Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is no doubt that climate change is one of the biggest challenges we as a nation face. We are told by the experts that as the earth’s average temperature rises we will see some more dramatic changes to our weather, unfortunately—unfortunately for the people of Queensland, especially. Extreme events such as droughts, heatwaves, floods and storms will become more regular and more intense. This is caused by increased greenhouse gases, which are a by-product of our modern world. Activities like logging and burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas produce greenhouse gases. The greenhouse effect is the cause of climate change or global warming and, obviously, this affects us all.

That is why I am proud to stand here as part of a government that is taking the challenge of greenhouse gases seriously. Literally, the first order of business for the Rudd Labor government was to ratify the Kyoto protocol, as the Prime Minister informed the House on Monday—not within 11 years but within 11 minutes of taking office. So, importantly, Australia can hold her head up high now and be part of the global solution to climate change rather than part of the problem. The Rudd Labor government has committed to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent on 2000 levels by 2050. This will be achieved through a comprehensive emissions trading scheme by 2010. We will also adopt renewable energies such as wind and solar—

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