Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Why hasn’t the Treasurer’s department modelled the potential impacts of climate change on the Australian economy?

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because numerous reports have been done on it by the Department of the Environment and Heritage, the Australian Greenhouse Office, the CSIRO, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and the Bureau of Meteorology. The Treasury, of course, has not constructed a model in relation to climate change, but as part of its role in advising the government it has undertaken extensive qualitative analysis of all the global literature in relation to this matter, including the UK government’s Stern review and the IPCC assessments. The Stern review uses an integrated assessment model to make projections of the global impact of climate change. As far as the Treasury is aware, no country has developed a model of national consequences. All of the models that have been developed are in relation to global consequences. The Stern review itself says:

Making such estimates is a formidable task … It is also a computationally demanding exercise, with the result that such models must make drastic, often heroic, simplifications along all stages of the climate-change chain. What is more, large uncertainties are associated with each element in the cycle.

That does not mean that it is not worth doing, and I think the Stern report was worth doing, although, as I have previously informed the House—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ah!

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler has had one of those enlightened moments. As I have previously informed the House, it was well worth doing, although the Treasury, as it has given evidence in relation to the matter, had serious disagreements with the way in which it was done. I think I would be correct in saying the UK treasury itself had some serious disagreements with the Stern inquiry. But that does not mean it was not worth doing; it most definitely was worth doing. The assessments that the Treasury have done in relation to that in fact profited from that. If somebody were to go on from that and say that the government has not done any work, they would be seriously wrong.

I cannot leave this question without observing that the member for Kingsford Smith called a press conference on this very issue today. After making a rather long introductory statement, he was asked this question:

Peter, you’re well known for your views on the US alliance. How do you feel about a new base in Western Australia near Geraldton?

Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What’s this got to do with the question?

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You may well say, ‘What’s this got to do with the question?’ because here was the answer:

I’m astonished the Treasurer hasn’t had his eye on the ball for climate change.

That was very relevant! The next question was:

Putting climate change aside, do you have concerns about a new US communications base at Geraldton?

Answer: I am here to remind Australians the Howard government has taken its hands off the wheel in relation to climate change.

Question: Mr Garrett, have you shed your previous views on US bases on Australian soil?

Answer: Appropriate shadows will respond to that question.

Question: Why don’t you tell us what you think about this US base?

Answer: I want to tell you what I think about climate change today.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Standing order 104 has obviously been breached.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am listening carefully to the Treasurer. It would appear that he is quoting from an interview that had something to do with climate change, which I think was the point of the question. I call the Treasurer, but, given the time, I hope he is drawing his answer to a conclusion.

Peter Costello (Higgins, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am nearly to the end. I have gone through the four denials and I am up to the fifth. Let me give you the last one:

Question: But you sang songs before about your opposition to US bases on Australian soil. Have your views changed?

Answer: My views are clear and have been clear since I came into the parliament. I am here as a member of the Labor Party to talk about Labor policy.

Let me make this observation: whereas the Labor Party cannot bring itself to have a position on this base at Geraldton, they do not have much trouble in getting a position on Hugo Chavez and Venezuela. They are much more interested in the latter than the former.