Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move Australian Greens amendment (1) on sheet 5645:

(1)    Page 2 (after line12), after clause 2, insert:

2A Principles of Nation-building Funds

        (1)    The underlying principles of the Nation-building Funds established by this or any other Act are that projects financed from the Funds must:

             (a)    address national infrastructure priorities;

             (b)    demonstrate high benefits and effective use of resources;

             (c)    address climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity conservation;

             (d)    prepare for the global oil production peak and subsequent decline in oil production;

             (e)    efficiently address infrastructure needs;

              (f)    demonstrate achievement of established standards in implementation and management.

This amends the principles relating to the funds. In particular, it requires that the principles be amended so that the principles now have inserted in them that projects must address ‘climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity conservation’ and ‘prepare for the global oil production peak and subsequent decline in oil production’. These two insertions are critical if we are to make sure that these funds actually do not act as a counterpoint to our climate change mitigation efforts. What I am trying to do here is make sure we have a whole-of-government approach that is internally consistent. The government says its aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I have not heard it say so, but it should be saying that we ought to also be addressing energy security to make sure we reduce our dependence on foreign oil as that was certainly a recommendation of the Senate committee of inquiry into Australia’s future oil supplies and alternatives.

What I am saying is that if the whole-of-government approach is to ensure we reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we reduce our dependence on foreign oil then the best way of doing that is to make sure that, in considering what infrastructure to support, we prioritise infrastructure which gives us a win-win situation as to the climate and the economy, which helps us make the transition to a low-carbon economy, and which helps us restructure our cities and redesign our cities accordingly. I cannot believe, in this day and age, with the climate crisis as it is, that anybody would not want to see infrastructure be under, as one of the principles of the fund, consideration as to climate change, greenhouse gas abatement and peak oil. I look forward to the support of both the government and the opposition for this amendment.