Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is directed to Senator Minchin in his capacity representing the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources. Is the minister aware that, in his speech last night, the Treasurer stated in relation to climate change that the government’s $500 million Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund is already driving the development of solar and clean coal technologies? Isn’t it a fact that, despite the Treasurer’s rhetoric, not one dollar of the $500 million LETDF has been spent? Wasn’t this fund announced by the Prime Minister in June 2004 just before the last election? Doesn’t this again demonstrate that the government only talks about climate change before an election but reverts afterwards to doing nothing practical to address the enormous challenge of climate change? Why hasn’t any effort been put into spending that money and developing those technologies?