Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to speak on the Department of the Environment and Energy's Quarterly update of Australia's national greenhouse gas inventory: June 2019. This update provides estimates of Australia's national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions up to the June quarter of 2019 and emissions from the National Electricity Market, up to the September quarter of 2019. It states that electricity generation is the largest source of emissions in the national inventory, accounting for 33.8 per cent of the emissions in the year to June 2019. The report also states that emissions from the National Electricity Market account for about 83 per cent of national electricity emissions. I note here that the transport sector accounted for 18.9 per cent of Australia's national inventory, which includes emissions from the direct combustion of fuels and transportation by road, rail, domestic aviation and domestic shipping.

It's very fitting that I have the opportunity to speak on this report today, because today marks a very significant anniversary in political events that have contributed to the nature and quantum of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, which are documented in the report. As senators have heard, today is the 10-year anniversary of when the Greens joined the Liberals and the Nationals to vote down the Rudd government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. I was 22 years old when this happened. I was one of the young people filled with hope, after that election, that finally we would see action on climate change and that finally we would see meaningful policy reform. And I was one of the young people who had their hopes shattered by the Greens, shattered by the Liberals and shattered by the Nationals, as they joined together to vote against one of the most significant policies to tackle climate change that we have ever seen in Australia at a time when the Australian government had a mandate for that change, when we had the will of the Australian people behind us, when we had an opportunity in the parliament to do something real and impactful to give young people hope and to give our planet hope. But the Greens voted against it. We don't want to let the Greens forget it today, because today marks the anniversary. It's been 10 years.

We should all remember who voted against progress that day, who voted against meaningful action on climate change, who voted against the hope of a generation and their future and who voted against the future of our children. The Greens were there; the Greens were involved, and I will not be lectured any further today by the Greens on Labor's policies on climate change because we're the only ones who have actually brought them to this place. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.