WEBVTT - ‘Frankly terrifying’: Albanese‘s secret climate report

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<v Speaker 1>From Schwartz Media. I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven AM.

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<v Speaker 1>In December last year, a group of crossbenchers dialed into

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<v Speaker 1>a secret call with the Abneasy government. It was to

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<v Speaker 1>get a briefing on a government commissioned report on the

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<v Speaker 1>national security risks posed by climate change. The report the

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<v Speaker 1>government has been sitting on since early twenty twenty three,

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<v Speaker 1>Described by one Senator as frankly terrifying, the Climate Risk

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<v Speaker 1>Assessment has not been shared with the Greens, the Coalition

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<v Speaker 1>or even the relevant Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence. Now, as

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<v Speaker 1>a federal election looms, crossbenchers warn its recklessly negligent to

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<v Speaker 1>keep the report's findings hidden from Australians. Today Chief political

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<v Speaker 1>correspondent for the Saturday Paper at Karen Bullow on why

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<v Speaker 1>the government is keeping national security threats a secret. It's Wednesday,

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<v Speaker 1>March Team. So, Karen, there's a report that the government

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<v Speaker 1>commissioned a while ago, but since receiving it has been

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<v Speaker 1>keeping secret. And we know it's about the national security

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<v Speaker 1>implications of climate change. What else do we know?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, not a lot, and that's by design. It's a

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<v Speaker 2>secret report by an intelligence agency and it was a

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<v Speaker 2>labor election promise to do it, but it seems there

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<v Speaker 2>was no promise to actually make it public. Climate change

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<v Speaker 2>is a national security issue that is well understood throughout

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<v Speaker 2>the world, but nowhere more so than with our specific neighbors.

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<v Speaker 2>It is known as the Climate Risk Assessment Report, and

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<v Speaker 2>it was done by the Office of National Intelligence with

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<v Speaker 2>significant input by Defense. And it was led by the

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<v Speaker 2>Director General of the Office of National Intelligence, Andrew Sheier.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's important because he's highly respected. He is a

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<v Speaker 2>former national security advisor to former Prime Ministers John Howard

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<v Speaker 2>and Tony Abbott. It is an assessment of the national

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<v Speaker 2>security impact of a woman planet for Australia. It was

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<v Speaker 2>delivered sometime early twenty twenty three, but not released publicly.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been covering the calls, largely from the cross Bench,

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<v Speaker 2>the Greens and climate groups to release the report for

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<v Speaker 2>years now, and that was to inform the public. But

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<v Speaker 2>I was hugely surprised actually to hear that there had

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<v Speaker 2>been a briefing not just recently, but way back on

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<v Speaker 2>December ninth to a group of the Progressive cross Bench.

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<v Speaker 2>It wasn't to everyone, not to the Greens, and certainly

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<v Speaker 2>not to the Coalition. And I understand also the report

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<v Speaker 2>has not been before the powerful and largely bipartisan Joint

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<v Speaker 2>Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, so they were all

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<v Speaker 2>excluded from this particular briefing.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, Okay, So there are a subtle few people being

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<v Speaker 1>briefed on this report. So tell me more about who

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<v Speaker 1>those independents are and what they're saying about the briefing

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<v Speaker 1>and the report itself.

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<v Speaker 2>What they're saying is almost nothing. Consider this report still secret,

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<v Speaker 2>and it seems that's the way the government wants it.

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<v Speaker 2>December ninth, when this briefing had was a non sitting

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<v Speaker 2>day of Parliament. People I understand dialed in on a

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<v Speaker 2>secure line from all around the country. I was told

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<v Speaker 2>that there were no advisors President. It's described as the

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<v Speaker 2>principles only. But I do know that Helen Haynes, the

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<v Speaker 2>Independent Member for Indi, was on the call, also Andrew Wilkie.

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<v Speaker 2>I spoke to the Member for Ringa, Zalie Stegel. She

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<v Speaker 2>would not even confirm that she was even in the briefing,

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<v Speaker 2>but she does want to say that she still wants

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<v Speaker 2>the report released. The most I heard was from the

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<v Speaker 2>act Senator David Pocock. He said the assessment was quote

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<v Speaker 2>frankly terrifying. But he couldn't say anymore other than to

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<v Speaker 2>say that Australia was woefully underprepared for what's coming.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so why the secrecy, Karen, What has the federal

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<v Speaker 1>government said about why the reporters still classified and why

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<v Speaker 1>they're briefing about it was so selective.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's a good question about why it's still classified,

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<v Speaker 2>I did ask. I tried first with the Deputy Prime

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<v Speaker 2>Minister Richard Miles. I was told it was he who

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<v Speaker 2>organized the briefing. After pressure from the Cross benches, he declined.

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<v Speaker 2>I tried also with the Prime Minister Anthony Albanezi has

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<v Speaker 2>responsibility for the Office of National Intelligence. I got a

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<v Speaker 2>statement from a spokesperson saying that the Albanzi government is

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<v Speaker 2>committed to action on climate change. We engage constructively with

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<v Speaker 2>the cross bench and that engagement includes regular briefings. Some briefings,

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<v Speaker 2>the statement says, are confidential and we trust that that

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<v Speaker 2>confidentiality respected. So didn't get a lot back while the

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<v Speaker 2>Cross benches are out there saying no, in fact, this

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<v Speaker 2>is they say, recklessly negligent not to have the public

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<v Speaker 2>understand what is needed to take climate change action. But

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<v Speaker 2>look the Government hasn't explained why the Coalition and the

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<v Speaker 2>Greens were not also part of this particular briefing. The

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<v Speaker 2>Greens in particular the Senator David Shubridge, who's the defense

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<v Speaker 2>spokesperson for the Greens. He was front and center with

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<v Speaker 2>the Cross benches calling for this report to be released

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<v Speaker 2>over the past few years. He wasn't included, and he

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<v Speaker 2>describes those on the inside as being effectively gagged. He

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<v Speaker 2>tells me that both Labor and the Coalition are notorious

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<v Speaker 2>for offering confidential briefings to their opponents as a way

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<v Speaker 2>of silencing public criticism. He says that once you're told

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<v Speaker 2>what's in the briefing, you can't talk about it because

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<v Speaker 2>there it's rein It has to be secret.

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<v Speaker 1>After the break What Australia risks by not being transparent.

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<v Speaker 1>Our work, Karen. The government is trying to keep this

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<v Speaker 1>report on the national security implications of climate change secret.

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<v Speaker 1>Many people are saying that it should be made public,

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<v Speaker 1>that we need to know about the potential threats here.

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<v Speaker 1>So I know that you haven't read the report, but

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<v Speaker 1>you have been looking into the types of threats that

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<v Speaker 1>we're likely to face as a result of climate change.

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<v Speaker 1>What have you found out.

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<v Speaker 2>One of the main arguments from those wanting the report

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<v Speaker 2>public is that there are reports from comparable nations like

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<v Speaker 2>the UK, the US, and most lately Germany, that they

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<v Speaker 2>have similar reports already in the public domain.

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<v Speaker 4>America's type intelligence agencies released a report today highlighting the

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<v Speaker 4>mounting threats that rising temperatures, droughts, and extreme weather poets

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<v Speaker 4>or our national security.

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<v Speaker 2>I did look at the US National Intelligence Committee report.

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<v Speaker 2>It wants of increasing geopolitical tensions over resources and who

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<v Speaker 2>will pay for global decarbonization.

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<v Speaker 4>The Pentagons analysis says quote, in worst case scenarios, climate

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<v Speaker 4>change related impacts could stress economic and social conditions that

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<v Speaker 4>contribute to mass migration events or political crises, civil unrust, shifts,

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<v Speaker 4>in the regional balance of power or even state failure.

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<v Speaker 2>So there are reports or already out there. Australia stands

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<v Speaker 2>out for keeping its own climate risk assessment classified. I

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<v Speaker 2>spoke with Admiral Chris Barry. He's a former Chief of

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<v Speaker 2>the Defense Force. He's also on the executive of the

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<v Speaker 2>Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, and he's been calling for

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<v Speaker 2>this to be public for a long time. He actually

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<v Speaker 2>strongly encouraged Labor to put this on its agenda before

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<v Speaker 2>the last election. And he says that the most terrifying

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<v Speaker 2>aspect of the report would be the potential for huge

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<v Speaker 2>numbers of displaced people from other countries such as Bangladesh.

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<v Speaker 2>He says there's likely to be millions of Bangladeshi seeking

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<v Speaker 2>refuge in Australia. Bangladesh is losing a large part of

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<v Speaker 2>its territory to rising sea levels, and he says that's

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<v Speaker 2>a scenario the government must prepare for.

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<v Speaker 1>And this level of secrecy, how unusual is it.

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<v Speaker 2>So Chris Barry says there's a pattern here. It's not

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<v Speaker 2>just the National Security Assessment that is secret. There's also

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<v Speaker 2>the update to the domestic National Climate Risk Assessment, and

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<v Speaker 2>that is a more domestic focused one about the risks.

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<v Speaker 2>So I have been told by Chris Berry that he

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<v Speaker 2>believes that it's been buried. I did ask about this,

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<v Speaker 2>and the official word is that the work on this

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<v Speaker 2>assessment has been more complex than expected and it's nearing finalization.

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<v Speaker 2>It's understood that the election, of course pairing down on

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<v Speaker 2>us right now is disrupting its delivery, and so we're

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<v Speaker 2>still waiting to see when it will turn up. But

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<v Speaker 2>I guess what we're seeing here is that there is

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<v Speaker 2>this wrap up of climate change. We're getting the major

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<v Speaker 2>parties framing it as something of an economic issue, a

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<v Speaker 2>cost of living issue. We're talking about bills all the time,

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<v Speaker 2>and again, while that is not to be put aside,

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<v Speaker 2>we're not talking about the bigger sort of existential risk

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<v Speaker 2>of climate change.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, there is this, and I suppose around who the

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<v Speaker 1>secrecy is serving. But then the bigger issue, as you say,

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<v Speaker 1>is what does it actually mean that we're living in

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<v Speaker 1>an increasingly unstable world that is on the cusp of

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<v Speaker 1>dramatic shifts because of climate change? So what sense you

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<v Speaker 1>get about whether or not the federal government is prepared

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<v Speaker 1>enough for that reality?

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<v Speaker 2>This is something that we're not talking about I spoke

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<v Speaker 2>to the former US Special Envoy on climate Jonathan Pershing,

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<v Speaker 2>he was just recently in Australia. He pointed out that

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<v Speaker 2>one of the reasons why the United States likes to

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<v Speaker 2>make these sort of assessments public and put out there,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a sheer cost involved in these challenges and it

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<v Speaker 2>has to go before Congress, and Congress needs to get

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<v Speaker 2>that feedback from the public before it can make these

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<v Speaker 2>changes and commit the money. So it's not something that

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<v Speaker 2>Australia is doing right here.

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<v Speaker 1>Karen, thank you so much for your time.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>Also in the news today, the Israeli military says it

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<v Speaker 1>has hit targets in Gaza with air strikes, with the

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<v Speaker 1>Palestinian Health Ministry officials reporting at least two hundred dead,

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<v Speaker 1>including several children. The strikes, which were reported in multiple locations,

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<v Speaker 1>and a week song standoff over extending the cease fire

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<v Speaker 1>which came into effect in January, the first phase of

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<v Speaker 1>which expired on March first, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers has

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<v Speaker 1>raised concerns about the broader hit to the global economy

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<v Speaker 1>as a result of US tariffs. Speaking one week ahead

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<v Speaker 1>of the federal budget, the Treasurer said Australia needs to

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<v Speaker 1>focus on resilience rather than retaliation in response to tariffs

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<v Speaker 1>of twenty five percent on steer and aluminum exports, which

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<v Speaker 1>took effect last week. Global growth over the next three

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<v Speaker 1>years is expected to be its weakest since the nineteen nineties.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven am. See you tomorrow.