Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, representing the Prime Minister. The IPCC report released this week was the 'code red for humanity'. We are on track to tip over 1.5 degrees of warming this decade unless we drastically change course. The Morrison government has nowhere left to hide. You've even been singled out by the US government for not lifting your targets. Will you lift Australia's 2030 targets or will you keep us in the sole company of petro states Russia and Saudi Arabia?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Waters for her question and, indeed, for the opportunity to talk about Australia's targets, our commitment as a country to meeting our targets, our delivery as a country in exceeding our targets and our determination to maintain that sort of track record in relation to Australia's emissions reductions targets. As a country we can and should—contrary to what comes from those in that corner or indeed the misinformation from those opposite—hold our head high about the fact that, as a nation, when we've made commitments to the world about our emissions reduction targets, we've delivered on those commitments and we've exceeded those commitments. That's been a constant pattern for Australia. In terms of our Paris targets, our commitment is also to be able to meet and to exceed those targets.

That's our determination in relation to what we're doing, building off the fact that, since 2005, Australia's seen a 20 per cent reduction in our emissions. That's been faster than Canada, at one per cent; Japan at 10 per cent; New Zealand at four per cent; and the US at 13 per cent. As I've said before in this chamber, I don't mention that as a criticism of those places but simply to put into perspective what Australia has been able to achieve. It's been done with transformation across Australia in terms of Australian industry transforming, the energy generation mix transforming and, of course, Australian households transforming their behaviour as well. That has seen, for example, in 2020 some seven gigawatts of renewable energy generation capacity installed in Australia in 2020 alone. That is at a rate around eight times faster than New Zealand, Japan or Italy and around three times faster than in Germany, the US, China or the EU. Indeed, one in four Australian households now have rooftop solar, showing that rate of transmission that Australians are helping to make.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, a supplementary question?

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The US Deputy Climate Envoy said overnight that Australia's targets are 'not sufficient' and that we should be considering at least 50 per cent by 2030. That is an unprecedented public rebuke. You copied the US target in 2015, albeit giving yourself five extra years to meet it. Will you now copy the US and double Australia's 2030 targets?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're going to get on with ensuring that we don't just talk about targets but, in exceeding those targets, we do it by investing in the technologies to actually reduce emissions, to achieve the outcomes that reduce emissions. Australia generates around one per cent of global emissions. It's important that we do our part. But it's even more important in terms of achieving a reduction in global emissions that we help to achieve the breakthroughs in technology and the transformations that mean we are acting in concert with other nations like the United States, but also like China or India or other nations who have higher emissions profiles than Australia.

Our intention is to make sure that we deliver on the $20 billion of low-emissions technology commitments we've made for the decade ahead. That's part of building on our partnerships we've signed with Singapore, Japan, Germany and the UK to deliver the technologies that will help the US, Australia and many other partner nations and others around the world to reduce our emissions. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, a final supplementary question?

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday, on ABC Radio, called on someone to do a plan to reach net zero. Putting aside the fact that he has been in government for seven years, have any departments been instructed by any ministers to do any planning for this crucial, life-saving work to reach net zero?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): The answer to that is: absolutely. Absolutely, they have. That's precisely what our Technology Investment Roadmap is all about: getting the breakthroughs in technology to enable us to achieve emissions reductions, to enable us to chart that course to net zero and to enable us to do it in ways that maintain Australia's competitiveness, maintain employment and opportunities for jobs for Australians, and maintain position for Australian businesses. That road map outlines the work that we are pursuing: our target to achieve clean hydrogen of under $2 per kilogram, our target to achieve energy storage at under $100 per megawatt hour, our target to achieve carbon capture and storage at under $20 per tonne of CO2, our target to achieve low-carbon steel of under $900 per tonne or low-carbon aluminium of under $2,700 per tonne, and our target to be able to measure and achieve soil carbon improvements at under $3 per hectare. Getting those targets achieved is how you make transformation here and abroad. (Time expired)