Page 1670 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016
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But in the spirit of getting on with it, I would simply like to note that here in the ACT, with the Greens strongly arguing the case, we have reached a place of some consensus around the scale of the problem and the moral imperative to be part of the solution. The ACT is one jurisdiction in Australia that has responded to the call to action that has come from scientists who are seeing the reality of what is happening, driven by human-induced climate change. There are other cities and towns around the world that are putting in place solutions and setting ambitious targets but there is no doubt that the ACT is a leader.
We, of course, have some very contrary science here in Australia. The recent approval by the ALP government in Queensland of the Adani coal mine, Australia’s biggest ever mine, is very distressing in the context of our national efforts as well as the lack of action by the national government where we saw a budget delivered on Tuesday night that did not mention climate change once. Again, I will prosecute those arguments another day because the ACT Greens tonight welcome this Labor-Greens government commitment to bringing forward the long-term climate change targets and renewable energy targets.
I would like to take this opportunity to offer my support and thanks to the minister for the environment, Simon Corbell, and his team in the environment directorate for their high quality work on delivering this outcome. Many people said that it was not possible, but I think that team and the minister and this Assembly have made it a reality. I also want to acknowledge the work of my Greens colleagues over many years in undertaking the political groundwork this target has been built on. Greens MPs have often been ridiculed when talking about the possibilities associated with renewable energy over the years. Achieving this target shows how effective we can be if we embrace solutions.
This, of course, is not the end of the line. While commonly known as a renewable energy target, what we are actually changing today is the ACT’s renewable electricity target, that is, the source of electricity that comes down the wire and into our homes and businesses. The ACT’s energy use extends well beyond that, namely, into transport fuels and gas for home heating and hot water. These are where our next focus needs to be if we are going to reach our net zero emissions target of 2050 which is included in the climate change act and which is also brought forward from 2060 through the passing of this bill today.
Transport emissions make up around 26 per cent of the ACT’s emissions, and then the next biggest sector is natural gas, which makes up around nine per cent of our emissions. I have no doubt that focusing on those sectors is what the policy brains are starting to work on right now.
In summary, the ACT Greens are pleased to be able to support this bill. It delivers our 40 per cent by 2020 climate change target. It is in, indeed, heartening to be part of something that is so clearly moving in the right direction.
I would like to finish by noting that this weekend there is going to be a massive climate change protest in Newcastle, a flotilla of peaceful protesters gathering under the banner of “Break free from fossil fuels”. There will be people there from all walks
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