Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. NASA has just said that February was the hottest month on record ever, smashing a century of global temperature records by a stunning margin—results that scientists have described as 'a climate emergency'. Prime Minister, do you agree with your own chief scientist that under current policies we are losing the battle against climate change?

Mr Ewen Jones interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Herbert will cease interjecting.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Melbourne for his question. We are transitioning from an old economy or an older economy to a new one—a 21st century economy, one that is grounded in innovation, in technology, in competition—and every lever of our policy is pulling in that direction. Climate change is part of that response. We have effective and responsible climate change policies that are working. We are on track to beat and meet our 2020 emission reduction target. Our 2030 target is responsible and in line with that of comparable countries.

The honourable member should recognise that we are reducing emissions with our Emissions Reduction Fund; we are promoting energy efficiency and clean energy innovation; and we are investing in large-scale renewable energy, particularly large-scale solar and storage. Our targets are protected through the emissions safeguard mechanism. As I said in Paris at the climate change conference, we do not doubt the scale of the challenge, but we are optimistic that we can tackle climate change through innovation and our ability to develop and share technologies. More importantly, rather than endlessly debating rhetoric—and with all due respect to the honourable member, some of the language he used in his question, while no doubt heartfelt, was so imprecise that it is of very little assistance to a government that is seeking to meet a particular challenge and a particular target.

What we need in the response to global warming—and I do not doubt that temperature figures that the honourable member referred to—is a clear commitment of all governments, all major economies, to emissions reduction strategies. We have made those commitments. We have the policies in place. They are working. And that is the object of the exercise. Emotion and passion have their place—

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There was plenty of emotion in it when you were opposition leader.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but, in terms of reducing our emissions, we need policies that work. The policies that are in place are working. They are able to meet the targets that we committed to in Paris. If they do so and if other nations continue to do so, we will be well on the way to ensuring that we meet the global objective.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the member for Capricornia, the members for Grayndler and Perth will cease interjecting, as will the member for Lalor. The member for Gellibrand is warned. That is his final warning for interjecting continuously through the answer.