Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Warringah for bringing this motion on the Global Methane Pledge to the parliament, and I agree with her on a couple of key points. First of all, methane is an extremely important aspect of our country's effort to tackle climate change. We cannot ignore methane. It is an extremely potent greenhouse gas emission, and we must do more to track and reduce the amount of methane being released into the atmosphere.

I also absolutely agree with the member for Warringah on the aspect of the importance of the safeguard mechanism. This is something that this House, this place, and the other place need to get right. We need to pass that mechanism. It is the single-biggest lever that any government in this country's history has ever tried to pull on emissions reduction. We have to get it right. I appreciate the comments made by the member for Warringah, and I think there will be a lot of debate—there will be a lot of opportunities for members from all sides of the parliament to come together constructively, move amendments and talk through the details, and I am really hopeful that we, as a parliament, can come together in moving this. We have to take this step forward in tackling climate change. The safeguard mechanism is too big to fail. We will get one chance at this, as a parliament, and we need to get it right.

It comes off the back of the Albanese government, upon coming into government, signing up to the international Global Methane Pledge. Australia joined 150 other countries in committing to reduce methane by 30 per cent by 2030. I mention this because it is actually a bit significant from where we started and from where the previous government was. The previous government had some pretty extraordinary things to say when discussing the Global Methane Pledge. The former Deputy Prime Minister did not believe that we could tackle rising methane emissions through sensible efforts to bring down emissions and through policy levers in this place. He had a different suggestion. Despite the fact that Meat & Livestock Australia have a carbon neutral by 2030 target, the former Deputy Prime Minister and member for New England said:

The only way you can get your 30 per cent by 2030 … would be to go and grab a rifle, go out and start shooting your cattle.

It's an absolutely absurd response from the member for New England. But you would have thought, 'You know what? Sometimes the member for New England comes out with some ideas from left field in this place, so that's to be expected.'

But you would have thought the Leader of the Nationals would have had a little bit more of a measured response to methane—that he would have come in here and said: 'You know what? We have to think through these issues. It is important for Australia's international efforts to join the international community to tackle methane. It's important for our emissions reduction.' But, no, this is what the Leader of the Nationals said, very calmly and measured:

Now the Aussie BBQ is under threat. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants to take away the backyard BBQ.

For goodness sake—for goodness steak! Exactly! He also said;

We know Australians love their sausages, steaks, rissoles and lamb meals—

That's true—

all of that will become out of reach for many.

It's absolutely ridiculous from those opposite. Instead—

I can hear from the cheap seats out the back that there's a little bit of chirping going on, but the fact of the matter is that those opposite were completely against any form of climate action, full stop. Coming into this place, they voted against the emissions reduction targets that we took to the last election and they've dealt themselves out of the climate reduction conversation. We now have a large crossbench made up of seats from this guy's former colleagues.

Opposition members interjecting—

They can keep chatting away across the chamber, but on this side of the House we're going to tackle climate change, reduce emissions and be part of the global efforts to tackle and reduce methane. (Time expired)

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