Claire Moore (Queensland, 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 outline to the Senate some of the key factors in the development of climate policy in Australia?

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

I thank Senator Moore for the question and for her continued interest in the issue of climate change. Whilst the debate on the issue of climate change might be coming to a head in this parliament in this fortnight, it is worth remembering that this has been going on for many years both in Australia and overseas. It is in fact over a decade since the Australian government and the then Prime Minister, Mr Howard, received its first report on emissions trading, and it is over two years since Prime Minister Howard embraced emissions trading and committed the Liberal Party to introducing emissions trading. In fact, the Liberal Party made that decision after the release of the Task Group on Emissions Trading report, which was prepared by the former head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Peter Shergold. Dr Shergold recently explained the decision like this:

There were discussions with the PM. There were discussions with cabinet. There was a ceremony in which I handed over the report to the prime minister.

           …         …         …

The key message was go soon because the longer you delayed, the higher the cost you imposed upon yourself and the greater the investment uncertainty.

One wonders where Senator Minchin might have been when that ceremony was occurring. One wonders where Senator Minchin might have—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Calling across the chamber on both sides is disorderly. When there is silence, we will proceed.

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

One wonders whether Senator Minchin was in the cabinet when these issues were discussed, because it is interesting to remind those opposite that in fact this was adopted as coalition policy prior to the last election. So any Liberal senator elected at the last election was elected on a platform which included this promise, drafted I understand by Mr Turnbull: a re-elected coalition government will establish the world’s most comprehensive emissions trading scheme in Australia, commencing no later than 2012. (Time expired)

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister outline to the Senate whether there are any more recent developments in the domestic climate change debate that should now be considered?

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

Through you, Mr President, I politely suggest to those opposite that perhaps the recent intervention by former Prime Minister Howard would be something they should remember. Of course, Prime Minister Howard was a hero of many of those opposite, notably amongst them being Senator Bernardi. In fact, Senator Bernardi has said John Howard has been an extraordinary leader for this country, or perhaps that was Senator Minchin—I have difficulty sometimes discerning which words come from which of them. They seem to avoid being reminded not only of Mr Howard’s promise but also of Mr Howard’s recent public statement in relation to the emissions trading scheme in which he said, ‘What Mr Rudd is proposing is not all that different from what I took to the last election.’ So you have it from the Liberal Party hero, the greatest Prime Minister according to many of those opposite, who himself endorsed the concept of an emissions trading scheme; yet those opposite seem unable to deliver on that. (Time expired)

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister outline to the Senate what emerging issues there are in the debate on climate change? What advice does the minister offer on how Australia should proceed on climate change?

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

Very clearly, what Australia should do is what both major political parties promised prior to the last election—that is, introduce a limit on the amount of carbon we put into the atmosphere. I simply remind the Senate of what used to be a bipartisan view: the longer we delay as a nation, the higher cost we impose upon ourselves. I remind the Senate that these are not my words; these are the words of Dr Shergold. They are the words that those opposite used to frame their political promise, John Howard’s political promise, to the Australian people. We are negotiating in good faith with the opposition on climate change policy. We will continue to do that. There are some worrying signs from those in this place who simply do not wish to acknowledge the science and wish to continue to play procedural games even in the face of a policy consistent with— (Time expired)