Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Waters for her question. The government is indeed committed to the objectives of the Paris Agreement, to which we are a signatory, which include targets in relation to limits on global warming. We of course look forward to working cooperatively with other nations in relation to the work towards those targets, doing as Australia has done time and time again, which is to meet and exceed the commitments we have made. In relation to the Paris Agreement we have made 2030 commitments commensurate with that agreement, and all indications and analyses show that we are on track to once again meet and exceed those targets.

As senators may be aware, Prime Minister Morrison and President Biden spoke earlier today in a warm conversation, canvassing a number of different issues, including cooperation in relation to matters of climate change. Indeed, the government looks forward to receiving further details about the Biden administration's summit and to formulating our participation in that summit once we have received those further details.

So our position is certainly one of continuing to invest, as we have, in the technologies and pathways to achieve reductions. It's investment by Australian businesses, Australian households, Australian industry and Australian governments that have put Australia in the position that sees the uptake of renewable energy in this country, leading much of the rest of the world. It has delivered reductions in emissions ahead of the OECD averages over a period of time. Through continued investment, we will achieve the technological breakthroughs that will enable us to move beyond the types of successes being seen in relation to energy generation and into the other spheres of emissions that need to be tackled in order to achieve more-ambitious targets into the future. That's why we've made a $1.9 billion investment into future low-emissions technologies and why we look forward to working with partners like the United States in delivering on that package. (Time expired)