Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wanted to seek some clarification on these bushfire issues. I know we touched on it last night—Senator Joyce, Senator Milne and others. It seems, Minister, that you have advised the Senate that you will be seeking a solution post-2012, so that means that we do not know exactly what the position will be post-2012. You have advised that natural catastrophic events—for example, drought and fire in Australia’s case—will not be counted. Looking at the history of, say, the last decade, can you, based on this new approach, indicate the net benefit or adverse effect on the environment from catastrophic events and associated regeneration et cetera? You obviously have to distinguish between man-made bushfires—Senator Joyce, I think, was talking about dropping a cigarette and causing a fire—and a lightning strike. How you actually differentiate between the two is an accounting dilemma under this new system and, for the life of me, I cannot see exactly how it is going to work.

I am advised that the Victorian bushfires last year generated in the order of 15 to 20 per cent of Australia’s annual emissions. That is a huge proportion of Australia’s annual emissions, from just the one devastating bushfire in Victoria. As a Tasmanian, I know about bushfires and all of us here are concerned about, and aware of, bushfires in our own states and territories. Using the Victorian bushfires as an example, to what extent was that man-made and to what extent was it due to natural causes and a catastrophic event? Could you perhaps use that as an example and advise the Senate of the portion that would be considered man-made and the portion that would be natural? That would give us an indication of how this scheme would work in the future, because, frankly, we are up in the air. We are in a ‘don’t know’ zone post-2012.

Unless these things can be clarified, those questions will remain. I leave that for the minister and hope she can assist. She did not have the expert with her last night, but presumably the expert is here now and can assist in answering those questions.