Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027

Ms WITTY (Melbourne) (16:03): There is a simple test for this budget. Does it make the future cleaner? Does it make the systems fairer?

Does it help people in their real lives? On environment, water, climate change and energy, the answer is yes. For Melbourne, that matters, because my community does not see climate and environment policy as something distant from their daily lives.

It is not distant when a family is trying to bring down their power bill. It is not distant when a renter wants access to clean energy but has no control over the roof above them. It is not distant when a young person asks whether government is actually listening to the science.

Melbourne expects ambition but Melbourne also expects delivery. That is what this budget is doing. It takes the big national task in front of us and turns it into work that can be achieved step by step, program by program.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering an extra $1.3 billion for the environment and water, taking total investment to $9.9 billion over the next four years. That means we are not just talking about protecting nature; we are funding it. We are starting up the new National Environmental Protection Agency from 1 July 2026.

That means stronger enforcement of national environmental laws. For too long, Australians saw environmental protection treated like paperwork. This government is treating it like responsibility.

We are also making the approvals systems work better. The budget funds modern environmental information, data and digital systems, including the use of artificial intelligence, so assessments can be clearer, simpler and faster. That matters, because Australia needs to build.

We need homes, we need renewable energy and we need the critical minerals that power the clean economy. This budget funds changes to environmental offsets through the nature repair market on a new restoration contributions system. That means restoration must be real.

When nature is damaged, the response cannot be vague. It must help repair the places and species that need it. The budget invests $110.8 million to extend the Saving Native Species program.

We are delivering for the Great Barrier Reef, providing $91.8 million for protection, restoration and monitoring, supporting the Reef 2050 Plan. That work supports traditional owners, scientists, tourism operators and regional communities. It protects a living wonder, it protects jobs and it protects the future.

And, because environmental work does not stop at the shoreline, this budget also invests in Australia's marine parks, including stronger action on illegal fishing and work to protect and restore our oceans. We are acting on waste. The budget delivers a national pilot of solar panel recycling, because the clean energy transition has to be clean all the way through.

It is not enough to put panels on roofs; we have a plan for what happens when those panels reach the end of their life. That is forward thinking. That is responsible.

That is Labor delivering. On climate change and energy, the same principles apply. This budget supports the National Consumer Energy Resources Roadmap.

That means helping households and communities get the benefits of solar, batteries, electric vehicles and a smarter energy system. It maintains battery system inspections under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. That means safer batteries, better consumer protection, more confidence for people buying electric vehicles and more support for workers and businesses making the transition happen.

For Melbourne, fairness has to sit in the centre of this. Clean energy cannot only work for people with big roofs, a garage and a private driveway. It has to work for renters, apartment residents, students, older people and small businesses.

The transition must be cleaner, and it must be fairer. The budget strengthens energy security through the National Fuel Security Plan, with stronger reserves, storage, stockholding rules and market oversights. This budget passes the test—cleaner future, fairer systems, stronger protection and real help in people's lives.

That is what Labor is delivering, and I am proud to support it.