David Feeney (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In fact, I was talking about the Greens party, but I am pleased you will too. We come to some of the specifics. We are talking about things such as household energy efficiency measures. The assertion being put is that the government has made no real progress and that there has been, to quote the motion, ‘gross and systemic failure’. But there are important successes that this government can and does claim. There are important successes which in fact everyone in this parliament should take great pride in. The first that springs to mind is the household energy efficiency measures. These measures have been referred to in this debate, but what has not been referred to in this debate is the total effect that they are having in providing a more efficient use of energy and in contributing to action on climate change. These household energy efficiency measures are expected to deliver energy savings of 32,000 gigawatt hours per year by 2020. That is equivalent to 14 per cent of all electricity generated in Australia in 2006-07—a spectacular sum. These measures will prevent up to 19½ million tonnes of carbon emissions every year by 2020. They will save the Australian economy up to $22 billion over the next 16 years and, perhaps most importantly, they will save Australian householders up to $5 billion by 2020. These are real and tangible outcomes. These are outcomes that are measurable and demonstrable. As much as those opposite may loathe hearing it, the fact is that there are important successes in this area that have been achieved despite the program of opposition and sabotage that the Australian people have witnessed taking place here in the Senate. Millions would have benefited from the CPRS householder assistance and what we have is an example of how the gross and systemic failure was in fact in rejecting those bills and not accepting them.

Turning our thoughts to the Home Insulation Program, Minister Wong set out a few moments ago the fact that the government has accepted and takes responsibility for the program and how it has been administered. We have witnessed a minister who has acted honourably, a minister who has kept faith with his ministerial responsibilities. As the Prime Minister said earlier today, this is a minister who has commissioned and sought advice and then has acted upon that advice. He is a minister who has acted on that advice and has acted properly and prudently, a minister who is an honourable man, a minister who has behaved honourably and a minister who enjoys the complete confidence of his Prime Minister and his party.

The CFMEU had an interesting comment—I think it was made today—concerning occupational health and safety. The CFMEU is the organisation of employees that, amongst other things, represents workers in the construction industry.