Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:18): The government absolutely acknowledges the science of climate change. The government has worked to ensure that Australia will meet our 2020 emissions reduction targets. We've done that through our investment in the Emissions Reduction Fund, we've done that through a range of other investments and we're showing clear leadership in terms of the Climate Solutions Package that the Prime Minister released recently, part of which includes our investment in relation to Snowy Hydro. Snowy Hydro will provide a huge pillar in terms of Australia's ability to transform our energy markets in particular and to meet our 2030 emissions reduction targets. What is always overlooked by the Australian Greens in their commentary is that, as a nation, Australia met our first Kyoto targets, is on track to meet our second Kyoto targets and, indeed, has been able to do so without the type of carbon tax policies that the Greens advocate for or that the Labor Party adopt. These are policies that we've delivered without those things that drive up electricity prices for Australian households but, instead, seek the transformation in our emissions reduction at the lowest possible cost. And we saw the Labor Party release a policy yesterday that was scant on many details in terms of the impacts of the policy—the economic impacts of the policy— The PRESIDENT: Senator Di Natale on a point of order. Senator Di Natale: On relevance, Mr President. I gave a preamble and have given the minister the opportunity to address some of the issues raised in the preamble but my question was very specific—whether the minister acknowledged the link between the burning of coal and climate change. He said he accepts the science of climate change— The PRESIDENT: I will take that point of order. The minister is being directly relevant to part of the question. I cannot instruct him how to answer a question as long as he is being directly relevant. Senator Birmingham. Senator BIRMINGHAM: Thanks, Mr President. Indeed, the science of climate change acknowledges, of course, those emissions that contribute to climate change. They come from the burning of coal and a range of other activities; that is accurate, Senator Di Natale. Of course, there are efficiencies in some activities in burning coal relative to others. Australian coal produces fewer emissions relative to coal from many other parts of the world. That's why our nation's exports actually provide for lower emissions than may be the case if countries were to use their own coal or other coal sources with higher levels of emissions. The PRESIDENT: Senator Di Natale, a supplementary question.