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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-26 Daily Xml
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COP31

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (15:15): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on his recent travel to support South Australia's bid to host COP31?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (15:15): I thank the member for Gibson for her question. The member for Gibson, in a way that reflects in no small part her local community, has a great interest in making sure that the world confronts the challenge of climate change and acknowledges science, which is now not in question—at least not in question on this side of the house—and makes sure that the world has a comprehensive global policy to address these challenges.

To that end, the state government has an interest in what happens at COP generally, but we also have a more parochial interest around the opportunity for Australia hosting COP and what that means for our state and for our country. There are two elements to this that represent substantial economic opportunity for South Australia. The first, obviously, is the state government's bid to host COP. This is a policy that I think has bipartisan support. It certainly has had in the past. In fact, there have been keen advocates on the opposite side of the house for South Australia to host COP, and I might come back to that in a second.

COP in Azerbaijan, and Baku, had 70,000 registered participants. The economic boon it meant for Azerbaijan was very substantial. That would be profoundly true in South Australia. It would make Gather Round, LIV Golf, the Fringe and the Festival—all those things combined—look like small beer. It lasts for two weeks and it would be a nice big windfall for the state, and so many people would win if we hosted COP. That is the more transactional element that is real and worthy of pursuit.

The more substantial long-term element of the prospect of South Australia hosting COP is it would very much put South Australia at the forefront—at the centre—of the economic opportunity associated with the global decarbonisation of industry. We have more to offer than most other jurisdictions around the world in that regard.

In South Australia, we have economic opportunity in copper, we have economic opportunity in magnetite and green iron production—even, potentially, green steel production—and we have an economic opportunity that transcends from the advanced position that South Australia has in a decarbonisation of our energy sector versus other jurisdictions.

If Australia were to win the rights to host COP, which is not guaranteed—far from it—and this event ended up being in Sydney, it would be just another event. But more than that, when people turn their lights on in a hotel room in Sydney it is more than likely that that power will be coming from a coal-fired generator. In South Australia, we know that mathematically it's far more likely—

Mr Patterson interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: In Azerbaijan, it was coming from fossil fuels. That's exactly the point.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Yes, yes—thank you. That's exactly why we believe—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That's right. That's exactly why we believe COP should be placed here in Adelaide. That's a real opportunity and we think it's worthy of pursuit and support. I think it has bipartisan support. The one thing I would add to that, though, is that at a federal level it is important that hosting COP has bipartisan support as well because Turkey is in the race. We would not want to see Turkey weaponise a lack of bipartisanship for Australia hosting COP that would deny South Australia that opportunity.

With absolute respect, I invite the opposition to continue its advocacy for hosting COP with their federal colleagues because it actually aids the cause of South Australia having an opportunity.

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