Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. I refer to the ministerial statement made yesterday pertaining to the meeting of the Kyoto targets, and in particular to the minister’s most excruciating interview on Lateline last night, where the minister and the government tried to falsely claim credit for Australia being on track to meet its Kyoto target. Can the minister name just one policy or just one initiative that the government has actually introduced or put in place in its time in office to put us on track?

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

Thank you to Senator Birmingham for the question. I assume from the question he does not fall into the Senator Minchin camp of those who think climate change is exaggerated, or perhaps he is in that camp—I am not sure. As I indicated yesterday to the chamber, we tabled two reports. The first was the report which related to our obligations under the Kyoto protocol, and I do make the point again that the government has put that report in place a year early. So not only was the first act of the government the ratification of the Kyoto protocol but the report was provided a year early.

As I indicated on Lateline and in other interviews yesterday, Senator Birmingham, the advice I have received was that the previous government’s measures would have had us missing our Kyoto target by one per cent. This government is tracking to the Kyoto target of 108 per cent and is on track.

We always understood that Kyoto was the first step, but of course that was the first step those opposite were never prepared to take, and they are still all at sea on. That is the step they were never prepared to take and they are still divided on it. We have Dr Nelson grasping at the ratification in the vain hope of increasing—

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 raise of point of order, Mr President. This minister seems to be incapable of answering the simplest question. She was asked to name one initiative of the Labor government towards reducing greenhouse gases. It is a very simple question, Mr President. Could you direct the minister to answer the question and not just rabbit on about something that she might be interested in?

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

On the point of order, Mr President, the minister was making progress in a very comprehensive answer to the question. I ask you to take heed of the fact that when opposition senators are now seeking to make points of order they are making a speech, debating the issue and not coming to the point of order. I ask you to bear that in mind when you dismiss this frivolous point of order.

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

Order! Senator Evans, I have at times reminded people taking a point of order that they should not debate the question. In this case, Senator Macdonald, I cannot direct the minister to answer any part of the question other than in the manner that she sees fit. I just draw the attention of Senator Wong to the question.

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

Thank you, Mr President. As I was saying, one of the most important things in the reports that we tabled yesterday—and I would encourage Senator Birmingham to listen, if he is interested in this issue and is not one of the brigade on the other side who still thinks that climate change is something that is not happening—is the impact of the Rudd Labor government’s renewable energy target. That report shows the significant reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 as a result of the 20 per cent renewable energy target.

Those opposite seem to misunderstand the nature of this modelling. They seem to understand the nature of tracking where we are going. We recognise Kyoto was a first step and we recognise that much more needs to be done. We also recognise that those opposite had 11 years to deal with these issues and that they were part of the problem of climate change; they were not part of the solution. The difference is that this government is prepared to be part of the solution, as was indicated in the reports. The increase to 20 per cent of the renewable energy target will take out 20 million tonnes by 2020.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That’s just hot air!

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

I will take that interjection. He says ‘hot air’. On that side of the chamber you really are Kyoto critics, aren’t you, and climate change sceptics?

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

Senator Wong, please address your remarks to the chair.

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

They cannot help themselves, Mr President. Fundamentally, too many of them over there on the front bench—Senator Bernardi, Senator Minchin and others—simply do not believe that this is real. Climate change is real and finally the Australian people have a government which is prepared to take action on climate change. We recognise that this is a complex task. This is a whole-of-government responsibility and a range of policy measures across a range of portfolios will need to be put in place.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for another excruciating performance in relation to this issue. The only initiative she cited was the renewable energy target, which the minister will not legislate for until next year. So I ask the minister: what initiatives has the government put in place in its 109 days in government that actually contribute to this target? Will the minister acknowledge that in fact it was the previous government that put Australia on track to meet the Kyoto targets?

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

I can tell you that I absolutely acknowledge that on the other side they had 11 years to something on climate change.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Eleven and a half!

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

Sorry, 11½ years, and they did absolutely nothing. Out there in the international community and in the Australian community people know, Senator Birmingham, that the government, of which you were a part, did nothing on the issue of climate change over your 11½ years. The reality is that they are ‘Johnny-come-latelies’ or ‘Simon-come-latelies’ to this debate and they have absolutely no credibility on that side when it comes to climate change.