Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, after eight years, three prime ministers and 21 energy policies, our Prime Minister got up, less than two weeks shy of going to Glasgow, to announce a plan for climate action. The problem is that it's not a plan. It is an absolute joke, and Australia deserves so much better than the circus we have seen from the Liberals and the Nationals over the last weeks—and, frankly, over the last eight years. They have got up with a glossy brochure, which is what the Prime Minister loves to do best. It's always about the announcement but with no proper plan for the follow-through. This does not adjust formally the interim target. It will not legislate even the net zero by 2050 commitment. The Deputy Prime Minister has not even given this his own support, it's been reported in their party room, and he couldn't stand up next to the Prime Minister today.

Australia will go to Glasgow as an embarrassment. It is an embarrassment on the world stage. We are going to be left behind, because this is a real moment for the world to embrace a transition to clean energy and to decarbonise. It's a real opportunity for Australia to get those jobs that come from becoming a renewable energy superpower. Instead, they've set up this false dichotomy that this is bad for the regions. No—the regions would benefit from these jobs and from these new industries. Instead of pitting Australians against each other and creating these false climate wars, we should be working together to end these wars and get on with a proper plan to get to net zero by 2050 to address the climate crisis we are facing. The IPCC—the most authoritative body of climate scientists—have called this 'code red for humanity'. I know that the people in my electorate understand that. We believe the science.

This is the thing that people in Canberra contact me about more than any other thing. We care about our children's future. We care about our planet. This government thinks this is nothing more than an opportunity to pull out another brochure—another meaningless announcement. Well, Australians are going to see through this. Australians want climate action, and I hope they take that climate action at the ballot box at this election and vote this mob out. Australia deserves so much better. Our children deserve better. Our planet deserves better. What we've seen and what we've been subjected to over the last few weeks is just not good enough. It is just disgraceful that they will not legislate net zero by 2050. They will not even make a real commitment, let alone a proper plan. It is an absolute disgrace (Time expired)