00:00Minister, a busy month ahead for you, obviously a lot of the focus is on that net zero by
00:092050 goal, but 2035 target, what kind of a milestone will this be for Australia?
00:15Well it will be a significant one because it's our second ever NDC, we're on the second
00:21round of NDC's nationally determined contributions around the world.
00:25It's a very important waypoint between now and 2050.
00:29Now as I've said many times, Australia's target will be two things, ambitious and
00:34achievable.
00:35Easy to be one or the other.
00:36We could have a very high target, which I could not explain to the Australian people how we
00:40would achieve.
00:41We could have a very low target, which would just be business as usual, doesn't really
00:45drive further innovation, further investment, further policies.
00:49So it should be both ambitious and achievable and it will be.
00:53And look alongside that target or around that target, you're also releasing the government's
00:58net zero plan.
00:59It's been I think more than two years of consulting work that's gone into this.
01:04What is this plan?
01:05What will it mean for the public and for business to have a pathway to net zero?
01:11So it's an updating on the Morrison government's plan, which was a bit of a joke.
01:14Unfortunately, it basically was a bit of a string and band-aids type operation.
01:19Now, of course, a net zero plan is not every single detail about every measure or every
01:25inch to 2050 because it wouldn't be a realistic document because we can't all predict every
01:30movement between now and 2050.
01:32But we can give a very honest assessment of what we see is the most likely pathway to net
01:38zero by 2050.
01:40What we see is the key developments to get there.
01:42Of course, there'll be technological improvements, some of which we can predict, some of which will
01:46take us by surprise.
01:47Are you intending to legislate 2035 to give some certainty to business?
01:52Well, we don't need to under the Paris rules, of course.
01:54We did last time for that very reason.
01:56That is something I would discuss with parliamentary colleagues about whether legislating a 2035
02:03target is a feasible thing to do or not.
02:08You know, it would be, we said, we made the point last time that it does provide greater
02:13certainty.
02:14But in that context, let the world know that the government had changed, but the parliament
02:19had also changed.
02:20And that was very important in that context of coming in so soon after that decade of denial
02:25and delay.
02:26I think that's much better understood around the world at the moment.
02:29So we'll, once we've done the 2035 target, I'll assess the situation about whether there's
02:35a pathway for legislation.
02:36So it's really about whether it's politically necessary or practical?
02:39Well, that's right.
02:41And look, it's not technically necessary.
02:43We will notify the UNFCCC of our 2035 target immediately on announcing it.
02:48Before 2035 target gets announced, you're of course planning to release the climate risk
02:53assessment and the adaptation plan that comes alongside it.
02:58It sounds like it's going to be a bit of a scary document or a confronting document
03:02for people to see.
03:03But what's your vision for it?
03:07What is the purpose of putting this kind of a plan out?
03:09What is the picture you think it will give people?
03:11It's a compelling document and an honest document.
03:14I don't think anybody who reads it will think we've gilded the lily here.
03:18But it's a factual document.
03:21The best scientific analysis available to the government of Australia will be there for
03:25people to see.
03:26Obviously, I'm not going to go through it now, but it will show our country has a lot
03:30at stake.
03:31A lot at stake.
03:31I wouldn't necessarily call it a scary document, but it's a serious document which will show
03:36that we have a lot at stake in getting this right.
03:38The path to net zero, if we don't take it, there's a significant price for our country.
03:42It's been about three months now since the cheaper home battery scheme began.
03:49Two months, actually.
03:49Only two months.
03:50One July to one September.
03:52Two months.
03:52My counting is that.
03:53Well, what's the picture that we've seen in that two months?
03:57What's the response been from people?
03:59Extraordinary response in those two months.
04:0146,000 home batteries installed around Australia, which is very much at the upper end.
04:08of our hopes as to how we thought Australians might take it up.
04:11I think that just shows Australians are getting on with it.
04:14You know, they're not distracted by this debate in this building about net zero.
04:18In great numbers, Australians are getting on with their decarbonisation journey, which
04:22is so important to the country.
04:24Interestingly, the biggest take-up is in outer suburbs and regions, rural Australia.
04:31You know, when I did it, when we announced it, a lot of people said, oh, this is just for
04:35inner city, you know, lefties, rich lefties in the inner cities.
04:40The opposite is the case.
04:42Some of those electorates have the lowest take-up.
04:45The highest take-up is in regional Australia.
04:49Seats like Mayo in South Australia, right in Queensland, outer suburbs, Gilmore in New South
04:54Wales, and western suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, for example.
05:01And that, I think, just is a, again, a reminder that this false argument that somehow people
05:07in the cities want action on climate change and people in the rural areas are against it,
05:10it's just always been a lie and it's still a lie today.
05:13And that, I think, just a lie and it's still a lie and it's still a lie and it's still a lie.
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