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

Some of these young people had not necessarily been the most successful at school. A couple of them had made a decision to go into an environmental job because that is what they had always wanted to do. Some were being trained up so that they could spend a year backpacking overseas and perhaps use their green skills in other parts of the world that may be a little more embracing of legislation like the carbon pollution reduction scheme. It was a great opportunity to meet these young guys working on the Green Corps, and they seemed to be picking up a lot of skills. Obviously, things have changed a bit in terms of the knowledge that they need. They now have to know how to use personal protective equipment and different types of machines such as bush-cutters and the like, which seemed incredibly dangerous. These young people said that they would not let me touch any of the brush-cutters, which was probably a wise decision. This is a great training opportunity and experience for young job seekers, and these young people are doing a great job in helping to regenerate local native plant species through weeding, planting and water quality monitoring.

These programs that are before the House will help ease the financial burden for apprentices and encourage more into training areas of sustainability and skill shortages. Why are we doing this? We are doing this because the government understands that a carbon restrained economy is all but upon us. If you doorknock any household in my electorate of Moreton, I am sure two out of three would say they understand that something has to be done about climate change. You occasionally get the ill-informed people who think that the world’s global warming problems were changed last year when the Kyoto protocol was signed, but most understand that more has to be done. Carbon belts have to be tightened in every household. It was great to see these 15-, 16-, 17- and 18-year-old guys and girls who have done it a bit tough being given the opportunity to train and do their bit to save the planet.

That view is not necessarily shared by everyone in the House or in the Senate; there are people who still do not quite get it. I know that all the forward-thinking members of the Liberal Party would certainly be in favour of getting some legislation in as soon as possible—legislation that would be ahead of the curve, as they say, in what the world needs. However, it is not a bad thing for Australia to take a leadership position when it comes to climate change. As I indicated earlier in my speech, there will be job opportunities and opportunities to export our technologies and knowledge around the world if we can steal a march on those other countries that are still filled with sceptics. I would hate to think that in this parliament in 2009, after all the debates in the House and in the Senate about climate change, people will find out that this was the group of people that betrayed the later generations, that this was the group of people who did not read the writing writ large on the wall. Still there are sceptics. Still there are people who go overseas, talk to a couple of scientists—possibly not mainstream scientists; I do not know—and then say, ‘Oh no, I spoke to someone who had a different view; therefore, we need to revise our whole understanding.’ I am hoping that those opposite will take the opportunity to inform their caucus and that we will have some movement on this legislation so that those young people whom I met during my visits to the Green Corps can take heart from the politicians in this House. I commend the bill to the House.

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