Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister, who was referred to this morning by the now acceptable term of 'Typhoon Tony'. Prime Minister, Typhoon Haiyan may be the strongest typhoon on record and, according to Australia's scientists, has been fuelled by global warming. Will you now accept the science that states climate change will make typhoons and cyclones worse and will you heed the plea of the Philippine government's delegation in Warsaw to 'take drastic action now to ensure that we prevent a future where supertyphoons become a way of life'?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and I refer him to the advice of the CSIRO, which is a very reputable body. It says that no one weather event should be attributed to climate change. That is the advice of the CSIRO—that no particular weather event should be attributed to climate change.

If I may, for the benefit of the member, say, the government accepts that climate change is real and that humanity does make a contribution, but the important thing is to take strong and effective action to deal with it. The problem with the former government's carbon tax policy is that under the carbon tax our domestic emissions were going up, not down. Under this government's Direct Action policy we will deliver a five per cent cut in emissions by 2020. We are taking strong action. The former government, aided and abetted by the member in question, was introducing a policy of socialism masquerading as environmentalism.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: I draw your attention to the fact that the member for Bass was on his feet.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I apologise to the member for Corio. I call the member for Bass, and we will come back to him.