Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

Again today we saw the Howard government’s scepticism when it comes to climate change. There is a reason that this Howard government has never been able to fully tackle the issue of climate change and why this government has been asleep for the last 11 years when it comes to climate change: from top to bottom it is peppered with climate change sceptics. Exhibit A when it comes to scepticism on climate change is the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Minchin. Senator Minchin is amongst those on the other side who simply do not accept that human activity has contributed to global warming. We know that this view is endemic on the Howard government’s side of parliament. We know that this is a view that many government members hold. In the papers today, and tabled in parliament yesterday, we saw an extraordinary report issued by four Howard government members of parliament in the other place: Dr Jensen, Miss Jackie Kelly, Mrs Vale and Mr Tollner who believe that humans have not contributed to climate change. In fact they describe those who believe in what is known as anthropagenic climate change or global warming as ‘fanatics’. What is interesting about the use of that term is that that is one of the ways in which Senator Minchin attempts to deflect criticism from his position by accusing those who accept the weight of scientific evidence that human activity has contributed to global warming. He tries to dismiss us as people who are simply being fanatical or fundamentalist about our approach to these things.

It is not surprising when you look at the Howard government’s expenditure when it comes to dealing with climate change over the last few years to see how pathetically this government has responded to this challenge. If there is one thing we have learned over the 11 long years of the Howard government, it is this: do not listen to what they say; look at what they do. We know that this is a government that loves a good headline. This is a government that is very good at getting the good headline and very poor at delivering the policy on the ground to back it up. We have seen billions of dollars announced in relation to environmental programs. How much has actually been spent and, more importantly, what outcomes are actually being delivered?

My colleague Senator McEwen asked Senator Minchin a question about the fact that between 2002 and 2005 the government spent some $300 million dollars on climate change related programs of which $200 million—that is, two-thirds—was spent on administration expenses rather than on program funding. That is the government’s response to this national challenge of climate change: two-thirds of the expenditure in the period 2002 to 2005 was spent on administration rather than on program funding.

But we already know this about the Howard government. They are very good at announcements and trying to get the headlines—and very poor on actually delivering outcomes. For example, we have seen the Prime Minister’s water announcement. Goodness me—$10 billion announced with a fanfare in January this year. And what do we have? We find out in Senate estimates that $10 billion of taxpayers’ money was committed on one page of costings that Senator Minchin’s department was asked to lightly cast their eyes over. That is the way this government approaches serious issues such as climate change and the water crisis. It is very good in terms of getting the headlines, and very poor in policy outcomes.

The reality is: this is a government full of climate change sceptics. Senator Minchin is clearly on the record saying he questions whether human activity has contributed to global warming. We have seen members in the other place coming out and saying that they think people who think this—that is, that humans are contributing to climate change—are fanatics. We have heard Senator Bernardi in this place on the public record expressing the same doubts. They are entitled to their opinion, but the problem is it is infecting this government’s response to what is a national challenge. The problem is this: when you have people in your own government who do not believe it is a crisis, you do not respond properly. That is one of the reasons that this government has been asleep for 11 years when it comes to climate change, and the only reason it is now high on their political agenda is that their pollsters are telling them to make it so. That is the only reason you are responding on the issue of climate change. (Time expired)