Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

The arrogant Leader of the Opposition in the Senate interjects again and says, ‘Around the world.’ Yes—around the world, as was shown at the APEC conference, where we were able to get the United States, China, Russia and some of the other big emitters to sit down together and work out how we can move forward together. Here we are achieving on a grand scale—Australia is punching well above its weight—and the reason is that we have credibility generally, right around the world, because of our Prime Minister and our foreign minister and because on this issue we have credibility. A lot of countries accept that we have credibility, despite the fact we have not signed up to Kyoto, because we have taken a rigorous and robust approach in relation to this.

In relation to the agricultural sector, it needs to be remembered that Australia, to a large extent, is one of the breadbaskets of the world. We have a responsibility and a duty not only to our farming communities but also to those countries that we supply to try to provide food as cheaply as possible. Currently, the agricultural sector is going through devastating consequences as a result of a drought the proportions of which, chances are, we have not seen since the greater Federation drought of 1901. In all those circumstances we have been saying that we will work with the agricultural community to deal with these issues but in a way that they can adapt and ensure their ongoing viability. Of course, that is the thing that has underscored our total approach on this issue, which is to make sure that every industry sector can cope, can deal with the challenges, without sending them broke. That is the big difference between the Howard government’s approach and the Rudd approach.