Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage. In answer to an earlier question, the minister said that a rise in sea levels was likely to have an effect on Pacific countries. But is the minister aware that droughts, storms, surges and salination of soil and water are already causing the people in low-lying countries to move homes and to find higher ground for food growing? Is the minister aware that the coral atolls of Kiribati are less than three metres high and even a small rise in sea levels will threaten the viability of the islands, causing an estimated 10,000 people to have to be resettled. Minister, your government refused Tuvalu’s request for help in settling climate change refugees back in 2002. Have you reconsidered this hardline position now that you finally accept that climate change is real?

Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Allison for her question. It is quite remarkable that a member of this parliament could say that the Howard government has accepted climate change as real when in fact this year we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Greenhouse Challenge program, which signs up many hundreds of large Australian businesses that, under the Kyoto accounting rules, will measure their greenhouse gas emissions, publish plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and report their achievements against those.

For 10 years this government has been investing billions of dollars in practical actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by government, industry and local communities. Only last week, I signed about 30 certificates celebrating and commending the achievement of local governments across Australia for their achievement under the Cities for Climate Protection program. This government has been taking practical action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions for a decade now, and the Democrats and the Labor Party have had their heads in the sand and have not witnessed those programs. This government is on track to roll out 12,000 solar roofs across solar homes and solar schools. We have been doing this for the best part of a decade. This government has been investing in practical measures to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and that is why Australia will be one of the few countries in the world that will actually meet its targets.

I remind the Senate, as I carry the information in my pocket, that countries in Europe quite often join with the Australian Labor Party and the Left of politics in Australia in saying that they have a two-word policy to address greenhouse gases and climate change—‘sign Kyoto’. When the rest of the world is trying to design something that actually works after Kyoto, the countries that have signed it have blown their greenhouse gas targets. For example, our friends in France—great supporters of Australia in trying to bring an end to whaling—will blow their target by nine per cent. Our very good friends in Ireland, who support us so strongly in trying to bring an end to whaling in the world—and I thank our friends from the United States for their incredible support in trying to bring an end to whaling—will go 20 per cent over their target. They signed up early to Kyoto, and they will go 20 per cent over their target. Our good friends in Spain will go 36 per cent over their Kyoto target and Portugal will go 25 per cent over. Norway, with not very good credentials on whaling as they still like slaughtering them in cold blood, have blown their Kyoto target by 22 per cent. Mr President, which country will be amongst a small handful of countries that will meet their Kyoto target? Australia. We are on track to meet our target because we have been working hard for a decade to do so, with no encouragement from the Democrats or the Labor Party.

In the Pacific, Australia has been leading the world in working with its Pacific partners. Yes, I know about Kiribati. I have been there twice in the last year to work with them on environmental and whaling issues. The Labor Party’s policy is to evacuate the Pacific islands and see the Pacific Islanders flood into the suburbs of Sydney and Brisbane. That is the white flag policy on what is happening in the Pacific. Our policy is to fund works on the ground and cooperate with the Pacific Islanders. Do you know where the Pacific Islanders want to live? They want to live in the Pacific islands.

Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I am grateful that the minister finally got around to answering the actual question, but can he go on and comment on the report that was released earlier today entitled Australia responds: helping our neighbours fight climate change? Specifically, will the minister agree to increase Australia’s overseas development assistance, in line with most other developed countries, to 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2009; integrating climate change strategies in all relevant parts of Australia’s overseas development program planning and evaluation; dedicating the majority of Australia’s overseas development energy sector spending to renewable energy and energy efficient projects; and prioritising and supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in fostering low greenhouse development in Australia’s overseas development projects?

Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said in response to a question asked earlier by Senator Ferris, Australia has doubled its aid budget for 2004-10 to $4 billion a year and will specifically target climate change and adaptation as one of the three priority themes under its environment strategy. That is exactly what the Australian government is doing. Australia was crucial in developing the Pacific framework for action on climate change 2005-15 within the Pacific islands leaders forum. We are actively working with the Pacific islands. We have that integrated at all levels of government. Only a few months ago in New York, Ambassador Robert Hill, an extraordinarily successful environment minister for this government, hosted a meeting of the Pacific island states. We used that opportunity to disseminate through the Pacific islands the very successful Bushlight program. (Time expired)