Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

I remind the Senate that in fact it was this government that initiated the process of developing Australia's first-ever comprehensive assessment of the risks posed by climate change across the country and a plan for how Australia can adapt. It is this government, not the previous government nor any of the parties represented in this place, that commenced that work and has that work underway. The movers of this OPD know that the NCRA is being finalised and will be shortly released. They know that but are proceeding with this in what can only be described as a political stunt, complete with already drafted motions and media releases.

I'd just say in relation to this kind of behaviour that what it does is diminish the Senate and diminish the power of the Senate by misusing, at industrial scale, over and over and over again these kinds of processes in a way which should be designed—I'll give you the tip for the way that you do it: you try and do it in a way that has impact. What this will have is zero impact because it doesn't have the gravity, the moral seriousness, that you are trying to confect.

As the Senate is aware, from the public comments made by the minister, both the National Climate Risk Assessment and the National Adaptation Plan will be released in September following the conclusion of cabinet deliberations. Consistent with our position on all of the motions related to this request, as Minister Bowen has already made clear, the reports referenced in this motion are being used to inform government decisions at cabinet level now. They have not been previously released or published and a decision has not been made yet on some aspects of the deliberations. The release prior to the finalisation of cabinet process would inevitably negatively impact those deliberations.

These aren't new principles. They're not principles that the government has made up. They are basic cabinet governance Westminster principles that you would imagine every senator would understand. As Minister Bowen has said on a number of occasions, when the government has completed those relevant deliberations, the reports will be released. The minister continues to claim public interest immunity in relation to the reports for the reasons that I've mentioned and those set out in his letter.