Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Payne. I do also note how concerned you are about this issue. I say to every single man, woman and child across this country who believes in an ETS: do you know what an ETS is? Just sit down and think to yourselves: do you know how it is going to work? Do you know what it means? Do you know how it is going to impact your life? Do you know if it is going to impact your job? Do you know if it is going to impact you when you walk into that supermarket once the ETS comes in and prices go up? Do you know how this scheme works? If the only reason you are supportive of an ETS is because you think you are doing your bit for the environment, then I would ask you to reconsider. There are so many other ways to ensure we have a viable future and a very clean, healthy environment right across the world without supporting this ETS. There are other ways you can do it and I would ask you to very seriously consider this: if you support an ETS do you really know what it is?

We need to make sure that we continue to do everything we can in terms of renewable energy. One of the interesting things that the world is grappling with is peak oil. We should be out talking about our reliance on fossil fuels and making sure that we can reduce that reliance. Scientists predict that in about 2010 we are going to hit peak oil. Where are we going with our renewables? We must make absolutely sure we do everything for the environment in terms of renewable energy. We must make sure that we do not miss the opportunity to provide incentives to businesses to reduce their emissions regardless of an ETS. We must make absolutely sure that we have policies in place so there is a carrot for those industries to reduce their emissions.

It is a very interesting road that we have been travelling along in this debate on the ETS. One point is that there has not been much debate about global warming around this whole issue. Over the time that it has been at the forefront, debate about global warming has not really been allowed. I agree with what my colleague Senator Eggleston said before when he said he believed in climate change. So do I, absolutely. The climate has been changing for millions and millions of years. It is about the cause and, far more importantly for farmers, it is about adapting to change and making sure that they have got risk management practices in place to adapt to that change.

One thing that has concerned me is that we have not had a debate about whether or not global warming is occurring. It is a bit like the Spanish Inquisition. If you dare to even ask the supporters of global warming a question about some of the science, you may as well be under the Spanish Inquisition because you are a heretic. That is not right and that is not on. I was brought up to question things, to think about things and to ask questions about the issues that were put before me. But have we ever seen that in this debate? No, because we have been given one side of the argument. If you do not take that side of the argument then you are an absolute sceptic; you are a nonbeliever. Well, I would say that questioning is healthy, sensible and smart. There are a range of scientists out there who have a different view. Ian Plimer, Bob Carter and Bill Kininmonth are among a number of scientists out there who have a different view. I would say: have we actually listened to an alternative view at all? Do we ever actually think about whether or not the premise for global warming is actually correct? I would suggest it has been a very one-sided debate.

In conclusion, I will never step away from the people of regional Australia. I will never stop making what I believe are the right decisions for regional Australia regardless of the impacts those might have, because regional Australia is the engine room of this country, it is driving this country and it is driving this nation. We should start giving the farmers of this nation the respect that they deserve, because they are out there, day in and day out, producing for us, making sure we can feed our nation and making sure we can feed the rest of the globe. Food security is an issue for another day. We need to make sure they have our support every single day, day in and day out. They will have mine on this issue and I will not be supporting the ETS.

Debate interrupted.