Page 2587 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 October 1992
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absolutely nonsensical information. The whole proposition of enhanced global warming is absurd and has been totally misrepresented by politicians and by media that are not prepared to go into detail and explain what is happening and what they are saying but simply sensationalise the whole thing.
But let us have a look at the real causes, leaving aside the suggestions that the carbon dioxide content of beer is under scrutiny and that banks are refusing mortgages on certain seafront properties. I leave aside those extremes that have arisen from the greenhouse effect scare. There are far more serious implications. Governments the world over - and ours is no different - are spending hundreds of millions of dollars in perpetuating this myth, rather than a small amount of money on actually looking at the data that is readily available for anybody who truly wants to look. Enormous sums are going in grants for research, staff costs and so on - all to no avail.
It is said that the biggest problem perhaps is that gases that were used previously now need to be phased out. That was a major talking point at the conference in Rio. If we phase out these gases - which are very cheap gases because the patents on them have run out - and phase in other gases, it will be very expensive because the patents on these gases are newer patents. If we also require refrigeration units to be changed, that will be a problem in Australia, but our problem will be nothing compared to the problem in underdeveloped countries.
Mr Berry: Halons are safe; you can let them out in the atmosphere - is that your argument? Are they safe?
MR STEVENSON: Mr Berry asks, "Are halons safe?". We will start talking about fluorides if you talk about halons. Some of them are extremely unsafe. I would like to go into more detail, although I think I have already gone into considerable detail. I give notice, as I usually do, that today I will ask a question without notice about the fact that NASA has recorded a 0.7-degree drop in temperature in the last year.
MS ELLIS (11.05): Madam Speaker, I find it quite astounding and in fact insulting to this community that the only thing the Opposition can do in this debate on a motion that I believe is important is to try to cheaply politicise it with accusations that I moved the motion merely to court votes in Tuggeranong. I find that appalling. What we are really about here is the future of our community. This is in fact a very important motion. It is relevant to the whole of our community. It matters to all of us how we manage our energy usage in the future.
It is more than encouraging to governments that our young people are not only displaying an interest but also developing at this early stage in their education an understanding of what we as a community must do. They are not only understanding that but also producing the goods. They are our engineers, our consumers, our scientists of the future. The Opposition believe that it is more fun to have a five-minute go at the fact that a Tuggeranong college won a competition. I in no way at all reflected any ignorance of the participation of other schools. They were in fact mentioned, but not by name. In fact, I join Mr Cornwell in congratulating them on their entries. What I am hoping for, and what I referred to in my speech, is an increase in the participation of schools in this town in the future, from pure peer pressure and competition. Nothing could be healthier.
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