Interview with Bridget Brennan, ABC News Breakfast

BRIDGET BRENNAN: Health Ministers from more than 60 countries have met at COP28 in Dubai overnight to discuss the health challenges posed by global warming. Yesterday, Australia joined over 100 countries backing a pledge to triple renewable energy capacity. The Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Jenny McAllister, joins us now from Canberra.

Minister, good morning to you. Just take us through the significance of this pledge to triple renewable energy capacity and what will it mean for our industry here in Australia?

JENNY MCALLISTER: Thanks, Bridget. I think, generally, Australians understand how important these international forums are for us. Australians have faced drought, heat waves, flooding. We understand too keenly the impacts of climate change and why it matters that the global community can come together. Australia wants to see ambitious outcomes at this climate meeting, and we were very pleased to be part of that pledge that you mentioned just now. More than 100 nations around the world pledging to triple renewables by 2030 and double energy efficiency. These are areas that are of enormous domestic significance for Australia. We, of course, are working towards transforming our national electricity system to incorporate 82 per cent renewables by 2030. This is a really ambitious transformation, but one that we believe will lay the foundations for a cleaner and more affordable energy system for Australians.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: Well, as you say, a really important international forum and Australia is a key player. But can we be taken seriously if Australia won't make a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels?

JENNY MCALLISTER: We are rapidly transforming our own energy system. And so, if you think about what it means to take our energy system from 33 per cent renewables to 82 per cent, that does mean that our fossil fuel use within our own energy system at home is changing very dramatically over the course of the decade. We know that, globally, we need to see similar changes, similar investments in the new technologies that will drive low emissions power, not just here in Australia, but actually right across the world.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: Minister, what do you make of those serious allegations that some officials were planning on the sidelines to make oil deals at the summit in Dubai? Can that summit be seen as a success when a lot of people were saying it was potentially tainted by the influence of the fossil fuel industry?

JENNY MCALLISTER: Do you know, the only way that we can tackle this global challenge is to bring all of the nations of the world together, and that is all of the nations, we can't choose to work with just a handful of people. In my own dealings with the COP presidency, we have found the UAE to be energetic, engaged, looking for good outcomes and willing to talk right across the global community. That really matters. I'm looking forward to very, very constructive engagements, not just with the presidency, but, of course, with all of my counterparts internationally when I head across.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: It'll be terrific to have you there. And also, what about plans to have Australia as a host of a potential COP in 2026. Where's this at?

JENNY MCALLISTER: We've made it clear that we would be very interested in hosting a COP, COP31, as part of a project that we'd run with our Pacific partners. We know that Pacific islands are particularly affected by climate change. We know that for our Pacific neighbours, this is amongst the most important of the issues that they confront and they regularly raise it with us. We see this as an opportunity to work with Pacific partners to elevate their interests in the international conversation. We're not waiting for that, of course. We do that work every day and one of the roles I'd expect to play heading across to Dubai is to make sure that in all the conversations we're in, the concerns and interests of the Pacific are front of mind. We'll be talking with other partners, of course, about our desire to host a COP in 2026, but it may be challenging to settle given all of the other questions that the parties need to deal with at this COP.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: Jenny McAllister, thanks for your time and we look forward to seeing what else comes out of Dubai.

JENNY MCALLISTER: Thanks Bridget.