Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 353, standing in my name for today, relating to updating the figures of hectares burnt and the lives lost over summer.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

(1) That the Senate notes—

  (a) the Bureau of Meteorology's (the Bureau) 2019-20 severe weather outlook has indicated that 'this summer there's a higher chance of extreme heat developing across our inland with soils so dry and an outlook for clearer skies';

  (b) the Bureau has declared that the Murray-Darling Basin is experiencing the most severe drought conditions in 120 years of records;

  (c) at the end of the 2019 sittings, more than 2 million hectares had been burnt by bushfires in New South Wales (NSW) since 1 July, including more than 10% of the area covered by NSW's national parks and reserves;

  (d) at the end of the 2019 sittings, more than 170,000 hectares had been lost in Queensland since the start of the bushfire season and more than 50 bushfires continued to burn across the state; and

  (e) by the start of the 2020 sittings, the bushfire season has resulted in:

     (i) at least 33 lives lost,

     (ii) 18 million hectares of land burned across all States and Territories,

     (iii) more than 3,000 homes destroyed, and

     (iv) more than 1 billion animals killed.

(2) That the State of the Climate 2018 report, authored by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology, indicates that, as the climate crisis continues, Australia will see:

  (a) a further increase in temperatures, with more extremely hot days and fewer extremely cool days;

  (b) a decrease in cool-season rainfall across many regions of southern Australia, with more time spent in drought; and

  (c) an increase in the number of high fire weather danger days and a longer fire season for southern and eastern Australia.

(3) That—

  (a) we are in a climate emergency;

  (b) the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is the major global contributor to the climate crisis; and

  (c) this summer, more Australian lives are at risk from extreme heatwaves, bushfires and drought as a result.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor will be supporting this motion out of respect to bushfire victims. We do regret, though, the political tone of the motion and the lack of support Labor has received in the past from the Greens for our efforts to implement meaningful policy on climate change. We also reject attempts to direct blame towards resource-sector workers. Taking sustainable and effective action on climate change requires the development of policy which also preserves and grows Australian jobs. This is something that the Greens seem not to understand.

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

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (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

One Nation is opposing this. No. 1: arbitrary statements about weather are not indicative of climate. Forecasts of weather are not reliable. On 11 December BOM's forecast told ministers: 'No rain until April.' Today up to 500 millimetres of rain could fall in Queensland over the next 24 hours: 'Australia's east experiences heaviest February rain in 20 years.' No. 2: I've read this State of the Climate 2018 report, to which Senator Waters refers. It contains no evidence of anything unusual. There is no climate crisis mentioned, much less evidenced. No. 3: there is no climate emergency. Science requires solid, empirical data in a logical scientific framework that proves cause and effect. It's now day 149 since I challenged Senator Waters to provide the empirical data and logic proving human carbon dioxide affects climate and needs to be cut. Senator Waters has run from my invitations to debate her on climate. The first was 10 years ago.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion No. 353, as amended, be agreed to.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have three matters left, senators, and I will be ringing the bells for one minute.