Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change) Share this | Hansard source

Last week the government reintroduced the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme legislation into the House of Representatives and it is due for debate this week. The government remains committed to passing this important legislation this year. We are anticipating that it will be voted on in the House in the week commencing November 19 and then passed through to the Senate. The reason the government remains committed to that time frame is that the science on climate change is clear. As one of the hottest and driest continents, Australia has a lot to lose and we cannot afford further delay.

It was pleasing last week to see a cross-party meeting of members of parliament with Australian climate scientists. I would like to put on record our thanks to the member for Isaacs and Moore for organising that important meeting, which was an opportunity for parliamentarians to engage directly with Australian climate scientists to explore many of the important issues. In the lead-up to Copenhagen, the more countries that are moving forward the greater chance of a comprehensive international outcome. Passage of the CPRS legislation before Copenhagen will undoubtedly strengthen the government’s capacity to contribute to an international outcome.

The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme gets the balance right because it ensures that Australia can meet its emissions reduction targets in the most cost-effective way. By assisting emissions-intensive and trade-exposed industries and industries such as the coal sector, the scheme supports employment, particularly in important regions of this country, whilst underpinning investment certainty and the economy’s transition to a low-pollution future. The CPRS also provides important assistance to electricity generators to maintain investor confidence and, importantly, provides for assistance to low- and middle-income households to help them adjust to these changes.

As I indicated last week during question time, the government welcomes the coalition’s proposals, but it is very important that those proposals be both fiscally and environmentally responsible and credible. Proposals that reduce the amount of permit revenue available by excluding sectors or giving them additional support will have fiscal and environmental implications. For example, the exclusion or the proposed exclusion by the coalition of coal methane emissions from the CPRS would have the effect, were it implemented, of pushing responsibility onto other industries to further reduce their emissions so that Australia could still meet its emissions reduction targets.

So it is with interest that we await further explanation of these particular issues from the member for Groom, who is representing the opposition in the good faith negotiations with the government. The time to act on these issues is now. Therefore, I urge all members of this place—all parliamentarians—to support the good faith negotiations, to rise to the challenge of climate change and to get behind an outcome that is in the national interest and ensure a vote on this important legislation this year.

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