Action on climate change has been the number one concern voiced by our community over the past two election campaigns. We are listening and acting. Labor has an ambitious plan to address the climate emergency, reduce emissions and cut power prices, after three decades of policy failure.

Since coming to government, we have:

• Passed the historic climate emissions reductions bill, which enshrined into law our baseline emissions reduction targets.
• Strengthened the Safeguards Mechanism, forcing Australia’s biggest emitters to reduce their emissions every year
• Fast-tracked renewable energy project approvals, resulting in the largest expenditure in renewables by any government.

It’s way past time that Australia took urgent action to protect our threatened species and conserve our land, forests, waters. It’s time we properly funded local environmental projects, and particularly First Nations custodians of their land and sea country.

Since coming into government, we have:

• Legislated an ambitious emissions reduction target, putting us on track to achieve net zero emissions
• Set a goal of zero new extinctions.
• Invested $224.5 million to protect the Great Barrier Reef
• Worked with the states and territories to improve our waste management, including recycling problem plastics
• Begun work on establishing an Environment Protection Agency
• Begun updating our environmental laws.

I have made working to protect Victoria’s native forests a top priority. I visited Toolangi State Forest with local environmental organisations to highlight this issue. Shortly after, the Victorian government decided to end logging in native forests. This is a good example of how working with local activists can change government policy.