Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was only a few months ago that I stood in this chamber and spoke about the clear message being sent from South Australia about what they wanted to see in a government. I highlighted then they wanted real action on climate change, more jobs and cheaper power. The election result made it very clear just how true that was. In every state and territory Australians were very clear on their desire for change, and many of us believe that a lot of that was driven by the desire for action on climate change. They voted for a government that will respect ambitious reduction targets. They voted for a government that will work alongside community, industry and, importantly, the scientists. Now as a government we have the opportunity for change. We value the importance of this place, and we value and respect the diversity of views that are held within this chamber and the other place. Those views deserve to be heard, they deserve to be considered and ultimately they deserve to be considered in a compromise to get the best outcome for the Australian people.

I understand that the Greens have a particular view about new coal and gas projects, and that is their right, and I acknowledge that that was their publicly stated policy position prior to the election. It's what they campaigned on, and they were very clear with the Australian people.

Our policy differs, and that was also very clear in the lead-up to the election. We've been very clear that any new coal and gas project needs to stack up. The simple reality is that the investment in renewables in this country is booming and that the Labor government has significant plans to boost development in renewable energy, to improve our electricity system and to head towards net zero in 2050. In that scenario, many coal and gas projects just simply don't add up. A company having an idea or a proposal for a new coal or gas project does not necessarily mean it's going to occur. It does not necessarily mean that it will make it through their board approval processes; it does not necessarily mean they are going to get the investment and the finance that they need for that project. If they do manage to get that far, then we do have our environmental standards—noting Senator Waters' concern about the strength of those standards. But there are processes, nonetheless, to ensure that projects have what is seen to be a reasonable pathway. So, subject to a project passing all of those hurdles, we do then have a very clear safeguard mechanism which we will bring in, and that will apply to any new project emitting over 100,000 tonnes. This safeguard mechanism is designed to ensure that we reach our goal—a goal that we are deeply committed to—of net zero by 2050. Providing those emitting facilities with certainty as to their emissions trajectory and providing certainty for anyone wishing to invest in such projects makes it clear about the future for that project. And, under that scenario, many of those projects may not stack up. What we won't be doing is making empty promises for new projects that possibly won't come to fruition, as so often happened over the last dark decade under the previous government. This was our very clear policy that we brought to the election—the very clear policy that the Australian people knew we had when they gave us the honour of being their government.

Prior to coming to this chamber, I had the great pleasure of being the Executive Director of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, which gave me the opportunity to work extensively with the scientific community and with industry on the urgent need for climate action. We spent a very long time banging our heads against the wall with the lack of action from the government of the day. But the scientific community, working alongside the business community, reflecting on the industries of the future, as well as the good of the planet, found: you can make a positive pathway through that. And that is where Labor sees the answer. Over many years, I've had the great opportunity to work with environmental advocates, including some from the agricultural sector, and of hearing from them how vital clear, concise, transparent climate action is for their work. It is vital. There is a pathway here. There is a pathway we intend to take.

The one consistent theme that we have seen, for well over a decade, is that everyone is sick and tired of the uncertainty around climate policy in this country. We became an international laughing-stock under the previous government. We, as the new Labor government, have already made strong inroads to change that. And that is not just about looking good on the international stage. That is about investment in Australia. That is about the opportunity for our businesses to grab the opportunity to amend their business, to work towards lower emissions—to zero emissions—and to reap the benefits of the fact that the international community is looking down and moving down that pathway. Climate change is an opportunity for our businesses to get on board.

One consistent theme, as I've said, is this issue around the uncertainty, the division and the political game-playing. This is an area that has been plagued by political opportunism, policy immaturity and obfuscation, and we welcome the constructive discussions that have been occurring between the government and the crossbench, particularly the Australian Greens. They have come to the table in good faith, they have come to the table with ideas, and we welcome that and thank them for that effort. Unfortunately, the other side of the chamber is quite a different situation. We have seen the Leader of the Opposition refuse to engage in this conversation, to try to continue the divisive, destructive approach to climate change. Thankfully, they were voted out. Hopefully, in this next term, they might learn something about bringing the country together rather than dividing it.

We do not need to divide our country again over climate policy. We have a strong pathway that is very clear, that gives industry and communities certainty and that opens and enhances numerous opportunities in new and emerging sectors, including hydrogen, something I'm very passionate about—and we've seen some excellent opportunities in the upper Spencer Gulf that are exciting for the whole community from a development perspective, from a jobs perspective and also from the perspective of reducing emissions and addressing climate change.

In our bill that has been introduced into the House of Representatives, we honour all of those commitments that we made during the election. It contains the 43 per cent reduction target by 2030. It has the independent Climate Change Authority to provide advice on our progress and to help ensure our commitment to the obligations we have under the Paris Agreement. Our policy has covered accountability, transparency and the contrast between the past government and the current government. We sincerely hope that this bill will pass. We sincerely hope that. Through the level of engagement and consultation that has occurred with all of the relevant stakeholders, including environmentalists, business and industry, this is a policy, this is a bill, that actually addresses critical issues in an agreed, consulted-upon and transparent manner.

We know that we are going to find objections from the Liberal opposition. We know that we're going find objections from the Nationals. We know that that is not what the Australian public want. This is a chance to come together. This is a chance to make a difference for the future of Australia. This is a crisis and we need to address it.