Tim Flannery defends Climate Commission after Government scrapping

Updated

The Abbott Government has abolished the Climate Commission, pushing ahead with its plan to scrap government bodies associated with Labor's carbon pricing scheme and climate change policy.

The commission was set up under then prime minister Julia Gillard in February 2011 as an independent body "to provide reliable and authoritative" information on climate change.

The now former chief commissioner, Professor Tim Flannery, says Environment Minister Greg Hunt called him this morning to announce the commission's closure.

Professor Flannery, who is also a former Australian of the Year, has defended the commission's role.

"We've stayed out of the politics and stuck to the facts," he said.

"As a result we've developed a reputation as a reliable apolitical source of facts on all aspects of climate change.

What is the Climate Commission? Formed by the Gillard government in response to public resistance to action of climate change, it was charged with collating and reporting on the science.

In addition to a tour around the country to explain the science in town-hall meetings, it has released a swag of reports including The Angry Summer and The Critical Decade.

It was headed by former Australian of the year, Professor Tim Flannery. Visit the Climate Commission





"I believe that Australians have a right to know - a right to authoritative, independent and accurate information on climate change.

"We've just seen one of the earliest ever starts to the bushfire season in Sydney following the hottest twelve months on record."

Mr Hunt has released a statement saying the commission was dumped as "part of the Coalition's plans to streamline government processes and avoid duplication of services".

It says the commission's role will be picked up by the Environment Department.

However, Professor Flannery says he is not aware of any organisation that can do the same job - not even the CSIRO or universities.

"The Bureau of Meteorology puts out advice and information on weather events, but doesn't cover the economics or international action happening around climate change," he said.

"There's various other groups that may or may not be able to do some of it, but having an independent strong authority that's committed to just telling the facts as they are …we're the group that was doing that.

"You need a well-informed public in order to make the right sort of decisions."

'Blood oath it was worth it'

Professor Flannery says, despite the difficulties he experienced as commissioner, he would gladly do it all again.

"There's always a cost to anything you do. Trying to make a difference, you are sure to make a lot of enemies," he told Lateline.

"Blood oath it was worth it. It's like a game of rugby ... you know you have to cross that try line with the ball no matter what's thrown at you.

"[For us] that's making sure that my children, your children and even the sceptics' children have a decent quality of life into the future."

Professor Flannery says the Government will now have to find another way to keep the public informed about climate change.

Other groups in the environment sector say they will be sad to see the Climate Commission close.

Australian Conservation Foundation spokesman Tony Mohr says the Coalition Government threatens to undo years of work.

"It's really unfortunate that we've seen the first few steps of the new government unwind years of progress on climate change action in Australia," he said.

"The Climate Change Commission has been a world-leading body in educating Australians about what climate change will mean for us."

Other climate change bodies also on chopping block

The Coalition Government also wants to dump the Climate Change Authority, which was set up in 2012 to provide independent advice to the government on the carbon price and emissions reductions targets.

Mr Hunt yesterday instructed his department to begin drafting repeal legislation to abolish the authority, in keeping with its over-riding plan to scrap the carbon pricing scheme.

In what is likely to be a harder task, the Government has also announced it is preparing legislation to scrap the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

Also set up in 2012, it has been provided with $10 billion in funding over five years to support private investment in renewable energy.

Yesterday, Treasurer Joe Hockey told his department to prepare the required legislation to axe the CEFC, and wrote to the chair requesting cooperation in suspending all further investments.

However, the Australian Conservation Foundation has released legal advice that the CEFC is "obliged to follow its legislated mandate and cannot be frustrated in that regard by attempted ministerial interference".

It also says the board "would be obliged to ignore" any direction to cease operations.

The Greens have said they will oppose any bid to abolish the CEFC.

Greens leader Christine Milne says it is unlikely that legislation to abolish the CEFC or Climate Change Authority will pass the Senate until at least next July.

But she says that will not prevent the Government from stopping the Climate Change Authority from functioning before then.

Ms Milne says the Government will take away the authority's staff.

"The Climate Change Authority is supported by a secretariat from within the public service and so it will be via that mechanism that the Government will shut down the support that the Climate Change Authority needs to do its job," she said.

Topics: climate-change, environment, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia

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