Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hanson-Young for the question. It is tempting to refer her to the answers that I have given during the course of the week to Senator Waters, and I forget which other Greens senators have asked almost identical questions. I think Senator Faruqi asked a very similar question.

Let me, again, remind the Greens senators in relation to Australia's position that we have committed very clearly to the Paris Agreement, to reduction targets under the Paris Agreement and to deliver those targets and indeed strive to exceed those targets as we have done in relation to our commitments under Kyoto protocols 1 and 2. Our effort to date in terms of emissions reduction is real and world-class in terms of the level of those emissions reductions. If you take examples of reductions between 2005 and 2018, Australia has achieved a 13 per cent reduction in emissions. Compare that with others—Japan at eight per cent, the United States at 10 per cent, New Zealand at one per cent and Canada at 0.1 per cent. Our emissions reduction activities have been clearly delivered and our approach is to continue that.

You asked about plans. Our approach is to continue to achieve those reductions through our investment in technology rather than the types of taxes or other mechanisms that the Greens, of course, would love to see applied. Our approach is to back technologies; to work with counterparts around the world like the United States in terms of investment in technologies along our tech roadmap; to build upon the partnerships we have struck in new technology areas like hydrogen with countries like Germany, Japan and Korea and to drive investment in those spaces; and to achieve positive outcomes that continue that track record of emissions reduction.