Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Groom for acknowledging that as a representative of the coal industry I was in House during this debate. I also point out to him that the member for Throsby actually spoke when this bill was first introduced into the parliament. So we are both more than happy to talk on this bill with regard to how it affects our own particular region. As a follow-on from that, obviously this is the second time that the bill has been introduced to the House after it was first defeated in the Senate. I want to acknowledge that the opposition has provided the government with some proposed amendments to the bill and that the negotiations are currently underway in order to see if we can find a sensible, mature and agreed solution within a time frame that allows us to start taking action and not just talking about the issue.

The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 [No. 2] establishes a framework under which Australia’s carbon emission reduction targets can be achieved. It is important to acknowledge that it is time for action now. We have debated this for a long time. There have been a number of discussion papers out in the community and there have been extensive consultations across Australia with all the affected sectors. We should realise that we are one of the driest continents on earth. Our environment and our economy will be one of the hardest and fastest hit by the reality of climate change if we do not act now. To some extent I thought this was a debate that we had settled in this country. Climate change is projected to increase the severity and frequency of many natural disasters. Indeed, over recent years, people only have to watch the news cycle to understand that the impacts of bushfires, cyclones, hail storms, flooding and drought are already increasing in their severity and frequency and require this parliament to take action.

It is important to identify that the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology produced Climate change in Australia: technical report 2007 in which they particularly identified this issue. They said that the projections for Australia include increases in the frequency of heatwaves; the frequency and length of drought conditions, especially in the south-west of the nation; hail risk over south-east coastal areas; and that the proportion of intense tropical cyclones and substantial increase in fire weather risk in south-east Australia all were issues of concern. That was the CSIRO in 2007. Here we are at the end of 2009. I think it is important that we at least acknowledge that the costs of inaction are serious and real to this nation and require us to get on with the job that we gave commitments to in the 2007 election campaign.

I see the member for Throsby has joined me. I will assure her that I defended her against the member for Groom’s claims that she had not participated in this debate and told him that she had in fact debated this previously in this House—and that neither of us were afraid of this debate in our local communities.

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