Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The science is clear. Climate pollution from gas, oil and coal is driving more intense and more frequent weather and disasters. We're already experiencing horrible summers of deadly bushfires, flooding and immense heat and humidity. According to reports earlier this month, it's possible that this year we have already passed 1.5 degrees Celsius of human-caused warming; 1.5 degrees was meant to be the limit, and now we have sailed past it. We're in the midst of a climate crisis right now, and we must act urgently. The planet has a very specific and tight deadline for us. We cannot negotiate with that.

Research published this year indicates that Australia was the third-largest exporter of primary fossil fuels behind only Russia and the USA. When we translate this into exported emissions, Australia comes second because of the sheer size of our coal exports. From 1961 to 2023, Australia's fossil fuel exports have been responsible for emitting 30 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. All this pollution—and for what? It all gets dug up and exported, with fossil fuel giants pocketing huge profits and everyday Australians left to bear the consequences. Successive Labor and coalition governments have failed to adequately tax fossil fuel companies, and the profits of those mining booms have gone offshore. At least countries like Norway have the decency to properly tax their resources sector so citizens have something to show for it. What Australians see in return for our fossil fuel exports are increasingly severe bushfires, floods and heatwaves. We're seeing insurance costs soar, with more and more homes becoming uninsurable altogether. Collectively, Australians are paying $20 billion more today on insurance than we were only 10 years ago.

Government action and inaction have shifted the cost and burden of the climate disaster off fossil fuel companies and directly onto people and communities. Since coming to office, this Labor government has approved 28 new coal and gas projects. This government is also seeking to expand fossil fuels past 2050 as part of their Future Gas Strategy. This strategy will see gas exports soar, exporting billions of tonnes of emissions, which is inconsistent with achieving net zero and completely inconsistent with the science. Emissions would need to decline at an average of 14.5 million tonnes a year to meet Labor's 2030 target, and the steepest cuts would need to occur right now. But, instead, the data shows us that emissions reductions have stalled since Labor came to office.

Approving renewable power generation is great, but we cannot put the fire out while we pour more petrol on it. We need to tackle climate change from all angles, and that means stopping new fossil fuel approvals. Forty per cent of our power grid is already renewables, so we don't need new coal and gas. The public wants stronger action on climate change. Each day we wait is another opportunity for the government to approve more and more fossil fuel projects. Our climate and our wildlife cannot afford further delay. Then, of course, we have the coalition, who may or may not even believe climate change is real. It's still a TBD. They've proposed concepts of a plan for nuclear reactors that would take 15 to 25 years to implement. The reality is our coal-fired power stations are going to close, and we are going to need to implement alternatives much sooner than 15 to 25 years from now. We cannot wait until the last minute. We should be working to the planet's timeline, not to the timeline and profits of fossil fuel companies. Australia is one of the sunniest and windiest countries on earth. Like I said, around 40 per cent of our national energy already comes from renewables. It's the lowest-cost and quickest way of building new energy, and it is the obvious choice.

As we head into the federal election, it is not 'mission accomplished' on climate. Emissions are not going down; they have stalled. Fossil fuel projects are still being approved, and the fossil fuel industry is still being subsidised to the tune of billions of dollars every year. 'Mission accomplished' looks like a decarbonised economy, 100 per cent publicly owned renewable power, greater protections for our environment and biodiversity, and no new fossil fuels, for a start. We owe it to ourselves to be bold, to follow the science and to make sure Australia is not left behind, at the back of the pack, in a decarbonised world. I don't want us to be sitting here in 10 years wishing we had done more when we had the chance. The time is now. We have to do more now.

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