Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House acknowledges that for the Government to reach their target of Net Zero by 2050, not one new coal, oil or gas project can commence".

We are in a climate emergency. We need action, and the election showed that the Australian people want action. The Greens and crossbenchers who pushed for no new coal and gas saw their votes go up. Liberal and Labor, who want more coal and gas, saw their votes go backwards. The climate crisis is caused by the mining and burning of coal, oil and gas. You do not end the climate wars by opening more coal and gas mines.

At some point in our history we have to say that it's time for no more coal and gas. The United Nations believes it's time. The International Energy Agency believes it's time. The Pacific islands leaders believe it's time. Thousands of young climate strikers believe it's time. Even the Pope believes it's time! But this Labor government seems to believe something different. Labor seems to believe that we can keep approving more coal and gas, and that the market will make the call when it's time to stop. Labor wouldn't leave the minimum wage or aged-care nurse ratios to the market to decide, so it shouldn't do it with the future of humanity either. It's the government's job to keep people safe, not to defend the profits of Santos and Woodside. Worse, channelling the former Prime Minister, the current Prime Minister says that our coal is somehow better for the climate. It is not. You can't put the fire out while pouring more petrol on it. You can only end the climate wars by keeping coal and gas in the ground.

Right now there are 114 new coal and gas projects in the pipeline. If they go ahead, more homes and businesses will become uninsurable. If we hit two or more degrees of warming and fail to meet the Paris Agreement goals, which is where this government's weak targets take us, we will see more floods, fires and droughts. They will increase the cost of living and destroy infrastructure. Ecosystems will collapse, more species will simply become extinct and more of us will die. That is why, when negotiating on this Climate Change Bill, we've put such an emphasis not just on the government's weak targets, but on the need for a moratorium on new coal and gas. We also said that there needed to be compromise and real action and that our preference was to improve and pass the bill.

In this parliament where less than a third of the country voted for Labor—yes, Labor has some mandate and the Greens have some mandate, but more important is our mandate from the planet and the laws of physics. If the government continues to open up new coal and gas the planet will burn and that is the mandate we need to listen to. That is why we're bitterly disappointed that Labor has made it clear publicly over the last few weeks that they want to continue to open new coal and gas projects.

While the government has been unwilling to adopt science-based targets and place a moratorium on new coal and gas, we have been able to secure improvements to the bill—ensuring that the target can be ratcheted up over time and that it's now 'Dutton-proofed' with a genuine floor, which means the target cannot go backwards. Changes have also been made to put in place greater transparency and accountability and strengthen requirements on the Climate Change Authority. Government agencies, such as Export Finance Australia, that in the past have funded coal and gas projects will, for the first time, be forced to take climate targets into account, which would see them curbed from supporting fossil fuels. They join a range of other agencies with new limits, including Infrastructure Australia and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. That is why we will vote for this bill tomorrow and we will vote for it in the Senate.

To be crystal clear, the Greens have improved a weak climate bill and we will pass it. But the fight to stop Labor's new coal and gas mines continues. In this parliament the only obstacle to stronger climate action is Labor.

People need to be clear-eyed about the importance of this bill and that this government is bringing a bucket of water to a house fire. Worse—even this smallest of steps along the road to tackling the climate emergency could be wiped out by just one of the 114 new coal and gas projects in the government's investment pipeline.

The Senate inquiry will be critical, as we expect the Senate inquiry will show that the government cannot meet the targets in this legislation if it opens new coal and gas projects and that a change to the government's approach will be required.

The Beetaloo gas project alone could lift Australia's pollution by up to 13 per cent. And if all of the coal, oil and gas projects on the books go ahead Australia's pollution could rise by as much as a third from where we are now. None of this is included in Labor's modelling around the weak 43 per cent. Here we Greens have the science, the public and the international community on our side.

Labor might be holding out now but their position is ultimately untenable. They can't go to upcoming climate summits vowing to open new coal and gas projects and expect to be taken seriously. Soon the government will start to say how it will cut pollution, putting some meat on the bones of its centrepiece safeguard mechanism which may reduce pollution by as little as one per cent a year and ignite new climate wars if it allows new coal and gas projects to proceed.

The Greens, in balance of power in the Senate, will be crucial, as the safeguard mechanism can be disallowed. I can also inform the House that, because the safeguard mechanism will deal with the question of new coal and gas projects the government will have further discussion with the Greens as it designs the mechanism. Further, the government will also consider Greens' proposals to support coal and gas workers and communities, including the establishment of a transition authority. This was a crucial part of our election campaign. This has to be the parliament that provides job and wage security to coal and gas workers as we do our part to tackle the climate challenge.

Over the next six to 12 months the battle will be fought on a number of fronts. We will comb the entire budget for any public money, any subsidies, handouts or concessions going to fossil fuel corporations, and we'll amend the budget to remove them. We will push to ensure the safeguard mechanism safeguards our future by stopping new coal and gas projects. We'll push for a climate trigger in our environment laws, and we will continue to fight individual projects around the country, like in Beetaloo, Scarborough and Barossa. I call on all Australians to join this battle to save our country, our communities and, indeed, our whole civilisation from the climate and environment crisis.

In respect of the consequential bill, there are many important agencies and acts of parliament not currently included in the consequential bill. The Greens believe that all of government should be working towards the legislated climate target. I understand from the minister that a review will be conducted in the coming months of other agencies and acts to be added to the list in the consequential bill. In summing up on this bill, I ask the minister to confirm that this review will take place and what the timing of this review will be. I would also like the minister to confirm that NOPSEMA, the agency tasked with regulating and approving offshore oil and gas projects, and its governing legislation will also be included in this review.

On a related matter, while the consequential bill includes the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 and inserts the targets into that act, it does not directly address the problem of native forest burning being counted as renewable energy. This problem was created by the Abbott government. It needs to be addressed. I ask the minister to confirm that we're going to have further discussions on this very important matter.

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