Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Minister for Climate Change and Water. Did the minister have any input into the so-called razor gang cuts announced by Mr Tanner last week?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the chamber will be aware, there were a range of savings measures which the government announced recently. We did so because we are a government that are conscious of the need for fiscal restraint. As the Leader of the Government in the Senate outlined in answer to an earlier question and as the Australian people know, what we have been bequeathed, and what we have been bequeathed by those opposite, is the inflation genie. One of the ways in which we have to respond is to ensure that we exercise appropriate fiscal restraint.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: my question was very, very simple: did the minister have any input into the razor gang cuts?

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is only 40 seconds into her answer. She may be developing an answer, and I will give her a chance to elaborate.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In relation to the specific measures—and I assume that Senator Macdonald got his information from an article in the newspaper; I do not assume it was from any other research—I want to make this point: firstly, in relation to the Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology, I want to make it clear that that is in Minister Ferguson’s portfolio. The indication is there that the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism will be funding those measures from its existing budget measures. In other words, DRET will continue to source funds internally to work on the implementation of the Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology.

I also refer to the FutureGen Alliance membership, which was another one of the savings measures alluded to by Senator Macdonald in the context of his question. I want to advise Senator Macdonald that the United States—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: I will not be verballed; I did not allude to anything. I simply asked the minister whether she had any input into the actions by Mr Tanner in announcing the cuts by the so-called razor gang. I have not alluded to anything, and I ask the minister not to verbal me.

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, that is not a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I apologise to Senator Macdonald for the fact that I am referring to savings, which he actually talks about in his question, as something I should not be responding to, but I propose to respond to that because these are important issues. Clearly he wants me to deal with the savings measures to which he has referred.

In relation to the FutureGen Alliance, which is another measure which was the subject of this savings decision, I should advise the chamber that that will now be funded from the government’s $500 million clean coal fund. In relation to the Asia-Pacific Forestry Skills and Capacity Building program, which is in Minister Burke’s portfolio, we will now fund that from $200 million in relation to the international forest carbon initiative.

So there are ways in which we are seeking to ensure that the government continue to deliver important climate change programs, but they do occur in the context of a government that is determined to exercise responsible economic management and appropriate fiscal constraint, particularly given the legacy which we and the Australian people were bequeathed by those opposite.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask the minister: did Mr Tanner lie then in suggesting that they were cuts to the budget and would save the government money? As the minister has very perceptively thought through—

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: I thought you would have dealt with this yourself, but I think that, by implication, the senator made a slur against Mr Tanner that he lied. I do not think that is in order. I ask you to rule it out of order and to have him rephrase his question.

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Evans, I had intended to raise it at the end of the question and not interrupt the question. Senator Macdonald, I think you should withdraw the imputation that a minister is lying.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I will rephrase the question then: did the minister, Mr Tanner, and the government deliberately mislead the Australian public—

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Senator Evans has asked that you rule on—and you have ruled on it—the withdrawal of that imputation. I have not heard that imputation withdrawn. He has now commenced rephrasing the question, which is an entirely different matter altogether from the withdrawal of the imputation. The senator should withdraw the imputation as you have ruled accordingly.

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will uphold that point of order and ask Senator Ian Macdonald to withdraw the imputation on Minister Wong.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw it. I ask the minister then: did her government deliberately mislead the Australian public in suggesting that there would be savings from reductions announced to the Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology and the Low Emissions Technology and Abatement program; the reduction in the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program; the slashed funding for the CSIRO research vessel, the Southern Surveyor; and the cutting of funding to the Asia-Pacific forestry skills and capacity building Global Initiative on Forests and Climate Change? Further, how do the cuts to those areas, if they happened—or if they did not, I will go back to my first question—help address climate change?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would first just indicate that Senator Sherry actually represents the minister for finance in this chamber—if Senator Macdonald was not aware of that. The second point I make is that I have outlined, in relation to the savings measures, the ways in which those measures will be funded from alternative programs. Clearly they are savings measures. In relation to the issue of climate change, it is quite extraordinary to those of us on this side of the chamber, who have listened to the sceptics on that side—from the Leader of the Opposition in this chamber down—quibbling about whether or not climate change was occurring and seen them dragged kicking and screaming to addressing this issue prior to the election, that now you come into this place and talk to us about the implementation of climate change programs.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. My question had nothing to do with climate change sceptics. It was simply: did the Labor government mislead the Australian public by suggesting there were cuts when the minister said in her first answer that there were no cuts and in answer to the supplementary question said that there are cuts? Which is it, Minister?

Alan Ferguson (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Macdonald. You are starting to debate the issue. The minister has the right to answer the question in the manner she sees fit, as long as there is some relevance. In the past we have allowed a reasonably broad interpretation of that. I do believe that the minister was relevant. Senator Wong, have you concluded your answer?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.