Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Cormann. Minister, this weekend my constituents in Victoria are faced with an abysmal choice when it comes to electing a government which will save the Victorian animal emblem, the Leadbeater's possum, from extinction. The current Victorian government continues to subsidise clear-fell logging of its habitat and has allowed the loggers to dominate the development of its so-called 'action plan' to save the possum—indeed, it has required ongoing logging as part of the plan. The alternative government yesterday quietly released an environment policy which has been summarised by a leading scientist as 'about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike'. Given the lack of political will from both the government and the opposition in Victoria, will the minister explain to Victorians what this government will do to prevent the Leadbeater's possum from going extinct?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Rice for that question. Let me reassure Senator Rice: we on this side of the chamber love the possum. Indeed, as Senator Fifield has just told me, the possum is the state emblem of Victoria and, if Denis Napthine is returned as Premier of Victoria this Saturday, the Victorian possum will be safe. We on this side of the chamber, like Premier Napthine, also believe in building a stronger, more prosperous economy where people can get ahead. We believe in building a stronger, more prosperous economy in a way that is environmentally responsible. The state government in Victoria—the outstanding Liberal-National Party state government—has done an outstanding job in taking Victoria forward, and we strongly commend to the people of Victoria on Saturday: vote for Denis Napthine and his team.

I am always very interested when I am asked questions by the Greens on environmental matters, because we now know that the Greens are in favour of coal instead of hydro—

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order: my question was: what will this government do to protect the Leadbeater's possum from going extinct?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I remind you of the question. You have been relevant to this point. You have 37 seconds left.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My message to the people of Victoria is that the best thing they can do for the future of the possum is to re-elect the Napthine government on Saturday. Even more importantly, the best thing they can do for the future of the people of the great state of Victoria is to re-elect the Napthine Liberal-National Party government. The Greens have no credibility when it comes to environmental matters. The Greens are led by a senator, Senator Milne, who is pushing for regular reductions in the cost of fuel. She is pushing for a windfall gain for big oil. The current leader of the Greens— (Time expired)

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, you state that you love the possum and that the Victorian possums will be safe. This is based on the government's Leadbeater's possum action plan, which has received emphatic criticism from the scientific community and remains overshadowed by the continued clear-fell logging of the species' habitats. Successive state governments remain unwilling to stop logging, so what is this government going to do and how can it justify handing over environmental protection to the states?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is this government going to do? This government is going to continue to work closely with the Napthine-led Liberal-National Party government in order to advance the best interests of the people of Victoria, and the possums will be part of that. I am sure that the government in Victoria will do everything they can to ensure that the Leadbeater's possum will be safe into the future but, more importantly, I am confident that the Liberal-National government in Victoria will continue to do everything they can to advance the best interests of the state of Victoria and to build a stronger, more prosperous economy in Victoria so that everyone has got the best opportunity to get ahead. And they will do so, as they have over the last four years, in a way that is environmentally responsible and environmentally sustainable.

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer the minister to the speech by the Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, in October, where he stated that he set a goal of ending the loss of mammal species by 2020. In this speech he also foreshadowed a new initiative to help the endangered Leadbeater's possum. Given that it is likely that next month, despite the actions of your government, the species will be re-listed as critically endangered, can the minister outline what exactly this initiative is and how soon it will be implemented?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Hunt, of course, is himself from the great state of Victoria; and, like all of those on this side of the chamber, Minister Hunt loves possums too. What I would say to the Senate is that, if possums had the vote, I think possums across Victoria would be going to prepoll stations today in order to vote for Minister Hunt! I say to Senator Rice I do not believe the possums of Victoria have been persuaded by your pamphlets to go into the prepolling stations of Victoria, but I do hope the people of Victoria have been persuaded by the very strong arguments put forward by Premier Napthine and his team, and that is that we need in Victoria is a return of the Napthine Liberal-National government because that is in the best interest of the great people of Victoria.