Federal Member for Macquarie – Susan Templeman MP

Leading the Way in Climate Change

Macquarie has long been an electorate passionate about renewables, sustainability and conservation. For that reason, I invited Mark Butler, Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change, to come and have a look.

It is especially important that the brilliant minds we have within our community are in direct contact with our nation’s climate change policy makers.

The insights provided by Jon Dee, author, TV presenter and Planet Ark co-founder, the Blue Mountains Conservation Society, Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute and Blue Mountains Renewable Energy Co-Op were invaluable. From our discussions, it is obvious that we must continue to push for a low emissions economy as well as protect the World Heritage environment we are so lucky to inherit.

And the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment EucFACE Experiment showed us their world class facility. Giant cranes occupy the sky at Hobartville, and beneath them high concentrations of CO2 are pumped onto small patches of native vegetation. Multiple points of data are measured, and made available to researchers all over the world, who are unearthing the effects of carbon dioxide on our native forests.

These are clearly not the only experts in their field who call the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury home. There are many people – some paid, some volunteer – whose voices allow us to create responsive and well informed policy on climate change. It is for this reason that Labor is committed to ensuring 50 per cent of the nation’s electricity is sourced from renewable energy by 2030; committed to the 2 degree limit agreed to in the Paris Accords; and committed to supporting the community in the inevitable move from non-renewable forms of energy, with a just and fair transition.

I am proud to represent an area so determined to protect our environment. Thank you to all who gave up time to meet with us.