Senate debates
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Questions without Notice
Climate Change
2:51 pm
Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I have a question for the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. I would like the minister, please, to update the Senate on what I think is the urgent need to pass legislation to tackle climate change. Could the minister further update the Senate on any recent actions that prevent any such legislation being passed?
Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I thank Senator Pratt for the question. She is one of the senators in this place who does not need to be convinced of the importance of acting on climate change, unlike those opposite. What we have seen from those opposite is nothing other than a continued strategy of delay.
Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, it is not surprising that they get a bit loud on this issue, because the fact is that they know what their record was. They know they went to the last election promising action on climate change—they promised to introduce an emissions trading scheme—and now, they are so divided, the best they can do on these issues of national importance is delay. All they can do is delay. They do not even want to vote. It is extraordinary! What we have seen today in the Senate is the opposition—
John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! Senator Wong, resume your seat. When we have order, we will continue.
Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
As I was saying, Mr President—and I note that they are very sensitive about this issue—all we can see from the other side is delay when it comes to the big challenge of climate change.
John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! Interjections across the chamber are completely disorderly and are unbecoming.
Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
As I was saying, what we have seen today, for example, is legislation on the renewable energy target and the opposition voting to delay a vote on that until after the winter session. This is legislation that previously your shadow minister said you would support, but you want to delay it. Why do you want to delay it? I will tell you why you want to delay it. You want to delay it because previously you were supporting it but now of course we hear Senator Boswell others coming out and opposing it. So what is Malcolm Turnbull’s solution? It is, ‘We’ll have another delay.’
John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Senator Wong, you should refer to people in the other place by their correct title.
Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
What is the Leader of the Opposition’s position on this? What is his approach? More delay; more do nothing. He will not stand up to those in his own party room who do not want investment in solar, wave, wind, geothermal and the clean technologies of the future. You just want to delay again. (Time expired)
Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Picking up on Senator Wong’s answer, I know that one of the key platforms that needs addressing is that of renewable energy. I know that the renewable emery sector has been planning on the basis of having a renewable energy target in place. Given the decision by the opposition to refer the renewable energy legislation to a Senate committee until 12 August, there appear to be, I think, negative effects on the renewable energy sector in terms of planning for the introduction of the renewable energy target this year. This industry needs certainty. This is why the renewable energy sector has been advocating for legislation to be passed as a matter of urgency. Are there any barriers preventing the opposition from voting on this legislation this month?
Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yes, the barrier to passing the legislation is the division in the opposition party room. I would just remind them of what Mr Hunt said. I know that he is not the favourite of a number of senators, including Senator Minchin, but just last week he was telling journalists on the renewable energy legislation, ‘We like this legislation.’ He said, ‘We like this legislation.’ But what a fair weather friend Mr Hunt turned out to be. As soon as there is a whiff of dissent or controversy in the party room, they do not care about what is in the national interest, they do not care about the importance of investing in the new jobs in solar, in wave, in wind or in geothermal; all they care about is the division in their own party room. And what they are doing now is nothing. Delay and do nothing is their only answer. (Time expired)
Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. As a West Australian senator, I am constantly getting emails and letters and being lobbied about the impact of climate change on my state. They are telling me that it is threatening our unique environment and our way of life.
Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Thank you, Mr President. What I was saying is that climate change is already having a big impact in WA. I am being told that by Western Australians. Given this strong concern, can the minister outline to the chamber how the federal government has responded to the concerns of Australians and indeed Western Australians in the past? Has the action taken in the past by this parliament been adequate or indeed in line with community concerns? Has this parliament’s response been adequate?
John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Order! Will you repeat the last part of that question?
John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The behaviour of senators in this place has been outrageous, preventing me from hearing the last part of the question. I am entitled to hear a question, and I have made that point repeatedly when people interject on questions, and I have done that over a period of time.
Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Thank you, Mr President. I would like to know if the minister thinks that this parliament’s previous responses on climate change have been adequate.
Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Self-evidently, what we had for the vast majority of the years those opposite were in government is a failure to act on climate change because they did not believe it was real. I would just like to remind them that yesterday we went through the policy they went to the election with, the policy that they were elected with, which was to support emissions trading. But I would remind them that they might want to have a look at the booklet called Australia’s Climate Change Policy that was issued whilst they were in government. It has a lovely little foreword by John Howard and it goes on to say, ‘Australia’s environment is particularly vulnerable to global climate change.’ It goes on to talk about the risk to the reef and to agriculture and says that Australia’s economy needs to prepare for a carbon constrained future. The question is why are they turning their back on what was even John Howard’s policy. And it is very simple: they went to the election— (Time expired)
Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.