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Ambitious, Optimistic and Aspirational: Ted O'Brien MP
"Part of the formula is having a clearly defined pathway to decarbonise the Australian economy—one that is ambitious, optimistic and aspirational, but also practical and achievable."
That's what National Party MP and Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Ted O'Brien MP said in the Australian Parliament in response to the Ministerial State on the annual climate change statement to the parliament.
In Ted's conclusion, he said, "Much of the debate about climate change and energy in Australia centres around the target of reaching net zero by 2050.
"As we reflect on that target, we need to ask: what sort of world—indeed, what sort of Australia—do we want to see by 2050, midcentury? As a dad to a four-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, I think of them when I reflect on that question. When they're my age, I want them to be living in an even better world than what we have today and a cleaner world, and that is because our generation would have taken the action to meet the challenges of climate change. I also want them to live in a 2050 Australia that's still a successful, independent, liberal democracy, that provides safety and security for its citizens—each enjoying the freedom and opportunity to pursue their own course in life and with their own Australian way of life protected. Is this doable? Absolutely, it is, but it won't just happen. Part of the formula is having a clearly defined pathway to decarbonise the Australian economy—one that is ambitious, optimistic and aspirational, but also practical and achievable.
"A pathway that decarbonises the economy should be built on a platform to achieve three objectives: (1) that Australia remains prosperous, not poor; (2) that Australia be strong, not weak; and (3) that Australia be free and sovereign, and not captive to the interests of foreign powers. What have these broader objectives got to do with climate change and energy? Everything. As a nation we have committed to reaching the destination of net zero by 2050, but how we get there is the most fundamental question that needs to be answered. And that is the difference between the government and the opposition."
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