Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise to speak on this bill today, an incredibly important bill. I want to contribute to the debate on this bill in my role as a senator based in regional Queensland because this bill is important for regional Australians. I rise to speak on this bill in my role as Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef because this bill is important for the protection of the Great Barrier Reef. I also rise to speak on this bill as a senator who has a very special relationship with the traditional owners of the Torres Strait, because this bill is important for First Australians.

Today, during this debate, we will hear views from across this chamber. Some—those opposite—will say that this bill is unnecessary and they don't support it, and others will say that this bill doesn't do enough. Well, both sides of that debate want to continue the climate wars. As a member of this government, I am proud to speak on this bill, to support it and to call for an end to the climate wars today.

I am so proud to be part of a government that has listened and is acting. After almost a decade of denial and delay and infighting from the former Liberal-National government, finally we have a Labor government and finally we are seeing real action on climate change. I am proud to be part of a government advancing this bill and I'm proud to be a senator who lives in regional Australia who is supporting this bill—because the truth is, if you support regional Australia, then you would support this Climate Change Bill. Regional Australians have the most to gain from this bill being passed, and they have the most to lose if it fails. Regional Australians want to see an end to the climate wars. I concede they do not want convoys rolling into their towns, telling them how to think, but they also don't support a government that puts its head in the sand and tells them that nothing needs to change.

This bill will create jobs in regional Australia. This bill will save jobs in regional Australia. This bill will create new industries in regional Australia. This bill will reduce the cost of living because it will invest in cleaner and cheaper energy by signalling that that is what this government intends to do. This bill will ensure that regional Australians make the most of the opportunities that action on climate change creates. This bill provides certainty for regional Australians. And this bill is welcomed by business and industry because it sets the pathway forward, after 10 years of delays. This bill acknowledges that our farmers are on the front line of climate change and have been calling for a coherent climate policy for years. Regional Australians that live on and live off the land support this bill.

This bill acknowledges that our First Nations Australians will be the first Australians impacted by climate change. Those regional Australians living in the most remote parts of Australia and in the Torres Strait welcome this step forward. They welcome this bill because, as custodians of the land and the sea country, they are already witnessing the impact of climate change on their homelands. I know that that is uncomfortable for those opposite to understand, but the Torres Strait and those First Nations communities are part of regional Australia too.

Finally, this bill takes the necessary steps to protect one of the biggest economic assets in regional Australia, the Great Barrier Reef. As Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef and a Far North Queenslander, this is especially important to me and the communities that I serve. The reef is not only a beautiful natural wonder; it is an economic powerhouse. The reef contributes more than $6.4 billion each year to the Australian economy and supports around 64,000 full-time jobs. And, yes, the reef is resilient. We have seen from recent reports that the reef is being managed very well. It is a wonderful place to visit and attracts tourism from around the world, but the greatest threat remains. As those reports indicate, the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef and the jobs that rely on it remains climate change. Climate change continues to be the greatest threat to the economic powerhouse that is the Great Barrier Reef. Let's be very clear on this. The former Liberal-National government dangerously threatened the Great Barrier Reef both in real terms and reputationally across the globe. They threatened the Great Barrier Reef by failing to take action on climate change, and in doing so they threatened the reputation of the reef by placing the reef at risk of an 'endangered' listing.

That type of recklessness stops today. The Albanese Labor government is getting on with the job. We've heard the message and we are delivering today. We know that this vital step is not just about how our nation stands on the world stage but about the jobs and the stability that come from this bill. Despite what others in this chamber might claim, it is time to end the climate wars and it's time to support this bill.

With regard to the bill more broadly, it is important to be clear about what it will achieve, because, after a decade of denial and delay on climate, and chaos on renewable energy and energy more broadly, Labor's climate change bill will give certainty so desperately needed for businesses, industry, energy investors and the wider community. With a 2030 target of 43 per cent this bill will put Australia on track for net zero by 2050. It's not just symbolic, and our targets are a floor, not a ceiling. This kind of certainty is important to ensuring Australia reaps the economic benefits of the energy transformation already underway in the rest of the world. We are legislating 2030 and 2050 net zero targets because it is best practice to do so. This bill also will restore transparency and accountability in government action on climate change and confirms the important role of independent expert advice. The minister will be required to report annually to parliament on Australia's progress towards meeting our targets set in the bill, and this will keep the government accountable for the actions it is taking to reduce emissions. No longer will the national government in this country be able to put their heads in the sand, or wish to do so, because we are including transparency and accountability measures in this bill, to be upfront with the Australian public about where we stand. This report to the Australian people will include progress being made towards international developments on climate and climate change policy and the effectiveness of the Commonwealth climate change policies in contributing to the achievement of targets.

Our government is showing the rest of this parliament the way forward. It's an opportunity for the parliament to come together and chart a new path—how we can lower emissions, hit targets and create good jobs in the process. We're doing this practically, to ensure stability and certainty for Australians and Australian businesses. By listening to the science, by acting on climate change, we can create new jobs, and we intend to. We can enter a new era of Australian manufacturing. We can make things right here. Our future energy needs, batteries, wind turbines, new technology—these are things that we should make right here in Australia. They should be made in regional Australia. Australians will do that work very proudly. They will be able to build their lives on those good, secure jobs.

I'm so proud of this government. I'm proud to be the Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef. I'm proud that one day, when my daughter is old enough to understand, I can tell her that I was part of a government that made this change. My daughter's backyard is the Great Barrier Reef. It's full of life and it is beautiful. We know that it is important to stand up today and say, 'Enough is enough.' This government has ensured that she and the Great Barrier Reef have a future. I really want to thank those in this place who have been part of this constructive process, because for our government this legislation is so important. There's a reason it was one of the first pieces of legislation we introduced. We want Australians and the rest of the world to know that we mean business. We will be the government that shapes the future for the better. We will be the government that delivers action on climate change. The former government continued to put their heads in the sand and tell regional Australians that nothing needed to change. Well, regional Australians want action on climate change. They want the climate wars to end. They want to see jobs, cleaner energy and cheaper energy and they want to protect the Great Barrier Reef. So I implore senators to support this bill today.