E&OE….
Topics: Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target, marriage equality
LEIGH SALES:
The Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, joins me now from our Parliament House studio in Canberra.
GREG HUNT:
Good evening, Leigh.
LEIGH SALES:
Good evening, Minister. I'll come to this evening's lengthy Party Room meeting shortly, but let's just start with your own portfolio first and the emissions target revealed today.
Is this target the minimum that you think the Australian public and the international community will let you get away with?
GREG HUNT:
Well, actually I think it's the right balance. What it is, is putting Australia in a position where we are with comparable nations but taking a very significant degree of action. Australians can and should be proud of this. We've moved from a minus five per cent target to a minus 26 to 28 per cent. We're able to do this because of the success of the Emissions Reduction Fund and do this without driving up electricity prices, which is the alternative policy.
And what's critical here is that we have Japan at minus 25 per cent, the United States at minus 26 to minus 28 per cent, the same figures over a slightly different timeframe. Canada and New Zealand at minus 30, South Korea at minus four per cent and China at plus 150 per cent. So we are very well placed in the company of nations and we are doing very significant work. We are doing more on a per capita – a 50 per cent reduction – than any other comparable economy.
LEIGH SALES:
Well, you keep talking about comparable economies. If you compare Australia to Canada, which you mentioned before – a country with a similar economy; it also has a reliance on resources – its target is a 30 per cent cut on 2005 levels…
GREG HUNT:
That's correct.
LEIGH SALES:
…as opposed to our 26 to 28. The international community regarded that as weak. How do you anticipate the international community will react to what you've announced today?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I respectfully don't accept the characterisation of the Canadian target. Many people were surprised. Many domestically in Canada thought that it was more than they could cope with. Some thought it was not as strong as they should be, as it could have been.
From our perspective, what we have done is put Australia firmly in the rank of comparable nations – ahead of Japan, the same as the United States in terms of the headline figure, ahead of Korea, well ahead of China, just behind Canada and New Zealand…
LEIGH SALES:
Ok.
GREG HUNT:
…and this is a very significant contribution. In intensity terms, we're reducing by almost two thirds…
LEIGH SALES:
Ok. Alright.
GREG HUNT:
…almost two thirds our intensity per unit of GDP.
LEIGH SALES:
The G7's committed to the global goal of limiting temperature increases to two degrees above pre-industrial levels. In order to reach that, both the Australian Academy of Science and the Climate Change Authority have recommended targets of at least 30 to 40 per cent. Is Australia now no longer committed to reaching that international goal?
GREG HUNT:
No. That's not correct, respectfully. We are committed. The Paris process is a process. It's not a one-shot-in-the-locker. It sets out an initial round of contributions and then it will establish a framework for the world together moving closer to the two-degree goal and achieving it.
I am very optimistic. Realistically, we have achieved four times more with our first Emissions Reduction Fund than the entire carbon tax experiment. Less than one – at about one per cent of the cost per tonne of abatement of the carbon tax.
LEIGH SALES:
Speaking of cost, Minister, how much will it cost to reach the 2030 target that you've set?
GREG HUNT:
So we've allocated approximately $200 million a year for the Emissions Reduction Fund or $2.4 billion over the 12 years from 2018 to 2030. It's not cost-free but it is radically less than a massive electricity and gas tax.
And so what's the real message here? We can do our bit. We can make a profound commitment at an international level, but we can do it without a massive electricity and gas tax. And that is extremely important for the country. It's important for the planet, but it's especially important for families that are under electricity price stress.
LEIGH SALES:
Ok. If we can turn to the subject that's occupying Canberra this evening, which is same-sex marriage – has the Prime Minister attempted to branch-stack the outcome of this Coalition Party Room meeting tonight by including Nationals in the meeting?
GREG HUNT:
No. I'd say very clearly that, prior to the election, our position was that there would be a meeting of the Coalition Party Room. When it was raised today, he didn't delay or demur. He offered to proceed to a discussion today. I think that that was very admirable.
LEIGH SALES:
But why not allow the Liberals to have…
GREG HUNT:
We're going through a process of an open discussion.
LEIGH SALES:
But why not allow the Liberals to have their own discussion and the Nationals to have their own discussion? What's the purpose of bringing it all together?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I think he's especially focused on honouring precisely the words and the formulation that he took to the election and that the Government took to the election: that there would be a…
LEIGH SALES:
He hasn't been so concerned on other issues to do that?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I would dismiss quite a snide comment like that, I'm sorry. It's not really what you're about, Leigh, you're a bit better than that.
LEIGH SALES:
No, no. Greg. No, no, Greg Hunt. I think we all know there's many examples of commitments that the Government took to the election that were then broken. So it's not a snide comment, it's simply a statement of fact?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I can say this – we've repealed the carbon tax, as we said. We've delivered our Emissions Reduction Fund. We've delivered our targets. And on this, we're having an open debate, a very forthright debate, exactly what people would want from their parliamentarians.
Every member, every single member who seeks to speak has the opportunity to speak. That's something to be very proud of. We always retained the right of conscience, which is a different matter to a free vote and the Party Room will determine that.
LEIGH SALES:
But why should the Liberal Party…
GREG HUNT:
But we have at our heart the notion of a conscience vote that any member at any time can choose to cross the floor. And that's something that doesn't exist with the ALP and is a fundamental element of who we are and what we believe in.
LEIGH SALES:
You rightly point out, Minister, the fundamental element of the Liberal Party, which is, you know, a belief in the individual, in personal liberty, in small government. Why would the Liberal Party of all parties refuse to grant its members a free vote on this issue?
GREG HUNT:
Well, the first thing is, there's not been a decision on that. That's going on as we speak and I don't want to respectfully pre-empt the Party Room. The second thing is – we have a right of conscience, which is a separate thing that applies to every individual member.
And each member can use it on any occasion. That's not lightly done, but it's an opportunity that exists with us. The Australian Labor Party does not have a right of conscience. Any member who crosses the floor will be expelled from the party.
LEIGH SALES:
Well, let's, let's not worry about talking about the Labor Party. Was this move…
GREG HUNT:
No, I think it, but it is a very important thing.
LEIGH SALES:
Was this move this afternoon by the Prime Minister an effort to avoid an embarrassing defeat in his own Liberal Party Room, at a time when his authority is being questioned?
GREG HUNT:
Well, I don't accept the point about authority being questioned. I think that he is in a very firm position with the strong support of people overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly. But the…
LEIGH SALES:
You don't accept that the backbench has been upset about how long it took to remove Bronwyn Bishop from her position? You don't accept that Tony Abbott's preferred candidate as Speaker didn't get up yesterday?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I think we had a vote yesterday which was not brought about with people trying to pull strings. It was each member doing exactly as you would hope and voting individually. And what we see today is a member of the Party Room raised an issue, asked if it could be debated. It's being debated at length, with every single member of that Party Room allowed the opportunity to speak. This is Parliament exactly as it should be.
LEIGH SALES:
Very quickly, because we're out of time – would you like to see your colleagues given a free vote on this?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I will reserve my view for the Party Room, I think, as it should be.
LEIGH SALES:
Minister, thank you very much for your time this evening.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks, Leigh.
(ENDS)