Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move Greens amendment (6) on sheet 5361:

(6)    Clause 21, page 37 (after line 3), subparagraph 2(a)(ii), insert:

                 (iii)    the need to take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimise the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects; and

                 (iv)    the need for sustainable management, conservation and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs of all greenhouse gases including biomass, forests and oceans as well as other terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems; and

                  (v)    the need for adaptation to the impacts of climate change including appropriate and integrated plans for water resources and agriculture; and

Specifically, this amendment implements important and relevant elements of the climate change convention, which I referred to in my speech in the second reading debate. We believe that this is particularly important. Through this amendment, consistency with the Ramsar and biodiversity and various migratory bird conventions is maintained. We think it is also important that consistency be maintained with the climate change convention—because, as we know, climate change will have a pretty devastating impact into the future. In fact, we contend that it is impacting already on the Murray-Darling Basin. Therefore, we believe it is important that we maintain consistency with that convention. In addition, the environmental defenders organisation, in its submission to the committee, said that it felt it was important that we give effect to the climate change convention.

As we are aware, some people still believe that climate change is not impacting on the Murray-Darling Basin—but we believe it is. In fact, Bryson Bates of CSIRO has said that he believes climate change fingerprints are all over the Murray-Darling Basin’s decreased rainfall. In addition, many of those who made submissions and presented at last week’s hearing pointed out that they feel it is very important that we build resilience into the Murray-Darling system and that implementing the climate change convention would help answer the need for and give effect to the ability to build resilience into this plan. Did the government consider including the climate change convention into the bill; if not, why not?