Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Milne for her question, and for her continuing support for putting a price on carbon. What is incredibly important in this debate is that we do have Mr Combet dealing right at this moment with how we deal with the commitment period into the future.

It is important that we do put a price on carbon and that we do drive a low-carbon future. There is a range of questions that Senator Milne has asked in that; I will certainly take what I can on notice if I do not address them during this period. But Australia is ready to commit to limit its emissions in the CP2 from 2013 to 2020 to an average of 99.5 per cent of 1990 emissions. This compares with Australia's commitment over the first Kyoto period, 2008-12, to limit emissions to an average of 108 per cent of 1990 levels, a commitment which Australia is on track to meet.

The average yearly carbon budget for the second Kyoto period is the same as the 1990 one, which simply reflects the fact that Australia's commitment period 1 budget was significantly higher than the 1990 levels. This CP2 commitment is entirely consistent with Australia's existing unconditional pledge to reduce emissions to five per cent below the 2000 levels by 2020.