On Tuesday 10 October 2024, I asked the Environment Minister why she keeps approving new coal and gas projects in the midst of a climate crisis. 

Transcript:

Ms WATSON-BROWN (Ryan) (10:52): My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water. Emissions are higher under your government than under the previous, Morrison government. Yesterday you told the Global Nature Positive Summit—

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER: No, the member for Ryan will begin her question again. Everyone knows my position during question time. It's about the individual being respected and heard with their question, so no interjections while the member for Ryan begins her question again.

Ms WATSON-BROWN: It's to the environment minister. Emissions are higher under your government than under the previous, Morrison government. Yesterday you told the Global Nature Positive Summit that you want to protect nature and the climate. Why, then, do you keep approving new coal and gas projects, including one that will operate until 2080?

Ms PLIBERSEK (Sydney—Minister for the Environment and Water) (10:53): I might leave a little bit of time for the Minister for Climate and Energy to add to my answer, but I would say to the Greens political party that every one of the projects that the member is referring to—the three extensions that she's referring to—is measured against our safeguard mechanism. That's a mechanism that you helped design and that you voted for that will get Australia to net zero by 2050. You agreed to those laws because, you said, these will get carbon pollution down.

I know that the Greens are a bit embarrassed about their history in this area because, of course, last time we were in government, they voted with the Liberals and Nationals to block action on carbon pollution reduction, and, because of that, 80 million extra tonnes of carbon pollution was emitted into our atmosphere. Under Labor, by contrast, we've now got renewable energy proceeding apace. I have already approved 63 renewable energy projects, enough to power seven million Australian homes. We've got renewable energy in our grid up to 42 per cent, and on a very happy half-hour last week there was 72 per cent renewable energy in our grid.

What is the biggest risk to this transition to renewable energy? Well, the biggest risk is those opposite and their fanciful approach to suggest that nuclear power, the most expensive form of electricity generation, might help out in 20 years time. What absolutely blows me away is that I never hear anything from the Greens political party pointing out that nuclear power is the biggest risk to the transition to renewable energy in this country. I remind the chamber that I'm the first minister in Australian history ever to actually block a coalmine, but I did that because of its impact on water and the Great Barrier Reef. Coal projects aren't assessed for their emissions under environment laws; they're assessed under the safeguard mechanism, which you helped design and deliver and voted for.