Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So we see yet more hypocrisy from Al Gore, the global-warming guru, and I say that in every negative context associated with the word. Last night, Al Gore proved that he will do anything and say anything for a buck—something that has been clear to me for a long time, but something that I think that the credulous media is only starting to catch up on. I hope, after last night, Labor and the Greens continue to quote him and follow what he suggests.

Last night Al Gore, hypocrite extraordinaire, actually agreed that Australia should scrap the carbon tax. So no doubt his adoring Labor and Green fawning followers will vote to repeal the carbon tax. They should—after all, 'Al told 'em so'! No doubt they will fail to do so, as they too are hypocritical.

My advice to Clive Palmer regarding Al Gore? Start believing Al Gore when he actually lives the carbon-dioxide-constrained lifestyle he advocates for everyone else. And make sure that your wallet is in a very secure location when in close proximity to him—Gore will take money for anything.

One question that must be asked, given the member for Fairfax's new position on the renewable energy target and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation is: what investments might Al Gore have that might prove lucrative by retaining the RET and the CEFC? We know from past experience that everything Al Gore does is with a view to profit him directly, or advantage him in some way. Investigation of these schemes and what organisations are getting advantage, and whether Gore has shares in those companies, would prove no doubt that Gore has a pecuniary vested interest in those schemes.

Remember, Al Gore, as Vice President of the United States, voted against the US ratifying the Kyoto protocol. This was clearly because that was to his political advantage, given that he knew he was likely to run for president in 2000 and that Kyoto was unpopular in the US. Clearly, it is not only in a financial sense that Al Gore is for sale. For Al Gore, everything is up for negotiation, as long as there is profit or advantage for Al Gore. For those who watch Star Trek, there is no-one he reminds me of more than the Ferengi species, where profit is the first, last and only important factor. Let us look at Al Gore's hypocrisy. He lives in a mansion in Tennessee where he consumes 20 times as much energy as the average American household, and Americans are not renowned for being parsimonious in their energy use. But that is only one of many houses that Al Gore has. Gore sold his TV network, Current TV, to Al Jazeera, a network that is funded by Qatar. In other words, when he sold his TV station, he was paid in petrodollars despite all of his raging against the evils of the fossil fuel industry. He made around $70 million profit—a nice little earner—and Gore is not really earnest enough about the evils related to global warming to forgo profit however hypocritical that makes him.

Gore now bemoans new generation nuclear reactors being around 15 years away. Meanwhile, in 1994 when Vice President, the Clinton-Gore administration shut down work on the Integral Fast Reactor. Had they not, that sort of design would be commercial now and would be making an active contribution to global power generation. Then there is Gore's jetting around the world, once again, a huge carbon footprint. In fact his personal carbon footprint is probably larger than a number of small towns in some parts of the world—and all of this before we even get to the blatant untruths that Gore spins on the science of climate change. He is either science illiterate or is quite happy to spew whatever unscientific climate nonsense he needs to further enrich himself. I doubt that I have ever seen a bigger hypocrite and fabricator, and I would suggest the member for Fairfax be very careful associating himself with Gore whatever the media and profile benefits.