Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In May last year this government was elected with a mandate to take strong environmental action. The Australian people understand the implications of what our environment and climate face if we do not commit to implementing long-lasting and considered plans now. We must recognise that climate change is having an extraordinary impact on our country. We are seeing an increase in extreme weather events and just last year we saw flooding across the eastern seaboard. We know that these communities continue to face the consequences of these events. Thousands of people in communities in Lismore, the Central Coast and the Sunshine Coast are still displaced from their homes and facing uncertainty about the future. These extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more intense. Nature has made it very clear to us through these deadly floods, storms and raging fires that we have to stop filling our atmosphere with greenhouse gases and we have to stop doing it fast.

After nine years of climate change denial and inaction by the previous government, we stand at a critical juncture now to make that change. The chance to make incremental change has passed due to the inefficiency and inadequacy of the previous government. Unless we take action now we face an accelerating climate disaster. That is why this government has taken its commitment to action seriously. We have passed the Climate Change Act through both houses; we will implement the changes to the safeguard mechanism; and we have joined over 150 countries to commit to reduce global methane emissions across energy and resources, agriculture and waste sectors.

Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases and is the most harmful to our environment. Over a 20-year period, methane causes 82 times as much heating of the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Since industrialisation, methane concentrations has risen more than 150 per cent. Due to an increase in coal mining, gas drilling and industrialised agriculture, methane levels have continued to rise. In the last two years alone, we have seen record rises of methane in the atmosphere. The United Nations states that methane has caused 0.5 degrees of global heating. That is second only to carbon dioxide.

As signatories to the Global Methane Pledge, Australia now joins 150 countries across the globe in committing to work collectively to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030. Through working in partnership with key sectors, we will focus on research and development, investment and collaboration to work together to bring our methane emissions down. This government is making key investments and working closely with industry to support emissions reductions across high-greenhouse-gas sectors.

Through the National Reconstruction Fund, which we know those opposite are opposing, we will invest $3 billion to support investment in low emissions technologies, component manufacturing and agricultural methane reduction. We have committed to investing $8 million to support commercialisation of low-emissions livestock feed through the Powering Australia Plan. We will provide $5 million in funding to develop technologies to develop low-emissions feed supplements. Through changes to the safeguard mechanism by this government we will support emissions reductions throughout the sector. It will cover methane emissions from large industrial facilities and fugitive emissions from coalmines. Under these proposed reforms, each facility will see a baseline fall of 4.9 per cent every year to 2030.

Only this government will ensure that industry will carry its proportionate share of reaching our 2030 target and only this government will ensure we stay on a path to net zero. We know the opposition will take any opportunity to say no. I mean, it is quite extraordinary to see what was being played out over the last week on superannuation. Those opposite will take every opportunity to say no. We know they have said no to emissions reduction. We know they are saying no to the National Reconstruction Fund. They told us electric cars will take away the weekend. They are saying that by signing the pledge it is going to kill the weekend barbecue. They will say no to everything. But let's listen to industry. Those agrarian socialists at the National Farmers' Federation, we know how much they usually support this side of politics, which is pretty rarely, but they have come out and said that farmers are already leading the charge on climate change. Australia now has a seat at the table, and if we look at these key trading relationships that we need to grow with the EU, they need National Farmers' to take action on methane and emissions reduction. We are leading the way in the world. Our safeguard mechanism and signing the international pledge will help us get there. Your barbecue is safe. Your vehicles are safe. We will reduce emissions.

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