Hunt moves to abolish climate bodies

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt has abolished the Climate Commission. Source: AAP

THE Climate Commission has been abolished and work has begun on scrapping the Climate Change Authority.

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt signed a departmental brief on Thursday to close the authority, following Wednesday's swearing in of the new Liberal-National government in Canberra.

The authority was set up by the former Labor government to provide advice on emissions targets.

The move will require consultation with the authority and legislation to be passed by the parliament, which is due to return in late October or early November.

A CCA spokeswoman said the authority understood it was the government's position to abolish it through repeal legislation.

"At this time the authority has received no further information from the government," the spokeswoman told AAP.

But Mr Hunt has immediately closed the Climate Commission, an advisory body set up by Labor to increase public awareness and provide information on climate change science.

Mr Hunt spoke to commission head Tim Flannery on Thursday to inform him of the decision and thank the commission for its work, the spokeswoman said.

The commission's work will be taken over by the environment department, to save the budget $580,000 in this financial year and $1.6 million a year in running costs.

Prof Flannery said there was a strong need for accurate information on climate change as "propaganda" aimed at misinforming the public increases.

"I believe Australians have a right to know, a right to authoritative, independent and accurate information on climate change," he told reporters in Melbourne.

He said Australia had endured the hottest 12 months on record, with last summer breaking more than 120 heat records across the country.

The commission was established in February 2011 to provide authoritative, apolitical information to the Australian public on all aspects of Climate Change at a cost of $5 million over four years.

Prof Flannery said all commissioners would continue their work in one way or another, informing the Australian public that climate change is happening.

"It's a grave threat, but a threat that can be overcome," he said.

He said a well-informed public was key to action on climate change.

"We desperately need a well-informed public, especially in areas of complex policy," Prof Flannery said.

"Without an informed public, we will go astray."

Prof Flannery did not want to comment on political matters, or whether the current government believed in climate change.

He said about six to eight per cent of the Australian population were "rusted on" climate sceptics.

Staff at the commission would be re-assigned, he said.

Labor leadership contender Anthony Albanese said the government's priorities were wrong.

"They only got sworn in yesterday but they have already begun ... rolling AusAID into DFAT, sacking senior public servants and just today the shameful act of shutting down the Climate Change Authority," he told a forum in Melbourne.

He said it was a "step back in time".

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