Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I support the proposition that we finish considering this amendment, vote on it and then go to the bushfire questions, Senator Xenophon’s questions and so on. But, first, I return to the issue of what we are going to put on the table in terms of our obligations under a financing mechanism.

I note that Minister Wong said that she had not seen the figure of $4.4 billion in the press. I draw her attention to Oxfam Australia’s report, which it sent to all senators, entitled Hang together or separately? How global co-operation is key to a fair and adequate climate deal at Copenhagen. James Ensor, the Director of Public Policy and Outreach at Oxfam Australia, said in a letter he sent to all senators:

A new global mitigation finance mechanism managed by the United Nations should be established to direct money from the sale of carbon permits allocated under the UNFCCC to assist poor countries in their efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. At least $187 billion globally is needed each year, and Australia’s fair share of this amount is approximately $4.3 billion annually.

So that figure of $4 billion came from a report by Oxfam, based on the kinds of discussions and parameters that I mentioned previously. The minister said that she did not think it was appropriate to put a provision for financial support to developing countries into this legislation, but I draw a minister’s attention to the objects clause where:

The first object is … to give effect to Australia’s obligations under:

(a)           the Climate Change Convention; and

(b)           the Kyoto Protocol.

The second object is:

… to support the development of an effective global response to climate change

I would have thought that including the provision of financial support to developing countries for nationally-appropriate mitigation actions and adaptation would be part of an effective global response to climate change. It does not specify figures; it is a principle in the clause. I am concerned that no public financing facility is being foreshadowed by the government on where our fair share is going to come from. There is no private fund from aviation or bunker fuel. I accept that that has not been agreed and that it is on the table for negotiation, which will, hopefully, lead to some private sector financing for such a fund.

Can the minister guarantee that Australia’s overseas aid budget will not just be rolled into part of Australia’s effort and that Australia’s contribution to this fund will be over and above both our existing obligations under the Millennium Development Goals and our existing aid budget? Can the minister guarantee that our aid budget is not going to be merely a part of this contribution but actually additional to it, since it will come out of the public purse?