Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Reynolds for her question, because her question goes to the heart of how it is that Australia can contribute and will contribute to achieving a cleaner environment through such investment and commitment to innovation and technology and to doing so as part of strong global agreements. Australia, at present, has been in Paris negotiating for a truly global climate agreement and one that will drive inventiveness and new technologies to help ensure that we do deliver a cleaner climate and environment in the future.

In Paris, the Prime Minister announced that we will ratify the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Our Kyoto target will be completely consistent with our 2020 targets of minus five per cent on 2000 levels by 2020. Ratification will not change Australia's targets, obligations or domestic policies but will affirm what we have agreed and is consistent with what we are doing. Australia, of course, beat the first Kyoto target, and we are on track to meet and beat our second. Australia is a country that does and delivers on what it promises in these global agreements, and we will do so, absolutely, again.

During discussions in Paris we have reconfirmed our commitment to the 2030 reductions target of between 26 and 28 per cent, which will halve Australia's per capita emissions, and it is one of the largest reductions of any G20 country. Unlike Labor's failed carbon tax, our climate change policies are working and will help to drive innovation and inventiveness. That is why Australia has joined the Mission Innovation program, which aims to double clean energy technology investment over the next five years. We know that policies that drive innovation will result in and deliver a cleaner environment for Australia and the world.