Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the , Senator McKenzie. Does the minister support net zero emissions by 2050?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Wong, for your question. I've written a couple of pieces which outline my views on this matter, going back several months. I am not an MP who has come to this place ever denying the science of climate change. But nor am I a member of parliament who has ever signed up to policies that will decimate jobs in rural and regional Australia. Over the time I've been in this place, there have been a number of debates in this place, and my political party has stood up for rural and regional Australians and for jobs in our communities. We will continue to do that. I've made it very clear in my personal public commentary that I will not be signing up to any policy that is not right for rural and regional Australia—not just to get us through the next election, but to get us through the next three decades. It is very easy for those who don't live in the communities that we live in and represent the communities that we represent to take a different approach. It's very similar to Senator Canavan, who lives in a community that is based around coalmining. But, when you look at Anthony Albanese's perspective on coalmining—he lives nowhere near it: 'I don't think there's a place for new coal-fired power plants in Australia, full stop.'

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, resume your seat. Senator Wong, I would point out there is only six seconds left. I'm happy to take the point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That doesn't prevent a point of order, Mr President.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know. I'm happy to take the point of order. I was just pointing it out.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, yes: direct relevance. It was demonstrably not directly relevant.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister was clearly being directly relevant in the first part of her answer. I agree that, towards the end, she strayed from direct relevance. However, the minister was being directly relevant through the answer to the question. You have six seconds, Senator McKenzie. Do you wish to continue? Alright. Senator Wong, a supplementary question?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the minister support the Prime Minister's position that the Australian government needs to adopt a net-zero-by-2050 commitment?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Wong, for your question. I support the Prime Minister pursuing a technology-not-taxes approach to lowering our emissions in this country. As a species, the human species, over eons, has progressed through the adoption of technologies. The National Party in the Senate has been very, very clear: when it came to clean energy financing, we moved amendments and tabled amendments that backed the low emissions technologies of carbon capture and storage. I really wish we could get Larissa Waters and her team onto how we actually can protect jobs while simultaneously lowering emissions, and that is through those types of technologies.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. Senator Gallagher, a point of order?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is on direct relevance. Again, this minister is flagrantly ignoring the direction you've provided to her in question time. Raising issues about the Leader of the Greens in a question about whether she supports the Prime Minister's commitment on net zero cannot be directly relevant to the question she was asked. She's avoiding it.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallagher, please resume your seat. As has been made clear by previous occupants of this chair, glancing references to other parties and glancing references to the policies of other parties is acceptable. It does need to be a glancing reference. At this stage, I do not believe it could be described as more than that. Senator McKenzie was addressing the question. Senator McKenzie, you have nine seconds. Did you wish to continue?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When we talk about the Prime Minister's plan and our government's plan to use technology not taxes to lower emissions in this country, get on board with some of your smart unions who actually are backing nuclear.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie! I'm not sure what happened there, but the clocks suddenly went to zero. I will continue. Senator Wong, a second supplementary?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If the minister isn't prepared to support the Prime Minister publicly and here in the parliament, is she prepared to resign from his cabinet?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't know how you're going to rule on this if I say that's a hypothetical question. Once again, Senator Wong is scoping out using question time to cheaply score political points. What I would like to know from the Australian Labor Party is whether they actually support regional jobs, whether they actually back Meryl and Joel and actually back the mining industry in this country.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! On my left! Senator Wong!

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At least the forestry division of the CFMMEU has the guts to stand up for workers. Why doesn't the mining division? Why doesn't the construction division? If you actually cared about workers in this country, you would be standing up—

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, a point of order.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, I was calling the minister to order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. I just note that, over that period of time, more time was wasted, again, on matters entirely irrelevant to a question that was clearly about her obligations as a cabinet minister. How can what the CFMMEU forestry division does be relevant in any way to this minister's obligations as a cabinet minister?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I was an officer of that union. What's that got to do with anything? It's about her as a cabinet minister.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. This is not a time for debate across the chamber. Senator Wong, please resume your seat. Minister, you have 17 seconds left. Senator Wong has called your attention back to the question.

Senator Wong, please do not interrupt me when I'm making a ruling. Senator McKenzie, Senator Wong has brought your attention back to the question. You have 16 seconds remaining.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm sorry that my comments and me not accepting the premise of your question actually upset you so much, Senator Wong. I know it's been a while since you've been in cabinet, but the Cabinet Handbook

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister! Senator Wong, go ahead. Is this a point of order?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a point of order on direct relevance. You gave the minister the courtesy, as the President should, of reminding her that I had drawn her to the question. She has abused the graciousness of the chair and simply then proceeded on exactly the same tack.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. I disagree, Senator Wong. The minister is entitled to reject the premise of the question. Senator McKenzie, you have three seconds left.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, more than any other, am very aware of cabinet standards— (Time expired)