MURRAY JONES, HOST: Let's cross live to Glasgow to find out exactly what is continuing to happen there at COP26. The Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific and Shadow Minister Assisting for Climate Change, Pat Conroy, live from Glasgow, he joins me this morning. Are you nice and warm over there this morning, Pat?
PAT CONROY, SHADOW MINISTER FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE PACIFIC, SHADOW MINISTER ASSISTING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: It’s about seven degrees so it’s made me yearn for a visit to Cairns, that’s for sure.
JONES: Now tell me, it must be strange, because I know your constituents, your electorate’s in New South Wales and, of course, being in lockdown for so long, you know, it's such a big conference and such a big event. Is it a bit surreal being around so many people?
CONROY: It is. It was bizarre getting on a plane for an international flight in the first place. And then I'm in a convention centre where there are 30,000 people. And you're wearing masks, you’re taking COVID tests every day before you get in, but it just feels very strange to be so hemmed in and bunched up. Which obviously, in the southern states, we haven't been doing that for the last year-and-a-half.
JONES: Look, as I understand it, obviously, the leaders, as such, have left, all the heads of state, but, you know, it continues, COP26. And look, you know, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I understand that it's basically, it's a bit like an expo, you know, in a lot of ways they're obviously looking now at, you know, some of the people in the background who actually make some of the agreements work. But it's also an expo where, interestingly, quite a few of the corporates are actually there getting information and also, I guess, having, I guess, probably for a bit of a show and, I guess, an opportunity to show people what some of the things that, interestingly, the corporates are doing, more so than the governments.
CONROY: Yeah, that's correct. So I've met with a range of Australian companies from tiny startups to Fortescue Metals, who are putting over a billion dollars into clean hydrogen. And they're all there delivering a message that there's thousands of jobs that can be there for Australia if we take action on climate change. This is a case where corporate Australia is really ahead of government in seeing the economic opportunities. So it's refreshing to see companies come to the table and saying we can take action on climate change and get good paying jobs out of it. They just need good government policies to help drive that process.
JONES: And that's interesting, because, I mean, certainly from our perspective, that's been one of the things that has come out loud and clear in Australia, that it really has been the corporates that are actually leading the way with respect to this change that has to happen and the government has been very much letting the chain. How does that compare to other countries in the world?
CONROY: Well, we’re global laggards. We are one of the worst performing countries in the world in this area. For example, countries like the United States and the United Kingdom lifted their 2030 reduction targets to 50 per cent, whereas ours is unchanged at 26 per cent. And that's not just about the environment and being good internationally. That means that Australian companies and Australian workers will miss out on the job opportunities that come from taking action on climate change. So, a corporate said to me today, they know they've got a huge marketplace in Europe. That proactively in Europe governments are taking action on climate change, but they're questioning whether there's any point continuing to develop their business in Australia because this government is just refusing to do anything. And that's a real concern, because it means that not only aren’t we taking action on climate change, we're missing out on the tens of thousands of jobs that are there for the taking.
JONES: And I think that's certainly something that's come through loud and clear, just in recent months as well, the opportunities that we are missing out on. But thankfully, I mean, they’ve at least, as a minimum, possibly got the Nationals across the line to really take on, you know, essentially, the policies of Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull. It's been a complete turnaround and they've been forced to, kicking and screaming. I dare ask this question, but, you know, what about Australia? I mean, we've had this issue with France and Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, in the last couple of days, you know, that certainly the information we're getting back here in Australia is that, in a lot of ways, Australia has been deeply embarrassed in Glasgow.
CONROY: It's been a diplomatic disaster. There's no other word for it or phrase for it. Obviously, the French you’ve heard were there, but Mr Morrison’s speech on Monday to the assembled leaders was, quite frankly, embarrassing. His speech could effectively be boiled down to, ‘None of you matter, none of you world leaders matter, you're not going to solve this problem, it’s going to be scientists and bosses in other rooms that will solve this problem’. Which is just wrong because technologies are great, but technologies can't be developed unless governments create a market for them. And the only way we fight climate change is by all the countries of the world acting together. So Mr Morrison’s speech was tone deaf and insulting to all those global leaders, including Joe Biden and Boris Johnson. And it just, I think, was another nail in the coffin of this disastrous trip where, I think, Mr Morrison has been called out trying to say one thing in Australia and do another thing internationally. And people just see through that and it's to the detriment of our reputation.
JONES: Look sadly, that that old saying, you know, Scotty from Marketing and the old spin, is something that I've been hearing. And looking at, I must admit, even in the local Cairns Post in the last couple of days, Morrison certainly hasn't come up smelling roses as a result of all this. As we wrap up, because I know it's nearly 10 o'clock at night, you've got to go and get a bit of shut eye. But tell me, what's likely to happen over the next couple of days as things start to wrap up in Glasgow?
CONROY: Well, we had a big day today on energy where 190 countries and companies committed to phasing out coal-fired power. Tomorrow's all about youth leadership, so it's all about the young people and their views on climate change. So I haven't seen it on the program officially, I'm expecting Greta Thunberg to be the star of tomorrow. And then we'll get into more detailed subjects about land use and the impact of climate change on land and adaptation. Because obviously, some climate change is unavoidable, so we need to put in place policies to protect things like the Great Barrier Reef and our pristine coastal areas, which is obviously very relevant for Cairns. So there's plenty more to go and there’s detailed negotiations are going on behind closed doors. While the prime ministers and presidents have left, the negotiators are trying to nut out the final deal. But we've had some really good progress. And the good news is that the updated emissions reduction commitments from most countries, except for Australia, mean, if followed through, we will keep global warming to about one to 1.8 degrees Celsius. We need to get it down to 1.5. But this conference has really built on the Paris treaty or Paris conference and there is room for optimism. We need much more. But there is real progress being made. And I think that's really important that we make sure everyone understands that.
JONES: Well, certainly, you know, from our perspective here in Australia, it has obviously been a real wake-up call and I think the Australian electorate is becoming more and more aware of that. Hopefully it's not a situation for us of too little, too late. been great to talk to you. Pat Conroy is the Shadow Minister for International Development in the Pacific and also Shadow Minister Assisting for Climate Change. Have a wonderful couple of days and certainly some exciting stuff coming up by the sound of things. Thank you so much for your time this morning and this evening your time. Cheers, Pat.
CONROY: Cheers. Have a great morning. Bye bye.