6 Bayside EASTERN SUBURBS
NEWS
EASTERN SUBURBS Ed 33, September, 2021
DAVE SHARMA FEDERAL MEMBER FOR WENTWORTH The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a sobering wake-up call. It makes clear that climate change is already happening. The planet is already warming, by about 1.5 degrees Celsius since 1850. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Human activity is warming the planet at a speed that is unprecedented in at least the last 2000 years.
As the report makes clear, rapid and large-scale emissions reductions are needed. If the world can substantially reduce emissions in the 2020s, and get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, temperature rise can still be limited. This is a global challenge, and Australia must play our part in addressing it. This will not only help address the risks to Australia posed by climate change, but also position us to take advantage of the opportunities that will flow from this economic transition. This transition is well underway in Australia. Our emissions have fallen by 20% since 2005. They are now at their lowest level since 1998. We now have the highest solar power generation per person of any country in the world, with one in four Australian homes now with rooftop solar. We are deploying renewable energy at ten times faster than the global average. We will meet and beat our emissions reduction targets under the Paris agreement. Provided we continue to focus our efforts on technology and innovation, Australia can reach net zero emissions by 2050. This is why, beyond electrification of the grid, we are focusing on other areas where technology can reduce our emissions. One important area is encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles. Australian sales
of electric vehicles have risen at record levels in the past six months, with more affordable models now available in Australia. The Government is supporting consumers to make this switch by installing new electric vehicle charging stations. Just last month we announced $25 million in funding to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to install more than 400 new electric vehicle charging stations across the country, including several here in the eastern suburbs. Another promising area for Australia is hydrogen. With our huge endowment of solar energy, Australia has the opportunity to create the clean fuel of the future in hydrogen. Under our National Hydrogen Strategy, we are investing in hydrogen projects and international partnerships to develop a safe, commercial and clean hydrogen industry. There is also immense potential for Australian farmers and agricultural producers to benefit from this transition through soil carbon initiatives. Capturing more carbon in soil not only improves soil health, builds resilience, and protects against drought – it can also create a valuable income stream for farmers, as they can sell these carbon ‘credits’.
Australia also has an opportunity to re-industrialise with low-emission production of steel and aluminium, using our abundant sources of clean energy to process our iron ore and bauxite on shore and export the finished product. We should celebrate our victories but we should also remember that higher ambition is required of us all, Australia included. So, let us all work together towards that.
TESTING LOCATIONS The office of
Mr Dave Sharma MP Federal Member for Wentworth
LOCAL TESTING LOCATIONS: Lyne Park, Vickery Ave Car Park, Rose Bay. 8am-10pm Daily.
Sir David Martin Reserve, New Beach Rd, Darling Point. 8am-8pm Daily. St Vincent's Hospital, 34 Burton St, Darlinghurst. 8am-10pm Daily. Bondi Junction Respiratory Clinic, 47 Spring St, Bondi Junction. 8-11.45am Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat. Bondi Junction Laverty Pathology Drive-through Clinic, 34 Waverley St, Level 2 car park, Bondi Junction 8am-8pm Thurs, 8am-10pm Fri-Sun. Bondi Beach Drive-through Clinic Park Drive North, Bondi Beach. 7.30am-10pm daily.
Has relocated to:
Prince of Wales Hospital Avoca St, Building 14B Ground Floor, Randwick 9am-8pm Mon-Tues, 9am-7pm. WedThurs, 9am-8pm Fri-Sun.
179 -191 New South Head Road, Edgecliff Postal Address: PO Box 545, EDGECLIFF NSW 2027 Email: Dave.Sharma.MP@aph.gov.au
1314PK_1804
Telephone: (02) 9327 3988
Maroubra/Heffron Park Histopath Drive-through Clinic Cnr Fitzgerald Ave and Bunnerong Rd,
Heffron Park Car Park, Maroubra. 8am-4pm Daily. Chifley Histopath Drive-through Clinic 800-899- Bunnerong Rd, Chifley Sports Reserve, Chifley. 8am-4pm Mon-Fri. Randwick Laverty Pathology 164 Belmore Rd, Ground Floor, Randwick. 7.30am-4pm Mon-Fri. Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick High St, Outpatients Department, Randwick. 8.30am-8pm Mon-Fri Coogee Laverty Pathology Walk-in and Drive-through Clinic Beach St, UNSW Cliffbrook Campus, Building CC2, Coogee. 8am-4pm Daily.
PLEASE MONITOR FOR SYMPTOMS, GET TESTED, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING AND ENSURE GOOD HAND HYGIENE.
