John Forrest (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am grateful for an opportunity to continue my remarks with respect to the debate earlier this afternoon on the matter of public importance. We saw contributions from the member for Kingsford Smith, the member for Chisholm and another opposition speaker. Sometimes, after I have listened to discussions that occur in this place, I despair at what the young people who are in the gallery now must think of us as we, for purely political purposes, manipulate reality and the truth. I am so incensed that I have come back into the chamber. To assert that this government has not recognised the impacts of climate change, and to assert that it has failed its obligation to meet the challenge of the century, is just absolutely absurd. The evidence is in what is actually happening out there.

In my own constituency—and I speak to my constituents now, because this session is being broadcast—a massive investment is going to occur in photovoltaic cells stretching from Swan Hill to Mildura. It will be the largest solar power generation system in the world, representing an investment of well over $400 million, to which this Commonwealth government has committed $75 million, in partnership with the state of Victoria, which has contributed $50 million. That is a sizeable encouragement to the investment that is going to occur. My part of the world enjoys more sunshine hours than does the Gold Coast—of which I know members speak well, and so do I. But one thing we have got to offer in Mallee is plenty of sunshine. This will generate 250 megawatts of power, sufficient to supply 400,000 domestic homes, and it will make a contribution to greenhouse gas abatement in sizeable, real terms. That investment is going to occur shortly, over the next two or three years. To assert that the government has not made that investment or provided those encouragements!

I am arguing my case as someone who represents a constituency that is clearly being affected by climate change—although the verdict of the scientists is out as to whether what has been happening across the north-west of Victoria is actually climate change or part of the seasonal patterns of drought which this dry and arid continent has endured over its history. Since 1975 I have noticed a perceivable reduction in reservoir yield, and I am convinced that this is part of the challenge that is confronting us. As a result of that, there has been some sizeable investment in water. The largest investment occurring now, the major infrastructure water project in the whole of this country, is occurring across the north-west of Victoria in the piping of the Wimmera-Mallee stock and domestic system, addressing the challenging issue of water. I am grateful to the minister at the table, Minister Nairn, who in a prior portfolio was very much of assistance in ensuring that that happened—an investment that is now going to occur to complete the whole of what was the world’s largest open channel supply system. But we have to put up with members of the opposition coming in here and asserting that nothing is being done.

Because of that large part of the world that I see as being affected by what is a global challenge, I am supporting the government’s initiatives in an international partnership, particularly in what we are doing with the Chinese, who are massive emitters of carbon, in assisting them with clean coal power generation technology. Like Australia, they are very much a coal dependent economy. That is an investment of $500 million that will occur.

Again, I am supporting this government, which has recognised the need to assist one of our near neighbours, Indonesia, with reafforestation, which is one way to sequester an enormous amount of carbon—because of the benefit it is going to provide to my own constituency. Again I repeat: to come into this chamber and assert that nothing is being done and that this is a government in denial just denies the reality of the enormous amount of work that has been happening, and it is an insult to the Australian scientific and engineering community, which is adopting a very innovative approach and is going to assist us to meet what is no doubt the nation’s foremost challenge. But, as a small emitter of carbon, I see—

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