Dr WOODRUFF – Premier, you just talked about some of the government’s climate actions to respond to floods, fires and storms. Do you support the target of net zero?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Are you serious?
Dr WOODRUFF – Just for the record because your federal colleagues don’t.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Oh well, surprise, surprise. Yes, I do.
Dr WOODRUFF – Thank you. That’s good, especially as you said last week in parliament, that’s right. Will you condemn your federal colleagues for their position that they’re taking?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Dr Woodruff, I’m going to leave the show that is playing out amongst the Coalition to the Coalition, federally. Can I say, they need to look to Tasmania as a great example of what we’ve been able to achieve over many generations, over successive governments of all colours, and, most importantly, the hard work, ingenuity, innovation, grit and determination of those who built our hydro‑industrialisation schemes and, indeed, windfarms – commencing in the early 2000s probably, with Woolnorth – and other renewable energy opportunities as well, including Marinus.
Dr WOODRUFF – You can say that, but you are also denying the reality at times when it suits you and playing that to that radical right of the Liberal Party because you mocked me in Question Time last week.
Mr ROCKLIFF – When have I ever done that?
Dr WOODRUFF – When I asked you a question about the National Climate Risk Assessment’s analysis for Tasmania, which is that we face a severe disastrous threat, you called that Armageddon, but you’ve just talked about fires.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I didn’t. I would never –
Dr WOODRUFF – You are mocking people who are talking about the reality of climate change. Will you condemn your federal colleagues and actually come on board and stop mocking serious conversations about the risk that we face as a state.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Dr Woodruff, I would never mock you.
Dr WOODRUFF – Well, you just did last week. I mean, I don’t care. I don’t take it personally.
Mr ROCKLIFF – You seem to be caring.
Dr WOODRUFF – No, I’m representing people who are worried about their future.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Yes, okay. I was really just saying that we need to have just a very sensible conversation. You know some of the language sometimes you use is sort of Armageddonish and –
Dr WOODRUFF – I only talked about the national and state climate risk assessments, that’s not going too far. People go a lot further. We’re just trying to get the reality into the actions, the fact that you don’t have targets for industries and you don’t have an adaptation strategy for people in Tasmania. What you presented is good, but there’s no support for local councils who are left on their own to manage climate‑change adaptation risks.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Okay, well if you have some ideas – I’m open to ideas about supporting local government. I believe there has been some work there, but I stand to be corrected.
There is strong, multi-partisan support for net zero in Tasmania and we will probably go further in terms of our support for windfarm developments and Marinus and the like. I have to say that in 2017 when the federal Coalition government, with the Tasmanian government, started the whole Marinus conversation – I’m very pleased with that starting. I’m also very pleased with the work we’ve been able to achieve with the federal Labor government, with Chris Bowen and Anthony Albanese, the PM, and the like. We’re all united on all this.
What’s playing out federally, there needs to be really bold thinking when it comes to net zero across Australia, I get that some rural communities are –
Dr WOODRUFF – Have you had any conversation with your federal colleagues about the position that they’ve taken?
CHAIR – Dr Woodruff, we will move on to Ms Johnston.
Dr WOODRUFF – Thank you. Premier, on the weekend I went to the Huon Show and talked to a range of Huon Valley Council staff about the things they’re working on ‑ sea incursions, roads going under because of sea level rise, bushfire threats. Last week, in parliament, my question about the national climate risk assessment, you said: ‘Every question you ask is Armageddon in nature, and that we’re about to confront the worst thing in the whole history of the world.’ Premier, do you acknowledge that climate change is the worst threat we face in the history of humanity?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Well, I read the other day that we’re going to have another Ice Age in 10 to 11,000 years. I can’t verify the source on that just now, but it was reasonably credible and sparked my interest. So, I’m a believer in climate change. I hope you’re not getting into the old ‘climate change denier’ scenario stuff, but I’ve actually said this many times, Dr Woodruff, particularly in relation to sustaining our emergency services and other important resources of government as well. I reeled off the floods off the tongue because I was part of those affected communities in 2011, 2022, 2016. The devastation of the Dunalley bushfires in 2013, and 2019, with all the dry lightning strikes, the west coast last year as well. The bushfires and floods will become more frequent. They will.
Dr WOODRUFF – Yes, and that this is currently the worst thing that we face as a state in our future.
Mr ROCKLIFF – We have a lot of challenges. This is one of those challenges. We’re seeing a lot of investment in viticulture where people are, if you like, migrating to Tasmania to set up a new viticulture industry because of greater uncertainty on the mainland, for example. We have climate change refugees, I think you call them, coming to Tasmania, so we’re very lucky to be in the place we are in the world, but there are a lot of challenges that we have.
Dr WOODRUFF – Do you acknowledge that the reason ‑ we talked about net zero before ‑ the reason we have net zero in Tasmania is because of the Tasmanian forestry agreement and hundreds of thousands of hectares of native forests were protected? Given that industry emissions in some industries in Tasmania are rising, do you agree that we need to end native forest logging to protect more of our native forests?
Mr ROCKLIFF – I believe we have the balance well and truly right. A lot of reasons are factoring into net zero, including our renewable energy capacity, which we intend to double to 2040 as well. So, you know, our native forestry sector is an important part of the solution to ameliorate and decrease the effect of climate change –
Dr WOODRUFF – How?
Mr ROCKLIFF – Our current approach to forest management is supported by the viewpoints of world‑leading experts. These include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change –
Dr WOODRUFF – That is absolute rubbish. I can’t believe you’re reading that spin.
Mr ROCKLIFF – Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the International –
Dr WOODRUFF – Native forest logging and burning is the largest source of emissions in Tasmania. Full stop, end of story. It’s larger than the transport sector. The burning and logging of native forests is causing our emissions to rise at the same time as our industry emissions, in some areas, are also rising. If you’re serious about net zero, do you recognise we have to stop the logging and burning and releasing of carbon from native forests? We’re not controlling, under you, our other industries.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I believe what the experts have said is that the mixed strategy of conservation and production can lower greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change mitigation. These are reputable, world‑class research agencies that all support a policy of combining conservation with active forest management as being the best approach to reducing fire risk and increasing carbon storage. In other words, a balance when it comes to managing our forests, when it comes to renewable energy capacity. It is all part of the mix.
Dr WOODRUFF – During the 2020 bushfires in –
CHAIR – Sorry, Dr Woodruff, but we will move on.
