Paris Climate Change Agreement

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change. Will the minister update the chamber on developments since the Paris agreement was agreed to in December?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Tomorrow is a historic moment in our efforts and the efforts of the planet to combat dangerous global warning. Honourable members will probably recall that in Paris last December, the world, including the Abbott/Turnbull—soon to be Abbott—government agreed to limit global warming to 2° Celsius and, if possible, to hold this to 1.5°. To achieve this significant action, we need to work together here in Australia to make sure that we tackle this dangerous global warming.

The science has established and informs us that this will require Australia to achieve zero net emissions by 2050. Our government has already responded to the science and set a zero net emissions target for our state. Our efforts are gaining international attention. Senior executives from companies such as IKEA and Siemens have highlighted South Australia at international fora. This government recognises the economic necessity of decarbonising and the jobs and investment that this brings. We simply cannot afford to be left behind in this race to develop solutions for what is a significant challenge to our population and our planet.

There is no clearer sign of the race to decarbonise than what will happen tomorrow. Tomorrow—4 November—the Paris agreement comes into force. This means that it has become binding on companies that have ratified the agreement. This achievement has occurred in record time as these things go. It shows that the globe is not only responding to the challenges of global warning but also embracing the opportunities that might arise from addressing these challenges. It is not only nation states that are responding. Businesses and investors are increasingly moving towards decarbonising their operations.

We have seen General Motors announce that all their operations throughout the world—350 sites in 59 countries, I am advised—will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. Australia's largest polluter, AGL, has announced that it will have zero net emissions by 2050 and they are not the only ones, of course. On the eve of the Paris agreement coming into force, an important player in this space in Australia has made a very significant announcement. For the benefit of the chamber, I want to read a short extract that accompanied the announcement:

With the world now taking stronger action on climate change [we] have released a Climate Change Policy Framework. It sets out our aspirational objective to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. At the same time, new jobs and investment will flow as the world responds to climate change, and we will help make the most of these opportunities. We will lead the community in preparing for the impacts of a changing climate and secure the prosperity of the state…We can be a powerhouse for jobs, growth and productivity through energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Mr President, you might be wondering who made this pronouncement. It certainly was not a business, in this case. No, the Prime Minister has not donned his leather jacket again and gone back to his roots. Of course, Mr Marshall, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Dunstan—

The Hon. S.G. Wade: The member for Dunstan.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Indeed—has not had to pick up the phone to Senator Bernardi in New York to ask for permission to make any such statement, because of course he is not going to make it. It is, of course, the state government—and it was not a Labor government. It was none other than the New South Wales Liberal government who made that statement today. The New South Wales Liberal Party—members opposite, your brethren. The very same ones, who increased the waste levy to what we are discussing in our budget papers right now, are recognising the jobs and growth that this brings. The same ones who copied South Australia's container deposit legislation scheme, albeit 40 years late, but nevertheless a good policy adopted by another good government over in New South Wales—

The Hon. S.G. Wade interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Well, when they copy South Australia's Labor policies, Hon. Mr Wade, they cannot be going too far wrong, can they? Here they are copying our state government's climate change policies. Well, goodness gracious! Now the New South Wales Liberal Party are leading the other Liberals in this country. They are following South Australia in charting out a course for a transition to a low-carbon economy—and guess what?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Boosting renewable energy. These important words:

It sets our aspirational objective for New South Wales to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. At the same time, new jobs and investment will flow as the world responds to climate change, and we will help our state make the most of these opportunities.

Very familiar words. These are the words, in this instance, of Premier Mike Baird and his environment minister, Mr Mark Speakman. The New South Wales Liberals are not alone. The Western Australian—

The Hon. S.G. Wade: I've given up on New South Wales Labor, too.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Well, the Hon. Mr Wade says he's given up on the New South Wales Liberals, Mr. President

The Hon. S.G. Wade: No, New South Wales Labor, is what I said.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Unfortunately for him, the New South Wales Liberals are in government and have seen the sense of adopting South Australian Labor government policies. As I said, the New South Wales Liberals are not alone. I am advised that the Western Australian Liberal government has embraced renewable energy as well, as have the Victorian Liberals.

They have a shadow minister for renewable energy, and the Victorian Liberal opposition leader has said he wants Victoria to be a leader in renewable energy, saying, I am advised, 'We want an industry that can deliver more clean energy and clean energy jobs.' But these are not words that you are ever going to hear from those Liberals opposite us right now, let alone will you hear it from Steven Marshall, Leader of the Opposition, 'member for coal mining'—sorry, member for Dunstan. Instead, all he has, the Liberal opposition leader in the other place, all he has is a plan for coal, a plan to take South Australia back to 1836 and make all of our energy coal-friendly. That is the Liberal plan. That is all they have.