Mr BURKE - 2001-10-18
Chief Minister, neither your Minister for Resource Development, nor your Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment, understand the difference between agreeing to the principles of the Kyoto Protocol, and actually ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. The reason why developed countries such as the United States and Australia have not agreed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol is because there are unresolved issues around off-sets because of carbon sequestration, and the issue of jobs that will be lost, particularly with projects going to developing countries who are not signatories to Kyoto. I ask you then, Chief Minister, would you please explain to this House why you so quickly agreed to the ratification of these Kyoto Protocol when these outstanding issues have not been resolved?
ANSWER
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. It really is interesting that, when there are very key issues in the Territory to deal with, the only thing that the opposition can do over an hour of Question Time is to ask questions to try and shore up their very poor-performing candidate for Solomon in the upcoming federal election. I think it has been a very appalling performance in that, on the second day of our parliament, in terms of having the process of government, that the opposition have demonstrated what a very poor and lazy opposition they are.
Here we have the Country Liberal Party who are akin to the federal Coalition …
Mr Reed: The question was about ratifying the Kyoto Protocol …
Mr Burke: Why did you ratify the Kyoto Protocol?
Ms MARTIN: Let me just tell you what your mate, Robert Hill, said in the last week - the federal Environment Minister, said about Kyoto. Senator Hill said on a national radio program on 12 October, that the government - meaning the Howard government - accepts that the Kyoto target is fair, and that his government is seeking to achieve it.
Now, we have a problem here with the Country Liberal Party. Here we have the federal Environment Minister agreeing with Labor nationally about the important principles of Kyoto, about the importance of moving through the Kyoto agreement, and all we can hear from the Country Liberal Party is whingeing and whining and negative talk. When it comes down to it, this is about gas, and this is about our future. We need every bit of support to get gas onshore for the future benefit of the Territory. We need every pressure that can apply. Kyoto is one of those pressures, because it is all about clean energy. It is all about the energy that is absolutely typified by gas.
We know that the previous administration worked hard to get gas onshore. Yes, made some mistakes - made some major mistakes - but worked very hard. We also, in a bipartisan way, supported that, and we have worked tirelessly in our 53 days as a government to move that bringing of gas onshore. Kyoto will do that, and it is very distressing, as Chief Minister, to have Territorians listen to the kind of whingeing and whining approach that we have seen from the opposition through this entire Question Time.
This is not about the future of the Territory that this discussion is happening. This is about a lazy opposition who are trying to do the work for their federal masters, and are getting it wrong in supporting their dud candidate for Solomon.
Mr STIRLING (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that further questions be placed on the Question Paper. I just note, there were 17 questions yesterday, 24 today and they are out of ammunition. Second day in government and they have run out of questions. They have had to ask the Kyoto question nine times. You have had months to get questions together. You are the laziest opposition who ever sat in this Chamber and you should get your act together.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Resume your seat. May I just point out to members that we had not closed down the cameras, so if that outburst is shown on television tonight, it serves you right. I advise the cameraman in the Chamber that Question Time has now ceased. Members should remember that in future.
ANSWER
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. It really is interesting that, when there are very key issues in the Territory to deal with, the only thing that the opposition can do over an hour of Question Time is to ask questions to try and shore up their very poor-performing candidate for Solomon in the upcoming federal election. I think it has been a very appalling performance in that, on the second day of our parliament, in terms of having the process of government, that the opposition have demonstrated what a very poor and lazy opposition they are.
Here we have the Country Liberal Party who are akin to the federal Coalition …
Mr Reed: The question was about ratifying the Kyoto Protocol …
Mr Burke: Why did you ratify the Kyoto Protocol?
Ms MARTIN: Let me just tell you what your mate, Robert Hill, said in the last week - the federal Environment Minister, said about Kyoto. Senator Hill said on a national radio program on 12 October, that the government - meaning the Howard government - accepts that the Kyoto target is fair, and that his government is seeking to achieve it.
Now, we have a problem here with the Country Liberal Party. Here we have the federal Environment Minister agreeing with Labor nationally about the important principles of Kyoto, about the importance of moving through the Kyoto agreement, and all we can hear from the Country Liberal Party is whingeing and whining and negative talk. When it comes down to it, this is about gas, and this is about our future. We need every bit of support to get gas onshore for the future benefit of the Territory. We need every pressure that can apply. Kyoto is one of those pressures, because it is all about clean energy. It is all about the energy that is absolutely typified by gas.
We know that the previous administration worked hard to get gas onshore. Yes, made some mistakes - made some major mistakes - but worked very hard. We also, in a bipartisan way, supported that, and we have worked tirelessly in our 53 days as a government to move that bringing of gas onshore. Kyoto will do that, and it is very distressing, as Chief Minister, to have Territorians listen to the kind of whingeing and whining approach that we have seen from the opposition through this entire Question Time.
This is not about the future of the Territory that this discussion is happening. This is about a lazy opposition who are trying to do the work for their federal masters, and are getting it wrong in supporting their dud candidate for Solomon.
Mr STIRLING (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that further questions be placed on the Question Paper. I just note, there were 17 questions yesterday, 24 today and they are out of ammunition. Second day in government and they have run out of questions. They have had to ask the Kyoto question nine times. You have had months to get questions together. You are the laziest opposition who ever sat in this Chamber and you should get your act together.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Resume your seat. May I just point out to members that we had not closed down the cameras, so if that outburst is shown on television tonight, it serves you right. I advise the cameraman in the Chamber that Question Time has now ceased. Members should remember that in future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016