Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water. I ask: is it a fact that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says developed countries should reduce emissions by between 25 and 40 per cent? Will that be a basis of negotiations in Poznan? And will the minister be announcing Australia’s 2020 target for emissions reduction crucial to the emissions trading scheme before, during or after her visit to Poznan?

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

First, in relation to the 25 to 40 per cent issue, Senator Brown, you and I have had a discussion; you have asked me a question about this issue previously. That is one of the scenarios in one of the—from memory—working group annexes to the IPCC report. So it is one of the propositions that scientists have put as a basis for burden sharing in order to achieve various parts per million targets—550, 450 et cetera. They are, from some developing countries’ perspectives, one of the issues that they have placed on the table.

Can I say—and this is a very important issue—that the issue of how to best allocate reductions in emissions across countries around the globe is really at the crux of the international negotiations. And these negotiations have been made even more difficult on that front by the sort of development that we have seen in recent years, as the senator would be aware, in Professor Garnaut’s report. In his final report there is quite a graphic illustration of the effect of the increase to mid-century of major developing economies continuing to develop. So one of the key issues in the negotiations, Senator Brown, will be: what are developed countries prepared to do? And what are, to use the negotiating terms, the deviations from ‘business as usual’ measures that developing countries are prepared to engage in? So a lot of what was discussed in the context of Bali, and is discussed in the context of those two paragraphs of the Bali roadmap, which I know Senator Brown is familiar with, is essentially— (Time expired)

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I will try again. The minister says the key issue is: what are developed countries to do? My question is: what is this developed country to do, Minister? And will you be announcing the 2020 target for Australia before you go to Poznan in a couple of weeks, while you are at those international discussions in Poznan or after Poznan in the run to Christmas?

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

Senator Brown, you asked me: what is this developed country to do? This developed country, under this government, has ratified the Kyoto protocol and has put out—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Those opposite want to interrupt on this issue. We know they are the ones who do not want any action taken on climate change. The government has put out a very comprehensive proposition for a Carbon—

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. There is just a one-minute question and answer here, but my question was: what is this developed country to do in terms of its target for 2020? The question was not wider than that, and the minister knows that.

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

There is no point of order. Senator Wong, I draw your attention to the fact that you have 35 seconds in which to answer the question.

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

I simply make the point on the question of what this developed country is to do that we are going to implement an effective Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, because we understand that reducing those emissions is a key part not only of preparing Australia for the future—not only a key economic challenge for the present and for the future but also critical to these international negotiations. In terms of targets, the senator knows we have been very clear that we will announce our targets in December, next month— (Time expired)

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. We have narrowed it to December. My supplementary question is: will the minister announce the target for 2020 before she goes to the international conference in Poznan?

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

The government has not announced the date on which it will make that announcement, Senator Brown.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asking you now.

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

You can ask me the question, Senator Brown, but accountability in question time does not mean that the government indicates prior to making a decision what its position is. The government has not yet announced that. But I will be clear about this—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Order! Senator Wong, resume your seat.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

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

I will take the interjection about ‘blinkers’, because that really applies to you, Senator Bernardi—and to Senator Minchin, and to all those on that side who do not want to believe that climate change is real. I say something to the Greens: whatever your criticisms of us, those on the other side represent the greatest threat to this country taking action on climate change, and Senator Brown knows that.