Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. What is the cost of the Prime Minister's net zero by 2050 policy?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The plan we released today shows very clearly that the cost of the low emissions technology roadmap is $20 billion over the next 10 years. In addition to that, $20 billion is what we're investing in to produce those low emissions technologies, which is the central component of our plan to hit net zero emissions by 2050. It's technology, not taxes. It's about choices, not mandates. We're not seeking to force people to do things. We're not seeking to close anything down. They're the sorts of policies the Labor Party pursues. That's what their agenda is, not our side of politics. What we are doing is building up a portfolio of technologies which will ensure that over the next 30 years we'll be able to achieve that goal by adding to jobs, by adding to investment, by strengthening our regions and our rural communities, our agricultural sectors, our transport sectors, our mineral sectors, our manufacturing sectors. Under our government we will be able to go to COP 26 and say that our emissions reductions by 2030 will meet and beat our Paris commitments. A 35 per cent reduction is what we now anticipate because of the work that has been done and particularly because of the low emissions technology roadmap, which has been brought together by the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction. This is a plan that backs in the efforts of Australians that Australians are making, which are already seeing us reduce emissions and are setting us on that pathway to 2050, to ensure that we achieve net zero emissions without damaging our economy, without taking away the way of life that rural and regional Australians have been able to appreciate. When the Labor Party were in power they only had one plan to reduce emissions. It was called a tax.

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline to the House the Morrison government's plan to deliver net zero emissions by 2050 through practical and responsible action that also preserves jobs and creates new opportunities across Australia?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Higgins knows and has been a champion of understanding that Australians understand and support the need to take action on climate change. So do I, and so does my government. I know this because Australians are already taking action on climate change; already they're doing it. Australia's emissions have already fallen by more than 20 per cent since 2005. That's stronger than countries like the US, like Canada, like New Zealand, like Japan. In fact, we have exceeded their emissions reductions over that period of time, and we've done that at the same time as we've seen record levels of renewable investment and renewable energy coming into our system and ensuring that we're setting up opportunities for the future, exceeding many times over the global average—some eight times the global average—when it comes to the installation of renewable energy in Australia. And on top of that we're meeting and beating the emissions reductions targets that we set, that we took to the Australian people and that they supported. They not only supported having a sensible and responsible target, but they also supported the fact that they knew we would seek to meet and beat those targets, which is exactly what we're doing. We expect to see a 35 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 based on the policies that we've been pursuing.

We're doing this at the same time the economy has grown by 45 per cent. Three million jobs have come into the economy. We're growing our exports, including our minerals exports and our gas exports, especially in the LNG sector, creating so much wealth and jobs for this country, and we're doing it while we're putting Australians back into manufacturing jobs. There are a million Australians in manufacturing jobs. Under Labor, one in eight manufacturing jobs was gone. They went. We're reducing emissions, growing our economy, putting people back into manufacturing jobs, supporting their jobs in agriculture, supporting them in the resources sector, and that's what our plan does. Our detailed plan to achieve a net zero target by 2050 is a uniquely Australian plan. It gets the balance right to ensure that we protect jobs, protect livelihoods, protect incomes, protect their way of life, keep downward pressure on their household costs, to ensure we can get the balance right in the plans that are necessary.

This is a uniquely Australian way to deal with this because we need a uniquely Australian solution to deal with our economy. The actions of Australia speak far louder than the words of many others who will speak from many other places. We will not have our plans determined by any others than those who remain in this government, in this place, for Australians, by Australians, and that is the plan that we're going forward with, which protects our economy and meets our commitment.

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

The Prime Minister's time has concluded.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday the government told Senate estimates it would claim public interest immunity to refuse to release the government's modelling on the impact of net zero by 2050. Today the Prime Minister said his modelling will be released another time. How was it in the public interest to hide the impact of the government's net zero policy?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There it is! There's the policy. It's been released, and it includes the results of the modelling in the plan. I'll tell you what, you won't—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Prime Minister, just resume your seat for a second. At this point, it's inevitable I need to intervene, for reasons members interjecting know. I'm just going to point out—because I'm anticipating more interjections, which I won't deal with—so that everyone is clear, the provisions of standing order 94(a) do not require a warning. I've just been generous in doing that, probably too generous, and I'll have no hesitation in using it. The member for Isaacs—I'm not going to single out everyone interjecting; I'd detain you for some time—you're interjecting regularly and you're waving your arms around.

Yes, you are. And even though you've been moved away from here, which I welcome, as far as I'm concerned it's not far enough, when in the manner that you're interjecting. The Prime Minister has the call.

Opposition members interjecting—

You moved him, I didn't!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The policy that has been adopted by the government was considered by cabinet last night. That's why I'm in a position to advise that today we are releasing the plan—the detailed plan—that sets out how we reach net zero emissions by 2050: by focusing on technology not taxes, by ensuring that we're respecting people's choices and not seeking to mandate them and tell them how to live and what to buy and how they're supposed to do things on their farms and other places, to ensure we have a strong portfolio of technologies that can be successful, over the next 30 years, to achieve these targets, to get the balance right between affordability and emissions reduction, to keep prices down and to keep the lights on and ensure that there's the transparency and accountability not just on emissions reduction but ensuring that we're constantly monitoring the socioeconomic impacts of these policies, particularly in rural and regional areas.

We're absolutely confident the plan that we have, the plan that we have agreed, the plan that we have adopted, that sets out our policies in detail as to how this is going to be achieved, will be a positive economic benefit, as the modelling indeed shows. We will release that modelling as we indeed should, and we certainly will. Today we've released the plan and we will soon release the modelling as well.

That is very different to what happened at the last election. At the last election there was a choice between a 2030 target of 26 to 28 per cent by the government and a 45 per cent target offered by the Labor Party. The Labor Party was asked to release the costings and modelling that went to their policy. They refused to do it. To be fair—

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker. I ask the Prime Minister to table the document that he's referring to.

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

No, I've said to the Leader of the Opposition you can only do that at the conclusion of the answer.

Opposition members interjecting—

No, it's actually really straightforward. The Prime Minister has the call.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So that modelling will be released. Of course it will be released. I've already said it would be. And it'll be there to demonstrate.

But what I do know is that we won't see any modelling on the Labor Party policy because there isn't a policy. There isn't any modelling, just like there was no modelling on their 45 per cent emissions reduction target, and they couldn't tell anyone what it cost because there was nothing in it. They have a target without a plan. They have a target without a cost. They have a blank cheque that they want to put into law, and force it on Australians and mandate them to do things. That's what laws are supposed to do. That's not our plan.

We're going to back Australians to achieve this goal, this target. We know they want to achieve it. We know they're already taking actions in their own lives, in their own households, in their own businesses, in their own industries. They're moving forward and we're going to back them to do it. The Labor Party thinks you have to make a law to force them to do it. That's not our approach. That's their taxes approach.

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

The Leader of the Opposition?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I know that you will foresee this coming, but I would ask that the Prime Minister table the document that he's referring to.

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

Is leave granted?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a public document.

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

Sorry, okay.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a public document.

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

I'll hear from the Leader of the Opposition again.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If it's a public document, then it should be available to the public, which is why it should be tabled.

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

The question is whether the Prime Minister will table it.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to table Australia's long-term emissions reduction plan, a whole-of-economy plan, to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. I would invite, at some future opportunity, as the standing orders allow, the Leader of the Opposition to table his plan for achieving the same thing. I'll be waiting a while. I've been waiting for two years, in fact—

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

Prime Minister, you just need to table it, okay?