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 to know some of the details and would like the minister to advise the Senate about the ‘think climate, think change’ competition that schoolchildren have been participating in and that I think was launched in April this year. I would like the minister to advise the Senate why the Rudd government held this competition, what the significance of it is, how many children have been participating and what they have been up to. I have looked at some of the results online and they seem quite inspiring. Given the minister and the Deputy Prime Minister awarded prizes to the winners today, I would like the minister to highlight that to the Senate—because children’s participation in this issue is important—announce the winners of the competition and outline the details of the winning entries.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise the point of order that yesterday you pulled me up for giving a discussion before a question. Surely this is more than a discussion: this is a diatribe.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order but I thank you for drawing that to my attention, because one of the comments I was going to make at the end of question time was in relation to the amount of statements that were made in the lead-up to questions today. I was going to advise that, if there were question committees in existence, they might consider withdrawing statements from questions in future—but I do not know if there are committees in existence, Senator Joyce.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order, could I ask that you look carefully at the content of the question asked by Senator Pratt, which in most cases she said she would like to know, rather than asking the minister to inform the Senate of any information that might be advised. Could I ask that you carefully look at the content for the explanation that was given during the questioning as to whether or not that was making a statement as well as asking a question?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ferguson, firstly, I will look at the Hansard of question time and look at all questions in respect of statements that were made at the start of questions. Secondly, I will review, in particular, the question asked by Senator Pratt and, if there is a need to come back to the chamber, I will, on either matter. Senator Wong, you have a question that has been asked of you and you need to answer it.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President, and I thank Senator Pratt for the question and for her interest in this issue. Today it was my great pleasure to congratulate the winners of the Australian government’s ‘think climate, think change’ competition. This competition was inspired by the many contributions that I get, as minister for climate change, from schoolchildren and young people around Australia all throughout the year. The reality is that no-one is more interested in the issue of climate change than our young people, and that is because nobody will be affected more by climate change than young people.

Students were asked to submit their entries to this competition in a range of forms including short stories, poems, songs or artwork in response to the question: ‘What does climate change mean to me?’ The company, Kids Media, coordinated the judging process and selected qualified teachers currently in the teaching system to act as judges. I am pleased to advise that 7,666 entries were received, and the Deputy Prime Minister and I were very pleased to be able to welcome the first three prize winners and their families to Canberra today as part of their prize. I thank other members and senators, including the member for Casey and Senator Milne, for their attendance at the prize-giving ceremony today.

The first prize winner for the grade 3 to 4 category was Isabella Compton from Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School in Kensington, New South Wales. Her winning entry was a compelling piece of artwork. She wrote:

Climate change makes the world a not so nice place to live in. In my artwork I am showing what could happen to trees in the future. The red stripes are a blanket of pollution …

(Time expired)

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. What I am most interested in is further advice about the winners of this competition. In the remaining time, I would like to ask the minister to please advise the Senate about the winners of the competition. In particular, I would like the Senate also to be advised about the entries in the older age categories. Thank you.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will just finish what Isabella Compton wrote. She wrote:

The red stripes are a blanket of pollution and heat trapped over the earth with nowhere to escape, making the planet hotter and hotter.

I am also pleased to advise the Senate that the grade 5 to 7 category was won by the Young Environment Protectors—and that is the name they have given themselves—from Manchester Primary School in Victoria. They are represented today by Krystal Vanschoonhoven. Their artwork was a shared task, and it explored how we live now and how we could live in the future if we cared for our environment and addressed climate change. Finally, Michelle Aitken from John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle won in the grade 8 to 9 category for her entry, which included both a visual and a Shakespearean sonnet calling on the older generation to listen. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who participated. There were some 7,666 entries from young people around this country who were interested in this issue into the competition. (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. I inform the Senate that following discussions with the opposition leader in the Senate, Senator Minchin, the government will tomorrow move a condolence motion for those killed in the Papua New Guinea air crash.