Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, I do not want you to particularly refer to the budget papers as closely as I am going to now, but output 7, Scientific advice, on page 53 of the portfolio budget statements has as an objective:

To promote more sustainable, competitive and profitable Australian agricultural, food, fisheries and forestry industries by delivering effective, timely, policy-relevant scientific advice, assessments and tools for decision making.

The question I have relates to climate change. I would like to know what research and modelling has been undertaken by your agency to look at the impact of climate change on the pastoral industry of Northern Australia. Given that forecasters tell us that the north is getting wetter and the south-east and eastern seaboard is getting drier, what research has been undertaken by your agency in relation to this matter and what information can you bring to us? Also, in relation to fisheries, has any research been undertaken or sponsored by your department which would indicate to us how the fisheries might be affected by any climate change modelling?

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