Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Recently, the International Court of Justice found that states have a binding international obligation to assess and limit emissions, including scope 3 emissions, to avert significant climate harm. Scope 3 includes captive carbon in exported coal and gas. If the government won't include a climate trigger in environment laws or include scope 3 emissions in the safeguards mechanism, what steps will you take to ensure Australia's compliance with the ICJ ruling?

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. I note that the government supported the reference of the ICJ case that was commenced by Vanuatu. I also note that we considered the Climate Change Authority's advice on our recent nationally determined contribution. The Climate Change Authority, indeed, considered the ICJ decision in weighing up their advice to the government under our world's-best-practice climate change target-setting regime. Their advice to us was to set the maximum possible level of ambition, which is advice that, of course, the government accepted.

What the honourable member is doing is raising other issues around scope 3 international emissions in other countries, which he's entitled to do, but I'd make this point: our obligation is to reduce our own emissions and work with other countries to help them reduce their emissions, not to come at it in some other way. That's why we embark on the policies we do.

But I do agree with the honourable gentleman in this regard: a massive opportunity we have, if we seize the economic opportunities of net zero, is to help other countries decarbonise through a future made in Australia. Whether it be through green metals, ammonium or green hydrogen, these are the opportunities. Treasury has modelled this and found that the emissions reduction possible internationally, using Australian know-how and Australian resources, is equivalent to 1.2 per cent of world emissions, which is a big number: around 460 million tonnes. So this is a great opportunity for our country if we seize those opportunities—if we seize them. If we ignore them, those opportunities to create jobs and wealth as we help the rest of the world decarbonise will be missed forever.