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

I note the motion that the Senate take note of the correction of the CSIRO's report for 2011—and the actual report is document 6. I want to briefly again refer to that report for the current financial year.

It is, of course, a report that is written in the usual professional publication style. The CSIRO over many years have done a lot of good work, of which they should be proud. However, I would hope that the CSIRO, as a supposedly independent research organisation, might just take note of the fact that many people in the scientific community, many people in government and many people in universities are starting to question the very high reputation that the CSIRO once had for research in Australia. There is an underlying tone, which I hope the CSIRO is aware of, that some elements of the CSIRO are almost 'guns for hire'. If the government of the day has a fixation on climate change, and a certain view on climate change, it does seem to some university academics who have spoken to me as recently as the last 10 days that the CSIRO has sold its soul to the government of the day in relation to scientific research.

The CSIRO now seems to be principally funded for climate change—and, as an aside, so does the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Senator McLucas happened to officiate at the AIMS 40th anniversary recently—and she muffed her lines, even though she was reading her speech. She could not bring herself to recognise the other politicians there—not that I need to be recognised; I was recognised by more important people. It was interesting, though, that there were five LNP politicians at this 40th anniversary. But how many Labor politicians were there? Not one, apart from Senator McLucas. You just cannot believe it. A couple of the more prominent speakers there were kind enough to recognise me. But isn't that strange, isn't that petty.

Getting back to the CSIRO, it seems to be the situation that the government of the day wants to talk about climate change and wants a certain view of climate change. There are people saying that the CSIRO is selling its scientific soul. The UK Met Office has now said, I think uncontested, that there has been no global warming, that global warming has stalled for 17 years.

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not what AIMS says.

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

That is interesting. But I think you would acknowledge that the UK Met Office does say that. No less than the head of the United Nations commission on climate change, in Australia recently, was quoted as saying that those who accuse anyone who does not agree with the government line as being deniers, or worse, should not be attributed to him—even the guy in charge of the UN climate change commission says it needs debate. What he and the UK Met Office are saying is that it is not as clear a scientific outcome as the Labor government and some of the CSIRO research would have you believe. I just mention that in passing while talking on the CSIRO report, and hope they might take some notice.

Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! We will now proceed to the consideration of committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General's reports. There are a number of committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General's reports listed for consideration on today's Notice Paper. To expedite the consideration of them I propose, with the concurrence of senators, to call on these in groups. The documents to which no Senator rises will be taken to be discharged from the Notice Paper. Committee reports, government responses and Auditor-General's reports not called on today will remain on the Notice Paper. There being no objection, it is so ordered.

Debate adjourned.