❓ Mr. Tallentire questions the Minister for Environment on climate change actions and declined invitations to climate change meetings. The Minister defends the government's approach, emphasizing national responsibility and state adaptation strategies.
AnsweredQoN 658Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CLIMATE CHANGE
658. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister
for Environment:
I refer to two recent ministerial
jurisdictional level climate change meetings focused on actions that can be
taken at the state and territory level that the minister was invited to but
declined to attend.
(1) During his
time as minister, what has been the Western Australian government's
greatest greenhouse gas emission reduction measure; and, as a percentage how
much has this measure reduced WA's emissions?
(2) Why did the
minister not accept the offer to be briefed by Christiana Figueres, executive
secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in
Adelaide on 4 May?
(3) Why did the
minister decline and fail to even send a WA government representative to meet
with former United States Vice-President Al Gore in Melbourne on 27 July?
658. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister
for Environment:
I refer to two recent ministerial
jurisdictional level climate change meetings focused on actions that can be
taken at the state and territory level that the minister was invited to but
declined to attend.
(1) During his
time as minister, what has been the Western Australian government's
greatest greenhouse gas emission reduction measure; and, as a percentage how
much has this measure reduced WA's emissions?
(2) Why did the
minister not accept the offer to be briefed by Christiana Figueres, executive
secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in
Adelaide on 4 May?
(3) Why did the
minister decline and fail to even send a WA government representative to meet
with former United States Vice-President Al Gore in Melbourne on 27 July?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) There
was also a trip to Paris in the offering in that one as well! I did turn down
the opportunity. I have never been to Paris; it would have been a nice one to
go and visit, I am sure. Member for Gosnells, at whose invitation was that
particular forum?
Mr C.J. Tallentire : The Al Gore
meeting?
Mr A.P. JACOB : No, the forum the member
is referring to—the two meetings —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire : The Christiana Figueres meeting? There were two, minister,
and you declined both! You were refusing to go to these meetings.
The SPEAKER : Sorry; just hold it. There
is a question, I want an answer; I do not want a debate.
Mr A.P. JACOB : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The instigation for these meetings
was this body that exists internationally and is made up of a range of
subnational sovereign states, if you will, from around the world. The only
member state at this stage in Australia that I am aware of is South Australia,
and indeed the South Australian minister has been quite passionate in his
advocacy of this role. I believe he has been to a number of these conferences
both domestically and internationally, and I wish him well in pursuing that.
However, this government's position in regards to the policy carve-up,
if you like, on climate change more generally is that the responsibility for
mitigation—given that climate change is a global challenge and even
Australia's emissions as a whole sit at less than two per cent of
global emissions—or any tackling of this issue needs to be done through
national governments, through recognised international bodies, and I support
the federal government in pursuing that. The state government has a very clear
role in climate change. This state government, under my predecessor, Minister
Marmion, released a climate change strategy that clearly maps out the adaption
responsibilities for the states over the coming decades and beyond. A range of
work is being done not only within the environment portfolio, which has
carriage of that policy, but also within the planning portfolio and the water
portfolio. There is an across-government —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire : I asked about your portfolio, minister! What are you
doing? You are refusing to answer.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Gosnells, I call you to order for the first time. Have
you finished that answer?
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Not quite. I wish to say that a range of actions are being
taken right across government, including a range of actions in direct response
from my own portfolio such as the low emissions energy development fund, which
has been administered through the Department of Environment Regulation and the
Minister for Energy.
was also a trip to Paris in the offering in that one as well! I did turn down
the opportunity. I have never been to Paris; it would have been a nice one to
go and visit, I am sure. Member for Gosnells, at whose invitation was that
particular forum?
Mr C.J. Tallentire : The Al Gore
meeting?
Mr A.P. JACOB : No, the forum the member
is referring to—the two meetings —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire : The Christiana Figueres meeting? There were two, minister,
and you declined both! You were refusing to go to these meetings.
The SPEAKER : Sorry; just hold it. There
is a question, I want an answer; I do not want a debate.
Mr A.P. JACOB : Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The instigation for these meetings
was this body that exists internationally and is made up of a range of
subnational sovereign states, if you will, from around the world. The only
member state at this stage in Australia that I am aware of is South Australia,
and indeed the South Australian minister has been quite passionate in his
advocacy of this role. I believe he has been to a number of these conferences
both domestically and internationally, and I wish him well in pursuing that.
However, this government's position in regards to the policy carve-up,
if you like, on climate change more generally is that the responsibility for
mitigation—given that climate change is a global challenge and even
Australia's emissions as a whole sit at less than two per cent of
global emissions—or any tackling of this issue needs to be done through
national governments, through recognised international bodies, and I support
the federal government in pursuing that. The state government has a very clear
role in climate change. This state government, under my predecessor, Minister
Marmion, released a climate change strategy that clearly maps out the adaption
responsibilities for the states over the coming decades and beyond. A range of
work is being done not only within the environment portfolio, which has
carriage of that policy, but also within the planning portfolio and the water
portfolio. There is an across-government —
Mr
C.J. Tallentire : I asked about your portfolio, minister! What are you
doing? You are refusing to answer.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Gosnells, I call you to order for the first time. Have
you finished that answer?
Mr
A.P. JACOB : Not quite. I wish to say that a range of actions are being
taken right across government, including a range of actions in direct response
from my own portfolio such as the low emissions energy development fund, which
has been administered through the Department of Environment Regulation and the
Minister for Energy.
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