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

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes the findings of Professor Brendan Mackey, Professor David Lindenmayer and Dr Heather Keith of the Australian National University that Victoria’s Eucalyptus regnans (mountain ash) forests are the most carbon dense on Earth; and

(b)

calls on the Government to inform the Senate by 24 June 2009:

(i)

whether the report has validity,

(ii)

what government measures are being taken or considered to protect Eucalyptus regnans forests in Australia that are currently targeted for logging,

(iii)

what area and volume of such forests are available for logging under current planning regimes, and

(iv)

whether ending native forest and woodland removal in Australia would reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10 to 20 per cent.

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

by leave—The government welcomes and will consider the recent Australian National University research on carbon storage in intact natural forests in south-eastern Australia. The government considers that native forests provide a valuable store for carbon as well as having many other values. They provide ecological services such as biodiversity and habitat and contribute to both the national economy and regional and local employment. The government is committed to domestic forest conservation through maintaining a robust system of regional forest agreements. The government reports on emissions from remaining forest land, including native forests converted into plantations, in its annual national inventory report, prepared in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The 2007 national inventory report is available at climatechange.gov.au. However, the government does not propose to discuss measures under consideration and therefore finds itself unable to support Senator Brown’s motion.

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

by leave—This is a question that the Senate may or may not support, and I think it would be unusual for it not to seek information genuinely required of a government in a year when we are headed to the Copenhagen conference, which is based upon information being available from countries about their greenhouse gas emissions. It has been widely put by scientists that the logging of native forests and woodlands in Australia contributes a phenomenal 20 per cent or so of greenhouse gas emissions from this country, which is one of the greatest polluters on the face of the planet. It is also a fact that the Prime Minister, Mr Rudd, made it clear during the last election campaign that he is, in his own words, 100 per cent behind the logging regime which was brought into place by Prime Minister Howard and, in the case of Tasmania, the then Premier, Paul Lennon, and in the case of Victoria the governments of the late nineties and this decade.

This is simply a question that asks the government to give the Senate information about the logging of which it is so proud so far as greenhouse gas emissions are concerned. It is a very clear question. The information ought to be forthcoming from the Senate. Indeed, were it not available to the Senate, it would indicate that this government is proceeding with studied ignorance about its own policy implementation which is causing a massive amount—in fact, 100 million tonnes plus—of greenhouse gases to unnecessarily pollute the global atmosphere in an age of potential catastrophic climate change.

Question agreed to.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I ask that the record show that the government opposed the motion, but we have not called a division, recognising that with the support of the coalition the Greens have the numbers for the motion.