Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Good, but not good enough—these will be the words that define this government's attempt at climate policy if it continues down the current path. While this government has taken more measures to address the climate crisis than its predecessor, that's no benchmark. This science tells us that the government's 43 per cent emission reduction targets don't even come close to the targets required to help keep the planet below the 1.5 or two degrees of global warning limits set in Paris. As the government stands here and espouses its achievements and goals, Australia lags in its global multinational commitments and misses out on opportunities to become a world-leader in the new international net zero technology economy.

In May 2022, the Australian people delivered a clear mandate on climate leadership by electing the current government. So when will this government embrace that and begin to treat the climate crisis with the urgency and the ambitious policy it deserves? I wish to voice my concern to the House that evidence suggests Australia is not currently on course. Its 43 per cent reductions goal of 2030, a target which was less than ambitious in the first place, is starting to look like a ceiling, not a floor. We can do better. The inadequate safeguard mechanism, the continued approval of new coal and gas projects, and the fanciful suggestion of capturing carbon and dumping it under the sea all run counter to what we need to achieve. With every day that passes, our job gets harder. We must do better.

So how do we move from good to great? First: dramatically increase investment in Australia's net zero economy. Australia has a generational opportunity to become not only a renewable energy superpower but also a global leader in clean-tech design and manufacturing. We need ambitious policy-making so that we don't become a laggard to the likes of the US and their Inflation Reduction Act, causing us to lose ideas, talent and opportunity. These are not just my words. Industry bodies like the Smart Energy Council, Climate Energy Finance, the ACTU, and the Australian Conservation Foundation are all calling for over $100 billion to take advantage of this historic opportunity. It's time to be bolder and braver.

Second: energy policy that builds faster, cleaner and cheaper community energy. The $20 billion Rewiring the Nation program is an important step in increasing the amount of renewable energy in the grid, while at the same time reducing the cost of energy for Australian households. In the words of the Australian scientist and inventor Saul Griffith, we should electrify everything. We should subsidise and enable the ability for Australians to decarbonise and electrify their households. We should build the EV infrastructure necessary to service an electrified transport system. We should drive home energy generation and storage. If the government is serious about its stated strategic objectives, this is what it takes.

Goldstein is an excellent example of the community hunger and support for this type of approach. Village Zero is a community electrification zero waste and environment project seeking a series of community batteries to be shared throughout the Sandringham community, allowing the storage and redistribution of excess solar energy generated to be used by our network during the evening peak. Goldstein is seeking to lead the way in local energy generation, local energy distribution, and lower costs for households, but government support is required to back communities that are prepared to execute this transition at the local level. This is the low-hanging fruit that government should be going for.

And three: we need environment laws that work to protect our climate. The current EPBC Act allows the government to continue approving new coal and gas projects, despite organisations like the IPCC telling us that emissions from all existing fossil fuel projects are more than enough to push us beyond 1.5 degrees of warming. Australia Institute research shows that, if all 116 proposed coal and gas projects in the pipeline went ahead, annual emissions from those projects alone would be almost triple our emissions produced in 2021-22. Summoning the resolve to reject new fossil fuels is crucial.

'Good but not good enough'—these are the words that will ring in our ears if we fail to invest in our future economy, if we fail to invest in our local communities and if we fail to live up to our renewable potential.

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