Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

I am very disappointed that Labor cannot support the amendments. I am sure many voters will be disappointed as well. As Senator Chris Evans said, this is just a small step. What I think Australian voters are looking for are giant steps—giant steps because we have a huge task ahead of us. The five-year assessment period will take Australia to the end of its Kyoto commitment period—2012. I remind the government and the ALP that we are on track to reach 127 per cent of our Kyoto target of 108 per cent of 1990 levels. So we have to find a massive saving over the next five years in order to comply. These are the minister’s figures. The parliamentary secretary should not be looking around, scratching his head and thinking, ‘What’s she talking about?’ The minister’s figures show that we will reach 127 per cent of our Kyoto target by 2012.

There is an urgency to act. We have to act. We should be acting in those areas where the savings are cost effective. We know that businesses are going to benefit from this. They just need a bit of pushing and shoving to get there. That is what this is about. We cannot wait for five years to assess the situation. This is a small step and we cannot wait five years to take it. We are looking at a massive increase in our greenhouse emissions. Despite our very generous deal at Kyoto, despite the huge credit that we receive for not cutting down trees, we are still going to exceed our target by 2012.

This may not be a controversial bill, Senator Evans, but this issue is hugely controversial. The Australian people are looking for action. I do not want this to turn into a debate. Senator Evans, you said you did not want this to turn into a broader debate. We could speak for the next three weeks just on carbon trading. I will resist doing that. But we do need to bring you back to some realities here. The reason for the amendments is not just some whim of the Democrats or some flight of fancy. We are doing this because the task is so great. The government seems not to recognise that. It is wallowing around in this sea of indecision: ‘Let’s be nice to industry and let them do it in their own good time.’ There is not time. If you have read any of the reports that have come out of the United Nations in the last few weeks and months you will know that there is no time to waste. We need to take action now. If you read the Stern report you will soon understand that the folly of not taking action immediately will cost the economy down the track. It is in Australia’s interests, it is in industry’s interests, it is in the parliament’s interests—and I would have thought it was in the Liberal Party’s and the Labor Party’s interests as well—to act and to act now. Here is your chance.