Daily Archives: 14 April, 2025

Dutton, Sukkar, Smith, Evans – Media Release – Coalition Commits Funding to New Foodbank QLD Distribution Centre

THE HON PETER DUTTON MP LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION THE HON MICHAEL SUKKAR MP SHADOW MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY MR TREVOR EVANS LIBERAL NATIONAL PARTY CANDIDATE FOR BRISBANE COALITION COMMITS FUNDING TO NEW FOODBANK QUEENSLAND DISTRIBUTION CENTRE An elected Dutton Coalition Government will commit $19.5 million for Foodbank Queensland to establish a new distribution centre in South East Queensland to deliver more critical food relief services across the state. This builds on the Leader of the Opposition’s announcement in his Budget-in-Reply speech of $50 million to help food charities – like Foodbank, SecondBite and OzHarvest – to expand their services, including school breakfast programs, to support Australians struggling under Labor’s cost of living crisis. Foodbank Queensland currently delivers over 13 million kilograms of food every year from its facility in Morningside, providing food to over 425 charities to assist families impacted by food insecurity. It also runs School Breakfast Programs in 425 schools, giving children access to a healthy breakfast and making sure they do not attend school feeling hungry. A new Foodbank Queensland Distribution Centre will include: 4,500 pallet spaces, which is triple the current volume; temperature-controlled zones allowing for enhanced food safety, quality and extending the shelf life of ambient, chilled and frozen products; dedicated areas for safe and efficient food delivery and dispatch; and multipurpose training space and office space for volunteers and staff. The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, who visited Foodbank’s Morningside site today, said this announcement highlighted the Coalition’s commitment to helping those in need. “Under Labor’s cost of living crisis, we know that charities are experiencing increased demand, including from Australians who have never previously relied on that support. Families are having to make difficult choices about whether they can afford the necessities like food, rent and medicine. The Coalition is committed to making life easier for all Australians, and ensuring our most vulnerable can access the support they need.” Shadow Minister for Social Services, the Hon Michael Sukkar MP said nearly 2 million Australian households of all age groups and demographics have experienced severe food insecurity in the past 12 months. “Under the Albanese Labor Government, Australians are experiencing the worst collapse in living standards in history. Real household disposable income has plummeted by 8 per cent, and the price of everything has soared by more than 10 per cent since the last election. “Unlike Labor, we have listened to the sector and know Australians need increased support now. Only a Coalition has a plan to fix Labor’s cost of living crisis and get Australia back on track.” Shadow Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, Senator Dean Smith, noted that Foodbank had reported that around 700,000 Queensland households experienced food insecurity last year, including 22% of households earning more than $95,000 and 25% of mortgage holders. “This significant investment in food relief will make a real difference on the ground where people are doing it tough. The new Foodbank Queensland Distribution Centre will be three times the size of the current facility, enabling Foodbank Queensland to expand its services to more families in crisis, including in regional and remote areas, and expand the School Breakfast Program.” Liberal National candidate for Brisbane, Mr Trevor Evans, said “People in Brisbane are doing it really tough right now, and it’s the same story for community and volunteer organisations like Foodbank. I’m really proud that this funding commitment will go some way to getting better outcomes and support for some of Brisbane’s most vulnerable people.” Only the Coalition has a plan to fix Labor’s cost of living crisis and get Australia back on track. 14 April 2025 MORNINGSIDE, QLD

Australia’s Emissions Flatline Under Albanese Labor Government as Key Sectors Worsen

The latest Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: March 2025 exposes the Albanese Labor Government’s failure to deliver on its emissions reduction promises, with rising emissions in key sectors leaving Australia dangerously off-track to meet its 2030 target. While overall emissions remained relatively flat, this is not the result of Labor’s policies. The only real progress in emissions cuts came from COVID lockdowns, state schemes and the favourable weather — not from anything the Albanese Government has implemented. Despite Anthony Albanese’s rhetoric, the data tells a very different story: Transport emissions are now higher than pre-COVID levels, up 1% (0.5 Mt CO₂-e) since 2020, driven by surging domestic aviation. Agriculture emissions have surged 7% (5.3 Mt CO₂-e) since 2020, dominated by post drought livestock recovery and fertiliser use. Fugitive emissions from gas venting have surged 24% (2.4 Mt CO₂-e), even as Labor touts safeguards and CCS schemes. The land sector “net sink” has weakened sharply since 2022 as La Niña ended, rainfall declined, and bush fires increased — exposing the fragility of Labor’s reliance on offsets. Half of Australia’s 2030 carbon budget is already spent, yet Labor has no credible plan to tackle the harder task ahead. These figures make it clear: Labor is failing to deliver durable outcomes. Agriculture and transport — two of the hardest sectors for families and exporters — are moving backwards. Gas venting is surging. And the land sector, heavily relied upon by Labor to meet targets, remains vulnerable to rainfall and fire seasons. The update also confirms that reductions in the electricity sector are being driven by projects approved years earlier, many under the Coalition, rather than by new policies from Labor. To meet its 2030 emissions target, Australia needs to reduce emissions by roughly 15 Mt CO2‑e per year from now until 2030. By comparison, emissions fell by only 3 Mt CO2‑e in 2023–24, and the long-term average reduction since 2006 has been around 12 Mt CO2‑e per year. As the Climate Change Authority highlighted in its 2024 Annual Progress Report, maintaining the current pace of reductions will leave Australia well short of its 2030 goal (p. 29). Without a significant acceleration in emissions cuts, the target is unlikely to be achieved. Australians deserve an energy policy that lowers bills, ensures reliable power, and reduces emissions. This latest update shows the Albanese Labor Government has delivered none of the above. Quotes attributable to Senator Dean Smith “Labor is coasting on the legacy of Coalition projects. Their emissions reduction policy is failing, and families are left paying the price.” “Halfway to 2030, Labor has already burned through half the carbon budget with no plan for how to deliver the rest.” “Labor’s climate plan isn’t a plan at all — it’s higher prices, rising pollution, and a reliance on good rainfall and luck with the fire season.” “Australians deserve a credible energy and climate policy that cuts emissions while keeping the lights on and bills down — not empty promises and excuses.” “Labor promised transformation, but instead emissions are flatlining, while transport emissions are now higher than before COVID, agriculture is surging, and gas venting is up 24% — that’s Labor’s record.” Quotes from the Quarterly Update “Australia is 48% of the way through the Paris Agreement target period and has generated emissions equivalent to 48% of the emissions budget to 2030.” (p4) “Overall transport emissions in the year to March 2025 are 0.1% above the levels observed in the year to December 2019, immediately before the COVID pandemic. This overall increase is largely the result of increases in annual emissions from domestic aviation and road transport diesel consumption, which are 16.8% and 7.6% higher in the year to March 2025 than they were pre-COVID in the year to December 2019 respectively.” (p19) “There have been significant declines in electricity sector emissions since 2020… This decline in emissions has occurred while demand for electricity across residential and industrial sectors has increased. Residential demand is increasingly being met by rooftop solar supported by the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, putting downward pressure on demand from the grid. Similarly, industrial demand is being met with a growing proportion of renewable generation, supported by state and federal policies such as the expanded Capacity Investment Scheme.” (p30)