Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How is the Albanese Labor government working with Australia's biggest emitters to ensure they contribute a fair share towards our climate target while supporting economic growth, and what has been the response to these critical reforms?

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

I thank my honourable friend for his question and his leadership on matters of climate. As the member for Macnamara knows, the Albanese government was elected with a mandate of developing a framework of policy consistency for emissions reduction by our 215 biggest emitters by reforming the safeguard mechanism. On 9 January I went to Gladstone to announce the details of this policy, the government's preferred position, and we very much welcome the responses we've received from that.

This is important. The emissions reductions achieved by this policy are equivalent to taking two-thirds of Australia's cars off the road. That's the size of the task. An important part of this reform is delivering below-baseline crediting. It's creating safeguard credits so that firms and facilities have an incentive to reduce their emissions even more than they're required to under the law. It's a very important part of the reform, and it's the only part of the reform that actually needs legislation; the rest will be done by regulation.

I always want to be fair about these matters, and I want to give credit where it's due: this was part of the policy we inherited from the previous government. In response to the expert panel on low cost abatement, the previous government announced that they would introduce below-baseline crediting, that they would introduce safeguard credits. That's what they said they would do. The former minister for energy announced that they would do it. We know the noalition opposes all of our policies, including the National Reconstruction Fund, but I have to report that the noalition has spiralled to such levels that it's now opposing its own policies. They're against their own policies.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat. The member for Hume is warned. I assume he wants to stay for the MPI. I call the Manager of Opposition Business.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the minister has twice used an inaccurate and offensive description of this side of the House.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. The way question time will work is that the minister will refer to members or parties by their correct titles. The Manager of Opposition Business is correct.

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

To be fair to the member for Bradfield, we know there was a debate between him and the shadow cabinet about this policy, and he didn't agree. What we don't know is what the member for Hume contributed to that debate. The member for Hume, when announcing the policy—which is exactly what the government is implementing—said:

… this is just about making sure that Australian manufacturing has the right incentives in place to reduce emissions … This simply provides a carrot for them to be able to reduce their emissions beyond that baseline.

That's what the member for Hume said in 2020. In 2021—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hume is on a warning.

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

he went on to say, 'This provides an incentive for businesses to reduce their energy costs.' Now, how did the member for Hume cope in shadow cabinet? Did he say, 'Fantastic; great move; well done,' or did he say, 'Terrible; bad move; not well done'? What did he say? What did the member for Hume say to shadow cabinet? He's against the policy he himself announced.

This tells us a number of things. We know the opposition is divided. We know they're dysfunctional. We know they have a worse climate policy now than they had under the member for Cook—which takes some doing. It also tells us this, and this is very important: they know this is good policy, but they're opposing it. They do not care about the national interest. If they don't care about the national interest in opposition, why would they ever care about it if they are ever in government?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moncrieff will leave the chamber. She has been continually interjecting.

The member for Moncrieff will come back to the dispatch box and apologise.

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mr Speaker, I apologise.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moncrieff.

The member for Moncrieff then left the chamber.