Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That:

(1)

The Senate calls on the Government to establish a Royal Commission, to be jointly chaired by Professor Ross Garnaut and Professor Ian Plimer, to take evidence from Australian and international experts on the science surrounding the extent to which man made carbon dioxide emissions are the major driver of climate change and the likely effectiveness of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in reducing climate change, with a requirement that the commission table a report that includes the scientific arguments both for and against, by 3 May 2010.

(2)

There be laid on the table by the Productivity Commissioner, no later than 9 March 2010, a report of the Productivity Commission setting out the potential costs to the Australian economy of Australia committing to the targets contained in these bills before other major world economies (including China, USA, India and Russia) commit to at least the same emissions reduction targets, and before we know what those targets are. This report should also include the potential costs to the Australian economy if other major world economies do commit to lower emissions reduction targets.

(3)

There be laid on the table by the Productivity Commissioner, no later than 9 March 2010, a report of the Productivity Commission setting out viable alternative schemes to the CPRS, and the cost and benefits under those schemes of achieving the targets that are contained in the bills.

(4)

Further consideration of the bills be an order of the day for the day after the reports of these inquiries are presented.

This amendment was circulated yesterday and is to do with setting up three separate inquiries to do three separate things. This is about policy, not about politics. We have clearly reached a political impasse and a political roadblock, so we need to refer the three key questions to a non-political process. The three questions are: is the science right? We need to set up a royal commission to look at the science and to make sure that everybody is heard in that regard. Secondly, there should be a Productivity Commission inquiry set up to see which scheme, if any, is best. Thirdly, there should be a Productivity Commission report to see what dangers there are in going it alone before the rest of the world commits. Until these three questions are answered, there is no way Australia can commit to any emissions trading scheme.