Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know the Abbott government have been dealing with their own internal chaos with the marriage equality question over the last few days—they spent six hours yesterday trying to come up with a position, only to come up with the same position they have always had—but I am very surprised to hear Senator Birmingham ask if Labor has been crystal clear, or if we are going to be crystal clear, on clean energy and climate change. I can tell him that we have been nothing but crystal clear. Our leader, Mr Shorten, and our shadow environment minister, Mr Butler, were out there way before our national conference, putting Labor's position loud and clear on clean energy and on climate change. We are not the climate sceptics; they are on the other side of the chamber.

At our national conference we were very clear on what we would achieve in government. And we have been very clear since the national conference. So I appreciate that there are issues within the Abbott government—that the cabinet was split yesterday on the issue of marriage equality—but I still do not believe, even with all of that chaos and dysfunction, that Senator Birmingham managed to miss Labor's very clear statements that were made way before our national conference, at our national conference and since our national conference. But we do know that the Abbott government is inward looking, and nothing was more evident than that yesterday over that debacle—that six hours—of time they wasted to come up with exactly the same stance on marriage equality.

Now more than ever Australia needs a government that looks to the future, not one that looks to the past. Their position on marriage equality looks to the past; 'direct action' looks to the past; and a range of their other policies look to the past. Even in question time today we had Senator Cash proudly talking about how Western Australia held the netball championships in 1967! It is just indicative of the Abbott government that everything is about the past.

The Abbott government attacks industries and closes them down. Labor's strategy, the strategy we have been loud and clear about, involves growing industry and creating more jobs while fostering a cleaner environment. This requires a long-term vision, which is something the Abbott government, as a backward-looking government, is incapable of delivering. We need a government that can understand the changes needed to secure Australia's prosperity into the future. Again, this is not an attribute of the Abbott government.

One of the biggest changes impacting our economy will be climate change. We know the number of climate sceptics there are within the Abbott government—including the Prime Minister himself. Climate change is driving the most profound restructuring of the world economy this century. I have never heard the Abbott government acknowledge that that is what is driving the world economy, that profound change that is climate change. And what about the transition from fossil fuel based energy to renewable energy? All we hear them say over there is 'coal is good'.

It is not a theoretical exercise. It is happening right now. Labor understands the fundamental importance of this transition and the massive opportunities it brings. Only Labor in government will put a strong renewable energy sector at the centre of Australia's response to the challenge of climate change. Our policies will create jobs. They will drive investment and push down power bills for families and small business. The Abbott government has done everything in its power to try and destroy Australia's share in one of the world's fastest-growing industries, with devastating consequences for our country. Mr Abbott has undermined the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme and the large-scale renewable energy target. There is no debating that. That is exactly what he has done.

Mr Abbott wants to abolish the highly successful and innovative Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Mr Abbott and his government also want to abolish the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, destroying our substantial R&D successes. With his Treasurer, he has made embarrassing statements about the aesthetics of renewable energy. Who could forget wind turbines being described by the Treasurer as 'utterly offensive'. I can think of many things that are utterly offensive; wind turbines are not one of them. 'Ugly and noisy' and 'visually awful' is how the Prime Minister described wind turbines. No wonder no competent person believes anything this Abbott government has to say on climate change.

Thank goodness we have more sensible people such as Senator Birmingham. Unfortunately he has to toe the Abbott government line, but how embarrassed was he today when he got that question on wind turbines! He shifted around and gave a complete non-answer because he does not believe the nonsense we hear about wind turbines from those opposite.

Transitioning electricity generation to renewable energy is also critical to dealing with carbon pollution. I was very proud when I heard Mark Butler say that a Labor government would undertake a full-scale first-of-its-kind complete review of the energy sector in Australia. It is long overdue. It is not something you hear from the Abbott government. They hide their heads and think that electricity is okay and that we will be able to generate electricity from coal forever. We will undertake that review because only Labor in government is committed to clean energy, to addressing climate change and to making Australia a better place to live in. We will do that, while respecting good jobs, respecting the role of trade unions and respecting the role of business. Thank you.