Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise to speak to this matter of public importance and to follow the mover of the motion, Senator Hume. The content of her contribution really tells me that she hasn't—the effort into her MPI is not really up to scratch, I'm sorry. What I mean by that is it did seem like it was more tongue-in-cheek. I thought Senator Hume's contribution was more tongue-in-cheek. Unfortunately, the issue of energy is a serious matter, and this MPI really shows that the opposition are not here to take that issue seriously. In terms of their position on energy, they're here because they're climate deniers dragged around by the Right and the further right of their own party. The MPI is not about policy; it's a distraction from the chaos overtaking the Liberal Party. Their leader is under pressure, their backbench is undermining them, and their party is split. Ms Ley would rather deny climate change exists than face what is going on in her own ranks.

The simple truth is this—I actually said this earlier today, but it is worth repeating because these are the facts—the opposition had almost 10 years to put an energy policy in place, and they failed. For a decade they went from slogan to slogan without delivering a single settled plan. Twenty-three different policies came and went. None of them stuck. None of them delivered certainty. None of them delivered investment. All the while, the system aged, and the market moved. During their time in government, 24 out of 28 coal-fired power stations announced they were closing, and yet they did nothing to prepare the country for it.

I know those opposite understand this. They know that these are the facts. They know that their inaction is a key reason Australians face the pressures they do today. When you ignore a problem for 10 years, it doesn't go away; it becomes harder to fix. Instead of taking responsibility, the opposition now want to entirely abandon net zero, a target they signed Australia up to and which their own colleagues in New South Wales and Victoria still support.

What we are watching here today is not a policy debate; it's a party being pulled apart by its extremes. They come in here, attacking a very good minister, Minister Bowen. They come in here time after time, attacking the COP process, even while Australia has been asked to take on a global leadership role, Senator Hume—a global leadership role! They attack global cooperation because it suits the internal politics of their party. Their party, the Liberal Party, has lost its way.

Meanwhile, the Labor government is focused on protecting Australia's interests and restoring credibility after a wasted decade. We have secured an unprecedented role for Australia and the Pacific at COP31. Turkiye will host the conference, and Australia will lead the negotiations. It's a significant honour for Australia. We will lead the negotiations from the end of COP30 through to COP31. We should be very clear about what this role actually means for Australia. Securing it has not been automatic; it took real partnership with the Pacific and serious diplomatic work. (Time expired)