Senator Allison to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes:

(i)

the announcement by the Victorian State Government that a desalination plant costing $3.1 billion will be built near Wonthaggi to provide a third of Melbourne’s demand for water, approximately 150 billion litres, by 2012,

(ii)

that the desalination plant and associated pumping of more than 200 km will likely emit more than a million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year and increase electricity use in Victoria by 2 per cent,

(iii)

that the Victorian Government intends to ‘offset’ greenhouse emissions through the purchase of renewable energy,

(iv)

that the ongoing drought in Victoria is highly likely to be related to climate change,

(v)

that 95 per cent of Victoria’s electricity is from ageing, low efficiency, brown coal-fired generators,

(vi)

that $3.1 billion could fund rebates for approximately 2 million household water tanks that could provide 80 billion litres of water for cistern, laundry and garden use, and

(vii)

that coal-fired power generation in Victoria uses approximately 400 billion litres of water a year;

(b)

urges the Victorian State Government to develop desalination only if necessary after:

(i)

stringent standards are implemented for water appliances,

(ii)

substantial quantities of potable water have been displaced by stormwater or other harvested water,

(iii)

water reticulation infrastructure leaks have been fixed,

(iv)

water intensive industry and commercial operations are water efficient,

(v)

all Victorians have low flow shower heads, dual flush cisterns and grey water systems, and

(vi)

there is widespread application of water sensitive urban design; and

(c)

encourages the Victorian State Government to ensure that any desalination still required, uses only renewable-powered technology.

Senator Milne to move on the next day of sitting:

That:

(a)

the Senate notes that:

(i)

the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that:

(a)

the sea level would rise by between 0.18 metres to 0.59 metres by the end of the century and that these projections do not include the full effects of changes in ice sheet flow because a basis in published literature was lacking,

(b)

there is medium confidence (that is a 50 per cent chance) that at least partial deglaciation of the Greenland ice sheet, and possibly the West Antarctic ice sheet, would occur over a period of time, ranging from centuries to millennia for a global average temperature increase of 1° to 4°C (relative to 1990-2000), causing a contribution to a rise in sea level of 4 to 6 metres or more, and

(c)

many millions more people are projected to be flooded every year due to a sea level rise by 2080 and the numbers affected will be largest in the mega-deltas of Asia and Africa, while small islands are especially vulnerable,

(ii)

recent scientific research, published too late for inclusion in the IPCC reports, suggests that the sea level is rising more quickly than previously thought and many eminent climate scientists, including Dr James Hansen, Head of Atmospheric Research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, warn that a warming of 2º to 3ºC could melt the ice sheets of West Antarctica and parts of Greenland, resulting in a sea level rise of 5 metres within a century,

(iii)

assessing the impact of even a moderate rise in sea level in Australia remains inadequate for adaptation planning,

(iv)

assessing the vulnerability of low coastal and estuarine regions requires not only mapping height above sea level but must take into account factors such as coastal morphology, susceptibility to long-shore erosion, near shore bathymetry and storm surge frequency,

(v)

delaying analysis of the risk of the rise in sea level exacerbates the likelihood that such information may affect property values and investment through disclosure of increased hazards and possible reduced or more expensive insurance cover, and

(vi)

an early response to the threat of rising sea levels may include avoiding investment in long-lived infrastructure in high risk areas; and

(b)

the following matter be referred to the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Committee for inquiry and report by 3 December 2007:       An assessment of the risks associated with the rise in sea level in Australia, including an appraisal of:

Senator Bob Brown to move on the next day of sitting:

That the Senate:

(a)

notes the terrible story of Mr Mulrunji Doomadgee, which extends beyond his death in custody in 2004, to encompass the following:

(i)

Mr Doomadgee’s son Eric has since committed suicide,

(ii)

Mr Patrick Bramwell, a 24-year old Aboriginal man, who was in the Palm Island police lock-up as Mr Doomadgee died, has since hanged himself, and

(iii)

Mr Doomadgee’s mother, too ill to attend his funeral, has since died; and

(b)

expresses its condolences to the Doomadgee family and the Palm Island community for the suffering and despair which these tragic events have entailed.