Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Over several years we have heard this kind of drivel that passes for debate on climate change in this chamber. I will make another bet with the member for Hunter. I will give him 100 bucks if any member of the Labor back bench can name five elements of the periodic table right now. Of course they cannot, but they are quasi scientists. We are supposed to listen to them on the science of climate change. If they could name one climate scientist—any climate scientist—right now other than an activist, I would give them 150 bucks.

They do not know any climate science. These scientific debates are, in fact, completely non-scientific. And that is the criticism that most people have about the standard of climate science debate in politics today. It is pure political activism and not science based on factual evidence.

What is the record of governments in this country in relation to climate based policy? We have seen graphic failures at state and federal level. They have made a real hash of climate change. That is why people used to rate the environment as one of their top five priorities and today they do not rate it within the top 10. Governments have really made a hash in leveraging political activism and have not used real science about what is going on on our planet.

It was never better expressed than by the man who they dare not speak the name of—the Gillard government's handpicked appointee on climate change. Who was that? It was Tim Flannery. He was paid $180,000 by the taxpayer to make pronouncements. Is there one member of the opposition who has mentioned their former government's handpicked expert, climate change commissioner Tim Flannery. There has been not one mention.

We heard from the member for Fremantle. Her authority—her bible on climate change—was Crikey. Her one quote was from the Crikey website. I have no doubt that those on the other side of the chamber are experts on what is on Facebook and twitter and that they are experts on what was said at the local rally of ALP branch members. They are experts about what Tim Flannery or Al Gore might say but they know nothing about climate sciences. They know nothing. And for them to say that the government knows nothing and has a set against science is completely wrong.

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