Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers to questions I asked the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Watt, regarding climate change.

I would like to reflect today that Minister Watt provided an answer around a letter that he received from every crossbench MP in Tasmania as well as every Liberal senator, every lower house MP, including Independent Andrew Wilkie, and, of course, myself about nearly 30 jobs in Hobart in a critical Antarctic research centre—the Antarctic science institution, the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science. Their funding runs out in just three months. It's not just a process we've been going through in recent months to get continuity for this funding; it's actually being going on for years.

These scientists are critical. They work on globally collaborative projects. They've just returned from the Nuyina's maiden ice voyage to Antarctica. We desperately need to see their jobs secured. This is not something that we're being political on. We've put the politics aside and we've tried to work with every MP of every political colour. I was pleased to hear Minister Watt, today, recognise he's had representations from his colleagues in the Australian Labor Party from Tasmania. I have also spoken to Minister Collins. She said she would endeavour to rally the troops to meet with Minister Watt. We'd certainly like to get a decision on this sooner rather than later to give those scientists certainty and also to give their projects certainty.

I began my question to Minister Watt on the most recent research published in the journal Nature about the collapse that we're seeing in the Antarctic ecosystem. Scientists are saying that, even though we're still technically below 1½ degrees of warming, some of these changes are already occurring and are possibly irreversible in our lifetime and potentially for many generations, even if we manage to get emissions under control, which I, sadly, am very cynical about whether that is going to be the case. Nevertheless, the question was directed to Minister Watt as to whether he was confident that his government's climate targets would meet the requirement to keep emissions capped to meet 1½ degrees in terms of Australia's contributions. Of course, he won't provide any detail on that, but it is a reminder to all of us that Australia has a very important leadership role to play globally in limiting our emissions and meeting our Paris Agreement protocols. We are one of the biggest exporters of climate change to the world. We are the biggest polluter per capita in the world. We have a really critical role to play. So we'll certainly be scrutinising, in the weeks to come, the government's response in putting out the new climate targets, because a lot of other policies will flow from those climate targets.

It'd be hard not to get into the politics in relation to Minister Watt's unnecessary response in which he brought up the CPRS and how the Greens voted against the CPRS. For those senators who aren't aware, because this was a long time ago, 'CPRS' means 'continue polluting regardless scheme'.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's such a lie.

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was brought in by Prime Minister Rudd at the time and, of course, the Greens voted against a policy that was actually going to make emissions worse in this country.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, on a point of order?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do you know he voted for something that actually gave the big polluters more afterwards?

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The 'continue polluting regardless scheme' was brought in by the Labor Party to allow big business to go on polluting the planet—but the Greens stood up against that. Do you know what we achieved? We went to the next election, we had a record vote and we worked with the Gillard government to bring in the clean energy package, which included a price on carbon that was going to become an emissions trading scheme, a $10 billion record investment in renewable energy through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and a whole range of different things. It was considered the gold standard around the world in terms of action on climate.

I commend Labor for working with the Greens at that particular time. It was the only time, until the last couple of months, that Australia reduced its emissions. I don't know why it continues to get ignored and why Minister Watt and others continue to try to erase the legacy of Julia Gillard as the prime minister that worked with my predecessor in this place, Bob Brown, Christine Milne and other MPs to do good work for the climate. We can do it again—although I will ask Minister Watt to reflect on his response to my question and why he continues to ignore this fantastic legacy of Julia Gillard. We remember it, and we'd like to see more of that kind of cooperation from Labor— (Time expired)

Question agreed to.