Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. Can the minister update the Senate on the public submission process for the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and any recent developments that could undermine Australia’s capacity to tackle climate change?

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

Thank you to Senator Lundy for her question. Mr President, as you know, the Rudd government is delivering a comprehensive response to the challenge of climate change, a challenge that unfortunately was ignored for too many years by those opposite. We are doing this because we recognise the need to act now. It is the responsible thing to do—the responsible thing for our children and to protect the economy and the responsible thing for the nation’s future.

Since releasing the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme green paper in July of this year, over 900 submissions have been received as part of the public submission process. Those submissions came from a broad cross-section of the Australian community, from households to big business. We will continue as a government to work with the community on the design of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. I am very pleased to advise the Senate that there is very broad support through these submissions for taking action on climate change. The fact is Australian households and businesses want action on climate change.

Unfortunately, those opposite and their colleagues in the other place appear to remain out of step with the rest of the nation. I am sure that most Australians would have thought and would have hoped that the election of a new opposition leader would mean that the opposition would turn over a new leaf when it came to climate change and that this would be an opportunity to finally put their legacy of neglect and of scepticism to bed. But it appears that the more things change the more they stay the same. Instead of decreasing the influence of the climate change sceptics who infect those opposite, what we see is that the Leader of the Opposition has promoted them.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! This is not multiple question time; it is question time, where a question is asked of the minister and the minister responds. Having multiple questions and debate across the chamber does not advance the purpose of question time one iota.

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

As I was saying, instead of decreasing the influence of the climate change sceptics, the new Leader of the Opposition has promoted them. Yesterday, he appointed the member for Goldstein to a new role determining the opposition’s policy on emissions trading, which is central to the response to climate change. This is the same member for Goldstein who, according to the Financial Review Magazine, thinks that climate change is lies, lies and damned statistics. This is the same member for Goldstein who thinks that climate change is just a leftie fad—that, after the fall of communism, it has become a cause celebre for the left. This is the same member for Goldstein who says of action to reduce carbon pollution:

It bothers me that the world could be spending serious resources on what we think might be causing it.

If there were any doubt that the climate change sceptics in the opposition are now in charge of climate change policy for the opposition, all you need to do is look in this chamber at who is representing the member for Goldstein—it is the notorious climate change sceptic Senator Minchin, who we know does not believe that climate change is real.

The opposition leader wants to be taken seriously on climate change. If he is going to be up to the challenge of tackling climate change, he is going to have to do better when it comes to tackling the climate change sceptics, who ensured that the previous government did nothing on this key issue in all their years of government and ensured that this country did nothing for 12 years. They are the same people who ensured that the Howard government failed the task and failed in the responsibility of preparing this country for its future challenges. Senator Minchin, the member for Goldstein—these people who believe that climate change— (Time expired)

Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a supplementary question for Minister Wong. Can the minister further outline to the Senate the government’s plans for tackling climate change through the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme?

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

As the Senate would be aware, this government is determined to tackle climate change and we are determined to introduce a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. We understand that Australians want action on climate change and they want it now. The Leader of the Opposition used to say he wanted the most comprehensive emissions trading scheme in the world. If that is the case, it is time for the Leader of the Opposition to stop pandering to the climate change sceptics in his own party. It is time for the opposition to do better. It is a great shame that the Leader of the Opposition has gone against his better judgement and promoted the climate change sceptics. It is time for him to stop pandering to them. It is time for the Leader of the Opposition to support action on climate change and to support a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. He knows it is the right thing to do.