Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change) Share this | Hansard source

The report prepared by a parliamentary committee that the member for Lyne adverts to is a very important report. I cannot give the member the precise stage at which the consideration of the recommendations is but I will undertake to provide that to him as soon as possible. I am not directly responsible for it and I apologise that I have not updated myself on it in preparation for the consideration of the appropriation bills. But what I can say is that, consistent with the comments that I was making earlier about the government’s position on climate change—our respect for the climate science and our belief that action needs to be taken—and given the fact that the government commissioned a number of reports, prepared a green paper and a white paper, engaged in widespread public consultation and prepared very significant and comprehensive legislation off the back of the reports that had been prepared—and given also the consultations that we had undertaken with all of the key stakeholders—the member for Lyne can be assured that the government remain committed to taking action. We are very cognisant of the potential impacts and the impacts already being felt on this country, which is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with coastal erosion being one of the significant issues. As the member for Dobell pointed out a moment ago, it is an issue of direct relevance not only to the member for Lyne’s seat but also to the member for Dobell’s electorate and my electorate and everyone else’s electorate.

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