Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As I rise to speak on the Climate Change Bill 2022 and the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022, it is important to note that recently released government data shows that Australia's greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2021. As the current minister, the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, said, this caps off the coalition's record of 'denial and delay' on climate change. The Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments' legacy on climate change is a lost decade at a time when Australians were crying out for real and significant action. That policy vacuum has a long legacy, and Australia is paying the price.

But it's not too late. It's not too late to do the work that should have started a decade ago to make real, significant and meaningful action on emissions reductions. In 2022, Australians from all walks of life and from all parts the country made it clear that they wanted a government that is determined to act on climate change. They voted for action on climate change, and that is what the Albanese Labor government is delivering with this legislation. Labor knows that good climate and energy policy is also good economic policy. This country has all the resources, the ingenuity, the innovation and the inspiration it needs to become a green energy superpower. The Albanese Labor government is determined to grasp the opportunities that the transition to a net zero economy offers us—a future built on decent, secure and skilled jobs; a future where we lead the world on solutions to the climate challenge, rather than being part of the problem.

And there is no time to waste. Australians are impatient for action on these issues. In recent times, the incidence of floods, bushfires and droughts has increased in intensity and regularity. These results have been catastrophic for tens of thousands of people and their communities. Australians are worried, and they're tired of inaction. Labor went to the last election with a detailed plan on climate change, and the Australian people embraced it. We were determined that it should be very clear that a vote for Labor was a vote for real action on climate change. Australians voted for an emissions reduction target of 43 per cent by 2030 and for 82 per cent of the energy going into the grid to be renewable energy by 2030.

These bills today reflect Labor's Powering Australia plan and Paris Agreement commitments—commitments that the Australian people voted for; commitments that the Australian people expect us to keep. These bills are about providing the certainty so desperately needed by business, industry, investors and the wider community after a decade of denial, delay and deception on climate change action. With a 2030 target of 43 per cent, this legislation puts Australia on track to reach net zero by 2050. This provides the certainty that is vital to ensuring Australia reaps the economic benefits of the energy transformation that is underway. Powering Australia will deliver 604,000 jobs across the country and will see our energy needs met by 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030. We are legislating the 2030 and 2050 targets because it's best practice to do so and because we are determined to meet those targets.

The community is crying out for an energy policy that will end the do-nothing strategy of the previous minister, Angus Taylor—a strategy that has left Australian families dealing with skyrocketing energy prices that are putting a terrible strain on household budgets. Legislating Australia's emissions reduction targets provides certainty to industry, states and territories and, just as importantly, it keeps the promise that we made to the Australian people. It brings Australia into line with countries such as France, Denmark and Spain that have also legislated net zero targets for 2050. Countries such as Canada have legislated their 2030 target. The target we've set is ambitious, and our Powering Australia plan makes it achievable. It is important to note that it sets a floor, not a ceiling, on Australia's emissions reduction ambition.

The Australian people want their government to step up and deliver on their promises, and they want to be able to be kept informed, not fobbed off. That's why they will be updated every year on the progress that we're making. The minister will be required to report annually to parliament on Australia's progress towards meeting our targets that are set out in the bill. For almost a decade, we have seen the standards of accountability in government eroded. We've had a decade of duck and dodge, fibs and fudging from the previous government. We are asking Australians to join us in a huge transition as we head to net zero, and they rightly deserve to hear from their government on how it's working towards its goal. That is how accountability actually works.

In our first month in office, the Albanese Labor government updated our nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement to reflect the target that we were elected to deliver: 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030, and to set Australia on the path to net zero by 2050. This action sent a message to our friends, to business, to our trading partners and to our neighbours in the Pacific, and for the first time in a decade Australia has a government that takes climate change seriously—a government that understands the opportunity which is there and which is determined to deliver on it. The bills are straightforward, positive and powerful. They reflect Australia's obligations under the Paris Agreement, and so I urge the members of this chamber to pass this legislation and to send a clear and positive message to the people of Australia, and to the world, that we are taking real action on climate change. That decade of inaction, infighting and denial is now over. How we manage that transformation will determine the future prosperity of this country, and we are determined to ensure that Australia emerges as a stronger, more dynamic and self-reliant nation as we reach net zero.

We learnt during the toughest periods of the pandemic that, as a country, we need to be more self-sufficient. One of the things that cleaner, cheaper energy will do is to drive advanced manufacturing in this country. This transition offers us an opportunity for Australia to reignite the manufacturing sector and for Australians to make things once again right here in Australia. This is also about our national security, as we commit to making our sovereign manufacturing capacity a priority.

I'm a great believer in science, and the science is in. We are determined to meet the challenge. Labor embraces the change that is required because we see it also as an opportunity—an opportunity to plan with certainty and create new jobs and industries, and a chance to embrace new technologies and build a new, bold, smart manufacturing industry. The Climate Change Bill 2022 and Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022 are a statement of intent by the Albanese Labor government. We believe in Australia's ability to meet the challenge of climate change, and we know that everyday Australians are up for it. This legislation will ensure that we can take that journey confidently together and be very confident in a better future.