Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister explain how the government’s renewable energy target will assist Australian households to install solar panels and drive the low-pollution jobs of the future?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Calwell for her question. The government is committed to ensuring 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity supply is generated from renewable energy by 2020. That is why we have established a renewable energy target and introduced legislation in this parliament to that effect. The House of Representatives has passed that legislation and it is now in the Senate—but I will come back to that in a moment. The reason we have done so is not just to make our contribution to bring down global greenhouse gas emissions but, on top of that, to ensure that there are new jobs generated in the renewable energy sector in Australia.

If we raised to 20 per cent the proportion of Australia’s electricity supply coming from the renewable energy sector by 2020, I am advised that would be equivalent to the electricity used in Australia’s 7½ million households. The equivalent of the electricity used in 7½ million households would be supplied by renewable energy. This is important for the environment but it is equally important for Australian jobs. Treasury modelling projects that by 2050 the renewable energy sector will be 30 times larger than it is today. Solar, wind and geothermal technologies all represent further opportunities for jobs for Australia—good for jobs and good for the environment.

This comes to the whole question of why we are acting on climate change through the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the renewable energy target legislation, in addition to a range of other measures to support investment in this critical sector in renewable energy. The reason is that the economic cost of inaction is far greater than the economic cost of action. The Garnaut review projected declines in the value of agricultural production of up to 97 per cent in the Murray-Darling by the end of the century if emissions are not reduced, as well as projecting the catastrophic destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.

At present the Great Barrier Reef generates some $4.9 billion in revenue, as the member for Leichhardt well knows, and it generates employment for about 60,000 people across Australia. The agricultural sector in the Murray-Darling Basin, as members opposite whose seats are adjacent to that region would know, employs some 90,000 people. On these two questions—that is, the impact on the Great Barrier Reef alone and the impact on the Murray-Darling—you are looking at an aggregate employment impact or effect on those 150,000 Australians employed through tourism on the Great Barrier Reef and agriculture in the Murray-Darling. That is why Australia must act.

That is also why the Australian business community wants certainty for its regulations for the future. If you are a business out there in the renewable energy sector or in the traditional energy sector, you want certainty in the regulatory environment. That is what we are on about. Pacific Hydro, for example, have some 600 megawatts of clean energy projects in the pipeline in Australia worth $2 billion. Let me quote from Mr Rob Grant, CEO of Pacific Hydro, who said in March this year—

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have delayed your own legislation for a whole year!

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Flinders speaks about delays in legislation, delays in climate change legislation.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hunt interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, the member for Flinders!

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How many reports did the previous government receive on the need for (a) an emissions trading scheme and (b) halving the renewable energy target? I have lost count. Year in year out the reports came in over the 12 years that they were in office, but our hyperactive member for Flinders obviously prevailed so decisively in the internal deliberations of the Howard government that what was produced by legislative outcome was one big fat zero. In 18 months this government has framed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme legislation, which is now in the Senate, and renewable energy target legislation, which is now in the Senate as well.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I begin to hear interjections on climate change.

Damian Hale (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hale interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind the member for Solomon that he is now skating on thin ice.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He’s a big fellow!

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I appreciate the member for North Sydney’s advice, which is based on a shared knowledge of how thick the ice has to be.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker, on relevance. The Prime Minister has now twice stated that this legislation is in the Senate—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! That is not a point of order.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Hunt interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, the member for Flinders! The question was in order and the Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will come to the question of Senate filibusters in a minute, Mr Speaker, but to quote further from Pacific Hydro—and I note the opposition’s continued sensitivity on the whole raft of climate change matters which are before the parliament at the moment—Mr Rob Grant said:

Pacific Hydro’s investment alone will create thousands of jobs mainly in regional areas in areas such as road building, concreting, steel fixing and steel fabrication.

And he went on to say:

… we must legislate the RET—

the renewable energy target—

as quickly as possible to create new jobs and limit the impact of the global economic crisis.

That is what Pacific Hydro had to say.

But that is where we get to the position of obstruction on the part of the opposition. What we see from those opposite at present is a decision today by the opposition to delay the passage of the renewable energy target legislation. I refer to the Sydney Morning Herald and an article there which brings to our attention the intention of Mr Turnbull, the Leader of the Opposition, to direct his Senate colleagues to filibuster next week to prevent a vote on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Not having the courage to vote for climate change is one thing, but not having the courage to allow any vote on climate change is something else. In fact on this critical challenge of climate change for Australia, I would say that filibustering is not leadership, it is just absolute opportunism, and that is what we have on the part of those opposite.

Remember that great senator from South Carolina, Strom Thurmond, an anti-integration senator from the south? I think he has the world record—24 hours, I think—for filibustering. I say to those opposite: can you get on with the business of passing this legislation. The nation needs it.