21st Jun 2012, 12:19 PM – Senate Motions - Rio+20 Summit 2012 - Government explanation called for

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Tasmanian Senator Christine Milne (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) more than a million people have signed a petition to governments convening at the Rio + 20 summit calling on them to end fossil fuel subsidies,

(ii) the Rudd Government agreed at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh in 2009 to phase-out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that cause wasteful consumption,

(iii) similar language is being inserted into negotiating text at the Rio conference, and

(iv) the Government has acknowledged that fossil fuel producers benefit from economy or sector-wide concessions; and

(b) calls on the Government to explain how providing concessions to fossil fuel producers is consistent with pricing greenhouse gas pollution, efforts to tackle global warming, the G20 agreement, the intent of the Rio + 20 negotiating text, and measures to build a clean energy economy.