Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a question without notice of the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. Is the minister aware that Al Gore quotes corn ethanol as a 29 per cent emissions reducer and as his first solution to damagingly high atmospheric CO levels and that the Brazilian and United States experience shows an even more spectacular 160 per cent reduction from sugarcane ethanol?

Government Member:

A government member interjecting—

Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will explain it to you later on; it is a bit difficult for you. Is the minister further aware that the New South Wales and Queensland premiers are mandating renewable fuel ethanol targets starting with New South Wales in September, and that, as in the United States, New South Wales states its main motivation to be the necessity to reduce lung disease deaths from motor vehicle emissions, which this government’s chief air quality scientist, Dr Beer, the AMA and the lung council all state are causing more deaths than motor vehicle accidents? Finally, in light of the continued statements by previous government spokesmen that people should have choice, would the minister not agree that this is a staggering hypocrisy when smoking is ubiquitously banned as is lead in petrol, which extraordinarily has been replaced by the far more dangerous PAHs—the carcinogenic aromatics?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. I am not aware of the statement by Al Gore, but I will certainly make inquiries and come back to the member about that. In terms of biofuels more generally, the Howard government have consistently supported a commercially viable biofuels industry as a means of diversifying our fuel mix. We have backed that with more than $80 million in ethanol production grants, more than $37 million in biofuels capital grants, a commitment to ensure ethanol remains effectively excise free until 2011 and the $17.2 million Ethanol Distribution Program, which encourages petrol stations to install new pumps or convert existing pumps to sell E10 blended fuel. That investment is paying off. Production of transport ethanol grew from 28 million litres in 2005 to nearly 63 million litres last year.

Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Katter interjecting

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

The member for Kennedy has asked his question.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Production of biofuels more than doubled in 2006 and we are on track to meet, and most likely exceed, our target of 350 million litres of biofuels by 2010. Indeed, we expect to meet it in 2008.