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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-14 Daily Xml
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SAFE CLIMATE BILL

The Hon. M. PARNELL (15:55): I take the opportunity today to tell the council about the Greens' Safe Climate Bill, launched by Senator Christine Milne this week. It is a suite of 12 bills and represents the most comprehensive legislative response to climate change yet seen in Australia. The need for us to introduce these bills is the complete failure of the legislative and policy process at the federal level. In fact, only yesterday Professor Ross Garnaut was slamming the quality of the debate over an emissions trading scheme. According to the AAP report of yesterday, Professor Ross Garnaut, author of the federal government's climate change review, said rancorous debate on an emissions trading scheme is one of Australia's worst cases of policy-making on a major issue. He is quoted as saying:

I think this whole process of policy making over the ETS has been one of the worst examples of policy making we have seen on major issues in Australia.

I note, too, that this week on crikey.com on Monday the lead story of this internet journal is under the heading 'Greens—the most economically rational party on emissions trading'. Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane said:

This morning the Greens launched a raft of amendments to improve the government's CPRS bill. They involve higher targets—25 to 40 per cent greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2020; an industry compensation scheme based on that proposed in the Garnaut Review, which involves compensating trade-exposed industries for the difference between their competitiveness under the scheme versus business as usual; a mechanism for tallying voluntary action and reducing emissions targets accordingly, and a far more rigorous process for imported carbon credits.

The recognition of voluntary action is particularly important in the South Australian context because we know that under the federal government's current scheme there is nothing that we can do in South Australia that will make one jot of difference to greenhouse gas emissions under the current CPRS arrangement.

The Greens' Safe Climate Bill is the first legislative attempt to transform Australia as swiftly as possible into a flourishing carbon neutral powerhouse. Where the Rudd government's carbon pollution reduction scheme locks in failure on the climate crisis by sidelining the science and sandbagging old polluters at the expense of the sunrise industries, the Greens' Safe Climate Bill gives us a real chance of success by aiming for the goal that we know we need to achieve and then setting out how to get there.

Our goal is not simply to reduce carbon emissions: the true goal that we must aim for is to pass on to our children and our children's children the safe climate that has nurtured us and made human civilisation possible. For many this might seem out of reach, but as humans we are capable of amazing things when we set our minds to it. Setting a safe climate target would inspire the community and unleash a wave of creativity, of innovative job creation that is right now champing at the bit, as well as improving our quality of life and reconnecting our communities.

The Safe Climate Bill, unlike the CPRS, will deliver a massive transformation in the Australian economy—a transformation that will require the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Some industries will inevitably be replaced, as thousands of industries such as photo film and horse power have throughout history. Part of the job of government is to make that transition as painless as possible and not pretend that it will not have to happen and work to delay the inevitable. Smart governments position their nations ahead of the curve.

The Safe Climate Bill puts equity at the heart of climate action, investing in upgrading homes of low income Australians for energy efficiency, rolling out transport alternatives in disadvantaged areas, retraining workers in polluting industries for the clean jobs of the future and funding climate adaptation and emission cuts in developing countries. The Safe Climate Bill is a collection of 12 linked bills based around the pillars of renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transport and forest protection, and are supported by a real carbon pricing scheme.

The bill as a whole, and each of its constituent elements, are intended as exposure drafts for public comment and debate. Some of the bills have already been introduced into the Senate and others are in exposure draft form and still others in the consultation phases. I urge all members to log on to the Greens website, look at the Safe Climate Bill and, if so minded, steal all the ideas, pretend they are your own, but let us see them legislated in this country.

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