Danna Vale (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. Would the minister inform the House of the recent budget announcements to boost initiatives on climate change and the environment? Are there any alternative approaches?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hughes for her question and acknowledge her very keen interest in environmental and water matters. Last night’s budget continues the Howard government’s record levels of environment spending. Over the last 11 years the government has invested almost $20 billion to protect the environment and in the next year we have committed $4.3 billion in funding to tackle the pressing issues of climate change, water scarcity and natural resource management. At the centre of the budget—the environmental part of the budget—is the $10 billion National Plan for Water Security.

Water scarcity is a global problem. There are many countries facing water scarcity problems as severe as Australia’s. There is no country in the world which has a comprehensive national plan to tackle water scarcity like Australia does. It is thanks to the leadership of the Prime Minister, the leadership of this government, that we have that $10 billion plan, that we have a coordinated effort that is capable of restoring efficiency to our irrigation systems, restoring environmental flows. That $10 billion plan has been welcomed around Australia and admired around the world, but it is still not enjoying the support of the Labor government in Victoria.

At the grassroots level, saving water and setting an example of using water efficiently, is vital. We have committed—

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Gillard interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is warned!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

$200 million towards community water grants. These provide the opportunity to save a considerable amount of water, but far more importantly than that—

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Gillard interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The deputy leader has been warned.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

they provide the opportunity for schoolchildren and communities to understand how water can be saved and preserved. On climate change, the Australian government, once again, is showing global leadership. In the budget we provide for our global initiative on forests and climate. This is the first substantial national commitment to attack the global problem of deforestation. The opposition like to talk about global warming but they will not recognise that it is a global problem. A tonne of CO that goes into the atmosphere in China does as much damage as a tonne of CO that goes into the atmosphere here. We are tackling that globally with our global initiative on forests and climate.

At home, we are genuinely doubling the solar panel rebate. We all remember that the member for Kingsford Smith said he was doubling the rebate, but he did not know that double meant twice as much. That is sort of important. Two times four equals eight. We have doubled the rebate from $4 a watt and a maximum of $4,000 to $8 a watt and a maximum of $8,000.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Gillard interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume his seat. I have continually drawn to the attention of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that she should not be interjecting. She has been warned. She ignores that warning. She will remove herself from the chamber under standing order 94(a).

The member for Lalor then left the chamber.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hughes asked me to consider alternative policies. There are no alternative policies on water from the opposition. The $10 billion national plan had no counterpart in the Labor Party’s repertoire. When it was announced the member for Kingsford Smith said—and I was sitting right here, listening to him intently—‘It’s Labor Party policy.’ I could not find it, and neither could he. He had as much difficulty proving that misstatement as he did with the solar panel rebate. The opposition’s policy on climate change is a unilateral 60 per cent reduction in emissions in Australia by 2050. It proposes to do that regardless of what the rest of the world does. If the member for Kingsford Smith had read the IPCC report published recently, he would be aware of the lengthy discussion on the problems of one country imposing restrictions and the carbon emissions just leaking over to other countries. There would be no gain to the world. There would be massive economic loss in that country.

Global warming needs a global solution. We are committed to a global solution and we are working towards it. We are not going to devastate the Australian economy in a futile, ideological gesture that is more about gratifying the prejudices of the member for Kingsford Smith and his colleagues than achieving the outcomes the world needs.

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

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.