Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition have absolutely nothing to hide. Indeed, we have a very proud record of protecting the environment wherever it occurs. I think it is typical of the Greens political party that Senator Brown spent most of his speech attacking the coalition for taking exactly the same approach to these amendments as the Labor Party did. Did he attack the Labor Party? No, of course not, because he supports the Labor Party on every serious issue of policy. It just demonstrates yet again that the Greens are the far left wing of the Australian Labor Party. I point out that it was the Howard government that actually arranged for World Heritage listing of Heard and McDonald Islands in the Southern Ocean. Those islands near the Antarctic mainland are territories of Australia and the Howard government was able to ensure they were given a World Heritage listing.

I am surprised that the Greens leader did not mention that the Labor Party have changed their policy yet again. This is another example of how the Labor Party say one thing before an election to attract the vote from certain narrowcast groups and another thing afterwards. After they have been elected with the support of many people and with Greens preferences, they then change their policy. When it comes to this debate, where one would think Senator Brown would roundly criticise the Labor Party for reneging on their policy in relation to World Heritage listing of Antarctica, we hear barely a peep.

I should point out—and I am conscious of the time as I know there is another bill to be dealt with—that before the 2007 election their policy, as announced on 1 May 2006 by Mr Albanese, then the shadow minister for the environment, was:

A Federal Labor Government will support World Heritage listing, working with other nations to give Antarctica the environmental status it deserves.

After the election, though, Labor changed their policy to:

… Labor will work to further strengthen the Antarctic treaty system with particular emphasis on enhancing environmental protection.

When Senator Wong, representing the environment minister, was questioned in June 2009 she said:

… the benefits of world heritage listing have already been achieved or exceeded in the Antarctic through the international agreement that comprises the Antarctic treaty system.

I might also point out to Senator Brown that, given his visionary hatred of the Liberal Party and the National Party, it is surprising he did not mention the fact that we supported a motion he moved in June 2009 which stated that the Senate:

… calls upon the Australian Government to pursue the lead role towards inscribing Antarctica on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage list.

The coalition actually supported that motion, because, as I said earlier, we do support the intent of these amendments. We actually supported Senator Brown’s motion. I point out to Senator Brown, in case he has forgotten, that the Labor Party actually opposed that motion. But is there any criticism of the Labor Party here? No, Senator Brown directs all his bile to the coalition for reasons which I guess, to any observer, are fairly obvious.

I repeat that the coalition has a very proud record in World Heritage listing. Fraser Island was listed by the Liberal Party, for example. In fact, all of the significant environmental protection advances in Australia’s history have been introduced by Liberal and National party coalition governments, and I again point out the fact that World Heritage listing of Heard and McDonald Islands was initiated under the Howard government.

The question of whales is something that I looked at for a considerable time when I was minister for fisheries. There is a very uncertain, I might say, legal regime in relation to who actually controls the waters around the Antarctic continent. You would have lawyers arguing for days about that, and of course the limited time that I have prevents me doing that in this debate. I would simply say that it is not always as simple as it sounds—that is, what Australia can do in a territory where Australia does not have a jurisdiction recognised by every other country in the world.

With those comments I indicate that, for the reasons I mentioned earlier, we are not going to prolong this debate, because we agreed with the government some time ago that we would assist the speedy passage of this bill for its further protection of Antarctica. I repeat a comment I made in my contribution to the second reading debate—that, if this is something that should be dealt with by the parliament, perhaps it would be appropriate for Senator Brown to bring in some sort of bill sometime in the future when we have the time to discuss it fully.