Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Families across Bennelong care deeply about climate action, and so do I. I believe in leaving the country stronger and safer for the next generation, and that belief is shared by families across Bennelong. I've seen that commitment firsthand through my engagement with members of Parents for Climate North Sydney, who asked that their collective voice be conveyed in this parliament. In their words, 'In our homes and streets, families are already doing their part. We are putting solar on our rooftops, driving electric vehicles, switching off gas, reducing waste, composting, planting trees and walking or cycling to school. We are teaching our kids about sustainability and supporting each other through the changes we all need to make. Despite our efforts, climate change is already affecting us. Families in Bennelong have lived through bushfire smoke, floods and extreme weather. We feel the health impacts of pollution and the anxiety our children carry about their future. Our hope is simple—that our kids will grow up in a safe, healthy Australia where action on climate matches the scale of the challenge. Our fear is that, without urgent national leadership, their future will be less secure, less fair and more dangerous.'

During the 2020 election, I made the Parents for Climate candidate pledge. It was a commitment from me to work constructively with them and my community to advocate for stronger climate policy. Their pledge calls for stronger federal leadership, support for households to electrify affordably, access to renewable energy for renters, cleaner and more accessible public transport, and decisive emissions reduction.

I'm proud to be part of a government that has taken significant action in all those steps, with more to come. Through the safeguards mechanism, we're reducing emissions. Our most recent data in August showed emissions fell by 1.4 per cent, or 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and projections are looking good. We're investing record amounts into renewable energy, the cheapest form of new energy. New figures show that in the most recent quarter, renewable energy powered 51 per cent of the national grid. And our policies to help households electrify and reduce emissions are going gangbusters. The Cheaper Home Batteries program has installed over 250,000 batteries across Australia—1,579 of those in Bennelong. Lastly, the federal government is investing $115 million in New South Wales's first electric-only bus depot, in Bennelong, home to 150 brand-new electric buses, meeting Parents for Climate's ask for cleaner and more accessible public transport. For renters, our solar sharer scheme will kick off from 1 July.

That's each and every item of that pledge met, but I know there's much more to do. I'd like to thank Lucy Leonardi, Anna, Jane, Warren, Catherine, Susannah, Lisa, Emily, Chen, Maria and Sarah, and all the Bennelong parents and grandparents from Parents for Climate who informed this statement and who hold me to account every day.

Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for constituency statements has concluded.