Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators McAllister and Pratt, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) climate change is a significant threat to our economy, natural environment, farming communities and national security,

  (ii) Australia's annual emissions have been rising in recent years,

  (iii) as a global problem, the solution to climate change requires concerted international cooperation to limit the production of greenhouse gasses,

  (iv) as the only global agreement designed to address climate change, the Paris accords must play a central role in addressing climate change,

  (v) the Paris accords require signatory countries to deliver actions consistent with keeping the global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1 degrees celsius,

  (vi) based on the latest scientific advice, the world is currently on track for warming of above 3 degrees, and efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions need to be strengthened to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts, and

  (vii) as a result of the threat posed by climate change, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Portugal, Argentina and the Republic of Ireland have declared a climate emergency; and

(b) affirms that:

  (i) Australia remains committed to delivering on its obligations under the Paris accords,

  (ii) failing to meet the goals of the Paris accords would have unprecedented and devastating environmental, economic, societal and health impacts for Australia, and

  (iii) the threat posed by climate change on the future prosperity and security of Australia and the globe constitutes a climate change emergency.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is taking real and meaningful action to reduce Australia's impact on the environment. The government is on track to meet and beat our 2020 target, and we have a strong plan to achieve our 2030 target. Labor is desperately trying to score cheap political points by declaring a climate emergency, yet it refuses to commit to a single climate policy it took to the election. This shows what an empty gesture Labor's declaration is, intended to cover for their total absence of policy. Labor's hollow symbolism will not deliver a single tonne of emissions reduction.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Labor Party received a thumping from regional Queenslanders at the last federal election. It came as quite the shock to Labor that coal and mining workers were unwilling to sacrifice their jobs and their community to virtue-signalling to the United Nations about climate change. Since the election, Labor powerbrokers have been claiming that they have listened and learnt their lesson from the election. But today we see that Labor are trying to out-green the socialist Greens on pointless climate motions. Labor needs to decide if they would truly support the coal and mining workers by rejecting the claim that CO2 can affect the global climate or follow the socialist Greens down the garden path and play with the carbon dioxide fairies. One Nation is very pleased to see that Labor did, in fact, not learn from their election defeat, as this will only increase our vote at the next election as coal and mining workers put their support behind the only party who puts their jobs and Australia first, One Nation.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move an amendment to general business notice of motion No. 193.

Leave granted.

I move the amendment in my name:

(1) After paragraph (b), add paragraph (c):

  (c) declares an environment and climate emergency.

I seek leave to make a very short statement.

Leave not granted.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Di Natale, an amendment to general business notice of motion No. 193, be agreed to.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll now move back to the original motion. The question is that general business notice of motion No. 193, standing in the names of Senators McAllister and Pratt, be agreed to.