Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill – Second Reading speech
Wednesday 25 September 2024
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (16:05): I rise in support of the Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2024. This bill:
updates the state's emissions reduction targets to a more ambitious 60 per cent by 2030, and to reach net zero by 2050;
updates the state's renewable electricity generation target to 100 per cent by 2027;
requires a state emissions reduction plan to help achieve South Australia's emission reduction targets;
requires a statewide climate risk assessment to be prepared to identify risks and opportunities to inform adaptation planning—an entirely thorough approach;
introduces an ability for the Premier to nominate a public sector entity to prepare a climate change plan for an entity or sector;
provides for public sector action and reporting on reducing emissions and managing climate risk in government actions; and
requires five-yearly interim emissions targets to be set between 2030 and 2050.
We are leaving no stone unturned in our goals to meet these targets.
The Malinauskas Labor government makes an election commitment to update our state's targets in this Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Act. When the act first came into operation under the Rann Labor government, it was the first of its kind in Australia. It has guided policy and planning in our state to achieve world-leading outcomes in renewable energy, generation and climate mitigation, something of which we are all very proud and have the opportunity to build even further upon.
This government takes climate change seriously. We declared a climate emergency in May 2022, soon after forming government—something of which I know my community in Gibson is very proud—and we committed to restoring a safe climate by transforming the economy to zero net emissions. This bill continues the work and enshrines in the legislation South Australia's short-term and long-term emissions reduction targets to help limit the extent of climate change. Importantly, it also strengthens policy and planning provisions in the act to allow the targets to be achieved.
As the member for Davenport has said, this is ambitious policy but entirely achievable because we are all so committed to this policy work. I thank the Deputy Premier and all her staff who have worked so hard on this legislation, and I commend the bill to the house.
