Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, in writing, on 2 December 2019:

In respect of 'Project Climate Ready', referred to in the article, 'The country's top bureaucrats say Government unprepared for climate change' by Michael Slezak and Michael McKinnon (ABC News, 11 September 2019):

(1) What departments and agencies were involved in the project.

(2) What was the role of the Minister's department in the project.

(3) What exercises did the project conduct.

(4) What scenarios did the project consider.

(5) Over what period of time was the project carried out.

(6) Which body oversaw the project.

(7) Did the body that oversaw the project have terms of reference.

(8) What project reports were: (a) released publicly; and (b) not released publicly.

(9) Did the project warn the Government of: (a) health risks resulting from climate change; (b) national security risks resulting from climate change; and (c) litigation risks resulting from climate change.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Defence has provided the following answer to the member's question:

In March 2017, the Secretaries Group on Climate risk tasked the Departments of Defence and the Environment and Energy to jointly manage the development of scenarios to examine climate risks and implications for public policy responses. This body of work was referred to as "Project Climate Ready" and developed scenarios that considered climate change impacts on various matters over various time periods, including health and wellbeing, cities, infrastructure and energy security.

Defence developed an initial scenario that was considered by the Secretaries Group on Climate Risk, and two subsequent scenarios that were considered by various departments from the Australian Government Disaster and Climate Resilience Reference Group (Resilience Reference Group). The scenarios were developed with consultation across Government including Geoscience Australia, the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Attorney-General's Department, and the departments of the Environment and Energy, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Home Affairs, Health, Agriculture, Education, Finance, Communications and the Arts, Employment Skills, Small and Family Business, Industry, Innovation and Science, Social Services, and the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Defence was not involved in the preparation of subsequent scenarios, but participated in the fourth exercise, which completed the scope of works in February 2019.

Defence and the Department of the Environment and Energy reported on the outcomes of respective scenarios to the Resilience Reference Group and the Secretaries Group on Climate Risk. The outcomes have supported the understanding of climate risks that are common across the public service and informed the development of cross-agency approaches to frameworks to consider climate risk. Information related to the scenario exercise reports was released publicly through a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request in April 2019. That original Freedom of Information decision went to review and the applicant was advised in late August 2019 that the original decision was upheld. The decision was to partially deny access to parts of the documents under sections 33 [Documents affecting national security, defence or international relations], 42 [Documents subject to legal professional privilege], 47C [Deliberative process] and 47F [Personal privacy] of the FOI Act, and this decision included denying access to the scenarios.