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Kyoto Protocol

I rise on this historic day to also talk about the Kyoto protocol and my firm belief that the government must show some leadership and ratify the agreement. On a previous occasion when I addressed this matter in the House the member for McMillan responded by saying:

What a delightful address by the member for Adelaide. Her pure, idealistic approaches and processes have obviously come from the member for Grayndler.

I say to the member for McMillan that the member for Grayndler is certainly not alone in believing in this agreement. I believe in Kyoto; many in my electorate believe in Kyoto; and many in Australia share these views. In fact, considering that this agreement has been ratified by 140 countries plus the European Union, it is the Australian government's position which seems unusual. I would also say that, whilst I am sure most of us could be ridiculously patronising to each other if we chose, I believe we are elected here to perform a much more important function. This function is to serve our electorates and the long-term future of our nation, and I believe we can do this by encouraging the government to ratify this agreement.

On the day the Kyoto protocol comes into effect, as the world moves a step closer to achieving real outcomes on the issue of global warming, Australia is left out in the cold. We are distancing ourselves from the international effort to deal with climate change the only way it can be dealt with-globally. The government's refusal to ratify the Kyoto protocol is further evidence of its patchy record on the environment and on honouring commitments. The Prime Minister stated in 1997 that the Kyoto protocol is 'a massive contribution to the world environmental effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions but also to protect Australian jobs'. Why, then, is ratifying the Kyoto protocol such a bad idea? It isn't. The government has decided to refuse to engage with the world community, and by its doing so we are fast becoming an environmental pariah. This refusal to sign the protocol is in the face of a weight of scientific evidence.

Climate change is not a fanciful idea. It is a fact. What is even more bleak than the current situation is what scientists predict for the near future. One of the absurd reasons the government peddles for not signing Kyoto is that we are already meeting our emissions targets and therefore there is no need to bother with this protocol. If we are already on track to meet emissions targets, why not sign the Kyoto protocol and let Australia and its industries take advantage of the lucrative carbon trading scheme?
I was pleased to note the work of the South Australian government, who this morning announced that South Australia will be playing host to the Climate Change and Business: Australia-New Zealand Conference and Trade Expo in February 2006. It is expected that more than 400 delegates from around the world will attend the conference, which I am proud to say will be held in Adelaide. The conference and expo will focus on how business and industry can exploit the global demand for energy saving technology. This is yet another example of the holistic approach taken by state governments-the idea that economic and environmental concerns are not polar opposites but are intrinsically linked. This is something the current federal government fails to see.

Indeed, another argument put forward by the government for not ratifying the protocol is the cost to business. How can they say this when Australia is being locked out of the lucrative multibillion dollar a year international carbon credit trading scheme? Only this morning, on local ABC radio in Adelaide, Dr Peter Ellyard, futurist and strategist and former CEO of the department of environment, told of people he knew who have new innovations to drive sustainable energy production and who plan to move them to New Zealand. This is because New Zealand has ratified the Kyoto protocol, and so people developing initiatives for sustainable energy production can take advantage of carbon credit trading there.

Already companies have reported losing out on contracts due to the government's refusal to ratify the Kyoto protocol. This will only increase now that the protocol has come into force. If Australia had a clear and coherent greenhouse policy, if we gave our green industry a framework outlining our goals and expectations, industry would have the confidence to invest in new ventures. Without a clear framework, private sector investment in future power generation is stifled. The government must act now to provide some national leadership. Their inaction is preventing both further development and further investment in what should be a rapidly growing renewable energy industry.
Let us look at what has gone on in the world today. With the Kyoto protocol coming into effect, what has been established is a first step in a process to redress the harm caused by climate change-harm which touches almost every aspect of life. Whilst 140 governments around the world have acted together to protect the environment, our government, I am ashamed to say, has decided to stand out in the cold. In doing so, they have dragged out there with them Australian business.

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