Tim Flannery relaunches scrapped Climate Commission as community-funded body

Updated

A climate science body abolished by the Federal Government has been relaunched as a community-funded organisation.

The Climate Commission was set up to advise on the science and economics of carbon pricing, but was scrapped by the Government last week.

The group's former chief commissioner, Tim Flannery, says thanks to enormous public support, it has been relaunched as the Climate Council.

"We need a clear, credible and authoritative and independent voice in this area and there has never really been a more critical time for that voice than now," he said.

He says the council has raised about $7,000 since donations started at midnight.

"We had our first donation from James in New South Wales for $15 at midnight. We've been raising $1,000 an hour and that's through the night," he said.

Under the previous government's model, the Climate Commission cost about $5.4 million over a four-year period.

But Professor Flannery says the Climate Council should be able to run on a smaller budget.

Professor Flannery says he and his fellow former commissioners will volunteer their time to get the council started.

The Climate Institute's Mark Wooton says a publicly funded body is still needed so scientific work is not unduly influenced by private donors and it can have the ear of government.

"We need independent voices there that are set outside the processes of outside funders and also the immediacy of government to step forward and hold account perhaps the government at times, but also to be a good communicator of the science," he said.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Professor Flannery discusses the relaunch on News Breakfast (ABC News)

'Proof' taxpayer funds not needed

Environment Minister Greg Hunt told Lateline that the public support for the Climate Council proves the Government should not have pay for body.

"That's the great thing about democracy, it's a free country and it proves our point that the commission didn't have to be a taxpayer funded body," he said.

Mr Hunt said the Climate Commission never did original research, instead it simply collated research from other scientific agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology.

But Professor Flannery says that was the whole point of the Climate Commission.

"We have simply one goal and one objective and we always have, which is to take the science, the economics of climate change and what's happening internationally in terms of action and present it in a clear and understandable way and authoritative way to the Australian public," he said.

He says the Climate Commission was an apolitical organisation and the Climate Council will stay that way as well.

"Our independence is central to our credibility, so if people do donate, don't try to influence what we do," he said.

Topics: environment, environmental-policy, climate-change, government-and-politics, australia

First posted