Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister representing the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Minister Seselja. Senator, it's no secret that I've been sceptical about climate change in the past. I used to think all this stuff about climate change was absolute rubbish. That was only in 2017. Since then I've listened and I've watched and I've changed my mind. I think a lot of people like me have changed their minds about climate change too, because anyone can see that the weather we're getting now is not natural. That report from the IPCC yesterday should scare the hell out of us. Senator, unless something changes, we're going to hit 1.5 degrees of warming within two decades. It is time for your government to stand up and admit that you were wrong too. Will you admit that we need to change tack here and do something very different to stop this from happening or at least slow it down?

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lambie for her question. There is no doubt that the Australian government takes the issue of climate change and emissions reduction very seriously, and I'm pleased that Senator Lambie is calling for action. I can take Senator Lambie and the Senate through some of the measures that we actually are taking which demonstrate how seriously we take this issue. When Australia makes commitments to reduce emissions, unlike perhaps some other nations, we take those very seriously and we deliver on those commitments. It's not just making a commitment; it is about delivering it.

Between 2005 and 2020, we reduced our emissions by 20 per cent. If we look around the world, there are many countries in the OECD—in fact the average is about nine per cent, so we're about double the emissions reductions of advanced economies. If you look at the G20, about half of G20 economies have seen their emissions increase during that period. So we take that very seriously. We take seriously our investment in renewables, which, in relation to solar, is at the highest levels in the world on a per capita basis, much higher on a per capita basis than other countries.

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear the interjections from the Greens senators there—always making a constructive contribution on behalf of their activist arm that we saw outside parliament, vandalising this place today. But, unlike the Greens, we actually believe that when you take these measures you need to do them in an economically responsible way.

An honourable senator interjecting—

I do. One of the other areas we are supporting is climate resilience in the Pacific. We are doing that through significant investments of hundreds of millions of dollars. If we were to take the Greens' advice and destroy our economy tomorrow on the altar of their climate goals, we wouldn't be able to support our Pacific partners. So we're doing our bit. We're working with international partners to lower emissions to see more investment in renewables, but we'll do it in a way that is sustainable for our economy and jobs as well.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, a supplementary question?

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

France and Sweden replaced their whole coal fleet with nuclear power, and they now have the lowest per capita carbon emissions in the world. Meanwhile, we've got nearly a third of the world's uranium here, but for some reason we won't use it ourselves. This government says that we can cut our emissions using technology, not taxes. If you're actually serious about that, will the government consider replacing our coal-fired power stations with nuclear power?

Honourable senators: Hear, hear!

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm hearing fewer 'hear, hears' from the Greens for that question in relation to nuclear power! When it comes to that issue—and I thank Senator Lambie for the question—Senator Lambie would be aware that there is a moratorium on nuclear generation in this country. Of course, we, as a government, believe any changes to that would require bipartisan support. There's been a blanket antinuclear stance from the Labor Party I think since the 1970s. What we've said in relation to this technology, like all technologies, is we are watching developments. Last year the Morrison government released Australia's Technology Investment Roadmap. In the road map small modular reactors are identified as a watching brief technology. There is no doubt that we need to take action in this space, but, when it comes to the issue of nuclear, we all know that, when you have a blanket ban on one side of politics and given the long lead times for this type of investment, there are significant challenges to the ability to look at that type of technology. But, when it comes to other moves, we're doing it through renewables and we're doing it through a technology-not-taxes approach, which is where we're going to be taking it into the future. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, a final supplementary question?

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 2015 I looked at fuel security. The biggest thing we had was nuclear power, and it was made very clear it would be a 10-year turnaround. Six years later and the Liberal Party hasn't even got past the first base of doing anything about nuclear power. So please stop the wishy-washy and get up and give me an explanation of what you intend to do when we own nearly one-third of the world's uranium? You're sitting on your butts not doing anything about nuclear power for this country.

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Lambie. I think I largely addressed your second supplementary in the answer to your first supplementary, so I don't know that there's much I can add and there's certainly not much that I could add that would satisfy you. But what I would say is this: when it comes to taking action on climate change, reducing emissions, we always have to take a very practical real-world approach, and that is what this government has always sought to do. It is about taking the issues seriously, but it is also about recognising that, if we don't work for global action with countries right around the world, if we don't work to support existing industries, and if we don't make sure that we have strong baseload power to deliver, then our economy will go backwards, we will see jobs shed, and it will all be for nought—if we are sacrificing our economy and not actually seeing it move the dial when it comes to the environment. So we take a very responsible approach which balances all of these realities, as laid out in the earlier answers.