CLIMATE EMERGENCY
DECLARATION — FEDERAL LABOR POLICY
1222. Hon TIM CLIFFORD to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer to the
response given to question without notice 1137 asked on 15 October.
(1) Will the
Premier please explain to the house how declaring a climate emergency will
destroy Western Australia's economy and cause mass unemployment?
(2) Can the
Premier please table the information and analysis to support this claim?
(3) What is the
state government doing, beyond increasing liquefied natural gas exports, to
address global climate change, and can the information supporting how these
actions are addressing global climate change be tabled?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The premise
of the member's question is incorrect. The Premier stated in his answer
to question without notice 1137 that a policy of net zero emissions by 2020
would destroy Western Australia's economy and lead to mass
unemployment.
(2) Not applicable.
(3) The McGowan
government is very active in addressing climate change. There are important
reforms underway in the energy sector, through the energy transformation
strategy and electricity network reform, to support cleaner generation. The
McGowan government has also provided in-principle support for carbon farming.
This recognises the multiple benefits of carbon sequestration, economic diversification
and restoration of degraded rangelands. The renewable hydrogen strategy, which
was launched earlier this year, focuses on the potential for renewable hydrogen
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the mining industry, domestic gas
networks and transport industry. It also looks at our potential to export
world-class solar and wind resources to other countries. The future battery
industry strategy is helping to position Western
Australia to become a central player in the global battery value chain. The
Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre is being hosted in
Western Australia and will further support our state's clean-industry
goals. The government is also encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles in WA
through the Electric Vehicles Working Group.
The government has also made
significant commitments around Metronet, supporting a more sustainable
framework for growth in Perth, and set ambitious targets for waste reduction,
with the goal that 75 per cent of waste generated in Western Australia will be
re-used or recycled by 2030. In addition, we have created a climate change unit
in the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and have committed to
developing a state climate policy by early 2020; developed a state greenhouse
gas emissions policy for major projects;
managed to secure additional funding for the Environmental Protection Authority;
launched EPA inquiries into the state's largest greenhouse gas–emitting
projects; joined the national Climate Action Roundtable; and signed up to a national
electric vehicle strategy.