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representatives vote 2022-08-04#6
Edited by
mackay staff
on
2022-08-12 16:09:56
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Title
Bills — Climate Change Bill 2022, Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022; Consideration in Detail- Climate Change Bill 2022, Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022 - Consideration in Detail - Regional Australia
Description
<p class="speaker">Tony Burke</p><p>Just to advise the House: the Federation Chamber has tried a few times to start. It goes for a couple of minutes and then there's a division. I suggest that the Federation Chamber remains suspended while this legislation is being dealt with in the House. Then, once we see how long this is taking, a decision can be made by the Presiding Officer as to whether it starts up again today.</p>-
- The majority voted in favour of [amendments](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debate/?id=2022-08-04.22.1) introduced by Mayo MP [Rebekha Sharkie](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/mayo/rebekha_sharkie) (Centre Alliance) on behalf of Indi MP [Helen Haines](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/indi/helen_haines) (Independent), which means they will now form part of the bill.
- ### What were the amendments about?
- Dr Haines' [submission](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debate/?id=2022-08-04.22.1) explained that:
- > *First, I propose to amend the Climate Change Authority to make sure that Australia's climate policies boost economic, employment and social benefits for rural and regional Australia. [...]*
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- > *Second, I am proposing to expand the list of eligible qualifications for appointments to the Climate Change Authority. [...]*
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- > *Third, my amendment requires the Minister to outline the benefits that their policies are delivering to the regions. [...]*
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- > *And finally, my amendment requires regions to be explicitly considered when setting new emissions targets.*
- ### Amendment text
- > *(1) Clause 12, page 7 (line 18), at the end of subclause (1), add:*
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- >> *; and (e) the impact of the Commonwealth's climate change policies to achieve Australia's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets on rural and regional Australia, including the social, employment and economic benefits being delivered by those policies in rural and regional Australia.*
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- > *(2) Clause 15, page 9 (after line 34), after subclause (1), insert:*
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- >> *(1A) The advice given under subsection (1) must include advice on:*
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- >>> *(a) the social, employment and economic benefits of any new or adjusted greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and associated policies, including for rural and regional Australia; and*
- >>>
- >>> *(b) the physical impacts of climate change on Australia, including on rural and regional Australia.*
<p class="speaker">Milton Dick</p><p>In light of the business before the House, the Federation Chamber may resume once we have dealt with these bills. I will move on to the next amendments.</p> <p class="speaker">Rebekha Sharkie</p><p>At the request of the member for Indi, I move amendments (1) and (2) to the Climate Change Bill 2022 and amendments (1) and (2) to the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022, as circulated in her name:</p><p class="italic">(1) Clause 12, page 7 (line 18), at the end of subclause (1), add:</p><p class="italic">; and (e) the impact of the Commonwealth's climate change policies to achieve Australia's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets on rural and regional Australia, including the social, employment and economic benefits being delivered by those policies in rural and regional Australia.</p><p class="italic">(2) Clause 15, page 9 (after line 34), after subclause (1), insert:</p><p class="italic">(1A) The advice given under subsection (1) must include advice on:</p><p class="italic">(a) the social, employment and economic benefits of any new or adjusted greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and associated policies, including for rural and regional Australia; and</p><p class="italic">(b) the physical impacts of climate change on Australia, including on rural and regional Australia.</p><p>I rise on behalf of the member for Indi, who has asked that I move these amendments on her behalf. The member has provided speaking points to the amendments, which I will now read out:</p><p class="italic">I am deeply disappointed that I have tested positive for COVID and will be unable to vote in favour of this Bill in the House.</p><p class="italic">Because this is a Bill that is good for regional Australia, and which will drive the economic future of regional Australia.</p><p class="italic">This Bill sets in law a commitment that the vast majority of Australians support—that we will decarbonize our economy by the middle of the century.</p><p class="italic">And today, I seek four simple changes to make a good Bill an even better one, by inserting regional Australia at the heart of our climate policy framework.</p><p class="italic">First, I propose to amend the Climate Change Authority to make sure that Australia's climate policies boost economic, employment and social benefits for rural and regional Australia.</p><p class="italic">In the Government's Bill, the Climate Change Authority is the body charged with advising on climate targets and climate policies.</p><p class="italic">I believe that renewable energy and the new industries it will unlock could become the next goldrush for regional Australia—but only if we plan it right.</p><p class="italic">Second, I am proposing to expand the list of eligible qualifications for appointments to the Climate Change Authority.</p><p class="italic">These are the people who will be advising on Australia's targets and tracking our progress to achieving those.</p><p class="italic">We need regional voices at that table. And we need people who understand how to make renewable energy actually deliver for regional communities.</p><p class="italic">Third, my amendment requires the Minister to outline the benefits that their policies are delivering to the regions.</p><p class="italic">A key part of the Government's Bill is that the Climate Change Minister must, each year, deliver a statement to the Parliament on Australia's progress in reaching our targets and the effectiveness of our climate policies.</p><p class="italic">Under my amendment, that statement must specifically outline the social, employment, and economic benefits that those policies are delivering to the regions.</p><p class="italic">This is an accountability mechanism.</p><p class="italic">It means that no Government can get away with a climate policy that does not specifically address the unique circumstances of and opportunities for regional Australia.</p><p class="italic">And finally, my amendment requires regions to be explicitly considered when setting new emissions targets.</p><p class="italic">Under the Government's Bill, the Climate Change Authority must provide advice on any new or revised emissions targets. Under my amendment, when advising on those targets, the Authority must advise the Minister on the benefits to regional communities that a higher target would deliver, and the physical impacts of climate change on regional Australia.</p><p class="italic">This means that in three years, when the Government sets our next target for 2035, it will be forced to reckon with two facts: that climate change is damaging the regions, and that decarbonizing the economy must deliver for the regions.</p><p class="italic">It is only sensible that Australia's climate policy framework has a particular focus on the regions because we regional Australians are at the forefront of the changing climate.</p><p class="italic">We regional Australians endure the brunt of the droughts, the floods and the bushfires that are becoming increasingly intense.</p><p class="italic">And it is the regions that will host almost all of the new renewable energy, all the new transmission lines and a huge part of the new industries Australia must build to truly take advantage of the net zero economic opportunity.</p><p class="italic">This transition will happen primarily in the regions, so it only makes sense that our climate policy keeps a special focus on the regions.</p><p class="italic">I thank the Member for Mayo for moving these amendments on my behalf and I thank the Minister for Climate Change and Energy for working with me constructively to improve the Government's Bill.</p><p class="italic">The Coalition right now has a choice—to support these amendments and support regional people, or to put old politics ahead of regional people and prosperity.</p><p class="italic">I urge all Members to vote for these amendments. By putting the regions back into the centre of the climate debate, we are making this Bill something that can work for every part of our country.</p><p>I was very pleased to read that speech and put forward those amendments on behalf of the member for Indi.</p> <p class="speaker">Chris Bowen</p><p>I am sure the member for Indi is watching, and I am sure the whole House wishes her a speedy recovery from COVID. On behalf of the government, I appreciate the member for Indi's strong interaction with me and with the government on matters of regional affairs. The member for Mayo is a strong advocate for regions, and I am sure the member for Mayo would agree that the member for Indi is a particularly strong advocate for regions.</p><p>The member for Indi's amendments, as the member for Mayo has indicated, really do four things. They require that the annual climate change statement to the parliament made by the minister of the day include reference to regional Australia and the impacts on regional Australia and also that this be included in the advice to government by the Climate Change Authority on the setting of future targets. Also, this adds to the performance of functions and, I think, importantly, adds rural and regional development and community energy as qualifications for appointment to the Climate Change Authority. These are very sensible amendments, and I am pleased to indicate on behalf of the government that we will support them.</p><p>I would be shocked if any member opposed these. If the National Party is opposing—we will see in a few moments—the inclusion of regional affairs in these things, it would really indicate just how low this debate has fallen. I hope I am on the pessimistic side of the spectrum and that the National Party will be supporting these.</p> <p class="speaker">David Littleproud</p><p>I thank the member for Indi as well as the member for Mayo for putting these amendments up. While it is well intended, unfortunately it doesn't go to the heart of the issue. In fact, as a coalition government, we put in place a structured process of review that had independence. It had an independent review by the Productivity Commission, who are better equipped to undertake these reviews than the Climate Change Authority are. This is like having the Climate Change Authority assess their own homework. Why wouldn't we have an independent authority come in and understand the economic impact on regional and rural Australia?</p><p>So to be constructive, as the National Party always are, which is at the heart of representing regional and rural Australia and understanding the impacts this will have on regional and rural Australia, we will be working through the Senate committee process to make sure that we can work constructively to get back to the core principle of independence and having transparency on what impact this will have on regional and rural Australia and those people we represent that have borne most of the bill in us meeting Kyoto and Paris, so that that burden is not unfairly put on regional and rural Australia. We will work constructively on that, but we feel that these amendments are ill equipped to ensure the security for regional and rural Australia to participate in any climate change debate.</p> <p class="speaker">Ted O'Brien</p><p>I too thank the member for Indi for her amendments and hope she is feeling a little bit better. I also thank the member for Mayo for speaking on her behalf in the chamber. I appreciate the concern that the member for Indi has for regional communities. It's certainly a concern shared at least by everybody on this side of the chamber. I appreciate also the fact that she is seeking to protect regional communities from impacts of this bill because, rest assured, there will be impacts from this bill.</p><p>As I said in the second reading speech, it is an indictment on the government that it has utterly failed to include any safeguards in these bills and has, indeed, actively removed safeguards from the nationally determined contribution—the NDC. The coalition's 2021 NDC included a requirement for regular reviews of the impact of the government's climate change policies on regional communities, on jobs and investment, on energy prices and on agricultural land. The new Albanese Labor government have stripped all of these safeguards from the NDC. That is exactly the act that they have taken.</p><p>With respect to the amendments from the member for Indi, it is not good enough to have the Climate Change Authority do this work. The leader of the National Party is right; it is the equivalent of them marking their own homework. Worse still, it is like the minister himself marking his own homework. That's what these amendments would effectively enable. That's why we have decided, as an opposition, to also oppose this amendment. It's not good enough for a climate change policy body with a narrow field of expertise to be considering the very broad impacts that these bills would likely have on regional Australia. And so the coalition's approach in government was to have reviews conducted independently—reviews undertaken independent of government by the Productivity Commission. While I thank the member for Indi for her contribution today—I really do—the coalition will oppose these amendments. But we will explore further, through the committee process in the other place, how further safeguards can be placed around these bills.</p> <p class="speaker">Sophie Scamps</p><p>I support the member for Indi's amendments moved by the member for Mayo. Item 1 will require the Climate Change Authority, in performing its function, to have regard to the principles such as boosting economic, employment and social benefits, including for rural and regional Australia. Item 2 will set out that appointments to the Climate Change Authority are not eligible for associate members unless the minister is satisfied that the person has rural and regional development and community energy expertise. The amendments ensure that rural and regional Australia are considered when formulating climate policy, as they will be at the forefront of the transition to net zero and climate impacts. As we are debating the consequential amendments bill, I will ask the minister: at a later date, will you extend the consideration of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets to functions of the board of Industry Innovation and Science Australia? Directions to the board by the minister, and the prescribing of programs by the minister, fall under the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.</p> <p class='motion-notice motion-notice-truncated'>Long debate text truncated.</p>-
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