MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Ms COFFEY (Griffith) (15:48): Last Sunday, in my community in West End at the Kurilpa Derby, I had many conversations about the future that people want for our community, and I'll give a big shout-out to Moira, who had a very long chat with me. What I heard, time and again, is that people in my community want ambitious climate action and a clean energy transition that lowers household bills.
They also want renters to share in those savings. They expect their government to listen, lead and deliver. As the only progressive party in Australia that can form a government, we know we must lead that debate and also deliver environmental and energy policy.
That responsibility belongs to Labor, and it is only Labor that rises to that challenge. Addressing climate change is a moral imperative, is an economic imperative and is what my community wants. Earlier this month we heard some distressing news.
For more than a decade the world has been working towards limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. The United Nations Environment Programme has warned that we will very likely exceed that threshold within this decade. Avoiding an overshoot is no longer a realistic prospect.
This is devastating news, particularly for our Pacific island neighbours facing rising seas and threats to their homes. We cannot pretend that climate change isn't real. We cannot ignore it, and we cannot give up and say it is all too hard.
Climate change is part of our lives. We must adapt and limit the worst of its effects. Every fraction of a degree we prevent reduces harm.
Failing to seize the opportunities of a clean economy would work against Australia's national interests, particularly the interests of those that come after us. I am proud to be part of a Labor government that is rising to that challenge. More than 44 per cent of homes in Griffith have solar panels.
Our community is already helping build a cleaner electricity system. Complementing rooftop solar, home batteries let households store electricity generated during the day and use it after sunset when families are cooking dinner and switching on appliances. I was proud that our government announced the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, right in my community, last year—a program that reduces the cost of a typical battery around 30 per cent.
Since 1 July last year, it has supported more than 500,000 battery installations for households, small businesses and community groups. Griffith has recorded 2,258 solar batteries, providing more than 68,000 kilowatt hours of usable storage. It's a shame that the member for Wannon has left because in his electorate they have installed 2,253 cheaper home batteries.
He's just five short of mine—catching up!—but I've got no doubt that they will get there very soon. We have expanded that program to support an expected two million installations by 2030. For renters, access to benefits requires government actions.
A tenant can face high electricity bills without having any control over the roof above them. The Solar Sharer Offer gives eligible households the option of three hours of free electricity usage in the middle of the day. Our Community Solar Banks program has delivered solar installations for more than 5,200 apartments, with renters occupying almost half.
We are also investing more than $20 billion through Rewiring the Nation to modernise the grid. Another 15 large battery projects selected through our Capacity Investment Scheme are expected to attract around $6 billion in private investment. These projects will support more than 6,800 jobs across construction, operations and maintenance.
Australians are changing how they get around, too. Last month, battery electric vehicles outsold petrol vehicles for the first time, becoming the largest single fuel category in new vehicle sales—more than 27,000 sold in August—accounting for almost a quarter of the market. This is electrification in practice; more Australians are replacing petrol with electricity, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and cutting their running costs.
It's a bit rich for those opposite to talk about failing energy policy. They spent years in government unable to settle on a lasting policy of their own—and then they came up with nuclear. Now the coalition is chasing One Nation and retreating further from the climate action that Australians need.
Look at what One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts is saying. At a Senate hearing just this year, he claimed: There is no data at all that shows there's a changing climate, only inherent natural variation in cycles. He's promoted claims of a UN-inspired climate hoax and accused the Bureau of Meteorology of interfering with climate data.
Climate change isn't a debate; it is our reality. In my community of Griffith, people tell me every day they want action, not excuses. The Albanese Labor government is showing leadership, setting strong climate targets, investing in renewables and driving down emissions while creating local jobs.
That's progress, not politics.