Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Energy. At recent climate negotiations I attended in Bonn, it was reaffirmed that current commitments are not enough to meet the Paris Agreement goal of staying well below two degrees of warming. In fact, Australia's existing paltry 2030 target will contribute to over three degrees of warming. Even worse, under your government, Australia's pollution is going up and up and up. Minister, last year you started a climate change policy review which was to be completed by the end of this year. Will you release the results of this review before the end of the year? And will the new policy increase our pollution reduction commitments to help meet the Paris two-degree goal or, under your government, will we remain on track for over three degrees of warming?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can inform the House that Australia's emissions on a per capita basis are at their lowest in 27 years. In 27 years! In the most recent data, in the last two quarters, emissions have come down in the electricity sector. In the land sector, through the Emissions Reduction Fund and through the good work of the member for Flinders, we have contracted for 189 million tonnes of abatement at under $12 tonne on average. The work through the Renewable Energy Target has seen a five-fold increase in renewable investment in 2016 compared to 2015. A five-fold increase—a record amount.

The Prime Minister, through his support, through Snowy 2.0, is supporting the largest pumped hydro facility in the Southern Hemisphere—the largest renewable project, bringing on 2,000 megawatts of additional support. So the work that the Turnbull government is undertaking to reduce emissions is making a difference. The advice to the government is that our 2020 target will be met and, indeed, beaten by some 224 million tonnes. What we won't do, on this side of the House, is to reduce emissions at the expense of energy affordability and energy reliability. We won't sell out the workers at the coal-fired power stations throughout the country—unlike the members opposite; unlike the member for Hunter, who is extremely quiet, who is not prepared to stand up for jobs in his own electorate; unlike the member for Shortland, who turns his head into his papers, who's not prepared to stand up for the workers in his electorate. We are taking the steps to—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne, on a point of order?

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: the question was whether we're going to see the results of the climate policy review before the end of the year.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne has raised a point of order on relevance. I will just point out to him: whilst that was certainly in his question, one of the problems with the 45-second special deal for the crossbench is that it necessitates a lot of preamble that widens it. I just make that point.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The review will be released in due course. But the point is this: we have taken steps to reduce our emissions, and that is occurring, particularly in the electricity sector, in the land sector and through energy productivity in the built environment. We're taking steps to reduce power prices and create a more stable system. But what we will not do, which the Greens and the Labor Party will do, is to sell out the workers of Australia.