This week the Albanese Labor Government took a major step forward in delivering certainty to Australian industry about how we can reduce emissions and promote job creation. Some people say these reforms go too far, some day they don’t go far enough. That’s probably a good sign that we have got the balance right.
But I know that all of this misinformation can make Queenslanders who live in coal mining communities anxious and searching for the facts. So, let’s set the record straight on what our reforms are about.
The Safeguard Mechanism was first introduced by the Coalition to put a ceiling on emissions from our largest emitters, but actually emissions have been going up. Our reasonable and sensible reforms have been designed to provide certainty for our biggest emitters on their way to net zero by 2050, which over 80% of them are committed to.
That’s why peak groups like Australian Industry Group, the Business Council of Australia and Manufacturing Australia have welcomed it.
These reforms will reduce 205 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – equivalent to taking two-thirds of the nation’s cars off the road in the same period.
This reform complements the over $24 billion of investment the Government is already making in super charging our renewable energy and critical mineral sector. Labor’s Powering Australia Plan will create 604,000 jobs with 5 in 6 of those jobs in regional Australia.
The Safeguard reforms are also about keeping Australian industry competitive in a decarbonising global economy.
But of course, in response to these reforms, we saw the usual scaremongering from the Liberal National Party. They really will say anything to stop these sensible reforms. So let me be really clear.
The Safeguard mechanism won’t introduce a new carbon tax. It is not a tax.
The Safeguards mechanism doesn’t mean that manufacturing companies in Australia will be less competitive. On the contrary, they will finally have the opportunity to get ahead of the game when it comes to new energy innovation.
And we are providing $1 billion in direct support for trade-exposed industries and hard-to-abate sectors like steel, aluminium and cement to ensure they can invest in new technologies that will safeguard their future in a changing global economy.
This is just another scare campaign designed to stir up fear and distract from an Opposition that doesn’t have a policy on how they would reduce emissions.
Matt Canavan, Colin Boyce and Michelle Landry all voted against the $15 Billion National Reconstruction Fund this week, a fund created to bring manufacturing jobs back home to regional Australia. You can’t say you support regional jobs then vote against them.
The truth is the scaremongering and spreading lies about climate change won’t save a single job or create any new ones.
The Albanese Labor Government will be getting on with the job of making a real and positive impact on communities in regional Queensland. And our Safeguard Mechanism reforms that passed this week will do just that.
