Australia’s Emissions Target

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator McAllister. Minister, at the last election the government campaigned on an emissions target of 43 per cent. Commentary at the time said that it was supported by voters and was therefore a factor in the election. The government legislated this target in 2022, and it is now incorporated throughout the Australian economy. Can the minister tell us what the importance is of Australia setting international emissions targets?

Senator McALLISTER: Senator Van, you are right: we went to the last election seeking to bring some measure of consistency and predictability to climate change policy. It had been a policy area which was the subject of chaos and dysfunction under the previous government, and it was clear that our national interests would be best served by a return to a predictable and orderly approach to this policy area. When we first came to government, as you recall, we sought to establish our emissions target in legislation. We also sought to establish a governance arrangement that would allow us to track and monitor our progress and to take advice from the Climate Change Authority about how we were progressing and any future arrangements.

All of that has occurred, and there are a number of reasons why it matters to us—through you, President. It matters because Australia is exposed to the realities of climate change. Australians know that the climate is changing, and all of the scientists tell us that our climate is changing. That impacts rainfall, it impacts heat, it impacts fire weather, and it impacts a whole range of sectors of Australian society, including the farm sector, communities, fisheries—a whole range of areas where a change in climate makes a real difference. Our best chance at dealing with that lies in being part of the international community and supporting international efforts to reduce emissions.

We've set about doing that, but we also make the obvious point that our economic interests lie here too. There is a global market for low-carbon products and services, and we want Australians to be part of that market. We want the jobs and opportunities that come with a low-carbon world to be part of the future for Australia.

Thank you, Minister. Australia and other Paris Agreement signatories have undertaken to update their targets every five years. The deadline for countries to submit their new targets for 2035 was Monday this week, 10 February. Minister, can you assure the Senate that the government will set a 2035 target, and when will you set it?

Senator McALLISTER: As I indicated in my primary answer, in 2022 we legislated the Climate Change Act. That was with the broad support of members of this parliament. That act enshrined both our national targets under the Paris Agreement and a formal process for determining the 2035 target.

That process, as I indicated earlier, requires independent advice from the Climate Change Authority before any target can be set. The authority is yet to provide that advice, but it has been extensively consulting and is considering the issues and the broader international context. The Climate Change Authority chair has said that they need time to consider international developments before they deliver their advice, which is entirely appropriate. Our target will be robust and responsible, and informed by the experts at the Climate Change Authority. This is an approach that has been backed by industry, by serious climate voices and by the broader sector.

Thank you, Minister. You referred earlier to the importance of our international agreements. Given the significance of these targets to voters, do you believe both major parties should commit to a 2035 target before the upcoming federal election so that voters are fully informed?

The PRESIDENT: Senator Van, it is not for the minister to be speaking on behalf of the opposition. I will invite the minister to answer your question in the best way that she can.

Senator McALLISTER: Thank you for the clarification, President. Senator Van, I think I've just provided you with an answer already about the government's approach to this and the fact that we are reliant on the advice to be provided to us by the Climate Change Authority. That approach is one that has been broadly endorsed, not just in this place but by many of the stakeholders that we work with.

I do think that Australians, when we go to an election, will be very clear that there is one party that has a track record of taking this issue seriously. We have worked very carefully to put in place an architecture based on evidence that would allow us to do the work necessary to obtain the benefits of participating in a global decarbonisation effort and to do so in a way that protects Australians' jobs and industries. That's the approach we've taken in this term, and that is the approach we intend to continue to pursue.