ADJOURNMENT

Mrs ELLIOT (Richmond) (19:35): At the election in May, Australians endorsed the Albanese Labor government's plan to keep building Australia's future, including our ambitious plans to protect the environment and act on climate change. Indeed, my electorate of Richmond, on the Far North Coast, is known around the country and, in fact, around the world, for our stunning natural environment, and protecting it is so vitally important.

Of course, our region is also, unfortunately, known for devastating floods and really feeling the direct impact of climate change. Acting on climate change and striving to protect our environment are issues of great importance to my community. Indeed, our government is acting on climate change whilst also harnessing the economic opportunities that the global shift to clean energy presents for our nation.

We've accepted the Climate Change Authority's advice to set a 2035 target, cutting emissions by 62 to 70 per cent compared to 2005 levels. This is ambitious but achievable. It sends the right investment signal, responds to science and is delivered with a practical plan.

We're committed to net zero by 2050, in contrast with those opposite, who continue to endlessly debate the reality of climate change. The fact is that Australians voted for real action on climate change, and our government is delivering it. Since we were elected three years ago, Australia now has enough renewables to power six million homes, and we've helped industry cut emissions through the safeguard mechanism, and we've delivered new vehicle emissions standards, giving Australians more choice of cheaper-to-run cars.

Our plan is working, and emissions are coming down. Of course, the work to reform Australia's environmental laws isn't complete, and we've committed to reforming these laws to make them fit for purpose whilst taking real action on climate change and protecting the environment. As part of this reform, we'll be introducing legislation to modernise our environmental laws and establish Australia's first-ever independent federal Environment Protection Agency, or EPA.

A federal EPA will be a tough cop on the beat with real teeth. Of course, last time we tried to create a federal EPA, the Greens, the Liberals and the Nationals all shamefully teamed up to block it in the Senate. I call on them this time to actually support it and to reflect upon the results at the election in terms of what people do want to see.

They don't want protest; they want real action, and they endorsed our real action when it comes to creating the EPA. Of course, Australians are embracing clean energy, and the best example of this is our government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which means cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy. To date, more than 100,000 batteries have been installed across the nation.

In my electorate, there are more than a thousand homes, businesses and community groups who are now powered with cheaper batteries. For locals with existing solar, a typical battery could see savings of up to $1,100 a year on their energy bill. This program is working in our communities and right across the country.

Indeed, Labor has a very strong track record of delivering for our environment, and we're working to stop species extinction by supporting the recovery of threatened species and ecological communities. This will help us to rebuild the populations of some of our most vulnerable species to prevent further extinction and preserve biodiversity. In my community on the North Coast, Labor is always taking strong action to better protect and recover our native wildlife.

In fact, one of my commitments at the last election was that a re-elected Albanese Labor government would deliver $2 million for the expansion of the operations of the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital. It's a fantastic hospital that provides such important work, and it's treated approximately 7,000 native animals. I was very pleased to announce and will be very pleased, soon, to deliver on that commitment.

I'd also like to commend the New South Wales Minns Labor government, who recently announced a proposed boundary for the Great Koala National Park, alongside a comprehensive plan to support workers, industry and local communities. This plan will deliver the protection of our most precious koalas and more than a hundred threatened species. The Great Koala National Park will create a vast network of protected areas, encompassing over 475,000 hectares from Kempsey to Grafton and inland to Ebor.

Labor is the party that delivers action on climate change. In fact, it is Labor who has delivered every single major environmental reform in our nation's history, and we proudly do that, whether is Landcare or saving the Franklin or protecting the Daintree in Kakadu or building the largest network of marine parks in the world—and, of course, meaningfully addressing the threat of climate change.

Australians voted for us to take action on climate change, and we are doing that and building on that. They also voted for us to protect our natural environment, and we continue to do that every day.