ADJOURNMENT

Senator McLACHLAN (South Australia) (20:08): I advise the chamber of a very serious matter that's occurred in my state. South Australia has confirmed the first bird flu infection of an Australian sea lion, found at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island. About 85 per cent of our sea lions are in South Australia.

The total population is estimated at fewer than 12,000, and the South Australian population is already declining by about two per cent each year. This is a significant event. The sea lion had been recovering from a shark attack and was tested for the bird flu.

It tested positive and, ultimately, died from its injuries, having been further weakened by the flu. We've now had four mammal species in South Australia that have had bird flu detected in them—a sea lion, a long-nosed fur seal, a little penguin and much other wildlife. Thankfully, there have been no detections in our poultry or livestock.

These detections remind us that we must be ever vigilant in the control of our invasive species. I want to congratulate the Invasive Species Council for their advocacy and great work in this area. With them, I recently visited the Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre in South Australia, who impressed upon me the need to control the movements of domestic cats and address feral cats and foxes, not only for protection of our native animals but also for the domestic cats themselves.

As the Invasive Species Council has done, I'm calling on the government to invest further in our programs to address invasive species. Without giving our native species an opportunity to breed and thrive, incidents like bird flu will have an even greater effect. It's been suggested by some that the concept of net zero is driving a reckless renewables rollout, with no regard for prime agricultural land and the rights of farmers and community.

I say to the chamber that I don't agree with that. I think it's an extravagant statement and not particularly based on any substantive foundation. I'm not suggesting all renewable developments are perfect.

They seem to be held by some in this chamber to a higher standard than mines or mining activities. I know there have been many incidences of mining affecting the environment to a large extent, and we don't hear calls to stop mining. I'm mindful of the philosophies articulated by Roger Scruton about the primacy of the landholder and their love for the land, and that drives conservative thinking that we should protect the environment for future generations.

The suggestion that net zero should be abandoned and the suggestion that we should stop the rollout of renewables cuts across the primacy of the farmer and their decision of what to do with their land and the primacy of communities to decide how they're going to thrive and use their land. It's a blunt instrument which cuts across conservative philosophies, and I oppose it.

I'm for the farmer. I'm for the community. I know that there are and have seen renewable projects where there has been power bill relief for the communities.

There have also been financial benefits for communities, direct neighbour payments, co-investment opportunities, co-ownership opportunities, job opportunities and improved farming productivity. Why would you throw all these benefits away because you simply have a bias towards coal and gas? Clean-energy income streams don't pollute.

They provide viable income in times of drought, and they level out the income of the farmer and really underwrite those farming families when they wish to pass on their farms in good order with nature to the next generation. We've had windmills since Federation. I don't see the reason to stop now.

I would say that, when you're considering the debate between renewables and fossil fuels, you rarely hear in this debate those that are opposing renewables take into account pollution. The fossil fuel industry has to be held to account for the emissions it creates. I see no other way as a conservative other than to reach that conclusion.

They do all they can to abrogate their responsibility. I think, as someone who is of centre-right disposition and conservative, that the only solution is with coal and gas bearing the cost of their own emissions. We need a carbon price, and we need it now.