Q&A: Jennifer Westacott backs Zali Steggall’s proposed climate bill

Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott called for more climate change action.

Jennifer Westacott appears on the ABC's Q&A.

The uniting theme of the ABC’s second Q&A of the year was climate change, with all sides agreeing more needed to be done to combat it after a horror summer of fires and floods.

Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott called for more certainty from the government, telling the room: “We have to surely, after this summer, draw a line in the sand and find a way through as a country.

“I reckon if we could get the two political parties to agree to (a target and a timetable) and legislate it, we would have made a massive advance in this country because we would know where we’re going.”

Ms Westacott lamented the state of the debate in Australia, which she said had “become very toxic” and stalled progress.

“This has always got stuck on the detail. It’s always got stuck on the ideology. It’s always got stuck on the demons and angels. We’ve got to move past this point right now.”

Monday’s proposal from Zali Steggall came in for support from all sides, with Ms Westacott strongly supporting the bill.

“It is very sensible what she’s proposed. We set the net zero emissions by 2050, that we set five-yearly carbon budgets,” she said.

“To me that’s a really important starting point she’s put forward. It’s a very, to me it’s kind of pretty basic that we start there.”

Ms Steggall’s private members bill proposes a climate change commission modelled on a similar UK body which will have emissions reductions budget periods every five years.

Pleased @MartijnWilderAM on @QandA reminding that Australia’s political opposition to #climateaction stands in stark contrast to rapid pace of progress elsewhere in the world -hopefully @zalisteggall #climateactnow can bring bipartisan support for us to catch up #qanda #auspol

— sam mostyn (@sammostyn) February 10, 2020

But Ms Westacott stressed governments of all sizes needed to get the transition right or else risk economic devastation of mining and carbon-heavy communities.

“We have to get the how right because we’ve got to create those new jobs,” she said.

This sentiment was echoed by Australian Renewable Energy Agency chair Martijn Wilder who said governments needed to plan for mine and power plant closures in communities to avoid them being smashed by job losses.

“We often talk a lot about government policy but the truth is often the businesses are dictating when those assets will close and how they will close without talking to workers and communities,” he said.

“It’s absolutely fundamental that the businesses themselves work with the communities and then work with the government collectively to do that transition and to plan that transition properly.”

Several voices from the coal-heavy Latrobe Valley in West Gippsland were represented in the room.

A farmer, a coal miner, and a local political hopeful from a region hard hit by the closure of the massive Hazelwood coal power plan and mine all had their voices heard.

Tasmanian chef and farmer Matt Evans summed up the mood when he said Australia needed to ensure it didn’t “forget you guys”.

“The most important thing is we look after you and give you a future. I don’t have the answers to that,” he said.

“What I think we have to recognise is the people who work in that industry aren’t inherently evil. The people who work in renewables aren’t inherently saints. They’re not all walking around with halos on their heads. They’re just human beings.”

How do we mobilise leadership in all sectors of the economy to combat climate change and create a vision for the future? #QandA pic.twitter.com/xR0A8PjsYv

— ABC Q+A (@QandA) February 10, 2020

Mineral Carbonation International CEO Sophia Hamblin Wang said there were plenty of options in a decarbonising economy to keep jobs in rural and regional communities.

“I think we have the opportunity in Australia to have our man on the moon moment,” she said.

“When America said they’d put a man on the moon in eight years time they didn’t have the technological capability yet. They didn’t know how they were going to do it but they set forward a vision and a leadership plan and industry aligned behind them.”

She said with the right vision Australia could become carbon negative, not just carbon neutral, despite current targets and talk of using carry-over credits.

On her recent trip to Davos, Ms Wang noted Australia came in for a shellacking for the country’s use of the credits.

“None of the other countries in the world are planning to use them,” she said, and

Ms Westacott agreed.

“We shouldn’t use them and I don’t believe we need to use them.”

#TuneIn Our CEO Jennifer Westacott will be on @QandA tonight from 9.35pm AEDT. #QandA pic.twitter.com/jHsUmbcPjf

— Business Council of Australia (@BCAcomau) February 10, 2020