Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I want to rise today to offer my congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris on winning the 2020 US presidential election. As Joe Biden said in his acceptance speech, 'America is at its best when it is a beacon for the globe, when it leads not by the example of its power but by the power of its example.' Joe Biden's election win is a powerful example to the world of how we must put jobs at the heart of our response to climate change. Joe Biden took the most ambitious climate change policy we've seen in the US to the American people, and it was endorsed at the 2020 election. It was not just a target for zero emissions by 2050, but zero emissions from the electricity sector by 2035 through massive investment in clean energy. They didn't campaign on stopping things; they campaigned on creating things, using government leadership to create 10 million clean-economy jobs—not only investing in clean-energy infrastructure but also investing in state-level, low-carbon manufacturing strategies to help manufacturers grow in a clean economy; investing in research and development needed to create middleclass jobs in new clean-economy industries; investing in the education and training needed to enable people to make the most of these opportunities. Election day was a resounding endorsement of their strategy—a five-million-vote lead in the popular vote. People recognise the clear and present threat climate change poses to our planet and they want to see action. They have seen the devastating impacts of climate change, just as we have here, from superstorms to the deadly California wildfires.

This is not about conservative politics against aggressive politics; it's about leadership. Around the world, governments, including conservative ones, are acknowledging the need to take strong action on climate change and they are acting. In fact, the United Kingdom, a great friend of Australia, is a leader in this field. The Johnson conservative government has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and has cemented it in law. The European Union, India, Japan, China and South Korea have also committed to net zero emissions targets in the future. They all now have a stronger commitment to reaching net zero emissions than the Australian government. They are offering science, while the Morrison government denies it. They're offering hope, while the Morrison government pedals fear. While the Morrison government plays politics of fear on climate change, the world's largest superpower and Australia's three biggest importers of coal are leaving us behind. The Morrison government is isolated on climate change internationally. Our friends are urging us to take bold action on climate change and our best customers have given notice.

While the Morrison government lags behind, an Albanese Labor government would take strong action on climate change. We have a clear target to tackle climate change—net zero carbon emissions by 2050—and, in the budget reply, the federal Labor leader started to show how we will create jobs while achieving this target, launching our $20 billion Rewiring the Nation policy to upgrade our electricity transmission system for renewable energy and to create thousands of new jobs, particularly in regional areas along the way. Australia can be a renewable energy superpower, and the Australian public are looking to the people in this place to show the leadership necessary to get us there.

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