Interview with Brendan Arrow, ABC Newsradio

BRENDAN ARROW: Chris Bowen joins us now from Canberra. Minister, thanks very much for your time today.

CHRIS BOWEN: Good morning, Brendan.

ARROW: What can you tell us about today's announcement?

BOWEN: So today will be the first Climate Change Annual Statement of Parliament. This is something we put in our Climate Change Act. We believe in being accountable and being transparent. So from now on every year, the Minister for Climate Change will need to report to Parliament on progress, lack of progress, obstacles, challenges, opportunities in relation to climate change. We'll be doing that today. I'll also be tabling the Climate Change Authority advice, another thing we’ve done is re-enliven climate change authority giving it a serious budget, restoring its role, independent advice role, because while we have energy and urgency and answers in the Albanese Government, we don't have all the answers. We need independent expert advice as well. I'll be tabling that and also the update on Australia's projections, how are we going in reducing emissions and while I’m not announcing them here on your show this morning, Brendan, I will say that it will underline that we're making good progress. But lifting our emissions reductions to 43% will be a big lift, a big task after what we inherited from the previous government. And we have more work to do.

ARROW: If we focus just on the statement that you're providing today in regards to how Australia is performing the annual climate change statement other than an accountability function for government to meet its climate commitments, what weight will the statement have in affecting meaningful outcomes to bring down emissions and other measures to mitigate against climate change?

BOWEN: Because I think it's appropriate Brendan that the parliament takes time, as we do different but in some ways, an inspiring way, every year to assess progress, like we do on Closing the Gap. And this will be an opportunity for me to outline, how we're going to the opposition to respond with their views, and due course for other members to put their contribution on when the debate continues. The Parliament should be focusing on climate change. It is the biggest challenge of our time, and annually now, of course climate change comes up every day in Parliament, in one way or another. But annually now it'll be a dedicated session where the government will have to be accountable, report on progress, domestic and international, outline all the independent advice, update the projects in very transparent way the projections in a very transparent way. And I think that's the role we'll be playing today. And it's the first one, of course, as we go on there will be more details added and reports become more substantial. We've done this one fairly quickly. But I think it's an appropriate thing to do every year.

ARROW: You mentioned that advice from the Climate Change Authority has informed the statement. Can you tell us about its latest advice?

BOWEN: Well, it'll be clear when I tabled it that it's a very good report from the Climate Change Authority. They run through, for example, the importance of the task, of natural disasters, just why this is so important in quite a good way. And then they run through how we're going getting to 43% and the size of the task ahead of us to get to 43%. In the days, the first of December that means 2030 is now 84 months. So now that is not long, 2030 might seem a long way away to a lot of people, but actually when you think about 84 months to achieve this massive transformation in our economy and our society, reducing our emissions by 43%. And 43% is a floor not a ceiling, we hope we do better. But 43% is also a big lift up from the very low emissions reduction projections that the previous government had in place.

ARROW: Australia is projected to reduce those emissions 30% compared to 2005. That's according to last year's national emissions projection report. How do the latest emission projections compare?

BOWEN: Much better, much better, much better than 30%. But still underlining that six months in the new government is making good progress, but we've still got more to do. There's policies that we took the election which we're just starting to implement, there's a lot that we've done. We’ve passed the Climate Change Act, we’ve passed out fringe benefits tax cut for electric vehicles, put away the biggest transmission deal in Australian history, the Marinus Link to help Tasmania get to 200% renewables which is equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road. We're getting on with all those things.

We also have other work underway. We've got the National Reconstruction Fund which is very important for our climate agenda, which was introduced into parliament yesterday. We've got a whole range of other policies under development including our National Electric Vehicle Strategy which Catherine King and I are consulting on.

So all this is work underway. But this is the first update and it will show that good progress, but the size of the task is enormous, because Australia's emissions reduction have been so low, getting to 43% means a massive uplift in activity. Every day, we need to increase the amount of emissions being reduced in Australia. Every day, we need to lift that task because it's just been going way too slow. And so in those 84 months, it's like, you know, walking out into the middle of the field and in a 50 overs match and starting at the 20th over and wasting the first 20 overs. That’s what Australia has done for the last decade, very little action. So a very high run rate for the last 30 overs to finish the match.

ARROW: We'll keep an eye out for that statement when it happens in a couple of hours time. Just while we've got you there. Monash University's Energy Institute Director Ariel Liebman says high energy costs are driven primarily by fossil fuel supply constraints. And a new report out today that shows Australia's energy divide is getting worst amid soaring bills that are rising fastest for those on lower incomes. How are you working to bridge that divide?

BOWEN: Well, that report is fundamentally correct. Of course, what we're dealing with is a energy crisis caused by higher gas and coal prices. Some people in politics and elsewhere and right wing commentators choose to blame renewable energy. That's a lie. It's quite a disgusting lie. But yes, also, of course, those don't toughest feel it the most. So we're working very assiduously, the Treasurer, myself, the Industry Minister, the Resources Minister, we're working very, very carefully.

Obviously, any response needs to be very carefully designed kind of unintended consequences. But nor should, nor should the impacts of this war, Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, just be allowed to flow through to Australian households doing it tough, Australian industry doing it tough. As the IEA says, the International Energy Agency says, 90% of the increase flows from this European energy crisis. It's taken a little while longer to float down to Australia, but we are not isolated or immune from this. So of course, it's having an impact. If anything, it makes the need to transition to renewable energy, even more urgent because renewable energy is cheapest form of energy. But also, while we're doing those medium and long term plans, we need short term responses to shield Australia from the worst of this energy crisis caused by gas and coal prices, which are up dramatically since last December.

ARROW: Well, there are reports this morning that the national plan to lower energy prices is in trouble after New South Wales and Queensland Government's made a last minute request to impose their own domestic coal price caps. What's your response to that?

BOWEN: There's been lots of speculation. some it way off the mark, I must say. I read these things in the newspapers as Australia's Energy Minister, I think, well, that's interesting, because I’m the Energy Minister, and that's not the way things are happening from my point of view.

But yes, obviously, there'll be lots of lots of speculation. Obviously, the Commonwealth will continue to interact and engage with the States in a cooperative way. I chair the national Energy Ministers meeting, those meetings have been, as Minister Matt Kean from New South Wales has said more productive in the last six months than they have been in the last eight years. Because we do come together and work together. Obviously, there'll be different views expressed from time to time. But obviously, where we have such a big crisis, such as this, the right thing for the Commonwealth, to use all the levers at our disposal sensibly, and also to interact with the states about levers they might have at disposal and ensure coordination.

ARROW: You've really got your work cut out for you. Your government's pledged to do the two very big things reduce carbon emissions, while making life easier for Australians struggling with the cost of living, especially soaring electricity prices. Is the government's credibility on the line if you can't get this done?

BOWEN: Well, we are getting on with the job. We are getting on with the job that we were elected to do of reducing Australia's emissions and, yes, of course, there are challenges but to your point, Brendan, because renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy and actually achieves both objectives, reduces emissions, and puts downward pressure on prices.

Now, of course, we are facing the biggest energy crisis ever, I think bigger than the 1970s oil crisis, which people will remember where the world economy was dislocated by skyrocketing oil prices in the early 1970s. This crisis is bigger than that, it's had bigger implications and it needs very careful management, but that's exactly what we're doing and also doesn't need knee jerk responses as what the previous government would have done, quickly rushed out something Ill-thought out, we're taking our time to get it right. But we are also determined to ensure that Australian businesses and households and shielded to the best of any government's ability from this international crisis.

ARROW: Minister, I am aware I've taken up much of your time this morning but if I can ask you one more question. Australia has progressed through to the knockout stage of The World Cup. At what point do we get a public holiday?

BOWEN: I think we could all get behind that idea. Brendan I’m the Member of Parliament for the soccer factory, the football factory of Australia. We produce, we produce heaps and Socceroos in Fairfield in my electric near the Marconi Club and the White Eagles, a whole bunch of clubs that I'm very proud of have produced a whole bunch of Socceroos over the years. I grew up with Harry Kewel in the same street as Harry. I know he's not currently so grew but he's you know, he's a very proud product of Smithfield as I am. And we grew up in the same street. So we are we are football Central. So if there's a public holiday, I'm happy to lobby the Prime Minister and mentioned that you raised it.

ARROW: You heard it here first on ABC Newsradio, thanks very much Chris Bowen for your time today.

BOWEN: Good on you, Brendan.