Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the government support Sunrise’s Lights Off Australia by turning off the lights of all unoccupied Commonwealth government buildings on the first Wednesday night of each month? Prime Minister, when will the government take action on the 2006 audit report that only 21 per cent of Commonwealth government buildings have energy efficient lighting installed?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I say to the member for Kingsford Smith that I think fighting the challenges of climate change requires more than what I might call symbolic gestures. It requires very serious policies. I point out to the member for Kingsford Smith that there are security implications of turning off all lights in Commonwealth buildings and if the new member had given some thought to the matter he would have understood that.