Ms
TIERNEY (Western Victoria) — My question is to the Minister for Environment
and Climate Change, Gavin Jennings. Can the minister inform the house how the
Brumby Labor government is taking action to address the potential risk of rising
sea levels as a result of climate change?
Mr
JENNINGS (Minister for Environment and Climate Change) — I thank Ms Tierney for the
opportunity to talk about the important work the Victorian government has
commissioned to make sure that we can acquit for climate change scenarios into
the future, and particularly what impacts climate change may have on the
Victorian coastline, where climate change scenarios suggest it may lead to a
change in sea levels, which may rise and put additional pressures on our coastal
areas.
We as a government committed $13.5 million through the Future
Coasts program to try to make sure that we can undertake this work.
Honourable members interjecting.
Mr JENNINGS — A number of people on my side of the chamber are
drawing attention to the fact that the other side — —
Honourable members interjecting.
The PRESIDENT — Order! I would like to hear what the minister
is saying.
Mr Finn — I don’t know why.
Mr JENNINGS — Mr Finn says he does not know why you would like
to hear, President. I think that is a pretty telling remark. I think climate
change has caused a great degree of grief to opposition members, as many of them
choose to live in denial, choose not to want to debate climate change and try
not to mention the phrase ‘climate change’. It is not surprising that they go
into a deep, dark burrow to try to escape scrutiny of their views on these
matters.
Earlier today in the other place the government of Victoria
moved a motion to try to remind the Parliament of the importance of climate
change. It was pretty clear that this created a great degree of conflict and
difficulty for the opposition — as indeed is being demonstrated now by bitter
resistance. There is a bit of pushback coming from members on the other side of
the chamber in relation to this very uncomfortable subject for them. A lot of
squirming went on in the other chamber, too, as the Leader of the Opposition was called upon to stand up and say whether he
accepted the science or not.
President, I am sure you would be keen to know that the Leader
of the Opposition came out of the closet today. He indicated in the other
chamber that he understands and appreciates the science and believes that
climate change exists and that human activity has been associated with it. That
is a big day for the opposition in the state of Victoria! Obviously a degree of
squirming and a bit of agitation might be evident among opposition members in
relation to this, but there is nobody on the opposition side in Victoria who
sinks the slipper in like the federal member for Fisher, Peter Slipper, who
lived up to his name! By sinking it into his leader, Malcolm Turnbull, he has
finally found a reason to be named Peter Slipper. He sank it in today; there is
no doubt about it. He described — —
Honourable members interjecting.
Mr D. Davis — On a point of order, President, I think the
minister has strayed a little from the question. Discussing individuals in the
federal Parliament is perhaps beyond the parameters of the question, and the
minister should come back to answering the question.
The PRESIDENT — Order! On the point of order, perhaps he is;
and the minister may take note of that.
Mr JENNINGS — Thank you, President. I give you a guarantee
that I will never describe Malcolm Turnbull as Robert Mugabe. I will never do
that, but some people have done it.
What I want to remind the house of is that the Victorian
government has acted in collaboration with the commonwealth government because
we believe climate change is placing pressure on the wellbeing of our
environment in the global community.
We are acting in accordance with that. We support the CPRS
(carbon pollution reduction scheme). We have urged the federal Parliament to
pass a bill to establish emission trading schemes. We are working in
collaboration with the commonwealth to deal with climate change scenarios as
they may affect coastal pressures.
The work we have done with Future Coasts, through the provision
of $13.5 million, has mapped the entire Victorian coastline on a 3D projection
of the topography of both the land side and the marine side; we can then use
CSIRO modelling to see what sea level changes there may be in terms of coastal
pressures into the future. We can model various scenarios over the next hundred
years at a variety of intervals to provide advice to our community so people are
able to deal with these pressures and make wise decisions about the assets they
build on the coast and the way they access the coast. We will support the
community in making wise decisions into the future.
We believe it is incumbent upon governments and political
parties to participate in that process. We are glad that the federal government
has that bill before the Parliament. We reckon it is pretty interesting that
there has been great turmoil on the opposition side of the fence in federal
Parliament in relation to this matter. There is one good thing that I can report
in terms of the federal opposition’s contribution to trying to mitigate sea
level rise, and that is the contribution of federal member for Menzies, Kevin
Andrews, a man who has come out in the name of knocking off his leader, Malcolm
Turnbull.
Honourable members interjecting.
Mr Drum — On a point of order, President, the minister has now
moved away from the subject to the extent where he is criticising a member of
the opposition in the federal Parliament. This is too far away from the question
that was asked of him.
The PRESIDENT — Order! There is some credibility in Mr Drum’s
point of order. But I just remind the house that there are lots of comments
coming from over there with regard to the performance of the federal Minister
for Resources and Energy, Mr Ferguson, and the minister has some licence to
respond to those, what some could describe as unruly, interjections. The mood of
the house is such that there is a little bit of leeway given on this one. I
think most people, including me, are actually enjoying the bit of repartee that
is going on, but I ask the minister to get back to the subject.
Mr JENNINGS — President, I will be finished in about 20
seconds. The last point is that a lot of people worry about icecaps melting and
contributing to the rise of the sea level.
Mr Guy — Sixteen, 15, 14 — —
The PRESIDENT — Order! Mr Guy! Any more from Mr Guy and he
will have an early lunch.
Mr JENNINGS — Icecaps, sea level rising — Kevin Andrews will
never let the ice in his heart melt and contribute to the sea level rising.