Senator DAVEY (New South Wales—The Nationals Whip in the Senate) (16:57): In rising to speak, I again note that this is not my first speech, but I thank the Senate for providing me an opportunity to highlight what the Liberal-National coalition government is doing to meet and beat our emissions target and to protect and preserve Australia's iconic environment. Ladies and gentlemen, this issue is not about fearmongering. We have to get away from the fearmongering, otherwise we turn the community against us. What we have to focus on is taking real action to clean the air we breathe, to clean our oceans and waterways of polluted rubbish and to recycle and reduce waste. That is what we need to focus on. The government has previously acknowledged that emissions for this year to March 2019 are up by 0.6 per cent, but this increase is more than accounted for by an increase in our LNG production related emissions and LNG exports increase. But I also note that the use of LNG for power production is a far cleaner alternative than coal-fired power stations, and so we should be applauding and supporting our continued export of this alternative power source. Importantly, emissions without expansion of LNG continue on a downward trajectory and, in each year since 2014, have been lower than they were under the former Labor government. Emissions per person continue to fall, and the emissions intensity of the Australian economy continues to fall. In fact, they are at their lowest levels in nearly three decades. We are on track to overachieve our 2020 emissions reduction target by 367 million tonnes. This is a turnaround from the emissions debt that we inherited in 2013. This government is tackling climate change and reducing emissions not by shutting down industries, as some in this place would like us to do, and not by axing Australian jobs. Instead, we are doing this while growing our economy and keeping electricity prices down. Through our $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package, the government have mapped out—down to the last tonne—how we intend to meet our Paris Agreement target. We have laid out how we will deliver our 2030 target 11 years ahead of time. Through this Climate Solutions Package we are also supporting farmers, businesses and Indigenous communities to reduce their greenhouse gases. We are bringing new electricity generation projects online, such as clean hydro solutions Snowy 2.0 and the Tasmanian Battery of the Nation. We are supporting households and businesses to improve their energy efficiency and lower their energy bills. But we're not stopping there. Our Climate Solutions Package is just one part of the broader strategy to reduce emissions and protect and preserve Australia's iconic environment. The strategy is underpinned by a series of actions that are practical, meaningful and, importantly, can be implemented to achieve a cleaner environment. Through our $167 million recycling investment plan, we're supporting increased recycling rates, tackling plastic waste and continuing action to halve food waste by 2030. We've established a $100 million Environment Restoration Fund to support major environmental projects that deliver lasting conservation benefits. And we're facilitating a Communities Environment Program, which is providing $150,000 to every federal electorate. Senator Gallacher: It's pork-barrelling. Senator DAVEY: It's not pork-barrelling. It is going to every single federal electorate to support the delivery of community-led grassroots environment projects. These are projects identified by the communities as deliverable and things that will make a difference in their regions. While our government is getting on with the job of delivering this practical action, there are some in this place who are instead calling to invoke a so-called climate emergency—to shut down our mining industry and, particularly, our coal export sector, despite the fact that the coal produced in Australia is the cleanest-burning coal in the world. While the government are working hard to address climate change and while we continue to meet and beat our emissions targets, we will not do so by selling out our jobs and our industries. Mining has for many years been an important industry in my home state of New South Wales, and it continues to this day to be an important industry for the Australian economy and for the rural and regional communities that I am very proud to represent. While only 0.1 per cent of land in New South Wales is used for mining, there are a range of minerals and natural resources—not just coal—including copper, gold, lead, silver, titanium, zircon and zinc. We need to realise that these minerals we mine are exactly what we need to transition to in the future. Without lithium, for example, you can't drive an electric car. And let's not talk about how many minerals go into our phones. We need mining in our country. We need mining for our future. The mining industry makes a massive economic contribution. In New South Wales alone, mining royalties total $1.8 billion. But the importance of mining is not just about royalties and filling government coffers; it is about the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of workers in New South Wales and beyond, and the thousands of associated businesses that depend on and support the industry. Indeed, mines right across New South Wales, be they in the Hunter Valley, the central west, the far west, New England or the Illawarra, employ close to 25,000 workers. That's just in New South Wales. And they support more than 7,000 businesses. Those in this industry are repeatedly and consistently looking for ways to innovate. They stay at the forefront of best practice so that they can continue to mine our natural resources in the smartest and most sustainable way possible while they continue to support jobs and businesses and rehabilitate their land, not just in my home state but right across Australia. Climate change is a global issue, and it requires a global solution. This government is committed to Australia playing its part in that global solution to reduce emissions, and we will continue to do that while growing our economy and keeping our electricity prices down. Unlike some in this place, we will not do this by closing industries on which Australian workers and businesses depend, or by imposing new taxes on hardworking Australians and hardworking Australian businesses. Instead, we will continue to achieve our emissions reduction goals through pursuing practical and meaningful environmental outcomes. Debate interrupted.