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

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. In question time on Friday you admitted that the sea dumping bill is being prioritised for the benefit of Woodside, INPEX, Santos and the Japanese and South Korean governments, who are co-investors in the Barossa Gas Project. Why is the Albanese government prioritising the interests of Japan and South Korea, who want to expand new fossil fuel production, and not prioritising the interests of our Pacific neighbours, who want coal and gas expansion to end?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's interesting, isn't it, that the Greens political party ignore the discussion we just had earlier in question time about Tuvalu and the groundbreaking agreement that the Albanese government has engaged in. But you make a point, Senator, about the Pacific. We are actually engaging with the Pacific. I also would make this point. We are a long-term energy security partner with the countries of North Asia, and we are committed to taking ambitions climate action while maintaining that long-term partnership. We do that because it's in our interests and because it's in the interests of Australians. As you know, Australia is putting in place key policy and legislative changes to drive our transition to net zero while also limiting the impact of volatile global energy markets for Australians. The senator may not agree, but the government believes it is in Australia's interests to play a key role in providing reliable and affordable clean energy and critical minerals for our Indo-Pacific partners. It is in our interests for Australia to remain a competitive global energy supplier. We want to become a renewable energy superpower, to meet our own emissions reduction goals and support the stable and secure decarbonisation of economies in our region. Surely the Greens would support that too. As in Australia, our regional trading partners also need time to adjust. Japan has set an emissions reduction target of 46 per cent by 2030 on 2013 levels. Korea has set a target of 40 per cent by 2030 on 2018 levels. Obviously we do want to work with others in the region and we do want to ensure that the partnerships that we have with Japan and Korea continue. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, first supplementary?

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

This sea dumping bill and the petroleum resource rent tax changes have been written by and for gas companies. This has now become a very disturbing pattern of behaviour. Minister, which other countries and corporations are writing the government's legislation to facilitate which other projects?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's always interesting, isn't it: when the Greens political party don't agree with a position, they somehow move immediately to the accusation that we're just puppets. They move immediately to that instead of actually perhaps the possibility that we just don't agree with you. We just don't agree with you. We don't think that posturing in this chamber is going to achieve net zero. Newsflash: we don't believe that posturing in this chamber is going to achieve net zero. We actually do believe, unlike you, that Japan matters to Australia and we matter to Japan, and that is in Australia's interest—our energy interest and our security interest. We believe that Korea matters to us. That is in our energy interest, our economic interest and our security interest. We don't take the same isolationist approach you do. We think we are a part of the region, and we think we have to actually work for the transition. I guess we differ.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, second supplementary?

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

Can you confirm that this sea dumping bill is a diplomatic offering to appease Japan and South Korea, following the amendments to the safeguard mechanism secured by the Greens that pushed up the cost of the Barossa project because of its very high carbon emissions, in which project those two governments have a direct financial interest?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order across the chamber, particularly on my right!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No.