Ruth Webber (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Minchin, the Minister representing the Prime Minister. I refer to the minister’s statement in the Senate yesterday:

Yes, we adopted a Kyoto target of 108 per cent which we are going to achieve.

Given that the government’s December 2006 Tracking to the Kyoto target report indicates Australia will miss its Kyoto target, on what basis did the minister make his statement? Doesn’t the Howard government’s failure to sign the Kyoto protocol and its failure to meet Australia’s target show that the Howard government is not capable of meeting the climate change challenge? Isn’t that why after 11 long years of the Howard government we are still waiting for action on climate change? Minister, isn’t the government still dominated by climate change sceptics, who are not capable of providing the solution Australia needs?