Mr BARTLETT (2:34 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources. Would the minister update the House on government initiatives to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions?

Ms Gillard interjecting—

The SPEAKER —I remind the member for Lalor that she has been warned!

Mr Pyne interjecting—

The SPEAKER —The member for Sturt is warned too!

Mr IAN MACFARLANE (Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources) —I thank the member for Macquarie for his question and his very strong support of the government’s policy in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to the challenge of lowering greenhouse gas emissions—

Ms Plibersek —Do you think if you say it enough someone will believe it?

The SPEAKER —The member for Sydney is warned!

Mr IAN MACFARLANE —this government believes in actions, not words.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mr IAN MACFARLANE —Mr Speaker, I am not going to try and talk over them.

Mr Martin Ferguson —Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. As the minister’s shadow, I think he should be given a fair hearing. I draw your attention to the government whip who is conducting a ballot during question time. I refer to your previous ruling that the opposition whip was not to move around during question time. I ask you to apply the same ruling to the government whip so as to ensure that the minister gets a fair hearing.

Opposition members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —Members are holding up their own question time. The member for Batman raises a valid point of order and, included in that, he made it clear that, as all members are well aware, when a minister is asked a serious question he deserves the right to be heard.

Mr IAN MACFARLANE —As I said, when it comes to the challenge of greenhouse gas emissions and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, this government believes in actions.

Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting—

The SPEAKER —Order! The member for Hunter will remove himself from the House under standing order 94(a).

The member for Hunter then left the chamber.

Mr IAN MACFARLANE —Actions like the $500 million Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund, which has seen projects already announced that will lower greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tonnes per annum; the $100 million renewable energy development initiative, which has already seen some 16 renewable energy projects awarded funding across the country; and of course the $75 million Solar Cities program, which is seeing groundbreaking solar energy technology trialled throughout Australia, including in Adelaide and Townsville. These programs are part of a $2 billion strategy laid out by this government. It is a strategy to lower greenhouse gas emissions which is unashamedly focused on practical technological measures which deliver real greenhouse gas reductions. This approach was emphasised heavily in today’s Stern report. According to the report:

The report goes on:

The report goes on to say:

That is precisely what this government is doing, and those opposite are not prepared to accept the hard work of policy to put these initiatives in place. They chant ‘Kyoto’ and yet Stern says there is no single-bullet solution to this complex global issue. Concerted international action is needed, yet Labor continues to just say one thing: Kyoto.

Kyoto is not a global trading system and it is not successful in lowering the greenhouse gas emissions of most countries. It binds less than half of the world to emissions reduction, and most of those are going to miss their targets. Over the life of the treaty, global emissions will grow by some 40 per cent. It shows once again that taxes, treaties and targets do not deliver greenhouse gas savings; technology does—and technology is exactly what this government is delivering.