Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Wong. Given the strong interest across the community in action on climate change, can the minister advise the Senate on which action is being proposed to tackle climate change? Could I also ask the minister to outline to the Senate how the Australian government came to the view that emissions trading is the best way for Australia to reduce the carbon pollution that is causing climate change? Can the minister also advise the Senate on when the Australian government came to the view that emissions trading was the best way for Australia to reduce the carbon pollution that is causing climate change?

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

Thank you again to Senator Crossin for yet another question on climate change and for her continued interest in this important issue. Senators would be aware that for most of their 11 years in office the Howard government denied that climate change was happening. But senators will probably remember that at the eleventh hour before the 2007 election John Howard had a late conversion. He said in February of that year, ‘There can be no argument that greenhouse gases are having an adverse impact on the Earth’s environment.’ Subsequently, that government commissioned the Shergold report, which recommended the commencement of emissions trading in 2011 or 2012, come what may—in the words of the now Leader of the Opposition. That report was endorsed and it became government policy.

Even more interestingly, if you look at this document I am holding—and those of us who ran in the last election might remember this light blue coalition government policy document for the 2007 election—and if you open to the executive summary, you see that one of the dot points, one of the commitments, of the Liberal Party and the National Party—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

I will come to that. One of the commitments of the Liberal Party and the National Party was to introduce:

• the world’s most comprehensive emissions trading scheme

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Oh! No-one told Senator Cash she was elected with a mandate to implement emissions trading. No-one told that to Senator Bernardi or Senator Minchin. Those opposite were elected with a mandate to—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! On both sides there should be order.

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

As I said, those opposite, whether it be Senators Cash, Bernardi or anyone else on that side of the chamber, were actually elected with a mandate to implement emissions trading. I wonder how many of those actually went and looked at the policy. (Time expired)

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note there has been some concern about Australia’s action in relation to the rest of the world on this issue. Given this concern, I ask: can the minister advise the Senate whether Australia is in fact leading the world in action on climate change? Given this concern, can the minister explain what government policy has been on waiting for a global response since 2007? Isn’t it in fact the case that government policy since 2007 has been not to wait until a final global agreement has been achieved? Isn’t it in fact the case that it has been the Australian government’s view since 2007 that investment in Australia was being threatened by a lack of certainty on a carbon price signal?

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

Senator Crossin is correct. The reality is that even John Howard endorsed moving on emissions trading before a truly global response emerged. I would invite those opposite to read the Shergold report, adopted and endorsed by your government, which said that waiting until a truly global response emerges before imposing an emissions cap will place costs on Australia by increasing business uncertainty and delaying or losing investment. To be fair to the rest of the coalition, I did want to make sure that Senators Joyce et al were aware that this was a coalition policy. In fact, there is a picture of a bloke called Mark Vaile on the front of the document as well.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order on both sides! Senator Macdonald, I will give you the call when there is order. As I always point out, you are entitled to be heard in silence. Order on my right!

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. Is it appropriate for the minister to be waving around bits of paper? If it is, I have one here which is an article by Mark Latham in which he says some very choice things about Labor ministers, and I would like to wave it around as well. I was just interested in your ruling, Mr President.

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

There is no point of order.

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

It is somewhat unusual for a political party to be so ashamed of their policy that they take a point of order on a minister reminding them of what they went with to the Australian people. All of you were elected with a mandate to put in place an emissions trading— (Time expired)

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note the minister’s diligent research in relation to this matter and the position of government policy since 2007. Of course, I note she has just reaffirmed that it has in fact been government policy to tackle climate change using emissions trading since before the 2007 election. I note there was no requirement for action on climate change to wait until the Copenhagen conference. Given that this is the case, when can we expect to see action on climate change and emissions trading implemented. Finally, can the minister advise the Senate of whether there are any threats to action on climate change?

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

We know the major threat to action on climate change is those opposite, who do not want to do what they said they would do at the last election, who do not want to implement the policies they took to the last election and, more extraordinarily, who do not want to implement John Howard’s policy. The extraordinary thing is that we see that under Malcolm Turnbull the Liberal Party today is actually less green than John Howard. That is the extraordinary reality. The opposition is preparing to actually take a position that is less green than John Howard. So let us ask them: is it the case that you really want to say to the Australian people, ‘We are going to junk what we took to the last election, we are going to junk what Mr Turnbull told everyone we would do and we are going to junk John Howard’s own legacy’, where he said that you would implement an emissions trading scheme? (Time expired)