Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion relating to the Glasgow climate pact.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in my name, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent Senator Waters from moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to provide that a motion in relation to the Glasgow climate pact be moved immediately, determined without amendment and take precendence over all other business for 30 minutes.

I rise to speak to the urgent need to consider this motion. Today is the first day parliament is sitting after the Glasgow climate summit, and yet there is nothing on the agenda to debate this most pressing of global issues that will genuinely affect the lives of every single Australian and the species that we share this beautiful planet with. The text of this motion that we're seeking to suspend the standing orders to debate is the text of the Glasgow climate pact. The Australian government agreed to that pact and committed to meet that agreement but then, just days later, cast doubt on the pledge to review 2030 targets and continued to boost for the coal and gas industry. Ministers have attempted to crab walk away from key provisions of the pact on 2030 targets and on phasing down coal. It's an admission that the government effectively lied when agreeing to this statement in Glasgow. This motion provides the Senate with the chance to reconfirm our support for the Glasgow climate pact.

In Glasgow, the Prime Minister and Minister Taylor set up Australia's stall with Santos as our country's sponsor. They didn't bring 2030 targets; they brought a 2050 pledge, which is so late it's meaningless. And, once there, they did everything in their power to boost and bolster the interests of big fossil fuel companies and water down ambition for climate action. Australia refused to increase the ambition of our 2030 emissions target, and we were the only high-income nation to do so. Instead, we saw a projection from the Prime Minister that showed we might, if technology trends go right, slightly exceed our existing weak commitment. What's more, Australia refused to sign up to the United States- and EU-led global methane pledge to reduce methane emissions. While nine of the 20 largest global methane emitters signed up, we got Minister Barnaby Joyce saying that supporting it would mean that farmers would need to 'go grab a rifle and go out and start shooting your cattle'—naturally, a red herring to distract from his party's constant support for the gas industry.

Australia refused to sign up to the UK's and Canada's call for the phase-out of coal-fired power stations and a moratorium on new ones being constructed, and, naturally, Australia had earlier refused a G7 push to stop subsidising fossil fuels with public money by 2025. Instead, we get Minister Pitt now committing to Australia selling coal well beyond 2050—as if anyone will want to buy it.

But the final text of the Glasgow pact united the world around striving for that 1½-degree temperature target—the only target that would give Pacific nations any chance of survival and would give a fighting chance to the world's coral reefs. On that point, there can be no climate justice without first nations justice. Action on climate requires respecting, consulting and genuinely delivering the wishes of first nations and Indigenous peoples and ensuring that they are partners and leaders in reshaping our society to avoid climate collapse. It involves listening to our Pacific neighbours and protecting their very lives.

Glasgow united the world around the need to phase down coal and to commit to actions to reduce methane—for the first time, naming and shaming fossil fuels as the cause of the climate crisis and agreeing to plot a path away from the mining, burning and export of coal and gas. Now, Australia signed up to that. The text of our motion is the text of that pact; the motion that we've circulated echoes that text agreed to at Glasgow that the Australian government signed up to. So this motion and the need to suspend standing orders to debate it provides the Senate with a chance to reconfirm our nation's support for the Glasgow climate pact. But I can't wait to see how the National Party votes on it. Are they, in fact, still in charge of this nation's climate policy? Are we going to get more unhinged rants from Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce about shooting cows? They'll do anything to distract from the fact that their party continues to boost the gas and coal industry.

We implore the Senate to support this motion. It is nothing less than committing to do the things that the Australian government already said it would do in Glasgow, to take those critical steps on climate that are consistent with what the rest of the world is already doing. What will the Nationals do when we vote on this motion? What will the government do when it comes to delivering on those Glasgow-pact pledges? They said one thing in Glasgow, they said another as soon as they got home and the whole while they've been boosting the coal and gas industries. The Australian people are fed up with the lack of leadership on climate. Let's vote this awful mob out and put the Greens in the balance of power to deliver climate action.