Dr WOODRUFF question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
The National Climate Risk Assessment report is out. It paints an alarming picture of the future for Tasmania. We are the most hazard-prone state in the country, on a par with northern Queensland and northern Western Australia. Our Tasmanian climate risk assessment came out late last year, also sounding the alarm about community safety being threatened by heat, drought, fire, flood, sea level rise, coastal inundation and food insecurity. This assessment calls for rapid adaptation, planning and investment. In your government’s response. you did not commit to a single recommendation, and last night in the other place your members voted against strengthening the Climate Change (State Action) Act 2008. Premier, do you understand the seriousness of what our children and grandchildren are confronting, or are you too busy pulling every dodgy lever to deliver a multibillion-dollar stadium that will bankrupt them just when they need the money most to invest in climate adaptation?
The SPEAKER – The honourable member’s time for asking the question has expired.
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the honourable member for the question. It was a pretty long bow right at the end, though, with the stadium matter that you brought up. We were the first Australian jurisdiction to achieve net zero emissions, which has been maintained, as I understand it, for the last nine years. Tasmania’s latest net emissions performance for 2020-23 was ‑4.93 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is a 125.2 per cent decrease from the 1990 baseline level of 19.54 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The Climate Change (State Action) Act 2008, which was referenced in your question, sets the Tasmanian government’s legislative framework for action on climate change. Key deliverables under the legislation include Tasmania’s Climate Change Action Plan, six sectoral emissions reduction and resilience plans and statewide climate change risk assessment as well. We are committed to working together to address complex issues around our environment and I look forward to that.
I am aware of the release of the Australian Government’s first National Climate Risk Assessment, along with the first national adaptation plan. This information is valuable as it provides an objective basis for decision making and helps government, industry and communities take action. I am aware of an ABC article, in fact, about Anna and Jack, who have moved here based on our climate, which is a good message to sell and be proud of in terms of Tasmania as a place where we will have climate change refugees coming to Tasmania to live.
Dr Woodruff – Didn’t you hear what I just said? We’re the most hazard-prone state in the country.
The SPEAKER – Dr Woodruff.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Which is why it’s very pleasing and why we need to continually improve in matters, which we’ve been doing, as demonstrated by the 125.2 per cent decrease when it comes to the 1990 baseline level of megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, so we are making inroads. You have a view on these matters and I am happy to listen to your views, but we have done very well as a state and we need to continuously improve as our climate continues to change and our all our industries, particularly when it comes to our agricultural industries and the climate variability we are experiencing.
The SPEAKER – The honourable Premier’s time for answering the question has expired.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Dr WOODRUFF – A supplementary question, Speaker?
The SPEAKER – I will hear the supplementary question.
Dr WOODRUFF – Back to the question I asked – does the Premier understand the seriousness of what our children and grandchildren are confronting?
The SPEAKER – Honourable Premier.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I recognise the importance of, as I say, working with climate variability, as all our agriculturalists and those in horticulture and other industries are well and truly doing. There’s microclimate changes within certain farming properties, for example, and you’ve got farmers having microclimate monitors on different locations in their farms as well. We also have to be mindful of larger challenges – as I know minister Ellis has said a number of times – in that we’re going have more floods, more fires, and we need to ensure that not only our SES is prepared for that, but also our infrastructure and other resources and any other ways that we can sensibly, that will make a difference, mitigate against that for the better.
The SPEAKER – The Premier’s time for answering the question has expired.
