Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment. Can the minister confirm that only a few weeks ago the government promised $2 billion for the Emissions Reduction Fund over 10 years, but that last night's budget stretched the same amount of money over 15 years and included only $189 million over the forward estimates? Doesn't this just confirm that this government's budget con job has already fallen apart?

Mr McCormack interjecting—

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will cease interjecting.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

( Thank you for the question. It's a good opportunity to refer to our $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Fund. Only with a strong economy can you devote that amount of money to the environment. There is $2 billion to the Emissions Reduction Fund, a fund that we committed to back in 2014, I believe, when Minister Hunt was the minister. We've now committed another $2 billion. Further money in there relates to Snowy Hydro, Tas Hydro and also the Mariners Link.

To the question more specifically, as we have said in the Climate Solutions Package, the fund will deliver an additional 103 million tonnes of abatement to 2030. That was very clear. The auctions to deliver this abatement will be conducted over the 10-year period. Of course, and I'm sure the member will understand this, there is scope to contract additional abatement from 2031 and 2035 to bring forward—

The SPEAKER: The member for Port Adelaide on a point of order.

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance, Mr Speaker. My question was about spreading the money over 15 years, and the minister is now talking about abatement over 10. The point was about the contradiction between the announcement and the budget.

The SPEAKER: If the member perhaps refers to the last line of his question, I think he might find that it opened things up. The minister is completely in order. If that was all he had asked, we might be able to have a discussion. But when you have a tag line at the end of the question like you did, you just open the garage door. The minister is completely in order.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The allocation of the $2 billion Climate Solutions Fund over the forward estimates also accounts for the $226 million that was still available under the existing $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund, which was announced in 2014.