Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I begin by thanking coalition senators for bringing this matter of public importance to the Senate. It provides an opportunity for those on this side of the chamber, government senators, to put on record the positive agenda that the Gillard Labor government has for a clean energy future. I particularly thank them for bringing on this MPI on this day because, as we know, this is a historic day for the nation and for this parliament. This is the day that we commenced the legislative process necessary to create a clean energy future. In the other place earlier today the Prime Minister spoke very passionately about the need for a clean energy future, about the fact that we cannot afford to wait any longer. The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency spoke with conviction about why and how we are approaching this issue and about the history-making conversation that continues and will be had in this place some time ahead.

Today we do take responsibility. We introduced the Clean Energy Future bills because it is the right thing to do. We believe in taking responsibility for our future and for our children's future. We have had decades of conversations about the need to act on climate change. We have talked about the science; we have talked about the various ways to tackle this important issue. And, yes, even John Howard in 2007 took to the election a commitment to price carbon—something that those opposite conveniently now try to forget. In fact, we know that amongst those opposite there are turncoats on this issue. I am still new to this place so I do not know exactly which ones of those opposite, although I am sure they would include Senator Birmingham, who spoke on this MPI earlier. They did support their former leader, Malcolm Turnbull, on the CPRS, and we now know that they are conveniently turning their backs on that decision and are now embracing, unlike the bills that have been presented to the parliament today, a non-clean energy future. Yet those opposite are happy to get on their feet, bring this MPI into this place and speak against their children's future, against the responsibility that this nation needs to take, against the CPRS position that they held in the past. Today they are denying the opportunity that Australia has to ensure our future is a sustainable future, is a future where we can look at clean energy jobs and industry development while ensuring that we have a community that cares about the way we use energy and what that energy is made up of. Even John Howard took to the 2007 election a commitment to price carbon.

Now is the time for action. Just as state parliaments have taken action in the past, this is the time for the Australian parliament to take further action and debate this challenge facing our country. I would like to acknowledge the role the Tasmanian government took on climate change as one of the first states to legislate to reduce emissions, to 60 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. At that time, I was the Minister Assisting the Premier on Climate Change. As a state that has most of its energy coming from renewable resources, Tasmania embraced very much the playing of its role as a state trying to lead the nation. As members opposite would know, Tasmania is a world leader in renewable energy generation. Liberal senators such as Senator Bushby, who is in this place at this time, are very aware of the positive benefits that we have experienced from hydro generation, which now continues into new renewable energy such as wind technology. Senator Bushby would also know of the job creation that has come about from wind technology. That will continue into the rest of Australia through the support of these clean energy bills. It is not too late, Senator Bushby, for you to stand up and support your state and this nation in job growth and in a clean energy future for your children and your children's children. It is not too late: you have a choice and you have a vote. You have the opportunity to show a bit of leadership and support the clean energy bills, which will be in front of you when the House of Representatives has finished debating them, to ensure that we have a strong sustainable future for the children of this nation.

Renewable energy is of course the future of energy generation across the globe. Renewable energy not only makes sense because it makes use of energy-producing technologies that produce fewer or no carbon emissions as an imperative, it makes sense economically, scientifically and environmentally because it uses natural resources that are so accessible and cannot be depleted.

The Labor government is taking a modern approach to the issue of climate change. We have consulted widely, we have received over 300 submissions on the draft bills, and have had direct conversations with business, NGOs and a wide range of stakeholders. We have used the very best scientists and examined the science time and time again. There are years of research behind our decisions. In fact, today I had the privilege of joining with Senator Cameron, Senator Bilyk and Senator Milne in meeting and having a short briefing with the Climate Commission delegation that came here. We heard first-hand from experts, namely our climate commissioners, Professor Flannery, Mr Roger Beale, Professor Lesley Hughes and Dr Susannah Elliott, their international visitors, who were here from the US, India and Denmark, and particularly Dr Daniel Kammen, from the World Bank, who shared with us information about clean energy activities in California, including the integrated grid and its opportunities, and also about biodiversity and land issues there. It was something that, perhaps, those opposite could have benefited from, if only they had turned up. Similarly, they did not want to turn up and be part of the working group that has formed part of the bills that we introduced into parliament today. They continue to keep their heads in the sand, because they suppose it to be in their political interests to do so. It is not in the nation's interests and it is not in our children's interests.

The coalition will go down in history—on the wrong side of history—as those who opposed a future that ensured we had some structured stability on the issues that affect us each day, such as turning on the lights, driving our cars and, as Senator Williams pointed out, conducting our farming activities. That is why I would like to provide Senator Williams with a bit of detail about our package as it relates to the farming sector. This government, as Senator Williams would know, has excluded the agriculture and land sectors from the carbon price. Farmers, forestry operators and other land managers will not pay a price for carbon pollution from their activities. Importantly, farming, forestry and fisheries activities will not pay a carbon price for their off-road use of fuel or their on-road use of light vehicles. Senator Williams would be well aware of that, I am sure. He just chooses to come into this place and grandstand about issues relating to these clean energy bill which he knows little about.

Federal Labor is going to do what is best for Australia and for Australian families. We are going to do what is best for our future and future generations. We are acting on climate change, we will cut carbon pollution, we will build a clean energy future and we will create an industry that thrives on clean energy jobs. There are huge economic opportunities, as we provide the drive for a clean energy future. There is $440 million worth of projects in the pipeline across the country. We see continuous investment plans for a clean energy economy in this nation, which is needed for a clean energy future.