Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on the Environment, I present the committee's report on the visit to Singapore and Malaysia from 25 October to 30 October 2015, together with the minutes of proceedings.

The Standing Committee on the Environment went to Malaysia and Singapore in late October last year. In my brief remarks today I will outline some of the contents of the report. The committee was made up of four members: the member for Mallee, who I understand will be speaking in just a moment, and the members for Barton and Scullin and myself. We were accompanied by the committee secretary, Julia Morris.

The committee identified several issues of interest to focus on during our visit and, whilst it was not limited to those issues, they included greenhouse emissions, renewable energy, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and governance frameworks for appropriate responsibility across jurisdictions for such matters.

During the visit, one of the most immediately apparent environmental issues facing both Singapore and Malaysia was the impact of transborder haze resulting from fires caused by slash-and-burn agricultural clearing in the region. This issue was not only demonstrated in poor air quality in all places visited; it arose in all discussions with international counterparts. It was suggested by many that the haze experienced this year in both Singapore and Malaysia had been worse than in any previous year and that it had had extremely serious negative consequences, including school closures, respiratory illnesses and other environmental impacts. The committee observed that responses ranged from frustration to a sense of futility that the situation may never improve.

Other issues common to both countries related to the use of renewable and sustainable energy and the importance of managing environmental impacts of development, including urban planning, traffic management, secure water supplies and waste management. Underlying these was the need to balance economic development with a commitment to ensuring good standards of environmental protection and biodiversity.

The committee heard on many occasions of the importance of government and non-government agencies working collaboratively to achieve outcomes. It was clear that the highly engaged and cooperative approach of many industry and government bodies had contributed to the rapid success of Singapore's reputation as a stable, progressive and respected place to do business. It was notable that there were differences between what was occurring in Singapore and in Malaysia. In particular, it was noticeable that in Singapore the commitment to greening the environment had taken place over recent years—in fact, they had been very successful at doing this. Given that Singapore is the third-most densely populated country in the world, again, space is not something they have an abundance of, so they were particularly effective in how they managed the limited space that they do have.

The committee was also fortunate to undertake the visit during the Singapore International Energy Week. The committee attended the opening session as well as a discussion panel session about the building of energy resilience. In particular, we were there when Mr Fatih Birol, the newly appointed Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, made observations regarding changing energy prices and political momentum for sustainable energy supplies, while maintaining a global commitment to a reduction in carbon emissions and the status of renewable energies as a mainstream fuel source which will be responsible for two-thirds of all new power plants. Again, the committee also learned about how Singapore is managing its own population challenges and particularly its water supply needs, which come from four different sources.

It was a different situation in Malaysia where, clearly, the palm oil plantations were perhaps the focus of our visit. I would point out that Malaysia is Australia's second-largest trading partner in Asia and the eighth-largest globally. The committee was keenly aware of the importance of the palm oil plantations to the Malaysian economy and was able to meet with representatives of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board and the Sime Darby plantation and refinery. Whilst we note that there is a lot of good work being done to manage the plantations and make them sustainable, there are still some concerns about the palm oil plantations in that country. We also note the importance of the palm oil industry to the country.

Finally, on behalf of the committee I express our appreciation to all of the organisations which were so generous with their time and resources throughout the entire program, the high commissions in both Singapore and Malaysia for all the good work they did, and the committee secretariat for organising and supporting us on our visit.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(3).

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