House debates Questions without Notice
Climate Change
Mark Butler Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water
3:00 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's previous answer and to reports that the Prime Minister will retain the previous Prime Minister's Direct Action Plan. Given that the Prime Minister has previously said that Direct Action was 'a recipe for fiscal recklessness on a grand scale', how can Australians believe a word this Prime Minister says?
Ms Rishworth interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
3:01 pm
I thank the honourable member for his question. One would have hoped that the opposition could do better than this. The reality is, as the honourable member should know,—
Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
that the environment minister's Emissions Reduction Fund is capped—it has a cap. It cannot result in an unlimited amount of fiscal commitment. There is a clear financial commitment to it.
Ms O'Neil interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
The policy that we have in place is very clearly costed and calibrated—
Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
and it is affecting reductions in emissions now, and at a very low cost. The honourable member does not like—
Pat Conroy Charlton, Australian Labor Party
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance: to be relevant—
Tony Smith Speaker
There is no point of order. The member for Charlton will resume his seat.
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
You cannot take people's remarks about different proposals years ago. The fact is—
Opposition members interjecting—
Honourable members can scoff. The fact is that we have a set of very different measures today. The Emissions Reduction Fund is a set of very specific measures which deal with reducing carbon emissions, and they are doing so at a low cost. We are not talking about a theoretical measure—
Mr Conroy interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
We are talking about a very specific policy that was carefully put together by the Minister for the Environment, that was carefully considered by the government, and it is working. What honourable members hate most is that it is actually working. The honourable members would like to say that the environment minister's policy may work in practice but it fails in theory. The reality is if it works in practice it works. If it cuts emissions it does the job. The objective is not the means; the objective is the goal. And what sticks in their craw—what they cannot bear—is that the Minister for the Environment is reducing emissions at a remarkably low cost—
Mr Conroy interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
I remind the member for Charlton that he has been warned.
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
That is a great credit to him and a great credit to the government, but it offends the opposition's prejudices. It offends their preconceived notions. It offends their ridiculous ideology about climate change where every measure is turned into an article of principle. It does not matter how you cut emissions as long as they are cut—
Ms Rowland interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
and the Minister for the Environment and this government are cutting emissions. Our goal is reasonable, it is responsible and it is comparable to that of other countries that are similarly situated.
Honourable members interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
Before I call the member for Ryan, members will cease interjecting. I am addressing the House before I call the member for Ryan. The member for Charlton was warned twice. He continued to interject repeatedly through the answer. He will leave under 94(a).
The member for Charlton then left the chamber.
A final warning to those members who have been warned.