Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I want to remind the Senate of the ongoing ineptitude of the Abbott coalition government when it comes to the environment and its abysmal failure to address the escalating problem of climate change. If there were any doubt about the facts of climate change, there was yet another report this week from researchers who noted that massive areas of permafrost in that Arctic region of Russia are melting because of a rise in temperatures. As the ice melts, as we know, carbon gasses are released from the permafrost and they contribute even more to global warming, which then accelerates. One researcher, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov said that, on the current trajectory, the Arctic could be ice-free in 40 years. That is a truly disturbing prediction.

So, what is Australia doing in the face of all this? Following on from November's international embarrassment of Prime Minister Abbott ignoring the importance of climate change at the G20—while China and the United States were creating a historic deal—climate change is overlooked again not only in this week's federal budget but also in the recent release of the long-awaited energy white paper. The white paper reminded Australians just how little priority the government places on climate change. In fact, it mentions the term 'climate change' just once throughout the entire 74-page document. Again, the government has failed on their climate responsibilities. Rather than releasing a detailed insight into Australia's future energy requirements, the government's farcical white paper reads more like election propaganda and offers absolutely no positive direction to deal with the impact of climate change.

The burning of fossil fuels is the world's single most important contributor to greenhouse gases and therefore to climate change. The energy sector, vital to the prosperity and growth of our nation, should play a crucial part in supporting and protecting our environment by working to reduce its output of greenhouse gases. I am disappointed that the white paper does not embrace the important role of renewable energy in Australia's future energy mix, and I am very disheartened to see a lack of any correlation between electricity generation and climate change policy. Even the coalition's usual supporters in business are at odds with the government on this. In a report published late last year, the Business Council of Australia said:

Energy is a major contributor to Australia's GHG—

that is, greenhouse gas—

emissions. Energy and climate change policies therefore need to go hand in hand to achieve efficient outcomes.

Not all conservative governments are as lacking in vision as Australia's poor excuse for a government. In 2011, the British conservative government released an equivalent document, entitled the National Environment White Paper. Although the intentions were similar, the outcomes could not have been more different. Unlike the Australian government's energy white paper, the British document placed energy policy squarely within a framework outlining a transformation to a low-carbon economy and recommended a number of measures to achieve cuts to greenhouse emissions far deeper than Australia's targets. I note that, despite this progressive environment policy the British conservatives were re-elected last weekend. Here was a conservative government that was not afraid to be bold when it comes to addressing climate change, and that has been rewarded. Of course, there is no chance of the conservatives in Australia showing any spine when it comes to addressing climate change. After all, this is the government that is so captive to climate change deniers that it cannot reach a deal on the renewable energy target. Not only is government obstruction and indecision bad for the environment but it is very bad business for the economy.

In 2013, Australia was seen as one of the four most attractive countries worldwide to invest in renewable energy. As my colleague and shadow environment minister, Mark Butler, said earlier this week, Labor has taken a pragmatic decision to land on the figure of 33,000 gigawatt hours as the revised large-scale renewable energy target that could be the basis of an agreement. That figure would mean Australia could get to a position in the year 2020 where around 25 per cent of Australia's energy would be from renewable sources. Just as importantly, reaching an agreement would breathe life back into the renewables industry. Last year, investment in large-scale renewables, like wind farms and solar arrays, plummeted by 88 per cent all because of indecision by the government about what the RET would be.

We thought there was a glimmer of hope of an agreement last week after more than 18 months of uncertainty for the sector and for the people who care about climate change. The energy minister and environment minister were given directions to make an offer for a new large-scale renewable energy target but instead were distracted by sideline issues like wood waste. The government also reneged on its previous position to remove reviews that are currently required by the Climate Change Authority every two years. This further aggravated the renewable investment sector, which just wants certainty.

Instead of listening to credible business representatives or the renewables sector, it seems the government is enthralled by the lunatic musings of people like Maurice Newman. Last Friday, the Prime Minister's chief business adviser, Mr Newman, came out with an absolute gem, penning a column for The Australian newspaper claiming that the world has 'been subjected to extravagance from climate catastrophists for close to 50 years' and that, really, climate change was nothing but a ploy by the United Nations to create a 'new world order'. I have not heard that kind of sentiment articulated in quite such a direct way since former senator Nick Minchin used to express the same kind of new world order ideology. So, according to the Prime Minister's closest business adviser, climate change is all a hoax. What hope do we have as a nation when these are the people that are supposedly steering this country forward?

As to be expected, the Abbott government's weak stance on climate change is being criticised by our major trading partners who, unlike us, have committed to taking strong action. But, as the biggest polluter per capita in the OECD, Australia has a responsibility to reduce its share of carbon pollution. The current government, the Abbott coalition government, has an obligation to work on abating climate change for the sake of all Australians. It is in our national interest to work with our biggest trading partners, including China, the US and Europe, to develop a global response to climate change rather than continue to ignore the issue.

On top of all the negative outcomes in this week's budget, prolonged inaction on climate change will continue to affect each and every Australian. Where Australia was once at the forefront of action on climate change and the renewable energy industry, today, as a direct result of the Abbott government's inactivity, we are way behind. On this side of the chamber, we want to secure the future of Australia's climate and our renewable energy industry. The release of the energy white paper, coupled with Maurice Newman's conspiracy theories, the farce of the renewable energy target debate and the lack of any coherent policy about climate change in this week's budget just reinforce that the government does not have the same sense of urgency or commitment to the environment of Australia as those of us in the Labor Party do.