Costs and projections of net zero measures

Question

Senator ROBERTS: I'm used to being in business-companies, small business and large corporations-where we look at our costs, especially our bigger costs, and try to work out ways to improve them, so that's what I'd like to ask you about. There are two big costs. Could you tell me, please, what are the full costs across the breadth of the Albanese Labor government of net zero measures, net zero policies, including departmental costs, co-investments and grants. Also include a figure for contingent liabilities, including off-the-books matters, which I've seen referenced in mainstream media as potentially a trillion-dollar liability. Could you please include spending to date as well as projections across forward estimates. Are you the people? Mr White: That's a very large question. Senator ROBERTS: It is a very large cost, in fact. Mr White: We don't have that in front of us. Budget Paper No. 1, page 121, has an appendix B that goes to this, but not in the way you're asking the question. It has some information about net zero transformation and net zero spending measures, but they're really new measures, not the whole of the government. Answering that question would take quite some time. Senator ROBERTS: Could you take it on notice? Mr White: We can. Ms P Brown: I might just point you towards paragraph 1 on page 124, which provides similar information that is there for this budget but gives the figures in previous budgets, so you can look at those numbers and see the impact over time. Mr White: Yes. If we took it on notice, we'd have to work out what we can do. It might not be an easy thing to pull together in that way, but we could look. Senator ROBERTS: Thank you. Take it on notice.