Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

When I gave my first speech in this place almost three years ago, I said that the people of North Sydney wanted faster action on climate change, led by facts, not politics. They recognised we're at a tipping point on climate and, fundamentally, politics. Like many other forward-looking communities across Australia, they wanted a clear and actionable plan to reduce national emissions. They wanted innovative, smart and transparent investment in renewable energy, and they wanted improved access to clean transport. When I stood here then, I committed to advocate for science informed action on climate change and faster access to cleaner fuels and more efficient vehicles, and I committed to work together across all levels of government to make the electorate of North Sydney one of the first net zero urban energy zones in the country. Fast forward to today, and I can proudly say that North Sydney has delivered. From legislative amendments to private member's bills, community forums and clean energy fairs, the electorate of North Sydney has moved towards net zero as a community and pushed this 47th Parliament to take bold, decisive steps to tackle climate change.

When the Climate Change Bill 2022 was introduced to legislate the government's 43 per cent emissions reduction target, North Sydney was there, ensuring advice from the Climate Change Authority would be published on its website and tabled in parliament. We supported other crossbench amendments to strengthen the bill, including supporting regional communities and ensuring the 43 per cent emissions reduction target was a floor, not a ceiling. We successfully amended the safeguard mechanism to prevent new or expanded fossil fuel projects from accessing government funding to pursue abatement, and we worked with the government to ensure carbon offsets are not recognised within the Future Made in Australia Guarantee of Origin scheme. We fought for changes to the nature-positive bills to ensure better transparency and community consultation. Although those changes were ultimately not adopted, they put community consultation at the centre of the nature-positive discussions.

Throughout this term, we have consistently pushed for both the major parties to release 2035 emissions targets before the next election and for the government to urgently legislate a duty of care. We introduced a private member's bill, the Fuel and Vehicle Standards Legislation Amendment (Reducing Vehicle Pollution) Bill 2022, to bring vehicle emissions regulations in line with international best practice, and we advocated strongly for fuel efficiency standards, which were finally introduced in 2024.

As the member for North Sydney, I brought the federal climate conversation back to my community, hosting multiple local forums on the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 and the broader EPBCA reforms. It was a pleasure to host the Sustainable Living in North Sydney Forum, bringing together experts from sustainability, bushcare, garden and repurposing groups across the electorate to discuss their vision for a better climate in Canberra. And, in collaboration with local councils, I held the inaugural Clean Energy Community Fair, with over 30 stalls run by vendors, service providers and councils to help households and businesses reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

Just a few weeks ago, I joined with members of the Powering to Net Zero team and the Minister for Climate Change and Energy to launch the first community battery in Cammeray. I've had the immense privilege of working with amazing groups and talented people dedicated to climate action, from launching a report calling for communities to be afforded the right to seek a merits review of environmental decisions to facilitating a cross-political and science led discussion on nuclear energy to supporting my crossbench colleagues' calls for investment in climate resilience and preparedness measures. I can proudly say that my Powering to Net Zero team has made a real difference on the ground. Whether it be through their handy guide to government incentives to help electrify homes and businesses in North Sydney or their regular webinars and events, they have helped the North Sydney community reduce emissions and power bills.

The growth rate in total residential rooftop solar installations between June 2022 and December 2024 in North Sydney was 41.9 per cent, far above the New South Wales average of 31.5 per cent. Passenger battery electric vehicles garaged in North Sydney electorate grew from 1,115 in July 2022 to 4,511 in January 2025, now making up four per cent of the total vehicle fleet, far above the New South Wales average of 1.6 per cent of passenger vehicles.

While there is still much to do, North Sydney can be proud that we have, indeed, progressed urgent climate action, led by facts, not politics, in this place. As a community, we have both changed the climate here in parliament and driven our community closer to net zero.

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