Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is very easy for me to ignore him, but I know it is harder for others. The member for Warringah has won some positive headlines lately as a result of his opportunism and opposition, but this debate is not about the polls or tomorrow's headlines; it is about our future. One hundred years from now our descendants will face the consequences of our decisions in this place. I hope they can be proud that as a parliament we put egos, political divisions and ambitions aside to come together as one on this issue of climate change.

As the largest polluter per person in the world and the 16th overall, Australia must not shirk from our international responsibility to reduce our emissions. We cannot continue to ignore the science that tells us that excess carbon pollution is causing the climate to change in dramatic and previously unseen ways. Extreme weather events, higher temperatures and deaths associated with those, more droughts and rising sea levels are just some of the things that are happening. In Australia, the driest continent, our environment and climate are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

While so much of the political debate focuses on our differences, we should also acknowledge what the major political parties have in common. We have much in common. Both major parties agree that climate change is real and that human activity through carbon emissions is contributing to it. Former Prime Minister Howard took this notion to the ballot box in 2007, and so did I. The Hon. Tony Abbott took this to the ballot box in 2010, and so did I. The major parties agree that now is the time for Australia to act, and the major parties agree that with sluggish global action we need to start with a modest reduction target of five per cent. That is what the major parties agree on.

I note that in his speech the Leader of the Opposition was trashing his own five per cent target and in the same breath misleading us about China's growth. The 500 per cent figure for the projected growth in China that Mr Abbott used is completely misleading. The 500 per cent growth figure is for the years 1990 to 2020. Now, I have not been to China for a while, but a little bit has happened in China since 1990. There has been quite a lot of development since 1990, so we are actually talking about the next eight years. It is quite misleading for Mr Abbott to suggest that there will be a 500 per cent increase—totally misleading.

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