Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I rise to speak on the Annual Climate Change Statement 2022. This morning, as we always do, we acknowledged the traditional owners of the land on which this parliament meets—the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging. First Nations people have lived on and cared for this country for over 60,000 years. Their knowledge and leadership will play an important role in our nation's response to climate change.

In May last year Labor was elected by the Australian people to lead this country. In September we passed the climate change bill through the parliament. In December the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, delivered our government's first annual climate change statement to parliament. Let there be no doubt; this government is committed to taking action on climate change, and in the last nine months this government has done more than those opposite in their wasted decade of denial and delay.

Despite what some in this chamber might believe and advocate, climate change is no longer an issue for debate or discussion. The science is settled and, increasingly, communities are living it. Last year the floods across New South Wales and Victoria, and the recent floods in Western Australia, were an ongoing and sobering reminder of climate change and the impact it can and is likely to have on our community. The State of the climate 2022 report showed an increase in extreme heat events, an increase in intense, heavy rainfall, longer fire seasons and sea level rises. Yet, in the face of clear evidence, the former government refused and failed to act for a decade. During the Black Summer bushfires, as Australians were fleeing their homes, the former Prime Minister made his position clear with the now infamous words, 'I don't hold a hose.' That lack of accountability saw communities across the nation speak out. Emergency services leaders raised the alarm for an urgent government response. Student leaders took to the streets. The communities at the front of this crisis told their stories.

Labor consistently stood up for those who were worst impacted, so that they had a choice when it came to selecting the members in this parliament. Last May, after 10 long years of climate chaos, Australians took to the ballot box and said, 'This is enough,' and they gave our government a mandate to make significant change. After a decade of inaction, we know this change must be clear and strong and directional. As Minister Bowen said in his speech, not acting would be an unforgiveable act of intergenerational negligence.

All Australians care about preserving our planet for future generations. They want to play their part in creating a cleaner, more sustainable world. Our government wants to make it accessible and affordable for Australians to reduce their emissions. We want to give them the certainty to invest in a greener future, and that's why we're building a national electric-vehicle charging network and cutting taxes on electric vehicles so that you can buy an electric vehicle and have a place to charge it. We've committed $224.3 million for community batteries so that up to 100,000 Australian households can access clean, reliable energy when they need it. You shouldn't need to own a house to make use of solar panels, so we've committed to community solar banks for 25,000 Australians living in apartments, rentals and low-income households. We want families and small businesses to have a choice when it comes to the ways that that they reduce their power bills, and energy performance will be key to this. We want to empower community members and businesses to consider their use of energy through our national energy performance strategy.

This is an important issue. It's one I know that this chamber will have the opportunity to debate through legislation, through debates, through questions, throughout the rest of this year. But I want to say this very clearly to people listening: the climate wars were very, very bad for Australians, their businesses, their communities. We cannot afford to go back to a situation where some people seek to make perfect the enemy of the good and others seek no action whatsoever.

It is time for us to take a step forward, confidently understanding the opportunities that will arise for Australian communities and for Australians themselves as we move into a lower carbon economy. It's time to cut our emissions. It's time to embrace the opportunities of the future. And this government is determined to do so.