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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-09-08 Daily Xml
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Climate Change

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Climate Change. Minister, will you update the chamber on South Australia's actions to tackle climate change and how this contrasts with the two years of the current federal Liberal government?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:09): What an excellent question from an excellent member. This state has a very proud record on taking action on climate change since this government has been in office. The government understands that our challenge is to reduce carbon emissions while achieving economic growth. This is precisely what we are doing. We have reduced our emissions—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Once again, those opposite are challenged by the science and facts, but let me give them a few facts. We have reduced our emissions by 9 per cent on 1990 levels in South Australia, while our economy has grown by over 60 per cent. Our economy has grown by over 60 per cent at the same time that we have reduced our emissions by 9 per cent on 1990 levels.

Those members opposite, members of the Liberal Party, don't like to hear those sorts of facts because they have swallowed the Kool-Aid from their national government which says you can't have action on climate change and also have a growing economy, but that just shows how backward they are and how backward the federal government is in addressing these emerging opportunities for growth and for employment in these areas of renewables.

But many of those opposite, including the Hon. Mr Ridgway, the leader of the Liberals, don't like renewables or, if they do like renewables, they only like some renewables and not others. The Hon. Mr Ridgway is a well-known sceptic for wind energy; solar is okay by him but wind energy, he thinks there is something a little bit dodgy about it.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Too much information, Mr President—and I'm answering the question not the Hon. Mr Ridgway, thankfully, in this matter.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The minister is trying to answer a question here. It's a very important question, and I think the minister deserves the respect of silence while he gives his answer.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you, sir, for your protection. We are working closely with industry and business to help find ways to reduce business costs and attract new investment to our state. We have committed to making Adelaide the world's first carbon-neutral city, a showcase city for renewables and clean technology to attract investment and support jobs. We have been praised internationally on our award-winning Climate Change Adaptation Framework that will see all 12 regions implement a plan to adapt to future climatic challenges in this state.

Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing sectors in this emerging economy, and there is increased international competition to attract investment into renewables. Our policy framework and our ambitious targets have allowed this important sector to flourish in South Australia, unlike other states in this country, because we know that businesses need certainty if they are to invest in our state.

Business will say to you, 'You are offering us certainty, but the federal government over in Canberra are dissuading us from investing our shareholders' money into your country. Why wouldn't we take it to another country to invest in?' And that is the great tragedy of the federal Liberal government: they are trying, as they have done here in South Australia in terms of the car industry, to close down investment and renewables as well.

The Prime Minister, the Hon. Mr Abbott, has been on radio with his close friend, Mr Alan Jones, saying, 'We desperately wanted to get rid of more renewables, Alan Jones, but this is the compromise we've settled on in relation to the renewable energy target. We wanted to reduce,' he said, and then he spelt it out in capital letters, 'R-E-D-U-C-E, reduce investment in renewables', but luckily for us the Labor Party in opposition, with the crossbenchers in the Senate, prevented that from happening.

We know that business does need that certainty if they are to invest billions of dollars of their shareholders' money in projects that will take 10 to 20 years to see a return on that investment. We have set an investment target in this state of $10 billion in low carbon generation by 2025, and we have increased our target for the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources to 50 per cent by 2025.

As a result, in the 2011-12 financial year wind generation overtook coal for the first time to become the second most common fuel source for electricity generation after gas in South Australia. Today, South Australia has 41 per cent of the nation's operating wind farm capacity and we lead the nation in the uptake of rooftop solar photovoltaics, supporting thousands of direct and indirect jobs in our state, many of which are in regional areas of our state. Our track record on climate change action could not be in starker contrast to the federal government's inertia.

This week marks 24 months since Tony Abbott became Prime Minister. In that time, he and his government have successfully undone all the bipartisanship around the federal Renewable Energy Target. They have tried to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and ARENA and have launched a series of senseless attacks about whether wind farms are aesthetically pleasing.

Such policy shifts have seen the national drop in large-scale renewable investment of 88 per cent, resulting in the loss of 2,500 jobs. There is no doubt that this will inevitably impact on South Australia's renewable energy sector, not to mention our nation's reputation around the world. After two years under the Abbott government, Australia has moved from fourth to 10th in the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, and fourth to 37th in the Global Green Economy Index.

There has been a string of scathing articles around the world describing Tony Abbott as the most hostile prime minister towards the environment in Australia's history. It defies logic that despite all the scientific evidence, despite the very clear economic benefits of taking action on climate change, and despite the fact that even six of the world's biggest oil and gas companies have written to the United Nations earlier this year pleading the case for a price on carbon, the Abbott government continues to refuse to take climate change seriously. Mr President, how will he justify this to future generations of Australians, because it is they who will be paying a very high price that will be required for Tony Abbott's scepticism?

There is great value in being an early mover in this area. Those who are early movers and early adopters will reap the benefits for their communities and for their societies; they will be creating the jobs and employment in industries of the future. But, under the federal Liberal government, there is no vision for that whatsoever. That is why this state Labor government is standing up for action on climate change. We will work with other state governments of similar mind, including the Labor governments of Queensland and Victoria and the Liberal government of New South Wales, who all see very clearly that the states will have to move into this area because the federal government has vacated it.

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