Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. On whether or not the science is settled the government has a very clear position: it is. The overwhelming consensus of the world's scientists with relevant qualifications—those who have advised governments around the world—is that climate change is real. There is obviously uncertainty on consequence, but most of that uncertainty is on the downside—that is, that some of the consequences could be worse than those which have been previously predicted. I would commend any senator in this place to look at the publication released by the government—I think it was earlier this year—which updated some of the science. It was entitled The Critical Decade and it does demonstrate—