Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Environment and Energy, I present the committee's advisory report, incorporating dissenting reports, on the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020 and the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020, together with the minutes of proceedings.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Climate change is one of the world's most challenging and complex areas when it comes to public policy, and that includes here in Australia. What is often left unrecognised amidst the growing ambition to decarbonise Australia's economy is our strong track record in emissions reduction and also in emissions accounting and reporting. The evidence that came before the committee in this inquiry bore out these facts. Australia is not only meeting and beating its international obligations but is on track to beat its 2030 emissions reduction target, and work is already being done to determine a longer-term emissions reduction pathway in line with our commitment to achieving net zero as soon as possible and preferably by 2050.

Australia's reporting and accountability framework is world leading, providing quarterly reporting on emissions, annual forecasts and an annual low emissions technology statement. However, no area of public policy is without room for improvement, and the climate change bills proposed by the member for Warringah were welcomed by the committee as a contribution to the discussion. The committee, as it always does, diligently considered the proposed bills and the evidence that came before it from those who made submissions and appeared before the committee as witnesses. In its report, the committee has commended positive aspects of the bills, including requirements to consult with experts and the community in framing future climate policies and the importance of ensuring fair employment transition for those industries and workers impacted by change. The committee also supported better utilising the Climate Change Authority as an expert adviser to government and working towards even greater clarity of future emission reduction plans in advance of this year's United Nations COP26 conference.

At the same time, however, the committee's inquiry identified deficiencies in the proposed bills. Let me outline just three. Firstly, the bills proposed a climate change commission which would steer formal policy decisions away from the parliament and the executive to an unelected body. Our system of liberal democracy is well recognised as one of the most mature and well-functioning in the world, and it is imperative that its integrity be maintained. No matter how difficult it is to meet these substantive and political challenges of climate change, we parliamentarians cannot shirk our responsibility to determine the national response. What's more: the Australian people should not be stripped of their right to choose between alternative policy positions at the ballot box. Their voice—the people's voice—especially on an issue as important as climate change, must be protected. Secondly, the proposed climate change commission would replicate work already being done by the federal bureaucracy, including by the Climate Change Authority, and the bills, if they were passed and enacted, would place additional and potentially inappropriate reporting burdens on other Commonwealth agencies. Thirdly, the proposed requirement to reach net zero emissions by 2050 by legislative force, without recognising the importance of addressing the question of how such targets can be achieved, would give rise to a series of risks across the economy and across specific sectors and also for the jobs of hardworking everyday Australians. Does this mean that net zero should not be considered or pursued? No, it doesn't. Indeed, the Australian government has already committed to achieving net zero as soon as possible and preferably by 2050. But it would be irresponsible for a government to legislate for such a hard target on the what and the when without due consideration of the how. It is for reasons such as these that the committee has recommended that the bills not be passed.

Climate change is a global problem that can only be solved with a global solution. Australia is making its contribution, a strong contribution, and as we continue to do so we should have confidence that our climate objectives can and should be achieved using our existing, proven and world-class climate policy architecture. In a liberal democracy like Australia's, it would be unrealistic—dare I say naive—to expect a national consensus to emerge where everyone agrees on one specific suite of policies to tackle the issue of climate change. That's not a bad thing, I suggest. Liberalism and its two tenets of democracy and capitalism are a strength, not a weakness. When it comes to tackling a challenge as intractable as climate change, it's what allows open debate on public policy and it's what allows enterprise to consider new and emerging technologies.

Lastly, I thank my colleagues on the committee from the Liberal, National and Labor parties, along with the crossbench, who actively participated in and brought a critical lens to this inquiry, and I pay tribute of course to the ever-capable committee secretariat. I commend the report to the House.

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