take action right now.

Climate change has had an absolutely devastating impact on my electorate of Gilmore. Lives were lost, and hundreds lost their homes, businesses and livestock when the horrific Black Summer bushfires decimated the New South Wales South Coast in 2019-20. I challenge the member for New England to tell the people of Gilmore who are still recovering, still rebuilding and still reliving those horrific weeks and months that climate change and the road to net zero is a lunatic crusade. In recent years, we've not only been hit by fires; we've experienced record levels of rainfall and storm activity, resulting in flooding around our waterways and farmland. Homes have been inundated, crops and livestock have been destroyed, and farmers are still counting the costs from the relentless rain. Dairy and beef farmers, oyster growers and fruit and vegetable producers are all struggling after being hit by a string of fires, South Coast lows and rain bombs. Tell these farmers that the road to net zero is a lunatic crusade. Tell them our plan to reduce carbon emissions and reduce their energy costs by transitioning to renewables is treacherous.

Record rainfall has led to dozens of landslips, closing roads and cutting off towns and villages across Gilmore for months. Farmers couldn't get their cattle out, and people couldn't get their kids to school. Families were isolated. Businesses suffered, especially those that rely on tourism, because people couldn't get there. Across my electorate, devastating downpours have wrecked our roads and footpaths. Seawalls have been destroyed, and bridges have literally washed away. And this government has stepped up to help local councils with their massive repair bills time and time again.

Finally, after a decade of inaction, we are taking meaningful action to address climate change. Climate change isn't something that will, maybe, perhaps even happen in the future; it's something that is happening right now. It's something that has happened that we have and are experiencing. It's not going to go away, so we have to take action. The member for New England wants to take our country back to the Stone Age. That's not what the Australian people voted for on 3 May. The message was loud and clear in the last election. Australians are ready to seize the opportunities a renewable energy future has to offer. I'm so proud to live in a regional area where people are switched on and playing their part in the country's transition to renewables. Across Australia, there have been more than 90,000 rooftop solar panel installations since our Cheaper Home Batteries Program started on 1 July. How good is that?

People in my region are certainly not furious about net zero. They're not angry and they don't think the path to net zero is a lunatic crusade. From 1 July this year, we've been rolling out billions of dollars worth of responsible support to build a stronger economy and deliver cost-of-living relief for Australians. The Albanese Labor government has taken strong action to provide energy bill relief to Australian households and businesses. We're rolling out critical investments in renewable energy, because the sun and the wind don't send a bill, and we've acted to make the energy market fairer. Our new rules, coming into effect in 2026, will make sure retailers aren't ripping off customers, because Australians deserve a fairer go when it comes to their energy bills. We know there's more to do, but we're on the right track. We are acting on climate change now because the science is conclusive. I think the member for New England needs to wake up and face reality.

Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak against the member for New England's bill to repeal Australia's net zero target. This bill, the Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025, is not just a backwards step; it's a reckless rejection of economic opportunities, of environmental responsibility and of political reality. Australia's commitment to net zero is both an obligation and an opportunity. It's our duty to future generations and our ticket to prosperity in a rapidly changing global economy. Walking away from net zero would be a betrayal of all Australians who want a stable environment and a future of abundance for our kids and grandkids.

The national climate risk assessment lays bare the risks that we face. Climate change is affecting our communities through extreme weather, our economy through disrupted supply chains and our environment through degraded ecosystems. The risks are escalating, and our response must match them. Our action on climate change must be ambitious, not only to meet our international obligations but to unlock the investment needed to build the industries of the future—renewables, critical minerals, green iron and clean manufacturing.

We have the best renewable resources in the world. We have the minerals the world needs. We have the engineering know-how and the workforce. What we lack, and what this bill threatens, is policy certainty. Investors are watching and businesses are ready, but they need a clear signal that Australia is serious about net zero. Even raising the idea of repealing our target does damage by sending the opposite message—that we are unreliable, unserious and unprepared. That's not just bad policy; it's bad politics as well.

Australians, including rural and regional Australians, support climate action. The last two elections have made that abundantly clear. There is no path back to government for the coalition that does not involve regaining ground in suburban and metropolitan seats—seats like mine, seats like those of my fellow crossbenchers and many marginal Labor seats as well. That path requires climate credibility. Reopening the net zero argument within the coalition paints Labor's timidity and lack of ambition as courageous innovation. This bill is a political own goal for the coalition. The coalition could be playing an important role in opposition by reaffirming its commitment to net zero, endorsing an ambitious 2035 target and accepting the economics. It could effectively hold the government to account on driving the clean energy transition in a way that's practical, cost-effective and focused on jobs and competitiveness.

The climate wars must end. The future is calling, and Australia has everything it needs to thrive in a net zero world, if only we choose to lead. Yet, across Australia, the Liberal and National parties show their desire to cling to the past. The WA Liberal Party's state council supported a motion to abandon our net zero target for 2050. In Queensland, the LNP has also voted to reject net zero. Although this bill has been put forward by the member for New England, who may or may not be part of the Nationals, it unfortunately signposts where the coalition is heading. The moderate Liberals were unable on drag their coalition colleagues to the centre under the Morrison government and paid the price. Still, it seems, the lesson has not been learned.

On ABC's Insiders yesterday we heard more about the coalition's so-called review of the net zero target. Senator Canavan couldn't answer a question about the cost of abandoning net zero, doesn't intend to do any modelling as part of the review and claimed, without any modelling or evidence, that the Treasury and so many other stakeholders lack credibility when they say that abandoning net zero will result in lower economic growth, reduced investment and higher energy prices. These stakeholders include the National Farmers' Federation, which supports the targets because farmers are on the front line of climate change. Now that the Nationals are taking a different view to the farmers, who are they representing? There are really only coal and gas companies left.

This does not bode well for the future prospects of the coalition or for the economic future of the country. Returning to the climate wars is economic sabotage and a political dead end. Businesses and investors are ready and willing to invest in the industries of the future, but they need policy certainty—not mixed messages coming from our politicians. The coalition as a whole must decide if it's in favour of Australia having a flourishing economic future on a livable planet or against it.

Net zero is not a burden but a blueprint for a better future. It's a framework for innovation, job creation, regional development and environmental stewardship. I urge the coalition and the House to reject this bill, reaffirm its commitment to net zero and help build a flourishing economic future on a livable planet.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for New England and Member for McKellar, everybody has a right to stand up and speak and to put their opinion. It would be good if members just allowed other members to say their words.

Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, it's not Halloween just yet, but it's getting scarier and scarier on the other side of the chamber. It seems everything you need to know about the coalition and their ideological compass post-election is being set by the member for New England, even when he's no longer sitting in their party room. So lacking are they, in any positive vision for the future, that they're outsourcing their policy direction to Senator Canavan and One Nation not just to repeal Labor's progress on climate action but to undo the commitments made under prime ministers Morrison and Howard.

While the Albanese government's first piece of legislation was to cut student debt by 20 per cent, the coalition's first priority is to repeal Australia's net zero target, a move that would damage our economy, our environment and our international credibility. Don't just take my word for it. At the Queensland LNP convention this year, an overwhelming majority voted for the federal coalition to abandon net zero, describing it as a 'dangerous scam'. Not one elected MP or senator spoke in favour of keeping the net zero policy at the federal level—not one.

The coalition and the member for New England could not be more out of touch with the Australian people and with science. Net zero is not some woke slogan; it's not a culture-war battleground. It's about our suburbs and regions, it's about topping our roofs with solar panels, and it's about ordinary Australians making smart choices to cut costs, lower emissions and create a better future for their kids. And it's already happening in communities like mine.

In Bonner we've had one of the highest uptakes of batteries under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program in the entire state—645 and counting. Our community is leading the way because we know what's sensible. In August I had the pleasure of welcoming the Prime Minister and Minister Bowen to visit Therese and her family, who have lived in the suburb of Mansfield, in my electorate, for 33 years. They've had solar for years, but it wasn't until our government introduced the 30 per cent battery rebate that they installed a home battery. In Therese's words, it was 'affordable and sensible'. That's the kind of practical commonsense approach Australians are taking in the suburbs and regions right across our country.

Sadly we're not seeing the same sense from the member for New England with this reckless bill. Recently the member claimed that net zero and climate change policies were 'ludicrous crusades and immoral'. The member also said that we have 'spent years scaring children about the weather'. Does the member for New England want Therese and her family to pay more for power? Are the 645—and counting—families in my electorate of Bonner that are set to have lower bills being scammed?

This government is backing Australians like Therese and her family, with real policies, real investment and real action. Since coming to office we've cut emissions to 29 per cent below 2005 levels; added over 18 gigawatts of renewable energy, enough to power six million homes; delivered $12.7 billion in clean energy investment in the last year; and passed energy saving reforms that are cutting bills and creating jobs. This is what real action on climate looks like, nationally and in my backyard of Bonner.

The choice before us is clear: a cleaner, cheaper energy future or a political stunt that takes us backwards. But this bill isn't just a stunt; it's a test. We all know that the member for New England is planning to move on from his seat—he has made that clear—but what this bill will demonstrate is whether we'll see anything new or different from the coalition, or just the same old faces still denying the science, still denying the economics and still denying Australians a better future.

Only Labor believes in a future made in Australia. Only Labor believes in clean energy, smart investment and protecting what makes this country special. Only Labor believes climate action should benefit all Australians, in the bush, in the suburbs and by the bay. We know that Australians believe that too—just like Therese and her family in Mansfield and just like the thousands of households across Bonner that have embraced batteries, solar and sensible climate action. They know it's affordable, they know it's sensible and they know it's the future.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.