Climate Change

“The Bill is a solid foundation, setting clearly and firmly, in Australian law, Australia's emissions reduction ambitions. It holds the government of the day accountable to the Australian parliament and the Australian people, on how it measures up to those ambitions, and how it is addressing this fundamental issue.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 05 Sept 2022

“I urge every member of this house to get behind this bill and support this. It is well past time that Australia put in legislation our deep commitment to achieving these targets, and I think that's something that every member of this house would want to be a part of.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“This bill achieves that, and I'm incredibly proud to speak in support of it today.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“Quite simply, the Australian people want stronger action on climate change, and that is exactly what this bill will deliver.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“The passage of this bill would be a landmark day for climate action in Australia. The government is proud of this legislation. It's a demonstration of our commitment to ambitious action on climate change, to transparency and to accountability on this defining issue of our time.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“This bill delivers on our election commitment to Australians to restore national leadership on climate change. The bill is long overdue. It's an opportunity for parliament to end the climate was and affirm a national commitment to net zero emission targets. I thank the Minister for Climate Change and Energy for introducing this significant legislation.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“This legislation is only the beginning, the first step for us in implementing the Powering Australia plan that we took to the Australian people at the May election. These bills set in law our emission reduction ambitions and represent a solid, reliable and dependable foundation from which to build further efforts to reduce our carbon emissions.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“Australians have been on a very long journey to get us to where this chamber is today. These bills will enshrine the nation's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to get us to net zero by 2050. Labor's commitment will become law.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“I campaigned hard on Labor's climate change policy in my electorate. I talked about the climate emergency and reducing emissions, and a cleaner, better future. I talked about the employment opportunities that will come from becoming a renewable energy superpower. I talked about the fact that we can have a modern economy and be part of changing the course of the future for the better. And that's what my community voted for. That's what they voted for, and that's what this legislation will deliver.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“What a momentous day. I could not be more proud to stand here tonight in support of the Climate Change Bill 2022. After a decade of inaction, we might finally see our country start to seize on all the opportunities our transition to a renewable energy future has to offer. We will finally take meaningful action to address climate change.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“So I implore senators to support this bill today.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“Now, as one of our first acts in parliament, we are introducing our Climate Change Bill. This seeks to enshrine in law our nationally determined contribution of 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. This target is a floor, not a ceiling, and it has been backed in by representatives of business and unions, energy users and energy providers, farmers and conservationists. The bill will also explicitly task in law the Climate Change Authority to assess and publish progress against these targets, and advise government of future targets, including the 2035 target. It will legislate a requirement for the minister for climate change to report annually to parliament on its progress. Legislating the target is international best practice. It creates the much-needed certainty for business, investors and the wider community. It also will see Australia rejoin key trading partners in their ambition to 2030. For example, Canada has a target of 40 to 45 per cent; South Korea, 40 per cent; and Japan, 46 per cent. Most importantly, the 43 per cent target is backed by a plan. We know we can reach it because of the modelled impact of a comprehensive set of policies.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“I look forward to these changes because they are necessary, despite the fear mongering that we will unfortunately continue to hear in this debate. This is not a balanced thing between imposts on the one hand and benefits on the other. The benefits run in both directions. There are enormous economic benefits, job benefits and pollution reduction benefits as well as climate benefits. So I support this bill wholeheartedly, and I thank the young people of Australia for their patience.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“With this bill, our Labor government is making it clear that climate change is one of our biggest priorities. We will not let the chance to tackle climate change slip us by. We will not let the chance to create the jobs and the industries of the future slip us by. We will feel the responsibility that we have, to this generation and future generations, to act on climate change. We are showing that from the very start of this 47th Parliament we will close the door on the past decade of inaction. I sincerely hope the climate wars have ended, because we need our country to be able to work together to fully embrace action on climate change and fully embrace the transformation to our economy that will come with that. It's on that basis that I commend this bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“The legislation that we have before us is good. It's good for the country, good for the economy and good for young people. We know young people are taking action in their everyday lives to address climate change. Now they finally have a government that will take action alongside them. Today, being part of a government legislating the Climate Change Bill feels momentous, years in the making and fought for by so many. It is important that we talk about young people because they have been on the front line of the chorus call for change. I know myself, with two young children, 21 and 17, the work they have been advocating for to ensure that we get to this day, that this day has finally come.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“This is a serious issue, as I said, and we need to make sure that this bill gets through. I'm really disappointed to hear, again, the games that are being played by the opposition, as they were in 2008 during the Rudd government when we had a proposal on the table. As I said, having a stable, clear and coherent policy sends a vital message to the private sector, and that is really important. It sends a message also to the world that Australia is back as a good global citizen. It sends a message that Australia now has a government and a parliament that wants Australia to be a renewable energy powerhouse.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“The global momentum for renewables due to decarbonisation is now unstoppable. Governments, markets and communities must work together to this end. This is what this bill will achieve. This bill will put Australia on track for net zero by 2050. No ifs and buts; it will happen. Our Powering Australia plan, which we took to the election, will deliver 604,000 jobs across the country and bring on 82 per cent renewables by 2030. While legislation is not essential to deliver Powering Australia, the Albanese government regards enshrining our national, determined contribution in law as best practice. This bill will proudly bring Australia into line with countries, such as France, Denmark and Spain, which have legislated net zero targets by 2050. Countries such as Canada have also legislated their 2030 targets.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“Neither households nor businesses can continue to function in a climate of uncertainty. Personal and business investments will only be made when there is long-term stability and predictability. That is what this legislation seeks to do. It will begin a responsible transition to a lower emissions economy that will generate investments in new technology, in new jobs. It will be less destructive to our natural environment and contribute to global efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“On election day, Australians voted to end the climate wars; they had had enough. Our Prime Minister spoke eloquently of the possibility of a better future, the potential of a better future, and now this parliament can do the same. We can vote to end the decade of delay and denial. We can vote to mark the end of our climate delinquency. We can vote for our children and our grandchildren to have that better future. We can vote for real action.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“The legislation sets an interim target of a 43 per cent cut in emissions by 2030, and we know we can achieve a 43 per cent cut because it's the outcome predicted by the modelling of our climate change policies. Reaching this target will get Australia well on the way to our ultimate target, also enshrined in these bills, of net zero emissions by 2050. The 43 per cent target, mind you, is a floor and not a ceiling. We can be more ambitious if the circumstances call for it. In addition to these two emissions reduction targets, the bills now before the Senate will provide for an annual statement to parliament from the minister responsible for climate change. The statement will include an update on Australia's progress towards meeting our emissions targets. The bill will also restore the Climate Change Authority to provide independent expert advice to the minister on the annual statement and to provide advice on any new or updated emissions reduction targets to be communicated to the UN under the Paris Agreement.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“Passing this legislation will send a great message to the people of Australia—that we are taking real action on climate change, that the decade of inaction and denial is over, and that Australia is out of the naughty corner in international forums and is once again engaging with the global community, who understand the importance of acting on climate change and understand that this is not just an environmental issue but the biggest economic transformation that we will see globally in our lifetime—as big and as significant as the Industrial Revolution.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“It is with pleasure that I get to stand in this chamber of the Australian parliament this evening to speak on Labor's Climate Change Bill 2022, because this is the first real climate action bill in years that this parliament has seen. It's a bill that we're actually going to get to vote on. It is a first step in implementing the Albanese government's mandate and the policy, Powering Australia, that we took to the election. Australia has been crying out for action on climate change, and on 21 May the Australian people voted for change. They rejected the Morrison-Joyce government's refusal to take action on climate change, the blatant disregard for science and the brutal climate wars that prevented any real action on climate change for more than a decade.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“At the May election, the Australian people voted resoundingly in favour of action on climate change, and our government promised we would take it. We would do the work required to lower emissions while continuing to invest in communities, create jobs, improve energy security and make Australia a global leader on climate action instead of an embarrassment. Before us today is the bill that gets this work under way. After a decade of denials, delays and chaos on renewables and energy, our bill, this bill before us, this Labor bill, finally gives business, industry, energy investors and our wider community the certainty it so desperately needs.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“The bills are straightforward, positive and powerful. They reflect Australia's obligations under the Paris Agreement, and so I urge the members of this chamber to pass this legislation and to send a clear and positive message to the people of Australia, and to the world, that we are taking real action on climate change.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 06 Sept 2022

“This is a bill that delivers on the government's commitment to restore national leadership on climate change. It provides the certainty and confidence needed to drive the transition to net zero by 2050.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“Yes, Australia has a relatively small effect on global emissions but it is an effect that can be reduced and we should, like a good world neighbour, do the right thing and introduce adequate climate policy, which this government is doing by introducing the Climate Change Bill 2022 and the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“This bill sends the signal that the Albanese government is committed to action on climate change—a signal that gives certainty to our region, to investors, to Australian businesses, and to this parliament—because this bill is also a commitment that our government will not just announce a target and hope we get there. We won't use accounting tricks or rely on future technologies that may or may not ever exist. We will be held accountable to our targets, and we will deliver our plan to not just meet them but exceed them.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“The bill itself delivers on the government's election commitment to restore national leadership on climate change by legislating our targets to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent on 2005 figures by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“I urge everyone in this chamber to support these bills. They are a simple, strong framework to start taking action. We cannot ignore or deny climate change. This is happening, and if we do not act on climate change our wildlife, our planet, our industry and our citizens will all suffer. I urge everyone to support these bills.”

Australian Labor Party • Senator • 06 Sept 2022

“So I am very proud to be standing here in only our second week of parliament debating one of the most important pieces of legislation that this parliament will deal with. We are taking swift action to legislate on the commitment that we made to the Australian people—and the commitment that I made to the people of Macquarie.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“Today is my son's birthday. He is 31. I'm standing tonight to speak on Labor's Climate Change Bill 2022. When my youngest son was 15, I had enormous hope that we were going to do something about climate change. My three sons had enormous hope that, as a country, we were locked into a future that would see us take the lead internationally. It's been a long road—an enormously long road—and we're here tonight because it's the right thing to do. It's the responsible thing to do. We're back with the good global citizens who take responsibility. We become part of the solution. It has been a long journey.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“This bill is what the people of Perth have been calling for. This bill is what the people of Perth have sent me to vote for. This bill, and the policies within it, I've consulted on with the now minister in forums in my electorate, and I'm proud to support this legislation becoming the law of Australia.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“I strongly welcome this bill. I welcome the Labor government's genuine commitment to taking urgent yet considered action on reducing emissions and steering this capable and innovative nation to a strong economy based on renewable energy. I also urge us to remain true to our equally strong commitment to social justice. Transition is necessary but must always be managed in a way that doesn't leave disadvantaged communities behind. I believe the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, whose electorate is not unlike my own, has a thorough understanding of the issues of equity. Justice, equity and climate change are the three most urgent and pressing issues of our time, and I support the bill as the first step amongst many that this government will pursue to tackle these issues.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“But the truth is that we need all aspects of the economy to do their fair amount of work, and that's what this bill does.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“After reviewing Labor's legislation I've spent a lot of time deciding how to proceed. I believe there are issues with the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022. I will not be supporting this bill, due to my concerns over the impact it may have on important infrastructure projects, for example. However, I will be supporting Labor's Climate Change Bill 2022. At the end of the day, it's important to me that when I'm back in my own community I'm able to sincerely say that I used the opportunity afforded to me with the power of my vote to stand up for what they want and need and to move on from this debate.”

Liberal Party • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“In summary, this legislation is a start; it's a beginning. But so much more needs to be done. I urge the government to work with us Greens to do the real work that's required for Australia to be playing our part in tackling the climate crisis.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“While the government has been unwilling to adopt science-based targets and place a moratorium on new coal and gas, we have been able to secure improvements to the bill—ensuring that the target can be ratcheted up over time and that it's now 'Dutton-proofed' with a genuine floor, which means the target cannot go backwards. Changes have also been made to put in place greater transparency and accountability and strengthen requirements on the Climate Change Authority. Government agencies, such as Export Finance Australia, that in the past have funded coal and gas projects will, for the first time, be forced to take climate targets into account, which would see them curbed from supporting fossil fuels. They join a range of other agencies with new limits, including Infrastructure Australia and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. That is why we will vote for this bill tomorrow and we will vote for it in the Senate.”

Australian Greens • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“I'm going to pinch my nose and vote for these bills. But mark my words: the Greens are not going to settle for something that's simply better than nothing. We won't be settling for this. We will push Labor all the way. We will push them in relation to their blind addiction to fossil fuels. We will push them in relation to their blind addiction to logging native forests in this country.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“By supporting this bill as put to us in the house, particularly in the absence of the critical amendments that we have tabled in this chamber, the Greens have shown our willingness to work with the parliament on this issue in the interests of just bloody getting on with it, of clearing a path for all of us to engage in the real work that must follow.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“We've improved a weak bill, but, of course, when you're fighting the coal and gas industry and their political representatives, you don't win overnight. Australia remains the third-largest exporter of fossil fuels in the world, and, with 114 new coal and gas projects in the pipeline, it's only going to get worse.”

Australian Greens • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“Supporting this bill is a first step towards that. I'm glad to see some action on the most pressing issue of our time, but what we really need to do is stop new coal and gas. As long as we keep opening new coalmines and new gas fields, we are making the climate crisis worse. The Greens will keep pushing the government to take this step, which is crucial for the survival of all of us and our planet—and we cannot lose hope. What gives me hope is that people from across this country, and especially young people, are motivated and are ready to fight. They know that this is not the end of the road for addressing climate change; it is just the beginning. We have many battles ahead of us, and much of the hill still to climb. We need a moratorium on new coal and gas projects. We need to put people before the profits of BHP and Santos. We need to end the billions in taxpayer handouts that the fossil fuel industry receives. The real fight starts now. Climate activists are ready. Young people are ready. The community is ready, and we are ready.”

Australian Greens • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“After a decade of climate stupor by the Liberal and National governments, this bill does represent some progress. It is a small step in the right direction, but, after a decade of coalition ruin, Australia is in such a state of despair when it comes to the climate that even the smallest step is quite notable. But it's not near enough to the solution that we need. No government should be let off the hook on climate action. It's vital that the media, activists, NGOs and the community at large do not let the Labor government rest until we see real climate action.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“This bill represents a first step. It's not enough. We need to move faster and further than this bill allows. The ratchet mechanism secured by the Greens means the target can be increased over time and won't go backwards, but we need more. We've already reached one degree of warming. South Australians and people across our country and the world are already experiencing the effects of this, including loss of livelihoods and lives.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“I want to be absolutely clear that the climate wars are not over. They have, in fact, reached a new frontier. The Greens are begrudgingly supporting this bill, but we know that 43 per cent is nowhere near enough. The fight continues for meaningful climate action, which also means preventing one more fossil-fuel project opening, expanding or continuing. My call to action for the folks out there watching is to join us—come forward and fight for our children's future and for our climate.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 06 Sept 2022

“Yes, let's pass this bill with the improvements that have been negotiated through the hard work of climate activists. I particularly pay tribute to our colleague Adam Bandt, our Greens leader, for the hard work he and his team did in negotiating improvements: putting in a genuine floor, putting in greater transparency, making the bill better. But we acknowledge that this is nowhere near where this parliament needs to be on climate. Let's do it, because it shows we can at least take one step away from the climate vandalism of the former coalition government. Let's take some strength from that, but then let's get on with the real work that's needed, and that's the work to permanently keep coal and gas in the ground.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“Let me be extremely clear. The Greens will be supporting these bills, but they are a very small step forward, and Labor has committed to kicking real action on climate change to the kerb. This is a government that is captured by the likes of Woodside, Chevron and Santos. In Western Australia, literally two-thirds of all offshore gas is given away to these companies for free. The state government gets more money from vehicle registrations than it does from gas royalties. Federally, the petroleum resource rent tax is broken. Australian people are paying for the privilege of having our climate destroyed for the sake of multinational profit. That's a disgrace. While these bills go nowhere near far enough, we are pleased to have secured improvements. The Greens have made sure that Labor's unscientific target of 43 per cent is a minimum, and we are aiming to see that target raised substantially. We've made sure that the Climate Change Authority will be guided by the global temperature goals set out in the Paris Agreement. Crucially, large financing bodies such as Export Finance Australia and Infrastructure Australia will have to consider climate targets when financing projects. This is significant, as these bodies have been vehicles for significant fossil fuel financing.”

Australian Greens • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“With climate policy, everything has to be looked at through the lens of integrity, because a target without integrity is just a number. It's not going to matter, and future generations will judge us harshly for our inaction and for some of the ridiculous arguments that we've used to avoid acting on what is the biggest challenge humans have ever faced. We have to act. We have to act decisively. I support this bill, and I look forward to working with my colleagues here in the Senate to ensure that this is just the first step not only in ending the climate wars but in winning them and going from being, when it comes to climate action, an embarrassing laggard who turns up to international summits to talk about climate action, spruiks gas companies and tries to water down agreements.”

Independent • Senator • 07 Sept 2022

“In conclusion, I will be supporting this bill. It is an important first step, the first real step in far too long, but it is not enough. We need more action. We need risk mitigation strategies. We need adaptation plans. We need greater action on electric vehicles. We need to stop putting public money into fossil fuel subsidies and thoughtlessly expanding the number of gas and coal mines without paying heed to the impact on the world. We need to move to the future, not to the past, and bring our communities with us, all those communities around Australia, however they are impacted by this bill. We need strong accountability mechanisms to ensure the government is adopting the right policies, and to ensure those policies are comprehensive and effective and are accountable to the people of this parliament and to the people of this country. I, for one, will be holding the government to account and ensuring that they take the next step and the one after until our country is finally in the place it needs to be.”

Independent • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“The work is not finished. This legislation is just the first step and will need amendments and refinements over the coming years. But I say to all the members of parliament, as former President Barack Obama said—and we have heard it before in this chamber—we are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it. We need to look back on our time here and see that it was more than just time wasted. What will you tell your loved ones you did when the climate crisis began to dawn on us? Let's use this legislation as a launching pad for more action. I commend these bills to the House.”

Independent • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“We have a long way to go. I will continue to advocate for the changes the people of North Sydney want to see, including pursuing cleaner petrol and stronger fuel efficiency standards for Australian vehicles. But at least the conversation and positive change is underway. I commend this bill to the House.”

Independent • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“We can't waste any more time, because, quite simply, we don't have any more time. So I do welcome this bill, and I do support the government's move to enshrine our emissions targets in legislation, not least to provide certainty to businesses but also to shore up commitments made on the international stage.”

Independent • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“We now have a minimum number to provide certainty for business and community. Further consistent government policy must follow to ensure that we exceed that number and become the leaders that we can be. Let's get on with it. If not us, who? If not now, when? I commend this bill to the House.”

Independent • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“I urge everyone in this parliament to support these bills. They are not perfect, but let us not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

Centre Alliance • MP • 03 Aug 2022

“So is this bill enough? Today I will focus on the urgency of our need to act. Pragmatically I will say: today it's enough; I will support this bill. But tomorrow, without pause, our work will continue. I urge the government to remain open to working with other members of this parliament to build collaboratively on this foundation, to work with us to exceed expectations and to surpass this target. Working together, we can be a parliament that actually listens to the voices of its voters. We can be a parliament that exceeds expectations.”

Independent • MP • 03 Aug 2022