Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When it comes to climate change this government is a total debacle, particularly over the past week. The chaos and the circus we've seen, especially in the last few days from the National Party, all around their wilful inaction when it comes to climate change will be the National Party's shameful legacy.

It is absolutely appalling that Australia today does not have a climate change policy. Acting on climate change is one of our nation's greatest challenges. It's also one of our nation's greatest opportunities. Yet they have all squandered that over the past eight years. In almost a decade they have squandered that. We're in this situation today because this Prime Minister never leads and is incapable of effective governance. We are also in this situation because the National Party are just wreckers. That is all they are. They have betrayed the people of rural and regional Australia. The Nationals have deprived regional Australia of all the economic and environmental benefits of acting on climate change. They are to blame. After nearly a decade in power and more than 20 policies what do they have to show for it standing here today? What do you have to show for it? Absolute chaos. That is not governing; that is rolling from crisis to crisis, from inaction to more in action.

We are just a fortnight away from one of the most important international climate change conferences that we've seen in a very long time. The circus of the last few days involving the National Party is, quite frankly, embarrassing. That's the only word for it. Let's look at the National Party's actions in the last few days They had that partyroom meeting for four hours. They were saying they couldn't make any sudden decisions. You've had nearly have had a decade. It was appalling. Of course in that meeting there were cabinet ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister. They had a meeting for four hours about whether they would support a decision that had actually been made in cabinet previously. But, of course, the Prime Minister needed them to tick off and they couldn't make a decision. The Prime Minister wasn't even in the room. We were all held hostage to the National Party. That is embarrassing. They just don't understand how serious this issue is.

We all know it's in Australia's economic and environmental interests to have action on climate change, including net zero by 2050 and a pathway to get there, because after this decade of inaction we have seen such environmental harm. We've seen job losses. We've seen lost economic activity—particularly in the regions we felt it the most. The fact is it's the people in regional and rural Australia who are paying the price for this wilful inaction with the droughts, the floods, the bushfires—so many natural disasters. We have seen falling farm productivity as well and falling profits. Yet the National Party's chaos, cuts and lies have resulted in nearly a decade of wilful inaction. This is despite that fact that it is rural and regional Australia that can benefit the most from the transition to renewables, to a more renewable economy. It is the regions that have suffered so much because of this wilful inaction. The National Party are stopping economic growth in the regions. They are stopping job creation in the regions. It is the National Party that are pushing up our power prices because of the inaction. That is their shameful legacy. In fact, the people of regional Australia are fed up with this Liberal-National government, fed up with their inaction and their division when it comes to climate change. People bring that up with me all the time. I fact, I asked the Prime Minister yesterday two very simple questions and he just couldn't answer those at all, not at all. He didn't have any information.

This is a really serious issue. This government has never taken it seriously at all. It is not just about the environment; it is about our economy and it's about jobs and about future generations. And that's why it will only take a Labor government to take serious action on climate change. Our country deserves that. But this is a Prime Minister who never leads. He never governs. On bushfires he just said, 'I don't hold a hose, mate,' On the supply of vaccines he said, 'It's not a race.' That was appalling. Look at the consequences of that. On climate change he said, 'That's too hard. We'll let the Nats decide.' All we see is massive inaction. The fact is this Prime Minister, this government, the Liberals and the Nationals, have all betrayed the nation with their wilful inaction on climate change—especially the National Party. As I've said many times, National Party choices hurt and their decision not to take action on climate change over a decade has been devastating for regional Australia. The potential for economic growth and jobs has been lost by their wilful inaction. The people of the regions will remember that for a very long time to come.

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