Climate Change

Mrs POWER (Elder) (15:45): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. Can the minister please update the house on how the 2018-19 state budget positions South Australia to address climate change?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (15:45): Thank you.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: I thank the member for Elder for her excellent question on what this budget does to position South Australia as a leader in terms of climate change adaptation and leadership internationally. There is not a budget that has been handed down in this state that spends more on climate change leadership and adaptation than the budget that our Treasurer handed down yesterday—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: —a budget which has an energy plan built into it, which is not built around dirty diesel generators, but is built around renewable energy, a budget which has a $100 million battery subsidy scheme to ensure that there are local community-based storage solutions within households across around 40,000 households in South Australia—no dirty diesel generators but solutions which are based around growing our renewable energy industry here in South Australia and reducing emissions when it comes to energy production in this state. We stand behind and beside this budget and support its great focus on climate change adaptation and leadership.

Not only do we have our energy solution but we've also got the project which SA Water has been pioneering to be one of the first utilities in the world, if not the first in the world, to completely wipe out its energy budget and electricity bills as a result of investment of up to $400 million in solar panels and storage solutions for SA Water to wipe out its energy bills, removing one of the biggest energy users from South Australia's energy network, reducing emissions and, of course, putting downward pressure on household energy bills as well—win, win, win there.

If we look to the work that the environment department is doing when it comes to climate change leadership, we are creating a new body, Green Adelaide, focused on building resilience into our metropolitan environment to help our city adapt to climate change; greener streets and flourishing parklands, waterways which are healthy and vibrant through our city; and wrapping Carbon Neutral Adelaide—a program which to date has been about icons, slogans and greenwash gimmickry—into Green Adelaide to ensure that it is targeted where it ought to be because, unlike the previous government, who drowned us all in greenwash, we are about practical solutions to climate change, practical solutions, not gimmicks, not icons, not logos.

I want to briefly update the house on our contribution towards our coast. In a state like South Australia, some of the most pressing threats when it comes to climate change are faced by coastal communities and coastal environments, rising sea levels, increased storm events. This government is increasing by $5.2 million our investment in our coastline, looking to support communities such as those represented by the member for Colton, the member for Morphett, the member for Gibson, my own electorate and our many regional coastal electorates.

We are going to be investing in sand replenishment, research and development, how to sustain our coastline, and we are going to be investing in a seagrass restoration program to initiate a blue carbon industry here in South Australia. These are practical programs, programs that will make South Australia more livable, will reduce the heat island effect within metropolitan areas and will deliver for South Australia. We are taking a climate leadership role. We are not about gimmicks. We are not about slogans. We are getting on with this job.