Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to debate the suspension of standing orders. I can't think of anything more important that has happened in my lifetime—as someone who has just turned 50 years old—than what has happened to the Great Barrier Reef in the last five years. Think about this—the Bureau of Meteorology is reporting today more record temperatures off Queensland:

Extreme heatwave conditions are affecting far north Queensland this week—from Cooktown and Cairns to Townsville, Mackay and Rockhampton. Maximum temperatures today have been well above average, with records already broken …

We have seen catastrophic bushfires in Queensland in the last three days.