Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the statement which has been tabled in the Senate by Mr Turnbull in relation to the government’s announcement today. Obviously, given the short time the opposition has been provided with to consider this statement, I am not going to comment on it in great detail, but I do want to make a number of comments given that the Senate is taking note of the statement.

What we have before us today is a ministerial statement which commits $200 million to a so-called global initiative from a government whose response to climate change can be characterised as one of scepticism and inaction. They are now desperately scrambling to try and demonstrate to the Australian people that they actually care about climate change and that they want to do something about it. That is the context of this announcement and, frankly, it is the context of a range of announcements we are likely to see from the government between now and the election. We know the truth from previous statements by the government: the government is filled with ministers and backbenchers who do not regard climate change as a significant issue; it is filled with people who believe that this is an issue that can be doubted; it is still filled with members who are climate change sceptics. That is the reality.