Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the Australian Greens, I move amendments (1), (2) and (3) on sheet 5386 together:

(1)    Schedule 1, page 3 (after line 4), before item 1, insert:

1A  After paragraph 7(1)(fa)

Insert:

            (fb)    to conduct a plebiscite about the ratification by Australia of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the Kyoto Protocol).

(2)    Schedule 1, item 1, page 4 (after line 5), at the end of the item, add:

     (1H)    To ensure that the electors of Australia have the opportunity to express their opinion a national plebiscite must be conducted by the Commission on whether or not Australia should ratify the Kyoto Protocol, for the purposes of paragraph 7(1)(fb).

       (1I)    The plebiscite mentioned in subsection (1H) must be conducted in conjunction with any general election held in 2007 or 2008.

(3)    Schedule 1, page 4 (after line 5), after item 1, insert:

1A  After section 7A

Insert:

7AB  Preparation of arguments to be put in a plebiscite to be held regarding the question of whether the Kyoto Protocol is to be ratified by Australia

        (1)    A plebiscite may not be conducted in accordance with paragraph 7(1)(fb) unless an argument in favour of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and an argument against ratification of the Kyoto Protocol has first been prepared and provided to all electors.

        (2)    The argument for and the argument against the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol must include a statement consisting of not more than 1,000 words in support of each case.

        (3)    The argument in favour of the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol may be submitted to the Commission by the Commonwealth government.

        (4)    The argument against the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol may be submitted to the Commission by the Opposition.

        (5)    The Commission must cause to be printed and to be posted to each elector a pamphlet containing the arguments for and against the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

        (6)    Except as expressly provided by this section, the arrangements for the plebiscite are to be conducted in accordance with provisions relating to a referendum provided for in the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984.

These amendments provide for a plebiscite to be taken at the next election on the ratification of the Kyoto protocol. We know that the Howard government has determined to not ratify this global treaty, which is the first step towards further global moves to protect the planet from the imminent catastrophe of climate change. We are also aware from opinion polls in this country which have been funded by Greenpeace and other organisations that 80 per cent of Australians want the Kyoto protocol ratified by this nation and that the government has less than 20 per cent support for its refusal to take this country with the rest of the community of nations in ratifying the Kyoto protocol; although in 1997, when Senator Hill was Minister for the Environment, Australia agreed to sign the protocol in Kyoto.

The protocol came into being in 2002. I was in Kyoto for the ceremony marking that. It has simply been a travesty of the democratic system we have that the government shut its ear to the vast majority of Australians, who want this protocol ratified by our country. We have the ability to test that public opinion at the forthcoming federal election. It would involve the government being able to write a submission in support of not signing the Kyoto protocol and the opposition writing a submission in support of the Kyoto protocol. We have put that into amendment (3) because the opposition leader, Kevin Rudd, has made it clear that the opposition is in favour of ratifying the Kyoto protocol, as are the Greens and the Democrats. It can be done rapidly. It would be perhaps the first use, if a Queensland local government entity does not get there first, of the powers that are paraded in the legislation and would show the bona fides of the government in wanting this to be a Democrat plebiscites bill on a matter which affects every Australian, their children and their grandchildren.