Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources) Share this | Hansard source

This government is investing in technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases. In fact, we have already allocated some $2 billion, including $500 million for the Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund, $100 million for the Renewable Energy Development Initiative, $75 million for Solar Cities initiatives and $100 million for the energy fund announced as part of the Asia-Pacific partnership, 25 per cent of which is dedicated to renewable energy development.

While I am talking about the AP6, I have some figures from the IEA’s Key World Energy Statistics 2006 that relate to fuel-combustion-generated CO emissions. I point out that the USA generates 5.8 billion tonnes of CO; Japan generates 1.2 billion tonnes; China generates 4.7 billion tonnes; India generates 1.1 billion tonnes; Korea generates 0.4 billion tonnes; and Australia generates 0.35 million tonnes. About 50 per cent of world emissions come from that AP6 group.

It is what you do that is important, not what you say. The members opposite believe that, by signing Kyoto, tomorrow it will rain and the drought will end. The members opposite believe that, by signing a piece of paper, the increased sea temperatures will go back to their normal levels. There is argument about cyclic effect and researching the ice cores of glaciers and the North Pole. But it is actions that count, and this government is investing money in new technologies to address climate change. We Australians account for about 1.4 per cent of total world greenhouse gas emissions, but the way the opposition speaks it is as though we contributed some 98.6 per cent of emissions. (Quorum formed)

The member for Hunter and I do not usually agree on too much, but both of us would agree that coal exports out of the Hunter are worth about $5 billion per year for 80 million tonnes of coal—about 95 per cent of our region’s total exports—and we would both agree that the Hunter produces some 40 per cent of Australia’s aluminium and that we have four power generation systems powered by coal, which generate some 80 per cent of the state’s electricity. The other thing that the member for Hunter and I both agree on is his statement earlier that Kyoto is basically a European model, and it is true that it is flawed, it is not without its difficulties and it is pretty much dead in the water. We agree on that, because we believe in the jobs of Australian people, the opportunity to work without fear. Fear is placed upon them by the Labor opposition, who, as I said before, believe that, if you sign the Kyoto agreement today, it will rain tomorrow. The reality is that it will not. Australia can punch well above its weight, like it does in most forums, by investing in new and emerging technologies which will address greenhouse gas emissions—technologies that we can take forward into other countries to help them reduce their emissions.

I have been to China and India: there is visual pollution, predominantly caused by home cooking fuels, by people burning coal or other fossil fuels to generate heat for cooking and warmth in winter. By having clean-coal technologies to generate electrical power, we as a country can help to reduce international greenhouse gas emissions.

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