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

My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. What risk does dangerous climate change pose to Australia’s environment and our way of life? How is the government acting to address these risks?

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

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question, because I know he has a significant interest in this issue, as do his constituents in Far North Queensland. The fact is that dangerous climate change poses fundamental risks to Australia’s environment and to our livelihood. These risks are increasingly well understood by experts, by scientists and by the Rudd government. Earlier this year I released Australia’s biodiversity and climate change: a strategic assessment of the vulnerability of Australia’s biodiversity to climate change. The report says:

Biodiversity is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change … Many of Australia’s most valued and iconic natural areas, and the rich biodiversity they support, are among the most vulnerable to climate change. They include the Great Barrier Reef, south-western Western Australia, the Australian Alps, the Queensland Wet Tropics and the Kakadu wetlands.

It goes on to say that we are already seeing changes that are consistent with climate change impacts. For example, fire regimes in southern Australia—which we have witnessed in their tragic consequences—have been changing. This is consistent with a drier and a hotter climate. We have seen eight mass bleaching events since 1979 on the Great Barrier Reef triggered by unusually high sea surface temperatures. The report also makes some alarming predictions about the ecological impact of dangerous climate change:

… for tropical rainforests, higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns – longer dry periods between intense rainfall events – will increase the probability that fires penetrate into rainforest vegetation.

Freshwater fish species, the report says:

… are vulnerable to reductions in water flows and water quality and, in addition, have a limited capacity to migrate to new waterways.

In a report I released—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

HV4 Garrett, Peter, MPMr GARRETT—They are not interested in the hard science on climate change, which actually affects their communities, which they are incapable of acting on.

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

The minister will ignore the interjectors.

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

I repeat, in an important report, the Great Barrier Reef outlook report 2009, which I released last month, there was confirmation of significant threats to the reef. As we know, the Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s and the world’s great natural assets. It is worth some $6 billion a year and supports over 63,000 jobs in fishing, tourism, and cultural and recreational industries. Critically, a two-degree rise is expected to cause serious damage to the Great Barrier Reef, with experts predicting a shift from hard coral dominated reefs to seaweed dominated reefs. Worryingly, from the Institute of Marine Science, research shows us that calcification rates in large boulder corals have declined some 15.2 per cent throughout the Great Barrier Reef since 1990. This is absolutely unprecedented, at least in the past 400 years. So there are significant risks to our environment, risks to our economy, risks to our unique ecosystems and our biodiversity, risks to productive landscapes and risks to industries. Report after report sends these alarm bells well and truly ringing.

That is why it is absolutely critical that Australia plays its part in reducing our own emissions. It is absolutely critical to recognise that we do not have any time to wait. The science is in and the risks are real and already very present. The only excuse for continuing climate change inaction, for continued delay, is if you do not accept the risks—if you continue to reject the evidence, if you continue to deny the science. If you do accept that Australia has so much to lose from dangerous climate change, then it follows that the sooner we take responsibility and transform our economy for a low-emissions future, the lower the costs and greater the benefits will be. That is what this government is bringing forward with the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This answer is not only extremely lengthy and therefore highly unlikely to be still relevant, but it also should be being answered by the Minister for Climate Change and Water.

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

The member could have been sat down because he has ignored my warning earlier about raising points of order. On the point of order, the question was in order and therefore the minister in responding to the question is in order.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But it is the wrong minister.

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

There are some very brave souls who continue to interject. I have just ruled, even though it is a little late to be raising this point of order, that the question was in order. That means the words of the question was in order and also the minister to whom it was directed was in order.

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

The fact is the opposition has never understood the significant impacts that dangerous climate change has on our environment, and that is self-evident from that interjection by the Manager of Opposition Business in the House. The government is committed to bringing forward a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, rolling out the largest energy efficiency program we have seen in Australia and acting decisively to address dangerous climate change. That is what Australia expects; that is what this government will deliver.