Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors, Tourism and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

There is no doubt that climate change is a serious issue—in fact, some refer to it as the ‘generational’ issue. From my perspective, though, it is clear that, with an issue this important, with there being so much debate around the science of whether or not climate change is due to mankind’s influence or is naturally occurring, and as a humble politician, as many of us in this chamber are, with frankly a very limited knowledge of the science, I, along with a number of my colleagues, and no doubt a number of members on the government benches, am of the view that we give the benefit of the doubt to the planet. We take the view that it is important that we do what we can to live in a more sustainable way and we do what we can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because there is a very real risk that these are a cause or perhaps a significant contributor to climate change and the warming of the planet.

But, having said that, it is also crucial that in these kinds of debates we have a level-headed, rational approach to the way in which we go about setting policy that ultimately dictates the employment prospects, the economic growth and the standard of living not only for our domestic population of 21 million people but also globally. One thing that is very clear is that there is only a global solution to this problem. There is not an Australian solution; there is only a global approach. That is especially the case when in this country we account for 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. That is it: 1.5 per cent. Around 60 per cent is accounted for by the United States of America and China.

When members come into this House and lecture this side of the House, as the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement at the table does and as government members do, getting themselves all breathless and hot under the collar about how we must act and we must act now, I have to say that I think most Australians view with a high degree of cynicism just exactly what the caper of this government is. Does the government truly expect all Australians to believe that by waiting a further six or 12 months until we can integrate Australia’s approach to an ETS with the approach that is being adopted by the United States, as perhaps the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and the country that will set the international benchmark, in some way that is going to make a difference to whether or not we save the Great Barrier Reef, save rainforests or make a difference to climate change? Is that truly the argument that is put forward by the Labor Party? It is a complete folly. That kind of fallacious breathlessness that comes from those members on the government benches deserves to be condemned and treated with the disregard that is appropriate for such an idiotic approach to this debate. What we need is rationality, what we need is common sense, what we need is level-headedness and what we need is a global solution. A global solution requires Australia to just pause for six or 12 months and integrate our approach with the approach and the benchmark that will be set by the United States of America. That is the rational thing and the right thing to do. It is completely fallacious to pretend in some way that we have to do this now.

We know the real political agenda of the Australian Labor Party. It wants the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 rejected in this House, it wants this bill to be rejected in the Senate and it wants it to happen twice, because it wants to go to an election. This government is running scared of the debt and deficit it is racking up and it will pull any kind of sophisticated approach and argue anything that it can to have a double dissolution election because it is terrified of its debt. If it has to do it through breathless approaches to climate change, then that is what it will do. I say to government members , ‘Pull your heads in, get real, get part of a global solution and stop pretending that it has to happen now or the Great Barrier Reef cannot be saved.’ The Australian people are a smart mob. They see straight through these kinds of puerile arguments from a government that is, frankly, out of time and, most importantly, up to its eyeballs in debt. (Time expired)

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