Page 1753 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
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MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, Mr Hanson—
Mr Hanson: My understanding was that your ruling was different somewhat to my interpretation. I wanted to make that point. I think I am entitled to do so without snide replies from the chair.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, all I am saying is that I did say three times that I will come back after I have reviewed the Hansard. Okay? I have said it three times. Mr Corbell.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (5.25): Climate change and the issue of how to best address climate change is undoubtedly one of the most complex and important policy challenges of our time. Professor Ross Garnaut has described climate change as a diabolical policy problem, more difficult than any other issue that has come before us in living memory.
Climate change requires an increased level of sophistication in our understanding of science and economics and the natural world itself. We need to act in the face of predicted negative consequences. We need to act for the longer term rather than just the immediate. We need to consider equity across borders, generations and households. We need to value our natural environment, its richness and biodiversity and the services it provides on which all human health and prosperity depends.
Climate change is expected to affect the ACT region by making it drier and hotter and increasing the incidence of extreme weather conditions, both severe drought and severe flood and storm activities. Recent analysis from the CSIRO and the Australian government’s Climate Commission indicates that climate change will result in lower than average, less evenly distributed and less predictable rainfall, meaning drier overall conditions but also increased flash flooding.
In recent decades there has been a general trend towards decreased late autumn and winter rainfall across southern Australia. The record spring and summer rainfalls experienced in south-eastern Australia during this period are considered to be consistent with scientists’ knowledge and understanding of how the climate is changing in the long term—that is, it is becoming more severe, less consistent and with less frequent rainfall.
Canberrans are awake to the challenge of climate change and the small but important role we as a community can play. Through time to talk Canberra 2030, climate change was recognised as an issue in which a high proportion of Canberrans were deeply interested. The Stern report and Garnaut’s report in Australia concluded that it was significantly cheaper to act and pay now to reduce the impact of climate change than it would be to pay for the consequences of dangerous warming in the future.
The opposition can deny that if they will, but it is unequivocal that the financial, societal and environmental costs will be lower if action is taken earlier. Failure to act now in response to climate challenges means higher future costs, including higher
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