E&OE….
Topics: Renewable Energy Target, Great Barrier Reef Long-Term Sustainability Plan
FRAN KELLY:
First though the Abbott Government has stepped up its campaign to save the Great Barrier Reef from being placed on the United Nations in-danger list. It’s pledged another $100 million to improve water quality, in what the PM has described as our quote – priceless, unique environmental asset.
It’s also banned the dumping of dredging soil from new capital works throughout the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The focus is also shifting to the Renewable Energy Target this week as time gets tight for a compromise deal before Easter which had been the deadline the Minister had floated. Well the minister – the Environment Minister Greg Hunt joins us now.
Minister, welcome back to Breakfast.
GREG HUNT:
Good morning Fran.
FRAN KELLY:
I’ll come to the Great Barrier Reef in a moment, which is obviously a key for us to discuss, but first the Renewable Energy Target – 22 groups have written to the Prime Minister today calling on him to honour his election promise to keep the legislated RET, that’s 20 per cent, or 41,000 gigawatt hours by 2020.
Now you won’t agree to that. Are you willing to increase your latest public offer which is 32,000 gigawatts?
GREG HUNT:
Well firstly we are committed to the Renewable Energy Target, and we went to the election promising two things. A commitment to the 20 per cent and a review post-election. What has happened is we’ve had the review, and we are actually committed at the moment to a figure of approximately 23 per cent, so we haven’t just honoured what we said at the election, we’ve exceeded and beaten what we said we would do.
FRAN KELLY:
Well with respect Minister, everyone when they heard that election promise thought it was 20 per cent – a fixed 20 per cent, it wasn’t what is now being dubbed a real 20 per cent. So there’s sort of sophistry going on here; 20 per cent or 41,000 gigawatts is what’s written in the legislation in the…
GREG HUNT:
…with respect you are incorrect. There was considerable criticism – let me take the example of Giles Parkinson, one of the commentators in this area. He wrote a number of articles pre-election being critical of the fact that we focused on 20 per cent, not 41,000.
We very clearly said that our commitment was to the concept of 20 per cent, we’ve now lifted that to 23 per cent and there is a reason why, and that is because very few people believe that in the situation where demand has dropped quite dramatically, but we have over-capacity in the Australian sector that we can build…
FRAN KELLY:
Yeah and we’ve been through this before, I think everyone now understands the…
GREG HUNT:
No, no, it is very important to understand why, for your listeners that we can build…
FRAN KELLY:
Well I think everyone does understand why.
GREG HUNT:
… a massive volume in the time required. In short Labor set something up which has significant flaws, and they themselves, they themselves are arguing for a reduction in the target…
FRAN KELLY:
Yes.
GREG HUNT:
…because they believe the aluminium sector is facing a crisis – we share that belief. We can double the existing large scale renewable energy capacity, we can achieve 23 per cent renewable energy, and that’s a very good base, but at the same time we can avoid a $93 per tonne carbon tax equivalent, which kicks in if you don’t build the currently unachievable figure.
FRAN KELLY:
Key to this is bipartisanship. We’ve always had bipartisanship up until this point where we can’t seem to get it right now. Labor wants the point to be lifted to over 35,000 gigawatts. Many of the groups in the industry and the environment groups have written today urging the Government to lift its offer saying it’s not high enough, and the Australian Industry Group is one that’s urging the Government and Labor just to shift a little to try and get – they say a little movement by either side to reach a deal.
Do you agree a bi-partisan deal is what is needed here between the two major parties to give the industry the security it needs to get investment going again?
GREG HUNT:
Well there are two ways through on this. Firstly one is with the ALP. During the course of the last year we’ve not had a single fixed figure given to us at any time in any of the negotiation. Some members of the ALP have been extremely constructive; obviously Gary Gray has been very, very constructive. Others clearly aren’t willing to put a figure down.
FRAN KELLY:
Well, if 35,000 is a figure, will you come to that?
GREG HUNT:
Well, we have set out a figure of 23 per cent, we’re working towards that. We’ve moved very, very considerably, unfortunately there hasn’t been a scintilla of movement, compromise, discussion, fixed figures, or anything from the ALP.
The other way through of course is with the crossbench, and that could provide a very strong, very clear base going forward. Either way, I am confident that we will get a resolution, because I know that for myself, Ian Macfarlane, the Prime Minister, with whom I was discussing this on the weekend, we are all committed to a resolution which achieves an effective doubling of existing large-scale renewable capacity under the target – that’s a huge ask still to build between now and 2020 and a 23 per cent outcome. So, there’s considerable and very significant opportunity for renewables.
FRAN KELLY:
Alright.
GREG HUNT:
I would ask the ALP to consider movement and compromise. We certainly have, and if not, we’ve had very constructive discussions with the crossbench.
FRAN KELLY:
Alright. It’s eighteen to seven on Breakfast. Time is running out for that deal, but also, let’s- time is running out for the interview. So let’s move on to the Great Barrier Reef, because you made an announcement yesterday, including $100 million to improve water quality, do you believe you’ve done enough to save the Reef from being listed as in danger by the UN’s World Heritage Committee?
GREG HUNT:
Yes I certainly do, because we’ve made some dramatic changes to what we inherited over a year ago. Firstly, in terms of water quality, this plan sets out a vision of successive improvement each continuous decade between now and 2050. So this is a plan to 2050, a framework; that includes a 50 per cent reduction in nitrogen, which is one of the main ingredients that comes from the runoff from farms by 2018, an 80 per cent hard target reduction by 2025.
Secondly, there’s a funding package of over $2 billion, which has been added to with a $100 million from the Australian Government, and a $100 million from Queensland, both focusing overwhelmingly on water quality.
And thirdly, and perhaps extraordinarily, we inherited five massive dredge disposal projects from the previous Labor government for the Marine Park, that’s now down to zero. It’s taken a huge amount of work, and we’ve put in place a ban which will end the practice of capital dredge disposal in the Marine Park forever.
FRAN KELLY:
And just on that Minister, we’re almost out of time, I’m sorry, but you have banned capital dredge dumping but not maintenance dredge spoil. The Queensland Government’s developing the Galilee Basin, will dredge spoil by companies like Adani and GVK be allowed to be dumped in the park?
GREG HUNT:
No I think there’s some confusion there. The proposal that the Queensland Government is actually putting forward, they are the proponents, would see all of the dredge material from that particular project placed on land. That’s something I have worked towards. We’ve turned around what we inherited from the previous government there. And all up we inherited five massive projects – on our watch down to zero. And a dredge ban which has had headlines around the world, is seen, I think, as an extraordinary step both for Australia, and the international community has responded extremely positively.
We can improve the Reef – we’ve already seen a turnaround in sediment, in nitrogen, in pesticides. But these funds, which are going to the catchments, which are going to cleaning up the problem of the crown-of-thorns starfish, there’s been a dramatic scientific breakthrough which can help, and which we’re now funding, these are really good signs for the future of the Reef. Australians should feel confident that the world’s Great Barrier Reef continues to be, and has the prospect of improving each decade between now and 2050.
FRAN KELLY:
Minister, thank you very much for joining us.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks Fran.
FRAN KELLY:
Greg Hunt is the Federal Environment Minister.
(ENDS)