Jim Turnour (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will the minister update the House on climate change outcomes from last week’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Cairns?

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week Australia successfully hosted the 40th Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Cairns. Can I thank the member for his question and thank him for joining with the mayor of Cairns to welcome delegates to that conference in Cairns, the capital of tropical North Queensland. I thank him for the hospitality he displayed to delegates from the Pacific region.

There were important outcomes achieved at the successful forum in economic resilience and development assistance so far as coordination and effectiveness are concerned. Progress was also made on regional economic growth and trade with the agreement to start negotiations on PACER Plus, and Fiji’s continuing suspension from the forum was reaffirmed unanimously.

A key feature of the forum, of course, was climate change. Pacific island countries have contributed little to the causes of climate change but are amongst the most vulnerable to the worst adverse effects of climate change. Any sea level rise or increase in extreme weather poses real threats to our colleagues in the Pacific islands. If anyone still needed a reason to be concerned and to be urged to act so far as climate change is concerned, then the potential adverse circumstances for our neighbours and the adverse implications for Australia as a consequence of that should be more than a sufficient spur. The forum issued the Pacific leaders’ call for action on climate change—and I table that. Consistent with Australia’s policy, the Pacific leaders’ call for action on climate change called upon world leaders:

… to urgently increase their level of ambition and to give their negotiators fresh mandates to secure a truly effective global agreement …

Pacific leaders also called on developed economies to:

… strengthen the seriousness and credibility of their claims at Copenhagen by putting in place domestic policies and legislation now to achieve emission reduction targets.

The Leader of the Opposition could learn a few things from the Pacific leaders and their call to action on climate change. He could learn about putting in place domestic policies, he could learn about the importance of having legislation in advance of Copenhagen and he could take a lead from the Pacific island leaders. He does not need more advice from us. Follow our colleagues in the Pacific.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton interjecting

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We also heard plenty of free advice to the Leader of the Opposition at the forum not just from Pacific leaders but from other distinguished gentleman there. For example, the Executive Director of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat, Yvo de Boer, said:

I think it helps Australia’s credibility to say this is the target Australia is willing to commit to and this is how we are going to achieve it. That would be good for the country’s credibility.

You could learn a bit from Yvo de Boer as well. You could also learn a lot from your conservative colleague—and I choose my words carefully, Malcolm—John Key, the New Zealand Prime Minister.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will refer to members by their titles and he will refer his remarks through the chair.

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition could learn a lot from his conservative colleague John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, who said, ‘In respect of targets and legislation, I think it helps. I think it shows that you’re serious.’ So the message from our part of the world, the message from the leaders of the Pacific to the Leader of the Opposition is: have a domestic policy and legislate to set targets before Copenhagen. Stop standing in the way of much needed action on climate change. That might actually make a substantial contribution to the Pacific islands.