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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-29 Daily Xml
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CLIMATE CHANGE

The Hon. M. PARNELL (15:33): I rise today to talk about climate change action. Governments have moved from talking about climate change as the greatest moral challenge of our time and an emergency to now stalling action, and they have done this in the blink of an eye. Federally, Tony Abbott has called climate change 'absolute crap', and Julia Gillard wanted to delay substantial action for a year. Thank goodness the Greens have forced reality and a sense of urgency to the debate in the federal parliament. All of this is happening in the context of continual data showing that the climate is changing and that our window for real action is rapidly closing.

Thank goodness there is also a power of alternative work being done, in particular on alternative energy. For example, the group Beyond Zero Emissions have recently launched their plan for Australia to shift to 100 per cent renewable energy as our energy future. This message has been backed up by German energy expert Dr Harry Lehmann, the head of the German EPA, who recently visited South Australia. For those not familiar with him, Harry Lehmann is the general director of the Federal Environmental Agency in Germany. He has over 25 years' experience in developing sustainable energy policy and programs in Germany, and since 2004 he has been the general director of the Federal Environmental Agency. He currently holds membership of the World Council for Renewable Energy and the Scientific Board of the Solar Institute at the Aachen Polytechnic.

Dr Lehmann is involved in sustainable energy policy and, in particular, towards 100 per cent renewables, with projects in Germany, Spain and Japan. Under Dr Lehmann's influence, Germany is now world leader in the field of sustainable energy. It is great that experts like Harry Lehmann have visited South Australia, but we are not learning from his lessons. However, the work that has been done by Dr Harry Lehmann and Beyond Zero Emissions shows that major shifts are not only possible but will also ultimately be beneficial for jobs and the resilience of our economy and our community.

Recently, premier Rann gave an address entitled 'Leadership in a carbon constrained economy' to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. In the Premier's fairly typical style, he listed his government's actions, most of which were largely symbolic, such as the creation of a minister for climate change and the passage of a climate change bill that had no targets that actually meant anything.

One action that was notably missing from the Premier's speech was any reference to the mini wind farm trial that members might be familiar with. Those wind farms are now being removed. Members might be familiar with the ones on public buildings—including the State Administration Centre—that did not work, were not connected and did not power one light globe in that government building. Most recently, the Salisbury wetlands wind farm has been removed as well.

The Premier's speech contained a few good things, not the least of which related to the report on the potential for wind power on Eyre Peninsula. Whilst that is an exciting prospect, launching a report is simply not good enough. Energy policy is critical but, until we get integrated government thinking, we will fail to meet the climate change challenge. What true integrated thinking recognises is that industry practice and urban form are fundamental.

If we take industry, the Roxby expansion for example, we understand that, despite Marius Kloppers' recent announcements about the need for a carbon price, BHP Billiton's current plans will ensure that our state's emissions will rise significantly, and that will be caused primarily by its plan to use coal-fired electricity for the basis of its expansion.

In relation to urban form, we need go no further than Mount Barker and Buckland Park and the carbon footprint that those developments will impose on us. It is also disappointing news that investors are fleeing this state for Victoria, where the government is genuine about helping the solar industry.

Time expired.

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