Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to contribute to this debate on the Carbon Tax Plebiscite Bill 2011, but before I get onto the main subject matter I wish to draw an analogy as a Queensland senator. Last night in the state of Queensland we saw a historic outcome, with six consecutive series being won by Queensland. I think the analogy here is that there were players, spectators and even referees on the field that accepted the outcomes delivered as a result of that fabulous win. It is a case that needs to be reflected on when we go to the nature of this particular bill and Mr Tony Abbott's position on wishing to have a plebiscite on something on which we know that he has no commitment and no ability to deliver. So it is a farce that we are here today in this chamber debating this bill, because we know what the outcome would be should this bill be successful. Should the public of Australia be involved in a plebiscite, that would not only waste $80 million of taxpayers' dollars but also put the Australian public further into a position where they wonder at times what Mr Tony Abbott is doing as an opposition leader. He talks all day until the cows come home about how a carbon price is supposed­ly going to hurt our working families, yet he has no problem with spending that sort of money and asking the Australian public whether we should put a price on carbon at all and whether it is the right thing to do. He then says he would rescind it anyhow if he were in government.

I reflect on some notable occasions where he has been quoted. On 20 June 2011, the opposition leader was asked whether he would reconsider his position on the carbon price if the public voted yes. He said:

Well, obviously if the people have their say and their say is conclusive one way or another that should settle the matter.

The hypocrisy on this issue is shown in what he said later on that day to 3AW:

… my position on carbon tax is that I am against it in opposition and I will rescind it in government.

Therefore on one hand he is saying: 'Let's have a plebiscite. Let's accept the umpire's decision.' On the other hand he is saying, 'I'm not going to accept that at all, because I'm going to rescind it if I'm in government and I won't accept it in opposition.' Once again that clearly demonstrates the typical hypo­crisy in this regard. At a time when we know families are doing it tough out there and we are working responsibly through our inject­ion of nearly $43 billion into the economy for protection from the global financial crisis, he wants to go out and spend $80 million of working families' hard-earned wages. So our being in this chamber debat­ing this bill is really a waste of time.

Putting a price on carbon is the best way to move our country forward to a cleaner economy and environment. It is the right thing to do. How do we know this? Because the electorate told us at the last election that they want action on climate change. That is what the electorate really wants on this issue. Climate scientists have told us carbon pollution is causing climate change, and who are we to dispute this?

Let us look at some of the facts. 2010 tied with 2005 and 1998 as the warmest years on record. The last 10 years have been recorded as the warmest decade and 2010 is the 34th consecutive year to have global temperatures above the 20th century average. Each decade has been hotter than the decade preceding it and this has happened since 1940. If we take no action on climate change, we put Australia at risk. We put Australia at risk economically over a range of different sect­ors, including water security, the agricultural industry, health, coastlines, communities and energy industries. Rising temperatures lead to intensive weather conditions, and my state of Queensland has recently felt the brunt of those.

Queensland has a population of 4.5 million. Our state is known around the world for its sunny weather. No matter the season, it is the golden beaches that tourists flock to every year. With a stunning coastline come coastal communities and these are at risk if no action is taken. According to the Depart­ment of Climate Change and Energy Effi­ciency, between 48,300 and 67,700 residents' buildings could be at risk through rising sea levels of just 1.1 metre at a cost of between $15.4 billion and $20 billion. A rise of 1.1 metre would also affect 47,000 kilometres of Queensland roads, 570 kilometres of railway lines and 1,440 commercial buildings at a cost of more than $30 billion. Through the recent flooding and Cyclone Yasi up in the north we saw how extreme weather affected that infrastructure.

Not only is infrastructure at risk but also our health is at risk. The department believes that climate change could cause an increase in the number of days in Brisbane that have a temperature higher than 35 degrees Celsius, from one day up to 21 in a year. This would not only affect those who are sensitive to warmer temperatures like the elderly but also increase the chances of diseases such as dengue fever moving to areas of South-East Queensland.

Let us not forget the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which contributed $5.4 billion to our economy in 2006-07 and provides employment to 53,800 people. According to the department, sea surface temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef have increased by 0.4 degrees in the past 30 years, and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide has also resulted in an increase in ocean acidity. These trends are expected to continue with climate change. Rising sea levels have also caused coral bleaching, and rising tempera­tures can have detrimental effects on marine life. The cost of inaction is beyond price. I had the opportunity many years ago to go out on the reef on several occasions and about 18 months or two years ago, I saw signs of that coral bleaching and the effect on our beautiful Great Barrier Reef.